Mat. 12. 20.
THis Text is spoken Prophetically of Christ; (Isa. 42. 3) hee will not insult over the infirmities of his people, hee will not crush Grace in the infancy; A bruised Reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall be not quench.— I begin with the first, the bruised Reed.
Quest. What is to bee understood here by a Reed?
Answ. It is not to bee taken litterally, but mystically, It is a Rational Reed; the Spiritual part of man; the Soul, which may well bee compared to a Reed, because it is subject to imbecility, and shaking in this life, till it grow up unto a firm Cedar in Heaven.
Quest. What is meant by a bruised Reed?
Answ. It is a soul humbled and bruised in the sense of1 sin, it weeps, but doth not despair, it is tossed upon the waves of fear, yet not without the Anchor of Hope.
Quest. What is meant by Christs not breaking this2 reed?
Answ. The sense is, Christ will not discourage any mournful spirit, who is in the pangs of the New-birth: If the bruise of sin be felt, it shall not be mortal: A bruised reed shall he not break. In the words there is a Mi[…]o[…]s, he will not break, that is, he will bind up the bruised reed, he will comfort it.
The result of the whole is, to show Christs compassion to a poor dejected sinner, that smites upon his breast, and dares hardly lift up his eye for mercy, the bowels of the Lord Jesus yern towards him, this bruised reed he will not break.
In the Text there are two parts: 1. A Supposition, a soul penitentially bruised. 2. A Proposition, it shall not be broken.
Doct. The bruised soul shall not be broken, Psal. 147. 3. He bindeth up their wounds: For this end Christ received both his Mission and Unction, that he might bind up the bruised soul, Isa. 61. 1. The Lord hath anointed me to bind up the broken-hearted· But why will not Christ break a bruised reed?
Reas. 1. 1. Out of the sweetness of his Nature, Iam. 5. 11. the Lord is […], very pitiful; he begets bowels in other creatures, therefore is called the Father of mercies, 2 Cor. 1. 3. and surely he himself is not without bowels; when a poor soul is afflicted in spirit, God will not exercise harshness towards it, lest he should be thought to put off his own tender disposition.
Hence it is, the Lord hath been ever most solicitous for his bruised ones; as the Mother is most careful of her Children, that are weak and sickly, Isa. 40. 11. He shall gather the Lambs with his arm, and carry them in hi[…] bosome: Such as have been spiritually bruised, who like Lambs, are weakly and tender, Christ will carry them in the arms of free-grace.
Reas. 2. 2 Jesus Christ will not break the bruised reed, because a contrite heart is his sacrifice, Psa. 51. 17. A bruised spirit sends forth tears, which are as precious wine, Psa. 56. 8. A bruised soul is big with holy desires, yea, is sick of love; therefore if a bruised reed hath such virtue in it, Christ will not break it; no Spices when they are bruised, are so fragant to us, as a contrite spirit is to God.
Reas. 3. 3 The bruised reed shall not be broken, because it doth so nearly resemble Christ Jesus Christ was once bruised on the cross· Isa. 53. 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, his hands and feet were bruised with the nails, his side was bruised with the Spear: A bruised reed, resembles a bruised Saviour; nay, a bruised reed is a member of Christ, which though it be weak, Christ will not cut off, but cherish so much the more.
Use 1. 1. Will not Christ break the bruised reed? this tacitly implies he will break unbruised reeds; (Inform) such as were never touched with trouble of spirit,3 but live and die in impenitency, these are hard reeds, or rather rocks: Christ will not break a bruised reed, but he will break an hard reed: Many know not what it is to be bruised reeds; they are bruised outwardly by affliction, but they are not bruised for sin; they never knew what the pangs of the New birth meant: You shall hear some thank God they were always quiet, they never had any anxiety of spirit, these bless God for the greatest Curse: Such as are not bruised penitentially, shall be broken judicially; they whose hearts would not break for sin, shall break with despair; in hell there is nothing to be seen but an help of stones, and an hammer; an heap of stones, that is hard hearts, and an hammer, that is Gods Power and Justice, breaking them in pieces.