VERSE 6, Part II
VERSE 6, Part II For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The apostle labours, in the beginning of the chapter, to remove an imputation cast upon the gospel, as if it were not true doctrine. But if it be so, it is to them 'in whom the god of this world hath blinded their eyes.'
Secondly, he labours to remove the imputation of vain-glory, as if his preaching did such great wonders; and sheweth that the efficacy of all is from above, from God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness; and for this end, 'to give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'
The words have these two parts: the chief and principal cause of all heavenly light in us—ministerial will not serve the turn—'God commanded light to shine,' &c.
For the first, 'God hath commanded light to shine out of darkness.'
There is no less work to shine in that dark heart of man, than to create the world, to create light out of darkness. So much harder than that (though not in regard of an omnipotent power, for to that nothing is hard, but in regard of the thing itself), because there is much obscurity and rebellion in the heart. There is no help at all.
To add a little—that we may be raised up to admiration of the excellency of the new creature. There is nothing at all of it in our nature. There is something in nature to join with duty; there is a seed of it in us. But for heavenly light, for knowledge of God in Christ,
there is nothing at all of it in nature. It must not be repairing and piercing, but a whole creation. And therefore there be more good lessons in the gospel than in the law, because the law hath something in it that accordeth with us, for the law and the law in our hearts agree; but the gospel is altogether from without, both the truth itself, and the special grace wrought by the gospel. And therefore the proud and vain hearts of men make this and that conceit of Christ and his offices, because nature will not submit to it, it having nothing of it in itself; and therefore the gospel must raise oppositions. It bringeth in self-denial, being the first doctrine, so contrary to the will, which turneth a man out of himself. Therefore God that created light out of darkness must shine in our hearts.
And yet let me add this, we should not despair, for it is God that shineth. Come under the means wherewith God is pleased to be effectual, attend on the posts of wisdom, and God will stir the waters in his good time, John 5:3, will convey an almighty power in the use of the ordinances. Let no man therefore despair, because it is in God's power to shine in our hearts, and it is well for us that it is in the power of God to work grace, for now it is out of our own. And all immediately depend on God. Meet him, attend him there, and he will meet us; depend on him, and undoubtedly he will work grace first or last. This is God's way, and you shall find God in it.
Secondly, the end of this light that God commandeth to shine in our hearts, not in our brains. God's illumination goeth through the whole soul, alters the will and affection. They that are not altered in the course of their hearts and souls, as well as their understandings, in Scripture they are said to know nothing at all. He that knoweth not Christ so as to put off the old man, and put on the new, that hath not divine light passing through the understanding to the will, and
through the whole man, he knoweth nothing in religion but what may stand with damnation.
When the light presseth on him in his courses, he is always reproving it, and therefore they be never quiet. It is a vexing light, an unprofitable light, nay, a light whereby damnation is increased, if it be not joined with sanctification and illumination overspreading the whole soul.
And the end of it is to give the 'light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'
God's children they have light shining on them. No man hath grace in themselves alone; and specially it is true of ministers, who besides personal graces, have graces of office for others. And therefore 'God shineth in their hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of God, in the face of Jesus Christ.' He shineth on them that they may reflect their light on others, as the moon and stars, that have their light from the sun, that they may reflect on the earth, and inferior bodies.
1. The particulars are these: the knowledge of God is the end of all.
Now that God will be glorified, especially in his attributes of mercy and love, wisdom and justice, and holiness, all these are seen specially in the gospel, but most of all the sweet attributes of grace and mercy. The glory of God is his aim, and his glory shines in these attributes, and they shine in the face of Christ.
Now Christ must be made known, his face must be shewed, and therefore there must be a light to make known the face of God in Jesus Christ. Religion is the way of God, the end especially in these sweet attributes, and these must have a ministry. God hath ability at call, to give the light of the knowledge of these excellencies in Christ.
Of the first we spake. There is one first cause of all things, and one last end, that is God; all for his glory. All things come from God, and all things must terminate and end in him. Now this glory is victorious, excellent, and manifested, and so manifested as it is apprehended by others. Now God's glory is wisdom, mercy, holiness, goodness. They are excellent in God, and excellently victorious over the contrary; for he is so good that his goodness is above our ill, and it is with a glorious discovery, and it is glorious that we do apprehend it. For if we be Christians, our eyes be opened by the Spirit to apprehend the glory that shineth in the gospel. Therefore God sets down this excellency by way of glory. It is not ordinary grace, but glorious grace, glorious love, and glorious wisdom, to reconcile mercy and justice. It is glorious, and eminently victorious. And all
Christians have eyes to see that it is no ordinary excellency, but glory in God. When God will have it excellently set out by the word, he calls it 'glory,' to satisfy a conscience awakened, which will not be satisfied but by glorious mercy and infinite mercy. When we be in health and strong to sin (as many, the Lord be merciful to them, use their wits and strength and policy to offend, running in a course of sin, and never think of these); but Satan is a cunning rhetorician; he will amplify bitter things against us at the hour of death and time of temptation. And unless we have something that is above all his rhetoric and high mercies, victorious mercies, glorious mercies above all our sins, and above Satan's malice, the conscience will not be satisfied.
And let no man object his sins at such times, for God is glorified when his mercy is received, and his goodness entertained. 'Where sin aboundeth, grace aboundeth much more,' Rom. 5:20. Where sin aboundeth in the conscience that is guilty and groaneth under it, oh grace aboundeth in such a man; grace is glorious grace to such a
man. The more thy sin is, the more is the glory of grace in pardoning it.
But how is this glorious mercy and goodness of God derived* to us, God being so pure and holy, and we so unholy?
Therefore in the next place, it is the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God will not suffer the glory of one of his attributes to devour and consume another, but he will have his justice fully satisfied. And therefore this glorious mercy is to be seen in the face of Jesus Christ, who was made a curse for us, Gal. 3:13.
'In the face of Jesus Christ.' It is a borrowed speech, and all one with that which went before, 'Christ who is the image of God,' in the 4th verse of this chapter. He meaneth the person of Christ, incarnate, and living, and dying, and being made a curse for us: Christ made man.
Face is the person described by that face; for the face is the most known part of a man. It is the glass of the soul, wherein we may see a man's inside, his affections, love, hatred, and whatsoever is in the inward man. And so God discovers himself, and whatsoever is in him, 'in the face of Jesus Christ.' We may see his hatred of sin, his love of the elect, and whatsoever is in God. Whatsoever we see in Christ, it is in God originally.
We will unfold the point in three particulars.
1. First, We will shew that in the gospel we see the face of Christ, that is, more familiarly than others. It is a speech appropriated in some manner to the gospel.
Secondly, We see the face of God in Christ.
Thirdly, That this seeing of the face of God in Christ is a most comfortable and excellent sight and knowledge.
First of all, in the gospel, we see the face of Christ. Moses, and all before Christ, saw Christ, but not the face of Christ. They saw him not so plainly, clearly, distinctly, and comfortably as we do in times of the gospel.
Now we see Christ incarnate, and Christ sacrificed for us; Christ dead, risen, ascended, and sitting on the right hand of God. They did not. And therefore Saint Ambrose saith well, Christus umbra in lege, imago in evangelio, veritas in cœlo; in the law he was a shadow, the image of God in the gospel, but in heaven he is the truth (g). And there we shall see him most lively of all.
Now there be five or six ways of God's manifesting of himself.
1. One is more excellent than the other, that is, by speech, which is an excellent manifestation.
2. And then by vision.
3. And then by dreams, as in old time.
4. And then by miracles, of which he wrought many.
5. And by sacrifices, as the passover.
6. And last of all, by types.
All these ways God manifested himself before Christ. But, as Heb.
1:2, now God speaks to us in his own Son, that is, more familiarly, even by God in our nature; and therefore the manifestation by Christ is more excellent than all former manifestations.
Then his three offices were shadowed out by king, priest, and prophet. All the kings, priests, and prophets were shadows of this great prophet, priest, and king. And all the benefits of salvation were shadowed darkly: his election, by singling Abraham out of his father's house, Gen. 12:1; the Israelites out of the world; his vocation, by calling of Abraham and his people, Gen. 17:5; his justification, by divers sacrifices, which were types of Christ; by the paschal lamb, Ex.
12:3, seq.; by the brazen serpent, Num. 21:9, the propitiatory and the mercy seat, Ex. 25:17. The great work of redemption shadowed out, by their redeeming out of Babylon and Egypt, Ex. 12:31, seq.; the great works of sanctification, by their washing and cleansings, Lev.
14:8, which were the shadow of the inward purity of the soul; and glorification, the consummation of all blessings, by the land of Canaan, Josh. 1:2, seq., and 'the holy of holies,' which was the type of heaven, Ex. 26:33. So that all the benefits we have of salvation were shadowed out then, but they be clear in the gospel; we see the face of Christ. In the gospel we hear Christ speaking himself. God in our nature discovers all these things to us.
Obj. But you will say, We cannot see the face of Christ, for it is gone, we cannot see him now.
Sol. No. But when we preach the gospel, receive the sacraments, hear the word, we see Christ. We see Christ in the gospel, the word is the glass of Christ; and so are the sacraments, wherein you may see the face of Christ. Fides est spiritualis oculus; faith is a spiritual eye, and seeth Christ.
But Abraham saw Christ and was glad. True. But now faith sees Christ more clearly than ever before. Nay, it is in some sort better for us to see Christ with the eye of faith in heaven than to see him on the earth walking up and down. Many reprobates saw him on earth, but
now none can see him but with eyes of faith; none can speak to Christ but those that have learned his language.
And it is for our advantage that we see not Christ now. He doth more good in heaven than he could do on the earth. He is now at the right hand of God, and hath all power in heaven and earth. The sun, if it were lower, would consume the world, but it is high, that it may shine over more than half the world at once. So Christ, for the good of the church, is gone to heaven, and we have more good from him by the Spirit than if he were on earth.
Obj. But you will say, We shall not see his face till we see him in heaven.
Ans. True. Therefore, mark, 1, the diversity of the phrase in comparing it to former times.
We see his face in the gospel. But if we compare these times to the glorious times when he will come gloriously to judgment, we saw him but in the glass, then we shall see him face to face. So you see in what sense we see the face of Christ. What they expected and looked for, that we see. Beloved, it is happiness for us to live in these times of the church. We see Christ clearly. All the happiness of the church dependeth on the Scripture and knowledge of Christ; for he is the glory of the church, and the happiness of the church. And those times that have most of Christ are the most happy times. Now, considering we in the latter age of the world know Christ most, we are most happy. Wherein was the first temple glorious above the second? The second temple had not many things the other had. Ay, but Christ came into the second temple, and that made it glorious: 'Blessed is the eye that seeth the things that you see, and the ears that hear what you hear,' Mat. 13:16.
So it is our happiness that we live in a second spring of the gospel, and not when it was covered not only with Jewish ceremonies, but with fond* superstitions of their own. But now we see Christ face to face. His excellency is unveiled. It is our happiness if we be better for it, or else it will increase our damnation.
2. But it is not sufficient, unless we see God in Christ, and the glory of God 'in the face of Jesus Christ.' For the soul will not rest but in God. God is the last rest and stay of the soul. As 1 Peter. 1:21, Christ was raised again from the dead, 'that your faith and hope might be in God.' God is the stay, and rest, and subsistence of the soul; it cannot rest but in God. So that we must see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, else the soul will not be sufficiently stayed. Therefore consider in what sense 'the glory of God shineth in the face of Jesus
Christ.' You must know first that Christ is the perfect image of his Father; his Father shineth in him.
There be three or four things in the Scripture that set out this great mystery. As, 1, Christ is called the character of the Father, χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως, Heb. 1:3. They differ in this, that they be not the same in personal subsistence. They be Father and Son, one in essence; in love to mankind all one; only in personal subsistence they differ, the Father is not the Son.
2. Then he is the Wisdom of the Father.
3. Then he is the Word, shewing the likeness. The word is but the image of the soul. There is the inward word and the outward word; the inward is nothing but the expression of the soul, and when it is outwardly expressed, it is but the soul conveying itself outwardly.
And therefore in the original tongue, we shewed that one word sheweth both reason and speech, because speech should be nothing but the issue of reason. And therefore Christ is called λόγος.
It is not enough that the glory of God appeareth in the second person of the Trinity, that he is the character of God, and the image of God, and the Word, but we must see what he is to us, and how he discovers the word to us.
So that he is the image of God in a double sense.
1. As an invisible image of his invisible Father.
2. To us-ward, he sheweth to us what the Father is; so that he is the image of God, in regard of God, and in regard of us.
We see by his discovery the wisdom of God in him, and so he is the hidden word, that is, the expression of the Father. But what is that to us, without expression to us? So that he is made to us. As a man knows what is hidden in a man's mind, by his words, so by Christ we know the hidden meaning, and good will of the Father to us, because
Christ is the word in a double sense, as an expression of the Father's image, and his discovering to us the words of the Father.
So that the glory of God, especially God the Father, is now to be seen in the face of Jesus Christ, not only as Christ is the second person,
God, but as Mediator, God-man. Now Christ is the image of God to us, the wisdom of God to us, and the character of the Father to us.
To come to it more particularly. 'In the glory of God to us, shining in the face of Jesus Christ.' Everything in the Father is comfortable to us, shining in Christ. God as discovered in Scripture is not comfortable to us, but as discovered to us in him.
1. As the sweet sovereignty of God over all in Christ. He is made King of kings, Lord of lords. So in the face of Christ we see God Lord over
all, for our good, committing all to Jesus Christ: 'All power is given me from my Father,' Mat. 28:18.
2. And all the graces that are in God. You may term them so, for indeed all the sweet excellencies in God are seen in Christ, as the wisdom of God, the justice of God. All the sweet affections of God are seen in Christ. What are those that in a high sense may be attributed to God? That is, his love and mercy; God is love, but he is so in Christ, he is 'the Father of mercy,' but it is for Christ's sake that he is so. His sweet love to mankind, see it in Christ.
3. And then the relation he stands in. Take one, his being our Father.
How is God our Father in a comfortable sense? He is a Father to Christ; and what Christ is by nature, we are by adoption. 'I go to my
Father and your Father;' therefore to your Father, because my Father, 'to your God and my God;' therefore to your God, because my
God, John. 20:17.
4. Now, to go on farther, take Christ in all his states and offices, take him in his whole dispensation of salvation, and you shall see something of the glory of the Father in all. The Father, by his Spirit, sanctified him in the womb, gave his only begotten Son to death for us, made him a curse for us. 'To us a Son is given,' Isa. 9:6. The Father raised him up again. See the Father in his humiliation and exaltation, see him in all the sweet offices he hath taken upon him to accomplish our salvation. The Father hath anointed him by the Spirit to be king, and priest, and prophet. Him hath the Father sealed, setting his stamp on him, to be our Saviour. The Father hath sent him; he hath his warrant and commission from the Father. The Father hath set him forth to be a propitiation, Rom. 3:25. So that all the authority he hath in all his offices it is from the Father.
5. But more specially, we see the love of the Father in Christ crucified and made a curse for us. For there, as it were, the Father poured out his bowels. For how could the mercy and goodness of God appear, more than to give his own Son, equal with him? as it is at large set down, Phil. 2:6, seq. That God should give his Son, the greatest gift that ever could be thought of, that could make ten thousand worlds of nothing, that he should give him to us, and take our nature into unity with his divine nature, that he might suffer in it; how could the glory of mercy shine more than to give him to be a curse for us, to satisfy his justice in that manner? It is a mystery that requireth a large time, for herein shineth the glorious mercy of God, but especially Christ's love in giving of himself, and the Father's in giving him. So you see how the glory of God shineth in Jesus Christ.
Quest. But how doth Christ discover the Father to us?
Ans. 1. He discovers his Father to us, in opening his Father's meaning, as a prophet teaching us, coming to be a minister of the circumcision to teach in our nature; and to teach by his Spirit in his apostles and ministers, to the end of the world. Therefore, John 1:18, it is said, that 'the only begotten Son of God, that lieth in the bosom of the Father, hath revealed him to us.' Christ is the ἐξηγήτης, the great expositor of the Father, the λόγος, for he lieth in the bosom of his Father, which implieth an intimate knowledge, because he lieth in the bosom, he knows the secrets of God's love to every particular believing soul. It implieth likewise a high valuation of Christ, to shew that the Father loveth him and honours him.
Now 'lying in the Father's bosom,' that is, the Father being so intimate and familiar with his Son, there is knowledge of union
(different from our knowledge of faith) which the human nature hath from the divine, by virtue of union, and he is fit to discover it,
because he is in the bosom of the Father, highly valued and prized by the Father.
2. Again, Christ is discovered not only as lying in his bosom, as an expositor and prophet; but Christ discovers what his Father is by his whole life and conversation. For see Christ, and see the Father. See his meekness and humility in stooping low, his love, his fruitfulness, his goodness, as a man; for so he resembleth God, as his human nature could do, every way shewing forth the grace of God in his whole course, disposition, and conversation, he carrieth himself as the Son of God.
3. But the main way whereby Christ layeth open God the Father to us, was in his suffering. The Father was discovered in all that Christ did and suffered. For it was all done by the Father's authority. Christ did not only speak by words shewing what the Father was (as the son when he resembleth the disposition of the father, we say, you may in him see his father), but you may see the Father's authority in everything. So 'God loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son,' John 3:16. It pleased the Father to reconcile the world to himself. So you see how the face of God is discovered in Christ, and how Christ discovers himself, John 1:18; it is an excellent place. 'No man hath seen the Father at any time, but the only begotten Son he hath revealed him;' and John 14:11, "Believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me.' They both agree about the salvation of mankind. You not only see the love of the Son in 1 our salvation, but the love of the Father in the Son. In Eph. 1, Gal. 1, these great mysteries are at large unfolded.
4. But one other way, and the most sweet of all, whereby Christ revealeth his Father to us, is by his Spirit, together with the means of salvation; for as it is excellently set down in Mat. 11:27, 'No man
knoweth the Father but the Son, and him to whom the Son revealeth him,' that is, by the Spirit. None knoweth the Father to be his Father but by the Son, who 'hath begot him by the Spirit. None knoweth the Son but they that be begotten by the Spirit. We must have the Spirit both from the Father and the Son before we can have the Father and the Son, and therefore it is called communion of the Spirit; because the Spirit of the Father and Son discovers the Father to be our
Father, and the Son to be our Saviour. So that add this to all other discoveries, and you have a full discovery of Christ, as the Father is laid open by Christ to every particular Christian. You see then that God the Father hath shined in the face of Jesus Christ. God the Father liveth in light that no soul can approach to but only the Son.
He is come out of his hidden light. Nay, the Father hath discovered the bowels of good will to mankind, and in his Son he discovers by his Spirit his particular good will to every particular Christian. So that we may with boldness go to the Father in the name of Christ.
Three things beget boldness:
First, When the matter of disagreement is taken away.
Secondly, Likeness of disposition.
Thirdly, Acquaintance and familiarity.
1. Now Christ, by his death and suffering, hath taken away the disagreement, that is, our sins. He hath borne our sins, and borne them away as the scape-goat did, Lev. 16:8. When we believe in him, he takes our sins and carrieth them away: Christus tibi crucifixus est, cum credis in Christum crucifixum, Christ is then crucified to thee, when thou believest in Christ crucified. So that the sluice of mercy being open, it runneth amain on us.
2. There must be a likeness; because by Christ we have the Spirit to renew us, to make us savour the things of God, to love the things God loveth, to hate the things God hates. Now, a sanctified soul delights in communion with God, a carnal man hates it; the more holy anything is, the more he distastes it.
3. Again, from likeness of disposition comes familiarity and acquaintance with God, cherished by love, devotion, and piety; and all this we have in Christ. And therefore we go boldly, having God's justice fully satisfied, and finding the Spirit renewing our natures, and claim acquaintance with God, and pour out our souls to him as to a Father in Christ Jesus. Oh the wonderfulness of this privilege, that now in Christ we can call God Father, his Father and our Father; that we can pour out our complaints before him, as to a gracious
Father, in all our necessities! The world is not worthy of this privilege that we enjoy, who in all distresses and wants can go boldly to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and call him our Father.
Use 1. We should value these privileges more than we do, and improve them more than we do. Are we in God or in Christ? Then glory in God—Rom. 5:3—whence the apostle Paul makes a threefold glorying:
1. A glorying in affliction under the cross.
2. He glorieth in the hope of glory; and not only so, but 3. 'We glory in God.' How is that? That God the Father is ours. If Christ be in me, I have God with Christ: 'God is with Christ reconciling the world to himself,' 2 Cor. 5:19. 'All things are yours; you are Christ's; and Christ is God's,' 1 Cor. 3:21, 23. If we are
Christ's we have God, and all; and can we have more? 'Shew us the Father,' saith Philip, 'and it sufficeth us,' John 14:8; that is, shew the
Father to be our Father, bring us into acquaintance with him, and what need we more? Let it be discovered to our souls that God is our
Father, and that will suffice, or nothing.
Use 2. Labour therefore to joy in this prerogative; and when we think of God, let us not think of Deus absolutus, of an absolute God distinguished from Christ. If ever we go to God in prayer, look up to him 'in the face of Christ.' We must ascend to him as he descended to us. How is that? Doth not he descend and convey all his favours in God incarnate, nay, God in our flesh? He came down in our nature, and we must go back again to him in our nature, in Christ; and therefore it is not only fruitless, but dangerous presumption, to go directly to God without a mediator. In the Law nothing must be done without a priest, who must offer all our sacrifices, and so all that are between God and us must be by mediation of our high priest Jesus
Christ.
And then present ourselves to God in his name: Lord, I offer thy own Son unto thee, a Son of thine own sending, sealed, appointed, elected, and predestinated to be my Saviour. Thou canst not refuse the righteousness of thy own Son, thou gavest him to be my Saviour.
Therefore taking Christ along with us, we may break through the very justice of God; for, Lord, I bring one with me that hath satisfied thy justice; therefore I go through thy justice to thy mercy-seat in Christ, in whom thy mercy is glorified. I go not with my own righteousness, but clothed with Christ.
3. And will not this answer Satan's temptations? Send thy soul to God in Christ, the glory of God, and he will shine in Christ. Christ is ordained to be my Saviour, and I cast myself into his arms, and put myself in the bowels of Christ.
So in all temptation I beseech you make use of this grand comfort, that the glory of God may shine in the face of Christ.
There be three of the sweetest sights that ever were thought of for poor Christians.
That is, God the Father's sight of us in his Son Christ, as members of him whom he loveth. Absolutely* we are miserable.
Again, we see God 'in the face of Christ,' and Christ sees us in his Father's good pleasure, as given to him in charge of the Father;
'Thine they were, thou gavest them me,' John 17:24. Christ seeth us in God's eternal purpose to save, for Christ saveth none but them whom God gave. 'All that thou gavest come to me, and thou castest them not away,' John 17:2. God's choice and Christ's salvation run parallel. So God's choice saveth none but such as Christ is anointed to save, and God seeth us to be saved. As he gave us to Christ, and as Christ died for us, so we by spiritual faith see ourselves in Christ, as our Father. These do so arm the soul against all discouragements, that nothing can separate it, for God's love to me is bounded in his love to Christ. God looks on me, but he looks on Christ first. Now
God's love is eternally founded on Christ, therefore eternally founded on me to be one with Christ. It is excellently set down: Rom. 8:35,
'What shall separate me from the love of Christ?' for it is a love of God founded on Christ. God loveth Christ, and so likewise he will love me. As Christ is his 'Son in whom he is well pleased,' Mat. 3:17; so he loveth whole Christ mystical, for he gave his Son for the body of Christ the church; and therefore whensoever we hear of the love of Christ, go to the love of the Father. Hath Christ loved me? Then see the Father's love in that love. You may enlarge these things in your own meditations, they being wonderful useful.
'The glory of God that shineth in the face of Jesus Christ.' Therefore, I beseech you, let us now value and esteem the great mystery of the incarnation and Christ crucified, because Christ is the common centre of heaven and earth, in whom we all concentre: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost meet in Christ the Mediator. The first person sees us in Christ, the second person took our nature into union with himself, and the Holy Ghost sanctifieth it; so all meet together in Christ, He is the abridgment of all the elect in one, so that all the three persons, as they appeared at his baptism, met together in him. Let us mainly labour to get into Christ, and then grow up in Christ, in the knowledge of God the Father, and love of the Father, to grow more and more acquainted with the secret will of the Father to our salvation; and therefore esteem much of all the blessed means sanctified to strengthen our faith in the word and sacraments. In the sacrament see the Father. When the minister giveth the bread and wine, think that God the Father giveth his Son to every one of us in particular, and all to strengthen our faith; see God the Father together with God the Son. The Father was the person first offended, and therefore God the Father is reconciled by Christ. And it is more comfort that God the Father, the person offended, hath the chief hand in the plot of salvation; 'He gave Christ's body to be broken, and his blood to be shed for our sins,' Rom. 3:25.
I beseech you therefore to labour to be acquainted every day more and more with these mysteries, and do not take these as any encouragement to a sinful course, because the glory of mercy shineth in Jesus Christ, and therefore turn grace into wantonness. Mark this one thing. Amongst other attributes that shine in God, there is specially his holiness and displeasure against sin, for God shewed his displeasure against sin in turning his angels out of heaven. Heaven itself could not brook* sin. It turned Adam out of paradise, and is the chiefest procurer of God's wrath; but all these are nothing to that
hatred of sin that appeared in Christ. The purity of God appeared in him above all things in the world, and it will at the day of judgment appear more in sending the greatest part of the world to eternal destruction and torment. But it is not so much as in making his Son a curse. Therein we see the holiness of God, that rather than man's sins should not be satisfied for, he would set apart his own Son to satisfy it. How much then is the holiness of Christ, that offered himself for it? how much is the holiness of God, that gave his Son to take it away? Can any man now believe in God as his Father first, and in Christ as his Saviour, and live in sin?
We must look on sin as the Father when he gave the Son, and on sin as the Son did when he gave himself. Therefore if we do not look on sin as most opposite to holiness, and have not an antipathy rooted in our hearts, how can we bear God's image and the image of Christ resembling him in all things? How can we think ourselves his members when we want his Spirit? How can we say we be his, when he walks in light and we in darkness?
If that holiness be not rooted to look on sin, in some measure, as God the Father and Son [do], we can as yet have no comfort, and therefore there is no reason to 'turn the grace of God into wantonness,' Jude 4.
And then remember this one caveat more. Whatsoever I spoke of the love of God the Father, and Christ the Son, is nothing unto us, unless every [one] of us labour in particular to have the Spirit of the Father and the Son discovering to us in particular this, that the Father is our
Father, and the Son our Saviour, for that is the issue of our ministry.
We must not rest in the ministerial discovery of things, but if we belong to God there is a work of the Spirit, and the chief work of it is to particularise and to bring truths home to every man's soul; and
therefore Christ is nothing to us, unless the mind of God to us in particular be discovered. The Spirit knoweth the 'secrets of God,' and revealeth to every particular man their particular interest in God the Father and God the Son, and this should be our desire and prayer every day, together with all knowledge, that God would give his Spirit to discover to us his peculiar love in Jesus Christ, and that Christ would by his Spirit discover our interest in him. Ministerial light will not serve for comfort unless our spirits be sealed to be the sons of God. Therefore are the sacraments to seal in particular an interest in Jesus Christ. Therefore we should set our faith on work. God in particular died for me, as if for none but me, and God the Father giveth me comfort in Christ. As I taste the outward element with outward sense, so with my inward taste of faith I taste of Christ.
These be the things will stand in stead against temptation. He is the Saviour of the elect; but what though? The Spirit of the Father and the Son must discover the love of the Father to us in his Son.
These words contain the chief cause of all spiritual light, which is God, who by the same power by which he 'commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts,' or rather by a greater, because here is more opposition, and no help at all from nature to spiritual things, not so much as a seed of it.
'Hath shined into our hearts.' The end of spiritual knowledge in the ministry, is especially 'to give the glory of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'
I propound these things.
First, That God is glorious in his mercy, wisdom, and other attributes, his reconciling justice and mercy together. Secondly, That this glory of mercy is in Christ, and satisfaction of his justice by him.
Thirdly, That the glory of God, and all his sweet attributes in the face
of Christ, must be made known to others; and that this knowledge may be, there must be a calling. So God hath shined into our hearts to give the light. The ministry is to give the light of the knowledge of God; knowledge leadeth us to Christ; Christ to God, in whom our faith is terminated, as in its last object.
Divers of these things we have unfolded, As the first, that God's mercy is a glorious mercy: therefore called the 'glory of God in the face of Christ.' That his mercy, specially in Christ, is his triumphing attribute. The power of God shineth in creation, the justice of God in damnation; but mercy triumphs in salvation by Christ. And it is not every mercy, but glorious mercy. Mercy sets all others on work, and therefore I mean that excellent mercy that stirred up wisdom to devise a way how justice might be satisfied, and so reconciled, that a way may be made for mercy. So that there is a wonderful mystery in these things, which the very angels desire to behold. This glory 'shineth in the face of Jesus Christ.'
'None knoweth the Father but the Son, none the Son but the Father, and they to whom the Father and the Son will reveal themselves by the Spirit,' Mat. 11:27. If the Father revealeth his Son by his Spirit, the Son revealeth the Father by the Spirit. Then they are known, but [not] else.
'The glory of God shineth in the face of Jesus Christ,' being incarnate, made God-man. I will proceed to bring this truth home, to make it more clear and comfortable.
You see then the glory of God shine in Christ, and then it shines to us. So that Christ is between God and us; the face of Christ between God and our face.
What is the reason of this order? Because God and we be in such opposition, that Christ must be between. God cannot love our nature, but as it is pure, and clean, and undefiled; and it is only so in Christ.
And therefore he loveth our nature only in Christ, as being knit to Christ, and so purged by the Spirit of Christ. For there cannot be more opposite terms than between God, 'who is a consuming fire,'
Heb. 12:29, and sinners; therefore Christ cometh between. That is, the middle person of the Trinity must be the middle person for reconciliation. He that is the Son is fit to make us sons. He that is the image of God, is fit to restore us to God's image. He that is beloved, is fit to bring us in love with the Father, to give entrance and access to him. And therefore God shineth first 'on the face of Christ' before it come to us. It cometh to us at the second hand by reflection.
Then Christ is primum amabile, the first subject and seat of divine love, for he is the first begotten; and whatsoever God loveth he loveth in relation to his Son. If he loveth us it is in relation to him. If he loveth any before they be in Christ, it is to give them to Christ. So that all the love of God must be seated in the first subject and receptacle of his love, which is Christ. First God shines on Christ, and then on all them that be one with Christ. Therefore Christ is called ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, 'The beloved,' and the Son of God's love, 'in whom are all the treasures of wisdom,' Col. 2:3; and therefore is truly lovely.
Whatsoever good we have, it is in Christ. For the first degree of salvation, the first link of the chain, from election to glorification, all is in Christ, seated in free grace, of which Christ is the first-fruit. For so 'God loved the world, that he gave his Son,' John, 3:16. Christ himself, and all the benefits by him, are first-fruits of the free grace of God, which was amor benevolentiæ, a love of good will; but then there was amor amicitiæ, a love of amity, which is only in Christ; and the execution of all favours is in Christ. He calleth, justifieth,
sanctifieth, and glorifieth in Christ, because by our consistence* in Christ we have all benefits, even from election to glorification. The apostle runneth in this stream: Eph. 1:3, 'Blessed be God, who hath blessed you with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.' We are beloved in him, as the first love. So that in all things Christ is the first. He was the first Son of God, we sons in him. What he is by nature, we are by grace and adoption. He is first beloved, we beloved for him, as having communion and fellowship with him. He hath justified us from our sins, and therefore we are justified in him. He is our surety. If he be not acquitted, we shall never be acquitted. He is risen, therefore we rise. He is the 'first-fruits of those that sleep,' 1
Cor. 15:20. He is the 'first-born of many brethren,' Rom. 8:29; the 'first begotten from the dead,' Col. 1:18. He ascended, therefore we ascend. He sits in heavenly places, therefore we sit in heavenly places; for God hath elected us to be conformed to him. He is the first-fruits of God's predestination, as Austin observeth (h). God first made choice of him as the head of all, and of us in him. We are elected to be conformed to him in grace and comfort, in the love of God here, and in glory and perfect happiness hereafter. He is our eldest brother. Now it is fit therefore that he should have preeminence in all things. Christ in all things hath pre-eminency, in love and grace, in every passage of glory, resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of God; and in all things hath pre-eminency.
This is a very comfortable and useful point in the great mystery of Christ and glorification, to know the foundation of God's love to us.
It is seated on Christ first, and then it cometh to us; nay, and through Christ, in Christ, as an head, through Christ as mediator.
Use 1. Therefore let us make this use of it. Never think of God without Christ. And again, never think of any spiritual favour, but think of it in Christ first. If we think of any promise, think of it as
given to Christ first. For all promises are made over to him, and he maketh them over to us. 'All promises are in him yea and amen,' 2
Cor. 1:20. Promises come from love. Love is first in him, and therefore must come first from him; and therefore desire God to make them good for his sake. If we think of the love of God, think of it in our flesh, in Christ first, as our head. If we think of freedom from sin, think of Christ our surety, who is first freed from it. If we think of resurrection and ascension, think of it in Christ our head. If we think of glory, think of it in Christ; we are glorious in our head.
And have it as a fruit of his prayer, that 'we should be where he is,'
John 17:24. Whensoever we think of anything that is good, think of it first in Christ, that God may have his scope and end, which is, that Christ the second person, that took our nature on him, may have his pre-eminency.
Use 2. And this should make us in our devotions to bless God for being the Father of Jesus Christ, when we bless him for being our
Father. O blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for if he had not been his Father, he had never been our Father: John
20:17, 'I go to my God and your God, my Father and your Father.' If he had not been his God and his Father, he had never been our God and our Father. Therefore bless God for his love to Christ, and Christ for his love to us; for they both join in our salvation. As Rom. 8:39,
'Nothing can separate from the love of God,' nor from the love of Christ. They be both together in the verse, because they be all one in Christ. See the love of the Father in Christ. See his own love in himself, together with his Father's. Therefore consider the sweet agreement of the Trinity towards the salvation of mankind; and that we come not to heaven, are elect, and saved only by the counsel of the Father, or only by the love of the Son, or only by the operation of the Holy Ghost, but all three joining together in our salvation. God looks on us 'in the face of Jesus Christ.' God loveth us, the Son loveth
us, the Holy Spirit sealeth the love of both to us. So then conclude that our salvation is strongly built. It is built on the love of the Father in Christ, and on the love of Christ, together with the Father, and on the assurance of the Holy Ghost, testifying both these to our souls.
God for ever loveth his Son, and God for ever must love us, for he shineth on us 'in the face of his Son.' Now what is the love of God to his Son? Pure love, tender love, bowels of love, an everlasting love, and a rich love. And is not his love to us the same? If he loveth
Christ, he loveth whole Christ; not only Christ personal, but mystical Christ, and all his members. He loveth the whole body of Christ with a pure, tender, perfect, and everlasting love. And therefore as God's love can never be removed from his own Son that lieth on his bosom, so God's true love shall never be removed from any true Christian that liveth in his Son.
It is a comfortless, fond conceit to imagine any separation in that kind, because his love is founded not upon love to their persons, but on his Son. Now having an everlasting foundation, it must be an everlasting love; and this may comfort us in all conditions.
Use 3. To make another use to direct our devotions aright, we must not go to an absolute God, for he is 'a consuming fire,' Heb. 12:29, but must take Christ's name along. We must take Christ along in all our prayers. It is an unworthy conceit to think God will be pleased otherwise than in his Son. It is God must satisfy God, and not we, that be stubble to go to the fire. It is presumption, and the end of it will be confusion. Therefore go to God in the sweet name of his Son
Jesus Christ. Only so. We do not conceive worthily enough of God if we think he can have any communion with us, if his love be not conceived in the person of Christ. Therefore if we will have worthy conceits of him, go to him, that is, God made flesh in our nature, a Saviour of his own appointment, a mediator of his own sending, and
sealed. And God will not refuse him, if you bring his Son before him.
Therefore let it be our rule to put up our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our head.
Now our natures are in Christ lovely to God, because our flesh is in him pure, sanctified, and separate from all sin; so that he loveth our natures. And the nature of God, before opposite, is now lovely to us, because God dwells in our nature, as the apostle saith, bodily, that is, fully, Col. 2:9. Now God in our nature is lovely. God out of our nature is not, because he is purity and holiness itself; but in our nature he is all love and mercy, for his justice is fully satisfied. God by his Spirit will never leave any particular Christian till he makes their nature in them like his own nature, that is divorced and separate wholly from sin, that it may be a pure glorious nature, fit for so glorious a head.
Therefore go boldly to the throne of grace. There be good terms between God and us through Christ.
'We shall die, because we have seen God,' saith Manoah, Judges 13:22. Now we shall live because we have seen God in Christ. Out of Christ we cannot see an angel, and live; but seeing God in the face of Christ, a mediator not of our appointing, this is a sweet and comfortable sight.
I beseech you, let us make a comfortable use of these things. God thinks of us in Christ. It was a good prayer of a holy martyr, 'that God would shine on him in the face of Jesus Christ.' He was so guilty of his own sins and corruptions that he durst not look upon God, but desires God to look on his Son first, and then on him, in his Son. In Christ God can see us perfect, for Christ's righteousness is our righteousness, and we have the same spirit with Christ. For note that by the way.
As Christ, by taking our nature on him, testified by the Spirit he was the Son of God in our nature, so the same Spirit of Christ having knit us to Christ, and sanctifying our nature, we become the sons of God and Christ too. The same Spirit that sanctified the nature of Christ in the womb, will sanctify every Christian. And as the grace of union was the cause of Christ's unction, so the grace of union with Christ is the ground of all communion with Christ. And therefore labour in the first place to be one with Christ by faith, the foundation of all the comfort that I have unfolded.
To us-ward is the union with Christ by faith, that Christ and we are one; for if God look on us in the face of his Son, then we must be one with his Son: bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, by his Spirit, as he is bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh, by our nature. He took our human nature that we might partake of his divine nature; and therefore labour for union, that we may have gracious communion with him. If we be one with Christ we are his friends, and he will be with us. 'I and the Father will sup with him, Rev. 3:20. Rest specially in that. It was the effect of Christ's prayer, 'that we may be all one: I in them, and thou in me, and that thou mayest love them with the love thou lovest me,' John 17:22, 23. So intimate was Christ's love that he desires the same love to us, and in us, one with another. This is a blessed union of the Trinity in one, and of Christ with the Father, and of every Christian with Christ and the Father, one with another.
This is the fruit of Christ's offering himself a sacrifice to God; 'that we may be one, as they are one: I in them, and thou in me.'
The reason of Christ's prayer for that union is, that all good is conveyed from the Father to us, 'in the face of Jesus Christ,' as we have our consistence and being in Christ, and are one with Christ; and that makes the sacraments and all holy ordinances to be means to bring us into communion with Christ, and to seal it to us, and
thereby our communion with the Father and the Holy Ghost. If the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be ours, what can we want? 'Shew us the Father and it will suffice,' saith Philip, John 14:8. If we have God for our Father, we need no more. Therefore make much of the means whereby our union and communion and fellowship with God in Christ is stayed, and confirmed to us. To go on.
It is said here, there must be a 'knowledge of this glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' And the ministry is the cause of that knowledge, for God hath shined in our hearts to give the light, &c.
Doct. So that we must know the face of God in Jesus Christ.
Knowledge is the first thing in this new creation, as light was the first in the old creation. God by his word made light, and God by his word puts the Spirit of light in our hearts. All grace is conveyed by knowledge, grace being nothing but knowledge digested. And therefore, Col. 3:10, the apostle maketh it the 'image of God,' which in the Eph., 4:24 he calls 'holiness and righteousness.' But there he bringeth all under that one head, because all grace cometh by knowledge, and all comfort is conveyed by knowledge. For even as together with light from heaven comes influence and heat, so together with the divine light comes the divine influence and heat of the soul. Therefore the apostle joineth together grace and knowledge:
2 Pet. 3:18, 'Grow in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.' So you see the reason why the glory of God in Christ must be known. For it is an axiom in divinity, no spiritual blessing doth a man good but by way of knowledge, and therefore out of the church there is no salvation, because the church being like Goshen, there is no light of knowledge out of the church. Therefore it is a gross and fundamental error of them that will have men saved in any religion, for all salvation cometh by knowledge, and that is only in the church.
Use 1. I beseech you, therefore, labour for knowledge of God 'in the face of Jesus Christ,' and to grow in it every day more and more.
'Without knowledge the soul is not good,' Prov. 19:2. The soul is dark, and therefore those that be enemies of knowledge, are enemies to the salvation of God's people. They are enemies of God's glory, because God's glory shineth in the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But this is a clear truth.
Use 2. To make it more useful; every man thinks he knoweth Christ.
But knowledge of God's glory in Christ is another matter.
(1.) It is a purifying knowledge, and it is a sanctifying knowledge.
(2.) It is a knowledge that is both full and experimental. It is a knowledge with a taste. It is a knowledge that brings a man to salvation. He relisheth divine truths. Every divine truth hath a sweetness and a savour in it, and our souls are to relish it. If there be not relish in the palate, the relish in meat is to no purpose. And therefore God giveth knowledge per modum gustus. When things are to us as in themselves, then things have a sweet relish. God's favour and sonship, and grace and peace, they have sweet relish in themselves.
And as they are in themselves, so they are to every Christian. There is a harmony or suitableness in every Christian to divine truths wrought in him. If we have not a relish of divine truths, undoubtedly we know them not as we should.
Use 3. And it is a knowledge with application of interest in the things, when we know God to be our God, and Christ to be our
Christ, heaven to be ours, and all the promises to be ours, for that is the nature of faith to make its own, whatsoever it layeth hold on.
What good doth Christ, and the glory of God in Christ, if we know
not Christ, and God in Christ, and make applications that God and Christ may be ours? Therefore the sacraments are ordained for the particular attaining to the knowledge of Christ, that as we are really interested in what we receive, and turn it into ourselves, so by faith we have interest in Christ, and he is one with us, and we with him.
Use 4. And then this knowledge is a transforming knowledge, suitable to the object. In nature, objects have an influence into the things that apprehend them. If a man look on a lovely object, it stirs up affection of love; if on hateful objects, it stirs up affection of hatred. But much more in divine things, for they have not only influences into the spirit, but a Spirit accompanying the influence to transform the soul. So that by reason of the object and the Spirit, all divine truths have a transforming force.
Therefore, he that knoweth God to be his God, transforms himself to be his Son. He that knoweth Christ as he should, transformeth himself to be like Christ, to labour for the gracious bountifulness, free obedience, and disposition of Christ. We cannot know Christ as we should, by a spiritual knowledge, without it transform us to the likeness of the thing we know. The knowledge of the glory of God in Christ, will make us glorious Christians. Apprehending glory we shall be glorious, as the apostle saith, 2 Cor. 3:18: 'Beholding the face of God in Christ, μεταμορφούμεθα, we are changed from glory to glory,' that is, from one degree of grace to another.
Wherein is our happiness? For what is the happiness of a Christian, but to be like Christ, and in Christ like God? The very heathen could say, likeness to God, and communion with God, is the foundation of all happiness. Therefore, this transforming happiness, by which we look to be saved, which makes us more like Christ, that we must labour after, this may be sufficient to stir up our affections, to labour
to know God in Christ, being that which is most excellent knowledge.
The right knowledge of God in Christ is that that the very angels have a desire to look unto, 1 Pet. 1:12. It is a knowledge we should more desire than angels; for if we know God in Christ as we should do, we are above angels. Did God take the nature of angels? Are they the mystical body of Christ? No. They are the acquaintance of Christ's, but not the spouse of Christ. In both these respects we are above angels. And shall not we study that more than angels, that have more interest therein than angels? Is not the knowledge of this glorious? and shall not we study to know that, that raiseth our natures above the angels themselves? So we should do. And so we will do, if we have the Spirit of God, as Paul, Phil. 3:7, 8: 'I count all dung and dross,' not in comparison of Christ, but διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως
Χριστοῦ Ιησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου μου, in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. The right knowledge of God shining in the face of Christ, with an interesting* knowledge of Christ to be my Saviour, God my Father, myself to be a temple of the Holy
Ghost, a member of Christ, heir of heaven, to know I am by grace what Christ is by nature: what is all the world to this, if we had hearts to consider of it? And therefore labour to prize and value this knowledge every day more and more, to beg the Spirit of revelation, that God would reveal himself to us in Christ more and more: pray for the Spirit that knoweth the secrets of God and Christ, that we may know God to be our God, and Christ to be our Saviour. And let it be the desires of our hearts, that God would give us deep knowledge of him, in particular: not only in general, but that he would reveal his fatherly love in Christ, and Christ's sweet love to us.
Quest. But how shall we come to this knowledge?
Sol. God shines not into the brain, but into the very heart of his ministers, that they may give the knowledge of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.
Doct. So that the end of God's shining on his ministry is, that they may shine on others.
So then, if you ask what is the sanctified means of God to come to so excellent a knowledge of the face of God in Christ, it is specially to the ministry. So God shines in them, that they may give the light of the knowledge they have to others.
And here I will unfold to you their excellency, and authority ministerial, and the necessity of the calling, they being the light of the world, the sun of the world; of whom it is said, 'As the Father sendeth me, so I send you,' John 20:21. But these things concern our calling more.
Only it concerns all to know this, that God hath not set up an ordinance in his church in vain. As it is glorious to know 'the glory of God in the face of Christ,' so if ever we will know it, we must come to the ministry, that God hath set up as lights in his church; for they be appointed to give thee 'the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.' So that the ordinance of God is joined with access to the ministers of God. If you regard God and Christ, regard the ministry, for the grace of God, and faith, and knowledge, and the ministry of faith, are all linked together, and he that despiseth the ministers, despiseth God, and grace, and heaven and all. And therefore the word, as opened in the ministry, is called τὸν λόγον τῆς καταλλαγῆς,
'the word of reconciliation,' 2 Cor. 5:18. No reconciliation without it; τὸν λόγον τῆς ζωῆς, 'the word of life,' Philip. 2:16; τό ἐνδοξον εὐαγγέλιον, 'the glorious gospel,' 1 Tim. 1:11; τὸν ἀνδρείον βραχίονα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔις τῆν σωτηρὶαν, 'strong arm of God to salvation;' τῆν δυνάμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, 'the power of God,' 2 Cor. 6:7; because God conveyed all these things by it. And they that despise it, despise
glorification, reconciliation, glory, and life, and all. It is ὅ λόγος τῆς βασιλεῖας, the 'word of the kingdom,' Mat. 13:19; because we enter into the kingdom of grace here, by his ordinance, and then into the kingdom of God. Therefore to despise God's ordinance is to despise
God; and Acts 13:46, the apostle saith, 'Seeing you account yourselves unworthy of the kingdom of heaven.' If they will not hear the gospel, it is as if they despised the kingdom of heaven.
Use. That I advise is, that every one labour for a right apprehension of the ordinances of God. 'Let a man esteem of us as the ministers of Christ,' 1 Cor. 4:1, neither more nor less, but just so; that is, not lords over our faith, but ministers that dispense the mystery of Christ.
I need not speak much of this, because God never wrought good in any but they would have a due and right conceit of the ministers and ordinances of God. And they that have base conceits of it, it is a sign
God never wrought any good in them. And therefore I speak to them that have respect to the ordinances of God, and that they [may] have more respect to it. Mark what the apostle saith, 'God shines on the heart of the apostles to give light,' &c.
Obj. But it may be objected, God shines in the hearts of his ministers that they may shine on others. Can only good men convert?
Ans. I answer first, that they have a great advantage above all others, because they have those affections and those desires to stir them up to pray to God heartily for their people. And then they have love to the people. It is love that begets grace, and so they having sanctified hearts, that way they do more good than others. But the effect of God's ordinance is not tied to the dignity of any man's person. Judas was a preacher, as bad as he was. Those that convert many shall
'shine in heaven,' if they be good, Dan. 12:4; if they be bad they may convert others and never come thither themselves; therefore respect
the ordinance of God for itself. But because a good expression of the integrity and constant sufficiency in the teacher is a good help to attention and respect, therefore we ought to be careful in the choice of these. For though God's ordinances depend not on the worthiness of the minister, yet there is much help this way.
Obj. But you will say, Can the ministry cause the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ? They be but men, and God shineth in us that we may give knowledge of God.
Ans. I answer, man doth it whether they be good or otherwise, ministerially. God honours them so far as to give them his own title:
Acts.16:14, Paul preached, God opens Lydia's heart. There must be a concurring of God with the ministry: 1 Cor. 3:6, 'Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but God giveth the increase.' But if Paul plant and God giveth not increase, all is to no purpose. 'Be faithful in thy calling,' saith Paul to Timothy, and so thou shalt both save thyself and thy hearers, 1 Tim. 4:16. So that God appoints calling, and giveth gifts and callings for the good of his church. The sun shineth on the moon and stars, to enlighten the world; and the light that ministers have is to shine upon others. God teacheth men by men, and it is most suitable and proportionable to our weakness. As it is a trial of our obedience to respect the word, as it comes from one subject to the same infirmity with ourselves, so it is suitable to our weakness. We could not hear God, nor an angel, therefore God giveth gifts to men for men. Beloved, it is a marvellous fruit of God's love, that he will establish such a calling, the end of which is to bring men to heaven. I They be 'sent of God,' Acts 13:26; they be the 'salt of the earth,' Mat.
5:13, the world would be putrified without it; they be 'the light,'
Philip. 2:15, the world would be dark without it. If it were not for the gospel, what is England, that is now so glorious above other countries that sit in darkness? And therefore seeing God conveyeth
all good to us this way, let it be our prayer to God 'to send labourers into his vineyard,' to set up light in dark places, and to teach his ministers, that they may teach us.
It is strange that Paul, so holy a man as he was, should desire the Romans, chap. 15:30, 'to pray and strive with God in prayer for him.'
'I beseech you,' I conjure you, 'by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of the Spirit, that you strive to God for me.'
Note. The devil sets against this ordinance of God especially, for it battereth his kingdom, and is a means to draw men out of his darkness, 'into the glorious light of the sons of God,' Rom. 8:21; as in the Acts 26:18, the Lord 'sent him to bring them from darkness to light.' Therefore the devil stirs up 'unreasonable men,' malicious men, that have hurtful and evil principles, to do hurt to them that seek their good, to requite good with ill; and therefore the apostle prayeth, 'Lord let me be delivered from unreasonable men,' ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπῶν, absurd men, greedy, that are so far from faith that they have not common reason, 2 Thes. 3:2. Now considering God conveyeth all good, specially saving knowledge this way, desire God to preserve the ministers from unreasonable men; that God would let the gospel 'run and be glorified,' 2 Thes. 3:1; and that the ministry may be glorious, that is, that the Spirit may accompany it to get a great deal of love and strength to bear afflictions. Where the ministry is rightly received it is a glorious thing. And therefore the apostle prays that the gospel may have a free passage, and be glorified by the Spirit accompanying it, in the hearts of the people; and they that will profit most by it, must be so far from undermining it, that they must desire
God to assist the teacher, that he being taught may teach others.
Thus far it concerneth us all.
And this not only teacheth the ministers to shine to others, but every Christian is a prophet.* And they that have the light of God shining on them are to give the light to others. We are all anointed of God, and like good Christians we have all received the anointing of the Spirit, and in our sphere we ought to do all the good we can to every one in his place. 'You have all knowledge,' saith the apostle, 'that you may exhort and edify one another,' 1 Thes. 5:11. This must be done by the public ordinance, and by every particular Christian. And therefore every Christian may shine to others, and open to others the mystery of salvation, according to their Calling, specially in their families. Our Saviour saith, 'Admonish thy brother, and thou shalt save thy brother,' Mat. 18:15. God maketh common Christians saviours of others. And therefore as we believe communion of saints in the creed, so we ought to labour for the grace of communion of saints, that is, for ability and love, that we may be able to do good one to another. And no man is a Christian for himself alone. Every man hath grace for the good of the body. There is no idle member of the church's body. As soon as any one is a Christian, he is a profitable member. Onesimus, as soon as he is converted, 'he is profitable,'
Philem. 11. By prayer, by advice, by comforting, and counsel, he hath ability to do something to the body of Christ. As he hath good by the graces of the body, so by God's grace he is able to do some good in the body: he is no dead member, but hath some grace of communion.
And it is no vain glory, if it be not done for ostentation; if for Christ, not for his own advantage or ostentation. Breasts may be opened to give milk, which otherwise would be shut; gifts may be opened to do good. If they know anything that is good they ought to infuse it to them, whom God hath made near and dear to them, for grace is communicable.
The sun shineth on the greater part of the world at once. The more communicable the better: the more near God and Christ.
And then we may think that we have all things, the benefit and comfort of any true gift, when we have spirits of love to communicate it to others. These be therefore two main graces of communion, humility, and love. And when we can sweetly, humbly, and by the spirit of love communicate it to others, then we be masters of what we have, else it is not given for our good. God will blast it if we do not communicate it. God will take away that he hath from the idle servant, that will not employ his talent. I would to God more conscience were made of this, that not only ministers, but every one, would be first the cistern, and then the conduit, first get something in, and then put it out, when it is seasonable, and when we have a calling to do it.
How hath a Christian a calling to comfort others, to give seasonable reproofs, to give admonitions, to strengthen others, when no minister is by? He that is not able to do it in some measure, can he believe communion of saints? Therefore labour for some spiritual ability, that ye may not be dead and idle members of the body, but shine to others in giving example to others in the way to heaven, that others may have cause to bless God. O blessed be God that ever I was acquainted with such a one. As David said of Abigail, 1 Sam. 25:39, so such a one gave me counsel, and it came from love, from a sweet spirit, and I shall have cause to remember it while I live.
Consider it is our calling. We are all prophets, all anointed. A Christian hath an high calling; but specially consider what we do believe by the 'communion of saints;' and what we pray for, when we say, 'thy kingdom come,' that is, that faith may reign in our hearts and minds. Shall we say, let thy kingdom come, when we are enemies
of the ministry, and good communion? If we use this prayer thus, we mock God. I desire God to make these things effectual.
The apostle in the former chapter, as we have heard, raiseth up the soul to the chief cause of all heavenly light in the soul, which is God, by his almighty power shining in our hearts, as he caused the light to shine at the first. By how much that light is more excellent than that light of nature, by so much the greater power is put forth for the working of it, being so opposite thereunto.
The end of this shining in the hearts of the ministers especially, is to 'give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' God shineth on ministers that they may reflect that light upon others. As John Baptist saith, 'they be friends of the bride, that learn of the bridegroom,' Christ, what to do to help his spouse, John 3:29. They labour to know the meaning of Christ, what his good will is to them that be his. They be friends on both sides, on Christ's, and the spouse's. They come between both, for the furthering of the blessed marriage between Christ and the soul.
I have spoken of the glory of God, which specially shines in his mercy and goodness. There is a greater lustre of God's attributes in the gospel than in the law.
Quest. It may be asked, Are not we for to preach the law as well as the glory of God in the face of Christ discovered in the gospel?
Ans. I yield there must be special care of that, even now in the days of the gospel; for you know there be three degrees, the state of nature, the state under the law, and the state under grace. Before we can come from nature to grace, we must come under the law; we must know ourselves thoroughly, and be humbled to purpose. Many live under the gospel, that were never yet under the law, that think
themselves under Christ, and under grace, and yet were never humbled. Therefore in love to the souls of men, let the law be discovered; as God gave the law, not to damn men but in love to men, that thereby they might see the impurity of their natures, and lives, and the curse due to it, and so follow him forthwith to Christ, from Sinai to Sion, appealing from the throne of justice to the throne of grace and mercy, the Lord Christ. The Lord gave not the law purposely to damn men, but to drive them to an holy despair in themselves. They that despair in themselves, they come to see their whole hope of comfort to be in the face of God in Christ.
Therefore respectively to grace, we ought to force the law in these dull and drowsy times. For they that stick in the state of nature, as profane godless persons, swearers, loose persons, were never yet under the law. And what have they to do with Christ, that were never humbled? If their eyes were open to see what they are by nature, and what they would be if God should cut the thread of their lives, they would look about them then. The kingdom of heaven would suffer violence, if men understood their states throughly, that there is but a step between them and hell, nothing but a life full of uncertainties, without serious repentance.
Moses brought none into Canaan. That was Joshua's part. When Moses had brought them near, then he giveth up his office to Joshua.
The law must give up its office to Christ. When men are cast down with apprehensions of sin, they must run into the bosom of the gospel, and shelter themselves under the wings of Jesus Christ.
Though such persons may in the error of their conscience think themselves farthest off grace, yet they be nearest. For 'blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' Mat. 5:3. 'And come to me, all ye that be heavy laden, I will ease you,' Mat. 11:28.
Quest. Again, some will object, we must teach moral duties, teach men not to be sottish and drunken and filthy in their lives.
Ans. It is very good. I would these abominations were reformed, but if there be not a better foundation laid for the knowledge of God in the face of Christ, by the discovery of the hidden face of nature, we should make them but hypocrites, and only civilise them. Therefore the right way to make them leave these abominations is, first, to get knowledge of themselves by nature, and of their original corruptions; and then, to lead them to the knowledge of God 'in the face of Jesus
Christ,' that seeing love, love may kindle love, and alter their course, and make them study to please God. If duties spring not from love, they be dead duties, and but carcases of duties. But love constraineth us to perform services by the apprehension of God's mercy in Christ.
Therefore if we will make men leave sin on good grounds, teach the gospel; else we shall bring them into a civil* compass which is good, and I would there were more of it; but we should not rest there. Holy duties, and abstaining from gross sins, is a great deal more groundedly enforced from the gospel than the law. For the reasons from thence are very demonstrative, as Paul, Titus 2:12, 'The grace of God hath appeared, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; and to live soberly to ourselves, righteous to others, holily to God.'
And therefore the apostle's method is first to lay the ground and foundation of Christian doctrine, and then to build upon it Christian duties in all his epistles; as in the Romans, after he had shewed free justification, by the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, and then sanctification of our nature, then he comes to the comforts of a Christian life in predestination, and God's free everlasting love. 'Then
I beseech you, by the mercies of God in Christ, give up your bodies as
reasonable sacrifices to God,' Rom. 12:1. The ground of his exhortation is to devote and consecrate ourselves to God, and it is from the mercies of God. And so in all the rest of his epistles, he layeth foundation of a Christian life upon Christian doctrine, as Lactantius saith well, 'All morality without piety is a goodly statue without an head (i). [It is] the head that giveth life and influence into all duties of a Christian and the knowledge of Christ.* In a word, whatsoever we preach is either to drive to Christ, or is Christ himself, by his benefits unfolded, or an holy life, with this respect, that we may live answerable, and worthy of Christ; so that whatsoever we preach, it hath respect to Christ.
And therefore the apostle speaking of the main duty saith, 'God hath shined in our hearts, to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' Certainly all will follow where this is, 'She loved much, because much was forgiven,' Luke 7:47. She had relished the sweet love of God in pardoning her, and therefore loved much. For what is love but all duty in the root? It is one in the root, and all in the branches. All sin is one in original corruption, the root which brancheth itself many ways into particulars. So love being one in the root, when the heart is filled with that, you shall not need to dictate to it, to do this or that. Love is an affection full of invention, to please, delight, and gratify the person loved, and sets the soul on fire to all duties whatsoever.
1. Again, the knowledge of God differenceth God's people from atheists, that know no God at all. So to know God in Christ, that differenceth them from those without the church, that know God, but not 'in the face of Christ.' To know God in the face of Christ as he should be known, differs true Christians from popish and rotten professors, and from an hypocrite within the church. The papists know God not in the face of Jesus Christ; only they go to him by
other mediators, and they will have crucifixes, and many gods, never desiring to discover the face of Christ.
But the best discovery of God is to see him 'in the face of Christ.' The best sight of Christ is, not in a crucifix or the work of an idle painter, but to see him in the word and sacrament. You have seen Christ
'crucified before your eyes,' saith Paul to the Galatians, Gal. 3:1. God worketh grace by his own means, and not by the bastardly means of man's invention. The knowledge of God is conveyed by Christ, and no other mediator. That knowledge which comes nearest the knowledge of God in Christ is not only disciplinary, but a sound saving knowledge, that sees things in their formal, proper, spiritual light, and not only in their shell.
2. This distinguisheth likewise them under the law. And they see the face of God under the law, poor distressed sinners. Ay, but they see an angry face there. But if they will see God as they should do, and as true Christians, they see not his angry countenance in Moses under the law, threatening men with hell and damnation; but they see him
'in the face of Jesus Christ,' reconciling the world to himself.
In the next verse, ver. 7, the apostle preventeth an objection, as he is very curious in prevention; for he was full of love, and desired to make way for himself in the hearts of them whom he taught. When he saw anything between him and their hearts, he labours to remove it, by all the with and policy that he could; and therefore he now preventeth an objection from the meanness of his person and condition. You speak much of preaching the gospel, what doth the world esteem of you? you be a poor despised man. It is true, but I carry the excellent treasures of the love of God in Christ; nay, we carry it in earthen vessels; but it is a treasure, though in earthen vessels, though conveyed by despised persons. And God hath a wise
end in it. I look to God's end; which is, that in the meanness of my condition the power and excellency of what I teach may come from him, and not from me; therefore he useth mean instruments in his great work. So that the words have a prevention of an objection.
And there is a double answer to the objection.
1. We are 'earthen vessels,' but we carry a 'treasure' in them.
2. Again, God doth it 'that the excellency of the power' of my preaching 'may be of God, and not of us.' To come to the particulars.
1. That the gospel, and the knowledge of God in the face of Christ, it is a treasure.
2. And the way to come to it is by the ministry. Our ministerial dispensation of it is the way to convey it to others.
3. That ministers, as well as others, are but frail, empty vessels.
Indeed, they have a treasure conveyed by the dispensation that God hath set upon his church, but it is all but by earthen vessels. These be the three things.
Then the next part is, 'that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.' So that there is a power, and an excellent power, shewed in the ministry to all them that shall be saved.
There is a power in them that be reprobate wretches, and they feel it at length, to harden them more and more, to make them more bitter and worse; but in them that be saved there is a power, and excellency of power, in the ordinances of God.
This power is of God, and not of men. It is conveyed by man, but the power originally, tanquam à fonte, cometh from God. These be the
parts.
1. 'We have this treasure in earthen vessels,' the gospel, the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The knowledge of Christ, and of God in Christ, it is a treasure.
What is a treasure? We all know. Experience sheweth that it implieth plenty, and variety of things of price, and rare things, not common, and them of excellent and special use for the time present and to come, for ornament, or for security, or defence, or for discharge of debt and trouble, or for help and comfort. When any want lieth upon a man, he hath recourse to his treasure.
The gospel is a treasure in these and all other respects that may be comfortable.
For here is plenty, variety, rarity, price, usefulness in the highest degree; for in Christ, who is the chief thing in the gospel, we have all.
(1.) There is plenty in Christ, treasures of wisdom and of all good hidden in him for our good. The apostle saith, 'In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,' Col. 2:3; and he is all in all, he is our riches. The particulars I have unfolded out of a portion of Scripture heretofore.* He is 'wisdom,' he is 'righteousness,' and 'sanctification,' and 'redemption,' 1 Cor. 1:30: wisdom to supply our ignorance, righteousness to supply the guilt which we stand charged before God with; and so he is righteousness to our consciences. He is sanctification to the defilement of our natures, our conditions and persons being miserable. He is redemption to us, partly of our souls in this life, and of soul and body in the life to come. He hath all by grace of union; for our natures being so near as to be hypostatically united, and taken into one person with God.…*
As there be three ways of conveying excellency—union, revelation, and vision—so Christ hath it by union, we by revelation in this world, by vision in the world to come.
Now Christ hath a fulness in him, partly by virtue of this union, and partly ratione officii, as he is the head of the church; for where should we be but in the head? The head is wisdom for the body. All the senses are in the head. It sees, it hears, it understandeth for the body, it doth all for the body; so that the riches of a Christian is hid in Christ, but for the good of the body. Whatsoever we stand in need of, God is all-sufficient, and Christ is God-man, and we are knit to Christ by faith, so that Christ and we are all one, and therefore a Christian hath a rich treasure in Christ.
(2.) And then he hath price and excellency in the things we have in him. If any things be excellent, these things are. They raise our condition above the common condition of the world; nay, above angels in some sort, making us heirs and fellow-heirs with Christ. It makes us the sons of God, sets us at liberty from our cursed condition, and not only at liberty, but in a state of advancement as high as our natures can reach unto. Liberatio à summo malo, summi boni habet rationem, freedom from the greatest evil, which is damnation and destruction. It hath respect to the greatest good; but then, together with freedom from the greatest evil, we have advancement to the greatest good. Indeed, we can hardly conceive of the excellency of the things we have in Christ. Every grace is precious.
[1.] How precious is faith, that layeth hold of all the graces in Christ, and makes them our own!
[2.] What precious grace is love, that makes us to deny ourselves and communicate ourselves to the good of others! A world of good a
loving soul can do.
[3.] And so the hope of life, what an anchor it is to stay the soul in all conditions patiently and contentedly!
And every grace is precious, and needs must every grace be precious, considering the price they cost. Things dearly bought are precious, and every grace of the Spirit, and the Spirit itself, is purchased by the blood of Christ. For the Spirit hath no communion with us till peace be made between God and us by Christ; but when God the Father is reconciled by Christ, then the Spirit, a friend of both, cometh from both, and assureth us of the love of both, discovering the secret love of God in Christ, and bestoweth all grace, to furnish and fit us for heaven. So that the graces of the Spirit are precious, and to be accounted precious, because they cost so dear as the blood of Christ.
(3.) And then for usefulness, what use have we of every grace? What were our lives without grace? What serve treasures for but to pay our debts? Christ paid all your debts to God the Father, to God's justice.
We are all discharged. One red line of his blood drawn over the debtbook crosseth all the debt. Satan hath nothing to do with us. In him we have remission of sins, and he is now in heaven to make intercession for us, and plead our cause as our friend. At God's right hand we have a friend and brother in our nature, that maintaineth the love of God constantly to us as his members and as his spouse.
Besides, we have comfort in all distresses; and we have strength in all our weaknesses; light and direction in all our perplexities, by the Spirit, and grace of the Spirit. So that in every respect Christ and the graces of the Spirit are satisfying treasures.
(4.) The gospel which revealeth this is a treasure specially for the time to come, for then is a treasure specially useful. Christ is a rich
storehouse, and in him we have all. For the time to come we have more in Christ than here. When Christ shall be revealed, and we shall be revealed, then our treasure will appear. And before that, at the hour of death, when all comforts shall be taken from us, then comes in the treasure of a Christian, then he hath use of Christ, of the Spirit of Christ, to support him; and the spirit of faith and hope, to strengthen him with patience and willingness to go to Christ: then come in all the riches that he hath laid up, all the spiritual graces, for to help him at that hour. So that specially then in time of need comes in these treasures, Christ with his grace and Spirit. The best use of religion is in time to come. Now, we can make a shift with riches, and friends, and strength; but when all is done, we must have a better treasure, that is, Christ and the graces of Christ.
We may refer all to these two heads, Christ partly imparted and partly imputed. That that is imputed is his righteousness, by which we have freedom from hell, advancement to heaven; and the imparted and bestowed favours are the graces of his Spirit for all times and services. We have remedies for all maladies. And they are of a higher nature than all other treasures whatsoever.
Therefore, to shew the difference between this and other treasures, to raise up the estimation of Christ, and the good things in him, these treasures we have in Christ imputed and imparted.
1. They are independent. The comfort of them doth not depend on any inferior comfort, or things in this world, but when all comforts are taken away, then they are of special use.
2. And as they be independent, so they be universal. Christ and the good things in him are universally good for all turns. There is no other treasure but is for particular ends, and cannot do all things.
Riches can make a man as happy as riches can do; and dainties make
a man as lively as such things can do; and friends can do what friends can do; but all is limited: they cannot do more than in the sphere of their activity. But what is said of money, that it is good for all things, I am sure it is true of the grace of God in Christ. It is good for all things and all conditions: it is a universal good.
3. Then it is a treasure that is proportionable to the dignity of a man.
It is proportionable to the soul, to satisfy the desires thereof. A man's desire is larger than any pleasure in the world. A man can spend all his contentment in an earthly thing. In his thoughts and affections he runneth through the contentment of all earthly things presently. If a man had all earthly contentments, the soul would pass through them all and see beyond them; and when he hath done, he looks on them as soiled commodities and cast things; but the treasures of the gospel in Christ are proportionable to the soul. They be spiritual, as the soul is spiritual; nay, likewise they be larger than the soul, the treasure is larger than the treasury. But of other things, the treasure is but little, the treasury large; but here the treasure is larger than the treasury, for our soul is not capable of the fulness of Christ. There is more in Christ, and more in our state of happiness than the soul can contain.
The soul can never spend nor run through all the good we have, for there is still more and more. Therefore the apostle calls it, Eph. 3:8,
'the unsearchable riches of grace.' Search more and more, and still they be unsearchable. 'Neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of the excellent things in Christ,' 1 Cor. 2:9. They transcend the capacity of the soul, which no other treasure can do.
4. And then they have another excellency. They make the soul and the whole person a treasure; as God saith, Mal. 3:17, 'I will make up my jewels.' The grace of God makes us gracious, turneth us into jewels. No other treasure can change the cask wherein it is; but these
blessed things of God and of Christ, wheresoever he dwelleth, he makes the soul like himself, stamping his own image and likeness upon it. For such is the change of nature into grace that it makes us treasures.
Other treasures perhaps make us worse, as indeed they do, by reason of the proneness of our dispositions to earthly things, they soil and stain our natures. But these treasures of excellent things purify our natures, make us better, and change us into the nature of themselves; nay more, grace changeth the worst things to be good to us: that is the excellency of its virtue. They talk of the philosopher's stone, and strange things, but I am sure the grace of God is so excellent a treasure that it extracts good out of every evil, and as grace, turneth all to good, and so the sanctifying Spirit concurring with it, draweth the greatest comforts out of the greatest crosses.
And is not that a rich treasure, that turneth the worst things to good?
It will make every thing to guide us to the main.
5. That our affections may be raised higher. All other treasures whatsoever they be, here we find them, and here we must leave them, whether we will or no, or they will leave us. As the wise man saith of riches, 'they have eagles' wings,' Prov. 23:5. Peritura perituris, we must leave perishing earthly things to perishing men.
But is this treasure of that nature or no? For it makes the soul eternal, it doth raise the soul to be spiritual, the soul carrieth them to heaven with it. The earthen vessel indeed is cracked to pieces, but the treasure remaineth. The soul goeth out of this earthen vessel to heaven, and thither carrieth all the love it had, and all the graces, and the image of Christ it had. All is there perfectly, nothing is taken away. As we say of an earnest, it is part of the bargain, and not taken away again. Luke 10:42, it was said of Mary's part, that 'her part shall never be taken from her.' All other things will be taken from us. We
shall be stripped of all, and turned naked into our graves, we know not how soon. As we came naked, so must we be turned naked; but Mary's part, the interest in the treasure of the gospel and the good things of Christ, shall never be taken from us, but shall be perfected in heaven. When friends are taken away, and life taken away, and all comforts taken away, yet Mary's part endures for ever. When nothing will comfort, all our treasures fail, as at the hour of death, then comes in this treasure and comforts most. So that herein it differs from all treasures: it is never taken from us, and stands us in greatest use and stead in our greatest necessity.
6. And which is of special use, other treasures we cannot carry about us whithersoever we go. But this is like [a] pearl rather than treasure.
A Christion carrieth this treasure wheresoever he goeth; nay, he carrieth it in his heart, it is hid there, and who can take it out thence?
Can the devil? No. It is hid in his affections. His love, and choice, and judgment hath gotten it and mastered it. This I have, and this I must stick to in life and death; for having got it in his heart, judgment, and affection, he carrieth it wheresoever he goeth, maketh use of it wheresoever, in prison, at liberty, abroad or at home. Let all the devils in hell conspire, they may take away his life, but not his treasure, they must leave him the gospel. Perhaps they may take it out of the book, but can they get it out of the soul? Indeed, unless divine truths be gotten into the heart, the devil will come between us and our souls and rob us of them; but if it be in the judgment and heart, we carry it with us, and that continually and in all places, else it could not serve for all turns. You see then in what respect this treasure is so excellent.
First, that we may believe these things we must believe God, and believe his saints, and believe Christ.
(1.) God by his Spirit saith it is so, Prov. 3:14, 15. The knowledge of Christ and the good things by him, nothing is to be compared to them, Mat. 6:29. God's judgment is the rule of the goodness of things. If he saith it is so, it is so. Christ calleth it a treasure, that a wise man that hath God's Spirit in him will sell all for to obtain it.
'Lay up treasure in heaven,' Luke 12:21. Labour to be rich in God, for that is 'true riches,' Luke 16:11.
(2.) And for the servants of God, take Moses and St Paul. What was the judgment of Moses? In comparison, the worst things that can be in Christ and religion are better than the best things that can be in the world. What are the worst things? Shame and reproach, together with poverty, and the like; but the 'reproach of Christ,' which is most insufferable to the disposition of one that is a man; but the rebukes of Christ are greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. Nay,
Moses balanceth them; he layeth the reproach of Christ in one scale, and the treasures of Egypt in the other, and the reproaches of Christ is the heavier scale, Heb. 12:26. Take St Paul, Phil. 3:7, 8. He puts into one scale all his excellencies whatsoever he had. He was a Jew
'of the tribe of Benjamin,' 'without reproof,' 'as to the law blameless;' after he was a Christian, he had excellent graces, abundance of the Spirit of God. No man, next to Christ, discovered a greater portion of the Spirit of Christ; and yet, not only 'I did' before my being in Christ, account of my Pharisaism, and righteousness of the law and civil life, but note, 'I do,' when I am well advised what I say, I do 'doubtless esteem all dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ.' Διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου μοῦ. That is the jewel of jewels; the treasure of treasures; for thereby we come to have infused righteousness. Imputed is the most useful, and therefore the apostle so esteems that, that in regard of it he esteemed the other nothing,
and thinks he hath not done enough till he hath set disgraceful terms upon it, calling it dung, offal, that which is cast to dogs.* He will suffer the loss of all righteousness, reputation, and all, that he may gain Christ. Thus, if we believe the judgment of God, and of men led by the Spirit, and of Christ, we must needs judge this an excellent treasure.
Use. Therefore let us labour to have our parts and shares in this excellent treasure of Christ, and the good things of Christ; to give no rest to our souls till we have union and communion with him, in whom 'all treasures are hid,' Col. 2:3. Get the Spirit of Christ, whence all graces and comforts be derived; what will all other treasure do good, when we stand most in need? When we lie gasping for comfort, as we must ere long, what will friends and possessions do good? what will these farther you, when you go swelling and puffing against God's ministers, and truth, and them that be better than yourselves—
What will they do you good that thus leave you? Alas! nothing at all.
It will only fill your souls with despair and horror. The knowledge of God in Christ, and the Spirit of God to seal it, and to sanctify hard hearts, is the only thing that will comfort us. It will not comfort a man on his deathbed, that he hath worn gay apparel, or been acquainted with great persons, or borne so high a place, or tasted of so many dainties. Alas! when he reflecteth on these things, what good will they do? This will do him good; I remember such promises, such comforts, such precious mercies, that have been unfolded to me; the work of God's Spirit in me hath led me to such and such holy actions, as the fruits of his Spirit. I remember Christ hath been unfolded to me, that I might cast myself on his mercy. These things may comfort, but other things may be objects of discomfort, but comfort they can yield none. I beseech you, let us consider wherefore we came into the world, and wherefore God hath given men great parts. We are sent as factors* into the world to trade, being all
merchants. And what do we trade for? For this commodity that we should carry to heaven with us, that we may go stored to heaven with them. If a merchant send a factor into a foreign country, and he bring nothing but baubles and trifles, can he give a good account to him that sent him? Doth God send us into the world to get a great deal of 'hard clay,' Hab. 2:6, and of ill-gotten goods for pleasures, and to deify ourselves and others, to make ourselves much more the children of the devil than we are by nature? No. We are factors for great matters, to get the knowledge of God in Christ, to get near acquaintance with God, to get out of the state of nature, to get near to heaven; these be the ends wherefore we live in the world. This earth and this church of God is a fit place, a seminary, a nursery, wherein we grow, and are fitted to be transplanted to the heavenly paradise.
Wherefore do we live, and wherefore doth God give these excellent parts by nature? Is our understanding to exercise itself in the dirt of the world? Is this heart, these wills, and affections given to cleave to baser things than ourselves? Hath he given love, so sweet, so large an affection, to cleave to things below?—which is capable of Christ, of heaven, of happiness. These excellent capacious souls of ours, which the world cannot contain, are they for anything that is meaner than ourselves? Oh no. They serve for Christ, and for these excellent treasures. Oh that we should forget the end of our creation, redemption, live here, and labour not for the things which we live in the world only to attain to but let the devil abuse us! As they catch whales, with casting empty barrels about them to play withal, so while we be playing about this and that vanity, we are made a prey to Satan. How few live to that purpose for which they are! Few fit themselves for their eternal condition, by heaping up comforts from these things, which may be true comforts. Lay these things to heart, that we may be wise to purpose, wise to salvation. This is our wisdom and our understanding.
Use 2. Quest. But how shall we know whether we have interest and portion in these excellent treasures, ay or no?
Ans. [1.] We may see our interest in them, especially by our esteem of them. If they be presented to our souls indeed as God doth, and as Christ and the word of Christ presents them, then it is an argument, that there is a tincture in our spirits whereby they are made suitable to the Spirit of Christ. If they be presented [as] excellent things—and beyond all comparison, all the things thou canst think of are not to be compared with them—do we so present them to ourselves, that we esteem of them as Moses, and Paul, and God's children do? Do we so esteem of grace, that if we were left to our wish, whether we will have anything in the world, or a greater measure of grace, of the love of God, of union with God, what choice would we make? Our estimation and choice will discover the frame of our hearts. As we esteem, so we be. If it were left to our own opinion, and wish, and desire, would we make David's choice, Ps. 4:6, 'When many said, Who will shew us any good?' A right temper of a worldling, 'Who? it is no matter who,' let any 'shew me any good,' do but shew it, I have ways enough to get it. But saith David, 'Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me.' Life is in the favour of God; nay, the favour of God is better than life itself. I had rather part with my life than the favour of God; saith Paul, 'My life is not dear to me, so I may finish my course with joy,' Acts 20:24. Now do you esteem communion with God and peace of conscience higher than life? It is a good sign of interest in Christ when you have this estimation and choice on him.
Ans. [2.] Again, a sign of interest in this treasure is, when we have grace to make use of it on all occasions; for together with graces the Lord gives his Spirit to make use of them, in our afflictions, in our troubles. And therefore they that make not use of the Scriptures, and promises of good things they have in Christ, have no part in this
treasure. What is the use of a treasure if it be not applied to our occasions; if we run to earthly contentments, and never make use of our best grounds of comfort? Christ giveth an excellent note of discerning: 'Where the treasure is, there the heart will be,' Mat. 6:21.
Wouldst thou know whether thy treasure be in earth or heaven?
Where is the heart? that is, where is thy love, thy joy, delight? Ask thy soul what thou lovest most? what thou most cleavest in affection to? what thou delightest most in? There is thy heart. And therefore they that have few thoughts, and very shallow and weak thoughts of the better state to come, and of the state that they have here in Christ, and the excellencies in Christ above the world, that do not think of these things with joy and love of God, their heart is not there; therefore their treasure is not there. They have hearts eaten out with the world, if they were anatomised, you should find nothing but projects for the world. Anatomise their affections, there is nothing but the love of the world, and vanity, and emptiness, and which is worse than emptiness, much sin and evil that Satan hath brought into the world. And if nothing be found in the soul but worldly vanities and profits, alas! where is our treasure? Our treasure certainly is here, and not in heaven; for 'where the heart is, there is our treasure.'
They that have treasures, Oh they mind them. Therefore we shall see worldly men, they have nothing in them. You shall not have a savoury word of goodness. Their minds are like mines of gold and silver. They say of them, that where they are the ground is always barren, because the metal sucketh out the juice that should cherish it. And so it is with all the minds of earthly men. Enter into an heavenly discourse, it is not for them. They have not a word with them, they have no savour, no relish of it, they shew a distaste; yet if it be brought in by occasion of mortality, a short thing will serve. But they will quickly be in the old tract of the world. They be so unwilling
to dwell in the meditation of these things, that they be mere strangers to them.
Ans. [3.] A man will think of his treasure and look on it, as a covetous man, that though he use not his gold, yet will open his chest to look on it; excellent is the colour of it.
Note. Shall a worldling joy in refined earth, and shall not a Christian delight to reflect on Christianity and his comforts in Christ, and his future estate, and what blessed conditions abide in him, and being for ever with the Lord, and having such rivers of pleasure? The oldest man, the dullest wit, will never forget where he layeth his treasure, and when we cannot call to mind this comfort, and that comfort, and things useful for us, it is a sign they be not treasures to us, for if they were we would make more of them.
I beseech you, therefore, labour more and more, that as things are in themselves, and as God who is the rule of all truth doth judge of things, so let us judge of things, let them be to us as they are to him, and as they are in themselves. If they be treasures, the blessings and comforts of God's Spirit and the good things of Christ, let them be so to us; never leave begging of God that we may have a sanctified judgment, to have the same mind of them that he hath; and to this end balance them often with other things. As Moses did, and as Paul did, lay them in the scale, and consider the emptiness and vanity of all things besides* grace and the Spirit, and the good things of Christ, and what other comforts they will afford. God hath given wit and discourse, how shall we use them better than by comparing different things, and answerable to our comparing to make choice? We should shew ourselves wise men in our wise choice, and good men in our good choice. How else should we shew ourselves to be what we would be thought to be?
There be treasures in these poor vessels of bread and wine. Now what treasures are conveyed by them, if we look on themselves?
Bread is an ordinary thing, but the good conveyed to us by God is conveyed by these common easy things. Thus God delights to shew himself in common ordinary ways to us. Therefore raise up your thoughts from the commonness of the things to the excellency of the things conveyed. What is conveyed by bread? The body of Christ crucified. And what is conveyed by that? God reconciled in Jesus
Christ, by the sufferings of Christ, the love of God, and mercies of God, and pardon of sins. Great good is conveyed by the bread broken, for Christ is conveyed with satisfaction to divine justice, and thence favour and reconcilement with him. And so when his comforts are represented by refreshing of our bodies, Christ's body
'is meat indeed,' Christ's blood 'is drink indeed,' John 6:55. The benefit of Christ's blood and satisfaction are great things that are conveyed by a reverent receiving of the sacrament. If we come preparedly we have communion with Christ, in whom are 'hid all treasures,' Col. 2:3.