6. SERM. VI. The Third Sermon on the Excellency of Christ.
SERM. VI. The Third Sermon on the Excellency of Christ.
A nd his Name shall be called Wonderful. – Isa. 9:6.
Christ Wonderful in his Miracles.
Christ is wonderful in the Miracles that he wrought here in the World while he lived; in the second of Acts, ver. 22. Ye men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by Miracles,
Wonders, and Signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know. Never did any come into the World to work such great Miracles and Wonders as Christ did, and indeed all that ever did
Miracles and Wonders, they did do them by Jesus Christ. Josephus that was no great friend to Christ, he was a Jew, and did not acknowledge Christ to be the Messias, yet he writing the Story of those times, could not but take notice of such an one as Christ; he did profess, that at such a time there was a Wise man did arise, which they did call by the Name of Jesus, that did work a great many Miracles; and saith he, If it be lawful to call him a Man.
He was afraid to call him a man, because of the wondrous things that he did.
But if any of you say, How shall we be able to know certainly the truth of all those Miracles that he did? We read in the Gospel how great things
Christ did; how he cast out Devils, and cured the Blind and Lame, and raised up the Dead, and the like, but how can we know the truth of them?
For the answer of that, Augustine hath this, Either all those things are true, or they are not true; if they be, then he is confirmed to be the Messias; but if they be not true, then saith he, this is the greatest Miracle of all, that such a supernatural Doctrine as that is, to believe in him that was crucified, to save the World, and for men to venture their souls and eternal estates upon this, without having this to be confirmed by Miracles at first, this is the greatest
Miracle of all; but we will pass by that, only note it as we go, that Christ was wonderful in all the Wonders that he wrought while he lived.
Christ wonderful in his Glorious endowments and excellency of his Person.
But further, Christ he is the Wonder of the World, in regard of those glorious endowments and excellency of his Person, those Personal endowments and excellencies that he had; and herein he is the Wonder of the World.
Now the endowments and excellencies of Jesus Christ they are great and glorious, Thou art fairer than the children of men. It is he that received the Spirit without measure, it is he that had the Treasures of wisdom and knowledge dwelling in him bodily, and he must needs be the Wonder of the World; that Scripture in the second of the Colossians, doth show unto us what a wonderful Savior we have, it is such an expression that had we not had it from the Holy Ghost we should never have dared to have ventured upon it, as in Col. 2:3. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and then in ver. 9. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily; what a high expression is here? All the fullness of the God-head doth dwell bodily in Jesus Christ; surely he hath excellent endowments then, he is filled with glorious things, his Human Nature is elevated and enlarged to the highest capacity that a Creature can have to receive excellency. And God hath raised up the Human Nature of Christ to show how high he is able to elevate a Creature, and make it capable for the receiving of Glory, that he might declare it to Angels and Saints to all eternity; I say, man's nature is raised to that height, that God might to all eternity make known to the Angels and Saints this thing, and say, Behold to what a height is mine infinite power able to raise a Creature, to be capable of happiness? Therefore Christ's Human Nature is so raised, and our nature in him, which should be a wonderful comfort to us, that our nature should be raised to so much glory in Christ.
And a great argument to us, to take heed of the abuse of Human Nature, of thy Body, and of thy Soul; oh that ever any one should be given up to that sottishness, that is, a man that hath Human nature in him, that should look after no greater good than merely to eat, and drink, and play, and satisfy his lust; dost thou know oh Creature that thy nature is raised to such an height of excellency, that God might declare to Angels and men what his power was able to do? And shalt thou that hast the same Nature, that art a kin (as it were) to Christ, shalt thou be so base and vile, to mind thy filthy and base lusts, and mind no higher good than this? The very thought of the raising our Nature in Christ, it is a mighty argument to raise up the thoughts of one that is a man, to a higher pitch than ever they have been; think thus, certainly my nature is capable of some higher good than merely to eat and drink, and play, and to have a little Money here for a while; why now that shows the personal excellency and endowments of Christ in general, that all
the fullness of the God-head doth dwell bodily in him, and therefore Christ he is called the Character, and the engraven form of the Image of God, in the first of the Hebrews; it is not said so of man; though man be said to be made according to God's Image, yet it is never said of him, That he is the brightness of God's glory, and the express Image of his Person, so as it is said of Christ; and in the Colossians you have mighty high expressions about the Personal excellency of Christ, chap. 1:15. Who is the Image of the invisible God, the first born of every Creature; and then he is the beginning of all things, ver. 18. He is the Image of the invisible God, as God and man, for so I must speak of him; he is the Image of the invisible God in another manner, and more fully, than any creature is, or possibly can be, for Jesus
Christ, take him God and Man, he hath the very character and engraven form of whatsoever glory there is in the Father; I say, take him as God and Man, as thus, he hath an omnipotency in him, therefore it is said in the third of the Philippians latter end, Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, (how) according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Now this is a great Mystery of godliness, that God-Man should have an Omnipotency in him; and then likewise he hath the express Image of all the knowledge of God: for as he is God-man, he is made the Judge of all the World, and he will be the Judge, not merely as he is God, but as God and Man; now seeing he is the Judge of all the World he must have an infinite knowledge, he must know the hearts of men, and all the works of men; and he must have an infinite Holiness and Justice that must judge all the World. And thus
God-man hath an express Character of the Attributes of God, which none else hath; and then he hath an express character of the Immensity of God. If you speak of his Body, it cannot be everywhere, but God-Man is in all
places; thus you have it in the third of John, ver. 13, it is a very strange expression, and it can never be understood but by understanding the personal union of the two Natures. Why at that time he was speaking to them there upon the earth, and yet saith he, The Son of man which is in heaven. At this time he that is the Son of man is in heaven, his body could not be in two places at once, but God-man was then in heaven. Thus you see the excellency of Christ, in being the character of the Father, and having the Divine Attributes in him in another manner than any creature in the world could have that is a mere creature.
2. And then further, this personal excellency of Christ will appear, when we consider how Christ comes to have those excellencies, that he hath them all by virtue of the personal union. The human Nature alone it is but a creature if you take it distinct; But now this human nature is filled with all excellency from the Father; and indeed the Father is the fountain of all firstly; these excellencies that Christ hath, they come from the personal union immediately; now God unto other creatures gives them as it were of bounty out of himself, he doth confer from himself, he puts forth an act of power for the bestowing of such and such excellencies upon such creatures, but when the human nature of Christ was to be filled with such excellencies, it is by taking of the human nature of Christ into himself, as we say concerning sight. Philosophers have a dispute whether it be by taking in the species, or by sending out something from the eye. This may a little resemble this great mystery, there are some things that God bestows by sending out from himself, other excellencies he bestows by taking in to himself: Now all other creatures, Angels and men (but only the human nature of Christ) have all the excellency that they have by God's sending out from himself; but now all the endowments of Jesus Christ, and all his
excellencies, he hath them all from God taking of him into himself, that is, in a personal union, not taking him into communion with himself as his
Saints, but taking him into a personal union, and so comes to have all excellencies in another manner than any other creature can possibly have.
Thirdly, Christ is wonderful, take him God and man, in this, That all his personal excellencies that he hath, depend upon himself; he is Independent, the excellency that Christ's human nature hath, it is, I say, Independent in this, that is, it depends upon his person; there is no dependence of the excellency that Christ hath, but upon the very person of Christ himself, all depends upon him, for he saith of himself, That he hath life in himself, so you have it in Joh. 5, it is spoken concerning Christ's excellency there, For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Indeed the Son is from the Father by an eternal generation; but now though he be firstly from the Father, yet now the Son hath life in himself, yea and eternally he had life in himself, and so what excellency the human nature hath, it doth depend upon its own person, which is a higher and a more glorious way of having excellency, than it is possible for anything else to have.
4. And then in the fourth place, hence Christ, even God man, he comes to be worthy of Divine honor, Divine honor is due to Jesus Christ that is Godman; there is no creature can partake of Divine honor by coming never so near to God, but only the human nature of Christ being personally united:
Let a child of God, a Saint, be never so holy, because he comes to partake of so much excellency of holiness, he is not therefore to partake of Divine honor, nor an Angel; but now Christ, God and man, the very human nature joined with the Divine in one personal union, comes to share in the Divine honor that is due to him both God and man, and it is a wonderful Work of
God to bring that that is in its self but a creature, to come to have a share in Divine honor.
5. And then Christ is wonderful in this, that hence he is an infinite object of the Delight of his Father, not only as he is eternally begotten of the Father, but as he is both God and man, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, I am pleased fully in him, Jesus Christ is an object even adequate to the very heart of God the Father; Oh how should we take content in him! Certainly if he be so excellent as he is, as to give full satisfaction to God the Father, then he may very well give full satisfaction to your souls.
Yea, and God the Father manifests his satisfaction so fully in him, that he hath made him to be heir of all things, Heb. 1:2, and therefore he is said, to be the beginning of all things, all do subsist by him.
Yea, and further, there is that satisfaction that the Father hath in him, that God the Father did make all things for his sake; I say, all things in the world are made for the sake of Jesus Christ, Angels are made for his sake, and this world, and seas, all the work that ever God did, or will do to all eternity, it was for the sake of Jesus Christ, that God the Father might honor himself in Jesus Christ; that Text is very full for that, and we need no more, in Col.
1:16. All things were created by him, and for him. So that God hath a higher end in creating the world than you think for, God did not only create that he might manifest that he was a mighty God, and merciful, and bountiful, and the like, but God had a higher end when he made the world, it was to advance his Son, when he made the Angels, God would never have made them, but for the honor of his Son.
Oh what infinite cause have we to honor Jesus Christ; Oh how happy are they that live to the honor of Jesus Christ, by whom God may have glory
beyond a natural way! Did you consider this, that you were made for the honor of Jesus Christ, and the honor that God the Father would have from you is this, that you should live to the honor of his Son, and all other honor that you give unto God, except it be in order to his Son, it is not accepted, I say, whatsoever honor any man or woman doth endeavor to give to God, is not accepted of him, but in relation to the honor of Jesus Christ; therefore if you look at God in a mere natural way, and honor, and worship him never so much, as the heathens did, all this would not do; but now that honor that God hath in reference to his Son, when a poor sinner is sensible of the breach that sin hath made between him and the infinite God, and comes to see Jesus Christ, and seeks to advance Jesus Christ by faith, I saith God, here is the honor that I would have. And therefore when all the elect ones that were given to Jesus Christ to redeem, when they are all converted and brought to Jesus Christ, the world will fall about our ears, why, because saith God, I have the end that I made the world for, and now I have brought in all that do belong to my Son, and all those works by which my Son will come to have his honor eternally are done, let there be an end of the world, and the end of the world is like to be the sooner now; because that we see
God is doing so much for the setting up of Jesus Christ in this latter age; as when a man's time is almost at an end for his work, then he doth work more speedily than he did before; now saith God, I have made the world for the honor of my Son, but yet to this day how little honor hath my Son had from the world? And there is a time, saith God, that I will manifest to all the world that I did make it for Jesus Christ, he did not make it for a company of Tyrants to do what they would in, nor for a company of profane people, to eat and drink, and follow their lusts in, but the end at which God aimed at in making the world, saith he, I will set up my Son in the world, and all the
works that ever have been done in the world, shall at length come in to conduce to the honor of my Son. And this shall be the great work that shall be done at the Day of Judgment, he will show to all the world how all those works that did seem to go most against Jesus Christ, how they were brought about for the honor of Jesus Christ: Oh blessed are those souls that come to see that all things were made for the honor of Jesus Christ, and so give glory to him accordingly. Thus you see what a wonderful Savior we have, that God hath made all things for him; Surely our Savior is glorious and wonderful.
6. There is one thing more, he is wonderful in his Endowments and Excellencies in this, that his Excellencies are in him to be conveyed to his people, Out of his fullness do all we receive, and grace for grace. Out of the fullness of all Excellency that is put into him. The Saints of God and elect ones, they draw all the excellency they have here, or shall have to all eternity. For you must know this, Though the Divine Nature be the fountain of all Excellency, yet it is not to be conveyed, but only through Jesus Christ; this is the great mystery of godliness, and this is the wonder in the Gospel that is so much above nature, that though God be the fountain of all in himself, yet he hath determined that this goodness of his shall be first let out to his Son, and so shall be conveyed through him to the Saints, so that all the gifts and graces we have, we must not look upon them only as coming from God the Creator of all things, but as coming from God through him, that is God and man in this mystical way; therefore if you say you look at God, and believe in God's mercy, without understanding the way of God's communicating himself, you may utterly mistake, it must be in Christ that we must receive grace for grace. Now that there should be such a thing revealed, that God should say, I will set up my Son, the second Person in
Trinity, to take your nature, and to be God and man, and he shall be as a Conduit to be filled with all things whatsoever, and you shall have as it were your pipes joined to him, and through him, you shall come to partake of what good I intend for you, This is the wonder of the world.
And hence it is that Christ is compared to all things that have any excellency in them; Is there an excellency in light, Christ is called Light,
Christ is called Pearl? And Gold, and Rayment, and the Sun, and Living water, anything that hath any excellency in it, Bread, Wine, Milk, whatsoever in the creature hath any excellency in it, Christ is called by that Name, to show that all Excellencies are in him as one; As I told you that God's Excellency was such an excellency, as the very quintessence of all excellencies was united in one in him, so Christ hath the quintessence of all excellencies in him, and in him as in a conduit to be conveyed to all that God intends eternal good unto.
Oh what a Savior have we, my Brethren! Now me thinks this should be a very strong argument to draw your hearts to Jesus Christ, or at least to say as Philip said, Let us see but Jesus Christ, this wonder of the world, and we will never wonder at anything more in the world: Oh let us understand what
Jesus Christ our Savior is; here you may see what a full object of your faith Jesus Christ is, and how you may venture your souls upon him, and your eternal estates; here is enough to draw faith, and encourage faith, and enlarge faith; and oh that God would be pleased, by presenting what Christ is, to work faith in some soul that hath not had it before; but now where faith is before this, look beyond your own worth, and your own enlargements: And thus in these things you see how wonderful Christ is.
There remains two things more.