Part II (continued, part 2)
And secondly, that this office doth therefore lay upon Christ a duty to be in all his dispensations full of grace and mercy, and therefore his heart remains most certainly suited and framed thereunto.
For the first. The office of high priesthood is altogether an office of
grace. And I may call it the pardon-office, set up and erected by God in heaven ; and Christ he is appointed the lord and master of it. And as his
kingly office is an office of power and dominion, and his prophetical office an office of knowledge and wisdom, so his priestly office is an office of
grace and mercy. The high priest s office did properly deal in nothing else. If there had not been a mercyseat in the holy of holies, the high priest had not at all been appointed to have gone into it. It was mercy, and recon
ciliation, and atonement for sinners that he was to treat about, and so to
officiate for at the mercyseat. He had had otherwise no work, nor any thing to do when he should come into the most holy place. Now this was but a typical allusion unto this office of Christ s in heaven. And therefore the apostle (in the text), when he speaks of this our high priest s being entered into heaven, he makes mention of a throne of grace, and this in answer to that in the type both of the high priest of old, and of the mercyseat in the holy of holies. And further to confirm this, the apostle goes on to open that very type, and to apply it unto Christ, unto this very pur pose which we have now in hand. And this in the very next words to my text, chapter v. 1st, 2d, and 3d verses ; in which he gives a full description of a high priest, and all the properties and requisites that were to be in him, together with the eminent and principal end that that office was ordained for. Now the great and essential qualifications there specified,
128 THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN [PART II.
that were to be in a high priest, are mercy and grace, and the ends for which he is there said to be ordained are works of mercy and grace. And
besides what the words in their single standing do hold forth to this pur
pose, observe that they come in to back and confirm that exhortation in the
* high priest touched with the
text, wherein he had set forth Christ as an
feeling of infirmities : and that therefore we should come with boldness
for grace and mercy ; for every high priest (says he) taken from among men, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God : that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. One who can have compassion, &c. So that these words are a confirmation of what he had before said, and do
set out Christ the substance, in his grace and mercifulness, under Aaron and
his sons the shadows ; and all this for the comfort of believers. Now for the ends for which those high priests were appointed, they speak
all nothing but grace and mercy unto sinners ; it is said, he was one or dained for men, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. There is both therms ciijus, the end for whom, and the finis cui, the end for which, he was ordained.
(1.) For ichom. He was ordained for men, that is, for men s cause, and
for their good. Had it not been for the salvation of men, God had never made Christ a priest. So that he is wholly to employ all his interest and
power for them for whose cause he was ordained a priest, and that in all
things that are between God and them. He is to transact ra vgog rbv Qtbv,
all things that are to be done by us towards God, or for us with God, he is
to take up all our quarrels with God, and to mediate a reconciliation between us and him. He is to procure us all favour from God, and to do all that which God would have done for our salvation. And that he might do this
willingly, kindly, and naturally for us, as every high priest was taken from among men, so was Christ, that he might be a priest of our own kind, and so be more kind unto us, than the nature of an angel could have been. And how much this conduceth to his being a merciful high priest, I shall shew anon.
(2.) The end for which every high priest was ordained, shews this ; he was to
* offer gifts and sacrifices for sins : sacrifices for sins, to pacify God s wrath against sin, and gifts to procure his favour. You know the apostle, in the foregoing words, had mentioned grace and mercy, and encouraged us
to come with boldness unto this high priest for both ; and answerably to-
encourage us the more, he says, the high priest by his office was to offer
for both : gifts for to procure all grace, and sacrifices to procure all mercy for us, in respect of our sins. Thus you see the ends which he is ordained
for are all matter of grace and mercy, and so of encouragement unto men
for the obtaining of both, verse 1.
(8.) The qualification that was required in a high priest was, that he should be one that could have compassion, &c., and this is set forth, verse 2. He that was high priest was not chosen into that office for his deep wis dom, great power, or exact holiness ; but for the mercy and compassion that was in him. That is it which is here made the special, and therefore the only mentioned, property in a high priest as such ; and the special essential qualification that was inwardly and internally to constitute him and fit him for that office : as God s appointment did outwardly and exter
* that can or
nally, as verse 4 hath it. And the word dwapevoe,
* is
able, imports an inward faculty, a spirit, a disposition, a heart that knows
| how to be compassionate. And it is the same word that the apostle had
before used to express Christ s heart by, even in the words of the text,
PART II.] UNTO SINNERS ON EARTH. 129
that is, who can be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. And he had also used it of him afore that, in the point of
mercy, chap. ii. 18, dvvarai, &c., he is able to succour, &c., which is not meant of any external power (which we usually call ability), but of an in
ternal touch in his will ; he hath a heart able to forgive, and to afford help. Now, therefore, if this be so essential a property to a high priest as
such, then it is in Christ most eminently. And as Christ had not been
fit to have been God s king, if he had not had all power and strength in
him, which is essential to constitute him a king, so not to have been God s
high priest, if he had not had such an heart for mercifulness ; yea, and no
longer to have been a priest than he should continue to have such a heart. Even as that which internally qualifies a minister for the ministry is his
* which if he loseth, he is no longer to be in that office ; or as rea son makes a man a man, which if he loseth he becomes a beast ; thus no
gifts,
longer should Christ continue to be a priest than he hath a heart that
* can have compassion, as this second verse hath it. And the word which we translate to have compassion, is exceeding emphatical, and the force of it observable ; it is in the original /curg/Mtt&fr, and signifies
* to have
compassion according to every one s measure and proportion. He had said of Christ in the words of my text, that he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, or that
< he had a suffering with us in all our evils ; and
this word also here used imports a suffering.
But then, some greatly distressed souls might question thus : Though he
pities me, and is affected, yet my misery and sins being great, will he take them
in to the full, lay them to heart, to pity me according to the greatness of them ? To meet with this thought therefore, and to prevent even this
objection about Christ s pity, the apostle sets him out by what was the duty of the high priest, who was his shadow ; that he is one that
* can have
compassion according to the measure of every one s distress ; and one that considers every circumstance in it, and will accordingly afford his pity and
help, and if it be great, he hath a great fellow-feeling of it, for he is a great high priest. Thy misery can never exceed his mercy. The word here used comes from ftergov, a measure, and flra&TP, to suffer. And that it is the apostle s scope to hold this forth in this word, is evident by what follows, for he on purpose makes mention of those several degrees, proportions, and ranks of sinners under the old law, who were capable of mercy and com
passion, who can have compassion (says he) on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way. In the old law you may read of several
degrees and kinds of sinners, for which God appointed or measured out
differing and proportionable sacrifices, Lev. iv. ver. 2 and 5, and another
for sins against knowledge, or such as were wittingly committed, chap. vi.
ver. 2, 3, compared with ver. 6. Now when any sinner came to the high priest to make atonement for him, the priest was wisely to consider the kind and proportion of his sin ; as whether it were a sin of mere ignorance, or whether it were against knowledge ; and accordingly he was to proportion a sacrifice, and to mediate for him. And so he did (jt,eTgioira6e7v, pity him
according to measure, or according to reason or discretion, as in the
margin it is varied. And therefore the apostle here mentions both the
ignorant, that is, those that sin out of mere ignorance, and them that are
gone out of the way, namely, by wilful and witting iniquity. And so by this property that was to be in the high priest, doth he here set forth Christ. As the measure of any man s need and distress is from sin and misery, accordingly is he affected towards him. And as we have sins of several VOL. IV. I
130 THE HEAET OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN [PART II.
sizes, accordingly hath he mercies, and puts forth a mediation proportion able ; whether they be ignorances, or sins of daily incursion, or else sing more gross and presumptuous. And therefore let neither of them discourage any from coming unto Christ for grace and mercy.
So that (for the closure of this) here is both the qualification disposing him for this office, merciful compassionateness ; and here are the ends of
this office, even to deal mercifully with all sorts of sinners, according to the
proportion and measure of their sins and miseries. From each of which do
arise these corollaries, which make up the demonstration in hand, as the conclusion : 1. That he is no longer fit for this place, than he continues
to be of a gracious disposition, and one that can have compassion. 2. That he can no longer be faithful in the discharge of this office, according to the ends for which it was appointed, than he shews all grace and mercy unto them that come unto his throne of grace for it.
And that is the second thing which I at first propounded
: that this office did lay a duty upon him to have compassion ; and it necessarily follows from the former. And answerably to confirm this, we have both these two
brought to our hands in one place together, and which is a parallel place to this last interpreted. It is Heb. ii. 17,
* That he might be a merciful and a faithful high priest, &c. He is at once here said to be both merciful and faithful ; and both are attributed to him, in respect of this high priest s
office, faithful high priest; and that, as it is to be executed in heaven, after the days of his flesh ended. For the apostle giving the reason of it, and shewing what it is that fits him to be such a high priest, adds, ver.
28, in that himself hath suffered ; so that it relates to the time after his
sufferings ended. Now in that he is said to be merciful, this relates to that
internal disposition of his heart, before spoken of, qualifying him for this
office ; and in that he is said to be faithful, that respects his execution of
it ; he is faithful in the discharge of the duty which that place lays on him.
So then this goes further than the former, for it shews, that to exercise mercy is the duty of his place, and that, if he will be faithful, he must be
merciful. For faithfulness in any office, imports an exact performance of
something appointed by him, who designs one to that office, and that as a
duty ; and that this is a true description of faithfulness, and also that this
faithfulness so described is in Christ, we have at once implied, in that which
immediately follows in the beginning of the 3d chap. ver. 3, Who was
* faithful to him that
(says the apostle, going on to speak of Christ)
appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house ; we have the same thing as expressly spoken in that fore-quoted place, Heb. v., in the next words to those we even now opened, ver. 3,
* And by reason hereof he ought to offer for sins. He speaks it of Christ s type, the high priest
(as the former also he had done), but thereby to shew that it is Christ s
duty also to mediate for all that come to him, He ought to do it. Now then to enforce this consideration, for the help of our faith herein. If this
office doth by God s appointment thus bind him to it, and if it be the duty of his place, then certainly he will perform it most exactly, for else he doth not do his duty. And our comfort may be, that his faithfulness lies in
being merciful ; therefore, you see, they are both here joined together. Every one is to do the proper duty of his place, and exactly to see to that. And therefore the apostle, Rom. xii., exhorting to the discharge of the duties
of each office in the church, ver. 7, he says, Let him that hath a ministry, committed to him, wait on his ministry ; and, among others, if his place of ministration be to
* shew mercy, as ver. 8 (which was an office in the
PART II.] UNTO SINNERS ON EARTH. 131
church, upon which lay the care of the poor and sick), he is to do it with
* The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to bind up the broken-hearted, to open the prison doors to them that are bound, to visit and relieve them, and to preach good tidings to the meek. Such kind of souls are they that he hath the
cheerfulness. And so says Christ of himself, Isa. Ixi. 1, 2,
charge of. He is the great shepherd and bishop of souls, 1 Peter ii. 25, and the sick, and the broken, they are his sheep, his charge, his diocese, as Ezekiel hath it, c"hap. xxxiv. 16. And to tend such as these, he looks
for ever upon it as his duty, as his own expression upon the like occasion
* them I must
importeth, in John x. 16, Other sheep I have (says Christ),
bring, &c. Observe how he puts a pi flg/j an I must upon it ; looking at it
as his duty, strictly laid upon him by his place of being a shepherd. And the proper duty of his place being to shew merey, he doth it with cheer
fulness, as the apostle speaks. For mercy makes one do what they do with cheerfulness. And Christ, as he is the bishop, so the biaKovoc,, the deacon also (for he bears all offices to his church), as of the circumcision, so of the uncircumcision also ; so he is called, Bom. xv. 8. And these
offices of high priest, shepherd, bishop, &c., he hath still in heaven ; for
* he continues a priest for ever, Heb. vii. 24. Now, therefore, to conclude this head. Never fear that Christ s great advancement in heaven should any whit alter his disposition ; for this his
* entered
very advancement engageth him the more. For although he be
into the heavens, yet consider withal that it is here added, to be an high
priest there ; and so long fear not, for his place itself will call for mercy from him unto them that treat with him about it. And although in the heavens he be advanced far above all principalities and powers, yet still
his high priesthood goes with him, and accompanies him ; for such an
high priest became us, as was higher than the heavens, Heb. vii. 26. And
further, though he sits at God s right hand, and on his Father s throne, yet that throne it is a throne of grace, as the text hath it, upon which he sits. And as the mercyseat in the type was the farthest and highest thing in the
holy of holies, so the throne of grace (which is an infinite encouragement unto us) is the highest seat in heaven. So that if Christ will have and
keep the greatest place in heaven, the highest preferment that heaven itself can bestow upon him, it engageth him unto grace and mercy. The highest honour there hath this attribute of grace annexed to it in its very title, A throne of grace ; and as Solomon says, A king s throne is established by righteousness, it continues firm by it, so is Christ s throne by grace. Grace was both the first founder of his throne, or his raiser to it, and also
it is the establisher of it.
First, it is the founder of it ; for the reason why God did set him up in
that place was, because he had more grace and mercy in his heart than
all the creatures had, or could be capable of. All favourites are usually
| raised for something that is eminent in them, either beauty, pleasantness of
wit, state policy, or the like. Now if you ask what moved God to advance Christ to this high throne, it was his grace. So Ps. xlv. 3, Grace is
poured into thy lips, and so dwells much more in his heart : therefore God hath blessed thee ; so it follows, namely, with all those glories in heaven, which are God s blessings to his Son.
And then, secondly, grace is the upholder of his throne ; so ver. 4 of the
aforesaid Ps. xlv., In thy majesty . . . prosper thou, as well because of meekness as of righteousness, and also because of
* truth ; that is, the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, as Paul exegetically expoundeth
132 THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN [PART II.
it, Eph. i. 13. These are the pillars and supporters of his throne and
majesty. And there are two of them, you see, that are of grace (meekness, and the gospel of our salvation), unto one of justice, or righteousness, and
yet that one is for us too. And these establish Christ s throne. So it fol
lows, ver. 6, Thy throne, God, is for ever and ever, and you know who
applies this unto Christ, Heb. i. 8. Fear not then, whenas meekness sup
ports his majesty, and grace his throne, and whenas he holds his place by shewing these. And thus much from that office that is laid upon Christ as he is a priest. A fourth engagement, which added to the former may mightily help our
faith in this, is, his own interest, both in that our salvation is the purchase of his blood, and also that his own joy, comfort, happiness, and glory are
increased and enlarged by his shewing grace and mercy, in pardoning, re
lieving, and comforting his members here on earth, under all their infirmi
ties. So that, besides the obligation of an office undertaken by him for us, there is the addition of a mighty interest of his own, coincident therewith, to fix his heart unto faithfulness for us, in all that doth concern us. We
see that advocates and attorneys who plead for others, although that they have no share in the estate for which they plead, no title to, or interest
therein, yet when they have undertaken a client s cause (if honest), how
diligent will they be to promote and carry it for that their client, simply because it is their office, and the duty of their place ; and yet they have but a very small fee given them, in comparison of that estate which ofttimes
they follow suit about. How much more would their diligence be whetted,
if the lands and estates they sue for were their own, or a purchase of theirs
! Now such is the pardon
for their wives jointure, or children s portions
ing of our sins, the salvation of our souls, and the conforming of our hearts unto Christ ; these are the purchase of Christ s blood, and whilst he is
exercised in promoving these, he doth good to his own child and spouse, &c., which is in effect a doing good unto himself. Yea, to do these, bringeth in to himself more comfort and glory than it procures to them. And
therefore the apostle, in the beginning of the following chapter (namely, Heb. iii.), says, that Christ is engaged to faithfulness in the execution of
his office, not as a mere servant only, who is betrusted by his master, but
as an owner, who hath an interest of possession in the things committed
to his care, and a revenue from these. So ver. 5, Moses verily (says he) was faithful as a servant in God s house, but Christ as a Son over his own
house, that is, as an heir of all, whose house (or family) are we, says the
apostle, ver. 6 ; If a physician for his fee will be faithful, although he be a
stranger, much more will he be so if he be father to the patient, so as his own life and comfort are bound up in that of the child s, or when much of
his estate and comings in are from the life of the party unto whom he minis
ters physic. In such a case they shall be sure to want for no care and cost, and to lack no cordials that will comfort them, no means that will cure them and keep them healthful, and no fit diet that may nourish and
strengthen them ; as the care of that prince of the eunuchs, in the first of
Daniel, was, to have those children committed to his charge, to eat and drink of the best, because that on their looks and good liking his place depended. Now so God hath ordered it, even for an everlasting obliga tion of Christ s heart unto us, that his giving grace, mercy, and comfort to
us, is one great part of his glory, and of the revenue of his happiness in
heaven, and of his inheritance there.
First, to explain how this may be, consider, That the human nature of
PART II.] UNTO SINNERS ON EARTH. 133
Christ in heaven hath a double capacity of glory, happiness and delight ; one on that mere fellowship and communion with his Father and the other
persons, through his personal union with the Godhead. Which joy of his
in this fellowship, Christ himself speaks of, Ps. xvi. 11, as to be enjoyed by him, In thy presence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are plea sures for evermore. And this is a constant and settled fulness of pleasure, such as admits not any addition or diminution, but is always one and the
same, and absolute and entire in itself ; and of itself alone sufficient for the Son of God, and heir of all things to live upon, though he should have had no other comings in of joy and delight from any creature. And this is his
natural inheritance.
But God hath bestowed upon him another capacity of glory, and a revenue
of pleasure to come in another way, and answerably another fulness, namely, from his church and spouse, which is his body. Thus Eph. i., when the
apostle had spoken the highest things of Christ s personal advancement in heaven that could be uttered, as of his sitting down at God s right hand,
far above all principalities and powers, &c., verses 20, 21 ; yet, ver. 22, he adds this unto all, and gave him to be an head to the church, which is
his body, the fulness of him who filleth all in all. So that although he of
himself personally be so full, the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him, that he overflows to the filling all things ; yet he is pleased to account and it is so in the reality his church, and the salvation of it, to be another
fulness unto him, super-added unto the former. As Son of God he is com
plete, and that of himself ; but as an head, he yet hath another additional
fulness ofjoy from the good and happiness of his members. And as all plea sure is the companion, and the result of action, so this ariseth unto him, from his exercising acts of grace, and from his continual doing good unto, and for those his members ; or, as the apostle expresseth it, from his filling them with all mercy, grace, comfort, and felicity, himself becoming yet more full, by filling them ; and this is his inheritance also, as that other
was. So as a double inheritance Christ hath to live upon
: one personal, and due unto him, as he is the Son of God, the first moment of his incar
nation, ere he had wrought any one piece of work towards our salvation ; another acquired, purchased, and merited by his having performed that
great service and obedience ; and, certainly, besides the glory of his person, there is the glory of his office of mediatorship, and of headship to his church. And though he is never so full of himself, yet he despiseth not this part of
his revenue that comes in from below. Thus much for explication. Now, secondly, for the confirmation and making up the demonstration
in hand. This superadded glory and happiness of Christ is enlarged and
increased still, as his members come to have the purchase of his death more and more laid forth upon them ; so as when their sins are pardoned, their hearts more sanctified, and their spirits comforted, then comes he to
see the fruit of his labour, and is comforted thereby, for he is the more
glorified by it, yea, he is much more pleased and rejoiced in this than
themselves can be. And this must needs keep up in his heart his care and love unto his children here below, to water and refresh them every moment (as Isaiah speaks, chap, xxvii. 3). For in thus putting forth acts
of grace and favour, and in doing good unto them, he doth but good unto
himself, which is the surest engagement in the world. And therefore the
apostle exhorts men to love their wives upon this ground, that in so
doing they love themselves : So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies : he that loveth his wife loveth himself, Eph. v. 28, so strict
134 THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN [PART II.
and near is that relation. Now, the same doth hold true of Christ in his
loving his church. And therefore in the same place the love of Christ unto his church is held forth as the pattern and exemplar of ours ; so ver.
25, Even as Christ alsc loved the church. And so it may well be argued thence, by comparing the".. one speech with the other, that Christ in loving his church doth but love himself; and then the more love and grace he shews unto the members of that his body, the more he shews love unto
himself. And accordingly it is further added there, ver. 27, that he daily
1 washeth and cleanseth his church, that is, both from the guilt and power of sin,
* that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle, &c. Observe, it is to himself. So that all that he doth
for his members is for himself, as truly, yea, more fully, than for them ; and his share of glory out of theirs is greater than theirs, by how much
the glory of the cause is greater than that of the effect. And thus indeed
the Scripture speaks of it, as whilst it calls the saints the glory of Christ. So 2 Cor. viii. 23. And Christ, in John xvii. 13, and verses 22, 23, says, that he is glorified in them. And Psalm xlv., where Christ is set forth
as Solomon in all his royalty and majesty ; yet, ver. 11, he is said greatly to desire or delight in the beauty of his queen, that is, the graces of the
saints; and that not with an ordinary delight, but he greatly desires; his desire is increased as her beauty is. For that is there brought in as a motive unto her to be more holy and conformed unto him, to incline her
ear, and forsake her father s house, ver. 10. So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty. Christ hath a beauty that pleaseth him as well as we
have, though of another kind ; and therefore ceaseth not till he hath got out every spot and wrinkle out of his spouse s face, as we heard the apostle speak even now, so to present her glorious unto himself, that is,
delightful and pleasing in his eye. And suitably unto this, to confirm us
yet more in it, Christ in that sermon which was his solemn farewell before
his going to heaven, assures his disciples that his heart would be so far from
being weaned from them, that his joy would still be in them, to see them
prosper and bring forth fruit ; so John xv. 9, 10, 11, where his scope is
to assure them of the continuance of his love unto them when he should be gone ; so verses 9, 10, As my Father hath loved me, so have I loved
: continue in my love, &c. As if he had said, Fear not you my love, nor the continuance of it in my absence ; but look you to do your duty, &c. And to give them assurance of this, he further tells them, that even when he is in heaven, in the greatest fulness of pleasure at God s right hand,
you
yet even then his joy will be in them, and in their well-doing ; so ver. 11, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. He speaks just like a father that is taking his leave of his children, and comforting them at his departure, and giving them good counsel to take good courses when he is gone from them, to
keep his commandments, and to love one another, so verses 10 and 12, and backs it with this motive, so shall my joy remain in you
: it is as
fathers use to speak ; and it will be for your good too, your joy will be
also full.
To open which words a little : the word remain, used concerning their
abiding in his love, and his joy abiding in them, is used in reference to the
continuing of both these towards them in heaven. And when Christ says,
1 that my joy may remain in you, it is as if he had said, that I may even
in heaven have cause to rejoice in you when I shall hear and know of you, that you agree and are loving each to other, and keep my commandments.
PAKT II.] UNTO SINNERS ON EARTH. 135
The joy which he there calls his joy, my joy, is not to be understood
objective, of their joy in him, as the object of it ; but subjective, of the joy that should be in himself, and which he should have in them. So Augus tine long since interpreted it. Quidnam, says he, est illud gaudium Christi
in nobis, nisi quod ille dignatur gaudere de nobis ? What is Christ s joy in
us, but that which he vouchsafeth to have of and for us ? And it is evi dent by this, that otherwise, if it were their joy which he meant in that
first sentence, then that other that follows, and your joy shall be full, were a tautology. He speaks therefore of his joy and theirs, as of two
distinct things ; and both together were the greatest motives that could be
given to encourage and quicken his disciples in obedience. Now, take an
estimate of Christ s heart herein, from those two holy apostles Paul and
John, who were smaller resemblances of this in Christ. What, next to immediate communion with Christ himself, was the greatest joy they had
to live upon in this world, but only the fruit of their ministry, appearing in the graces both of the lives and hearts of such as they had begotten unto Christ ? See how Paul utters himself, 1 Thess. ii. 19,
* What is our hope, says he,
* or joy, or crown of rejoicing ? Ye are our glory and our joy, ver. 20. And in the 3d Epistle of John, ver. 3, John says the like, that he greatly rejoiced of that good testimony he had heard of G-aius ; for, says he,
* I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth, ver. 4. Now what were Paul and John but instruments by whom they believed and were begotten ? and not on whom. Neither of these were
crucified for them ; nor were these children of theirs the travail of their
souls. How much more then unto Christ, whose interest in us and our welfare is so infinitely much greater, must his members be his joy and his crown ? And to see them to come in to him for grace and mercy, and to walk in truth, rejoiceth him much more ; for he thereby sees of the travail
of his soul, and so is satisfied. Certainly what Solomon says of parents, Prov. x. 1, that * a wise son maketh a glad father, &c., is much more true
of Christ. Holiness, and fruitfulness, and comfortableness in our spirits while we are here below, do make glad the heart of Christ, our
* everlasting Father. Himself hath said it, I beseech you believe him, and carry your selves accordingly. And if part of his joy arise from hence, that we thrive and do well, then doubt not of the continuance of his affections ; for love unto himself will continue them towards us, and readiness to embrace and
receive them when they come for grace and mercy.
There is a fifth engagement, which his very having our nature, which he
still wears in heaven, and which the end or intention which God had or dained Christ s assuming it, do put upon him for ever. For one great end and project of that personal union of our nature unto the Godhead in the secondPerson for ever, was, that he might be a merciful high priest. So that
as his office lays it as a duty upon him, so his becoming a man qualifies him for that office and the performance of it, and so may afford a farther demonstration of the point in hand. This we find both to have been a
requisite in our high priest, to qualify him the better for mercy and bowels ; and also one of those great ends which God had in that assumption of our
nature.
First, a requisite, on purpose to make him the more merciful. So, Heb.
v. 1, the place even now insisted on, when yet this primary qualification I then passed over, and reserved unto this mention, it is said, Every high
priest taken from among men is ordained for men, and that to this end, that so he might be one that can have compassion : namely, with a pity
136 THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN [PART II.
that is natural and kindly, such as a man bears to one of his own kind. For otherwise the angels would have made higher and greater high priests than one of our nature ; but then they would not have pitied men, as men do their brethren, of the same kind and nature with them.
And secondly, this was also God s end and intention in ordaining Christ s
assumption of our nature, which that other place before cited, namely, Heb. ii. 16, 17, holds forth, Verily he took not on him the nature of
angels, but the seed of Abraham : that is, an human nature, and that
made, too, of the same stuff that ours is of, and it behoved him to be made
like us in all things, that he might be a merciful high priest, &c., iva eteqfAuv
ysvqrai, to the end he might become, or be made merciful. But was not the Son of God as merciful (may some say) without the
taking of our nature, as afterwards, when he had assumed it ? Or is his
mercy thereby made larger than of itself it should have been, had he not took the human nature on him ?
I answer, Yes ; he is as merciful, but yet,
[1.] Hereby is held forth an evident demonstration (and the greatest one
that could have been given unto men) of the everlasting continuance of God s mercies unto men, by this, that God is for everlasting become a man; and so we thereby assured that he will be merciful unto men, who are of
his own nature, and that for ever. For as his union with our nature is for
everlasting, so thereby is sealed up to us the continuation of these his mer
cies, to be for everlasting ; so that he can andwill no more cease to be
merciful unto men, than himself can now cease to be a man ; which can never be. And this was the end of that assumption.
[2.] But, secondly, that was not all. His taking our nature not only adds unto our faith, but some way or other even to his being merciful. Therefore it is said,
* that he might be made merciful, &c. That is, mer
ciful in such a way as otherwise God of himself had never been ; namely, even as a man. So that this union of both natures, God and man, was
projected by God to make up the rarest compound of grace and mercy in
the result of it that ever could have been, and thereby fully fitted and ac commodated to the healing and saving of our souls. The greatest of that
mercy that was in God, that contributes the stock and treasury of those mercies to be bestowed on us : and unto the greatness of these mercies
nothing is or could be added by the human nature assumed ; but rather Christ s manhood had all his largeness of mercy from the Deity. So that, had he not had the mercies of God to enlarge his heart towards us, he could never have held out to have for ever been merciful unto us. But then, this human nature assumed, that adds a new way of being merciful. It assimi
lates all these mercies, and makes them the mercies of a man ; it makes them human mercies, and so gives a naturalness and kindness untp them
to our capacities. So that God doth now in as kindly and as natural a way pity us, who are flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone, as a man
pities a man, thereby to encourage us to come to him, and to be familiar with God, and treat with him for grace and mercy, as a man would do with a man ; as knowing that in that man Christ Jesus (whom we believe upon) God dwells, and his mercies work in and through his heart in a human
way.
I will no longer insist upon this notion now, because I shall have occa sion to touch upon it again, and add unto it under that next third general head, of shewing the way how Christ s heart is affected towards sinners.
Only take we notice what comfort this may afford unto our faith, that Christ
PART II.] UNTO SINNERS ON EARTH. 137
must cease to be a man if he continue not to be merciful ; seeing the very
plot of his becoming a man was, that he might be merciful unto us, and
that in a way so familiar to our apprehensions, as our own hearts give the
experience of the like, and which otherwise, as God, he was not capable of. And add but this bold word to it, though a true one, that he may now as soon cease to be God as to be a man. The human nature, after he had once assumed it, being raised up to all the natural rights of the Son of God ; whereof one (and that now made natural unto him) is to continue for ever
united. And he may as soon cease to be either as to be ready to shew
mercy. So that not only the scope of Christ s office, but also the intention
of his assuming our nature, doth lay a farther engagement upon him, and
that more strong than any or than all the former.
138 THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN [PART III