unwillingnesse to undergoe the taske that his Father had set him to but first of all we must know that his mind was so stricken with the infinite wrath of God with which he was then conflâ—cting so astonished and overwhelmed with that insupportable pressure that all the powers and faculties of his soule were for a while interrupted suspended confounded so that he knew not well what to say nor whether to turne himselfe this appeares by his words Job 12. 27. Now is my soule troubled and what shall I say Secondly when he prayed so wee must conceive that as a man subject to frailties like us yet without sinne he thought he had been utterly lost and undone if his Father should not deliver him from that houre and excuse him from drinking of the cup. His sense of dolour was so vehement and he so amazed with it that it wruâ—g from him a signification of Natures feares and reluctance yet all the while his holy his pure and unblemished mind was throughly bent and resolved to goe through stitch with the worke whatsoever came of it Thirdly we see that when he prayed Father save me from this houre he presently and immediately subjoynes but for this cause came I unto this houre Father glorifie thy name likewise when he prayed that the Cup might passe from him he desires it no otherwise then with condition of his Fathers will Also in that ruefull vociferation and crying out why hast thou forsaken me wee see that he did not let goe his hold but remembred to say my God my God so that here was no diffidence no sinne no disobedience all this while Lastly all this was so carried and punctually related by the Evangelists to shew us these things viz. 1. The exceeding atrocity and hainousnesse of sinne 2. A mirrour of Gods infinite mercy in Christ 3. Our Nature really and truly suffering in him 4. The fulnesse of his expiation and satisfaction 5. The certainty of his Fathers good-will towards us whereof wee are the lesse to doubt by how much the more we see that the eternall Sonne was humbled and made an abject for our sakes Fourthly Christ as a man likewise was perfect in all graces The Prophet tells that there should come a Rod out of the stemme of Jesse and a branch out of his rootes and the Spirit of the Lord was to rest upon him the spirit of wisdome and understanding the spirit of Counsell and of might the spirit of Knowledge and of the feare of the Lord Esa 11. 12. yea so eminent was the Lord Jesus this way that even at twelve yeares old be sate in the Sanadrim disputing with the Doctors and asking them questions It is said that God gave not the Spirit by measure unto him Joh. 3. 34. that is he did not bestow it upon him imperfectly and in part onely but fully and entirely for measure is not opposed to infinite as the Eutychians would have it to confirme their opinion of Ubiquity for they thought that if the Spirit were given unto the Manhood of Christ unmeasurably then even the Manhood would be capable of Divine properties and consequently the flesh of Christ would be no where circumscribed but every where present but I say that measure in the place before mentioned is not opposed to that which is infinite and unmeasurable but to that which is not whole entire and perfect Christ in the gifts of the Spirit was not lame and imperfect but omnibus suis numeris absoluâ—us full and compleate as Adam was before he fell and yet farre excelling Adam for Adam was set in a mutable condition but Christ is stedfast and abiding for ever confirmed in grace like the Holy Angels of God Yesterday and to day and the same for ever In respect of vertue and the Faith of Beleevers even his manhoode before it was in being was cloathed with perfection of grace and so continueth for ever Againe Adam was a meere man and alone by himselfe but in Christ the humane nature was hypostatically unâ—ted unto the Divine and hence it comes topasse that Christ even as man had a greater measure of knowledge and Revelations of grace and heavenly gifts then ever Adam had The Apostle saith that in Christ dwels all the fulnesse of the God-head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodily Col. 2. 9. that is not by a naked and bare communicating of vertue as God is said to dwell in his Saints but by a substantiall union of the two Natures Divine and humane the eternall Word and the Man consisting of a soule and body whereby they become one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one Person or subsistence Now from this admirable and wonderfull union of the two Natures in Christ there flowes unto the Manhood a plenitude and fulnesse of all Spirituall wisdome and grace such as was never found in any meere man no not in Adam while he stood in his integrity and uprightnesse Now then to draw to a conclusion of this head If Christ even according to his humanity were perfectly innocent and holy if he were in his Divine celfitude and highnesse voluntarily debased if he were exactly obedient in all things to his Fathers commands and if he were compleate in all heavenly wisdome and graces then certainly even as he was man he was of all other most precious most lovely and desirable Adde hereunto that his flesh never saw corruption that it rose againe from the grave it being impossible for the bands of death to detaine it Also as man he came of the race of Kings As man he shall judge the world Acts 17. 31. As man he was wonderfully borne of a Virgin called therefore by a peculiar name Shiloh which signifieth a Secundine or after-birth Genes 49. 10. the word comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies tranquillum esse intimating that Christ is he who hath brought us peace and tranquility and that he might be our Peace-maker it was necessary that he should be Shiloh borne of the sanctified seed of a woman without the seed of a man The Apostle expounds the name Galat. 4. 4. where he saith of Christ that he was made of a woman not of a man and a woman both but of a woman alone without a man Againe Christ as man was foretold by the Prophets and by sundry types attended upon at his birth by holy Angels a peculiar Starre created for him Christ as man was in one hypostasis or person with God called therefore Ithiel Proverb 30. 1. a word as Junius writes compounded of three parts as if one should say the strong God with mee the name comes all to one with Immanuel and the Apostle expounds both 1 Tim. 3. 16. where he saith of Christ that he was God manifest in the flesh and this he affirmeth also to be without controversie a great Mystery and a Mystery of godlinesse In every Art and profession there is a Mystery but this holds forth a Mystery of Godlinesse for he that was Ithiel
In speciall thus 1. Christ shines as the Sunne in all perfection and sufficiency of wisdome power goodnesse love Majesty glory p. 128. all these perfections are originally in Christ ibid. 3. All perfections of vertue are in Christ in the abstract they are his essence page 129 130. some conclusions are drawne from the God-head of Christ by Scripture aphorismes to set forth the preciousnesse of Christ p. 131 132 133 134 135. A fourth Reason why Christ is precious to Beleevers vâ—z he is absolute for all manner of supply and the supply which he makes to Beleevers is full sutable and constant page 136. 1. Christ makes a full supply to the soule as is manifested by many types and shadowes which of old had relation to him page 137 138. 2. The supply that we have by Christ is sutable ibid. p. 139. 3. Christ makes a constant supply of grace p. 140 141 142. A fifth Reason Christ is the most gainfull object in the world for the soule p. 143. 1. He is absolute gaine ib. 2. He is universall gaine p. 144. 1. In respect of all persons ibid. 2. In respect of all times 145. 3. In respect of all things ibid. 3. Christ is gaine in and for himsef p. 146. A sixt Reas Christ is precious to Beleevers because of the attractivenesse and alluring vertue Of his love Of his beauty p. 147. Of his grace 1. Christs love is very winning and conciliating drawing the affections of the soule to Christ p. 148 149. 2. Christ is winning and attractive in his beauty ibid. He is of a faire comely complexion p. 150 He is proportionable in all parts p. 151. 3. Christ is attractive in his graces consider'd 152. 1. As inherent in himselfe p. 153. 2. As bestowed upon the Saints p. 154 155. Beleevers are the glory of Christ p. 156. Reason 7. Christ is precious to Beleevers from that evidence of Interest right propriety that they have in him p. 157. 1. In all his works performances p. 158. 2. In all his dignities and honours p. 159. 3. In all his Offices and administrations p. 160. 4. In all his blessed influences graces ib. The application of the point 1. Use It shewes us the reason why the most in the world doe despise Christ and care not for him namely because they have no faith p. 161. Where Christ seemes a despicable and worthlesse thing there 's no faith as appeares 1. By their ignorance ib. p. 162. 2. By their stumbling at Christ p. 163 164 3. Their not improving of Christ p. 165. 4. By their carelesnesse of the things of Christ p. 166 167 168 169. 5. By their refusing to receive Christ p. 170 171. 6. By their being satisfied without Christ p. 172 173. 2. Use The discovery of a fit object for our affections p. 174. The affections of the Saints are some more and some lesse intensive upon Christ p. 175 176. 3. Use The discovery of the singular effects the excellency of Christ have upon Beleevers drawing out their affections unto him p. 177. We may judge of all our affections by the affection of love ibid. Love is the height of our esteeme and there are in it three acts or effects viz. 1. Complacency or well pleasednes p. 178. 1. What the love of complacency is being referred to Christ ib. Cheist is an exceeding pleasing object to a beleeving soule p. 179. Christ is welcome to a Beleever however he represents himselfe p. 180. The Saints are wel-pleased with Christ in spirituall desertions p. 181 182. Christs sweetnesse doth swallow up all his bitternesse p. 183. The force of that pleasantnesse which is in Christ is such that nothing can make his Saints weary of their profession p. 184 185. 2. From complacency flowes a desire of union ib. The love of union desires to enjoy Christ p. 186. Christ is enjoyed 1. In his Ordinances ibid. 2. In his secret sweet appearances to the soule p. 187 188. 3. In his personall presence p. 198. 190. 3. From complacency and desire of union flowes benevolence or good-will p. 191. Benevolence being referred to Christ is an affection whereby we desire his name may be glorified ib. A Beleevers love to Christ is a constraining love p. 192. 4. Use We are to consider the unmatchable excellency preciousnes of Christ p. 193. We are to consider by way of motive those rich and costly gifts which Christ hath bestowed upon in they are such as these Precious bloud Precious Graces viz. Precious Promises Precious Love p. 194. Precious Spirit Precious Priviledges 1. Motive The bloud of Christ is precious in these respects 1. From the purity of his humane nature ib. 2. It was noble bloud p. 195. 3. It was his Life-bloud p. 196. 4. From his personall union of his Manhood with his God-head p. 197 198 5. In the blessed effects thereof p. 199. 1. It saves from wrath ibid. 2. It is the price of redemption p. 200. 201. 3. It is the bloud of entrance into heaven by which Christ entred p. 102. By which Beleevers enter p. 103 104. 2. Mot. Christ hath bestowed upon Beleevers precious graces p. 205. Faith is called a precious grace and that for these reasons 1. It is the roote grace p. 206. 2. In respect of its Author p. 207. 3. In respect of its obiect p. 208. 4. From the effects and workings of it p. 209 210. 3. Mot. The Promises of Christ are great and precious if we consider 1. The nature of the Promise p. 211 212 213. 2. Of the Antiquity of the Promise p. 214 215 216 217 218 219. 3. The precious things contained in the Promises which doe appertaine 1. To temporall life p. 220 221. 2. To spirituall grace p. 222 123. 3. To eternall glory p. 224. 225. 4. Mot. Christ hath bestowed precious love and precious it is because 1. Infinite p. 226. 2. Gracious p. 227. 3. Liberall p. 228 229. 4. Eternall p. 230 231. 5. Mot. Christ bestowes upon Beleevers his precious Spirit which doth these things 1. It illuminates our mindes p. 232 233. 2. It sanctifies our natures and therefore compared to wind p. 234 235 236. To fire p. 237 238. To water ibid. 3. The Spirit seales our adoption p. 239 240. 6. Mot. Christ bestowes upon Beleeevers Priviledges namely 1. Accesse to the throne of Grace p. 241 242. 2. Good Successe of their suites p. 2â—â— 244 245 246 247 〈◊〉 THE PRECIOUSNESSE OF CHRIST Unto BELEEVERS 1 PETER 2. 7. Unto you therefore which beleeve he is precious THE particle wherefore in the beginning of this Chapter intimates a connexion and consequently the Apostles going on with his exhortation begun in the precedent The first thing he exhorts to is to love the word of God ver 2. As new-borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word To this he doth both prepare and also give suitable and agreeable reasons His preparation is in the first verse laying aside all malice and
he desires to claspe and close with it Thirdly from complacency or wel-pleasednesse and from union and enjoyment flowes a third thing in love viz. benevolence or good-will Benevolence being referred to Christ is an affection whereby wee doe yeild our selves wholly unto him desiring his name may be glorified by us The Saints cannot properly conferre any essentiall goodnesse or glory upon Christ but onely make an agnition and acknowledgement thereof Can a man saith Job be profitable unto God is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous Job 22. 2. that is if a man were just and holy yet hee could not profit God or adde any joy and delight unto him Againe in Psalme 16. 3. Thou art my Lord saith David my goodnesse extendeth not to thee that is I cannot enlarge and enrich God but saith he to the Saints on Earth in whom is my delight that is as for those that beare thy stampe and superscription upon them I will entertaine with my goods thus we may wish well to Christ in his members Againe this love of benevolence doth carrie and containe in it a willingnesse to yeild all obedience unto Christ He that loves Christ freely cannot but study to please him in all things and be like unto him 1 Joh. 4. 17. And he that keepeth his word in him is the love of God perfect 1 Joh. 2. 5. Love is the condescending to the lowest service it is impulsive and constraining it hath a sweet kind of violence to draw the heart of a Beleever unto the obedience of Christ so saith the Apostle the love of Christ constraines us 2 Cor. 5. 15. And so in Cant. 8. 6. Love is strong as death and Jealousie is cruell as the grave That is love is that strong affection which cannot be subdued by trouble or tentation it is as strong as death the heart as some say is primum vivens ultimum moriens the first living and last dying and therefore all the vitalls of the body drawes to the heart and unites there whence it is a man gives such strong plunges at his death because his strength is united so love doth unite all the affections of a Beleever drawing them forth to act for Christ and for zeale or jealousie that is love enflamed and fervent and it is fierce and inexorable as Hell and the grave that as Death and Hell devoureth and swallows up all so love to Christ overcometh all opposition and suffring and makes Beleevers rejoyce to fill up that is declaratively the suffring and affliction Col. 1. 24. of Christ Fourthly the unmatcheable excellency Vse 3 and preciousnesse of Christ must not lye as a contemned thing but it calls for the utmost strength of our soules and the height of our affections to be fixed upon it There is no object in the world but there is a will relating to it and inclinable to close with it Now what better object can the will of man have then Christ if wee be not here what doe wee differ from beasts and a beast in the shape of a man is worst of all 'T is good for us that God hath placed affections of love of joy of desire and the like in our soules but if these be not placed upon Christ also it were better that we were quite without them and were as uncapable of Christ as the most insensible and unreasonable creatures that are Let us consider then what may yet farther elevate our affections and cause them to mount up with wings as Eagles unto that delight of all delights and abstract of all prayses This will be if we look upon those rich and costly gifts which Christ hath bestowed upon Beleevers and they are such as these viz. Precious Bloud Precious Graces Precious Promises Precious Love Precious Spirit Precious Priviledges The bloud of Christ is precious in Mot 1 these respects First from the purity of his humane nature which was holy harmelesse undefiled and separate from sinners to God to man and to it selfe it was wholly without spot and blemish and had not the least touch of sinfulnesse in it In nature the best constitutions have the best bloud never was there a better tempered a more purely constituted nature farther from the corruptions freer from the pollutions and grosse humours of sinne then Christs was It behoved him as man to fulfill all righteousnesse and throughly to come up to the patterne of Legall types which did all shadow him absolutely holy and speake him perfectly pure without the least tainture of spirituall defilement Now if the bloud of the Saints who are but in part sanctified dregs of sinne remaining in the best be precious in Gods account as wee read Psal 116. 15. how much more then is the bloud of the Sonne of God precious who never went awry never failed in the least jot or title of due obedience to the Law of God The Apostle saith for a good man peradventure some would even dare to dye Rom. 5. 7. and why so but because 't is great pitie such precious bloud should be lost now if their bloud be so precious that are but imperfectly good what then was his who was good without any mixture of evill Secondly Christs bloud was noble bloud and therefore precious He came of the race of Kings as touching his manhood but being with all the Sonne of God this renders his nobility matchlesse and peerelesse 'T was Pharaoh's bragge that he was the Sonne of ancient Kings Isaiah 19. 11. Who can lay claime to this more then Christ who can chalenge this honour before him he is the Sonne of the ancientest King in the world he was begot a King from all eternity and the bloud of Kings is precious thou art worth ten thousand of us said David's Subjects to him and therefore they would not suffer him to hazard himselfe in the battell 2 Sam. 18. 3. his Life-bloud was of more value then if halfe of his people had perished because he was King and had the Soveraignty the noblenesse of his person did set a high rate upon his bloud and whom doth this Argument more commend unto us then Christ Thirdly the bloud which Christ shed for his people was his life-bloud Life is the most precious thing that a man hath As the life of God is the summe of all his attributes so the life of man doth eminently containe in it all other blessings all that hee hath serves to maintaine it it is the end and drift of all his enjoyments What could Christ doe more then to spend his heart-bloud and to lay downe his life for us Sanguis est vehiculum vitae saith the Physician the bloud is the Chariot of life yet Experience teacheth that there may be great effusion of bloud and yet no death following Had Christ almost emptied all his veynes and not dyed this would not have reached to our misery it had not been sufficient to save us from death even those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
drops of bloud which hee did sweat in his agony had nothing availed without death Death is the summe of the curse due to us in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Christ then dying for us here was the accomplishment of all his sufferings and the height of his love towards us Surely that bloud must needs be very precious which could not be let out but the vitall spirits must follow after it Those that professe skill in words doe derive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bloud from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to burne or to kindle whether this be a true etymologie or not I will not dispute the heate that is in the bloud of a living creature if at leastwise in good temper speakes for it sure I am that the bloud of Jesus Christ shed for our sinnes both testifies his ardent and burning love toward us and requires a like affection in us the kindling and fiering of our love toward him Fourthly the preciousnesse of Christs bloud appeares likewise from the personall union of his manhood with his God-head The Divine and humane natures of Christ subsisting together in one and the same person is called an hypostaticall union properly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a placing or standing under when the Godhead stands under the manhood and the manhood is taken into the same person with the God-head this is hypostaticall Now from this marvellous and wonderfull union floweth though not a reall communication of properties yet a promiscuous predication of them as if they were all alike common and naturall to both natures Hence the manhood is said to be in heaven even while it was circumscribed compassed with a place on earth John 3. 13. and on the other side the bloud of the humane nature is called the bloud of God Acts 20. 28. and else where by reason of this union God himselfe is said to be crucified Oh how precious was the bloud of Christ then doubtlesse it had more worth in it then all the creatures in Heaven and earth Angels and men and all the world beside The uniting and consequently the cooperation and compliance of the impassible Deity in the same person with that soule and body which suffered must needs put infinite dignity and preciousnesse beyond all account upon the bloud of Christ yet this was not thought too deare for his Saints Fiftly and lastly the blessed effects of Christs bloud is another strong Argument of the inestimable value and price of it It justifies our persons in the sight of God It frees us from the guilt from the punishment and from the power of all sinne It saves us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from that wrath that is to come 1 Thessalonians 1. 10. Wicked people are Light and merry-hearted and never dreame of an after recoming but there is a thunder shower of Gods wrath to come which will light heavily upon the heads of unbeleeving ones Wee are all of us by nature obnoxious to and involved in this danger therefore the Apostle useth the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 snatching or pulling us out from the wrath to come even wee of the children of God wee of the Corporation and society of the Saints we Beleevers as well as others were liable to this wrath but Christ hath dâ—livered us this is his tender loving kindnesse and good will to his Elect. Againe the bloud of Christ obtaines eternall redemption for us Heb. 9. 12. whence it is that the Apostle opposes it to Gold and Silver though these be among the most precious things that the Earth affords yet being corruptible and transitory they cannot purchase incorruption and eternity for us The bloud of Christ is the price of our Redemption yee are bought with a price saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 23. and a like phrase he uses in the end of the precedent chapter yet there is neither a pleonasme in the words that is to say a fulnesse of speech though that sometimes be rhetoricall enough nor impropriety or unfitnesse of Language as if a thing could be bought without a price though I confesse the Scripture in some respects doth sometimes speake so neither is there an hebraisme whereby words of the same signification are itterated and repeated ob vehementiam to set the matter on with the greater vehemency and force but the word price is used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew the superlative excellency and dignity of the price wherewith the Saints are bought so that ye are bought with a price is as much as to say yee are dearely bought 't was a price with a witnesse that was given for you a price of inestimable value a price past the number of a man it cannot be calculated or summed up it is so infinite such a rich and exceeding price is the bloud of Jesus Christ costly and chargeable were our soules that required such a ransome This is the price wherewith wee are bought from the earth bought out of Hell and bought into Heaven and everlasting glory This is the price that redeemeth us from condemnation and this is it that cleanseth us from the filth and staine of sinne This is it that purgeth our Consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Heb 9. 14. The Apostle in that place draweth an Argument â— minori ad majus as the Logician speakes If typicall rites and sacrifices as the bloud of Bulls and goates and the ashes of an Heifer sprinckled upon the uncleane availed for externall Sanctification namely for the purifying of the flesh legally and ceremonially how much more shall the bloud of Christ sprinkled upon our Consciences purge away the guilt of sinne and avayle to the internall spirituall and everlasting sanctifying of our persons Againe by this bloud it was that Christ as the high Priest of our profession that is of Christians entred into Heaven so saith the Apostle Heb. 9. 12. Christ entred â—y his owne bloud into the holy place hee did not enter into the presence of God as the high-priest of old did with the bloud of Goates and Calves what should those slender things doe in the Tabernacle made without hands there are no such meane and poore offerings there Neither did Christ enter to offer for himselfe as well as for his Family as Aaron did Levit. 16. 6. he had no need of expiation himselfe but he went into the holiest to offer for his people only whom he hath for ever washed justified and sanctified not with bloud of others as the Apostle speakes but with his owne bloud Lastly from the precious bloud of Christ we also that are so cleansed and purged have boldnesse to enter into the holiest Heb. 10. 19. 20. The bloud of Christ breeds us and begets us this confidence The Apostle in that place doth covertly oppose the liberty of Christians unto the restraint of them that lived under the Law The Jewes of old might not presse into the Holy of Holies it