Inf. 6. If Christ be the Lord of glory, how careful should all be who profess him, that they do not dishonour Jesus Christ, whose name is called upon by them ? Christ is a glory to you, be not you a shame and dishonour to him. How careful had Christians need to be, to draw every line and action of their lives exactly : The more glorious Christ is, the more circumspect and watchful ye had need to be. How lovely would Jesus Christ appear to the world, if the lives of Christians did adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour, in all things i Remember, you represent the Lord of glory to the world ; it is not your honour only, but the honour of Christ which is engaged and concerned in your actions. O let not the careless- ness or scandal of your life, make Jesus Christ ashamed to be called your Lord. When Israel had grievously revolted from God, he bids Moses rise and get. down from thence ; for (saith he) thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt, have cor- rupted themselves, Deut. ix. 12. as if the Lord were ashamed to own them for his people any longer. It was a cutting question, James ii. 7. apt to startle the consciences of these loose professors ; " Do " they not blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called Pw Your duty is to adorn the gospel by your conversations, Titus ii. 10. The words signify to deck, trim, or adorn the gospel, to make it trim, neat, and lovely, to the eyes of beholders. When there is such a beautiful harmony, and lovely proportion betwixt Christ's doctrine and your practices, as there is in the works of creation,
242 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SE11M. XIV,
wherein the comeliness and elegancy of the world much consists. (for to this the apostle's word here alludes) then do we walk suit- ably to the Lord of glory.
Inf. 7. What delight should Christians take in their daily con- verse with Jesus Christ in the way of duty ? * Your converses in prayer, hearing, and meditation, are with the Lord of glory : The greatest peers in the kingdom count it more honour to be in the presence of a king, bare-headed, or upon the knee at court, than to have thousands standing bare to them in the country. When you are called to the duties of communion with Christ, you are called to the greatest honour, dignified with the noblest privilege creatures are capable of in this world : Had you but a sense of that honour God puts upon you by this means, you would not need so much pressing and striving, to bring a dead and backward heart into the special presence of Jesus Christ. When he saith, Seek ye my face, your hearts would echo to his calls ; Thy face, Lord, will we seek. But alas ! the glory of Christ is much hid and veiled by ignorance and unbelief, from the eyes of his own people ; it is but seldom the best of saints, by the eye of faith, do see the King in his glory.
Inf. 8. If Christ be so glorious, how should believers long to be with him, and behold him in his glory above? Most men need pa- tience to die, a believer should need patience to live. Paul thought it well worth enduring the pangs of death, to get a sight of Jesus Christ in his glory, Phil. i. 23. " The Lord direct your hearts into " the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ,''' (saith the apostle) 2 Thess. iii. 5. intimating that the saints have great need of patience, to enable them to endure the state of distance and separa- tion from Christ, so long as they must endtire it in this world. The spirit and the bride say, come, and let him that heareth say, come, and let him that is a-thirst come : even so, come Lord Jesus, and be thou as a swift roe upon the mountains of separation. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ, the Lord of' glory.
* Suppose (saith Mr. Rutherford) there were no letter of command, yet there is a suitableness betwixt the law engraven on the heart, and the spiritual matter com- manded. There is an heaven in the bosom of prayer, though there were not a granting of the suit. Rutherford's Treatise of the Covenant, p. 71.
.F.RM. XV. THE METHOD OF GRACE, £43
Opening the sixth Motive to come to CmusT, contained in the sixth and last Title of Christ.
Luke ii. 25. Waiting for the [Consolation] of Israel.
J5 E VERAL glorious titles of Christ have been already spoken to, out of each of which much comfort flows to believers : It is com- fortable to a wounded soul to eye him as a Physician ; comfortable to a condemned and unworthy soul to look upon him under the notion of mercy : The loveliness, the desirableness, and the glory of Christ, are all so many springs of consolation. But now I am to shew you, from this scripture, that the saints have not only much consolation from Christ, but that Christ himself is the very consolation of be- lievers : He is pure comfort wrapped up in flesh and blood.
In this context, you have an account of Simeon's prophecy con- cerning Christ ; and in this text, a description of the person and quality of Simeon himself, who is described two ways.
His practice was heavenly and holy ; he was a just and devout man : The principle from which his righteousness and holiness did flow, was his faith in Christ ; " he waited for the consolation of " Israel.1" In which words, by way of periphrasis, we have,
1. A description of Christ, the consolation of Israel.
2. The description of a believer, one that waited for Christ. First, That the consolation of Israel is a phrase descriptive of
Jesus Christ, is beyond all doubt, if you consult ver. 26. where he, i. e. Simeon is satisfied by receiving Christ into his arms, the conso- lation for which he had so long waited.
Secondly, * And that waiting for Christ is a phrase describing the believers of those times that preceded the incarnation of Christ is past doubt ; they all waited for that blessed day : But it was Si- meon's lot to fall just upon that happy point of time, wherein the prophecies and promises of his incarnation were fulfilled. Simeon and others that waited with him, were sensible that the time of the promise was come, which could not but raise (as indeed it did) a general expectation of him, John ix. 19. But Simeon's faith was
* It was a phrase common and well known among the Jews at that time, by which the coining of Christ was signified. Lutlov. Capell.
244 THE METHOD 01 GRACE. SEHM. XV.