Thus you see that the Lord is generally rich, rich in houses, in lands, in gold, in silver, in cattle, &c., in all temporals as well as in spirituals ; but where will you find a man that is generally rich either in spirituals or temporals ? It is true, you may find one Christian rich in one grace, and another Christian rich in another ; but where will j^ou find a Christian that is generally rich, that is rich in every grace : that is rich in knowledge, in faith, in love, in wisdom, in humility, in meek- ness, in patience, in self-denial ? Abraham was rich in faith, and Moses was rich in meekness, and Job was rich in patience, and Joshua was rich in courage, and David was rich in uprightness, &c. But where will you find a saint that is rich in all these graces ? Or where will you find a man that is generally rich, in respect of temporals, as to be rich in lands, and rich in moneys, and rich in wares, and rich in jewels, &c. But now the Lord Jesus Christ is generally rich, both in respect of spirituals and temporals. ' In having nothing I have all things,' saith one, ' because I have Christ ; having therefore all things in him, I seek no other reward, for he is the universal reward,'^ &c.
(7.) Seventhly, You may judge of the riches of Christ, hy the tribute and rent that is due to him.
He is the great landlord and owner of all that angels and men pos- sess above and below.^ All created creatures are but tenants-at-will to this rich landlord, the Lord Jesus. He puts out and puts in as he pleases ; he lifts up one, and casts down another ; he throws down the mighty, and sets up the needy, according to the pleasure of his own will. ' Whom he will he destroj's, and whom he will he saves alive,' Ps. cxiii. 7 ; cxlviii. 14 ; Luke i. 52. Whom he will he binds, and whom he will he sets at liberty ; whom he will he exalts, and whom he will he abases ; whom he will he makes happy, and whom he will he makes miserable, &c. The psalmist, Ps. cxlviii., upon this account, calls upon all celestial and terrestrial creatures, to pay their tribute of praise to the Lord. He hath given them all their beings, and he maintains them all in the beings that he hath given them.
The ancient Hebrews, as Josephus relates, set marks and tokens some- times on their arms, sometimes at their gates, to declare to all the world the tribute and praise that was due to the Lord, for all his benefits and favours shewed unto them. Bernard saith, ' We must imitate the birds, who morning and evening, at the rising and setting of the sun, omit not to pay the debt of praise that is due to their creator.'*
(8.) Eirjhthly and lastly, judge of the riches of Christ hy the multi- plicity and vaHety of ternporal and spiritual gifts and reivards thai he scatters among tJie children of men.*
' Gregory the Great was wont to say that ho was poor whose soul was void of grace, not whose coftors were empty of money.
^ Quicquid es, debes creanti, quicquid petis, dehea redimenti. — Bernard.
3 Serm. on Cantic. — G.
* Christ saith to the believer, as the king of Israel said to the king of Syria. ' I am thine, and all that I have,' 1 Kings xx. 4. This is aluearium divini mcUis, an hivo full of diviue comfort.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 1 55
He gives honours to thousands, and riches to thousands, and peace to thousands, and pardon to thousands, and the joys and comforts of the Holy Ghost to thousands. There is not a moment that passes over our head, but he is a-scattering of jewels up and down the world ; he throws some into one bosom, and others into others, but the best into the bosom of his saints. Oh, the abundance of peace, the abundance of joy and comfort ! Oh, the fear, the faith, the love, the kindness, the goodness and sweetness, that the Lord Jesus Christ scatters up and down among the precious sons and daughters of Zion, besides all temporal favours. There is not a saint that receives so much as a cup of cold water, but Christ rewards it abundantly into the bosom of the giver, Mat. x. 42. By all which you may well judge, that certainly the lord Jesus is very rich, for if he were not, he could never hold out in scattering of rich rewards among so many millions, and for so many thousand years, as he hath done. '
And so much for the proof of the point, viz., that the Lord Jesus is very rich.
We come now in the second place to discover to you,
II. The grounds and reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ is held forth in the. word to be so very rich.
And they are these that follow :
[].] First, To enccmrage looor sinners to look after, und to he willing to match with him.'^
Poverty hinders many a match. The Lord did foresee from eternity, that fallen man would never look after Christ, if there were not some- thing to be gotten by Christ. The Lord hath therefore in his wisdom and goodness to fallen man, thus presented him as one exceeding rich, that so poor sinners might fall in love with him, and be willing to give up themselves to him : Prov. viii. 34, 35, ' Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors ;' as princes' guards do at princes' gates and doors. Now, the arguments to draw out the soul thus to wait upon the Lord, lie in the next words, ' For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.' The Hebrew runs thus, ' For finding me he shall find lives, and shall draw forth the favour of the Lord.' Divine favour is as it were a jewel locked up ; ay, but by finding Christ, by getting Christ, the soul gets this jewel, that is more worth than a world ; yea, by gaining him, the soul gains lives ; to wit, a life of grace, and a life of glory, and what would the soul have more ?
A second ground of this is,
[2.] Because he is ordained hy the Father to convey all riches of grace to his chosen and beloved ones.
John i. 16, 'Of his fulness we all receive grace for grace;' and this we receive by divine ordination. John vi. 27, ' Labour not,' saith
^ The Duke of Burgundy gave a poor man a great reward for offering him a rape root, being the best present the poor man had> And surely so will God bountifully reward the least favours shewed to his.
2 Abraham's servant, to win over the heart of Rebekah to Isaac, brings forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and acquaints her what a rich match slie should have by match- ing with Isaac, and so overcame her, Gen. xxiv. And so does God deal with poor sinners, &c.
] 56 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.