should look so low as poor we ; that one so great, that one who is the Lord and heir of all, should match with us that have nothing at all. • O the breadth, the length, the depth, the height ' of Christ's love to unlovely souls ! to such that had neither portion nor propor- tion ; that had neither external nor internal worth tliat might in the least draw his love towards them, Heb. i. 2-4, Philip, iii. 17-19, &c., Ezek. vi. IG. You were indebted to God for the clothes you wear, for the bread you eat, for the houses you live in, the air you breathe in, the beds you lie on, the ground you tread on, &c. Now for Christ to love such, and to be willing to bestow himself upon such nothings, oh ! how should this work them to spend their days in admiring and contem- plating upon his kindness and goodness !
I have read a story of an elephant, who being fallen down, and unable to help himself or get up again, by reason of the inflexibleness of his legs, a forester coming by helped him up, wherewith the ele- phant, by the very instinct of nature, was so affected, that he followed this man, would do anything for him, and never left him till his dying- day.' The application is easy.
The next use that we shall make of this point is this.
Use 6. If Christ be so rich as hath been discovered to you, then prize Christ above all.
As the people prized David above themselves, saying, * Thou art worth ten thousand of us,' 2 Sam. xviii. 3, so should saints lift up Jesus Christ above themselves, and above everything below himself He that lifts not Christ up above all hath no interest in Christ at all ; he that sets not Christ above all is not a disciple of Christ : Luke xiv. 26, ' If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.' Surely they do not truly love Christ who love anything more than Christ.^
It was a notable saying of Jerome, ' If my father should hang upon rae, my brethren should press round about me, and my mother should stand before me, I would throw down my father, I would break through my brethren, and I would trample upon my mother, to come to Christ.'
Other saints have lifted up Christ above all their lands, relations, and lives, as you may see in Heb. xi. ; and so did a multitude of the martyrs under the ten persecutions, &c. As Pharoah set up Joseph above all, and made him governor of the land, and as Darius set up Daniel over all, so you must prize Christ, and set up Christ above all.
Remember a few things, that this may the better stick upon your hearts.
[1.] First, A Christ highly prized will he a Christ greatly delighted in.
Every soul delights in Christ as he prizes Christ, and no otherwise. The reason of reasons why Christ is no more delighted in, is because he is no more prized among the sons of men : Cant. ii. 5, ' As the apple- tree among the trees of the wood, so is my well-beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was plea- sant to my taste.' The seeing of this object delights the eye of a believer,
* Love is like fire, very operative. Si non operah/r, non est.
' Austin saith he woiild willingly ^o througli hell to Christ. . . . Certe non amant illi Christum, qui aliquid plus quam Christum amant.
196 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
the hearing of this object delights the ear of a believer, the enjoying, the possessing of this object delights the heart of a believer : ' 1 sat down under his shadow with great delight'
The apple-tree is delightful for shadow, so is Christ ; he is a shadow to poor souls when they are scorched with troubles within and terror.'^ without : Isa. xxxii. 2, ' And a man,' that is, Christ, ' shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, and as a covert from the tempest, as rivers of waters in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.'
The apple-tree is delightful for pleasantness of fruit, so is the Lord Jesus for those pleasant fruits of righteousness and holiness that grow upon him.
And the apple-tree is delightful for varieties, so is Christ ; for there are all varieties of excellencies in himself: Col. i. 19, 'It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.' We delight in persons and things as we prize them, and no otherwise. Jonathan highly prized David, and delighted in him accordingly. Jacob highly prized Rachel, and delighted in her answerably. You will delight in Christ as you prize him ; if you prize him but a little, you will delight in him but a little.
[2.] Secondly, Remember this, a Christ higldyiDrized tvill he a Christ gloriously obeyed.
Every man obeys Christ as he prizeth Christ, and no otherwise. The higher price any soul sets upon Christ, the more noble will that soul be in his obedience to Christ. If Christ were more prized in the world, he would be more obeyed in the world. A soul that highly prizeth Christ is better at obeying than at disputing any command of Christ. If Christ will command such a soul to step over the world's crown to take up his cross, the soul will do it, as you may see in Moses, Heb. xi. 24- 26. He sets a higher price upon (Christ's cross than upon Pharoah's crown. When Christ's cross and the world's crown stood in competi- tion, upon a bare command of God Moses steps over the world's crown to take up Christ's cross : ' He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.' And so Abraham, upon a bare command of God, leaves his country, and his near and dear relations. He wholly resigns up himself to God ; lie puts his hand into God's, and is willing that God should lead him whither he pleases, and do with him what he pleases.^
I remember an excellent saying of Luther, Mallem mere cwm Chmsto, quam regnare cum Ccesare, ' I had rather,' saith he, ' fall with Christ than stand with Cassar.' And indeed every gracious soul that highly prizes Christ will rather choose to fall with Christ than to neglect his obedience to Christ. By obeying Christ we gain more honour than we can give ; by kissing the Son we even command him, and make him ours, &c.
[3.] Thirdly, Christians, remember this, all the causes of prizing jiersons and things are eminmtly and only in Clnnst ; which bespeaks y.ou all to set a very, very high price upon the Lord Jesus. Christ's beauty needs no letters of commendation. You prize some for their beauty ; why, the Lord Jesus Christ is the fairest among the children
' Non parentum ant mnjorum aulhoritat, ted Dei dicentis {mpfrium- The command of God uiust outweigh all authority aud exaiu^tle of meu. — Jerome.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 197