* We laugh at little children to see them part with rich jewels for silly trifles, and yet daily experience tells us that multitudes are so childish as to part with such rich and precious jewels as their immortal souls for a lust, or for base and unworthy trifles ; of whom it may be truly said, as Augustus Caesar said in another case, they are like a man that fishes with a golden hook ; the gain can never recompense the loss that may be sus- tained.
THE DIVINITY AND HUMANITY OF CHRIST. 187
take upon him thy nature, and bare thy sins, and suffered death, and encountered the cross, and was made a sacrifice and a curse, and all to bring about thy redemption ; and therefore thou mayest safely con- chide that the work of redemption is a great work. But,
4. Fourthly, Is Jesus Christ God-man ? is he very God and very man ? Then let this encourage poor sinners to come to Christ, to close with Christ, to accept of Christ, to match with Christ, and to enter into a marriage union and communion with Christ. The great work of gospel ministers is like that of Eliezer, Abraham's servant, to seek a match for our Master's Son. Now our way to win you to him, is not only to tell you what he has, but what he is. Now he is ' God-man in one person.' He is man, that you may not be afraid of him ; and he is God, that he may be able to save you to the utter- most ; he is ' the Prince of the kings of the earth ;' he is ' Lord of lords and King of kings ; ' he is the ' Heir of all things ; ' he is ' fairer than the children of men ;' he is ' the chief est of ten thousand ;' he is ' altogether lovely.' i There is everything in Jesus, who is God-man, to encourage you to come to him. If you look upon his names, if you look upon his natures, if you look upon his offices, if you look upon his dignities, if you look upon his personal excellencies, if you look upon his mighty conquests, if you look upon his royal attend- ance,— all these things call aloud upon you to come to Christ, to close with Christ. If you look upon the great things that he has done for sinners, and the hard things that he has suffered for sinners, and the glorious things that he has prepared and laid up for sinners, how can you but readily accept of him, and sweetly embrace him ? Though thou hast no loveliness nor comeliness, no beauty nor glory, Ezek. xvi, 4, 5, and Isa. Iv. 1, 2 ; though thou hast not one penny in thy purse, nor a rag to hang on thy back, yet if thou art but really and heartily willing to be divorced from all thy sinful lovers, and accept of Christ for thy sovereign Lord, he is willing that the match should be made up between thee and him, Hos. iii, 3, and Rev. xxii. 17. Now shall Clu-ist woo you himself, shall he declare his will- ingness to take you with nothing, shall he engage himself to pro- tect you, to maintain you, and at last, as a dowry, to bestow heaven upon you, and will you refuse him, will you turn your backs upon him ? 0 sirs ! what could Christ have done that he has not done to do you good, and to make you happy for ever ? Lo ! he has laid aside his glorious robes, and he has put on your rags ; he has clothed himself with your flesh ; he came off from his royal throne, he hum- bled himself to the death of the cross, and has brought life, immor- tality, and glory to your very doors; and will you yet stand out against him ? Oh, ' how shall such escape who neglect so great sal- vation,' Heb. il 3 ; who say, ' This man shall not rule over us,' Luke xix. 14 ; who ' tread under foot the Son of God' ? Heb. x. 28. Oh, what wrath, what great wrath, what pure wrath, what infinite wrath, ^ what everlasting wrath, is leserved for such persons ! John iii. 36. Doubtless, Turks, Jews, and Pagans will have a cooler and a lighter hell than the despisers and rejecters of Christ, John v. 40, and Mat. xxiii. 13, 14. The great damnation is for those that might have
1 Heb. vii. 25 ; Eev. i. 5, and xvii. 14 ; Heb. i. 3 ; Ps. xlv. 1 ; Cant. v. 10, 16.
188 ELEVEN INFERENCES DRAWN FROM
Christ, _ but would not. And no wonder ! for the sin of rejecting Christ is not chargeable upon the devils. Ah sinners, sinners ! that you would labour to understand more, and dwell more upon, the pre- eminent excellencies of Christ ! for till the soul can discern a better, a greater excellency in Christ than in any other thing, it will never yield to match with Christ. Oh, labour every day more and more to take the height and depth and breadth of the excellency of Christ. He is the chief est and the choicest of all, both in that upper and in this lower world. The godhead dwells bodily in him ; he is full of grace ; he is the heir of glory ; the holy one of God ; the brightness of his Father's image ; the fountain of Hfe, the well of salvation, and the wonder of heaven. Oh, when will you so understand the super- lative excellency of Christ as to fall in love with him, as to cry out with the martyr, ' Oh, none but Christ ; oh, none to Christ ! ' i It is your wisdom, it is your duty, it is your safety, it is your glory, it is your salvatiqn, it is your all to accept of Christ, to close with Christ, and to bestow yourselves, your souls, your all on Christ. If you embrace him, you are made for ever; but if you reject him, you perish for ever. Bernard calls Christ, Sponsus sangumum, the IBridegroom of Bloods, because he espoused his church to himself upon the bed of his cross, his head begirt with a pillow of thorns, his body drenched in a bath of his own blood. To turn your backs upon this bridegroom of bloods will certainly cost you the blood of your souls ; and there- fore look to it. But,