the Father put upon our Lord Jesus Christ when he gave all power in heaven and in earth unto him, and set him down at his own right hand? Mat. xxviii. 13; Heb. i. 13; Eph. i. 20. 0 sirs! will you value men according to their titles, and will you not highly value our Lord Jesus Christ, who has the most magnificent titles given him ? He is called King of kings and Lord of lords, Rev. xvii. 14, and xix. 16. It is observed by learned Drusius, that those titles were usually given to the great kings of Persia, than which there was none assumed more to themselves than they did ; yet the Holy Ghost attributes these great titles to Christ, to let us know that, as Grod hath exalted Christ above all earthly powers, so we should magnify and exalt him accord- ingly. Paul, casting his eye upon a suffering Christ, tells us that he esteems of ra iravra^ ' all things/ Phil. iii. 8, as nothing in comparison of Christ. ' All things ' is the greatest account that can be cast up, for it includeth all prizes, all sums ; it taketh in heaven^ it taketh in the vast and huge globe and circle of the capacious world,, and aU ex- cellencies, within its bosom, 'All things' includes all nations, all angels, all gold, all jewels, all honours, all delights, and ever3rthing else besides ; and yet the apostle looks upon all these things but as a-Kv/3aXa, ' dung,' dogs' dung, as some interpret the word, or dogs' meat, coarse and contemptible, in comparison of dear Jesus, i Gale- acius, [Carraciolus.] that noble Italian marquis, was of the same mind and metal with Paul, for when he was strongly tempted, and solicited with great sums of money and preferments, to return to the Eomish church, he gave this heroic answer, Cursed be he that prefers all the wealth of the world to one day's communion with Christ. What if a man had large domains, stately buildings, and ten thousand rivers of oil ! What if all the mountains of the world were pearl, the mighty rocks rubies, and the whole globe a shining chrysolite ! yet all this were not to be named in the same day wherein there is mention made of a suffering Christ. Look, as one ocean hath more waters than all the rivers in the world, and as one sun hath more light than all the luminaries in heaven, so one suffering Christ is more 'all' to a poor soul than if it had the all of the whole world a thousand times over and over. 0 sirs ! if you cast but your eye upon a suffering Christ, a crucified Jesus,, there you shall find righteousness in him to cover all your sins, and plenty enough in liim to supply all your wants, and grace enough in him to subdue all your lusts, and wisdom enough in him to resolve all your doubts, and power enough in him to vanquish, all your enemies, and virtue enough in him to heal all your diseases, and fulness enough in him both to satisfy you and save you, and that to the utmost,'-^ Heb. vii. 25. All the good things that can be reckoned up here below have only a finite and limited benignity. Some can clothe but cannot feed, others can nourish but they cannot heal, others
^ ffKi^aXa, quasi KVffL^aXa, micai quce canibus. — Vide a-Lapide : vide Bezam. The original word notes the filth that comes out of the entrails of beasts, or oiFal cast to dogs.
* I have read of a Roman servant, who knowing his master was sought for by officers to be put to death, he put himself into his master's clothes, that he might be taken for him ; and so he was, and was put to death for him ; whereupon his master, in memory of his thankfulness to him and honour of him, erected a brazen statue ; but what a statue of gold should we set up in our hearts to the eternal honour and exaltation of that Jesus, who not in our clothes but in our very nature, hath laid down his life for us i
210 SEVEN INFERENCES FROM THE CONSIDERATION
can enrich but they cannot secure, others can adorn but cannot ad- vance, all do serve but none do satisfy. They are like a beggar's coat, made up of many pieces, not all enough either to beautify, defend, or satisfy ; but there is enough in a suffering Christ to fill us and satisfy us to the full. Christ has the greatest worth and wealth in him. Look, as the worth and value of many pieces of silver is to be found in one piece of gold, so all the petty excellencies that are scattered abroad in the creatures are to be found in a bleeding, dying Christ ; yea, all the whole volume of perfections which is spread through heaven and earth is epitomised in him that suffered on the cross — Nee Christus, nee ecelum patiiur hyperholen, A man cannot hyperbolise in speaking of Christ and heaven, but must entreat his hearers, as Tully doth his readers concerning the worth of L. Crassus — Ut majus quiddam de Us quam quce, scripta sunt smpiearentur, That they woiild conceive much more than he was able to express.1 Certainly it is as easy to compass the heavens with a span, and contain the sea in a nut-shell, as to re- late fully a suffering Christ's excellencies, or heaven s happiness. 0 sirs ! there is in a crucified Jesus something proportionable to all the straits, wants, riecessities, and desires of his poor people. 2 He is bread to nourish them, and a garment to cover and adorn them, a physician to heal them, a counseller to advise them, a captain to defend them, a prince to rule, a prophet to teach, and a priest to make atonement for them ; a husband to protect, a father to provide, a brother to relieve, a foundation to support, a root to quicken, a head to guide, a treasure to enrich, a sun to enlighten, and a fountain to cleanse. Now what can any Christian desire more to satisfy him and save him, to make him holy and happy in both worlds ? Shall the Komans and other nations highly value those that have but ventured to lay down their lives for their country, and shall not we highly value the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath actually laid down his life for his sheep ? John x. 11, 15, 17. I have read of one who, walking in the fields by himself, of a sudden fell into loud cries and weeping, and being asked by one that passed by and overheard him the cause of his lamentation, — I weep, saith he, to think that the Lord Jesus Christ should do so much for us men, and yet not one man of a thousand so much as mind him or think of him. Oh what a bitter lamentation have we cause to take up, that the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered so many great and grievous things for poor sinners, and that there are so few that sincerely love him, or that highly value him ; most men preferring their lusts, or else the toys and trifles of this world, above him. But,