1. By the titles given to him. He is compared with Moses the
394 Christ's transfiguration. [Ser. VI.
great lawgiver among the Jews : ' The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of you like unto me, unto him shall ye hearken/ Deut. xviii. 15. He was to be like a Moses, but greater than Moses. A lawgiver as he, a man as he, one that saw God face to face as he, a mediator as he ; but far other in all respects — a better law, a more glorious person, a more blessed mediator, working greater miracles than ever did Moses. So he is called our rabbi or master : Mark xxiii. 8, ' One is your master, even Christ, and ye are brethren.' The supreme authority, the original right is in Christ. We are not leaders and teachers, but fellow disciples ; so Heb. iii. 1, ' Consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ.' Again, he is called the angel or messenger of the covenant, Mai. iii. 1. Christ with a great condescension took upon him the office of his Father's ambassador to the church, to promote the covenant of recon- ciliation between God and man, and make offers of it in preaching the gospel ; and he it is that doth by his Spirit persuade the elect, and doth make his covenant sure to them. Once more, he is called ' Amen, the faithful and true witness,' Eev. iii. 14. There can be no prejudice against his testimony ; he can never deceive nor be deceived ; it is so, it will be so, as he hath said. Amen is his name.
2. By the properties of his office : he hath three things to qualify him for this high office : —
[1.] Absolute supreme authority : and therefore we must hear him and hearken to him. This is usually made the ground and reason of the gospel invitation, to invite sinners to submit themselves to seek after God in this way : as Mat. xi. 27, 28, ' All things are delivered unto me of my Father : and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden,' &c. There is no true knowledge of God but by Christ and the gospel revelation which he hath established, therefore here we must seek rest for our souls: so John iii. 35, 36, ' The Father loveth the Son, and hath put all things into his hands. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the Son hath not seen life, but the wrath of God abideth on liim.' First, his mediatorial authority is acknowledged ; and then faith and obedience to the gospel is called for, for to the sentence of the Son of God we must stand or fall. So when Christ instituted and sent abroad his messengers to invite the world to the obedience of the gospel : Mat. xxviii. 18-20, ' All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' He hath absolute and supreme authority to gather his church, to appoint ministers and ordinances, to bestow the Spirit, to open and close heaven and hell as he pleaseth, to dispose of all affairs in the world for the furtherance of the gospel, and to enjoin the whole world obedience to his commands, and to embrace his doctrine.
[2.] All manner of sufficiency and power of God to execute this office: John iii. 34, ' For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure to him.' The former
Mat. XVII. 5.] Christ's transfiguration. 395
prophets had the Spirit in a limited measure bestowed on them by God, for such particular purposes as best pleased him ; therefore all their prophecies begin, Thus saith the Lord, as having for every par- ticular message and errand new revelation. But on Christ the Spirit descended once for all, and commanded the belief of all and obedience to all that he should say. Therefore it is said, Col. ii. 3, ' In him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' He is ignorant of none of those things which are to be known and practised in order to our eternal salvation ; they are deposited with him to be dispensed to us.
[3.] There is in him^a powerful efficacy. As he hath absolute authority to teach in his own name, and fulness of sufficiency to make known the mind of God to us ; so he hath power to make his doctrine effectual. As when he dealt with his disciples, after he had opened the scriptures, he ' opened their understandings, ' Luke xxiv. 25 ; so he ' opened the heart of Lydia,' Acts xvi. 14. He can teach so as to draw, John vi. 44, 45. He can excite the drowsy mind, change and turn the rebellious will, cure the distempered affections, make us to be what he persuadeth us to be. There is no such teacher as Christ, who doth not only give us our lesson, but an heart to learn ; there- fore to him we must submit, hear nothing against him, but all from him.