Use 3. Is an encouragement to come to Christ for sanctifying and renewing grace. I have three arguments: —
1. The person to whom we come. To whom should we come but to our Creator, God infinitely good, wise, and powerful ? The creation showeth him good, and whatever is good in the creatures is wholly derived from his goodness. It is but like the odour of the sweet oint- ments, or the perfume that he leaveth behind him where he hath been, James i. 19. He is infinitely wise. When he created and settled the world, he did not jumble things in a chaos and confusion, but settled them in a most perfect order and proportion, which may be seen, not only in the fabric of the world, but in the disposition of the parts of man's body, yea, or in any gnat or fly. Now cannot he put our disordered souls in frame again ? If the fear of God be true wisdom, to whom should we seek for it but from the wise God ? His infinite power is seen also in the creation, in raising all things out of nothing. And if a divine power be necessary to our conversion, to whom should we go but to him who calleth the things that are not as though they were? Kom. iv. 17; ' According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,' 2 Pet. i. 7.
2. From the work itself, which is a new creation, which carrieth much resemblance with the old : Eph. ii. 10, ' For we are his work- manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works;' 2 Cor. iv. fj, * For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
444 PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST BEFORE ALL THINGS. [SeR. IV.
sliined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' It is such an effect as comes from a being of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, that man may be in a capacity to love, please, and serve God. What was lost in Adam can only be recovered by Christ.
3. From the relation of the party that seeketh it : Ps. cxix. 73,
* Thine hands have made me and fashioned me ; give me understand- ing, that I may learn thy commandments.' We go to him as his own creatures. This plea hath great force because of God's goodness to all his creatures. (1.) Not only the angels, but every wormand fly had their being from Christ ; there is a great variety of living things in the world, but they are all fed from the common fountain ; therefore we may comfortably come to him for life and quickening, John i. 4. We need not be discouraged by our baseness and vileness, for the basest worm had what it hath from him. (2.) That Christ, as Creator, beareth such affection to man as the woi-k of his hands : ' Is it good unto thee that thou shouldst despise the work of thy hands.?' Job x. 3. Artificers, when they have made an excellent work, are very chary of it, and will not destroy it and break it in pieces : Job xiv. 15,
* Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.' As creatui es beg relief and help ; if you cannot plead the covenant of Abraham, plead the covenant of Noah. (3.) God forsakes none of the fallen creatures but those that forsake him first: 2 Chron. xv. 2, * The Lord is with you while you be with him, and if ye seek him he will be found of you, but if ye forsake him he will forsake you ;' 1 Chron. xxviii. 9, ' If thou seek him he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever.' (4.) Especially will Christ be good to man seeking after him for grace, that we may serve and obey him. For he is no Pharaoh, to require brick and give no straw. Creating grace laid the debt upon us, and his redeeming grace provideth the power and help, that we may discharge it. Now, when we acknowledge the debt and confess our impotency to pay it, and our willingness to return to our duty, will Christ fail us ? A conscience of our duty is a great matter, but a desire of grace to perform it is more. There- fore, come as creatures earnestly desiring to do their Creator's will, and to promote his glory. God will not refuse the soul that lieth so sub- missively at his feet.
SERMON IV.
A7id he is he/ore all things, and hi/ him all things consist. — Col. I. 17.
The apostle had asserted the dignity of Christ's person by ascribing the work of creation to him : now the work of conservation and pro- vidence. By the same divine power by which Christ made all things he doth preserve and sustain all things.
In this verse two things are ascribed to Christ : —
First, His precedency in point of time, or his antiquity before all
Col. I. 17.] pre-existence of christ before all things. 445
creatures : and he is before all things — that is, he had an eternal being before anything that now is created.