2. By Christ's messengers; they have a charge, and when they have done their work they present us to God : 2 Cor. xi. 2, ' That I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ.' It is sweet when ministers can say, Here are the fruits of my labours, the pledges of my faithful- ness.
3. This presentation is applied to Christ himself. Now two ways is Christ said to present us :— (1.) To himself ; (2.) To God.
[1.] To himself, Eph. v. 27, ' That he might present it to himself a glorious church.' In that place our interest in Christ and his inter- est in us is represented by marriage ; in the world Vv^e are contracted, but there presented, actually brought to him when fitted for his use, as Esther when she was chosen out from among the virgins to be wife to the king, she was first purified and supplied with garments, odours, and sweet ointments out of the king's house, and then when the months of her purification were accomplished, was presented to him, Esther ii. 9-12, so we are ' chosen,' ' elected to grace,' and then purified and pre- pared, but at the king's cost ; we have garments of salvation out of Christ's wardrobe, and odours and sweet ointments out of his store- house, and then when spot and wrinkle is done away, we are presented to him ; he is said to do it, because he hath the main stroke in this work.
[2.] To God ; so it is said. Col. i. 22, ' That he may present you in his sight;' that is, in the sight of God the Father ; for the antece- dent you find in ver. 19, ' It pleased the Father,' &c. Thus Christ is said to ' give up the kingdom to the Father,' 1 Cor. xv. 24-28 ; that is, the church, the kingdom is put for the subjects gover-ned. Now Christ's presenting us to God may be looked upon either —
(1.) As an account of his charge. In effect he saith, I have done the work forwhichthou hast sentme. Christ is under an office and obligation of faithfulness, he hath a trust of which he must give an account ; he is to take care of the persons of the elect, to justify, sanctify, and glorify them
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in his own day. Kow that it may appear that he is not unfaithful in his trust, he doth present them to God, as having fully done his work, so that to doubt of his willingness to pardon, or sanctify, or glorify, is in effect to charge unfaithfulness and disobedience upon him ; for Christ, as Mediator, is subordinate, ' he is God's : ' 1 Cor. iii. 23, xi. 3, ' The liead of Christ is God,' — namely, with respect to this office and charge ; so he is under God and to give an account to him. He hath under- taken to make up all breaches between God and us. As to the merit and satisfaction, he gave an account a little before his going to heaven, John xvii. 4 ; but as to the application to every party concerned, he will give an account in the last day, when he will present himself and all his flock, saying, ' Behold I and all the little ones which thou hast given me,' Heb. ii. 13, when all the elect are gathered into one troop and company, and not one wanting.
(2.) As an act of delight and rejoicing in his own success, that all that were given to him are now fit to be settled in their blessed and glorious estate. Christ taketh a great deal of delight to see the proof and virtue of his death, and that his blood is not shed in vain, as a minister taketh delight in those whom he hath gained to God : ' What is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing ? are not ye in the day of the Lord?' 1 Thes. ii. 19. If we rejoice thus in the fruit of our min- isterial labours, surely Christ much more ; we have not such an inter- est in them as Christ hath, and the main virtue came from his death and S})irit. It is said Isa. liii. 11, 'He shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied ; ' that may be understood either of his foreseeing from all eternity, or of his actual seeing when the whole is accomplished. If you understand it of his foreseeing, the expression is not altogether alien from the point in hand. When Christ foresaw the good success of the gospel, and what a company he should gain to himself in all ages, he rejoiced at the thought of it. Well, saitli he, I will go down and suffer for poor creatures upon these terms. But rather I understand it of his sight of the thing when it is accomplished, when he shall see his whole family together, met in one congregation. Now, saith he, I count my blood well bestowed, my bitter agony well recompensed ; these are my crown and my rejoicing. Look, as the first person delighted in the fruits of his personal operation, for so it is said, Exod. xxxi. 17, ' In six days God made heaven, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed ; ' he was refreshed, not in point of weari- ness, but delectation ; he rejoiced in the product of his wisdom, power, and goodness ; so Christ in the work of redemption, when his death turneth to good account, he will delightfully present you to God as the proof of it. These are those whom I have redeemed, sanctified, and kept, &c.