2. That faith doth give him this esteem, as it is an assent, consent, and affiance.
[1.] As an assent, we believing what he is, hath done, and doth still do for us, therefore we prize him. Faith knoweth him partly by what the word revealeth : John iv. 10, ' If thou knewest the gift of God, a,nd who it is that saith to thee. Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water;' and John vi. 40, ' This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life.' They see such an excellency, fulness, and all-sufficiency in him as draweth off their hearts from all other things, and they cleave to him alone. Partly by experimental feeling, that he is such an one to us. As they see him to
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be such, they find him to be suoh : 1 Peter iii. 3, ' If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.' The word revealeth, and experience findeth him to be so.
[2.] As it is a consent. We see Christ is so necessary for us, so beneficial to us, that we accept him for our Lord and Saviour, and count all the choicest concernments in the world but base things in compari- son of his grace ; therefore, forsaking all others, we devote ourselves to him, and are married to the Lord, that we may bring forth fruit to God, Rom. vii. 4. Nothing is allowed to rival Christ in the soul, or to be a competitor with him : Hosea iii. 3, this is the form of the con- jugal covenant, ' Thou shalt not be for another, but thou shalt be for me.'
[3.] As it is a trust and affiance in him, that we may be reconciled to God, and saved by him from sin and punishment, and so be brought safe into a state of perfect happiness. Every one of these benefits doth endear him to the soul. Surely dependence will beget observance, and we will love him and please him in whose hands we venture our all, even our eternal interests and concernments.
3. The notes, or how this esteem will show itself.
[1.] In labouring to get Christ above all. This is the prime care, and must be carried on, whatever is left undone : Mat. xvi. 33, ' Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you ; ' Ps. xxvii. 4, ' One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple ; ' Prov. iv. 7, ' Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding.' The acces- sary things must give way to the principal, the arbitrary things to the necessary. Food and raiment is not so necessary as Christ ; temporal want is not so great an evil as eternal misery. Well then, communion with God in Christ must be minded, whatever is neglected. Most men's time and labour is laid out upon unsatisfying vanities ; their life, and love, and time, and strength, and care is spent on worldly thino-s, and they have seldom and cold thoughts of salvation by Christ, cannot deny themselves a little worldly pleasure or carnal ease, that they may attend upon this work, to get an interest in Christ's renewing and reconciling grace. Of those that were invited to the marriage-feast it is said, Mat. xxii. 5, ' They made light of it.'
[2.] A care in keeping Christ above all. Nothing should be so near and dear to you as Christ ; he is your life and your strength, ^our great care is, that he may lie as a bundle of myrrh in your bosoms : Cant. i. 13, ' A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me ; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts ; ' or ' dwell in your hearts by faith,' Eph. iii. 17. Christ is all in all to you. You are loath to put the com- forts of his presence to hazard for a little carnal satisfaction, are chary and tender of your respects to your Redeemer, that he be not displeased or provoked to withdraw by any unkind dealing of yours. Whatever temptations would withdraw you from your duty you reject with loath- ing and indignation. Christ hath pitched upon this as the true and proper evidence of our love to him and esteem of him : John xiv. 21, ' He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
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me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.' We are apt to flatter ourselves with an airy religion, that we value Christ and prize Christ ; if so, we will be careful he be not offended and displeased.
[3.] By a willingness to lose all rather than lose Christ : Luke xiv. 33, ' Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.' Counting the most dishonourable things in the world as honourable for his sake : Heb. xi. 26, ' Esteeming the re- proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of reward ; ' Acts v. 41, * And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.' They see a beauty in his despised ways. You can worship Christ as the wise men did, though in a stable, and are contented to be made vile for his sake : 2 Sam. vi. 22, ' I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in my own sight.' And we read of Marsacus, when he was led forth to suffer, and because of his quality they bound him not as they did others, he cried out, Cur no7i et me quoque torque donas, dx. — Why do you not give me also my chain, and make me a knight of this noble order ? Some will pretend to prize Christ, but can hardly suffer a disgraceful word for him, or endure to be browbeaten with a frow^n.