204 SERMON UPON I PETER I. 12.
II. What ? The text telleth us, ' which things ; ' that is, those things spoken of in the context.
1. The person of the Redeemer, the most glorious object that caa be looked upon, or taken into the thoughts of any creature. The view of this is now our comfort, and will be our happiness to all eternity : John xvii. 24, ' Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me,' When we are in heaven, on the other side of the world, that will be our work and our happiness ; but it must not be wholly omitted here. So the angels delight in the person of the Redeemer ; it is their rejoicing to look upon Christ, in whom the glory of God shineth forth more admirably than in any other of his works. Yea, I shall go one strain higher ; God himself delighteth in looking upon Christ : Prov. viii. 30, ' There was I by him, as one brought up with him ; I was daily his delight.' In the Hebrew it is ' day, day,' one day after another. God never satisfieth himself enough in this. Yea, God delighteth in Christ as mediator: Mat iii. 17, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;' Isa. xlii. 1, 'Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth.' It is the ground of his gracious aspect upon us as holy. He delighted in all his works, and was refreshed at the view of them : Gen. i. 31,
• And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good ; ' compared with Exod. xxxi. 17, ' In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.' Well, then, this is one thing which the angels look upon, the person of Christ, the most lovely object to be thought of, figured in the mercy- seat or cover of the ark, who interposed between the law and God. Christ is called IXaarijpiov, ' the propitiation,' that is, Christ incarnate.
2. The way of redemption : ver. 11, ' The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.' And therein the sweet harmony and concord between infinite mercy and infinite justice, that both might have full satisfaction. This is figured in the mercy-seat, God's recon- ciling himself to man by Christ : Rom. iii. 24-26, ' Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.'
3. Another thing spoken of in the context is, ' The grace that should come to us,' ver. 10, God's keeping familiar correspondence and com- munion with poor creatures in arid through Christ : 1 John i. 3,
* And truly our communion is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.' The dwelling of our nature with God in a personal union, a thing which angels may wonder at, since God abaseth himself to behold things in heaven or things on earth : Ps. cxiii. 6, ' Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.' His majesty and all-sufficiency is so great, that he might justly despise the angels, of whom he standeth in no need. Now, that he should stoop so low as to look after poor crawling worms, and admit them to such intimacy with himself, this commerce between God and
SERMON UPON I PETEE I, 12. 205
the inhabitants of the lower world is matter of wondrous delight to the angels.
4. The mission of the Spirit, here just before the text, ' The Holy Ghost sent down from heaven ; ' and then presently it followeth, * Which things the angels desire to look into/ viz., the copious effusion of gospel grace. Before the price was paid, when God gave out grace upon trust, it was more sparingly dispensed, but now more plentifully since the price of redemption is actually paid. The angels are ascending and descending, present with the churches in their holy worship. When the Spirit was first poured out, the men that were conscious to it were all surprised with wonder : Acts ii. 7, ' They were all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to another. Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans?' And surely the angels see cause to glorify God for his gifts and graces bestowed on the church. It was done in the sight of angels : Eph. iv. 8, ' When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men ; ' compared with Col. ii. 15, 'And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.'
5. The gracious providences of God in leading on the church to their eternal happiness : Eph. iii. 10, ' To the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,' irokviroLKCKo^; ao^M ; that curious variety and interweavings of providence in bringing poor creatures to glory. When we are on the top of the mount, and we shall know as we are known, then shall we see how variously he did confound the wisdom of men and devils, and led the saints to glory. The angels see more of God in this than in any of his other works ; the state of the church here upon earth is the great glass wherein God discovereth his wisdom, power, goodness, and truth.