This sacrifice, this perfume, this incense, it must not be misspent upon any creature. We have all of his grace, and we should return all to his glory. That is a duty. But consider him as he is described here, first, ' the Father of Christ,' and then the ' Father of mercies, and God of all comfort.' And it is not to be omitted, that first begins with this.
1. ' Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ only as he is God, but the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as he is man. For God being the Father of whole Christ, being Father of the person, he is Father of the manhood, taken into updty with that person. So he is Father both of God and man. They cannot be divided in Christ. He being the Father of whole Christ, he is the Father of God and man. And he is first the Father of Christ, and then the Father of us, and the Father of mercies. For, alas ! unless he had been the Father of Christ, God and man, mediator, he could never have been the Father of such cursed creatures as we are. But because he is the Father of Christ, of that blessed manhood) which Christ hath taken into
2 CORINTniANS CnAP. I, \'ER. 3. 27
unity of person with the Godhead, therefore ho is the Father of us, who by union are one with Christ, The point then is, that,
Doct. God, thus considered, as the Father of Jesus Christ, is to he praised. Here is the reason of blessing and praising him, in this, that he is the Father of Jesus Christ, for thence he comes to be our Father. It is a point that we think not oft enough on, but it is the gi-ound of all comfort; for wc have all at the second hand. Christ hath all first, and we have all from him. He is the first Son, and wc are sons. He is the fii'st beloved of God, and we are beloved in him. He is filled fii-st with all grace, and we are filled from him : ' of his fulness we receive grace for grace,' John i. 16. He was first acquitted of our sins, as our surety, and then we are justified, because he was justified from our sins, being our surety. Ho is ascended into heaven, we shall ascend. He sits at the right hand of God, and we sit with him in heavenly places. He judgeth, we shall judge.* Whatsoever we do, Christ doth it first. We have it in Christ, and through Christ, and from Christ. He is the Father of Christ, and our Father.
Use 1. Therefore tee oufjht to bless God for Christ, that he would predes- tinate Christ to be our Head, to be our Saviom- ; that he would take the human nature of Christ and make it one person with his divine nature, and so predestinate us, &nd elect, and choose us to salvation in him. Blessed be God, that he would be the Father of Jesus Christ !
Use 2. And as this should stu* us up to bless God for Jesus Christ, so likewise it should direct iis to comfortable meditations, to see our nature in Christ first, and then in ourselves. See thy nature abased in Christ, see thy nature glorified in Christ, see thy nature filled with all grace in Chiust, and see this, that thou art knit to that natui'e, thou art flesh of Christ's flesh, and bone of his bone, and thou shalt be so as he is. In that Christ's nature was first abased, and then glorified, this nature shall first be abased to death and dust, and then be glorified. Christ died, ' and rose again,' Rom. xiv. 9. Thou art predestinated to be conformable to Christ. For as his flesh was fiji'st humbled and then glorious, so thine must be first humble, and then glorious. His flesh was holy, humble, and glorious, and so must ours be. Whatsoever we look for in om'selves, that is good, we must see it in Christ first.
And when we hear in the gospel, in the articles of the creed, of Christ crucified, of Christ dying, of Christ rising, ascending, and sitting at the right hand of God ; let us see ourselves in him, see oui'selves dying in him, and rising in him, and sitting at the right hand of God. For the same God that raised Christ natural, will raise Christ mystical. He will raise whole Christ ; for he is not glorified by pieces. As whole Christ natural, in his body and members, was raised, so shall whole Christ mystical be. There- fore in every article of the creed bless God, bless God for abasing of Christ, bless God for raising him up, bless God for raising us up. ' Blessed be God, who hath raised us up to an immortal hope, by the resm'rection of Christ,' saith St Peter, 1 Peter i. 3. Bless God for the ascension of Christ, that our head is in heaven. Let us bless God, not for personal favours only, but go to the spring. Bless God for shewing it to Christ, and to us in him. This point the apostle had learned well. Therefore he begins with praise, ' Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' If the Virgin Mary thought herself blessed, ' and all generations should call her blessed,' Luke i. 48, for bearing our Saviour m her womb, and so being his mother, then * ' Him ' is added here, an evident misprint, — G.