2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 19. 371
Christian religion you have taken on you. Naturally men love to hear flashes, wittj' conceits, and moral points wittily unfolded ; but all these in the largest extent do but civilize men. It must be Christ unfolded, and God's love, and mercy, and wisdom in him reconciling mercy and justice together : the wondrous love of God in Christ, and his justice, and mercy; and the love of Christ in undertaking to work our redemption ; and the benefits by Christ, his offices, estates, and conditions. These things work faith and love. These things do us good.
All other things, take them at the best, they do but fashion our carriage a little ; but that which enlivens and quickens the soul is Jesus Christ.
Use. Therefore we should of all other things he desirous to hear of Jesus Christ. It is a point that the very angels are students in. For the ark, which I named before, it had the law, and the mercy- seat in it, the mercy- seat to cover the law. Now Christ hath satisfied the law, and reconciled his Father, he hath freed us from the curse of the law, and hath given full satisfaction to the law. He is the mercy-seat, by whom we have access to God the Father.
Now the angels were upon the mercy-seat, interviewing one another, and prying down upon the mercy-seat, insinuating, that the reconciling of God's justice and mercy by that infinite wisdom of God in Chi'ist ; that our sins should be punished in him, and yet he be merciful to us ; that he should punish our surety for us ; that he should join these attributes together ; that all the creatures in heaven and earth could not devise it, is a matter for angels to pry into. The very frame of the ark signified this. And shall not we be students in those mysteries, that the angels themselves desire every day more and more to understand ? If Christ be the main thing we are to stand on, let us labour more and more to understand ' Christ, and him crucified ; ' let us see our natm'e in him advanced now in heaven, to make us heavenly-minded ; let us see our nature in him punished ; let us see our sinful nature in him cleansed and pui'ged by his death and abasement ; let us see our nature in him enriched.
Let us consider him as a public person, and see our interest in his humiliation, and exaltation in glory ; because he is the ' second Adam.' These things should raise up our thoughts wondrously to think of his humiliation, and his exaltation, and of the love and mercy of God in him. And then think of what you will, nothing is discouraging ; think of death, of hell, of the day of judgment ; think of Satan, of the curse of the law ; they are terrible things. Aye, but think of the Son of God, of Christ anointed of God the Father to satisfy the law, to satisfy his justice, to over- come Satan, to crush his head, to be our Saviour as well as our Judge at the day of judgment ; these things will make all vanish. Things that are most terrible to the nature of man without the consideration of Jesus Christ the Son of God, all are most comfortable when we think of him. Now when we think of Satan, we think of one crushed and trod under foot, as he shall be ere long. When we think of judgment, we think of a Saviour that shall be our Judge. When we think of God, we think of God recon- ciled in Christ. We have access by Christ to the throne of grace. He is now in heaven, and makes intercession for us. When we think of death, we think of a passage to life where we shall be with him, ' I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ,' Philip, i. 23. So the things that are most uncomfortable, yet bring the consideration of them to Christ exalted in heaven, having triumphed over all these in om- nature, and sits at God's right hand. The thoughts of these things are comfortable meditations.
B72 COMMENTARY ON
Nay, think of that which is the most terrible of all, the justice of God, his anger for sin, it is a matter of comfort above all other. God is just to punish and revenge sin ; what then ? ]iecause he is just he will not punish one thing twice ; but his justice is fully satisfied, and contented in his Son Christ Jesus, whom he hath anointed, and predestinate, and sent himself; and he nuist needs acknowledge that satisfaction that is done by him, that ho hath sent himself. Hereupon wo come to think comfortably of God's justice.
God out of Christ is a ' consuming fire,' Heb. xii. 29. There is nothing more terrible than God without t'hrist ; but now in Christ we can think of the most terrible thing in God with comfort. Therefore St Paul makes it the main scope of his preaching, and so should we of ours ; and you should make it your main desire in hearing, and the main subject matter of your meditating, something concerning Christ. Let us often think of our nature in him now exalted in heaven, and that we shall follow him ere long. Our head is gone before, and he will not suffer his body always to rot in the earth. Let us think of his natures, and his offices, and all the blessed prerogatives that we have by him, and all the enemies that are conquered by him, that in him we have God reconciled, and the devil vanquished, we have heaven opened, and hell shut ; we have our sins pardoned, and our imperfections by little and little cured ; in him we have all in all.