But where shall we have it ?
Christ is the basis, the foundation, of all our stability. Now, in the cove- nant of grace, we are stablished in him, not in ourselves. The point is this, that
Ohs. Christ is the ground of our firmness.
As all the promises are made to us in Christ in regard of the execution, so God he brings us Christ. AH is conferred to us in Christ. As the pro- mises are made, so they are executed. God stablisheth us in Christ. He draws us to Christ. ' None come to me, but God the Father draws,' John vi. 44. Therefore God doth reveal Christ to us in our conversion, and our stablishing is in him. Therefore our salvation is so certain, because it is laid upon one that is so certain in himself, Jesus Christ.
And happy it is, that we are stablished in him that loves ug so well, that is both a low high priest, that will pity us ; and a great high priest, equal with God, able to do all things to God for us, and between God and us. Adam, we know, had his strength in his own keeping, and being left to
424 COMMENTARY ON
himself, we see what bccamo of him. The angels had their strength in their own keeping, and we know how soon they fell. But since the fall, we are founded and bottomed upon a surer foundation. Now we stand not by our own strength, but we are established in Jesus Christ. We are surer than the angels were before they fell, surer tlian Adam was in paradise ; for now we are stablishod in Christ the Mediator, God and man. And because we could not keep our stability in ourselves, we are stablished in him that wrought it for us, and that possesseth it for us in heaven, and that keeps it for us ; and as it is laid up and kept for us, so we are kept for it. ' You are kept b}' the power of God to salvation,' 1 Pet. i. 5. And, therefore, as there be many differences which advance the state of grace above the state of nature, so this is one, that our state in gi'ace is more stable and firm, as being stablished upon a better ground, even upon Jesus Christ the second Adam. God never mends, but he mends for the better ; and he never re- stores, but he restores for the better. The new heaven and the new earth shall be better than the first, so the new creature, the new Adam, is more glorious than the first ; and as that which we recover in Christ is more and better than that we lost in Adam, so the certainty and security of our estate in grace, is far beyond the other, this being stablished in Christ.
But what in us is stablished in Christ ? and in Christ how considered ?
1. First of all, our jiuhjnunt, that is stablished in evangelical truths, con- cerning the natures and the offices of Christ, concerning the privileges that we have by him ; and this is the ground of all other stablishment. We cannot firmly cleave to that with our will and affections, which we do not clearly apprehend with our understandings. When we have a clear and judicious apprehension of things, then follows a firm affection to them. The adhering and cleaving of the will and affections, it comes from the discern- ing of the understanding ; and, therefore, as we say of the first concoction, if that be naught, all is naught ; and if that be good and sound, it makes way for all concoctions after ; so if things be well digested in the judgment, if there be a sound illumination and apprehension of divine truths, it makes way for a constant and firm adhesion ; therefore the first stabhshing is of our judgments.
2. Secondly, as our judgments, so our wills are stablished in cleaving unto Christ, making choice of him above all things in the world ; that as he became man to sue unto us for our love, and to become our husband, so we then marry him, when upon judging what an excellent person he is, and how fit for us, we choose him and cleave unto him constantly without all separation, for better, for worse, in our joy, in our love and dehght. For, indeed, he is the only excellent object, and most fittest for our afl'ec- tions to be placed on. Whatsoever other things besides, we place our afiections on too much, they make us worse than ourselves. Only he can advance us to a better state than we are in, that can raise us higher.
3. In a word, the whole soul, judgment, will, and affections, and all the inward man, for so the apostle takes it in that latitude, Eph. iii. 16, is stablished in Christ, and this carries the outward man with it. We are stablished in Jesus Christ, not in ourselves.
Now when we are stablished in Christ, whatsoever Christ hath, or is, is ours. It is a most excellent condition to be in Christ, and to be stablished in him ; for to be established in Christ, is to be in a firm estate, in an ever- lasting estate. Once Christ's, and for ever his. It is a glorious state, for he hath conquered over all enemies whatsoever, and his conquest is ours.