Use 1. Therefore we must know this to make a right use of it, whatsoever privilege ive consider of as ours, we owjlit to see it in Christ first. Our elec- tion is in Christ first. He is chosen to be our head. Our justification is in Christ first. He is justified and freed from our sins being laid to his charge as our surety, and therefore we are freed. Our resurrection is in Christ first. We rise, because he is the ' first-begotten from the dead.' Our ascension is in Christ, and our sitting at the right hand of God in him first. All things that are ours, they are first his ; what he hath by nature we have by gi-ace. Why do the angels attend upon us, and are minister- ing spirits to us? We are Christ's, and he is the Jacob's ladder upon whom the angels ascend and descend. All the communion those blessed spirits have with mankind is because we are Christ's. They are ministering spirits to Christ first, and then to us, because we are Christ's.
Therefore it is a good meditation, fitting the gospel, never to think of ourselves in the first place, when we think of any prerogative, but to think of it in our blessed Saviour, v/ho began to us in all. He was the first in everything that is good. As the elder brother, it was fit it should be so. And he must have the prerogative in all things. Therefore, • Use 2. Let us glorifi/ Christ in everything. When we think of our title to anything, think, this I have by Christ : be it of our justification or glorification, this I had by Christ and in Christ.
This is another use we are to make of it, the rather because it sweetens all things we have. If all things should come immediately from God, they were comfortable, but whenas all shall be derived from God by Christ, we have God's and Christ's love together. There is not the least good thing we have, but we must think, This I have by Christ, this victory over ill, and this conversion of ill to good. The thing is sweet, but the love of Christ is sweeter. The thing itself is not so good as the spring whence it comes. It pleaseth God we have a triple comfort at once in every good thing : comfort in God the Father, that we have it from his love, and comfort in the Son of God, and comfort in the creature. Therefore, let us not be swallowed up in the creature, but reason thus : This is a sweet comfort, but whence have I it ? Oh ! it is from Christ, and the love of Christ, and I have Christ from the Father. There is Christ, and God the Father, and the thing, and the love of Christ, and the Father, which is sweeter than the thing itself. As in the gifts from friends, the gift is not so sweet as the love it comes from. The love and favour of God is better than the thing itself. This is indeed a comfortable observation to know, that ' all things are ours, because we are Christ's.' For why is Paul, and
A christian's charter. 27
Cephas, and the ministers ours ? They are the ministers of Christ first. ' We are the ministers of Christ, and your servants, for his sake,' saith the apostle, 2 Cor. iv. 5.
AVhy is Ufe and death ours ? Because Christ hath conquered death first ; and it was the passage of Chiist to his glory. He conquered the ill of it. He took away ' the sting of it ; ' and thereupon it is so good and useful to us. He hath the ' key of hell and death ; ' that is, he hath the government of it, having overcome it. And * things present and to come.' Heaven, which he now possesseth, it is his, and thereupon it comes to be ours. Therefore, let us think of Christ in all things, and think of the sweetness of all things from this, that they come from Christ.
To enlarge this point a little further. We have all from Christ, and in Christ, yea, and by Christ, and through him.
[1.] First, We have all we have in Christ, as a head, as the first, as our ' elder brother,' as a root, as the ' second Adam.' We have all in him, by confidence in him. We have whatsoever is good in him.
[2. J And, secondhj, we have all by and through him, as a mediator, for his sake. We have title to all, because Christ, by redemption, hath pur- chased a right to all, in and through him.
[3. J Thirdly, We have all by him, by a kind of working as the efficient cause, because we have the Spirit of God to extract good out of all. For, being reasonable creatures, God will make all ours, as becomes understand- ing creatures ; that is, by sanctifying our understanding to extract the quintessence out of every thing. For a Christian hath the Spirit to let him see that God is leading him by his Spirit to good in all. And whence comes the Spirit ? From Christ. Christ hath satisfied the wrath of God the Father. And now the Father and Christ, both as reconciled, send the Spirit as the fruit of both their loves. So Christ, as the efficient cause, makes all ours, because the Spirit is his, by which Spirit we make all ours.