The use of this is manifold, and very comfortable.
Use 1. First of all, do all things come from God the Father to us in Christ, a middle person ? As all things below us are ours in Christ, so all things above us : God the Father is ours in Christ. Then it should teach us to direct our devotion upward to God, as God comes doicnivard to us. All things come down from God in Christ. God is the Father of Christ, and Christ is the Father of us. As nothing comes immediately from the Father down to us, so let us not go mediately up but in Christ to the Father ; that is, let us offer all our prayers to God in the mediation of his beloved Son, the Son of his own appointing, Jesus Christ. We must ask all in his name. ' Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name,' &c., John xiv. 13, 14. ' Do all in the name of Christ,' Col. iii. 17. It is ignorant pre- sumption, arrogant, and fruitless, in any of our devotions and prayers to God, to go to God in our own name, to think of God without a relation of a Father in Christ. Though we do not alway name Christ, yet we must think of God in the relation of a Father, in which Christ is implied ; for how comes he to be a Father but in Christ ? He is Christ's first, and ours in him. Let us not consider of a bare naked God, but of God invested with a sweet relation of a Father in Christ, by whom he is become our Father. Therefore, Lord, wo come not to thee in our own name, and in our own worth and desert, which is none at all ; but we come to thee in the merits of Christ, in the mediation of Christ, in that love thou bearest to him, and that for his sake thou bearest to us that are his members. This is the way of intercourse between God and us. To think of God out of Christ, out of the mediator, it is a terrible thought, nothing more ter- rible : but to think of God in Christ, nothing more sweet ; for now the nature of God is lovely, coming to us in Christ, and the majesty and justice of God are lovely. When it comes through Christ to be satisfied, it is sweet ; for. Lord, thou wilt not punish the same sin twice. And the majesty and greatness of God is comfortable. Whatsoever is God's is ours, because Christ is ours. God in his greatness, in his justice, in his power. All things being derived and passing through Christ, are sweet and com- * That is, ' separated ' = violently.— Q. f Qu. ' all in ' ?— Ed.
A christian's charter. 35
fortable to us. Therefore, seeing ' Christ is God's,' and all things come from God in Christ, let it direct us to perform all to God in Christ.
Use 2. Again, sccondhj, if so bo that God be ours, and all things ours in Christ, then, when we are to deal with God the Father, or to deal with Satan, or to deal with others soliciting us, then let us make use of this, Christ is GoiVs, and I am God's throiKjh Christ. When we have to deal with God the Father, that seems angry for our sins, and our consciences are wakened and terrified, say. Lord, Christ is thine ; I have nothing to bring thee myself but a mediator of thy own setting and sending forth ; of thine own anointing and sealing ; and thou wilt not refuse the righteousness and obedience of a mediator of thine own. Christ is God's. Let us carry our elder brother with us whensoever we would have anything of God. When we have ofiended him, come not alone, but bring our Benjamin with us ; come clothed with our elder brother's garments. God will not refuse the very name of his Son ; it is a prevailing name with his Father. It is thine own Son ; he is a mediator of thine own : though I have nothing of my own to bring thee, yet I bring thee thine own Son. I beseech you, let us think of this when we have ofiended God, and our consciences are troubled ; let us go to God in the sweet name of his Son.
Use 3. Again, third!)/, if so be that Christ is God's, and nothing comes from God but through Chi'ist, let us give Christ the greatest ine-eminence. Christ is of God's own appointment, and all things are ours because Christ is ours ; nay, God is ours, because Christ is ours. Therefore let no man set up themselves in our consciences but Christ and God. The conscience is for Christ, for our husband. Christ is ordained of God to be our head, and to be all in all to us of God the Father. Therefore, in the solicitations of our judgment, to judge thus and thus, let us think what saith Christ my husband, who is God's. God will have us hear him : ' This is my beloved Son, hear him,' Mat. iii. 17. He comes with authority from God the Father ; what saith he ? If it be not the judgment of Christ, who shall sit in my conscience but Christ ? Shall the pope ? Shall any man usurp by an infallibility of judgment to say it is so ; you must, upon pain of damna- tion, believe it ? I cannot but speak a little of it by the way. The modestest and learnedest Jesuit of late times, speaking of this argument of Christ : bringing an objection that some may make against the pope's authority : saith he. If the pope say otherwise, his authority were more to me than the definition of all the holy fathers ; nay, saith he, I say with Paul, * If an angel from heaven should come and say it,' and the pope should say otherwise, I would believe the pope before I would believe an angel from heaven (w). Such a place hath that ' man of sin ' in the conscience of those great learned men. This is intolerable. We are Christ's ; he is our husband. Christ comes with authority from the Father. We must hear him ; he is God's. Therefore let no man prevail in our consciences that brings not the word of God and of Christ.