A christian's charter. 37
how had he been our Father if he had not been the Father of Christ first ? And where had been our anointing^, if Christ had not been anointed first ? "Where had been our inheritance, if he had not been the heir first ? And where had been his love to us, if he had not loved him first ? For there could be no communion between the holy God and us without that middle person. Therefore ' blessed be God, the Father of Christ.'
We bless God for our meat and drink, for the comforts of this world, for everything ; but do we remember to bless God for Christ ? We bless God for petty things, as indeed we cannot be too much in thanksgiving ; it is the employment of heaven. Oh ! but let tis bless God especially for him, in whom we have all in this world and in another world. Blessed be God for anointing Christ. So ' God loved the world, that he gave his Son,' John iii. 10. He could not express how much. ' Christ is God's.' Therefore bless God for Christ above all other things whatsoever.
Use 7. And now, seventhhj, to go hnldhj upon all occasio)isto the throne of ffrace. Now in Christ there is good terms between heaven and us. So long as we have our flesh sitting at the right hand of God to plead for us, to be an intercessor and advocate for us, let us go boldly in all our necessities to the throne of grace in the mediation of Christ. ' Christ is God's,' and with God at his right hand in all glory and majesty making request for us, nothing can be thought of more comfortable. Indeed, without these con- siderations, what is our religion ? What is all mortality- without knowing God in Christ ? ' This is eternal life, to know thee, and whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ,' John xvii. 3. It is the beginning of heaven, as Christ saith. It is not only the way to bring us to heaven, but it is initial salva- tion. The knowledge of God the Father, and the knowledge of Christ coming from the Father with a commission to work all for our good, it is eternal life.
Thus we see what we may obsei*ve out of this, that Christ is God's. We can go no further. We cannot take up our rest better than in this. ' All is ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's. Therefore let us end with that in Rom. xi. 36, ' Of him, and by him, and through him are all things : therefore to him be glory for ever, and for ever.' If all things come from the Father, by and through the Father in Christ, to the Father therefore be all glory for ever and ever. Amen. * Qu. ' morality ' ?— G.
NOTES.
(a) P. 3. — ' Man hath this added to his dignity, to knoto it. And this is given him, as a schoolman saith, that he may rejoice in that he hath, and him that gave it.' This sentiment occurs with even more than his ordinary grandeur of expres- sion in tlie ' Thoughts ' of Pascal, who has clothed with new splendour many of the incidental ohservations of the Schoolmen. Pascal was of course much later than Sibbes ; but their reading lay in the same directions. Cf. Pascal by Pearce after Faugere ; ' Thoughts on Religion,' c. iii. iv. ; Disproportions or Inequalities in Man ; The Greatness and the Misery of Man (1850).
(b) P. 4. — ' But should I tell thee what is said by Baronius and some others, and what might be said of the honour of that calling ' [the ministry], &c. . . . Cassar Baronius (or Baron) was a cardinal of the Church of Rome. A list of his numerous ecclesiastical and controversial writings will be found in Watt's Bibliotheca Britan- nica, sub voce. Throughout he extols, rather exaggerates, the ofHce of, not the ministry as Sibbes understood it, but the priesthood. This he does in common with all the
430445
88 A christian's portion,
papist controvorsalists, who in proportion as thoy de^rado the Priest, exalt the priests. Pity tlio Ilomiali writers are so oblivious of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
(c) P. 7. — ' Cuplias and Paul are servants of the churcli, and I that am Peter's suc- cessor am so ; but yet he stamps in his coin " Tiiat nation and country that will not serve thoo, shall bo rooted out.' " This legend is found on a coin of Pope Julius III., about 1557, as follows : — ' Gens. et. Regnum. quod. non. servierit. tibi pkkebit.' A representation of one of tliese coins is given by Elliot in his Jlorce Apocali/pticce (II. page 474, 5tli ed., 18G'2). It is understood to have liad special reference to the invasion of England by the Spanisli Armada in the following year.
(d) P. 8. — ' As a wise pliilosoph(tr could say, tliat man is tlio (jnd of all things in a semi-circle.' That is, probably, the final cause, for wliose sake the inferior crea- tures exist.
(e) P. 10. — ' That terrible of terriblcs, as the philosopher saith' [of death]. Sibbes usually cmiiloys the historic formula of the orator = Cicero ; the philosopher = Aris- totle. His present reference is probably therefore to the familiar 'Xavruv raiv (po^souv (po^sPOJTKTog of Aristotle. The ])hrase is frcijucnt in the Latin classics also-