For, beloved, as there must be a change, so it is in this order, from be- holding the mercy of God in Christ. For can jon imagine that any soul can see itself in the glass of God's love in Jesus Christ, that it should see in the gospel Christ, and in him God reconciled unto him in particular, but that soul, out of the apprehension of God's love in Christ, will love God again, and be altered and changed ? It is impossible such a sight therefore, whereby we see ourselves in this glass, as when we look in a glass, and see our own image, we see our own selves in Christ, and the love of God.* Such a sight altereth and changeth alway. It works love, and love is the worker of imitation ; for what doth make one labour to express another in their disposition, carriage, and conversation ? Oh it is love, as children imitate their parents. Love is full of invention, and of this kind of inven- tion, that it studies to please the person loved, as much as it can every way. Hereupon we come to be desirous to be like Christ, because we see the glory of God's mercy shining in Christ.
The adversaries of the grace of God they fall foul upon us, because we preach justification by the free mercy and love of God in Christ. Oh, say * Sentence unfinished. — G.
272 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
tliGj, this is to dead the spirits of men, that they have no care of good works.
Beloved, can there be any greater incentive and motive in the world to sanctification, to express Christ and to study Christ, than to consider what favour and mercy we have in Christ ? how we are justified and freed by him, by the glorious mercy of God in Christ ? There cannot be a greater. Therefore we see here they depend one upon another. By seeing in the glass of the gospel the glory of God, we are transformed from glory to glory. An excellent glass the gospel is : by seeing God's love in it we are changed. The law is a glass too, but such a glass as St James speaks of, that when a man looks into it, and sees his duty, he goes away, and forgets all, i. 23. The law discovers our sin and misery. Indeed, it is a true glass. If we look there, we shall see the true picture of old Adam and of corruption ; but it is such a glass as works nothing upon us. But when this glass is held out bj'^ the ministers of the word, whose office it is to hold the glass to people, when they see the love of God in Christ, this is a changing, trans- forming glass, to make them that were deformed and disfigured before, that bore upon them the image of Satan before, now to be transformed to be like Christ, by whom they must be saved. Is there any study in the world, therefore, more excellent than that of the gospel, and of the mercy of God in Christ, that transforms and changes men from one degree of grace to another, as it follows in the text.
Therefore, those that find themselves to be the ' old men' still, that have lived in corrupt courses, and do so still, let them not think to have any benefit by the gospel. They deceive themselves. They never knew God. For he that saith he hath communion with God, and walks in darkness, he is a liar, 1 John iv. 20. St John gives him the lie, for God is light. How can a man see himself in the love of God, and remain in a dark state oppo- site to love ? Will it not alter a man ? It will not sufier him to live in sins against conscience. Let no man that doth so, think he hath benefit by Christ. That knowledge is but a notional knowledge, a speculation, a swimming knowledge : it is not a spiritual knowledge ; because wheresoever the knowledge of God in Christ is to purpose, there is a change and con- version of the whole man. There is a new judgment and new afi'ections. The bent and bias of them is another way than they were before. There is a change which is called a turning in the Scripture.* Those things that were before them before, are now behind them ; and those things that were behind them, are now before them. Whereas they turned their back upon God and good things, now they turn their faces, they look God-ward and heaven-ward, and to a better condition ; for this change is nothing else but conversion. Therefore a man may say as he said, ' I am not I.' Those that have seen Christ, it makes them differ from themselves ; this sight works a change.
If there were not a change, it would make God forsworn ; as it is Luke i. 13, seq., in'Zacharias's song, ' He hath sworn that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we should serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our lives.' If any man, therefore, say he is delivered from his enemies, that he thinks he shall not be damned and go to hell, and yet doth not live in holiness and righteousness, he makes God's oath frustrate, for God's oath joins both together : ' He hath sworn that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we should serve him without fear ;' without slavish fear, but with a fear of reverence : * That is, CT^spiisSai. Mat. xviii. 3, and elsewhere. — G.