2. There must be a likeness ; because by Christ we have the Spirit to renew us, to make us savour the things of God, to love the things God loveth, to hate the things God hates. Now, a sanctified soul delights in communion with God, a carnal man hates it ; the more holy anything is, the more he distastes it.
3. Again, from likeness of disposition comes familiarity and acquaintanct with God, cherished by love, devotion, and piety ; and all this we have in Christ. And therefore we go boldly, having God's justice fully satisfied, and finding the Spirit renewing our natures, and claim acquaintance with God, and pour out our souls to him as to a Father in Christ Jesus. Oh the wonderfulness of this privilege, that now in Christ we can call God Father, his Father and our Father ; that we can pour out our complaints before him, as to a gi-acious Father, in all our necessities ! The world is not worthy of this privilege that we enjoy, vAo in all distresses and wants can go boldly to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and call him our Father.
Use 1. We should value these privileges more than u-e do, and imj)rore them more than u-e do. Are we in God or in Christ ? Then glory in God — Rom. V. 3 — whence the apostle Paul makes a threefold glorying :
1. A glorying in affliction under the cross.
2. He glorieth in the hope of glory ; and not only so, but
3. * We glory in God.' How is that ? That God the Father is ours. If Christ be in me, I have God with Christ : * God is with Christ recon- ciling the world to himself,' 2 Cor. v. 19. ' All things are yours; you are Christ's ; and Christ is God's,' 1 Cor. iii. 21, 23. If we are Christ's we have God, and all ; and can we have more ? ' Shew us the Father,' saith Philip, ' and it sufficeth us,' John xiv. 8 ; that is, shew the Father to be our Father, bring us into acquaintance with him, and what need we more ? Let it be discovered to our souls that God is our Father, and that will suffice, or nothing.
Use 2. Labour therefore to joy in this j^rerogative ; and when we think of God, let us not think of Deus absolutus, of an absolute God distinguished from Christ. K ever we go to God in prayer, look up to him ' in the face of Christ.' We must ascend to him as he descended to us. How is that?
328 COMMENTARY ON
Doth not bo descend and convey all Lis favours in God incarnate, nay, God in our ilcsh ? Ilo came down in our nature, and wo must go back again to bim in our nature, in Cbrist ; and tbcrefbrc it is not only fruitless, but dangerous presumption, to go directly to God without a mediator. In the Law nothing must be done without a priest, who nuist oiler all our sacrifices, and so all tliat arc between God and us must bo by mediation of our high priest Jesus Christ.
And then present ourselves to God in his name : Lord, I oiler thy own Son unto thee, a Son of thine own sending, sealed, appointed, elected, and predestinated to be my Saviour. Thou canst not refuse the righteousness of thy own Son, thou gavest him to bo my Saviour. Therefore taking Christ along with us, wo may break through the very justice of God ; for, Lord, I bring one with mo that hath satisfied thy justice ; therefore I go through thy justice to thy mercy-seat in Christ, in whom thy mercy is glorified. I go not with my own righteousness, but clothed with Christ.
3. And will not this cmstver Satan's teiiijitations 1 Send thy soul to God in Christ, the glory of God, and he will shine in Christ. Christ is ordained to bo my Saviour, and I cast myself into his arms, and put myself in the bowels of Christ.
So in all temptation I beseech you make use of this grand comfort, that the glory of God may shine in the face of Christ.
There be three of the sweetest sights that ever were thought of for poor Christians.
That is, God the Father's sight of us in his Son Christ, as members of him whom he loveth. Absolutely* v/e are miserable.
Again, we see God ' in the face of Christ,' and Christ sees us in his Father's good pleasure, as given to him in charge of the Father ; ' Thine they were, thou gavest them me,' John xvii. 24. Christ seeth us in God's eternal purpose to save, for Christ saveth none but them whom God gave. ' All that thou gavest come to me, and thou castest them not away,' John xvii. 2. God's choice and Christ's salvation run parallel. So God's choice saveth none but such as Christ is anointed to save, and God seeth us to be saved. As he gave us to Christ, and as Christ died for us, so we by spiritual faith see ourselves in Christ, as our Father. These do so arm the soul against all discouragements, that nothing can separate it, for God's love to me is bounded in his love to Christ. God looks on me, but he looks on Christ first. Now God's love is eternally founded on Christ, therefore eternally founded on me to be one with Christ. It is excellently set down: Rom. viii. 85, ' Whatf shall separate me from the love of Christ ? ' for it is a love of God founded on Christ. God loveth Christ, and so likewise he will love me. As Christ is his ' Son in whom he is well pleased,' Mat. iii. 17 ; so he loveth whole Christ mystical, for he gave his Son for the body of Christ the church ; and therefore whensoever we hear of the love of Christ, go to the love of the Father. Hath Christ loved me ? Then see the Father's love in that love. You may enlarge these things in your own meditations, they being wonderful useful.