As without application we can have no good by him, so we can have no comfort by his example. It is not prevalent, unless we can say as the apostle to the Corinthians here, ' for jont sakes.'
Again, ' for your sakes, not for himself.' He became not poor to make himself richer ; he did not merit for himself. What need he ? For by virtue of the union of the human nature with the Godhead, heaven was due to him at the first moment, as soon as he was born. What should hinder him ? Had he any sin of his own ? No. There was nothing to keep him from heaven, and all the joy that could be, in respect of himself. But he had our salvation to work ; he had many things to do and sufi'er, and therefore of his infinite goodness he was content that that glory that was due to him should be stayed. He became a servant to appease his Father's wrath for us, and procure heaven for us ; for us men, for us * Qu. ' Sun ' ? — Ed. f See marginal reading in authorised version. — Ed.
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sinners, as it is in the ancient creed, and as the prophet saitb, * To'us a child is born, to us a Sou is given,' Isa. ix. 6. For us he was born ; for us he was given ; for us he lived ; for us he died ; for us he is now in heaven ; for us he humbled himself to death, even to the death of the cross, to a cursed death,' Philip, ii. 8. Therefore when wo hear of Christ's poverty, let us think, this is for me, not for himself; and this will increase our love and our thankfulness to him.
Again, it was for us, for mankind, not for angels. For when they fell they continue in that lapsed state for ever. This advanceth God's love to us more than to those noble creatures the angels, who remain in their cursed condition to all etornit}'.
The end of Christ's becoming poor. ' That we through his poverty might be made rich.' Quest. How are we made rich by the poverty and abasement of Christ ? Aus. By the merit of it, and by efficacy flowing from Christ ; for by the merit of Christ's poverty there issued satisfaction to divine justice, and the obtaining of the favour of G-od, not only for the pardon of our sins, but favour and grace to be entitled to life everlasting. And then by efficacy ; we are enriched by the power of his Spirit, who altereth and changeth our natures, and makes them like to the divine nature.
Quest. But more particularly, what be the riches that we have by the poverty of Christ ?
Alls. (1.) First, Oar debt must be paid before we could be enriched. We are indebted for our souls and bodies. We did owe more than we were worth. We were under Satan's kingdom. Therefore Christ discharged our debt. There is a double debt that he discharged, the debt of obedience and the debt of punishment. Christ satisfied both. For the debt of obedience, he fulfilled the law perfectly and exactly for us ; and for the debt of punish- ment, he sufiered death for us, and satisfied divine justice. So by his poverty we are made rich, by way of satisfaction for our debts.
(2.) And not only we are made rich by Christ paying our debts, but he invests us into all his own riches. He makes us rich, partly by imputation, partly by infusion.
[1.] By imputation ; his righteousness and obedience is ours. His dis- charge for our debts is imputed to us, and likewise his righteousness for the attaining of heaven. He having satisfied for our sins, God is reconciled to us ; and thereupon we are justified and fi'eed from all our sins, because they are punished in Christ. For the justice of God cannot punish one sin twice. So we come to be reconciled because we are justified ; and we are justified from our sins, because Christ, as a surety, hath discharged the full debt.
And hence it is that we are freed from all that is truly ill ; from the wrath of God and eternal damnation ; and freedom from the greatest ill hath respect of the greatest good. For what had we been had we lain under that cursed condition ? But God's works are complete. He works like a God. Therefore we are not only freed from evil in justification, but entitled to heaven and life everlasting.
[2.] And then he makes rich by inftisioii of his Hohj Spirit, by working all needful graces of sanctification in us. For by the virtue of Christ's death the Spirit is obtained, and by the Spirit our natures are changed. So we have the riches of holiness from Christ, the graces of love, of con- tentment, of patience, and courage, &c. ' Of his fulness we receive grace for grace,' John i. 16 ; grace answerable to the grace that is in him. The
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same Spirit that sanctified his human nature and knit it to his divino, it sanctifieth his mcnibors, and makes them rich in grace and sanctiiicatiou, which is the best riches.