(1.) We fell by i^ride, we maul he restored by humility . We would be like God; God to expiate it must become like us, and take our nature, and Bufier in it.
(2.) Then again, God would restore us by a way suitable to his own excellency every way, wherein no attribute of his might be a loser. He would bring us to riches and friendship wdth him by a way of satisfaction to his justice, that we may see his justice shine in our salvation (though indeed grace and mercy triumph most of all, yet notwithstanding) justice must be fully contented. There was no other way wherein we could magnify so much the unsearchable and infinite wisdom of God (that the angels themselves 'pry into,' 1 Peter i. 12), whereby justice and mercy, seeming contrary attributes in God, are reconciled in Christ. By infinite wisdom, justice and mercy meet together and kiss one another. Justice being satisfied, wisdom is exalted. But what set wisdom on work to devise this way to satisfy justice? The grace, and love, and mercy of God. It could not have been done any other way ; for before we could be made rich, God must be satisfied. Pieconciliation supposeth satisfaction, and there could be no satisfaction but by blood ; and there could be no equal satisfaction but by the blood of such a person as was God. Therefore Christ must become poor to make us rich, because there must be full satisfaction to divine justice, and all his precious poverty before his death. His incarnation, his want, his being a servant, &c., all was part of his general humiliation. But it was but to prepare him for his last w^ork, the upshot of all, his death, which was the work of satisfaction.
(3.) Again, all the inherent part of our riches infused into our nature, it comes by the S2)irit of God. Now the Spirit of God had not been sent, if God had not been satisfied and appeased first, because the Holy Ghost is the gift of the Father and the Son. He comes from both. Therefore there must be satisfaction and reconciliation before the Holy Ghost could be given, which enricheth our nature immediately. The immediate cause of sending the Holy Ghost, it is Christ's coming iu our nature. Now, if God had not been satisfied in his justice, he would never have given the Holy Ghost, which is the greatest gift next to Christ. Therefore ' Christ became poor to make us rich,' that we might have the Holy Ghost shed in our hearts.
(4.) Now all these riches that we have by Cbrist, it supposeth union with him by faith, as the riches of the wife supposeth marriage. Union is the
504 THE church's riches.
ground of all the comfort avo have by Christ, Our communion springs Irom union with him, which is begun in effectual calling. As soon as WG are taken out of old Adam and engrafted into him, all becomes ours. Christ procures the Spirit, the Spirit works faith, faith knits us to Christ, and by this union we have communion of all the favours of this life and the life to come. Therefore, I say, all is grounded upon union by the grace of faith. Christ married our nature that we might be married to him by his Spirit ; and until there be a union, there is no derivation of grace and comfort. The head only hath influence to the members that are knit unto it. Therefore Christ took our nature, that he might not only be a head of eminency, as he is to angels, but a head of influence. ' Now, there must be a knitting of the members to the head before any spirits can be derived fi-om the head to the members. Therefore the apostle saith that Christ is our riches. But it is as he is in us, -' To whom God would make known what is the riches of this mystery among the Gentiles ; Christ in you, the hope of glory,' Col. i. 27. Christ is all to us, but it is as he is in us and we in him. We must be in him as the branches in the vine, and he in us as the vine in the branches. So Christ is ' the hope of glory,' as he is in us. We must labour therefore by faith to be made one with Christ, before we can think of these things with comfort.
And when by faith we are made one with Christ, then there is a spiritual communion of all things. Now, upon our union with Christ, it is good to think what ill Christ hath taken upon him for me ; and then to think my- self freed from it, because Christ that took it on him hath freed hims. If from it. Whatsoever he is freed from, I am freed from it. It can no more hurt me than it can hurt him now in heaven. Therefore, when I think of sin, and hell, and damnation, and wrath, I see myself freed from it in Christ. * He became poor' to take this away from me. My sins were laid on him, and he is justified and acquitted from them all, and from death and the wrath of God that he underwent ; and I am acquitted in him by virtue of my union with him ; and the devil can no more prejudice the salvation of a believer, than he can pull Christ out of heaven.