506 THE church's riches.
carry with him. But a Christian hath a fountain ; a mine that is unsearch- able, in the rich promises of God.
Again, a Christian, though he bo never so poor, yet he hath a rich pawn.* Saith St Paul, ' If he spared not his own Son, but gave him to death for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things ?' Eom. viii. 32. If he have given us such a pawn as Christ, who is riches itself, shall he not with him give us all other things ? We have a pawn that is a thousand times better than that we need. We want poor outward things, but wo have Christ himself for a pawn.
Lastly, Sometimes God sees that poverty and want in this world is part of our riches, that it is good for us ; and what is good for me is my riches. If poverty be good for me, I will be poor that I may be humble ; humility is better than riches. If I be in any want, if I have contentment, it is better than riches. If I fall into trouble, he will give me patience, that is better than friends. A man may have outward things, and be naught.f But he that wants outward comfort, and hath supply in his soul, is it not better ? Therefore take a Christian in any condition, he is a rich man ; and this riches we have by the poverty of Christ. ' He became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich.'
Use 1. We see here then that a Christian's estate is carried under con- traries, as Christ was. 'He was rich, and became poor.' He carried his riches under poverty. He was glorious, but his glory was covered under shame and disgrace. So it is with a Christian. He goes for a poor man in the world, but he is rich ; he dies, but yet he lives ; he is disgraced in the world, but yet he is glorious. As Christ came from heaven in a way of contraries, so we must be content to go to heaven in a seeming contrary way. Take no scandal | therefore at the seeming poverty and disgrace and want of a Christian. Christ himself seemed to be otherwise to the world than he was. When he was poor, he was rich ; and sometimes he dis- covered his riches. There were beams brake forth even in his basest estate. When he died, there was nothing stronger than Christ's seeming weakness. In his lowest abasement he discovered the greatest power of his Godhead. For he satisfied the justice of God ; he overcame death and his Father's wrath ; he triumphed over Satan ; he trod on his head (what hath Satan to do with us when God's justice is satisfied ?) ; so that his hidden glory was discovered sometimes. So there is that appears in the children of God that others may see them to be rich, if they did not close their eyes. But we must be content to pass to heaven as Christ our head did, as con- cealed men.
Use 2. Again, here is matter not. only for us men, hut for the angels of heaven to ad)nire and wonder at this depth of goodness and mercy in Christ; that he would become poor to make us rich by his poverty. See the exaltation of his love in this. Saith St Bernard well, ' 0 love, that art so sweet, why becamest thou so bitter to thyself?' (a). Whence flowed Christ's love and mercy, that was so sweet in itself, that it should be only sour and bitter to him from whence it had its rise and spring ? His love that is so sweet to us, it became bitter to him ; he endured and did that that we should have done and sufl'ered. There be some men that will do kindnesses, so that themselves may not be the worse, so that they may not be the poorer, that they may not be disgraced, or adventure the displeasure of others. But Christ hath done all this great kindness for us by
■*■ That is, 'pledge.' — G. t That is, 'naughty' = wicked. — G.
X That is, offence. — G.
THE church's riches. 507
being poor for us ; bj- taking our nature, our poverty, our misery. He doth us good in such a way as that he parted with heaven itself for a time, and with that sweet communion that he had with his Father, the dearest thing to him in the world. He ^Darted with it for our sakcs, that made him cry out, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?' Mark xv. 34. Here- upon he made us rich in a way that cost him something.
And let us be thankful to him in a way that may cost us something ; let us be content to be abased for him ; to do anything for him. He descended from heaven to the grave, as low as he could for us ; let us descend from our conceited greatness for him. Can we lose so much for him as he hath done for us ? What are our bodies and souls in comparison of God ? It was God that became poor for us. We cannot part with so much for him as he did for us. And then we are gainers by him if we part with all the world, whatsoever we do for him. ' I will be yet more vile for the Lord,' saith David, 2 Sam. vi. 22. He became vile for us ; he became a sinner, and ' of no reputation ;' and shall not we be vile and empty for him ? Certainly we shall. If we have the Spirit of Christ in us, it will work a conformity. If he had stood upon terms and disdained the virgin's womb, and to become poor for us, where had our salvation been ? And if we stand upon terms when we are to sufl'er for him or to stand for his cause, where will our comfort be ? Surely it is a sign that we have no right by the poverty of Christ, unless we be content to part with our Isaac, with the best things we have, when he calls for it.