Use. 3. Again, hath the poverty of Christ made us rich ; ichat will his riches do ? Could he save us when he was at the lowest, when he w^as on the cross, and satisfied divine justice by his death ; what can he do for us now he is in heaven, and hath triumphed over all his enemies ? What can we look for now by his riches, that have so much by his poverty? There- fore we may reason with the apostle, Kom. v. 10, ' If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, how much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his hfe ?' It is a strong argument, not only as it hath respect to us (because there is more likelihood that any good should be done for us now when we are reconciled to God, than before when we were enemies) ; but also as it hath respect to Christ ; since he that stuck not to reconcile us to God by his death, cannot be unwilling to save us by his life ; and he that was able to redeem us by dj'ing for us, is more clearly and evidently powerful to save us, now he lives and reigns triumphantly in heaven. For is not he able to preserve us, to protect us, and invest us into the glory that he hath purchased for us ? He that did so much for us in the time of his abasement, will he not preserve the riches he hath gotten for us ? Is he not in heaven in majesty, to apply all that he hath gotten ? Is he not our intercessor at the right hand of God, to appear before God for us to make all good ? Certainly he will preserve that which he hath procured by his death.
It is a disabling of Christ to think of falling awaj^ from grace. He is able to maintain us in that glorious condition that he hath advanced us to ; especially considering that he is now in heaven, and hath laid aside the form of a servant ; all his humiliation, except our human nature. That for ever he hath united to his person ; but all other things of his abase- ment he hath laid them aside ; he is able perfectly, not only to save us, as by his death, but to apply all that he hath gotten, and preserve us to life everlasting. We are kept by the power of God, to that glory that Christ hath purchased by his death. Therefore why should we fear for the time
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to come, fallinfT from grace, oi* the want of that that is good ? Is not Christ able to maintain that that he hath gotten ? Let us raise our hearts with this consideration, what Christ can do now in glory, when his poverty could do this much.
Use 4. Again, let //.s- dcsphe no man for his pnvcrt)/ ; for Christ was poor to make us rich. And as those that despise Christ, and esteem him not, but ' liid their faces from him,' because he grew up ' as a root out of a dry ground, because there was no beauty in him,' Isa. liii. 2 ; that is, because of his poverty, because he was a carpenter's son ; they despised by this means the Ijord of glory ; so those that despised his poor members after- ward that ' wandered up and down in sheepskins and goatskins ; being destitute and afflicted,' Heb. xi. 38, they despised God's jewels^ his choice favourites, ' of whom the world was not worthy.' Let not the brother of low degree be cast down because he is poor, nor let the brother of high degree be lifted up because he is rich ; for if riches had been the best thing, Christ would have been outwardly rich. But Christ was poor, to shew us what are the best riches ; and that the riches of this world are but things by the by : ' Seek the kingdom of God, and all other things shall be cast on you,' Mat. \i. 33, by way of addition and supplement. The true riches of a Christian are spiritual. Christ did not become poor to make us rich in this world, to make us kings and emperors, and great men here, but to make us rich spiritually, and to have such a moiety of earthly things as may serve as a viaticum to bring us to heaven. The main riches of a Christian are spiritual and eternal in grace and glory. In popery they live as if Christ came to make them lords of the world ; to usurp jurisdic- tion over kings and princes. Christ came to make us rich in another manner. St Peter saith, * Silver and gold have I none,' Acts iii. 6, but his successors cannot say so. Christ came not as a servant to make us lords here, much less to set us at liberty to live after the flesh, and to do what we list. No ; the end of Christ's coming was to take away sin, * to destroy the works of the devil,' 1 John iii. 8. The common course at this time, and devilish practice of many, overtmms the end of Christ's coming, as if he came not to destroy, but to let loose the works of the devil ; to let us loose to all licentiousness. He came to bring us to God, and not to give us libert}^ in courses to run further from God. But that by the way. Christ, as I said, came not to make us rich in the things of this life ; for do but consider a little of outward riches, what be they ?