Ohj. Ay, but saith the poor soul, I that have been so sinful, so unworthy a wretch, shall I have comfort in this, that Christ is my brother, and I am Christ's ? I cannot do it.
Ans. 1. I profess thou canst not do it, * flesh and blood must not teach it thee,' thou must be taught by the Spirit of Christ. But consider how the apostles used Christ. Thou canst not call Christ brother, because thou hast been a sinner, and hast carried thyself unkindly to Christ. And did not the disciples so ? Did not they leave him, and one of them deny him, and that with oaths ? Therefore, whatsoever om* sins have been, deny not our relation to Christ. The poor prodigal said, ' I am not worthy to be called a son,' I am not worthy to be called a servant, Luke xv. 21.
He denied not that he was a son, but he was unworthy of it. And so I am unworthy to be a spouse and brother of Christ, yet do not our unfaith- ful hearts so much pleasure, as to deny our relation.
The apostles were so dignified, as to be called the * pillars of the world,' Gal. ii. 9. But these left him, and yet for all that, in this time of their desertion of him, ' go tell my brethren.' Therefore be not discouraged. Go to Christ in our worst condition, in our greatest temptations, when our hearts misgive us most that we have used God most unkindly, and Satan plied us most with desperate temptations ; yet own him for our brother, who owned his disciples when they dealt most unkindly with him.f I beseech you, count it a comfort unvaluable, which no tongue is able to express, that Christ after his resurrection should call ' brethren.' He might well call them brethren after his resurrection, because then all debts
* In margin here, ' 1 Cor. xi. 3 ; 1 Cor. xii. 27 ; Eph. v. 23 ; 1 John ii. 2, seq. ; Kev. xxii. 3, seq.' — G.
t la margin here, ' Tcntatio est ad Christum eundi opporiunitas, ut nobis svccurral.' — G.
A HEAVENLY CONFERENCE. 433
were discharged by his death. He had paid their debts, and now the acquittance was due to them, because Christ as surety had paid all. Now I am risen, ' go and tell my brethren so.' If we can make use of the death and resurrection of Christ, and say, Christ hath died for my sins, and rose again for my justification ; I will interest myself in his death, I will claim the virtue of his resmrection ; then take the comfort of this. In popery, they had much comfort in those dark times, when a company of proud, carnal, beastly men ruled the roast according to their own lusts. These clergymen made a great pother vflih. fraternity and brotherhood. And if they were of such a fraternity of Dominic or Francis, or merely in a friar's cowl, it was not only satisfactory, but meritorious, they could not do amiss. Away with these shadows. Here is the brotherhood that must comfort Christians, that Christ owned us for- brethren after his resurrection. He paid dear for it, alas ! Are we worth so much, that God should become man to die for us, to rise again for us, to justify us, and make us brethren ? That infinite love, that God became man and died for ns, and rose again to own us for his brethren, will satisfy all doubts. Shall we doubt any- thing of that love ? When he out of his free love will own us as brethren, shall not we own him ? I confess it is a marvellous thing, in times of temptation it is difficult to make use of it. Oh, but pray with the good apostle, * Lord, increase our faith,' Luke xvii. 5 ; with the poor man in the gospel, * I believe ; Lord, help my unbelief,' Mark ix. 24. So when any temptation cometh for our unworthiness and our undeserving, then think Christ after his resurrection called his apostles ' brethren,' and he will be content to be my brother, if I will believe he died for me, and I will cast myself upon him ; therefore away with all doubts.
There be many other observations out of the words.
(1.) Will you hare the first words in estate of glory, his first words after death ? ' Go and tell my brethren.' Think in a desperate extremity, think of the sweet message he sent by Mary Magdalene to his unworthy ' brethren,' that he died for, and [had] given his blood to make them his brethren. Think of his free love to you. It is not for your worthiness or unworthi- ness, but of his own free love, that he came from heaven to take your nature. It is his own free love that he came to die ; and therefore conceive not of worthiness nor unworthiness, but consider the command of God to believe ; and if we perish, perish there. Cast ourselves on our brother, that will own us in our worst condition. That is the grand use.
(2.) Again, If God owns us in his glorious condition, shall we he ashamed of the doctrine of Christ, of the children of God, to own them ? What saith Christ ? It is a terrible thunderbolt. ' He that is ashamed of me and of my word before men, I will be ashamed of him before my heavenly Father,' Mark viii. 38. Take heed of being ashamed to stand out a good cause, in matters of religion. Christ was not ashamed to call us brethren when we were at the worst, and he himself in a glorious condition'; he was in glory, and the disciples drooping in consideration of their guilt, that they had forsaken him, and yet ' brethren' still. And shall not we own him, that owneth us in state of glory ? How shall we look that he will own us here- after, when he trusteth us with his cause and glory, and we betray all to pleasure such and such ? Can we look Christ in the face with comfort, if we neglect his cause, his truth, and his church ?