(3.) Foriheir .sakes he so humbled and emptied himself, in taking flesh, as to become therein a servant, — in the eyes of the world of no
' See Viud. Evan., cap. xiii. vol. xii. ' John xiv. 28. ' Isa. liii. 2.
OF COMMUNION WITH THE SON JESUS CHRIST. 135
esteem nor account; and a true and real servant^ unto the Father, For their sakes he humbled himself, and became obedient. All that he did and suffered in his life comes under this consideration ; all which may be refeiTed to these three heads: — "[1.] Fulfilling all righteous- ness. [2.] Enduring all manner of persecutions and hardships. [3.] Doing all manner of good to m,en. He took on him, for their sakes, a life and course pointed to, Heb. v. 7, 8, — a life of prayers, tears, fears, obedience, suffering; and all this with cheerfulness and delight, calling his employment his " meat and drink," and still pro- fessing that the law of this obedience was in his^ heart, — that he was content to do this will of God. He that will sorely revenge the least opposition that is or shall be made to him by others, was content to undergo any thing, all things, for believers.
(4.) He stays not here, but (for the consummation of all that went before) for their sakes he becomes obedient to death, the death of the cross. So he jDrofesseth to his Father, John xvii. 19, " For their sakes I sanctify myself;" — " I dedicate myself as an offering, as a sacrifice, to be killed and slain." This was his aim in all the former, that he might die ; he was born, and * lived, that he might die. He valued them above his life. And if we might stay to consider a little what was in this death that he underwent for them, we should perceive what a price indeed he put upon them. The curse^ of the law was in it, the ^ wrath of God was in it, the loss of God's ''presence was in it. It was a '^fearful cup that he tasted of, and drank of, that they might never taste of it. A man would not for ten thousand worlds be willing to undergo that which Christ underwent for us in that one thing of desertion from God, were it attended with no more distress but what a mere creature might possibly emerge from under. And what thoughts we should have of this himself tells us, John xv. 13, " Greater ]ove hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." It is impossible there should be any greater demonstra- tion or evidence of love than this. What can any one do more? And yet he tells us in another place, that it hath another aggravation and heightening, Rom. v. 8, " God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When he did this for us we were sinners, and enemies, whom he might justly have destroyed. What more can be done? — to die for us when we were sinners ! Such a death, in such a manner, with such attendancies of wrath and curse, — a death accompanied with the worst that God had ever threatened to sinners, — argnies as high a valuation of us as the heart of Christ himself was capable of.
1 Isa. xlii. 1, 19; John xiv. 31. -' Jlatt. iii. 15. ' Ileb. x. 7, 8.
♦ Heb. ii. 14, 15. « Gal. iii. 13. " 2 Cor. v. 21. ^ Ps. xxii. 1.
^ Matt. xxvi. 39.
1S6 OF COMMUNION WITH THE SON JESUS CHRIST.
For one to part with liis glory, his riches, his ease, his hfe, his love from God, to undergo loss, shame, wrath, curse, death, for another, is an evidence of a dear valuation ; and that it was all on this account, we are informed, Heb. xii. 2. Certainly Christ had a dear esteem of them, that, rather than they should perish, — that they should not be his, and be made partakers of his glory, — he would part with all he had for their sakes, Eph. v, 25, 26.
There would be no end, should I go through all the instances of Christ's valuation of believers, in all their dehveranccs, afflictions, in all conditions of sinning and suffering, — what he hath done, what he doth in his intercession, what he delivers them from, what he pro- cures for them ; all telling out this one thing, — they are the ap2:>le of his eye, his jewel, his diadem, his crown.
2. In comparison of others. All tlie world is nothing to him in comparison of them. They are his garden; the rest of the world, a wilderness. Cant. iv. 12, "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse ; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." They are his iiiheritance ; the rest, his enemies, of no regard with him. So Isa. xliii. 3, 4, "I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast ^precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.'' The reason of this dealing of Christ with his church, in parting with all others for them, is, because he loves her. She is precious and honourable in his sight ; thence he puts this great esteem upon her. Indeed, he disposeth of all nations and their interests according as is for the good of believers. Amos ix. 9, in all the siftings of the nations, the eye of God is upon the house of Israel ; not a grain of them shall perish. Look to heaven ; angels are appointed to minister for them, Heb. i. 14. Look into the world; the nations in general are either ''blessed for their sakes, or ^destroyed on their account, — preserved to try them, or rejected for their cruelty towards them; and will receive from Christ their ^ final doom according to their deportment towards these despised ones. On this account are the pillars of the earth borne up, and patience is exercised towards the perishing world. In a word, there is not the meanest, the weakest, the poorest believer on the earth, but Christ prizeth him more than all the world besides. Were our hearts filled much with thoughts hereof, it would tend much to our consolation.