Thus I have given you the sense of the words; and I shall now name some observations from them: —
First. That the things which concern Jesus Christ are a good matter to believers. They are not only true, — so as the mind may assent unto them and never be deceived, — but they have that in them which is the object of the soul's delight and valuation, and which the soul of a believer cleaves unto. The truth of it is, here lies the great dif- ference between sincere believers and mere hypocrites: — hypocrites assent unto the doctrine of the gospel, things touching the King, as true, but they never embrace them as good; their hearts and affec- tions do not cleave unto them, as finding a real sweetness, excellency, and suitableness unto their wants in them: for no man esteems. that to be good which is not suitable unto him.
Jesus Christ, and the things of Christ, are a good matter unto believers; for, —
1. They are very excellent in themselves. Col. i. 18, " He hath in all things the pre-eminence." Whatsoever is good in any kind, it all centres in Christ. And what is in him is better than that which was in the state of nature; better than what was in the law; better than what is in self- righteousness; better than life itself: so that,
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from tlieir own nature, they are good things. Give me leave to say they are good things, because they are God's best things. As to temporal good things, take a king or a potentate; — his best things are peculiar treasures, gold and silver, and precious stones ; but the things which concern Christ are the best things of the kingdom of heaven.
The things which concern God's only begotten Son, and which concern all the wisdom, grace, love, and power the holy God will ex- ercise in the greatest work he ever set his hand to; surely they are good things. When the psalmist saith it is "a good matter," his mean- ing is, it is the best matter in the world.
2. They are a good matter to believers, because they have received the Spirit, whereby they are able to discern the excellency of them.
As to others, it is said, " He shall grow up as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him," Isa. liii. 2. Can we see no goodness, no excellency in Christ, in the grace of Christ, in his ways, in his people, why he should be desired? Believers can, 1 Cor. ii. 7-10. The Spirit of God discovers to them the excellent things of Christ, whereby they find them to be good ; whereas to strangers from Christ they seem absurd and foolish things, and no way to be desired. Men of carnal wisdom, that have attained to the highest pitch of reason and ability in the world, they can see neither form nor comeliness in Christ, or riie things of Christ ; but when God opens the things of Christ by the Spirit, then they see that there is a goodness and an excellency in them.
By way of use. — Seeing the things of Christ are good things in themselves, and believers discern their goodness and their excellency; we may do well, then, to inquire whether the things of Christ are good things to us. Then they are good things to us, when we desire them above all other things whatsoever. Phil. iii. 8, " I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." He could make use of those things he had ; but in com- parison, his heart did really esteem them all as loss and dung, — when they stood in competition with Christ. And pray let us consider how the psalmist hath here stated it. Saith he, " My heart indites, and my tongue professes." It is easy to profess that the things of Christ are good things, and that we esteem all other things as loss and dung; but do our hearts so esteem them? otherwise we come short of what is here intended by the psalmist. Do our hearts really value the good things of Christ, — things concerning the glory of his person, his love to his church, the excellency of his kingdom and his rule? The things here treated of; — the glory of his person, " Fairer than the children of men;" — the glory of his kingdom, " In thy ma- jesty ride prosperously;" "thy throne 0 God, is for ever and ever;"
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■ — and bis love to his church, " Hearken, O daughter, and consider and incline thine ear, forget also thine own people and thy father's house, so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty:" — do we value these tbings, I say, in our very hearts, so as to esteem all other things as loss and dung, — that we could freely forego them? Do we find satis- faction in the things of Christ, with and without all other things? With other things? It is the will of God, while he intrusts us with other things, that we should use them to his glory; but is our satis- faction in the good things of Christ so high that we can be satis- fied without other things? Truly, I hope the Lord will help us, that if we come to lose all things for the good things of Christ (and how soon we may come to such a time we know not), we may do it cheer- fully and willingly. This I can say, that the nearer some have been to the losing of all things, even life itself, the better Christ hath been unto them. And I would pray for you, that if God should reserve us for such a time as to deprive us of all other things, this may grow upon our hearts, that the things of Christ are better than ever you apprehended. This will carry us through all our darkness and trouble, — to be satisfied with them in the want of other things. And take it for your comfort, though you may tremble now at the parting with a hair of your head, as if it was the garment from your back, yet, if you are sincere believers, when you come to part with all, you will do it cheerfully. Christ will come in and enable you so to do. Examine, therefore, yourselves, whether you do not only give a naked assent to the gospel and the things of Christ, or whether you find a goodness in them, a suitableness and satisfaction in them, — that it is "a good matter" unto you.