[2.] The consideration of these excellencies in Christ is exceed- ingly suited to increase faith and love in us. They are the proper objects in Christ of these graces. What is it we believe and love? Do not we believe in Christ as the Son of God, as God-man in one person? do not we love him as he is so? do not we believe he hath made atonement for us? and do not we believe and love the excel- lency of his work? Then the exercise of our thoughts upon these things is the way to increase faith and love in us. And the great reason why we are so weak in our faith, and so cold in our love, is, because we exercise our souls no more to immediate, direct thoughts upon Christ and his excellencies. We live by reflex considerations upon the benefits of Christ ; but if we could exercise our souls more directly in daily thoughts of Christ in faith and love, we should in -
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crease more in these graces, and be more transformed into his likeness. " Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image," etc., 2 Cor. iii. 18. It is not such a cheap thing to be a Christian as most imagine. What wandering thoughts have the generality of Christians about Christ, and never once examine into their thoughts whether they have any spiritual acquaintance with him or no !
II. The second thing to consider in the words is, — the endowment of Chi ist, in his human nature, for the discharge of this great office and work, which is here ascribed unto him in this psalm, set forth by grace being poured into his lips.
And there are three things that may be observed : — 1. The na- ture of this endowment; and that is, grace. 2. The manner of its communication, and that is, poured; it is not dropped, but poured. 3. The seat of it, being communicated ; grace is poured into his Ups,
1. The nature of this endowment; it is grace.
Grace in Scripture is taken two ways: — (1.) For inherent grace and holiness, or the graces of the Spirit. Things that are bestowed upon men, and wrought in them, they are called grace, the same as the principle of spiritual life. (2.) Grace is taken externally for favour and love. " Ye are saved by grace ; " that is, by the free favour of God.
It is here taken in the first sense, for the internal principle of grace and holiness. This was poured into the lips of Christ. Grace in the second sense is also mentioned in the last clause of the verse, '•' Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever."
And we may observe, in reference to the seat of it, that it hath particular respect unto the prophetical office of Christ, whereby he discharged his duty in the revelation of the will of God. Christ did manifest and evidence grace in all he did and said in this world, as the lips are the way of manifesting the mind.
It is the first of these things I shall chiefly discourse on, — namely, the endowment that renders the human nature of Christ so exceed- ingly desirable and glorious, is grace.
That which rendered Christ so beautiful, so desirable, and glorious, was not secular wisdom, though there was in him the greatest fulness of all wisdom ; it was not the pomp, the greatness, the glory of the world, outward ornaments, or any thing that men esteem : no, it was that which men hate and persecute that rendered Christ so beautiful and glorious. God did not endow Christ with riches; no, he was poor, so poor that he had not where to lay his head : nor with bodily appearance; for he was a worm, and no man. But saith God, " I will render him glorious " How ? He shall be full of grace. " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father."
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"We saw it," say they: "the world saw nothing but a poor man, whom they despised; but we saw his glory." And what was that glory ? " He was full of grace," John i. 14 Even the glorv of Jesus Christ consists in grace.
And why doth this glory of Christ consist in grace ? For these three ends: —
(1.) Because in this internal grace consists the reparation of the image of God. All the glory that God thought meet to communicate to his creature man (and it was unspeakable, and all he designed him for), was to make him in his own image and likeness. This was the glory God intended; every thing else doth but follow it. Now, we left this image, and became as like the devil as if we had been be- gotten by him. John viii. 44, We are the children of the devil, he is our father; we are a "generation of vipers/'— the seed of the serpent by nature. But it is grace that doth repair and renew this image of God. It is grace that makes a representation of God unto us ; and therefore doth Christ's glory consist in grace. The apostle tells us so, 2 Cor. iv. 6, " We behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." How is that ? Why, in that abounding grace that was in Christ there is made such a representation of God, that there we may see his likeness. It is the human nature of Christ that makes the great representation of God, because he hath all that which is the image and likeness of God — namely, grace in the fulness of it — in him.