The Happiness of Enjoying and Use of Christ, Part 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Teaching how to make uſe of Chriſt.
IS all divine and heavenly fulneſſe in Chriſt? is it all placed there? Then wee muſt make uſe of Chriſt, as the child of full breaſts, as the thirſty of a full veſſell. Chriſts fulneſſe is nothing to him that makes not uſe of Chriſt: There is a price (ſaith Solomon) in the hand of a foole, but hee hath no heart to uſe it: There is a tranſcendent fulneſſe in Chriſt, and hee is the choyceſt of all prices, and is even put into the hands of men; but many have no heart to make uſe of him, and therefore hee doth not profit them. What is the fulneſſe of the Sunne to the blinde that doth not ſee by it? the fulneſſe of the fountaine to him that doth not drinke of it? the fulneſſe of the feaſt to him that doth not feed upon it? and what is the fulneſſe of Chriſt to him that makes no uſe of Chriſt? What is a man the better for a locke, if hee hath not a key to uſe it withall? It is not a trade, but a trade well followed; it is not land, but land well tilled that maintaines men, that makes men rich: It is not Chriſt, but Chriſt well uſed that maintaines the ſoule, that makes the ſoule rich.aEccleſ. 5.18, 19. Behold (ſaith Solomon) that which I have ſeene, it is good and comely for one to eate and drinke, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that hee taketh under the Sunne, all the dayes of his life which God giveth him, for it is his portion. Every man alſo to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eate thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoyce in his labour, this is the gift of God. Chriſt is a rarer portion then all wealth, then all meat and drinke; it is a rarer gift of God to make uſe of Chriſt, and to enjoy the good of Chriſt, all the dayes of his life: this is the portion of a Chriſtian, of a gracious and ſanctified ſoule indeed. As therefore the healthy man makes uſe of his meat, and is ſtrengthened; the ſick man makes uſe of his phyſicke, and is healed; the Souldier maketh uſe of his weapon, and overcommeth; the Merchant maketh uſe of his trade, and growes rich by it: Thus let us make uſe of Chriſt that our ſoules may bee healed, ſtrengthened, made victorious, and ſpiritually enriched. Some men live by their wits, ſome by their lands, and ſome by their trades: the Chriſtian lives by his Chriſt. Of Chriſt therefore let us make uſe in our Underſtandings, to fill us with the knowledge of Gods will in all wiſedome, to receive all our direction from him, as the traveller maketh uſe of the Sunne to guide him. Of him let us make uſe in our Meditations, thinke upon him as the Bride in her thoughts maketh uſe of the Bride-groome; let the thought of Chriſt bee frequent and pretious, and the meditation of ChriſtbPſ. 104.34. ſweet unto us. Of him let us make uſe by our Faith, depending upon him as the houſe upon the rocke, caſting our ſelves, our care and burthen upon him; as the childe upon the parent, hiding our ſelves under the ſhadow of his wings; as the chicken under the wings of the hen, reſting upon him for a ſupply in all our wants, for a deliverance in all diſtreſſes, making him in ſtead of all in the abſence of all helpers, deriving and drawing more and more from his fulneſſe, as the thirſty draw waters out of the Well by the bucket, and as the branches draw nouriſhment from the roots. Of him let us make uſe by our Love, loving him as the Father begetting, the Ranſomer redeeming, the Phyſician healing, the Husband marrying, and Treaſure enriching our ſoules. Of him let us make uſe in our Ioy, rejoycing in him as the wiſe men in the Starre, with an cMat. 2.10.exceeding great joy. Of him let us make uſe in our peace and proſperity, looking on him as the authour of all our happineſſe, as the Sunne that puts a fulneſſe into all the lights of our comforts, as the Sunne puts a fulneſſe into the ſtarres: without Chriſt all is empty, as a withered branch without the root: all is bitter as the waters of Marah without the tree. Of him let us make uſe in our hearing, preaching, prayer, conference; him let us heare, him let us learne, of him let us ſpeake, him let us ſet forth.*Aridus eſt omnis animae cibus, fi non oleo iſto inſunditur: inſipidus eſt ſi non hoc ſale conditur: ſi ſcribas, non ſapit mihi, niſi legero ibi Ieſum: ſi diſputes, aut conf… ras, non ſapit mihi, n…ſi ſonuerit ibi Jeſus. Bernard ſaith, All the food of the ſoule is dry, if it bee not put into this oyle; it is unſavory if it bee not ſeaſoned with this ſalt: if thou writeſt, it doth not reliſh with mee, unleſſe I read JESUS there: if thou doeſt diſpute or conferre, it doth not reliſh wel with me, unleſſe JESUS found there: if we make not uſe of Chriſt Jeſus, our uſe of Gods ordinance is fruitleſſe. Of Chriſt let us make uſe in our diſtreſſes, as Noah made uſe of the Arke in the deluge, to ſupport us; as the Gibeonites made uſe of Joſua in the ſiege, to helpe us, to deliver us; as Hagar made uſe of the Well when her bottle was empty, to fill us. O let not Chriſt bee to us as Iethers ſword to him which hee drew not, uſed not; as wealth to many to whom God gives not power to eate, as a cordiall to him that doth not receive it, or a garment to him that doth not put it on; but let us every way make uſe of Chriſt: make uſe of his wiſedome to guide us, of his power to uphold us, of his dominion to awe us, of his majeſty to humble us, of his puritie to make us vile in our owne eyes, to ſhame us for our uncleanneſſe, to worke us to holineſſe; of his juſtice to drive us from ſinne, of his righteouſneſſe to cloath us and cover our ſinnes, of his merciemercy to pardon us, of his love to comfort us, of his preſence to encourage us, of his fulneſſe to ſatisfie us, of his Word to feed us, of his Sacraments to confirme us, of his death to mortifie our luſts, of his reſurrection to quicken our ſoules, of his ſufferings to ſuffer with patience, of his interceſſion to ſettle us in the aſſurance of the pardon of our ſinnes, and eſtabliſhment of the love of God on our ſoules; of his commandements as of a ſpurre to quicken us in his ſervice, and as of a bridle to reſtraine us from what is forbidden; of his promiſes as of a rocke to ſuſtaine us, as of a load-ſtone to draw us, as of a light in darkneſſe to comfort us, and as of a ſpring in the day of drought to refreſh and fill us. Excellent is the uſe of Chriſt Jeſus to the ſoules of all true Chriſtians; it extirpates all cares, diſpelleth all feares, evacuates the minde of diſtracting thoughts and diſturbing paſſions, ſweetens all eſtates, mitigates all ſorrowes, facilitateth all burdens, and exhilerates the whole man. Very great is the ſoules happineſſe which makes a true, full, and conſtant uſe of Chriſt Jeſus.