Light from Heaven, Part 32
Christ was rich.
There is no question to be made of this truth,Doct. 2. Christ was rich,Christ was rich. because hee was the second Person in Trinity, the Soone of God, the Heire of Heaven, and earth, rich every way: When he was poore, he was God then, though he covered his God-head with the vayle of humanity, with our base and beggerly nature that he took upon him, hee was alway rich. But especially this hath reference to what he was before he tooke our nature, he was rich, because he was God, and indeed God onelyonly is rich to purpose, independently,Riches what? and eternally rich. Riches imply (among other things) plenty, and plenty of precious, and good things, and propriety, they must bee good things that are our owne. Christ had plenty of excellent things, and they were his owne, he was not onelyonly rich in treasure, as he saith, gold is mine, and silver is mine, but heaven and earth that containes all treasures are his:Psal. 24. The earth is the Lords, and the fulnesse thereof, and it is he that made the heavens; hee that made heaven and earth must needs be rich, nay if there were neede, he can make a thousand heavens, and earthes, hee is not onelyonly mighty, but Almighty, not onelyonly sufficient, but Al sufficient, he can doe what may be done, he can doe what he hath done, and more then he hath done, and more then we can conceive, hee can remove all difficulties that hinder him, he is rich in power, and wisedome, every way. The poynt is very large, but it is not so pertinent to the text to shew what he was in himselfe, but what hee was for our sakes, therefore I will bee shorter in it.
Hence then you see that Christ was,Christ God before he was man. before hee was exhibited, hee did good before he appeared, hee was rich before he tooke our nature upon him, hee was God before hee was man: Against the cursed heresie of Arius, Arius.(which I will not now rake up againe) but undoubtedly you see here a good ground of that grand Article of our faith, Christ was God before hee tooke our nature: hee came, therefore hee was before hee came, he was sent, therefore he was before he was sent, he was God, before hee was God manifest in the flesh; In Phil. 2.6▪ it is largly, and excellently set downe.Phil. 2.6 Let the same minde bee in you that was in Christ Iesus, who being in the forme of God, thought it noe robbery to bee equall with God, but hee was made of no reputation, hee tooke upon him the forme of a servant, and was made in the likenesse of man, hee was found in the fashion of man, he humbled himselfe, and became obedient to death, even to the death of the Crosse, therefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above all names. It is a large Comment, and explication upon this text, hee was God, hee thought it no robbery to bee equall with God.
The Divels (which were Angels before they fell) would be Gods by usurpation, and robbery, they were not content in the place they were in, but they would be Gods, independent of themselves, it was robbery for them to doe it, therefore from that high place of excellency they were throwne downe to the lowest hell, of Angels they became Divels; but Christ was God, not by usurpation, and robbery against Gods will, but he was God by nature, hee was rich by nature, he thought it no robbery, no disparagment, nor usurpation to be equall with God, hee did God no wrong in it. Therefore when he became man, hee was not cast into these inferiour parts of the world, to punish him, as if hee had beene an usurper; but it was a voluntary taking of our nature on him, being rich he became poore, and being in the forme of God, he made himselfe of no reputation; If hee had usurped his Divinity, his abasement had beene violent against his will; you see then that Christ was rich, as God.
Christ a Mediator from the beginning.Therefore before hee tooke our nature upon him, hee was Mediator from the beginning, hee was yesterday to day, and to morrow, and the same for ever, as the Apostle saith, Hee was, and is, and is to come, hee was the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world: For howsoever hee tooke our nature upon him, and paid the debt, yet hee undertooke the payment before the beginning of the world.Simile. A man may let a prisoner loose now, upon a promise to pay the debt a yeare after: so Christ undertooke to take our nature and to pay our debt in the fulnesse of time; by vertue therefore of his future incarnation, hee was an effectuall Mediator from the beginning of the world. As we have now the fruit of his mediation though his death bee past, the act is past, but the fruit remaines: so that hee was a Mediator before hee came in the flesh, because hee undertooke to his Father to discharge the office.
But Christ being God,Quest. was it needfull that he should become poore, might not an Angell, or some other creature have served for the worke?
No, God being rich must become poore, or else hee had not beene able to bring us backe againe to God;Answ. It is an act of Divine power to bring us backe againe to God,Our Mediator must be God. and hee that shall settle us in a firmer state then we had in Adam, must bee God; To stablish us stronger, and to convey grace to us, to make our state firme, onelyonly God can doe it. There are some things in the mediation of Christ that belongs to ministery, and some things to authority, those that belong to Ministery, are to be a servant, and to die, and that he must be man for; but there are some things belong to authority, and power, as to bring us backe to God, to convey his Spirit to preserve us from Sathan our great enemy,1For the greatnesse of the ill wee were in. for these workes of authority, it was requisite he should be God. In a word, the greatnesse of the ill we were in, required it: who could deliver us from the bondage of Sathan, but God? he must bee stronger then the strong man that must drive him out: who could know our spirituall wants, the terrours of our conscience, and heale, and comfort them, but God by his Spirit? Who could free us from the wrath of the great God, but he that was equall with God?2In regard of the good wee have by him.
And then in regard of the great good wee have by him, to restore us to freindship with God, and to preserve us in that state, to convey all necessary grace here, and to bring us to glory after, it was necessary he should bee God; therefore he was rich, and became poore; It is rather to bee admired then exprest, the infinite comfort that springs hence, that hee that hath undertaken to reconcile us, to make our peace, to bring us to heaven is God the second person in Trinity.
All the three persons had a hand in this worke, God the father sent him, and the Holy Ghost sanctified that masse that his body was made of; but hee himselfe wore the body. The father gives his sonne in marriage, the Sonne married our nature, and the Holy Ghost brings them both together, hee sanctified our nature, and fitted it for Christ to take, so though all three persons had a worke in it, yet God the second person of rich became poore; And indeed who was fitter to bring us to the love of God, then he that was his beloved Son? who was fitter to restore us to the Image of God, then he that was the Image of God himselfe? and to make us wise, then he that was the wisedome of God himselfe? there was infinite wisdome in this; I will not be larger in that poynt; Christ was rich.
The next thing I observe is this, that