Looking Unto Jesus, Book 10 · Chapter 2 · Conclusion – Poem
The Concluſion.
And now (my brethren) I have done the errand which Chriſt ſent me on, I verily believe, I have now delivered this work of the everlaſting Goſpel, or of Chriſt's carrying on the great work of man's ſalvation, hath been ſomewhat long in ſpeaking, but oh how long in acting! may I give you a ſhort view of what I have ſaid; and of what hath been acted from eternity, and will yet be acted to eternity; you may remember, that God in his eternity laid a plot or deſign to glorifie the riches of his grace in ſaving ſinners; and to that purpoſe firſt he decreed a Chriſt. 2. Preſently after the fall, he promiſed the Chriſt he had decreed. 3. In fulneſs of time he exhibited the Chriſt that he had promiſed; then it was that the ſame Chriſt took upon him out nature, and joyned it to his God-head to be one perſon; and in that perſon he was born, and lived, and died, and roſe again, and aſcended into Heaven; there now he hath been ſitting, ſending down the Holy Ghoſt, and interceding for his Saints for above one thouſand ſix hundred years: And in this laſt work he will continue till the end of the World, and then he will come again to judge the World, and to receive his Saints to himſelf, that where he is, they may be with him, to ſee and enjoy him to all eternity. This is the epitome of all I have ſaid; onelyonly in every particular I have ſet down Chriſt's actings towards us, and our actings towards Chriſt; in various formes, and out-goings of his love he hath acted towards us; and in various formes, and out-goings of our ſouls we have been taught fitly and ſuitably to act towards him.
Now in all theſe actings, How doth the free grace of God in Chriſt appear? Ye are ſaved by grace, Epheſ. 2.5.ſaith the Apoſtle, Eph. 2.5. the decree, the means, the end of our ſalvation is grace, and onelyonly grace. The decree is grace, and therefore it is called the election of grace; Rom. 1.5. 2 Tim. 1.9. Rom. 3.24. Rom. 6.23. Eph. 1.7. Eph. 2.7.the means are of grace, and therefore we are called according to his grace; and we are juſtified freely by his grace. And the end is of grace, for eternal life is the gift of God, both beginning, and progreſs, and execution is all of grace. This is the riches of his grace, the exceeding, the hyperbolical riches of his grace; the concluſion of all is this, God's free grace which was firſt deſigned, will at laſt be manifeſted, and eternally praiſed by Saints and Angels; the ſame free grace which from the beginning of the age of God, from everlaſting drove on the ſaving plot, and ſweet deſign of our ſalvation, will at laſt be glorified to purpoſe; when Heavens inhabitants will be ever digging into this golden-mine; ever rolling this ſoul-delighting and precious ſtone; ever beholding, viewing, enquiring, and ſearching into the excellency of this ſame Chriſt, and this free grace. Now all is done, ſhall I ſpeak a word for Chriſt, or rather for our ſelves in relation to Chriſt; and ſo an end? if I had but one word more to ſpeak in the World, it ſhould be this; Oh let all our ſpirits be taken up with Chriſt! let us not buſie our ſelves too much with toyes, or trifles, with ordinary and low things, but look unto Jeſus. Surely Chriſt is enough to fill all our thoughts, deſires, hopes, loves, joys, or whatever is within us, or without us; Chriſt alone comprehends all the circumference of all our happineſs; Chriſt is the pearl hid in the large field of God's Word; Chriſt is the ſcope of all the Scriptures; all things and perſons in the old World were Tipes of him; all the Prophets foretold him, all God's love runs through him, all the gifts and graces of the Spirit flow from him, the whole eye of God is upon him, and all his deſigns both in Heaven and Earth meet in him;Eph. 1.10. the great deſign of God is this, That he might gather together in one all things in Chriſt, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. All things are ſummed up in one Jeſus Chriſt; if we look on the creation, the whole world was made by Chriſt, if we look on providences, all things ſubſiſt in Chriſt, they have their being, and their well-being in him. Where may we find God but in Chriſt? where may we ſee God but in this eſſential and eternal glaſs?2 Cor. 4.6. Heb. 1.3. Chriſt is the face of God, the brightneſs of his glory, the expreſs image of his Fathers perſon; the Father is as it were all Sun, and all Pearl; and Jeſus Chriſt is the ſubſtantial rayes, the eternal and eſſential irradiation of this Sun of glory: Chriſt outs God as the ſeal doth the ſtamp; Chriſt reveals God, as the face of a man doth reveal the man; ſo Chriſt to Philip, He that hath ſeen me, hath ſeen the Father; q. d. I am as like the Father,John 14.9. as God is like himſelf; there is a perfect indiviſible unity between the Father and me, I and the Father are one; one very God, he the begetter, and I the begotten; Chriſt is the ſubſtantial Roſe that grew out of the Father from eternity; Chriſt is the eſſential wiſdom of God; Chriſt is the ſubſtantial Word of God, the intellectual birth of the Lord's infinite underſtanding. Oh the worth of Chriſt! compare we other things with Chriſt, and they will bear no weight at all; caſt into the ballance with him Angels, they are wiſe, but he is wiſdom; caſt into the ballance with him men, they are lyars, lighter than vanity, but Chriſt is the Amen, the faithful witneſs; caſt into the ſcales Kings, and all Kings, and all their glory, why he is King of Kings; caſt into the ſcale millions of tallents-weight of glory; caſt in two Worlds, and add to the weight, millions of Heavens of Heavens, and the ballance cannot down, the ſcales are unequal, Chriſt out-weighs all. Shall I yet come nearer home? what is Heaven but to be with Chriſt; what is life eternal but to believe in God, and in his Son Jeſus Chriſt? where may we find peace with God, and reconciliation with God, but onelyonly in Chriſt; God was in Chriſt reconciling the world unto himſelf? 2 Cor. 5.19.where may we find compaſſion, mercy, and gentleneſs to ſinners, but onelyonly in Chriſt? it is Chriſt that takes off infinite wrath, and ſatisfies juſtice, and ſo God is a moſt lovely, compaſſionate, deſirable God in Jeſus; all the goodneſs of God comes out of God through this golden pipe the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: It is true, thoſe eſſential attributes of love, grace, mercy, goodneſs, are onelyonly in God, and they abide in God, yet the Mediatory manifeſtation of love, grace, mercy, and goodneſs, is onelyonly in Chriſt; Chriſt alone is the Treaſury, Store-houſe, Magazene of the free goodneſs and mercy of the God-head. In him we are Elected, Adopted, Redeemed, Juſtified, Sanctified, Saved; he is the ladder, and every ſtep of it betwixt Heaven and Earth; he is the way, the truth, and the life; he is honour, riches, beauty, health, peace, and ſalvation; he is a ſuitable and rich portion to every man's ſoul; that which ſome of the Jews obſerve of the Mannah, that it was in taſte according to every man's pallate, it is really true of Chriſt, that he is to the Soul whatſoever the ſoul would have him to be. All the ſpiritual bleſſings wherewith we are enriched, are in and by Chriſt: God hears our prayers by Chriſt; God forgives our iniquities through Chriſt; all we have, and all we expect to have, hangs onelyonly on Chriſt; he is the golden hinge, upon which all our ſalvation turns.
Oh how ſhould all hearts be taken with this Chriſt? Chriſtians, turn your eyes upon the Lord; Look, and look again unto Jeſus: Why ſtand ye gazing on the toyes of this World, when ſuch a Chriſt is offered to you in the Goſpel? can the World dye for you? can the World reconcile you to the Father? can the World advance you to the Kingdom of Heaven? As Chriſt is all in all, ſo let him be the full and compleat ſubject of our deſire, and hope, and faith, and love, and joy; let him be in your thoughts the firſt in the morning, and the laſt at night. Shall I ſpeak one word more to thee that believeſt? Oh apply in particular all the tranſactions of Jeſus Chriſt to thy very ſelf; remember how he came out of his Fathers boſom for thee, wept for thee, bled for thee, poured out his life for thee, is now riſen for thee, gone to Heaven for thee, ſits at God's right hand, and rules all the World for thee; makes interceſſion for thee, and at the end of the World will come again for thee, and receive thee to himſelf, to live with him for ever and ever. Surely if thus thou believeſt, and liveſt; thy life is comfortable, and thy death will be ſweet; if there be any Heaven upon Earth, thou wilt find it in the practiſe, and exerciſe of this Goſpel-duty, in Looking unto Jeſus.
A Poem of Mr. George Herbert in his Temple. JESƲ.
JESƲ is in my heart, his ſacred Name
Is deeply carved there; but th' other week,
A great affliction broke the little frame,
Ev'n all to pieces; which I went to ſeek:
And firſt I found the corner, where was J,
After, where ES, and next where Ʋ was graved.
When I had got theſe parcels, inſtantly
I ſate me down to ſpell them, and perceived,
That to my broken heart he was I eaſe you,
and to my whole is JESƲ.
FINIS.
End of the text · Isaac Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus (1680)