England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 10
Coloſſ. 1.15. Who is the image of the inviſible God, the first born of every creature.
YOu have heard of Chriſt according to the dignity of office, a Redeemer, a redeemer with his bloud; you are now to heare of him according to dignity of perſon, he is as in action ſo in perſon the nobleſt; He is the image of the inviſible God; the firſt born of every creature.
Chriſt is admirable in action and perſon, altogether lovely, ſo in the judgement of God, and ſo in the judgement of thoſe who can diſcern what God, and what the higheſt beauty is; Chriſt hath his encomium here by men truly diſcerning and heare what they ſay, and be taken: For his office 'tis the nobleſt, 'tis to make peace between man and God: for his perſon 'tis the nobleſt, 'tis the higheſt repreſentation of God that is in this world, no creature in this world yields the like; he makes ſimilitude to him, who otherwiſe is without ſimilitude; if you look at calling, if you look at countenance, if you look at birth, in all theſe he is beyond all: if you look at calling, none is imployed like him, for he brings ſouls out of the devils power with his bloud: if you look at countenance, he is the image of that God which is ſo glorious that no mortall eye can behold, and therefore called here an inviſible God: if you look at birth, he is Reuben, a firſt born, not in reference to this little family or that, but in reference to Gods great family, which conſiſts of two worlds, three worlds, all that compaſſe and every one of thoſe rooms, which contain every creature. Who is the image of the inviſible God, the firſt born of every creature.
Some have beauty onelyonly by their place and office, and ſo had Saul, and in this ſenſe merely I think called the beauty of Iſrael, the beauty of Iſrael is ſlain. Saul was the ſhame of Iſrael, and the plague of his family, if perſonally and practically conſidered, all his beauty then lay in his chair. So others onelyonly have their beauty in their face and skinne, as Abſolon; and others in their birth and pedigree, as Eſau, all over rude and hairy, a rough man, but of a beautifull ſtock, the firſt-born of a brave family: ſome have all theſe beauties without, but none within, of a good family, of a good countenance, of a good rank, but not of one good quality; but none of theſe are wanting in Chriſt, he hath a generall beauty: in place a King, in countenance the image of God, in birth primogenitus cunctae creaturae, inſide and outſide, both are as beautifull as the other, his goodneſſe as beautifull as his greatneſſe; therefore both are joyned together by the Prophet Zachary, and admired, How great is his goodneſſe, and how great is his beauty? Zach. 9.17. Chriſts goodneſſe is admirably glorious and beautifull, as any other beauty ſo is the beauty both of inſide and outſide of every thing belonging to Chriſt, and here loftily expreſſed, and admired: Who is the image of the inviſible God, the first born of everie creature,
The admirableneſſe of Chriſts perſon makes the admirableneſſe of his action; as things are made ſo they act, he is incomparably made, and therefore incomparably acts, he is made higher then the heavens, and therefore of more power and glory in action then they, though they be moſt admirable bodies in the world in operation. Chriſt is in his form more noble then the heavens, thoſe nobleſt bodies; according to the nobility of form ſo is action, and therefore are his actions mentioned in that place, as all ſuitable to this ſupreame form, wherefore he is ſaid to ſave to the uttermoſt for evermore: which action is ſuitable to his form: he is made of an everlaſting ſhape, above the heavens; theſe laſt a great while, but he longer, becauſe higher, and becauſe made above them; the heavens can make no everlaſting operation, becauſe they have no everlaſting form; but Chriſt being made above them, he acts above them, and produceth everlaſting things ſuitable to his form. See this argumentation uſed by the ſpirit of God himſelf, Hebr. 7.25, 26. Wherefore he is able to ſave them to the utmoſt, that is, for ever, that come unto God by him, ſeeing he ever liveth to make interceſſion for them: for ſuch an high Prieſt became us, who is holy, harmleſſe, undefiled, ſeparate from ſinners, and made higher then the heavens. Chriſt is made higher then the heavens, and therefore can produce higher effects; he is made as high as the Higheſt; and therefore ſuitable to him in action: he redeems from hell, from the torturing power, not onelyonly of men, but of devils. Alike place is that, Luke 1.32. He ſhall be great, and ſhall be called the Sonne of the Higheſt, as things are in the greatneſſe and glory of their birth and formation, ſo in the greatneſſe and glory of their action; if a Sonne of the Higheſt, he will do the higheſt things, things incomparably great, all ſhall ſee it and ſay ſo: if in the image and form of God, and equall to him, he will do equall to him, things which no man can do, deſtroy principalities and powers, and lift ſouls out of hell to heaven. This lies along in the ſtory here: In whom we have redemption through his bloud, the forgiveneſſe of ſinnes, who is the image cf the inviſible God, &c.
Complement is to expreſſe and to gain love; Chriſt is in perſon and action complete, to expreſſe and gain affection. God is inviſible, and hath no image nor lively expreſſion of himſelf but Chriſt, what he is for wiſdome, for power, for mercy, all theſe are out of ſight, and have no expreſſion, but in Chriſt; the excellency of an inviſible God, ſhines viſibly, and expreſſely in him, in his perſon and in his action, and this to gain man unto him, and therefore is it ſaid after the mentioning of his endowments, his name ſhall be called Wonderfull, Counſellour, the mighty God: the government ſhall be laid upon his ſhoulders, and then he ſhall be called this and that, &c. Tranſſcendent honour ſhall be put upon him by God, and this to gain the like from men, they ſhall call Chriſt as God hath made him and indowed him, as they ſee the image of God in him, his wiſdome, his power, his love. Inviſible things do not work upon ſenſible creatures, therefore are the inviſible things of God made viſible in Chriſt, in his perſon and in his action, and this to work and winne; therefore are all the beauties of Chriſt ſo exactly and ſo loftily related; it is the myſtery of the Apoſtles art here, in drawing out God in Chriſt, and telling you who Chriſt is like, that he might draw love to both. The fumme of all is this, Chriſt is admirable both in perſon and action.
Ʋſe. Matter of conſolation ſprings from this point, what Chriſt is in compleatneſſe of perſon and action, that he is for us; his fulneſſe is our fulneſſe, and we are complete in him, perſon and action: this very uſe the Apoſtle makes, In him dwelleth all the fulneſſe of the Godhead, and then obſerve what follows, and ye are compleated in him, Coloſſ. 2.9, 10. Chriſts completeneſſe is ours; what he hath as Chriſt, that is, as one anointed, he hath it as a deſigned perſon in the ſtead and perſon of others, and therefore may you that beleive ſay, I am complete in perſon and work; and ſo doth the Pſalmiſt apply this point to his comfort. Thou art perfect, and makeſt my way perfect: perſon is comprehended under action, the perfection of Chriſt makes us perfect, perſon and action all together lovely: The Lord himſelf doth approve of this application of him, and calls an applicatory beauty, our beauty, and a perfect beauty. And thy renown went among the heathen for thy beauty; for it was perfect through my comelineſſe which I have put upon thee. Weak ſouls, learn to comfort your ſelves as you ſhould; your hearts need never droop for want of holineſſe and comelineſſe in the eye of God, as long as Chriſt is, and he is everlaſting, and ſo are all his perfections.
Pride kills faith, you would have an abſolute beauty in your ſelves to commend you to God, which will never be: pride ſprings from ignorance, and both have a hand in your weak ſtate. Weak ſouls, you think duty makes beauty, but it doth not, it is onelyonly Chriſt; the glorious ſunne makes ſtarres glorious. Sathan tells penitent ſpirits, that to believe is to preſume: appropriation is no act of preſumption in qualified perſons: Broken hearts, you are commanded to believe: Ho, every one that thirſteth, and every one that is weary, come to me, ſaith Chriſt: and you that do not ſee your uglineſſe, are wiſhed to come to buy eye-ſalve that you may ſee. Every ſtate of man hath its proper command and injunction of God upon it, men that do not ſee their deformity, the injunction of the Goſpel is, that ſuch ſhould come to Chriſt for eye-ſalve; and ſuch as have ſpirituall ſight and ſenſe, the injunction of the Goſpel is, that ſuch ſhould believe that Chriſt and his comelineſſe is theirs; and weak hearts, you may as well juſtifie your ſelves in an act of ſelf murder, as in unbelief; the one reſpects the body, the other your eternall ſouls,