England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 11
Coloſſ. 1.15. Who is the image, &c.
SCripture expreſſions are above us, where loweſt and plaineſt, but how much more where deep, and utterred exact to reach the loftieſt beings; and in ſuch a ſtile and ſtrain doth the holy Ghoſt ſpeak here. Men over-matched ſhould have help from others: your prayers are doubly needed, and I intreat that they may be anſwerably powred forth, that our labours may be ſolid and ſweet, to the ſalvation of your immortall ſouls, and to the joyfull giving up of our own account at the great day. Chriſt hath a generall beautie, and this particularly expreſſed, firſt his image, & then his birth, and therefore are according to his own order of expreſſion to be proſecuted. Who is the image, &c.
The image of God ſignifies ſeverall things, ſometime ſimilitude in place, and ſometime ſimilitude in qualification. Chriſt is the image of God in majeſtie, in purity, in ſimplicity, and Identity of being: I intend to touch all theſe, and then give you the uſe. Chriſt holds forth the majeſty of God to man: divine majeſty notes two things, infinite power, and wiſdome, and Chriſt carries both theſe through the world in open view, which none elſe do, neither man nor Angel. What they falſly ſaid of Simon the ſorcerer, that I may truly ſay of Chriſt, He is the great power of God, he hath power over all fleſh, over all ſpirits; men, devils, winds, ſeas, are all ſubject to him. Chriſt makes every knee bow to him, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and under earth, he is the head of all principallitie and power, Coloſſ. 2.10. Chriſt moves in an upper ſphere, and moves all other after him, as he pleaſeth, he ſits in heaven and doth what ſoever he will, he puts forth an infinite power here, which I wonder this world can bear, and manages all things according to the counſell of his will, which is one beam of God: divine power working fully as it is, according to its infinite nature infinitely; and ſo it works in none, nor by none, but in and by Chriſt.
Infinite power, puts forth in infinite wiſdome, that's the complete majeſty of God, and both theſe in Chriſt, and no where elſe. Chriſt is the power of God, and the wiſdome of God, and both joyned together by the Apoſtle, as alwayes going forth together to man. But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Chriſt the power of God, and the wiſdome of God. Chriſt hath an almighty arm, and an almighty brain, he over-reaches all, the deceived and the deceiver; no action of his proves an abortive, or looſes one whit of its ſcope or intention for want of due time, or due place, or any other oportune, and ſeaſonable circumſtance. In him are hid all the treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge. There is not any excellency accidentall in Chriſt, ſo you are not to underſtand the term hid, but all excellency of power and wiſdome, wrapt up in fleſh naturally, in him there is the fulneſſe of the God-head bodily. 'Tis an alluſion to treaſure, where it lies naturally hid in the earth in a proper body; and there lies aboundance of treaſures, after an unexpreſſable meaſure: ſo in Chriſt lies wrapt up, wiſdome, and knowledge, in their full dimenſions, and according to their incomprehenſible nature, as in a proper body, and anſwerably work to the managing of power, and therefore is it ſaid, that he did all things well, and that he spake and did, as never man did. The power of God fully as 'tis, and the wiſdome of God, according to its naturality, and immenſity of being and working, which makes up the majeſty of God, and ſo one part of the image of God in Chriſt.
Chriſt is the image of God, as in majeſty, ſo in purity: juſtice and mercy are the purity of God, as power and wiſdome are the majeſty of God; Chriſt, as he is the power of God, and the wiſdome of God, ſo he is the juſtice and the mercy of God, he is grace and truth, and the fulneſſe of theſe in view. And the word was made fleſh, and dwelt amongſt us, and we beheld his glory, as the glory of the onelyonly begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Providence is full of variety of action, and all very profound, one cannot feel bottom here, yet this we can pitch upon, that grace and truth are the ſcope of them all: the works of Gods hands are veritie and judgement; all his Laws are ſure, and ſtand fast for ever, and they are done in truth and uprightneſſe. Chriſts action is oft beyond our apprehenſion, and contrary to our expectation, but never beyond, nor contrary to grace and truth. Grace goes forth in truth, mercy is managed by juſtice; love is tendred, and if abuſed, wrath cuts off that perſon, or that people, and this is the carriage of Chriſt through the world. Grace and truth are the nature of God, and theſe in fulneſſe, are in the perſon and action of Chriſt, which plainly ſpeaks out what Chriſt is, to all the world. Under this notion is Chriſt called the image of God. Holineſſe and righteouſneſſe, was called Gods image in Adam, becauſe this was in his perſon and action createdly exact, but this is uncreatedly exact in the ſecond Adam, which gives him this high title in the text; the image of the inviſible God.
Finally, Chriſt is the image of God, as in majeſty and purity, ſo in ſimplicity of being: according to his divinity, he is eſſentially the ſame with the inviſible God, and therefore called by the Authour to the Hebrews, the engraven character of his perſon or the figure of his ſubſtance, foreign, the character of his ſubſtance, and under this notion Chriſt hath the attributes of God given him, and called as he is, a king eternall, immortall, inviſible. Before Abraham was, Chriſt was, before any creature was, Chriſt was; in the beginning was the word. Chriſt was that word which began all, and will be that word which ſhall end all, he is Alpha and Omega, but without beginning or end of dayes himſelf: by him all things are made, and by him all things ſhall be deſtroyed, but he himſelf abideth for ever, as God doth.
Immortall. 'Tis eternity in a metaphor: about is the neareſt way home, in expreſſion of high things. foreign. the graven image of his ſubſtance. Ʋſe.Immortall. Chriſt was never quite dead, he was ſo fully in the image of God: malice killed man, but could not kill God-man, nor never will. Spirits have no fleſh and bloud, no deadly matter, becauſe no mixture. Chriſts divine nature is ſpirituall, and the ſpirituality of his being, not infinite as Angels, but infinite as God, and in this ſence, above the reach of ſence, and much more above the injury of finite force, and therefore called both immortall and inviſible. And ſo the expreſſe image of Gods perſon, and the brightneſſe of his glory. The ſumme of all is this, that Chriſt is that perſon in the trinity, which doth moſt immediately and fully, hold forth God to mans obſervation and uſe, for temporall and eternall good.
As Chriſt is the image of God in purity, ſo we are to conform to him. Whom he did fore-know, he did predeſtinate to be conformed to the image of his ſonne, that is, in purity, in righteouſneſſe, and holineſſe, according to that of the Apoſtle, Put on the new man which after God, is created in righteouſneſſe, and true holineſſe. Sinners look well upon your ſouls, who are they like, Chriſt or Sathan? Sathan knows who are like him, and ſo doth Chriſt, neither will he be deceived, therefore deceive not your ſelves: Death is at your doore, do you not ſee him; after him, the next diſpatch will be for eternity, and it will bear but upon the reſolution of this queſtion; whoſe image and ſuperſcrition is upon this ſoul? If you would ſeek to delude at that day, it will not do in the leaſt, for conſcience then ſhall manage its office fully, without any confront from an unſound heart, it ſhall ſpeak out then, and unmask the face of the inward man to the judge of all. Deluded ſouls, I dread to think of you, you have uſed a damnable art a great while, to mask a naughty heart, and a naughty life, this trade muſt down now; the ſword of the Lords vengeance is come to rip you up, you ſhall be known as you are, judged as you are. This man is as like the Devil in heart, as he can look, let children ſwimme home to their father in bloud, I will make no better conveyance for them. Let them have marſhall law, will the Lord of hoſts ſay, ſlay them in their beds, ſlay them at their doors; uggly ſouls, I cannot endure any longer to look upon them. But as for you that bear the image of Chriſt, lift up your heads, ſing for joy of heart now, though all the land be ſo ſad. Chriſts image is his mark upon you for mercy, he will know you by this, in the midſt of the bloudieſt battell, in the midſt of a fired citie. You being like the Sonne of God, you ſhall have one like the Sonne of God, to embrace you in fiery flames, as the three children had.