Two Treatises, Treatise 2 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Containing the Coherence, Diviſion, and Expoſition of the Text and the Deduction of a Doctrine, with the Method of proſecuting the ſame.
OUR Saviour Chriſt before his Paſſion gave in charge to St. Peter a Duty of weighty concernment, viz. aLuke 23. 32. … ſi diceret ſicut tu, a me ſpecialem miſericordiam conſecutus es & poſt lapſum erigeris, & firmaberis, ſic tu, converſus perfecte miſericordiam impende proximis tuis, robora, ac ſubleva eo…. Stella in loc.When thou art converted ſtrengthen thy Brethren Likewiſe after his Paſſion he preſſeth three times with great Vehemency, the grand Paſtoral Office, which is ſaith(b) Joh. 21. 15, 16, 17. he) (b) to feed my Sheep and to feed my Lambs. Chriſt challengeth a peculiar propriety in them, becauſe he calls them his Sheep and Lambs. Peter was not the Lord, but the Servant of them, as *Non igitur … Dominus, quod ipſemet Petrus agnoſcit. 1 Pet. …. 3. neque ut foreign (Is enim eſt …icus ill… … ſa…guine ſuo redemptarum) ſed ut fidu… … Miniſter. Be… in Joh. 21. 15.Beza appoſitly notes againſt the Popes uſurpation. Queſtionleſs this charge reiterated with ſuch ardency of affection by Chriſt, made deep Impreſſions upon the Heart of Peter, as may be evidenced by the whole current of his Epiſtle: For the main deſign in them (which he drives at) is, to gain Souls unto Jeſus Chriſt. For inſtance and particular proof of what I have aſſerted: This holy Apoſtle makes it his grand buſineſs throughout this whole Epiſtle, partly to perſwade the converted *Videntur haec ad Judaeos propri… ſcribi, quod Petrus eſſet Apoſtolus Circumciſionis. Eraſm. Hujus diſperſionis caput erant Judaei Babylonenſes, quos vel ideo … …minat q…ia … Babylone ſcribebat. Druſ.diſperſed Jews to whom he wrote. That the Doctrine of the Goſpel is the only true Doctrine of Eternal S… vation, and partly to ingage them to perſevere in the Profeſſion thereof, and to live up to that Profeſſion.
For accompliſhment of theſe great ends the Apoſtle quits himſelf as becomes a faithful Miniſter of the Goſpel in endeavouring to diſtinguiſh the pretious from the vile: Such as put this great Duty into Practice, have a high Character of Honour put upon them; Jer. 15. 19. And if thou take forth the Pretious from the Vile, thou ſhalt be *Summa eſt eos demum cenſeri coram Deo fideles Eccleſiae Paſtores, qui non moventur reſpectu hominum qui non flexibiles in hanc vel in illam partem, ſed rect… judicant ex lege Dei. Calv. in loc.as my Mouth. Now the difference is evidenced both by what they have left off, and forſaken, and by what they have made choice of and embraced, 1. They have leſt off and laid aſide, or rather rejected and re…uſed (as a *foreign propriè-ſignificat aliquid repudiare in electione v…l etiam aliquem …b officio tanquam in…ignum re…cere. Gerh. Harm.Learned Author obſerves on the word) all Malice and all G…ile, and Hypocriſies, and Envys, and all evil ſpeakings. v. 1. 2. They have choſen and embraced the bleſſed fruits of regeneration, which are repreſented by their deſires. *foreign. Nam foreign eſt evangelium. infra. v. 8. Cameron.New food, and Spiritual growth. v. 2. As new born Babes deſire the ſincere Milk of the Word, that yee may grow thereby. Another fruite of regeneration is a ſpiritual taſt. v. 3. If ye have *foreign non eſt …eviter … guſtare ſed experiri. Grot.taſted that the Lord is gracious. And my Text is an infallible character inſtar omnium drawn from the higheſt valuation of Jeſus Chriſt. If the Queſtion be propounded, who are they that ſet the higheſt eſtimate upon Jeſus Chriſt? The Text gives in the Anſwer—You which believe. And if we require, who are they that believe? The Anſwer will be as clear, viz. Ʋnto whom he is pretious. So then onelyonly the true Believer knows how to ſet the higheſt valuation upon Chriſt, and he who ſo highly values Chriſt, is the true Believer.
The words contain, The true Believers The Text divided & opened.evidence for his intereſt in Chriſt. In them are contained two Generals.
1. The high Dignity, Honour, and ineſtimable valuation of Chriſt.
2. The Perſons in whoſe account Chriſt is ſo highly honoured. There are two words which require Explication.
1. Pretious (as we uſually read it in1. What is meant by Pretious? the Concrete) But the word is in the abſtract in the Original and ſignifyeth *foreign, honor pretioſus & vel in pretio habend…s a Vobis. Vata…l. Vobis honora eſt. Grot. Honorificus eſt credentibus in ipſum foreign enim hic apti…s pro honore ſumitur quam pro pre…io. Zegerus.Honour it ſelf, thereby ſhewing that all pretious Excellencys, Honours, Dignities, Treaſures, and Wiſdoms, are concerned in Chriſt. If Zion (i. e.) the Church be call'd the perfection of Beauty. Pſal. 50. 2. How much more eminently may Chriſt the Head of his Church be called the perfection of all Beauties, becauſe whatſoever Beauty is in the Church (which is Chriſt's Myſtical Body) is derivative from Chriſt the Head. In him there's a fulneſs of all excellencies and perfections.(c) Col. …. 19. (c) For it hath pleaſed the Father that in (d) Col. 2. 9.him ſhould all fulneſs dwell. (d) For in him dwelleth all the fulneſs of the Godhead bodily (i. e.) eſſentiallyIn Chriſto eſt, quicquid … quritur ad conſtituendum perfectum Redemptorem. Daven. in Col. 1. 19. and perſonally really and ſubſtantially in oppoſition to the Figures and Shadows of the Old Teſtament. Chriſt is honourable in himſelf even honour it ſelf. And he is anIn ipſo inhabitat plenitudo divinitatis corporaliter, quia in Templo habit averat umbraliter. Auguſt. honour unto all his Members. None of his Servants ſhall be diſhonoured by his Service, Moſes was called Gods Servant. Moſes my Servant is Dead; Joſhua 1. 2. and St. Paul a Servant of Jeſus Chriſt. So he begins his Epiſtle Rom. 1. 1. Tit. 1. 1. Its a common ſaying, Deo Servire eſt Regnare. *Theodoſius Eccleſiae ſe membrum eſſe magis, quam in terris regnare gaudebat. Aug. de Civit. Dei. L. 5. c. 26.Theodoſious the Emperour profeſt That he rather deſired to be a Member of the Church then an Emperour on the earth. None more noble then the Bereans who eAct. 17. 11. foreign Quamvis foreign de …received the word with all diligence, and ſearched the proprie dicatur tamen cum Comparatio hic videatur inſtituta non generis (erant enim omnes iſti Judaei) ſed virtutis ac pietatis generoſiores malui interpretari quam Nobiliores. Beza in Loc.Scriptures dayly, whether thoſe things were ſo. The imitation of their example will ennoble Nobility it ſelf. The more Holy the more Noble. If we ſpeak of Wiſdom, Chriſt is a fIſai. 9. 6.Councellor, gCol. 2. 3.in whom are hid all the Treaſures of Wiſdom and Knowledge. If we ſpeak of Riches, the Riches of Chriſt are hEph. 3. ….unſearchable, If we ſpeak of Beauty, Chriſt is iCant. 5. 10. foreign. Verſ. 70.white and Ruddy the chiefeſt of ten Thouſands. Chriſt is white for his innocency and purity, ruddy for his Sufferings, as his bloody Sweat, Agony and Paſſion upon the Croſs. Now becauſe it infinitely exceeds the capacity of Men or Angels to repreſent Chriſts Dignity, Honour, and excellencies, to the full in poſitive expreſſions, therefore by way of negation we expreſs the Price, Dignity, Valuation of Chriſt to be infinite, unparrallell'd, and ineſtimable; and when we have ſaid ineſtimable, it's beyond the ſphere of our activity (as an ancient *Nobis ad intellectum pectus anguſtum eſt, & ide… ſic Deum digne eſtimamus, dum in…ſtimabilem dicimus. Min. Felix.Father obſerves) to reach any higher in our expreſſions.
2. Here's another word2. What is meant by Believers. to be explained; viz. Believers. Its ſayd *foreign Sola eſt …des quae pretium ac, excellentiam Chriſti nobis patefacit. Calv. in loc.Ʋnto you therefore which believe. For (as judicious Calvin obſerves) it's faith alone which lays open to us the price and excellency of Chriſt. Such then as believe unto Salvation are ſuch, whoſe hearts are kAct. 15.purified by faith, lRom. 5. 1.and juſtified by Faith, and have ſuch a faith as mGal. 5. 6.works by love. Called nTit. 1. 1.the faith of Gods Elect. *They are choſen ſaith the Apoſtle unto Salvatio… through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2 Theſ. 2. 3. Quia electi ſunt elegerunt, non qui… ellegerunt electi ſunt, elligentium meritum nullum eſſet, niſi …os eligentis grati… Dei preveniret. Aug.Theſe have their Robes waſht and made white in the Blood of the Lamb. Rev. 7. 14. They are begotten again to a lively hope. 1 Pet. 1. 3. and made Partakers of the Divine Nature▪ 2 Pet. 1. 4. Theſe and theſe alone diſcern the Excellency and Dignity of Chriſt, and they ſet the higheſt eſtimate and valuation upon him. From the Premiſes thus divided and expounded, there reſults this Doctrinal Concluſion. That.
Chriſt is of ineſtimable Dignity and Honour, Doctrine. and infinitely Pretious in the accompt of all true Believers.
For the Methodical inlargment of thisMethod propounded Excellent Doctrine, my work in the enſuing Treatiſe ſhall be firſt to give in the clear proof of the Doctrin, and afterwards to infer an uſeful improvement thereof. The Aſſertion to be proved is—That Chriſt is of ineſtimable Dignity. This ſhall conſtitute the Doctrinal part. That which ſhall be intended by way of improvement, is—That as Chriſt is thus pretious and highly to be valued as in himſelf, or ſo he ought to be by all true Believers. This ſhall conſtitute the particular Uſe and Application of all.1. That Chriſt is of ineſ…imabl… Dignity; Honour, and this is proved in 5 ſeveral Particulars.
In handling of the former Aſſertion I ſhall confine my ſelf to theſe enſuing Heads of diſcourſe.
1. To reckon up ſeveral excellent Names of Honour and Dignity appropriated unto Chriſt in Scripture:
2. To unfold the grand Myſtery of the Divine and Humane Nature of Chriſt Hypoſtatically united in one Perſon.
3. To repreſent the invaluable worth of thoſe threefold Offices of Chriſt, viz. Sacerdotal, Prophetical and Regall.
4. To ſet down ſeveral Metaphors and Reſemblances in Scripture which applied to Chriſt declare his ſingular Dignity.
5, To conſider thoſe great Purchaſes which Chriſt hath made for his People, which are Juſtification, Sanctification and Glorification. Theſe Heads of diſcourſe I ſhall endeavour (through Chriſt that ſtrengthens me) to inlarge in ſo many diſtinct Chapters. Which (as I hope and deſire) will abundantly ſatisfy, confirm, and eſtabliſh us in this Fundamental Truth—That Chriſt is pretious and eſtimable for Dignity and Honour. Of theſe I ſhall treat in order in the following Chapters.