None but Christ, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV It ſheweth forth how thankful and contented thoſe ought to be, that know Jeſus Chriſt and him crucified ſavingly.
HItherto we have reproved three ſorts of people; ſome that know nothing of Jeſus Chriſt; others that ſtudy to know all things but Jeſus Chriſt; and a third ſort that content themſelves with a bare ſpeculative knowledge of Chriſt without application. Now in the fourth place, ſeeing the knowledge of Chriſt is ſo excellent, profitable, and comfortable; It teacheth us the happy condition of all thoſe that know Jeſus Chriſt ſavingly, viz. with knowledge of application, affection, and operation. O how ſhould they with the wiſe merchant, having found this Pearle of great price, rejoyce, though they had nothing elſe left to rejoyce in? How would thoſe men rejoyce that ſhould find a Cabinet of richeſt pearls and Iewels, or a great ſpoil? Much more ſhould they rejoyce in this Pearl, in compariſon of which, all other Pearls and Iewels, are not worth the mentioning, Chriſt being a Iewel of more worth then both the Indies. Thus did the Eunuch when he had found Chriſt, then he went on his way rejoycing, Act. 8. 39. whom though you ſee not, yet you love, (ſaith Peter) and beleeving, you rejoyce with joy unſpeakable and glorious, 1 Pet. 1. 8. The Virgin Mary rejoyced more that Chriſt was her Saviour, then that ſhe was his mother, Luke 1. 47. My ſpirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour.
And that in theſe ſix conſiderations.
1. Firſt, Becauſe he is the greateſt gift thatO Theſauris omnibus opulentior noticia Chriſti. God can give, or we can receive; John 3. 16. God ſo loved the world, that he gave his only ſonne; this is more, then if he had given us all the world; for God hath but one ſonne, and can make no more ſonnes, but God can make more worlds at his pleaſure; this gift is God himſelfe, and God can give us no greater gift then himſelfe; we may ſay as one ſaid to Caeſar, when he gave him a great reward, this is too great a gift ſaid he for me to receive; yea, but it is not too great a gift for me to give, ſaid Caeſar.
2. Secondly, He is the richeſt gift; for Chriſt is all in all; if he hath given us Chriſt, he will with him give us all things elſe, Rom. 8. 32. He is that one thing needfull, that brings all things (as I have treated at large before) Yea he isGratiae non ſunt agendae pro luna niſi nocte tantum. That gift of God, John 4. 10. Surely God have given us more gifts then one; True, but as one ſun is more worth then all the ſtarres, ſo that gift excels them all; according to the Proverbe, we bleſſe not God for the ſtarres, when the ſun ſhines, for when the ſunne ſhines, the ſtarres appear not.
3. Thirdly, becauſe he is the choyceſt gift that God hath; Other gifts he gives Promiſcuouſly to good and bad, ſo as no man knoweth love or hatred, by any thing that is before him, Eccleſ. 9. 1. Judas had the bag, and Dives fared deliciouſly every day, when Lazarus would have been glad of his crumbes: But God never gives this gift to any, but whom he loves with his deareſt, ſpeciall, and eternall love. Suppoſe a Prince ſhould woe ſome great Lady, and had a Jewel worth a million: It may be he would ſcatter pieces of ſilver, or give ſome ſlighty tokens of favour upon the ſervants; but his rich Iewel That he gives to his ſpouſe. This Iewel is Chriſt; Abraham may give Iſmael a bottle of milk, but Iſaac had the inheritance.
Herein is love, in that he hath given us his only ſonne, (ſaith St. Iohn) 1 Iohn 4. 9. Alas, herein is love that we are out of hell, not roaring with the damned; that we are freed from the collick and ſtone, ſtrangury, and other tormenting diſeaſes; that we have bread to eat when others have none. Ask the hungry and he will tell thee that bread is ſweet; As I read in theſe late Germane warres, of a Girle about nine years of age, that asked her mother, ſaying, good mother, let me kill you; Child, ſaid ſhe, why wouldſt thou kill me? O ſaid ſhe, let me either kill you, or do you kill me, for I am very hungry, and they ſay mans fleſh is very ſweet. But we are nor fed with mans fleſh, we feed upon the fleſh of beaſts, and of birds of the aire, and fiſh in the ſea, and the beſt of his creatures, we never were yet brought to ſay mans fleſh is very ſweet. Herein is love, that we have water to drinke, yea the blood of the grape, when others drink wormwood and gall, nay mingle their drinke with weeping and blood. Lament. 3. 19, 20. Herein is love that we are not conſumed with ſword, peſtilence and famine, even in theſe ſad times, when ſo many have been utterly ruined, maimed, wounded, ſlain; that when poor Proteſtants in Ireland were ſtript ſtark naked in winter froſts, and ſo were driven before them to execution, with inſtruments of death; yet then we had clothes to put on, our houſes to dwell in, our beds to lie on, the fire to warme us, the creatures to comfort us; and we are ſtill fed with the fineſt of the wheat, our table is richly ſpread, our cup runs over, and God daily loadeth us with his benefits, &c.
No, no, herein is no love (comparatively) though we are leſſe then the leaſt of Gods mercies, but in this that he hath given us Ieſus Chriſt, that he hath given us the Iewel. It is true; it is ſome love for a Traytor to injoy meat, drink, & other comforts a while; but this were love indeed, if he might have his pardon; ſo this is love indeed if God give us Ieſus Chriſt: But otherwiſe we may ſay as Abraham did murmuringly, when God told him what great things he had and would give him; what doſt thou give me, ſaid he, ſo long as I go childleſſe? and truly what doth God give us (in compariſon) if he give us not the child Ieſus? But then we may ſay to God as God ſaid to Abraham, Now I know thou loveſt me, ſeeing thou haſt not denyed to give me thine only ſonne.
4. Fourthly, The Lord Chriſt is the Rareſt gift, given but to a very few, here one and there another; Iewels we know are not common but rarely given, tho pibble ſtones are common; every body have ſomething of the world, but few have part in Chriſt, yea very few, Matth. 7. 14. few find it: In all ages, God hath given this Iewel to very few: there is but twenty righteous families mentioned from Adam to Abraham, which was above 2000. years; in the old world but eight perſons; In Sodom and the five cities not ten righteous; and to this day the moſt part of the world are heathens, and Chriſt is not given to one of them, to whom yet God hath given the riches of both the Indies. The Turkes whom God hath given leave to ſit in the midſt of the world, a mighty nation, yet not to one of them (ſo dying,) hath he given Ieſus Chriſt. The Iewes, from every one of them is Chriſt hidden, who all muſt periſh and are accurſed, except God extraordinarily revealeth Chriſt to any of them. Among the Papiſts millions of millions periſh for not knowing and truſting in Ieſus Chriſt, as their only Saviour, though perhaps ſome poor and ignorant ones God may have mercy upon. And among our ſelves how many ignorant, civill, hypocritical, profane, and deluded with common graces, and a forme of Godlineſſe, (wih being garniſhed, for being ſanctified) who take copper for gold, weeds for flowers, preſumption for faith? Now though God feeds them with worldly pleaſures and delights, yet none of theſe doth God beſtow Chriſt upon. Though Iſrael be as the ſand of the ſea, yet but a remnant are ſaved; was not Eſau Iacobs brother (ſaith the Lord) yet Iacob have I loved, and hated E…au, Mal. 1. 2, 3. There were many widdows in Iſrael, yet only to the widdow in Sarephta was Elias ſent, Luke 4. 26. ſo there are many people in the world, nay in England, yet to a very few is Chriſt given; as there is much common earth, but little duſt of gold. Then what cauſe haſt thou for admiration and thankfulnes? Lord why doſt thou give this Iewel to me rather then to others?
5. Fifthly, the Lord Chriſt is the ſweeteſt gift of all other; for if God gives us Chriſt, then he gives all other gifts in hisAs the tree ſweetned the bitter waters, Exod. 15. 25. love, and they come as bleſſings ſweetned to us. What good did Heſters banquet do Haman, while the king was wrath with him, and his face was covered? Wee eſteem a ring of gold from the king more then it is worth in ſubſtance, becauſe it is a token of the Kings favour.
Sixthly, Chriſt is the freeſt gift of all other. It coſt us nothing, we ſhall pay noGratia evacuatur ſi non gratis donatur. Non eſſet, gratia ſi non erat omni modo gratu…ta. Aug. Epiſt. 109. more for it, then for the ſunne ſhining upon us God ſo loved the world that he Gave his ſonne; we bought him not, nay we begd him not; in ſome reſpect he may be ſaid to be freer then the bread we eat; for, for that we ſweat & labour: but ſo we did not for Chriſt. Nor ſhall men pay any thing to obtain him, but only receiving him. Ho, every one that thirſteth, come buy without mony and without price.
Queſt. But how is Chriſt ſaid to be freely given when I muſt repent and beleeve to receive him?
I anſwer, As if a beggar ſhould ſay my dole is not free, for I was fain to go for it, and receive it; and yet that is not of thy ſelfe neither; for God is faine to give thee legs to go, and a hand to receive, even to work that condition in thee which he requires of thee; By grace you are ſaved through faith, it is the gift of God, Eph. 2. 8.
Queſt. But how is it free, when we muſt buy it? Eſay 55. 1.
I anſwer, yet its free becauſe we pay nothing but our ſinnes, which are worſe then nothing; and we give them not to God, but caſt them from our ſelves, becauſe they would hurt us.
O then let us be thankfull for, and content with Chriſt, though wee want all things elſe; As if a father ſhould leave a rich Iewel to his ſon and nothing elſe, no other lumber, yet he is content with that alone, becauſe it is more worth then all other lumber; wouldſt thou ſel thy pearle for all that the world injoys? wilt thou change portions with them? Who would exchange a Pearle for a pibble? a Crown for a coronation flower? earth for heaven? Chriſt for the world? Then ſay as Jacob did, I have enough ſo long as Joſeph is alive; and as Eſau (thoughGen. 28. 20. upon better grounds,) I have enough my brother; and let us reſolve with Jacob, if God will give us bread to eat, and clothes to put on, we will chearfully ſerve him, ſeeing he hath given us Chriſt. And not only to be content when God giveth, but when he taketh; when we receive good from the hands of God, but when we receive evill; when we abound with bleſſings, but when with croſſes; when we enjoy all, and when ſtript of all; as the ſheep is patient as well when ſhe is ſhorne, as when her fleece groweth upon her back. This leſſon though hard, yet Paul had learn'd it. I know Pſal. 4. 11. 12.how to be abaſed, and I know how to abound; I can be full and hungry; abound and want: I have learned in whatſoever eſtate I am, therewith to be content; and the reaſon is becauſe he had learned Chriſt. Yea though thou beeſt never ſo poor, yet if thou knoweſt Chriſt to be thine, learne to be content; for it is no token of Gods diſpleaſure to be poor, but to want Ieſus Chriſt; neither to ſpeak properly, can he be ſaid to be a poor Saint, that hath got ſo rich a Saviour, nor he poor that is rich in faith. Suppoſe a man were robd of all his money, and had a rich Iewel about him, which they found not; would he not go home rejoycing, that ſtill he ſaved his Iewel? All thy happineſſe lies in this one precious Jewell, and it is portion enough;Eccleſ. 10. 19. it is the one thing that is needfull, ſo as nothing is more neceſſary, becauſe that one thing will be to thee inſtead of all things; Solomon ſaid it of money that it anſwered all things, perhaps ſpeaking according to the opinion of the world; but I am ſure it is true of Chriſt, that he anſwers all things.