Chapter VII: Part 7

5. He is renowned for his Power.--For he is not only _the Wisdom of God_, but _the Power of God_. He is “the Man of God’s right hand, even the Son of Man, whom he hath made strong for himself.”

6. He is renowned for his Veracity and Fidelity. For, “Faithfulness is the girdle of his loins.” Have you got a word from him? Depend upon it, it is a sicker word, it does not fail: _The word of the Lord endures for ever_, when heaven and earth shall pass away.

7. He is renowned for his Righteousness. For, “He hath brought in an everlasting Righteousness, whereby the Law is magnified and made honourable;” and by the imputation of which, the guilty transgressors are acquitted: “He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him:” That is His name, _The Lord our Righteousness_.

8. He is renowned for his fulness.--For, “All the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily in him:” He is _full of grace and truth_; full of all created and uncreated excellencies.

9. He is renowned for his Love.--What but love brought him out of the bosom of the Father to this lower world? What but love made him lay down his life for his people?

10. He is renowned for his Liberality. He has a full hand and a free heart, as we use to say; he gives without money, and he invites all to come and share of his fulness.

11. He is renowned for his Constancy. He is “Jesus Christ, the same to-day, yesterday and for ever.” The best of men, will fail us when we trust them; they will run like splinters into our hands, when we lean upon them: But, sirs, you will find Christ always the same, to-day, yesterday and for ever. And then,

12. He is renowned for his Authority and Dominion. It is great, and extends far and wide, whether in heaven above, or in the earth beneath: And his dominion reaches “from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth:” And all the kings of the earth are but his vassals.

Thus, I say, Christ in every respect is renowned.

But here, to keep by the phraseology of the text, He is a renowned Plant: Wherein is he renowned?

_First_, I say he is renowned for his Antiquity: “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was,” &c. All the plants in the higher and lower gardens of God, they are but just upstarts in comparison of him: Angels and Arch-angels, and the greatest Seraphims are but of yesterday, in comparison of this Plant. He is renowned for his Antiquity, for he is, “The Ancient of days, and the Everlasting Father,” Isaiah, 9th chapter.

_N.B.--Here he was desired to conclude his Discourse, in respect
the Work in the Church was over, and that he might give way to
another Minister that was to preach the Evening Sermon._

SERMON II.

EZEKIEL, xxxiv. 29.

_And I will raise up for them a Plant of Renown._

I had occasion, upon a solemnity of this nature, not long ago, to enter upon these words, but had not time to go far into the import of them. After I had traced the connection of the words a little, I took them up in the few following particulars.

1. We have here a great blessing promised unto the church; and that is none other than Christ, under the notion of a Prince, and _A Plant of Renown_.

2. We have the Party by whom this promise is made, in the pronoun _I_,--I JEHOVAH, the Eternal GOD, _I will raise up for them a Plant of Renown_.

3. We have the way how this _Plant of Renown_ is raised; _And I will raise him up_. I that am the great Husbandman of the vineyard, _I will raise up for them_, &c. Then,

4. I noticed the persons to whom the promise is made, _I will raise up for them_; that is, for his Church, for his people that are brought into a very low condition; as you will see by reading the preceding part of the chapter. The flock of Christ were scattered by the shepherds of Israel; they were torn, they were devoured, and under manifold trials; Well, what will the Lord do for his flock in that condition? He says, _I will raise up for them a Plant of Renown, and they shall hunger no more_.

The observation is much the same with the words themselves, namely, “that our Lord Jesus Christ is a Plant of Renown of his Father’s upbringing:” _I will raise up for them a Plant of Renown_. In prosecution of this doctrine, I proposed to observe the order and method following.

_First_, To premise a few things concerning this blessed Plant.

_Secondly_, To shew that indeed he is a _Plant of Renown_. And then,

_Thirdly_, To speak a little concerning the raising up of this Plant.

_Fourthly_, For whom he is raised up.

_Fifthly_, For what good, or for what benefit and advantage he is raised up. And,

_Lastly_, To apply the whole.

As to the first, I spoke to it, and premised a few things concerning this blessed Plant; therefore I shall not stay to resume what was said on that Head. I likewise entered upon the second, and shewed that Christ is _A Plant of Renown_ in several respects: I mentioned eleven or twelve particulars wherein Christ is renowned, but I shall not resume these neither: I shall only tell you a few things wherein this blessed Plant is renowned.

1. In the first place, this blessed Plant, he is renowned for his antiquity. There are many other plants in God’s garden, as angels, seraphims, cherubims, saints militant and triumphant, they are all but upstarts in comparison of him; for he was set up before ever the earth was. You will see that one name of this Plant of Renown is, _The Everlasting Father_, or, “The Father of Eternity,” as it may be rendered.

2. As he is renowned for his antiquity, so for his Beauty: he is the most beautiful Plant in all the garden of God; “I am the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the valleys.--He is the apple-tree among the trees of the wood.” He is renowned I say, for his beauty and his glory; for the glory of a God is in him. Is there any glory in his eternal Father? Why, that glory shines in our IMMANUEL, in the very brightness of it, Heb. i. 3. “He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of his person.” Now, sirs, if ever your eyes were opened by the Spirit of God, to take up the glory of this Plant, his glory has just dazzled your very eyes! You that never saw any glory in him, you never saw him to this very day: Pray that the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, may yet shine into your hearts. It would make a heartsome Sacrament, if this Plant were displayed in his glory among us. Sirs, have you come to see him in his glory? O give God no rest till he make a discovery of himself to your souls. Then,

3. He is renowned for his verdure, for his perpetual greenness. Other plants are fading; you and I are fading plants; “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:” He is a Tree ever green, he never fades, summer nor winter, and shall be ever a green Plant to the Saints as it were to eternity! When millions of ages, yea, myriads of ages are past in heaven, he will be as fresh and green to the believer, as when he first saw him, or the first moment the saint entered glory: therefore it is, that the songs of the redeemed in glory are always new; and throughout eternity, will be new, because they will constantly see matter of a new song; and the more they see, they will wonder the more at him throughout eternity! Again,

4. This Plant is renowned not only for his verdure, but for his virtue. We read, Rev. xxii. “That the leaves of the Tree of Life were for the healing of the nations.” That Tree of Life is the very same with this Plant of Renown; the leaves of this Plant are for the healing of the nations; and we that are ministers are come this day to scatter the leaves of this Tree of Life, of this _Plant of Renown_; try if you can get a leaf of it applied and set home upon your souls. Depend upon it, there is virtue in every word of his. Sirs, mingle faith with a word, and you will find that it will have the same efficacy with you as it had with the poor woman with the bloody issue, that was healed with a touch of the hem of his garment, who had spent all her living on doctors. O see if you can find him! I assure you he is here; he is behind the door of every man’s heart: “Behold I stand (says he,) at the door and knock! If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” And O let him in! there is virtue in him for curing you all, though there were ten thousand millions of you more than there are; there is virtue in him for healing every one of you. But then,

5. This blessed Plant is not only renowned for his virtue, but likewise for his fertility. He is not a barren Plant; he would not be renowned if he were barren: He brings forth all manner of fruit every month; yea, I may add, every day, every moment. You read in Rev. xxii. of the Tree of Life that brings forth twelve manner of fruits every month; that is to say, he brings forth all fruit that is necessary for a poor soul: whatever thy soul stands in need of, is to be found in him; see then and gather, see if you can gather some of it. There is the fruit of his incarnation; there is the fruit of his death; there is the fruit of his resurrection; there is the fruit of his ascension; there is the fruit of his intercession, and sitting at the right hand of God; there is the fruit of his prophetic office; there is the fruit of his priestly office; there is the fruit of his kingly office; there is the fruit of his appearing within the vail; there is the fruit of what he did without the vail, and without the camp. O what fruit is here! Here is wisdom for fools; here is justification for the condemned soul; here is sanctification for the polluted soul, and clothing for the naked; riches for the poor, bread for the hungry, drink for the thirsty. All manner of fruit is here, and we are trying, sirs, to shake the Tree of Life among you; and blessed be God, they may be gathered: O sirs! they are dropping among you; O gather, gather, for salvation is in every word that drops from him; for his words are the words of eternal life. But, in the

6. Place, this blessed Plant is renowned for his scent and pleasant savour. O sirs! there is such a blessed savour in this Plant of Renown, as has cast a perfume through all the Paradise above! He has cast a perfume through the church militant, which in Isaiah v. is called God’s vineyard. O sirs! do you find any thing of the scent of this Plant? I can tell you, if ever you have been made to know him, it will be so: “because of the savour of thy good ointment, thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the Virgins love thee.” The believer he finds a scent about him, he draws a savour from him. What is the design of us ministers, but to cast abroad his scent, and it is by this we win souls; and they that cast out and drop the Plant of Renown out of their sermons, no wonder their sermons stink, and they shall stink to eternity, that throw Christ out of their sermons. The great business of ministers is to cast forth the scent of Christ to the people. I shall read you a word to this purpose, in 2 Cor. ii. 14--16. “Now, thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” The apostle triumphs in him, and all other honest ministers will triumph in him too; and all Christians that know him, triumph in him. “And maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour in Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other, the savour of life unto life; and who is sufficient for these things?” Who is able to tell the sweet savour that is in him? Again,

7. This blessed plant in my text, is not only renowned for his savour, but likewise for his shadow. Song, i. 3. “I sat down under his shadow with great delight;” the shadow of the Plant of Renown. You are all sitting there or standing, but are you sitting under the Plant of Renown? Jonah’s gourd did him service against the scorching heat of the sun, that was like to take away his life; but alas! that soon failed him, for God sent a worm and smote it that it withered; and the worm of death will soon smite and wither you and me: O get in under the shadow of this Plant of Renown, and ye are secured against death and vindictive wrath for ever. Get in under his shadow; the shadow of his intercession,--the shadow of his power,--the shadow of his providence,--the shadow of his faithfulness: O sit under his shadow, and you will find shelter there against all deadly; whatever blasts come, you will find safety there. Would you be shadowed from the king of terrors? Death is a terror to many, O if you be shadowed against the awful terrors of death and God’s vengeance, get in under this shadow, and you are safe.

8. This Plant is renowned for his stature. He is a high Plant, he is a tall Plant: you see the heavens above you, but they are but creeping things in comparison of him; for this glorious Plant is, _The high and lofty One that inhabits eternity_. You can never see his height; your eye will look high, and your thought will reach higher, but neither your eye nor thought will reach unto him; he is taller than all the cedars in the Lebanon of God: “Eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man,” to think of the height and glory of this Plant of Renown! And,

_Lastly_, This Plant is renowned not only for his stature, but for his extent also: he is a broad Plant, he was planted in the first promise in Paradise; he spread through the old testament church; he came the length of filling the land of Judea; and, at length, this Plant has spread itself among us: And O that I could open the leaves of this Plant to take you in; he is a broad Plant, he will serve you all. We read of the Tree of Life being on every side of the river: there is a great river betwixt us and heaven, and that is death; and we are all running into this river of death. As one well observes on the place, this Tree is in the middle of the river; he is on this side of time, and he is on that side of time. Now, this Plant is on both sides of the river; though you were going to the wastes of America, you will find him there as well as here, if you have but the art of improving him. And this Plant will spread himself through all kingdoms, “The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, just as the waters cover the sea.” He will not only fill the earth, but the whole heavens throughout eternity! O but he is a broad Plant, that will extend himself both to heaven and earth! And this shall serve for the second thing proposed, namely, To show that this Plant is indeed a most Renowned Plant.

The third thing I proposed in the prosecution of this doctrine, was, concerning the raising or upbringing of this Plant. You see it is no other than the Great GOD, that raised up this Plant. I find the Great JEHOVAH glorying in his skill and wisdom in the raising up of this Plant for the use of the church. In Psalm lxxxix. 19. says the Lord, “I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people; I have raised up David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him.” Here he glories in it that he had raised up this glorious Plant of Renown.

I will tell you a few things with reference to the raising up of this blessed Plant.

1. He was raised up in the counsel of God’s peace from eternity. The Trinity sat in council anent the upbringing of him; “The counsel of peace was between them both,” Zech. vi. 13. The Father and the Son agreed upon it, that in the fulness of time the Son should come into the world.

2. He was raised up in the first promise to Adam and Eve. Till this Plant was discovered to them, they were like to run distracted: And indeed, sirs, if Christless sinners saw where they were, and the wrath of God that is hanging over their heads, they would be ready to run distracted, till a revelation of Christ was made to them. All the promises, all the prophecies, all the types, and all the doctrines of the old testament, they were the gradual springings of this Plant: but it was under ground until,

3. His actual manifestation in the flesh, when, in the fulness of time he appeared: “In the fulness of time, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, &c.”

4. This Plant was raised up even in his death and resurrection, by which he was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the spirit of holiness. And,

_Lastly_, This Plant of Renown will be raised up in the songs of the redeemed through endless eternity. Thus you see, Christ is a Plant of Renown, and what way he is raised up.

The next thing I proposed was, for whom is it that this Plant is raised up? O! may some poor thing say, Was he ever raised up for me? I tell you, sirs, he was never raised up for the fallen angels; “For he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Our nature was highly honoured at first, but it soon sunk below the beast that perisheth; but the second Adam took our nature upon him, and raised it to a higher dignity than the very angels; for to which of the angels did this honour appertain, to be united to the eternal Son of God? So that, I say, this Plant of Renown is raised up for mankind-sinners, not for angel-kind sinners; and every mankind-sinner that hears tell of him, they should lay claim to him, as in Isaiah, ix. 6, “To us a Son is given, to us this Child is born; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” To us he is given, unto us he is born.

I thought to have gone through what I designed on this subject, but time will not allow. The Lord bless his word.

A DYING CHRISTIAN’S PRAYER.

“Receive my spirit,” was the prayer of Stephen to Jesus Christ, to receive his departing soul; and, brethren, I think you will feel in a dying hour, that your departing soul _needs_ a Divine Saviour. You have one in Jesus Christ. You may call upon him then, even as now. _His_ ear will not be heavy, though _yours_ may, when death is sealing up your faculties. _His_ eye will not have lost its power of gazing affectionately on you, when _yours_ is becoming dim and closed. His hand will not be shortened, in the hour when yours will have become tremulous and feeble. But lift up the hand, the heart, the eye, the soul, in prayer to him then, and you will find him a very near and present help in that your time of trouble.

Brethren, a Christian should die _praying_. Other men die in different ways, according to their character and temper. Julius Cesar died adjusting his robes, that he might fall gracefully. Voltaire, with mingled imprecations and supplications; Paine, with shrieks of agonizing remorse. Multitudes die with sullenness, some with blasphemies faltering on their tongue. But, brethren, the humble Christian would die praying. Well says the poet:

“Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
The Christian’s native air;
His watch-word at the gates of death,
He enters heaven with prayer!”

But, observe for what Stephen prayed. “Lord Jesus receive my spirit!” This is the prayer of faith, commending the immortal spirit to the covenant care of Jesus. The spirit does not die with the body. None but God, who gave, can take away the soul’s existence, and he has declared that he never will. Would that bad men would think on that! You cannot get rid of your soul’s existence: you cannot cease to be: you may wish it; though the wish is monstrous and unnatural. But there is no annihilation for any soul of man. Oh, come to our Saviour! give him your guilty soul, to be justified through his atonement, washed in his blood, regenerated by his Spirit. Make to him _now_ that surrender of your soul, for which he calls. Renew this happy self-dedication every day, very especially every Sabbath, and most solemnly, from time to time at the Lord’s Supper. And then, when you come to die, it will only be, to do once more, what you have so often done in former days,--again to commend your soul very humbly, believingly, and affectionately, under the faithful care of Jesus Christ.

THE HOUSE OF GOD.

The church was pleasantly situated on a rising bank, at the foot of a considerable hill. It was surrounded by trees, and had a rural retired appearance. In every direction the roads that led to this house of God, possessed distinct but interesting features. One of them ascended between several rural cottages from the sea-shore, which adjoined the lower part of the village-street. Another winded round the curved sides of the adjacent hill, and was adorned, both above and below, with numerous sheep feeding on the herbage of the down. A third road led to the church by a gently rising approach, between high banks, covered with young trees, bushes, ivy, hedge-plants, and wild flowers.--From a point of land, which commanded a view of all these several avenues, I used sometimes, for a while, to watch my congregation gradually assembling together at the hour of Sabbath worship. They were in some directions visible for a considerable distance. Gratifying associations of thought would form in my mind, as I contemplated their approach and successive arrival within the precincts of the house of prayer.--One day as I was thus occupied, during a short interval previous to the hour of divine service, I reflected on the joy, which David experienced at the time he exclaimed, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together; whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.” I was led to reflect upon the various blessings, connected with the establishment of public worship. “How many immortal souls are now gathering together to perform the all-important work of prayer and praise--to hear the word of God--to feed upon the bread of life! They are leaving their respective dwellings, and will soon be united together in the house of prayer.” How beautifully does this represent the effect produced by the voice of the “Good Shepherd,” calling his sheep from every part of the wilderness into his fold! As those fields, hills, and lanes, are now covered with men, women, and children, in various directions, drawing nearer to each other, and to the object of their journey’s end; even so, “many shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.” Who can rightly appreciate the value of such hours as these?--hours spent in learning the way of holy pleasantness, and the paths of heavenly peace--hours devoted to the service of God, and of souls; in warning the sinner to flee from wrath to come; in teaching the ignorant how to live and die; in preaching the gospel to the poor; in healing the broken-hearted; in declaring “deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind.” “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.” This train of reflection, at intervals, occurred powerfully to my feelings, as I viewed that very congregation assembled together in the house of God, whose steps, in their approach to it, I had watched with prayerful emotions.--“Here the rich and poor met together,” in mutual acknowledgement that “the Lord is the maker of them all,” and that all are alike dependent creatures, looking up to one common Father to supply their wants, both temporal and spiritual.--Again, likewise, shall they meet together in the grave, that undistinguishing receptacle of the opulent and the needy.--And once more, at the judgment-seat of Christ, shall the rich and poor meet together, that “every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” How closely connected in the history of man, art these three periods of a general meeting together. The house of prayer--the house appointed for all living--and the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.--May we never separate these ideas from each other, but retain them in a sacred and profitable union! So shall our worshipping assemblies on earth be representative of the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven.

FINIS.

A CHOICE DROP OF HONEY

FROM

THE ROCK CHRIST;

OR,

A SHORT WORD OF ADVICE

TO

SAINTS AND SINNERS.

BY THOMAS WILCOCKS.

GLASGOW:
PRINTED FOR THE BOOKSELLERS.

CHRISTIAN READER,

I find, in this latter day, the love of the Lord shining in some measure with its pleasant beams into my heart, warming my affections, inflaming my soul not only to give a spiritual echo in soul duty to so great a lover as my Saviour is, whose transcendent love passeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 19. but also the loving and wishing well to all Sion’s heaven-born children; for I find, in this day, many poor souls tossed to and fro, ready to be carried away with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, Eph. iv. 14: and that there are many foundations to build upon that are false, upon which much labour is spent in vain; that men are not speaking the truth in love; neither are they growing up unto him in all things, which is the head Christ, Eph. iv. 15. There cannot be a growing in Christ, without a union with him. Thou wilt find, therefore, gentle reader, this ensuing little treatise, if the Lord be pleased to bless the reading of it unto thee, as a still voice behind thee saying, “This is the way, walk in it, that thou turn not to the right hand or the left.”--The way into that pleasant path of soul justification before God is in and through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, for all our self-righteousness is as filthy rags: surely shall one say, “In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory,” Isai. xlv. 25. It is only the dying of that Just One, for us unjust ones, that must bring us to God. He that knew no sin was made sin for us; that we who were nothing but sin, might be made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. v. 21.

Christian Reader, let all that is of old Adam in thee fall down at the foot of Christ. He only must have the pre-eminence;--all the vessels of this new spiritual covenant temple, from the cups to the flagons, must be all hung upon Christ; he is to build the temple of the Lord, and is to bear the glory; he, by his Father’s appointment, is the foundation-stone, the corner-stone, and the top-stone; he is the Father’s fulness of grace and glory: whatever thy wants be, thou mayest come to him; there is balsam enough in him fit for a cure.

Reader, the good Lord help thee to experience the ensuing word of advice, that it may be made by God unto thee like honey, sweet to thy soul, and health to thy bones, and thy soul shall rejoice within thee. Thy brother in the faith and fellowship of the gospel,

THOMAS WILCOCKS.

A CHOICE DROP OF HONEY

FROM THE

ROCK CHRIST.

A word of advice to my own heart and thine:--Thou art a professor, and partakest of all ordinances: Thou dost well, they are glorious privileges. But if thou hast not the blood of Christ at the root of thy profession, it will wither, and prove but painted pageantry to go to hell in.

If thou retain guilt and self-righteousness under it, those vipers will eat out all the vitals of it at length.--Try and examine with the greatest strictness every day, what foundation thy profession and thy hope of glory is built upon, whether it was laid by the hand of Christ; if not, it will never be able to endure the storm that will come against it. Satan will throw it all down, and great will be the fall thereof, Matt. vii. 27.

Glorious professor! thou shalt be winnowed, every vein of thy profession shall be tried to purpose! It is terrible to have it all come tumbling down, and to find nothing but it to rest upon.

Soaring professor! see to thy waxen wings betimes, which will melt with the heat of temptations. What a misery it is, to trade much, and break at length, and have no stock, no foundation laid for eternity in thy soul!

Gilded professor! look if there be not a worm at the root, that will spoil all thy fine gourd, and make it die about thee in a day of scorching. Look over thy soul daily, and ask, “Where is the blood of Christ to be seen upon my soul? What righteousness is it that I stand upon to be saved? Have I got off my self-righteousness?”--Many eminent professors have come at length to cry out in the sight of the ruin of all their duties, Undone, undone, to all eternity!

Consider, the greatest sins may be hid under the greatest duties, and the greatest terrors. See the wound that sin hath made in thy soul be perfectly cured by the blood of Christ; not skinned over with duties, humblings, enlargements, &c. Apply what thou wilt besides the blood of Christ, it will poison the sore. Thou wilt find that sin was never mortified truly; that thou hast not seen Christ bleeding for thee upon the cross; nothing can kill it, but the beholding of Christ’s righteousness.

Nature can afford no balsam fit for soul cure. Healing from duty and not from Christ, is the most desperate disease. Poor ragged nature, with all its highest improvements, can never spin a garment fine enough, without spot, to cover the soul’s nakedness. Nothing can fit the soul for that use, but Christ’s perfect righteousness.

Whatsoever is of nature’s spinning must be all unravelled, before the righteousness of Christ can be put on; whatsoever is nature’s putting on, Satan will come and plunder it every rag away, and leave the soul naked and open to the wrath of God. All that nature can do will never make up the least drachm of grace, that can mortify sin, or look Christ in the face even for one day.

Thou art a professor, goest on hearing, praying, and receiving, yet miserable thou mayest be. Look about thee; did thou ever yet see Christ to this day in distinction from all other excellencies and righteousness in the world, and all of them falling before the majesty of his love and grace? Is. ii. 17.

If thou hast seen Christ truly, thou hast seen pure grace, pure righteousness in him, every way infinite, far exceeding all sin and misery. If thou hast seen Christ, thou canst trample upon all the righteousness of men and angels, so as to bring thee into acceptance with God. If thou hast seen Christ, thou wouldst not do a duty without him for ten thousand worlds, 1 Cor. ii. 2. If ever thou sawest Christ, thou sawest him a Rock, higher than self-righteousness, Satan, and sin, Ps. lxi. 2; and this Rock doth follow thee, 1 Cor. x. 4; and there will be continual dropping of honey and grace out of that Rock to satisfy thee, Ps. lxxxi. 16. Examine if ever thou hast beheld Christ as the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, John, i. 14, 16, 17. Be sure thou art come to Christ, that thou standest on the Rock of Ages, hast answered to his call to thy soul, hast closed with him for justification.

Men talk bravely of believing, but whilst whole and sound few know it. Christ is the mystery of the Scripture: Grace the mystery of Christ. Believing is the most wonderful thing in the world. Put any thing of thine own to it, and thou spoilest it; Christ will not so much as look at it for believing. When thou believest and comest to Christ, thou must leave behind thee thine own righteousness, and bring nothing but thy sin. (O that is hard!) Leave behind thy holiness, sanctification, duties, humblings, &c., and bring nothing but thy wants and miseries, else Christ is not fit for thee, nor thou for Christ. Christ will be a whole Redeemer and Mediator, and thou must be an undone sinner, or Christ and thou will never agree. It is the hardest thing to take Christ alone for righteousness: that is, to acknowledge him Christ. Join any thing to him of thine own, and thou dost un-Christ him.

Whatever comes in when thou goest to God for acceptance besides Christ, call it anti-Christ bid it begone; make only Christ’s righteousness triumphant; all besides that is Babylon, which must fall if Christ stand; and thou shalt rejoice in the day of the fall thereof, Is. xiv. 10, 11, 12.----Christ alone did tread the wine-press, and there was none with him, Is. lxiii. 3. If thou join any thing to Christ, Christ will trample upon it in fury and anger, and stain his raiment with the blood thereof.----Thou thinkest it easy to believe; was ever thy faith tried with an hour of temptation, or with a thorough sight of sin? Was it ever put to wrestle with Satan, and the wrath of God lying upon the conscience? When thou wast in the mouth of hell and the grave, then God shewed thee Christ, a ransom, a righteousness, &c. Then if thou couldst say, Oh, I see grace enough in Christ, thou mayest say that which is the biggest word in the world, Thou believest. Untried faith is uncertain faith.

To believing, there must go a clear conviction of sin, and the merits of the blood of Christ, and of Christ’s willingness to save upon this consideration merely, that thou art a sinner; things all harder than to make a world. All the powers in nature cannot get up so high in a storm of sin and guilt, as really to believe there is any grace, any willingness, in Christ to save. When Satan charged sin upon the conscience, then for the soul to bring it to Christ, that is gospel-like. That is to make him Christ, he serves for that use. To accept Christ’s righteousness alone, his blood alone, for salvation, that is the sum of the gospel. When the soul, in all duties and distresses, can say, Nothing but Christ, Christ alone for righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30; not humblings, nor duties, nor graces, &c., that soul hath got above the reach of the billows.

All temptations, Satan’s advantages, our complainings, are laid in self-righteousness, and self-excellency: God pursueth these, by setting Satan upon thee, as Laban did Jacob for his images; these must be torn from thee, he is unwilling as thou wilt; these hinder Christ from coming in; and till Christ come in, guilt will not come out; and where guilt is, there is hardness of heart; and therefore much guilt argues little if any thing of Christ.

When guilt is raised up, take heed of getting it allayed any way but by Christ’s blood, that will tend to hardening. Make Christ thy peace, Eph. i. 14, not thy duties, thy tears, &c. Thou mayest offend Christ by duties as well as sins. Look at Christ, and do as much as thou wilt. Rest with all thy weight upon Christ’s righteousness; take heed of having one foot on thine own righteousness and another on Christ’s. Till he come and sit on high, upon a throne of grace in the conscience, there is nothing but guilt, terror, secret suspicions, the soul hanging betwixt hope and fear, which is an un-gospel-like state.

He that fears to see sin’s utmost vileness, the utmost hell of his own heart, suspects the merits of Christ. Be thou never such a great sinner, 1 John, ii. 1; try Christ, to make him thy advocate, and thou shalt find him Jesus Christ the righteous. In all doubtings, fears, storms of conscience, look at Christ continually. Do not argue it with Satan, he desires no better. Bid him go to Christ, and he will answer him. It is his office to be our advocate, 1 John, ii. 1. His office is to answer the law as our surety, Heb. vii. 22; his office to answer justice, as our Mediator, Gal. iii. 20; 1 Tim. ii. 5. And he is sworn to that office, Heb. vii. 20, 21. Put Christ upon it. If thou wilt do any thing thyself to satisfaction for sin, thou renouncest Christ the righteous, who was made sin for thee, 2 Cor. v. 21.

Satan may alledge, and corrupt scripture, but he cannot answer scripture. It is Christ’s word of mighty authority. Christ foiled Satan with it, Matt. iv. 10. In all the scripture there is not an ill word against a poor sinner stripped of self-righteousness; nay, it plainly points out this man to be the subject of the grace of the gospel, and none else. Believe but in Christ’s willingness, and that will make thee willing. If thou findest thou canst not believe, put him upon it; he works to will and to believe, put him upon it; he works to will and to do of his own pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. Mourn for thy unbelief, which is a setting up of guilt in the conscience above Christ, an undervaluing of the merits of Christ, accounting his blood an unholy, a common, and unsatisfying thing.

Thou complainest much of thyself.--Doth thy sin make thee look more at Christ, less at thyself! That is right, else complaining is but hypocrisy. To be looking at duties, graces, enlargements, when thou shouldst be looking at Christ, that is pitiful. Looking at them will make you humble. By grace ye are saved, Eph. ii. 5, 8. In all thy temptations be not discouraged, James, i. 2. Those surges may be not to drown thee, but to cast thee on the Rock Christ.

Thou mayest be brought low, even to the brink of hell, yet there thou mayest cry, there thou mayest look towards the holy temple, Jonah, ii. 14. Into that temple none might enter but purified ones, and with an offering too, Acts, xxi. 26. But now Christ is our temple, sacrifice, altar, and high-priest to whom none must come but sinners, and that without any offering but his own blood once offered. Heb. vii. 27.

Remember all the patterns of grace that are in heaven. Thou thinkest, “Oh what a monument of grace shall I be!” There are many thousands as rich monuments as thou canst be. The greatest sinner did never surpass the grace of Christ. Do not despair: hope still. When the clouds are blackest, even then look towards Christ, the standing pillar of the Father’s love and grace, set up in heaven, for all sinners to gaze upon continually. Whatsoever Satan or conscience say, do not conclude against thyself. Christ shall have the last word; he is judge of quick and dead, and must pronounce the fatal sentence. His blood speaks reconciliation, Col. i. 20; cleansing, 1 John, i. 7; purchase, Acts xx. 28; redemption, 1 Pet. i. 9; purging, Heb. v. 13, 14; remission, verse 22; liberty, Heb. x. 19; justification, Rom. v. 9; nearness to God, Eph. ii. 13. Not a drop of this blood shall be lost. Stand and hearken what God will say, for he will speak peace to his people, that they return no more to folly, Psal. lxxxv. 8. He speaks grace, mercy, and peace, 2 Tim. i. 2. That is the language of the Father and of Christ. Wait for Christ’s appearing, as the morning star, Rev. xxii. 19. He shall come as certain as the morning, as refreshing as the rain, Hos. vi. 3.

The sun may as well be hindered from rising, as Christ the sun of righteousness, Mal. iv. 2. Look not a moment off Christ. Look not upon sin, but look upon Christ first: when thou mournest for sin, if thou dost not see Christ, then away with it, Zech. ii. 20. In every duty look at Christ; before duty, to pardon; in duty, to assist; after duty, to accept. Without this it is but carnal careless duty. Do not legalise the gospel, as if part did remain to thee to do and suffer, and Christ were but an half mediator; and thou must bear part of thine own sin, and make part satisfaction. Let sin break thy heart, but not thy hope in the gospel.

Look more at justification than sanctification. In the highest commands consider Christ, not as an exactor, to inquire, but a debtor and undertaker, to work. If thou hast looked at workings, duties, qualifications, &c., more than at the merits of Christ, it will cost thee dear; no wonder thou goest complaining; graces may be evidences, the merits of Christ alone, without them, must be the foundation of thy hope to rest upon. Christ only can be the hope of glory, Col. i. 27.

When we come to God, we must bring nothing but Christ with us. Any ingredients, or any previous qualifications of our own, will poison and corrupt faith. He that builds upon duties, graces, &c., knows not the merits of Christ; this makes believing so hard, so far from nature. If thou believest, thou must every day renounce as dung and dross, (Phil. iii. 7, 9,) thy privileges, thy qualifications, thy baptism, thy sanctification, thy duties, thy graces, thy tears, thy meltings, thy humblings, and nothing but Christ must be held up. Every day thy workings, thy self-sufficiency must be destroyed. Thou must take all out of God’s hand. Christ is the gift of God, John, iv. 10. Faith is the gift of God, Eph. ii. 1. Pardon a free gift, Rom. v. 16. Ah, how nature storms, frets, rages at this, that all is of gift, and it can purchase nothing with its actings, and tears, and duties; that all workings are excluded, and of no value in heaven!

If nature had been to contrive the way of salvation, it would rather have put it into the hands of saints or angels to sell it, than the hands of Christ, who gives freely, whom therefore it suspects; nature would have set up a way to purchase by doing; therefore it abominates the merits of Christ, as the most destructive thing to it. Nature would do any thing to be saved, rather than go to Christ, or close with Christ, and owe all to him. Christ will have nothing; but the soul will force somewhat of his own upon Christ. Herein is that great controversy.--Consider--didst thou ever yet see the merits of Christ, and the infinite satisfaction made by his death? Didst thou see this when the burden of sin and the wrath of God lay heavy on thy conscience? That is grace. The greatness of Christ’s merit is not known but to a poor soul in deep distress! Slight convictions will but have slight low prizings of Christ’s blood and merits.

Despairing sinner! Thou lookest on thy right hand, and on thy left, saying, “Who will shew us any good?” Thou art looking over all thy duties and professions to patch a righteousness to save thee. Look at Christ now; look to him and be saved all the ends of the earth, Is. xlv. 22. There is none else. He is a Saviour, and there is none besides him, xliii. 11. Look any where else, and thou art undone. God will look at nothing but Christ, and thou must look at nothing else. Christ is lifted up on high, as the brazen serpent in the wilderness, that sinners at the end of the earth, at the greatest distance, may see him, and look towards him, John, iii. 14, 15. The least sight of him will be saving, the least touch healing to thee; and God intends thou shouldst look on him, for he hath set him upon a high throne of glory, in the open view of all poor sinners. Thou hast infinite reason to look on him: no reason at all to look off him; for he is meek and lowly of heart, Matt. xi. 29. He will do that himself which he requires of his creatures; viz. bear with infirmities, Rom. xv. 1. Not pleasing himself, nor standing upon points of law, ver. 2; he will restore with the spirit of meekness, Gal. vi.; and bear thy burdens, ver. 2. He will forgive not only till seven times, but seventy times seven, Matt. xviii. 21, 22. I put the faith of the apostles to it to believe this, Luke, xvii. 4, 5. Because we are hard to forgive, we think Christ is hard.

We see sin great, we think Christ doth so, and measure infinite love with our line, infinite merits with our sins, which is the great pride and blasphemy, Ps. ciii. 11, 12; Is. x. 15. Hear what he saith: I have found a ransom, Job xxxiii. 24; in him I am well pleased, Matt. iii. 18. God will have nothing else; nothing else will do thee good, or satisfy conscience, but Christ who satisfied the Father. God doth all upon the account of Christ. Thy deserts are hell, wrath, rejection. Christ’s deserts are life, pardon, and acceptance. He will not only shew thee one, but he will give thee the other. It is Christ’s own glory and happiness to pardon. Consider, whilst Christ was upon the earth, he was more among publicans and sinners, than among scribes and pharisees, his professed adversaries, for they were righteous ones: it is not as thou imaginest, that his state in glory makes him neglected, scornful to poor sinners; No. He hath the same heart now in heaven; he is good, and changeth not; he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, John, i. 20. He went through all thy temptations, dejections, sorrows, desertions, rejections, Matt. iv. 3 to 12 and 26; Mark, xv. 24; Luke, xxii. 44; Matt. xxiv. 38. And he hath drawn the bitterness of the cup, and left thee the sweet: the condemnation is out; Christ drank up all the Father’s wrath at one draught, and nothing but salvation is left for thee. Thou sayest thou canst not believe, thou canst not repent. Fitter for Christ if thou hast nothing but sin and misery. Go to Christ with all thy impenitence and unbelief, to get faith and repentance from him--that is glorious: Say unto him, Lord, I have brought no righteousness of grace to be accepted in or justified by; I am come for thine. We would be bringing to Christ, which must not be; grace will not stand with works, Tit. iii. 5; Rom. xi. 6. Self-righteousness and self-sufficiency are the darlings of nature, which she preserves as her life; that makes Christ obnoxious to nature; nature cannot desire him; he is just directly opposite to all nature’s glorious interests. Let nature make a gospel, and it would make it contrary to Christ. It would be to the just, the innocent, the holy, &c. Christ made the gospel for thee, that is, for needy sinners, the ungodly, the unrighteous, the accursed. Nature cannot endure to think the gospel is only for sinners; it will rather choose to despair than go to Christ upon such terrible terms. When nature is opposed to guilt or wrath, it will go to its own haunts of self-righteousness, self-goodness, &c. An infinite power must cast down those strong holds. None but the self-justiciary stands excluded out of the gospel. Christ will look at the most abominable sinner before him, because to such a one Christ cannot be made justification--he is no sinner. To say in compliment, I am a sinner, is easy; but to pray with the publican indeed, Lord be merciful to me a sinner, is the hardest prayer in the world. It is easy to profess Christ with the mouth, but to confess him with the heart, as Peter, (to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, the alone Mediator,) that is above flesh and blood. Many call Christ Saviour; few know him to be so. To see grace and salvation in Christ, is the greatest sight in the world; none can do that, but at the same time they shall see that glory and salvation to be theirs. I may be ashamed to think, in the midst of so much profession, that I have little of the blood of Christ, which is the main thing of the gospel. A Christless formal profession will be the blackest sight next to hell. Thou mayest have many good things, and yet one thing may be wanting that may make thee go away sorrowful from Christ. Thou hast never sold all thou hast, never parted with all thine own righteousness, &c. Thou mayest be high in duty, and yet a perfect enemy and adversary to Christ, in every prayer, in every ordinance.

Labour after sanctification to thy utmost, but make not a Christ of it to save thee; if so, it must come down one way or other.

Christ’s infinite satisfaction, not thy sanctification, must be thy justification before God. When the Lord shall appear terrible out of his holy place, fire shall consume that as hay and stubble. This will be found true religion, to rest all upon the everlasting mountains of God’s love and grace in Christ; to live continually in the sight of Christ’s infinite righteousness and merits, (they are sanctifying; without them the heart is carnal,) and in those sights to see the full vileness of sin, and to see all pardoned; in those sights to pray, hear, &c., seeing thy polluted self, and all thy weak performances accepted continually; in those sights to trample upon all thy self-glories, righteousness, and privileges, as abominable, and be found continually in the righteousness of Christ only; rejoicing in the ruins of thy own righteousness, the spoiling of all thy own excellencies, that Christ’s alone, as Mediator, may be exalted on his throne: mourning over all thy duties (how glorious soever) which thou hast not performed in the sight and sense of Christ’s love. Without the blood of Christ on the conscience, all this is dead service, Heb. ix. 14.