(Edwards, Excellency of Christ. part 3)
to the vine, of the member to the head; yea, so as to be one spirit?
For so he will be united to you, if you accept of him. Would you
have a Savior that has given some great and extraordinary testimony
of mercy and love to sinners, by something that he has done, as well
as by what he says? And can you think or conceive of greater things
than Christ has done? Was it not a great thing for him, who was God,
to take upon him human nature: to be not only God, but man
thenceforward to all eternity? But would you look upon suffering for
sinners to be a yet greater testimony of love to sinners, than
merely doing, though it be ever so extraordinary a thing that he has
done? And would you desire that a Savior should suffer more than
Christ has suffered for sinners? What is there wanting, or what
would you add if you could, to make him more fit to be your Savior?
But further, to induce you to accept of Christ as your Savior,
consider two things particularly.
1) How much Christ appears as the Lamb of God in his
invitations to you to come to him and trust in him. With what sweet
grace and kindness does he, from time to time, call and invite you,
as Prov. 8:4. "Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons
of men." And Isaiah 55:1-3 "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to
the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat-- yea
come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price." How
gracious is he here in inviting every one that thirsts, and in so
repeating his invitation over and over, "Come ye to the waters,
come, buy and eat - - yea come!" Mark the excellency of that
entertainment which he invites you to accept of; "Come, buy wine and
milk!" your poverty, having nothing to pay for it, shall be no
objection, "Come, he that hath no money, come without money, and
without price!" What gracious arguments and expostulations he uses
with you! "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?
and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight
itself in fatness." As much as to say, It is altogether needless for
you to continue laboring and toiling for that which can never serve
your turn, seeking rest in the world, and in your own righteousness
-- I have made abundant provision for you, of that which is really
good, and will fully satisfy your desires, and answer your end, and
I stand ready to accept of you: you need not be afraid; If you will
come to me, I will engage to see all your wants supplied, and you
made a happy creature. As he promises in the third verse, "Incline
your ear, and come unto me: Hear, and your soul shall live, and I
will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of
David." And so Prov. 9 at the beginning. How gracious and sweet is
the invitation there! "Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither;" let
you be never so poor, ignorant, and blind a creature, you shall be
welcome. And in the following words Christ sets forth the provision
that he has made for you, "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the
wine which I have mingled." You are in a poor famishing state, and
have nothing wherewith to feed your perishing soul; you have been
seeking something, but yet remain destitute. Hearken, how Christ
calls you to eat of his bread, and to drink of the wine that he hath
mingled! And how much like a lamb does Christ appear in Matt. 9:28
30. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek
and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light." O thou poor distressed soul!
whoever thou art, consider that Christ mentions thy very case when
he calls to them who labor and are heavy laden! How he repeatedly
promises you rest if you come to him! In the 28th verse he says, "I
will give you rest." And in the 29th verse, "Ye shall find rest to
your souls." This is what you want. This is the thing you have been
so long in vain seeking after. O how sweet would rest be to you, if
you could but obtain it! Come to Christ, and you shall obtain it.
And hear how Christ, to encourage you, represents himself as a lamb!
He tells you, that he is meek and lowly in heart, and are you afraid
to come to such a one! And again, Rev. 3:20. "Behold, I stand at the
door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and I will sup with him and he with me." Christ
condescends not only to call you to him, but he comes to you; he
comes to your door, and there knocks. He might send an officer and
seize you as a rebel and vile malefactor, but instead of that, he
comes and knocks at your door, and seeks that you would receive him
into your house, as your Friend and Savior. And he not only knocks
at your door, but he stands there waiting, while you are backward
and unwilling. And not only so, but he makes promises what he will
do for you, if you will admit him, what privileges he will admit you
to; he will sup with you, and you with him. And again, Rev.
22:16,17. "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright
and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let
him that heareth, say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And
whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely." How does
Christ here graciously set before you his own winning attractive
excellency! And how does he condescend to declare to you not only
his own invitation, but the invitation of the Spirit and the bride,
if by any means he might encourage you to come! And how does he
invite every one that will, that they may "take of the water of life
freely," that they may take it as a free gift, however precious it
be, and though it be the Water of life.
2) If you do come to Christ, he will appear as a Lion, in his
glorious power and dominion, to defend you. All those excellencies
of his, in which he appears as a lion, shall be yours, and shall be
employed for you in your defense, for your safety, and to promote
your glory, he will be as a lion to fight against your enemies. He
that touches you, or offends you, will provoke his wrath, as he that
stirs up a lion. Unless your enemies can conquer this Lion, they
shall not be able to destroy or hurt you; unless they are stronger
than he, they shall not be able to hinder your happiness. Isaiah
31:4. "For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and
the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is
called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor
abase himself for the noise of them; so shall the Lord of hosts come
down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof."
C) Let what has been said be improved to induce you to love the
Lord Jesus Christ, and choose him for your friend and portion. As
there is such an admirable meeting of diverse excellencies in
Christ, so there is every thing in him to render him worthy of your
love and choice, and to win and engage it. Whatsoever there is or
can be desirable in a friend, is in Christ, and that to the highest
degree that can be desired.
Would you choose for a friend a person of great dignity? It is
a thing taking with men to have those for their friends who are much
above them; because they look upon themselves honored by the
friendship of such. Thus, how taking would it be with an inferior
maid to be the object of the dear love of some great and excellent
prince. But Christ is infinitely above you, and above all the
princes of the earth; for he is the King of kings. So honorable a
person as this offers himself to you, in the nearest and dearest
friendship.
And would you choose to have a friend not only great but good?
In Christ infinite greatness and infinite goodness meet together,
and receive lustre and glory one from another. His greatness is
rendered lovely by his goodness. The greater any one is without
goodness, so much the greater evil; but when infinite goodness is
joined with greatness, it renders it a glorious and adorable
greatness. So, on the other hand, his infinite goodness receives
lustre from his greatness. He that is of great understanding and
ability, and is withal of a good and excellent disposition, is
deservedly more esteemed than a lower and lesser being with the same
kind inclination and good will. Indeed goodness is excellent in
whatever subject it be found; it is beauty and excellency itself,
and renders all excellent that are possessed of it; and yet most
excellent when joined with greatness. The very same excellent
qualities of gold render the body in which they are inherent more
precious, and of greater value, when joined with greater than when
with lesser dimensions. And how glorious is the sight, to see him
who is the great Creator and supreme Lord of heaven and earth, full
of condescension, tender pity and mercy, towards the mean and
unworthy! His almighty power, and infinite majesty and
self-sufficiency, render his exceeding love and grace the more
surprising And how do his condescension and compassion endear his
majesty, power, and dominion, and render those attributes pleasant,
that would otherwise be only terrible! Would you not desire that
your friend, though great and honorable, should be of such
condescension and grace, and so to have the way opened to free
access to him, that his exaltation above you might not hinder your
free enjoyment of his friendship? -- And would you choose not only
that the infinite greatness and majesty of your friend should be, as
it were, mollified and sweetened with condescension and grace; but
would you also desire to have your friend brought nearer to you?
Would you choose a friend far above you, and yet as it were upon a
level with you too? Though it be taking with men to have a near and
dear friend of superior dignity, yet there is also an inclination in
them to have their friend a sharer with them in circumstances. Thus
is Christ. Though he be the great God, yet he has, as it were,
brought himself down to be upon a level with you, so as to become
man as you are that he might not only be your Lord, but your
brother, and that he might be the more fit to be a companion for
such a worm of the dust. This is one end of Christ's taking upon him
man's nature, that his people might be under advantages for a more
familiar converse with him than the infinite distance of the divine
nature would allow of. And upon this account the church longed for
Christ's incarnation, Cant. 8:1. "O that thou wert my brother that
sucked the breast of my mother! when I should find thee without, I
would kiss thee, yea, I should not be despised." One design of God
in the gospel is to bring us to make God the object of our undivided
respect, that he may engross our regard every way, that whatever
natural inclination there is in our souls, he may be the centre of
it; that God may be all in all. But there is an inclination in the
creature, not only to the adoration of a Lord and Sovereign, but to
complacence in some one as a friend, to love and delight in some one
that may be conversed with as a companion. And virtue and holiness
do not destroy or weaken this inclination of our nature. But so hath
God contrived in the affair of our redemption, that a divine person
may be the object even of this inclination of our nature. And in
order hereto, such a one is come down to us, and has taken our
nature, and is become one of us, and calls himself our friend,
brother, and companion. Psalm 122:8. "For my brethren and
companions' sake, will I now say, Peace be within thee."
But is it not enough in order to invite and encourage you to
free access to a friend so great and high, that he is one of
infinite condescending grace, and also has taken your own nature,
and is become man? But would you, further to embolden and win you,
have him a man of wonderful meekness and humility? Why, such a one
is Christ! He is not only become man for you, but far the meekest
and most humble of all men, the greatest instance of these sweet
virtues that ever was, or will be. And besides these, he has all
other human excellencies in the highest perfection. These, indeed,
are no proper addition to his divine excellencies. Christ has no
more excellency in his person, since his incarnation, than he had
before; for divine excellency is infinite, and cannot be added to.
Yet his human excellencies are additional manifestations of his
glory and excellency to us, and are additional recommendations of
him to our esteem and love, who are of finite comprehension. Though
his human excellencies are but communications and reflections of his
divine, and though this light, as reflected, falls infinitely short
of the divine fountain of light in its immediate glory; yet the
reflection shines not without its proper advantages, as presented to
our view and affection. The glory of Christ in the qualifications of
his human nature, appears to us in excellencies that are of our own
kind, and are exercised in our own way and manner, and so, in some
respect, are peculiarly fitted to invite our acquaintance and draw
our affection. The glory of Christ as it appears in his divinity,
though far brighter, more dazzles our eyes, and exceeds the strength
of our sight or our comprehension; but, as it shines in the human
excellencies of Christ, it is brought more to a level with our
conceptions, and suitableness to our nature and manner, yet
retaining a semblance of the same divine beauty, and a savor of the
same divine sweetness. But as both divine and human excellencies
meet together in Christ, they set off and recommend each other to
us. It tends to endear the divine majesty and holiness of Christ to
us, that these are attributes of one in our nature, one of us, who
is become our brother, and is the meekest and humblest of men. It
encourages us to look upon these divine perfections, however high
and great; since we have some near concern in and liberty freely to
enjoy them. And on the other hand, how much more glorious and
surprising do the meekness, the humility, obedience, resignation,
and other human excellencies of Christ appear, when we consider that
they are in so great a person, as the eternal Son of God, the Lord
of heaven and earth!
By your choosing Christ for your friend and portion, you will
obtain these two infinite benefits.
1) Christ will give himself to you, with all those various
excellencies that meet in him, to your full and everlasting
enjoyment. He will ever after treat you as his dear friend; and you
shall ere long be where he is, and shall behold his glory, and dwell
with him, in most free and intimate communion and enjoyment.
When the saints get to heaven, they shall not merely see
Christ, and have to do with him as subjects and servants with a
glorious and gracious Lord and Sovereign, but Christ will entertain
them as friends and brethren. This we may learn from the manner of
Christ's conversing with his disciples here on earth: though he was
their Sovereign Lord, and did not refuse, but required, their
supreme respect and adoration, yet he did not treat them as earthly
sovereigns are wont to do their subjects. He did not keep them at an
aweful distance, but all along conversed with them with the most
friendly familiarity, as a father amongst a company of children,
yea, as with brethren. So he did with the twelve, and so he did with
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He told his disciples, that he did not
call them servants, but friends, and we read of one of them that
leaned on his bosom: and doubtless he will not treat his disciples
with less freedom and endearment in heaven. He will not keep them at
a greater distance for his being in a state of exaltation; but he
will rather take them into a state of exaltation with him. This will
be the improvement Christ will make of his own glory, to make his
beloved friends partakers with him, to glorify them in his glory, as
he says to his Father, John 17:22, 23. "And the glory which thou
hast given me, have I given them, that they may be one, even as we
are one I in them" etc. We are to consider, that though Christ is
greatly exalted, yet he is exalted, not as a private person for
himself only, but as his people's head; he is exalted in their name,
and upon their account, as the first fruits, and as representing the
whole harvest. He is not exalted that he may be at a greater
distance from them, but that they may be exalted with him. The
exaltation and honor of the head is not to make a greater distance
between the head and the members, but the members have the same
relation and union with the head they had before, and are honored
with the head; and instead of the distance being greater, the union
shall be nearer and more perfect. When believers get to heaven,
Christ will conform them to himself, as he is set down in his
Father's throne, so they shall sit down with him on his throne, and
shall in their measure be made like him.
When Christ was going to heaven, he comforted his disciples
with the thought, that after a while, he would come again and take
them to himself, that they might be with him. And we are not to
suppose that when the disciples got to heaven, they found him
keeping a greater distance than he used to do. No, doubtless, be
embraced them as friends, and welcomed them to his and their
Father's house, and to his and their glory. They who had been his
friends in this world, who had been together with him here, and had
together partaken of sorrows and troubles, are now welcomed by him
to rest, and to partake of glory with him. He took them and led them
into his chambers, and showed them all his glory; as he prayed, John
17:24. "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be
with me, that they may behold the glory which thou hast given me."
And he led them to his living fountains of waters, and made them
partake of his delights, as he prays John 17:13. "That my joy may be
fulfilled in themselves," and set them down with him at his table in
his kingdom, and made them partake with him of his dainties,
according to his promise, Luke 22:30, and led them into his
banqueting house, and made them to drink new wine with him in the
kingdom of his heavenly Father, as he foretold them when he
instituted the Lord's supper, Matt. 26:29.
Yea the saints' conversation with Christ in heaven shall not
only be as intimate, and their access to him as free, as of the
disciples on earth, but in many respects much more so; for in
heaven, that vital union shall be perfect, which is exceeding
imperfect here. While the saints are in this world, there are great
remains of sin and darkness to separate or disunite them from
Christ, which shall then all be removed. This is not a time for that
full acquaintance, and those glorious manifestations of love, which
Christ designs for his people hereafter; which seems to be signified
by his speech to Mary Magdalene, when ready to embrace him, when she
met him after his resurrection; John 20:17. "Jesus saith unto her,
Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father."
When the saints shall see Christ's glory and exaltation in
heaven, it will indeed possess their hearts with the greater
admiration and adoring respect, but it will not awe them into any
separation, but will serve only to heighten their surprise and joy,
when they find Christ condescending to admit them to such intimate
access, and so freely and fully communicating himself to them. So
that if we choose Christ for our friend and portion, we shall
hereafter be so received to him, that there shall be nothing to
hinder the fullest enjoyment of him, to the satisfying the utmost
cravings of our souls. We may take our full swing at gratifying our
spiritual appetite after these holy pleasures. Christ will then say,
as in Cant. 5:1. "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly O
beloved." And this shall be our entertainment to all eternity! There
shall never be any end of this happiness, or any thing to interrupt
our enjoyment of it, or in the least to molest us in it!
2) By your being united to Christ, you will have a more
glorious union with and enjoyment of God the Father, than otherwise
could be. For hereby the saints' relation to God becomes much
nearer; they are the children of God in a higher manner than
otherwise could be. For, being members of God's own Son, they are in
a sort partakers of his relation to the Father: they are not only
sons of God by regeneration, but by a kind of communion in the
sonship of the eternal Son. This seems to be intended, Gal. 4:4-6.
"God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to
redeem them that are under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." The
church is the daughter of God not only as he hath begotten her by
his word and Spirit but as she is the spouse of his eternal Son.
So we being members of the Son, are partakers in our measure of
the Father's love to the Son, and complacence in him. John 17:23.
"I in them, and thou in me, -- Thou hast loved them as thou hast
loved me." And ver. 26. "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in them." And chap. 16:27. "The Father himself loveth you,
because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from
God." So we shall, according to our capacities, be partakers of the
Son's enjoyment of God, and have his joy fulfilled in ourselves,
John 17:13. And by this means we shall come to an immensely higher,
more intimate and full enjoyment of God, than otherwise could have
been. For there is doubtless an infinite intimacy between the Father
and the Son which is expressed by his being in the bosom of the
Father. And saints being in him, shall, in their measure and manner,
partake with him in it, and of the blessedness of it.
And thus is the affair of our redemption ordered, that thereby
we are brought to an immensely more exalted kind of union with God,
and enjoyment of him, both the Father and the Son, than otherwise
could have been. For Christ being united to the human nature, we
have advantage for a more free and full enjoyment of him, than we
could have had if he had remained only in the divine nature. So
again, we being united to a divine person, as his members, can have
a more intimate union and intercourse with God the Father, who is
only in the divine nature, than otherwise could be. Christ, who is a
divine person, by taking on him our nature, descends from the
infinite distance and height above us, and is brought nigh to us;
whereby we have advantage for the full enjoyment of him. And, on the
other hand, we, by being in Christ a divine person, do as it were
ascend up to God, through the infinite distance, and have hereby
advantage for the full enjoyment of him also.
This was the design of Christ, that he, and his Father, and his
people, might all be united in one. John 17:21 23. "That they all
may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee -- that they
also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given them,
that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them and thou in me,
that they may be made perfect in one." Christ has brought it to
pass, that those whom the Father has given him should be brought
into the household of God, that he and his Father, and his people,
should be as one society, one family; that the church should be as
it were admitted into the society of the blessed Trinity.
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