USE THIRD—The third use—A USE OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
Coming sinner, I have now a word for you: be of good comfort, “He will in no wise cast out.” Of all men, thou art the blessed of the Lord; the Father hath prepared his Son to be a sacrifice for thee, and Jesus Christ, thy Lord, is gone to prepare a place for thee (John 1:29; Heb 10). What shall I say to you?
[First,] Thou comes to a FULL Christ; thou canst not want anything for soul or body, for this world or that to come, but it is to be had in or by Jesus Christ. As it is said of the land that the Danites went to possess, so, and with much more truth, it may be said of Christ; he is such a one with whom there is no want of any good thing that is in heaven or earth. A full Christ is your Christ.
1. He is full of grace. Grace is sometimes taken for love; never is it loved like Jesus Christ. Jonathan’s love went beyond the love of women, but the love of Christ passes knowledge. It is beyond the love of all the earth, of all creatures, even of men and angels. His love prevailed with him to lay aside his glory, to leave the heavenly place, to clothe himself with flesh, to be born in a stable, to be laid in a manger, to live a poor life in the world, to take upon him our sicknesses, infirmities, sins, curse, death, and the wrath that was due to man. And all this he did for a base, undeserving, unthankful people; yea, for a people that was at enmity with him. “For when we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly in due time. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom 5:6-10).
2. He is full of truth. Full of grace and truth. Truth, that is, faithfulness in keeping promises, even this of the text, with all others, “I will in no wise cast out” (John 14:6). Hence it is said, that his words be true and that he is the faithful God, that keeps covenant. And hence it is also that his promises are called truth: “Thou wilt fulfill thy truth unto Jacob, and thy mercy unto Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.” Therefore it is said again, that both himself and words are truth: “I am the truth, the Scripture of truth” (Dan 10:21). “Thy word is truth,” (John 17:17; 2 Sam 7:28); “Thy law is truth,” (Psa 119:142); and “my mouth,” saith he, “shall speak the truth,” (Prov 8:7); see also Ecclesiastes 12:10, Isaiah 25:1, Malachi 2:6, Acts 26:25, 2 Timothy 2:12,13. Now, I say, his word is truth, and he is full of truth to fulfill his truth, even to a thousand generations. Coming sinner, he will not deceive thee; come boldly to Jesus Christ.
3. He is full of wisdom. He is made unto us of God wisdom; wisdom to manage the affairs of his church in general, and the affairs of every coming sinner in particular. And upon this account, he is said to be “head over all things,” (1 Cor 1; Eph 1), because he manages all things that are in the world by his wisdom, for the good of his church; all men’s actions, all Satan’s temptations, all God’s providences, all crosses, and disappointments; all things whatever are under the hand of Christ—who is the wisdom of God—and he ordered them all for good to his church. And can Christ help it—and be sure he can—nothing shall happen or fall out in the world, but it shall, despite all opposition, have a good tendency to his church and people.
No comments:
Post a Comment