· j78 Book IV. rLooking unto jjcfus. 1 «or.t. :a.. C H A P. III. SECT. I. Of k,powing Jejit; ai carrying on the great work._ of 011r Ja!vation in his death. ' · .1. LEt u_s know '/c{U<, c:lrryi~g. on the. great.work ?four falvation during his fuf– fermgsand_death. Thts IS the _htgh potnt wluchPm1l was ever lludying on. and preaching on, and pondenng on ; For I determined not tolznow any thing . among yo!', fave Je[U< Chrift and h.,, crucified. Chnfl cructfied is rhe rarett ptece of knowledge In the world ; the perfo~ of ~hrifl: is a matter of high fpeculation, but Chnft further conudered, as cloathed With hts garments of blood, is that know– ledge which efpecially Paul purfues; he efl:eems nor, reckons nor, determines not t<> make any profeffion of any other fcience or doctrine than the moll necelfary, and only faving knowledge ot Chrifl crucified.. 0 my foul how many dayes, and months. and yean, hall thou fpent to at;am fome Imle meafure of knowledge in the Am, and .Tongues, and Sciences? and yet what a poor skill haft thou attained in refpect of the many thoufands of them that knew nothing at all of Jefus Cbrill? and what if thou hadfl reached out to a greater proficiency? couldll thou have dived into the ferrets of . . Narure, cou]ft thou have el{celled the wifd•m of all the children of the Eaft cozmtry, ar,d I Kmg1 4· 33• all the wifdom of Egypt, and the wifdom of Solomon , who {pakif of beafts, of fowls, of (i~JCs, of all trees from the Cedar tree that i< in Lebanon, even to theh;ifop tha · fpringeth out of the wall, yet without the faving knowledgeof Chrill crucified ( Chriftfuffering, bleeding, and dying) all this had been nothing, fee Ecclef. r. 18 . only that know– ledge is worth the having which refers to Chrift; and above all th~t is the rarell piece of Chrill's humiliation, which holds him forth fuffcring for us, and fo freeing us from 'hell fufferings. Come then, and fpend tby timefor the future mpre fruitfully in read– ing, learning, knowing, this one necejfary thing. Study Chri(\ crucified in every piece and part; 0 the precious truths, and precious difcoveries tlm a ftudying head and heart would hammer our here ! much .bath been !aid, but a thoufand-rhoufand times more might yer be faid ·; we have given but a little fcantling of that which Chritl endu– red ; Volumes might be written till they were piled as high as heaven; and yet all would not ferve to make out the full difcoveries of Jefus's fufferings. Study therefore, and fiudy more, but be fure thy !ludy and thy knowledge be rather practical than fpecula– rive; do nor meerly beat thy brains to learn the hiftory of Chrill's death, but rhe effi– cacy, venue, and merit of it; know what thou knowe!'t in reference to thy felf, as if Jefus had been all the while carrying on the buunefsof thy fouls falvation; as if thou hadtl ftood by, and Chril had fpoke to thee, as fometimes to the women, Weep not for me, but for thy [elf; thy fms wtfed my fufferings, andmyfnjferings wm fortheaba~ litimof thy fins. SECT. II. Of confidering Je{i« in that refpefl. 2. [Et us confider .JefU<, carrying on this great work of our falvation during his fuf– Zach. 12.10. ferings and death. They Jl~all look.. upon ''" whom they have pierced, fa~th the ll<b. 11 , ,, Prophet; ( i.) they lhall conuder me: and accor4mgly IS the Apofile, look!_ng 1mt• Je– j~~<, or con(idering of Jefus the .Author and ftnip,er of om· faith, who for the joy of o~r Jalvation Jet before him, endured the croji, and defpifed the Jh~me. Then mdeed, and m r that act is the duty brought in, it is good in all refpects and under.all conhd~rat1ons t? look unro Jefus from firft to !all:, but above all, this teXt relates fir(l]y to the ttme of hts fufferings; and hence it is that Lnk! calls Cluifl's paftion !Jt~1i.<v, a theory or fight; Luke •3· 4 s. .And all the people that came together to that fight,--· Jmot< their breajls and retHrned. Not but that every palfage of Chrifl is a theory or light, worthy our lookmg on~ ~r conlideringof; Chrifl in his Fathers purpofe, and Chri!l in the promife, ond Cbn!l m · - performance,
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