ON THE GLORY OF CHRIST. ways consider whose it is, 1 John iii. 16. Herebyper. unto it a sweet savour of this love of Christ. ceive we the love of God, because he laid doten his life for us. (2.) By what ways and means this wonderful love of the Son of God doth act itself; namely, in the divine nature, by eternal acts of wisdom, goodness, and grace proper thereunto; and in the human by temporary acts of pity or compassion, with all the fruits of them in doing and suffering for us, Eph. iii. 19. Heb. ii. 15, 15. Rev. i. 5. (8.) What is the freedom of it, as unto any desert on our part, 1 John iv. 10. Herein is love, not that we ., loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to < be the propitiation for our sins." It was hatred, not love, that we in ourselves deserved, which is a consider- ation suited to fill the soul with self-abasement, the best of frames, in the contemplationof the glory of Christ. (4.) What is the efficacy of it in its fruits and effects, with sundry other considerations of the like nature. By a distinct prospect and admiration of these things, the soul may walk in this paradise of God, and gather here and there an heavenly flower, conveying S3 See Cant. ii. `L, 8, t. Moreover, be not contented to have right notions of the love of Christ in your minds, unless you can attain a gracious taste of it in your hearts; no more than you would be to see a feast or banquet richly prepared, and partake of nothing of it unto your refreshment. It is of that nature that we mai have a spiritual sensation of it in our minds; whence it is compared by the spouse to apples and flagons of wine. We may taste that the Lord is gracious. And if we find not a relish of it in our hearts, we shall not long retain the notion of it in our minds. Christ is the meat, the bread, the food of our souls. Nothing in him is of an higher spiritual nourishmentthan his love, whichwe should always de- sire. In this love he is glorious; for it is such as no crea- tures, angels, or men could have the least concep- tions of, before its manifestation by its effects: and af- terits manifestation, it is in this world absolutely incom- prehensible. CHAPTER. VI. THE GLORY OF CHRIST IN THE DISCHARGE OF HIS MEDIATORY OFFICE. AS the Lord Christ was glorious in the susceptionof his office, so was he also in its discharge.An unseen glory accompanied him in all that he did, in all that he suffered. Unseen it was unto the eyes of the world, but not in his whoalone can judge of it. Had men seen it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Yet to some of them it was made manifest. Hence they tes- tified that in his discharge of his office, they beheld the glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, John i. 14.. And that when others could see neither form nor comeliness in him that he should be desired, Isa. liii. `L.: and so it is at this day. I shall only make some few observations; first, on what he did in a way of obe- dience, and then on what he suffered in the discharge of his office so undertaken by him. 1. What he did, what obedience he yieldedunto the law of God, in the discharge of his office (with respect whereunto he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, I yea, thy law is in my heart) it was ail on his own free choice or election, and was resolved thereinto alone. It is our duty to endeavour after freedom, willingness, and cheerfulness in all our obedience.Obedience hath its formal nature from our wills. So much as there is of our wills, in what wedo towards God, so much there is of obedience, and no more.Howbeit, we are, an- tecedently unto all acts of our own wills, obliged unto all that is called obedience. From the very constitution of our natures, we are necessarily subject unto the law of God. All that is left unto us, is a voluntary compli- ance with unavoidable commands; with him it was not so. An act of his own will and choice preceded all obli- gation as unto obedience. Heobeyed, because he would; before, because he ought. He said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, before he was obliged to do that will. By his own choice, and that inan act of infinite conde- scension and love, as we have shewed, he was made of 10
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