PART tI. SERMON XI!. 177 All his worshipof the Father consists of nobler acts, and nearer approaches; than it is possible for any other creature to perform or partake of. Jesus, the man, worshipped here on earth, and he worships above in glory: He loves the go;ihead, as infinitely more amiable than himself ;) he trusts in it as more powerful; acknowledges God is above him in every glory, in. everybeauty infinitely superior tohim ; and this isdivine worship ; for a creature is still beneath God; and the acknowledgment of it is the worship due from him. Now Christ pays this acknow- ledgment with greater humility than the meanest worm of the race of Adam ; for the nearer he is to God, the better he knows the truedistance ofa creature ; andbecause he doesit with greater humility, therefore with sweeterdelight ; for the lower a creature lies before God, the nearer doth God approach it. The High and Holy One, who inhabiteth eternity, and dwelleth in the high and holy place, dwelleth also with the humble soul; Is. lvii. 15. But this leads me to a farther degree of the blessedness of theman Christ Jesus ; and that is, 4. He hath a fuller, a richer, and a more transportingsense of the love of God, since God makes nearer approaches to him, and discovers more of his infinite goodness, and communicates more of his love. We may venture to say, that God loves the human nature of Christ better than he does any other creature; and this human naturehas a stronger, and more intimate consci- ousness of the divine love, and a sweeter sensation of it, than saintsor angels can have, because of the personal union between the son of man and the eternal God : which union, though we know not precisely what it is, yet, we know to be sufficient to givehim the name Emmanuel, God withus ; which distinguishes it most gloriously from all our unions to God, and raiseshis dig- nity, his character, and his advantages, even as a man, to so sub- lime a degree above that of all other creatures. By his exaltation, and his dwelling so near to God, his powers are inconceivably enlarged, and made capable of taking in higher degrees of felicity. Sights of God stretch the faculties of the soul,,. and enlarge it to receive more of God; this eternal fight has our Redeemer. We see the glory of Godchiefly in the face of Christ Jesus his Son, but he sees the glory of God in his own face and brightness, Christ himself is the brightness of his Father's glory; Heb. i. 2, 3. 5. As Christ is the medium of our nearness to God, as he is the head of all those who approach to God, and the Mediator through whom all approach, so his blessedness is above ours ; for in some sense, and by way of eminence, he enjoys and feels all that we enjoy and feel, and vastly more too ; for he is the, x 2 i
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