God; our perfect holiness in heaven is not the cause of our salvation, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ. To this therefore did Paul flee, as to the horns of the altar, Phil. iii. 9, “That I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness." It is true, we may look to our graces as evidences of salvation, but to Christ's blood only as the cause. In time of Noah's flood, all that trusted to the high hills and trees, and not to the ark, were drowned: Heb. xii. 2, "Look-diator, that he should humble himself, and ing unto Jesus ;" and so look unto him, as to believe in him, that so Christ may not only be united to our nature, but to our persons, John xx. 31, "That believing, you may have life through his name."

one of the greatest persons that is, Col. ii. 9, "In him dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily," so it is of unspeakable comfort. Christ's two natures being married together, the divine and human, all that Christ in either of his natures can do for believers, he will do. In his human nature he prays for them, in his divine nature he merits for them. This for the person of our Mediator.

Use 4. Admire the love of Christ our Me

take our flesh, that he might redeem us. Believers should put Christ in their bosom, as the spouse did, Cant. i. 13, "Lie betwixt my breasts." What was said of Ignatius, that the name of Jesus was found written in his heart, should be verified of every saint, he should have Jesus Christ written in his

Use 3. Is Jesus Christ God and man in one person? This, as it shows the dignity of believers, that they are nearly related to heart.

OF CHRIST'S PROPHETICAL OFFICE.

DEUT. xviii. 15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet, &c.

HAVING Spoken of the person of Christ, we | as pretend to have a light or revelation above

are next to speak of the offices of Christ, Prophetical, Priestly, Regal.

I. Prophetical. "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet." Enunciatur hic locus de Christo,-it is spoken of Christ. There are several names given to Christ as a Prophet: He is called the Counsellor,' Isa. ix. 6. In uno Christo Angelus fæderis completur, Fagius. The Messenger of the covenant,' Mal. iii. 1. A Lamp,' 2 Sam. xxii. 29. The Morning-star,' Rev. xxii. 16. Jesus Christ is the great Prophet of his church. The woman of Samaria, gave a shrewd guess, John iv. 16. He is the best teacher, he makes all other teaching effectual, Luke xxiv. 45, “Then opened he their understanding." He did not only open the scriptures, but opened their understanding. He teacheth to profit, Isa. xlviii. 17, “I am the Lord thy God, who teacheth thee to profit."

QUEST. How doth Christ teach? ANS. 1. Externally, by his word, Ps. cxix. 105, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet." Such

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the word, or contrary to it, never had their teaching from Christ, Isa. viii. 20.

A. 2. Christ teacheth these sacred mysteries, inwardly, by the Spirit, John xvi. 13. The world knows not what it is, 1 Cor. ii. 14, "The natural man receives not the things of God, neither can he know them." He knows not what it is to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, Rom. xii. 2, or what the inward workings of the Spirit mean; these are riddles and paradoxes to him. He may have more insight into the things of the world than a believer, but he doth not see the deep things of God. A swine may see an acorn under a tree, but he cannot see a star; he who is taught of Christ sees the arcana imperii,—the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

QUEST. What are the lessons Christ teacheth?

ANS. 1. He teacheth us to see into our own hearts. Take the most mercurial wits, the greatest politicians that understand the mysteries of state, yet they know not the

3, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious;" Ps. xxxiv. 8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." It is one thing to hear a truth preached, another thing to taste it; one thing to read a promise, another

mysteries of their own hearts, they cannot believe there is that evil in them as is, 2 Kings viii. 13, "Is thy servant a dog?" Grande profundum est homo, AUG. The heart is a great deep, which is not easily fathomed. But Christ when he teacheth, re-thing to taste it. David had got a taste of moves the veil of ignorance, and lights a the word, Ps. cxix. 102, 103, "Thou hast man into his own heart; and now he sees taught me: How sweet are thy words unto swarms of vain thoughts, he blusheth to my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my see how sin mingles with his duties, his mouth." The apostle calls it the savour of stars are mixed with clouds,―he prays, as knowledge, 2 Cor. ii. 14. The light of knowAustin, that God would deliver him from him- ledge is one thing, the savour another. self. Christ makes us taste a savouriness in the word.

3. Christ, when he teacheth, makes us obey. Others may instruct, but cannot command obedience; they teach to be humble, but men remain proud. The Prophet had been denouncing judgments against the people of Judah, but they would not hear, Jer. xliv. 17, "We will do whatsoever goeth out of our own mouth, to bake cakes to the queen of heaven." Men come quasi armed in a coat of mail that the sword of the word will not enter; but when Christ comes to teach, he removes this obstinacy; he not only informs the judgment, but inclines the will. He doth not only come with the light of his word, but the rod of his strength, and makes the stubborn sinner yield to him. His grace is irresistible.

A. 2. The second lesson Christ teacheth, is the vanity of the creature, A natural man sets up his happiness here, worships the golden image; but he that Christ hath anointed with his eye-salve, hath a spirit of discerning, he looks upon the creature in its nightdress, sees it to be empty and unsatisfying, not commensurate to a heaven-born soul. Solomon had put all the creatures into a limbeck, and when he came to extract the spirit and quintessence, all was vanity, Eccl. ii. 11. The apostle calls it a show or apparition, 1 Cor. vii. 31, having no intrinsical goodness. A. 3. The third lesson is the excellency of things unseen. Christ gives the soul a sight of glory, a prospect of eternity, 2 Cor. iv. 18, "We look not at things which are seen, but at things which are not seen." Moses saw him who is invisible,' Heb. ix. 27. And the Patriarchs saw a better country, viz. a heavenly, Heb. xi. 16, where delights of angels, rivers of pleasure, the flower of joy," Precept (must be) upon precept, and line fully ripe and blown.

4. Christ teacheth easily. Others teach with difficulty. Difficulty in finding out a truth, and in inculcating it, Isa. xxviii. 10,

upon line." Some may teach all their lives,

QUEST. How doth Christ's teaching differ and the word take no impression. They

from other teaching?

ANS. Several ways:

complain, as Isa. xlix. 4, "I have spent my labour in vain," ploughed on rocks; but Christ the great Prophet teacheth with ease. He can with the least touch of his Spirit convert; he can say, "Let there be light;" with a word he conveys grace.

1. Christ teacheth the heart. Others may teach the ear, Christ the heart. Acts. xvi. 14, "Whose heart the Lord opened." All that the dispensers of the word can do is but to work knowledge, Christ works grace; they can but give you the light of the truth, Christ gives you the love of the truth; they can only teach you what to believe, Christ" Fools despise instruction;" they rage at teacheth how to believe.

5. Christ when he teacheth makes men willing to learn. Men may teach others, but they have no mind to learn, Prov. i. 7,

the word, as if a patient should rage at the 2. Christ gives us a taste of the word. physician when he brings him a cordial; Ministers may set the food of the word be- thus backward are men to their own salvafore you, and carve it out to you; but it is tion. But Christ makes his people a 'wilonly Christ causeth you to taste it, i. Pet. ii. | ling people,' Ps. cx. 3. They prize know

ledge, and hang it as a jewel upon their ear. Those that Christ teacheth, say, as, Isa. ii. 3, "Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in them ;" and, as Acts x. 33, "We are all here present before God, to hear all things commanded."

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6. Christ, when he teacheth, doth not only illuminate, but animate. He doth so teach, as he doth quicken, John viii. 12, "I am the light of the world;" he that follows me shall have lumen vitæ,-the light of life. By nature we are dead, therefore unfit for teaching; who will make an oration to the dead? But Christ teacheth them that are dead, he gives the light of life. As when Lazarus was dead, Christ said, Come forth:" and he made the dead to hear, "Lazarus came forth :" so when Christ saith to the dead soul, come forth of the grave of unbelief, he hears Christ's voice, and comes forth, it is the light of life. The philosophers say, calor et lux concrescunt,-light and heat increase together. "Tis true here, where Christ comes with his light, there is the heat of the spiritual life going along with it.

Use 1st. Of information. 1. See here an argument of Christ's Divinity: had he not been God, he could never have known the mind of God, or revealed to us those arcani cali, those deep mysteries, which no man or angel could find out. Who but God can anoint the eyes of the blind, and give not only light, but sight? Who but he, who hath the key of David, can open the heart? Who but God can bow the iron sinew of the will? He only who is God can enlighten the conscience, and make the stony heart bleed.

in Christ, from whose infinite wisdom both men and angels light their lamp.

3. See the misery of man in the state of nature. Before Christ come to be their prophet they are enveloped with ignorance and darkness. Men know nothing in a salvifical sanctified manner, they know nothing as they ought to know, 1 Cor. viii. 2. This is sad. 1. Men in the dark cannot discern colours: so in the state of nature they cannot discern between morality and grace,-they take one for the other, pro dea nubem.-2. In the dark the greatest beauty is hid,-let there be rare flowers in the garden, and pictures in the room, yet in the dark their beauty is veiled over,-so, though there be such transcendent beauty in Christ as amazeth the angels, a man in the state of nature sees none of this beauty. What is Christ to him, or heaven to him? The veil is upon his heart.-3. A man in the dark is in danger every step he goes: so a man in the state of nature is in danger, every step, of falling into hell. Thus it is before Christ teacheth us; nay, the darkness in which a sinner is, while in an unregenerate state, is worse than natural darkness, for natural darkness affrights, Gen. xv. 12, "An horror of great darkness fell upon Abraham," but the spiritual darkness is not accompanied with horror,-men tremble not at their condition,--nay, they like their condition well enough, John iii. 19, " Men loved darkness.” This is their sad condition, till Jesus Christ comes as a prophet to teach them, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

4. See the happy condition of the children 2. See what a cornucopia, or plenty of of God, they have Christ to be their prowisdom is in Christ, who is the great doctor phet, Isa. liv. 13, "All thy children shall be of his church, and gives saving knowledge taught of the Lord;" 1 Cor. i. 30, “God is to all the elect. The body of the sun must made to us wisdom." One man cannot see needs be full of clarity and brightness, which by another's eyes; but believers see with enlightens the whole world: Christ is the Christ's eyes,-" In his light they see light;" great luminary," in whom are hid all trea-Christ gives them the light of grace and light sures of knowledge," Col. ii. 3. The middle of glory. lamp of the sanctuary gave light to all the other lamps: Christ diffuseth his glorious light to others. We are apt to admire the learning of Aristotle and Plato: Alas! what is this poor spark of light to that which is

Use 2d. Labour to have Christ for your prophet; he teacheth savingly, he is an interpreter of a thousand, he can untie those knots which puzzle very angels. Till Christ teach, we never learn any lesson; till Christ

is made to us wisdom, we shall never be wise than ever he was to do so upon a blind to salvation.

his will, he shall know of my doctrine, whe- | Spirit,-that you can say as he, John ix. 25, ther it be of God, or whether I speak of my-"One thing I know, that whereas I was self." A master seeing his servant improve a blind, I now see,"-O how thankful should little stock well gives him more to trade with. you be to Christ, who hath revealed his FaUse 3d. If you have been taught by Christ ther's bosom secrets unto you! John i. 18, savingly, be thankful; it is your honour to "No man hath seen God at any time; the have God for your teacher, and that he should only begotten Son which is in the bosom of teach you and not others, is matter of admi- the Father, he hath declared him." If Alexration and gratulation. O how many know- ander thought himself so much obliged to ing men are ignorant! They are not taught Aristotle for the philosophical instructions of God; they have Christ's word to enlighten he learned from him; O how are we obliged them, but not his Spirit to sanctify them. But to Jesus Christ, this great Prophet, for openthat you should have the inward as well as ing to us the eternal purposes of his love, and the outward teaching,-that Christ should revealing to us the mysteries of the kingdom anoint you with the heavenly unction of his of heaven!

OF CHRIST'S PRIESTLY OFFICE.

QUEST. XXV. How doth Christ execute pire, to mediate between a guilty creature,

the office of a priest?

ANS. In his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.-Heb. ix. 26, "Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

QUEST. What are the parts of Christ's priestly office.

and an holy God.

QUEST. How could Christ suffer, being

God?

ANS. Christ suffered only in the human nature.

QUEST. But if only Christ's humanity suffered, how could this suffering satisfy for sin?

ANS. The human nature being united to ANS. Christ's priestly office hath two parts, the divine, the human nature did suffer, the

his satisfaction and intercession.

divine did satisfy. Christ's Godhead, as it did support the human nature that it did not faint, so it did give virtue to his sufferings. The altar sanctifies the thing offered on it, Matt. xxiii. 19: so the altar of Christ's divine nature sanctified the sacrifice of his death, and made it of infinite value.

I. His satisfaction. And this consists of two branches: 1st. His active obedience, Matt. iii. 15, "He fulfilled all righteousness. Christ did every thing which the law required; his holy life was a perfect commentary upon the law of God; and he obeyed the law for us.-2d. His passive obedience. Our guilt being transferred and imputed to him, he did undergo the penalty which was due to us; he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The paschal-lamb slain, was a type of Christ who was offered up in sacrifice for us. Sin could not be done away without blood, Heb. ix. 22, “Without blood is no remission." Christ was not only a lamb with-orator he wanted words to express it. The out spot, but a lamb slain. thoughts of this made Christ sweat great

QUEST. Wherein doth the greatness of Christ's sufferings appear?

ANS. 1st. In the sufferings of his body. He suffered truly, not in appearance only; the apostle calls it mors crucis,-the death of the cross, Phil. ii. 8. Tully, when he speaks of this kind of death, quid decam in crucem tollere? Though he was a great

QUEST. Why was it requisite there should drops of blood in the garden, Luke xxii. 44. be a priest? It was an ignominious, painful, cursed death. ANS. There needed a priest to be an um- Christ suffered in all his senses: 1. In his