Sermon VIII.1
“Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” — Ps. xlv. 2.
I have given you an account of the general design and scope of this psalm already, and spoken something from the title of it, “To the chief Musician,” etc.; and opened the 1st verse, and spoken something to that also, — which is the preface to the whole psalm.
I shall now speak something to you from the 2d verse: “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” You know who it is that is intended in these words, — namely, our Lord Jesus Christ, the King, the Messiah; and this is a description of him, which the psalmist gives in prophecy.
There are three parts of the verse:— I. A description of Christ’s person, “Thou art fairer than the children of men.” II. An account of his endowments that were bestowed upon him to enable him to his work, “Grace is poured into thy lips.” III. God’s acceptance and approbation of him in his work, “Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.”
I. Here is a description of Christ’s person, “Thou art fairer than the children of men.”
You may consider it, — 1. Absolutely, that Christ is fair. 2. Comparatively, that he is fairer than the children of men.
1. Absolutely: Christ is fair. He ascribes beauty to him. There is mention of the beauty of God in Ps. xxvii. 4, “To behold the beauty of the Lord;” — that may concern his worship. But it is directly spoken of God himself, in Zech. ix. 17, “How great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty!” As beauty among men consists in the symmetry of parts, so in God it is the harmony of all the divine perfections. The infinite harmony, agreeableness, suitableness of all divine perfections, I say, is this beauty. Christ is called fair, to denote his glorious perfections.
2. Comparatively: “Thou art fairer than the children of men;” that is, — (1.) Than all worldly men. There is more excellency, more desirableness in Jesus Christ than in all the men of the world. (2.) More than in all those who were employed in the church, which is peculiarly here intended; more excellent than Moses and Aaron, — than any of the kings and prophets of old, who yet were so desirable. Aaron had his garments made for beauty and for glory. But saith he, “Christ is more beautiful, more fair, than any of the children of men.”
I told you the design of the psalm was, to speak of the kingdom of Christ, and to set forth the mutual love that is between Christ and his church; but yet, in the first place, he lays down this description of his person as the foundation, “Thou art fairer than the children of men.”
I say, — 1. Absolutely, Christ is fair; and we may observe from hence, that, in the consideration of Jesus Christ, if we intend any interest in him, and any benefit by him, the first thing we ought to know and consider, is his person. So the psalmist here, when he had designed the description of his kingdom and benefits, begins with his person. And if we know not the person of Christ we have no interest in him. The apostle, in Phil. iii. 10, shows what our design should be, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,” etc. First “know him,” says he, before he speaks of the benefits of his mediation; which is consequential to the knowledge of himself. So he tells you, of the subject of his preaching, 1 Cor. ii. 2, “I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified;” — first Christ, and then him crucified; first his person, and then his mediation.
The reasons are, —
(1.) Because Jesus Christ will be loved and preferred above all for his own sake. He tells his disciples, Matt. x. 37, “He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me.” If we intend to have any benefit by him, he must be valued above all for his own sake, or for the sake of what he is in himself. He puts it as a mark upon them that followed him, “Because of the loaves,” John vi. 26. And if, without the knowledge of Christ, without a due consideration of his person, we think to follow him only for his benefits, for the advantage which we hope to have by him (which is to follow him for the loaves), we shall be found strangers to him, when we think we are in a better state and condition.
(2.) Without this, no man can secure his love and faith from being selfish, or from beginning and ending in self. For if we regard only those things whereof we have advantage, so that we may have our sin pardoned, our iniquities done away, and our souls saved, we would not care whether there were a Christ to trust in or no. But as this tends not to the glory of God, so neither will it tend to the advantage of our own souls. So that if we intend any interest in Christ, we must begin with his person, and the knowledge of it: “Thou art fairer than the children of men.”