And this fulness is for¹⁰ Believers: Christ is Communis Thesaurus (as Luther saith) a common Treasury or Magazine for the Saints, Ioh. 1. 16. Of his fulness have we all received; Set a glass under a Still, and it receives water out of the Still drop by drop: So those who are united to Christ, have the dews and drops of his grace distilling upon¹¹ them: Well then, may Christ be admired of all them that believe.

Use 1.¹² Is a godly man an high prizer of Christ, then what is to be thought of them who do not put a value upon Christ, are they godly or no? There are four sorts of persons who do not prize Christ.

1. The Iews. They believe not in Christ, 2 Cor. 3. 15. Unto this day the vail is upon their heart: They expect their saeculum futurum, a Messiah yet to come, as their own Talmud reports: they blaspheme Christ, they slight righteousness imputed: They despise the Virgin Mary, calling her in derision Marah, which signifieth bitterness: They vilifie the¹³Gospel; they deny the Christian Sabbath; they have the Christians in abomination; they hold it not lawful for a Jew to take physick of a Christian. Schecardus relates of one Bendema a Jew, that being stung with a Serpent, a Christian came to heal him, but he refused his help, and chose rather to die, than to be healed by a Christian: So do the Iews hate Christ, and all that wear his Livery.

2. The Socinians, who acknowledge only Christs Humanity: this is to make him below the Angels; for the Humane Nature simply considered, is inferiour to the Angelical, Psa. 8. 5.

3. Proud Professors; who do not lay the whole stress of their Salvation upon Christ, but would mingle their dross with his gold, their duties with his Merits; this is to steal a Jewel from Christs Crown, and implicitly to deny him to be a perfect Saviour.

4. Airy Speculatists; who prefer the study of the Arts and Sciences before Christ; not but that the knowledge of these is commendable: Moses was skill’d in all the knowledge of the Egyptians, Acts 7. 22. Humane Learning is of good use to prepare for the study of better things; as a courser dye prepares the cloath for a richer and a deeper dye: but the fault is, when the study of Christ is neglected: The knowledge of Christ ought to have the preheminence: It was not sure without a Mystery, that God suffered all Solomons writings about birds and plants to be lost; but what he wrote about spiritual wisdome, hath been miraculously preserved; as if God would teach us, that to know Christ (the true¹⁴ Wisdom) is the Crowning Knowledg: One leaf of this Tree of Life, will give us more comfort on a death-bed, than the whole Idea and plat-form of Humane Science: What is it to know all the motions of the Orbs; and influences of the Stars, and in the mean time to be ignorant of Christ, the bright Morning Star? Rev. 22. 16. What is it to understand the nature of Minerals, or precious stones, and not to know Christ the true Corner-stone? Isa. 28. 16. ‘Tis an undervaluing, yea despising of Christ, when with the load-stone we draw iron, and straw to us, but neglect him who hath tryed gold to bestow upon us, Rev. 3. 18.

Use 2.¹⁵ Is it the sign of a godly person to be a Christ-prizer? then let us try our godliness by this: Do we set an high estimation upon Christ?

Quest. How shall we know that?

Answ. 1. If we are prizers of Christ, then we prefer him in our judgements before other things: We value Christ above honor and riches; the Pearl of Price lies neerest our heart: He who prizeth Christ, esteems the gleanings of Christ better than the worlds Vintage: He counts the worst things of Christ better than the best things of the world, Heb. 11. 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches, than the treasures in Egypt. And is it thus with us? Is the price of worldly things fallen? Gregory Nazianzene did solemnly bless God, that he had any thing to lose for Christs (Naz) sake But alas, how few Nazianzenes are to be found: You shall hear some say, they have honourable thoughts of Christ, but they prize their Land and Estate above him. The young man in the Gospel preferred his bags of gold before Christ: Iudas valued thirty pieces of silver above him: May it not be feared, if an hour of tryal come, there are many would rather renounce their Baptisme, and throw off Christs Livery, than hazard the loss of their earthly possessions for him.

2. If we are prizers of Christ, we cannot live without him; things which we value, we know not how to be without: A man may live without musick, but not without food. A Childe of God can want health and friends, but he cannot want Christ: In the absence of Christ he saith as Iob, I went mourning without the Sun, Iob 30. 28. I have the star-light of creature-comforts, but I want the Sun of Righteousness. Give me Children (said Rachel) or I die, Gen. 30. 1. So saith the Soul, Lord give me Christ, or I die; one drop of the Water of Life to quench my thirst: Let us try by this, do they prize Christ, who can make a shift well enough to be without him? Give a childe a rattle, and it will not mind gold: If men have but worldly accommodations, corn and wine, they can be well enough content without Christ: Christ is a Spiritual Rock, 1 Cor. 10. 4. Let men have but oyl in the cruse, they care not for honey out of this Rock: If their Trading be gone, they complain, but if God takes away the Gospel, which is the Ark wherein Christ the Manna is hid, they are quiet and tame enough: Do these prize Christ, who can sit down content without him?

3. If we are prizers of Christ, then we shall not grutch at any pains to get (Plut) him. He who prizeth gold, will dig for it in the Mine, Psa. 63. 8. My Soul followeth hard after God. Plutarch reports of the Gauls, an antient people in France, after they had tasted the sweet wine of the Italian Grape, they enquired after the country, and never rested till they had arrived at it. He in whose eye Christ is precious, never rests till he hath gotten Christ, Cant. 3. 1, 2, 4. I sought him whom my soul loveth, I held him, and would no[…] let him go.

Try by this! Many say they have Christ in high Veneration, but they are not industrious in the use of means to obtain him. If Christ would drop as a ripe fig into their mouth, they could be content to have him, but they will not put themselves to too much trouble to get him: Doth he prize his health, who will not put himself upon physick or exercise?

4. If we are prizers of Christ, then we take much complacency in Christ: What joy doth a man take in that which he counts his treasure? He who prizeth Christ, makes him the Head of his joy: He can delight in Christ, when other delights are gone, Hab. 3. 17. Though the fig-tree doth not flourish, yet I will rejoyce in the Lord. Though a flower in a mans garden die, yet he can delight in his money and Jewels: He who esteems Christ, can solace himself in Christ, when there is an Autumn upon all other comforts.

5. If we are prizers of Christ, then we will part with our dearest lusts for him. Paul saith of the Galathians, they did so esteem him, that they were ready to have pulled out their own eyes, and have given him, Gal. 4, 15. He who esteems Christ, will pull out that lust, which is his right eye. A wise man will throw away a poyson for a cordial: He who sets an high value upon Christ, will part with his pride, unjust gain, sinful (Isaiah 30. 22) fashions: He will set his feet upon the neck of his sins.

Try by this! How can they be said to prize Christ, who will not leave a vanity for him? Not a spot in the face, not an oath, not an intemperate cup: What a scorn and contempt do they put upon the Lord Jesus, who prefer a damning lust, before a saving Christ.

6. If we are prizers of Christ, we shall think we cannot have him at too dear a rate. We may buy gold too dear, but we cannot purchase Christ too dear: Though we part with our bloud for him, it is no dear bargain: The Apostles rejoyced that they were graced so much, as to be disgraced for Christ, Act. 5. 41. They esteemed their fetters more precious than bracelets of gold: Let not him say he prizeth Christ, who refuseth to bear his Cross, Mat. 13. 21. When persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended.

7. If we are prizers of Christ, we will be willing to help others to a part in him; that which we esteem excellent, we are desirous our friend should have a share in: If a man hath found a Spring of water, he will call others that they may drink, and satisfie their thirst. Do we commend Christ to others? Do we take them by the hand, and lead them to Christ? This shows how few prize Christ, because they strive no more that their Relations should have a part in him: They get land and riches for their posterity, but have no care to leave them the Pearl of Price for their portion.

8. If we are prizers of Christ, then we prize him in health as well as in sickness; when we are inlarged, as well as when we are straitned: A friend is prized at all times· the Rose of Sharon is always sweet: He who values his Saviour aright, hath as precious thoughts of him in a day of prosperity, as in a day of adversity: The wicked make use of Christ, only when they are in straits; as the Elders of Gilead went to Ieptha when they were in distress, Iudg. 11. 7. Themistocies complained of the Athenians, that they ran to him but as to a Tree, to shelter them in a storm: Sinners desire Christ only for a shelter: The Hebrews never chose their Judges, but when they were in some imminent¹⁶ dangers: Godless persons never look after Christ, but at death, when they are in danger of hell.

Use 3. As we would evidence to the world that we have the impress of godliness on us,¹⁷ let us be prizers of Jesus Christ; he is Elect, Precious; Christ is the wonder of beauty: Pliny saith of the Mulberry Tree, there is nothing in it, but what is medicinable and useful, the fruit, leaves, bark: So there is nothing in Christ, but what is precious; his Name is precious, his Virtues precious, his bloud precious. —Et precium mundi sanguiser at Domini—

Oh then let us have endearing thoughts of Christ; let him be accounted our chief treasure and delight: This is the reason why millions perish, because they do not prize Christ: Christ is the door by which men are to enter into heaven, Iohn 10. 9. If they do not know this door, or are so proud that they will not stoop to go in at i[…], how can they be saved? That we may have Christ-admiring thoughts: Let us consider,

1. We cannot prize Christ at too high a rate; we may prize other things above their worth; that is our sin, we commonly overrate the creature; we think there is more in it than there is; therefore God withers our gourd, because we over-prize it: But we cannot raise our esteem high enough of Christ, he is beyond all value: There is no Ruby or Diamond but the Jeweller can set a just price upon it, he can say it is worth so much, and no more; but Christs worth can never be fully known: No Seraphim can set a due value on him; his are unsearchable riches, Eph. 3. 8. Christ is more precious than the Soul, than the Angels, than¹⁸ Heaven.

2. Jesus Christ hath highly prized us; he took our flesh upon him, Heb. 2. 16. He made his Soul an offering for us, Isa. 53. 10: How precious was our Salvation to Christ? Shall not we prize and adore him, who hath put such a value upon us?

3. Not to prize Christ is high imprudence; Christ is our Guide to Glory; ‘tis folly for a man to slight his Guide; he is our Physitian, Mal. 4. 2. ‘Tis folly to despise our Physitian.

What, to set light by Christ for things of no value? Mat. 23. 17. Ye fools and blind. How is a fool tryed, but by showing him an Apple, and a piece of Gold, if he chuse the Apple before the Gold, he is judged to be a fool, and his Estate is begged: How many such Ideots are there, who prefer Husks before Manna, the gaudy empty things of this life, before the Prince of Glory, Will not Satan beg them at last for fools?

4. Such as slight Christ now, and say, There is no beauty in him that he should be (Isa 53. 2) desired: There is a day shortly coming, when Christ will as much slight them; he will set as light by them, as they do by him; he will say, I know you not, Luk. 13. 27. What a slighting word will that be, when men shall cry, Lord Jesus save us, and he shall say, I was offered to you, but you would none of¹⁹ me; you scorned me, and now I will set light by you, and your Salvation; Depart from me, I know you not. This is all that sinners get by rejecting the Lord of Life: Christ will slight them at the day of Judgement, who have slighted him in the day of Grace.

Footnotes

1. 7 Character. ↩

2. 1. Cor. 1. 5.
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3. […]. Origen. Cont Cels. ↩

4. Hic est in cujus typo immolabatur agnus, qui non solum suo sanguine nos redemit, sed & lanis over[…]it. Hierom. ↩

5. Per has demas lateran Christi licet […] sugere men de Petra. […]ern. ↩

6. Accinges. Arias Mont. ↩

7. […]. ↩

8. […]. Theophilact. ↩

9. […]. ↩

10. […]. ↩

11. Communio fundatur in unione. ↩

12. Vse 1. ↩

13. Evangelium vocant avengelaion. ↩

14. Pro. […]. 12. ↩

15. Vse 2. of Tryal. ↩

16. Godw. Iew. Antiq. ↩

17. Use 3. of Exhort. ↩

18. Si tanti vitreum? quanti verum Margaritum? Tertull. ↩

19. […]sa. 81. 11. ↩