BOOK 1. THE SUBJECT.
CHAPTER 3.
1.3.5. Motives from our Wants, in Case of Neglect.
To quicken us to this duty; I shall propound some moving considerations: ponder and weigh them with an impartial judgment. Who knows, but through the assistance of Christ, they may prove effectual with your hearts, and make you to resolve upon this excellent duty of looking unto Jesus.
Consider, our wants, in case of our neglect.
Our Wants.
For our wants. If Christ be not in view there is nothing but wants. Suppose first a Christless soul, a poor creature, without any beam ray of this Sun of righteousness, in what sad condition is he in? I may say of such a one, that--
1. He is without light. There is no oil of saving knowledge, no star of spiritual light arising in his soul, "Ye were once darkness," Eph. v. 8. saith the apostle to his Ephesians: not only dark, but darkness itself; they were wholly dark, universally dark, having no mixture nor glimpse, (whilst without Christ) of spiritual light in them. Of such carnal wretches, saith our Saviour, "They have not known the Father, nor me," John xvi. 3. They have not known the Father in his word, nor me in my nature, offices, sufferings, exaltations, communications. Very miserable is the carnal man's ignorance of God and Christ, he hath no saving knowledge of Jesus.
2. Such an one is without grace, without holiness, Christ is our wisdom and sanctification, as well as righteousness and redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30. Where Christ is not, there is no spiritual wisdom, no inclination to the ways and works of sanctification.
3. Such an one is without contentment; the soul in this case finds nothing but emptiness and vanity in the greatest abundance. Let a man have what the world can give; yet, if he have not Christ, he is nothing worth. Christ is the marrow and fatness, the fulness and sweetness of all our endowments: separate Christ from them, and they are bitter, and do not please us; empty and do not fill us.
4. Such an one is without any spiritual beauty, "There is nothing in him but sores and swellings, and wounds and putrefaction," Isa. i. 6. From the sole of his foot, to the crown of his head, there is nothing in him, but loathsome and incurable maladies. Hence the greatest sinner is the foulest monster. Bodily beauty without Christ is but as green grass upon a rotten grave. Did man see his uncomeliness and deformity without Jesus Christ, he would stile himself, as the prophet stiled Pashur, Magor-misabib , "Fear round about," every Way a terror to himself, Jer. xx. 3.
5. Such an one is without peace. There is no true, spiritual heavenly peace, no joy and peace in the Holy Ghost, without Jesus Christ. Joram asking Jehu, "Is it peace?" was answered, "What hast thou to do with peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel, and her witchcrafts are so many?" 2 Kings ix. 22. A Christless man asking, Is it peace, O messenger of God? He can look for no other but Jehu's ansAver, What hast thou to do, O carnal man, with peace, so long as thy lusts are so strong within thee, and thy estrangements from the prince of peace so great? The soul that is without Jesus Christ, is an enemy to the God of peace, a stranger to the covenant of peace, uncapable of the word of peace, an alien to the way of peace, "There is no peace to the wicked, saith my God," Isa. lvii. 21.
6. Such an one is without acceptation with God the Father, Christ only is God's beloved, and therefore, as Joseph's brethren might not look him in the face, unless they brought their brother Benjamin, so cannot we look God in the face with any confidence or acceptance, unless we bring Christ with us in the arms of our faith. Without Christ man is stubble, and God is a consuming fire to destroy him; man is a guilty malefactor, and God is a severe judge to condemn him; the whole of man without Jesus Christ is a very abomination in God's presence.
7. Such an one is without life; "He that hath not the Son, hath not life," saith John, 1 John v. 12. Christ lives not in that soul; it is a dead soul, "dead in sins and trespasses," Eph. ii. 1. As the dead see nothing of all that sweet and glorious light which the sun casts forth upon them, so the dead in sin have no comfortable apprehension of Christ, though he shine in the gospel mose gloriously than the sun at noon. And as "the dead know not anything," Eccl. ix. 5. so the dead in sin know nothing at all of the wisdom of Christ guiding them, or of the holiness of Christ sanctifying them, or of the fulness of Christ satisfying them, or of the death of Christ mortifying their lusts, or of the resurrection of Christ quickening their souls, or of the dominion of Christ's reigning in their hearts. O what a misery is this!
All this you may say it is true to a Christless soul, but what evil to him that may have a title to Christ, and yet minds not Christ, makes not use of Christ, doth not look unto Jesus?
Such a case I confess may be. Yea, as many duties are neglected by some godly, so this main duty is (I may tremble to think it) exceedingly neglected. But, O! the sin and sadness of those souls! O the wants attending such poor creatures! consider them in these particulars;
1. They have not that wisdom, knowledge, discerning of Christ, as otherwise they might have by looking and serious observing of Christ, we gain more and more knowledge of Christ, but if we will not look, how should we understand those great mysteries of grace? Nor speak I only of speculative knowledge, but more especially of practical and experimental, without looking on Christ, we cannot expect that virtue should go out of Christ; there is but a poor character or cognizance of Christ upon them that are such; they have not so clear, and comfortable, and inward, and experimental a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2. They do not so taste the goodness of Christ, as otherwise they might, Christ is no other unto them, whilst neglected by them, but as an eclipsed star, with whose light they are not at all affected: Christ is not sweet to them in his ordinances, they find not in them that delight and refreshment, that comfort and contentment which they usually minister. They cannot say of Christ, as the spouse did. Cant, ii. 3, "I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." They are in the case of Barzillai, who could not taste what he did eat, or what he did drink, nor could hear any more the voice of singing-men, or of singing-women: so they cannot taste the things of God, nor hear the spiritual melody, which Christ makes to the souls of them that look up to him.
3. They have not that love to Christ which Christ's beholders have; they meditate not upon Christ as lovers on their love; they delight not themselves in Christ, as the rich man in his treasure, and the bride in the bridegroom which they love; their thoughts are rather on the world than Christ; their palates are so distempered, that they have no pleasure in the choicest wine, they cannot say. That their souls long after him; and no wonder, for how should they love Christ, who turn their eyes from him; who is the fairest of ten thousands to other objects? Surely they have no flaming burning love to Christ, that will give every base thing a kind of pre-eminence above Christ.
4. They have not that sense of Christ's love which those that exercise this duty have. Whilst the soul neglects Christ, it cannot possibly discern the love of Christ; it perceives not Christ applying the doctrines of his love to the conscience: Christ appears not in his banquetlug-house, he enables not the soul to pray with confidence, he makes it not joyful in the house of prayer. And hence it is that such souls move so slowly in God's service; they are just like Pharaoh's chariots, without wheels. O they perceive not the love of Christ, either in the clear revelation of his secrets, or in the free communication of his graces, or in the sanctifying and sweetening of their trials, or in sealing up the pardon of their sins: O they feel not those ravishing comforts which usually Christ speaks to the heart, when he speaks from his heart in love, O the want l O the misery of this want!
5. They have not that experience of the power of Christ, which they have, that are in the exercise of this duty. Would you know wherein lies the power of Christ? I answer, in casting down the strong holds of sin, in overthrowing Satan, in humbling men's hearts, in sanctifying their souls, in purifying their consciences, in bringing their thoughts to the obedience of Christ, in making them able to endure afflictions, in causing them to grow and increase in all heavenly graces: and this power we partake of, who rightly and experimentally look up to Christ* But if this duty be neglected, there is no such thing; hence we call tins, the duty of duties, the chief duty, the especial duty; and for all other duties, means, ordinances, if Christ be not in them, they are nothing worth. In every duty this is the essential part; that we look through all unto Jesus: it is only from Christ that virtue, and efficacy is communicated in spiritual ordinances. There were many people in a throng about Christ, but the infirm woman that touched him, was she alone that felt efficacy come from him; w T e see many attend the ordinances, frequent the assemblies, but some few only find the inward power of Christ derived unto their souls. They that neglect, or are grossly ignorant of this great mystery of looking unto Jesus, arena better than strangers to the power of Christ.
6. They have not that sense of the worth and excellency of Christ, that are unacquainted with this duty; they are not so ravished with his beauty, they are not so taken with the sweetness and pleasantness of the face of Christ; lie is not the fairest of ten thousands in their eyes; and hence it is that they do not pleasure, long after, delight or joy themselves in Christ, indeed these affections are the evidences of our high esteem; they that rejoice not in Christ, nor have any longings after Christ, they put a very unworthy price upon Christ.
7. They have not that sense either of their own wants, or the world's vanity, who are not in the practice of this duty. In this glass we see that man is blind, and no sun but .Christ can enlighten him; that man is naked, and no garment but Christ's can clothe him; that man is poor, and no treasure but Christ can enrich him; that man is indebted, and none but Christ can make satisfaction for him; that man is empty, and none but Christ can fill him; that man is distressed, perplexed, tormented, and none but Christ can quiet him. Why all this, and much more than this appears in this glass of Jesus. The soul that looks here cannot but comprehend an end of all other perfection; yea, the further it looks on the creature, the deeper and deeper vanities it discerns. But, Alas! there is no observation, no sense, no feeling, either of man's wants, or of the world's vanity, or of any suitable good in Christ to them that are not in this divine and spiritual contemplation.
Thus far of their wants that neglect this duty of looking unto Jesus.