BOOK 4. THE INCARNATION.
CHAPTER 2.
4.2.3. Of Desiring after Jesus in that Respect.
Of Desiring after Jesus in that Respect.
Let us desire after Jesus, carrying on the great work of our salvation at his first coming, or incarnation. It is not enough to know, and consider, but we must desire. "Now, what is desire, but a certain notion of the appetite, by which the soul darts itself towards the absent good, purposely to draw near, and unite itself thereunto?" The incarnation of Christ according to the latter, was the desire of all nations; so the prophet, "I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come," Hag. ii. 7. O how they that lived before Christ, desired after this coming! Abraham desired to see my day, two thousand years and more before it came: it was the expectation of all the patriarchs, "O when will that day come?" And surely the incarnation of Christ in the fruit, or efficacy, or application, is, or should be the desire of all Christians. There is merit and virtue in Jesus Christ, in every passage of Christ, in his conception, incarnation, in his birth, and in those consequents after his birth; now to make these ours, that we may have our share, and part, and interest in them, we must here begin; O my soul, do thou desire, do thou seek to possess thyself of Christ, set thy desire (as the needle point) aright, and all the rest will follow: never will union be with the absent good, but the soul by desire must dart itself towards it: true it is, and pity it is, millions of souls stand at a distance from Jesus Christ; and why? They have no desire towards him: but, O that my soul, and thy soul (whosoever thou art that readest) would desire! O that we could desire, and long after him until we languish, and be compelled to cry out with the spouse, "Stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love," Cant. ii. 5.
Is there not good reason for it? What is there in Christ that is not desirable? View over all those excellencies of his conception; of his two natures, really distinguished, and yet wonderfully united; of his birth, of those few consequents after his birth; but above all, see the fruit of all; he was conceived that our conceptions might be sanctified; he was the Son of man, that he might suffer for us, and the Son of God, that he might satisfy divine justice: he was God and man in one person, that ye might be one with him, "Members of his body, and of his flesh, and of his bones," Eph. v, 30. He was born of the virgin, that there might be a spiritual conception and birth of Christ in our virgin-hearts; or he was conceived and born, that we might conceive the grace of Christ in our hearts, and bring it forth in our lives! what! are not these desirable things? Never tell me of thy present enjoyments, for never was Christ so enjoyed in this life, but thou hast cause to desire yet more of Christ: it is worth thy observation. That "spiritual desires after Christ, do neither load nor cloy the heart, but rather open, and enlarge it for more and more." Who was better acquainted with God than Moses? And yet, who was more importunate to know him better? "I beseech thee, show me thy glory," Exod. xxxiii. 18. And who was more acquainted with Christ than Paul? And yet, who was more importunate to be with him nearer? "I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ," Phil. i. 23. Further, and further union with Christ, and communion with Christ are most desirable things, and are not these the fruits of his incarnation? The effects of his hypostatical personal union? More and more peace, and love, and reconciliation betwixt God and us, are desirable things; and are not these the fruits of Christ's birth, the effects of his budding out of the earth? Was it not then, "That righteousness looked down from heaven? That mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other?" An higher degree of holiness, sanctification, likeness to God and Christ are desirable things; and are not these the fruits of his circumcision, and presentation to the Lord? The effects of all those consequents that follow after his birth? Come, soul, and stir up thy desires, true desires are not wavering and dull, but resolute and full of quickness; observe how the nature of true desires in scripture is set forth by the most pathetical and strong similitudes of hunger, and thirst, and those not common neither, but by "the panting of a tired hart after the rivers of waters, and by the gaping of dry ground after some seasonable showers." O then how is it that the passages of thy desires are so narrow, and almost shut up: nay, how, is it that thy vessels are so full of contrary qualities, that there is scarce any room in thy soul for Christ, and all his train? Will not the desires of the patriarchs witness against thee? How cried they after Christ's coming in the flesh. "Bow the heavens, O Lord, and come down," Psal. cxliv. 5. "Oh that thou wouldest rent the heavens, that thou wouidest come down," Isa. lxiv 1. "Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness, let the earth open and bring forth salvation," Isa. xlv. 8. Is it possible that their desires should be more vehement after Christ than ours? They lived on the dark side of the cloud, but we on the bright side; the veil was upon their hearts, which veil is done away in Christ; they saw Christ afar off, and their sight was very dim and dark; "But we all, with open face, as in a glass, behold the glory of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18. One would think the less anything is known, the less it should be desired; O my soul, either thou art more ignorant of Christ than the patriarchs of old, or thy heart is more out of frame than theirs; suspect the latter, and blame thy heart; may be thy turbid and sluggish nature hath laid thy desires asleep: if an hungry man will sleep, his hunger will sleep with him; but O stir up, and awake thy desires! present before them that glorious object. "the incarnation of Jesus Christ;" it is an object which the very angels desire to look into, and art not thou more concerned in it than the angels? Is pot the fruit of the incarnation thine, more especially thine? Come then, stir up those motions of thy appetite, by which the soul darts itself towards the absent good, draw nearer, and nearer, till thou comest to union and enjoyment; cry after Christ, "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?" Judges v. 28.