A77593:1125
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
Ton anexichniaston plouton [sic] tou Christou. The unsearchable riches of Christ. Or, Meat for strong men. Milk [for] babes. Held for th in twenty-two sermons from Ephesians 3.8. By Thomas Brooks, preacher of the Word at Margarets New-Fishstreet.Ton anexichniaston plouton [sic] tou Christou. The unsearchable riches of Christ. Or, Meat for strong men. Milke [for] babes. Held for th in twenty-two sermons from Ephesians 3.8. By Thomas Brookes, preacher of the Word at Margarets New-Fishstreet.
London: printed by Mary Simmons for John Hancock, 1655
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And the first is, His uncrowning himself, to Crown his peoples faith. Christ doth often take the Crown off his own head, and puts it upon the head of faith, witness such passages as these (which are frequent in Scripture, Thy faith hath healed thee, Thy faith hath saved thee, Thy faith hath made thee whole, &c. Christ takes the Crown off his own head, and puts it upon the head of faith; and no wonder, for of all graces, faith takes the Crown off a mans own head, and puts it upon the head of Christ. Man naturally is apt to Crown any thing but Christ; he is apt to Crown his prayers, ⟨p. 257⟩and Crown his desires, and Crown his endeavours, &c. Oh but now faith acts like a King of Kings, and uncrowns all▪ and sets the Crown upon the head of Christ.
And the first is, His uncrowning himselfe, to Crowne his peoples faith. Christ doth often take the Crowne off his owne head, and puts it upon the head of faith, witnesse such passages as these (which are frequent in Scripture, Thy faith hath healed thee, Thy faith hath saved thee, Thy faith hath made thee whole, &c. Christ takes the Crowne off his owne head, and puts it upon the head of faith; and no wonder, for of all graces, faith takes the Crowne off a mans owne head, and puts it upon the head of Christ. Man naturally is apt to Crowne any thing but Christ; he is apt to Crowne his prayers, ⟨p. 257⟩and Crowne his desires, and Crowne his indeavours, &c. Oh but now faith acts like a King of Kings, and uncrownes all▪ and sets the Crowne upon the head of Christ.
And then a second thing that speaks out Christ to be most taken with the grace of faith, is this, That he overlooks all other graces in comparison of faith, as you may see in the Canaanite woman, Mat. 15. 21-29. The poor woman shows a great deal of compassion, a great deal of wisdom, a great deal of humility, a great deal of love, and a great deal of self-denial; but in the close saith Christ, O woman great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt. He doth not say, O woman great is thy love, nor O woman great is thy wisdom, nor O woman great is thy humility, and self-denial, nor O woman great is thy patience, &c. but O woman great is thy faith. He overlooks, as it were, all other graces, and sets the Crown upon the head of faith, O woman great is thy faith. So in