A85428:430
Christ Set Forth
Christ set forth in his [brace] death, resurrection, ascension, sitting at Gods right hand, intercession, [brace] as the [brace] cause of justification. Object of justifying faith. Upon Rom. 8. ver. 34. Together with a treatise discovering the affectionate tenderness of Christs heart now in heaven, unto sinners on earth. / By Tho: Goodwin, B.D.Christ set forth in his [brace] death, resurrection, ascension, sitting at Gods right hand, intercession, [brace] as the [brace] cause of justification. Object of justifying faith. Upon Rom. 8. ver. 34. Together with a treatise discovering the affectionate tendernesse of Christs heart now in heaven, unto sinners on earth. / By Tho: Goodwin, B.D.
London: printed by W.E. and J.G. for Robert Dawlman, 1642
THE HEART OF Christ in Heaven, TO Sinners on Earth. › Epigraph › Section 1: §. I.
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.
But secondly, what was Christs Heart most upon, in the midst of all these elevated meditations? Not upon his own glory so much, (though it is told us that he considered that, thereby the more to set out his love unto us) but upon these thoughts his Heart ran out in love towards, and was set upon his own, Having loved his own, says the 1. ver. [[Greek or Hebrew], his own] (a word denoting the greatest nearness, dearness, and intimateness founded upon propriety:) The Elect are Christs own, a piece of himself, not [[Greek or Hebrew]] as goods, (John 1. 11. He came unto [his own,] and [his own] received him not; [[Greek or Hebrew]] the word shows that he reckon them his own but as goods, not as persons) but he calls these here [Greek or Hebrew], his own by a nearer propriety, that is, his own children, his own members, his own wife, his own flesh: and he considers, that though he was to go out of the world, yet they were to be in the world; and therefore it is on purpose added, which were ⟨p. 8⟩in the world, that is, to remain in this world. He had others of his own who were in that world unto which he was going, even the spirits of just men made perfect, (whom as yet he had never seen.) One would think, that when he was meditating upon his going out of this world, his heart should be all upon Abraham, his Isaacs, and his Jacobs, whom he was going to; no, he takes more care for his own, who were to remain here in this world, a world wherein there is much evil, (as himself says, John 17. 15.) both of sin and misery, and with which, themselves whilst in it, could not but be defiled and vexed. This is it which draws out his bowels towards them, even at that time when his heart was full of the thoughts of his own glory: Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end. Which is spoken, to show the constancy of his love, and what it would be when Christ should be in his glory. [To the end] that is, to the perfection of it, [Greek or Hebrew], says Chrysostom: having begun to love them, he vvill perfect and consummate his love to them. And to the end, that is, [forever;] So in the Greek [Greek or Hebrew] is sometimes used, and so by the Evangelist the phrase is here used in a suitableness to the Scripture phrase, Psal. 103. 9. He will not always chide, nor reserve anger [for ever;]