I beseech you in matters of salvation stand not on terms. Let us take truth from Christ, let us see God and Christ in it, see our own comfort in it, not stand upon persons. Aquila and ⟨p. 60⟩Priscilla teach the great men knowledge. And so it is; sometimes mean persons are honoured to be instruments of great comforts to persons greater then themselves. She is to go to the Apostles under the name of Brethren, Go tell my Brethren. And she must go to the Apostles that were Christs Brethren, and owned to be so, now when he was in glory, when he was risen, and exempt from all his former abasements of the Cross and grave, where he was held captive, three days under the dominion of 1sin; when he was freed from all enemies of salvation, and had triumphed over all. Go tell my Brethren. So you see there is a sweet affinity and nearness between Christ and his. Christ took our nature on him for this end, he became flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, that we spiritually might be flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. It is no comfort at all, an inducing comfort it is, but no actual present comfort, that Christ was incarnate for us; for all the world might have comfort in that, Turks, Jews, Pagans, that had the nature ⟨p. 61⟩of man in them. And all have some comfort in it, as their nature is dignified, and that he took not on him the nature of Angels, but the nature of man, his spouse, his Church it is, that hath the comfort of it. Therefore it is not sufficient, that he be bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh; but we must be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. We must be engrafted, and baptized into him by faith, and then the term holdeth, and never till then, so that there is a sweet nearness betwixt Christ and his. Brother is a 2most comfortable relation. It is comfort that he took our nature upon him, that God would take dust and ashes, earth into the unity of his person, for God to become man is a great dignifying of mans nature; but to take not only our nature on him; but to take our person particularly near to him, thou, and thou to be a Member of Christ, there is the honour of it. It induceth us to come to Christ that hath loved our nature so much. But the other is an actual present comfort, when we can say, I am my Beloveds, & my Beloved is mine.
I beseech you in matters of salvation stand not on tearms. Let us take truth from Christ, let us see God and Christ in it, see our own comfort in it, not stand upon persons. Aquila and ⟨p. 60⟩Priscilla teach the great men knowledg. And so it is; sometimes mean persons are honored to be instruments of great comforts to persons greater then themselves. She is to go to the Apostles under the name of Brethren, Go tell my Brethren. And she must go to the Apostles that were Christs Brethren, and owned to be so, now when he was in glory, when he was risen, and exempt from all his former abasements of the Crosse and grave, where he was held captive, three dayes under the dominion of 1sin; when he was freed from all enemies of salvation, and had triumphed over all. Go tell my Brethren. So you see there is a sweet affinity and nearness between Christ and his. Christ took our nature on him for this end, he became flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, that we spiritually might be flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. It is no comfort at all, an inducing comfort it is, but no actuall present comfort, that Christ was incarnate for us; for all the world might have comfort in that, Turks, Jews, Pagans, that had the nature ⟨p. 61⟩of man in them. And all have some comfort in it, as their nature is dignified, and that he took not on him the nature of Angels, but the nature of man, his spouse, his Church it is, that hath the comfort of it. Therefore it is not sufficient, that he be bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh; but we must be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. We must be ingraffed, and baptized into him by faith, and then the tearm holdeth, and never till then, so that there is a sweet nearness betwixt Christ and his. Brother is a 2most comfortable relation. It is comfort that he took our nature upon him, that God would take dust and ashes, earth into the unity of his person, for God to become man is a great dignifying of mans nature; but to take not only our nature on him; but to take our person particularly near to him, thou, and thou to be a Member of Christ, there is the honor of it. It induceth us to come to Christ that hath loved our nature so much. But the other is an actual present comfort, when we can say, I am my Beloveds, & my Beloved is mine.
- 1Christ ascended into glory, forgets not his people in debasement.
- 2It is the highest honour to be a member of Christ.It is the high•st honor to be a member of Christ.
