In that appearance of the Most High, the Ancient of days;' Dan. vii. 9. it is said, his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head as pure wool.' And of Christ in his transfiguration, when he had on him a mighty lustre of the Deity, his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light;' Matt. xvii. 2. which, in the phrase of another evangelist, is, as white as snow, so as no fuller on earth could white them;' Mark ix. 3. It was a divine, heavenly, surpassing glory, that was upon him; Rev. i. 14. Hence the angels and glorified saints, that always behold him, and are fully translated into the image of the same glory, are still said to be in white robes. His whiteness is his Deity, and the glory thereof. And on this account, the Chaldee paraphrast ascribes this whole passage unto God. "They say,' saith he, to the house of Israel, Who is the God whom thou wilt serve? &c. Then began the congregation of Israel to declare the praises of the ruler of the world, and said, I will serve that God who is clothed in a garment white as snow, the splendour of the glory of whose countenance is as fire.' He is also ruddy in the beauty of his humanity; man was called Adam from the red earth whereof he was made. The word here used points him out as the second Adam, partaker of flesh and blood; because the children also partook of the same; Heb. ii. 14. The beauty and comeliness of the Lord Jesus in the union of both these in one person, shall afterward be declared.

2dly. He is white in the beauty of his innocency and holiness, and ruddy in the blood of his oblation. Whiteness is the badge of innocency and holiness. It is said of the Nazarites for their typical holiness, They were purer than snow, and whiter than milk;'. Lam. iv. 7. And the prophet shews us, that scarlet, red, and crimson, are the colours of sin and guilt, whiteness of innocency;h Isa. i. 18. 'Our beloved was a lamb without spot or blemish;' 1 Pet. i. 18. He did no sin, neither was there any guile found in his mouth;' 1 Pet. ii. 22. He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners; Heb. vii. 24. as afterward will appear; and

Rev. iii. 4, 5. vi. 11. vii. 9. 13. xix. 14.

דודי צח ואדום 8

h Alii candidum exponunt esse puris et probis, rubrum et cruentum reprobis ad eos puniendos ut Isa. Ixiii. dicitur. Cur rubent vestimenta tua, quod

nostri minus recte de Christi passione exponunt. Merc. in Loc.

yet he, who was so white in his innocency, was made ruddy in his own blood; and that two ways: Naturally, in the pouring out of his blood (his precious blood), in that agony of his soul, when thick drops of blood trickled to the ground; Luke xxii. 24. as also when the whips and thorns, nails and spears, poured it out abundantly; there came forth blood and water;' John xix. 34. he was ruddy by being drenched all over in his own blood. And morally, by the imputation of sin, whose colour is red and crimson. ‘God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;' 2 Cor. v. 21. He who was white, became ruddy for our sakes, pouring out his blood, an oblation for sin. This also renders him graceful; by his whiteness, he fulfilled the law, by his redness he satisfied justice: this is our beloved, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.'

3dly. His endearing excellency in the administration of his kingdom, is hereby also expressed. He is white in love and mercy unto his own; red with justice and revenge towards his enemies; Isa, lxiii. 3. Rev. xix. 13.

There are three things in general, wherein this personal excellency and grace of the Lord Christ doth consist.

(1st.) His fitness to save, from the grace of union, and the proper necessary effects thereof.

(2dly.) His'fulness to save, from the grace of communion: or the free consequences of the grace of union.

(3dly.) His excellency to endear, from his complete suitableness to all the wants of the souls of men.

(1st.) His fitness to save. His being ikavòs, a fit Saviour suited to the work ; and this, I say, is from his grace of union. The uniting of the natures of God and man in one person, made him fit to be a Saviour to the uttermost. He lays his hand upon God by partaking of his nature; Zech. xiii. 7. and he lays his hand upon us, by being partaker of our nature; Heb. ii. 14. 16. and so becomes a days-man or umpire between both. By this means, he fills up all the distance that was made by sin, between God and us, and we who were far off, are made nigh in him. Upon this account it was, that he had room enough in his breast to receive, and power enough in his spirit to bear all the wrath that

i Rev. vi. 2.

was prepared for us, Sin was infinite only in respect of the object, and punishment was infinite in respect of the subject. This ariseth from his union.

Union is the conjunction of the two natures of God and man in one person; John i. 14. Isa. ix. 6. Rom. i. 3. ix. 5. the necessary consequences whereof are,

[1st.] The subsistence of the human nature in the person of the Son of God, having no subsistence of its own; Luke i. 35. 1 Tim. iii. 16.

[2dly.] Kowvwvía idiwμárov, that communication of attributes in the person, whereby the properties of either nature are promiscuously spoken of the person of Christ, under what name soever, of God or man, he be spoken of; Acts xx. 28. iii. 21.

[3dly.] The execution of his office of mediation in his single person, in respect of both natures: wherein is considerable ó évεpywv, 'the agent,' Christ himself, God and man; 1st. He is the principium quo, žvepуNTIKòv; the principle that gives life and efficacy to the whole work. And then, 2dly. the principium quod; that which operates, which is both natures distinctly considered. 3dly. The ἐνέργεια, οι δραστικὴ τῆς φύσεως κίνησις ; the effectual working itself of each nature. And, lastly, the έvépynμa or añоτéλɛσμа, the effect produced, which ariseth from all, and relates to them all; so resolving the excellency I speak of, into his personal union.

(2dly.) His fulness to save, from the grace of communion, or the effects of his union which are free, and consequences of it; which is all the furniture that he received from the Father by the unction of the Spirit, for the work of our salvation. He is able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God by him;' Heb. vii. 26. having all fulness unto this end communicated unto him: for it pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell;' Col. i. 19. 'and 'he received not the Spirit by measure;' John iii. 34. and from this fulness, he makes out a suitable supply unto all that are his: grace for grace;' John i. 16. Had it been given to him by measure we had exhausted it.

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(3dly.) His excellency to endear, from his complete suitableness to all the wants of the souls of men.

There is no man whatever that hath any want in reference unto the things of God, but Christ will be unto him that which he

wants: I speak of those who are given him of his Father. Is he dead? Christ is life. Is he weak? Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Hath he the sense of guilt upon him? Christ is complete righteousness; the Lord our righteousness. Many poor creatures are sensible of their wants, but know not where their remedy lies. Indeed, whether it be life or light, power or joy, all is wrapped up in him.

This then for the present may suffice in general to be spoken of the personal grace of the Lord Christ. He hath a fitness to save, having pity and ability, tenderness and power to carry on that work to the uttermost; and a fulness to save, of redemption and sanctification, of righteousness and the Spirit, and a suitableness to the wants of all our souls, whereby he becomes exceeding desirable, yea, altogether lovely, as afterward will appear in particular. And as to this in the first place, the saints have distinct fellowship with the Lord Christ, the manner whereof shall be declared in the ensuing chapter.

Only from this entrance that hath been made into the description of him with whom the saints have communion, some motives might be taken to stir us up thereunto, as also considerations to lay open the nakedness and insufficiency of all other ways and things, unto which men engage their thoughts and desires; something may be now proposed. The daughters of Jerusalem, ordinary common professors, having heard the spouse describing her beloved, Cant. v. 4. 10, &c. instantly are stirred up to seek him, together with her; chap. vi. 1. 'Whither is thy beloved turned aside, that we may seek him with thee?' What Paul says of them that crucified him, may be spoken of all that reject him, or refuse communion with him; had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:' did men know him, were they acquainted in any measure with him, they would not so reject the Lord of glory. Himself calls them simple ones, fools and scorners, that despise his gracious invitation; Prov. i. 24. There is none despise Christ, but only they that know him not; whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded that they should not behold his glory. The souls of men do naturally seek something to rest and repose them

Col. iii. 4. 1 Cor. i. 24. 30. Jer. xxiii. 6.

;

selves upon; something to satiate and delight themselves withal, with which they hold communion; and there are two ways whereby men proceed in the pursuit of what they so aim at. Some set before them some certain end; perhaps pleasure, profit, or, in religion itself, acceptance with God; others seek after some end, but without any certainty, pleasing themselves now with one path, now with another with various thoughts and ways like them, Isa. Ivii. 10. because something comes in by the life of the hand, they give not over though weary; in what condition soever you may be, either in greediness pursuing some certain end, be it secular or religious, or are wandering away in your own imaginations, wearying yourselves in the largeness of your ways, compare a little what you aim at, or what you do, with what you have already heard of Jesus Christ; if any thing you design be like to him, if any thing you desire be equal to him, let him be rejected as one that hath neither form nor comeliness in him; but if indeed all your ways be but vanity and vexation of spirit, in comparison of him, why do you spend your thoughts for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfies not?'

Use 1. You that are yet in the flower of your days, full of health and strength, and with all the vigour of your spirits, do pursue some one thing, some another, consider I pray, what are all your beloveds to this beloved? what have you gotten by them? let us see the peace, quietness, assurance of everlasting blessedness that they have given you? their paths are crooked paths, who ere goes in them shall not know peace. Behold here a fit object for your choicest affections; one in whom you may find rest to your souls; one in whom there is nothing will grieve and trouble you to eternity; behold he stands at the door of your souls and knocks: O reject him not, least you seek him and find him not; pray study him a little; you love him not because you know him not, why doth one of you spend his time in idleness and folly, and wasting of precious time, perhaps debauchedly; why doth another associate and assemble himself with them that scoff at religion and the things of God? merely because you know not our dear Lord Jesus. Oh when he shall reveal himself to you, and tell you he is Jesus whom you have slighted and refused, how will it break