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of Christ crucified in the history, but it is a serious looking into the mystery thereof. In Scripture phrase a man is said to know when he doth approve; approbation is put for knowledge : so at the last, Christ shall say, "Depart from me, for I never knew you;" that is, I never approved of you; knowledge being put for approbation. And so a man is said to know Christ crucified when he doth understand and know the mind and will of God the Father in that great mystery, and doth approve thereof.

In Scripture phrase, again, a man is said to know God, or know Christ, when he doth believe or repose in Christ: so, "This is life eternal, to know thee, and him whom thou hast sent;" that is, to believe, knowing being put for believing.

And in Scripture phrase a man is said to know, and to know Christ, when the power and the efficacy of the death of Christ is shed abroad into his heart, and upon his life; and so Paul speaking to the Philippians saith, " I count all things dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, that I may be conformed to his sufferings." So that I say, look when a man doth not only understand, but seriously look into, and consider this great mystery of Christ crucified, approve thereof, rest and repose upon this crucified Christ, having the power and efficacy of his death shed abroad into his heart and life, then he is said for to know Christ crucified truly and effectually. But then

Secondly, How may it appear, that it is our work, our great work, to know Christ crucified?

Why, if it be the work, and great work of preachers of the gospel, to preach Christ crucified; then it is our work, our great work, to know Christ crucified. Now, saith the apostle, in 1 Cor. i., "We preach Christ crucified, (that is our work, saith he,) the power of God, and the wisdom of God." When our Saviour Christ wrought any miracle, he said unto them, "Go, and see thou tellest no man;" but when he died and rose again, " Go, preach the gospel," saith he. And what doth the gospel hold forth but Christ crucified? What is the gospel but a dead Christ? and what is Christ but a living gospel? Now I say, that if it be the work of the preachers, their great work, to preach Christ crucified, then it is our work, and our great work, to know Christ crucified.

Look what that is, that all the ceremonics, sacrifices, and

types of the Old Testament, and all the ordinances of the New Testament do hold forth, that are we to know especially. Now what do all the sacrifices, all the types of the Old Testament hold forth, but Christ crucified; and what do all the ordinances of the New; what doth baptism; what doth preaching; what doth the Lord's Supper hold forth, but Christ crucified? Surely therefore this is our great work to know. But

If Christ crucified be the great and proper, and next object of our faith, then certainly it must needs be our special work and duty for to know Christ, and him crucified. Now Christ crucified is the proper object of our faith, and being opened and preached, will both beget and increase our faith. It is the object of our faith, and therefore, saith the apostle, Rom. iii. 25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood:" the blood and death and sufferings of Christ, is the next and immediate object of our faith. Four things there are that do bid for our faith, which men do ordinarily think we are to trust unto: the power of God, the promise of God, the personal excellencies and fulness of Christ, and their own graces. But though we do rest upon the power and all sufficiency of God, yet if you look into Scripture, you shall find that the immediate object of our faith is Christ crucified? God is the ultimate, Christ the immediate object, " Ye believe in God, believe also in me," John. xiv. 1., in me nextly and immediately, and in God ultimately and though we may and do rest on the promise or word of God, yet we do so far rest on it, as we do close with Christ therein: the promises are but the veins of Christ, whereby his blood is carried into all his body: it is with the promises as it is with the seals, or sacraments; for what are the sacraments, but so many real promises made to the eye? Now you do not rest on the sacrament itself, but you rest on Christ which the sacrament doth exhibit: so for the promise, though it stay up your heart, as it is the word of God; and though it be objectum quo, the object by which you do it, yet Christ, and a crucified Christ is the objectum quod, the object which you do rest upon. And as for the personal excellencies, and fulness of Christ, though those excellencies do draw out your love unto Christ, yet it is a crucified Christ that doth draw out your faith. The personal

excellency of Christ makes him a fit subject for you to rest on, but it is Christ crucified that you build and lay the weight of your soul upon. The brazen serpent did not cure the Israelites by virtue of its excellent metal, but as lifted up; so, saith Christ, shall the Son of man be lifted up on the cross, and as lifted up on the cross he is the object of our faith: and though our graces are, and may be a good help to confirm our faith of assurance, yet they are not the object of our faith of reliance for God doth therefore sometimes put the sentence of death upon our graces, that we may not trust to or rest on them: Christ and Christ alone, and that as dying and crucified, is the object of our faith. And it is not with this object as it is with other objects: take another object, and though it be never so clearly spread before the organ or faculty, yet it cannot cause or beget the act. Suppose the most excellent colour be laid before the eye, will that cause the blind eye to see? No. Or suppose the most excellent sound, or noise of music be laid before the ear, can that cause the deaf ear to hear? No. Yet sound is the object of the ear hearing; and colour the object of the eye seeing; but if the true object of faith, Christ crucified, be opened and laid before an unbelieving heart, it will cause it to believe: yea, and it will increase faith; and therefore if you look into the book of the Hebrews, you shall find, that the great design of that book, is to raise and increase faith, as appears by the therefores that are in that book, "Wherefore let us draw near with full assurance of faith," &c. But how doth the apostle labour to raise and increase our faith? He doth it by opening the priesthood and sufferings of Christ; and without doubt there is no such way to raise, beget and increase our faith, as to open and spread Christ crucified before the soul. Now it is the great work of a minister to be serviceable to the faith of God's people; surely therefore it is his work, and great work to make known Christ crucified: and accordingly Paul saith here," I determined to know nothing among you, but Christ, and him crucified."

But the apostle saith, " Henceforth know we no man after the flesh, no, not Christ himself: and though we have known him after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more," 2 Cor. v. 16, and if we are not to know Christ after

the flesh, how is this true, that it is our great work to know, and make known Christ crucified.

Yes, very well; for the apostle doth not there speak of the knowledge of Christ crucified, neither doth he say, that we should not know the body and flesh of Christ still: there have been indeed a generation of men, and still are, who thought, that when Christ died, rose, and ascended, his body was swallowed up of his Deity, and that he hath now no body, but is all spirit: but the apostle speaks the contrary; for, says he to the Philippians, "Who shall change our vile body, that it shall be like to his glorious body;" Christ then, though in heaven, hath a body still, and this we are still to know. And in this verse he saith, "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh," are we therefore to think, that men have no bodies of flesh here on earth? The same is said of Christ, that therefore cannot be the meaning of these words: but we are not to know Christ after the flesh, that is, say some, upon any fleshly or carnal account, or in any fleshly or carnal manner; but I rather think, that the apostle here speaketh in reference to the Jews: times where when we thought, that the Messiah, and salvation were by him, did belong to the Jews only; but now, saith he, we know that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself," not the Jews only, but the gentiles also, verse 19, and that Christ did not die only for the Jews, but for the gentiles; and “he died for all, that they which live should not live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again; wherefore (see how it comes in) henceforth know we no man after the flesh; though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more, therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature," whether he be a Jew or a gentile, it is all one to us whatsoever he be, if he be in Christ he is a new creature," wherefore now know we no man after the flesh, no not Christ himself," upon any such Jewish and restrained account, for " he died for all," one as well as another, "wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh, no, not Christ himself," upon any such Jewish and restrained account, for " he died for all," one as well as another," wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh, no not Christ himself." And thus this Scripture being opened, the one place is not contrary, but a light to

the other. And so much in answer to that objection, and for the second thing, namely, that it is our great work and business, to know Christ crucified.

The third thing is, What is there in Christ crucified that is so desirable to be known?

I answer, 1. There is the conjunction of all the attributes of God. The power, the wisdom, the justice, the mercy, and righteousness of God. In the day that you know Christ crucified, that day do all the attributes of God pass before you, which is the glory of God.

2. There also, in Christ crucified, you may see the wealth and riches, not only of the saints, but of the world. Christ's sepulchre is our treasury; "And have made his grave with the rich," Isa. liii. Glassius reads it, He hath placed riches in his grave. For the wealth and riches of the saints lie in the grave and sufferings of Christ.

3. There, in Christ crucified, you see the condescending love of God in the height thereof; the greatest condescension of divine love. There are two travails of Christ that we read of Christ once "travailing in the greatness of his strength," Isa. lxiii., and that is for the destruction of his enemies and the deliverance of the churches. Another travail which you read of in Isa. liii., "He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied," and that is, Christ travailing in the "greatness of his affections," in the day of his sufferings. So that when you know Christ crucified, then you see him and know the greatest condescension of divine love that ever was.

4. There also you may see the greatness, and the vileness, and the misery of sin; for which Christ the Lord of life and glory died.

5. There you may see the greatest sacrifice for sin that ever the world did see. Four things, saith Austin, concur to a sacrifice the thing sacrificed, the sacrificer, the person sacrificed unto, and those that he sacrifices for; I will add a fifth, the altar. And all these meet in one in Christ upon the cross. He himself the sacrifice, the sacrificer, the person sacrificed to, as God; and as man, the person for whom was the sacrifice, and the altar. So that here is the greatest sacrifice that ever the world saw.

6. There you may see our great High Priest in all his robes and garments rolled in blood.

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