Section 7

7. A godly man is a Christ-prizer. To illustrate this, I shall show;

1. That Jesus Christ is in himself precious.

2. That a godly man esteems him precious.

1. That Jesus Christ is in himself precious, 1 Peter 2. 6. Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious. Christ is compared to things most precious.

1. To a bundle of myrrh, Canticles 1. 13. Myrrh is very precious, it was one of the chief spices, whereof the holy anointing Oil was made, Exodus 30. 25.

1. Myrrh is of a perfuming Nature; so Christ perfumes our persons and services, that they are a sweet odor to God: whence is it the Church, that heavenly Bride, is so perfumed with grace, but because Christ, that Myrrh-tree, has dropped upon her.

2. Myrrh is of an exhilarating nature; the smell of it does comfort and refresh the spirits: So Christ does comfort the souls of his people, when they are fainting under their sins and sufferings.

2. Christ is compared to a Pearl, Matthew 13. 46. When he had found one Pearl of great price. Christ, this Pearl was little in regard of his humility, but of infinite value. Jesus Christ is a Pearl that God wears in his bosom; a Pearl, whose luster drowns the world's glory; a Pearl that enriches the soul, the Angelical part of man; a Pearl that enlightens heaven; a pearl so precious, that it makes us precious to God; a Pearl that is cordial and restorative; a Pearl more worth than heaven. The preciousness of Christ is seen three ways.

1. He is precious in his Person; he is the picture of his Father's glory, Hebrews 1. 3.

2. Christ is precious in his Offices; which are several Rays of the Sun of Righteousness.

1. Christ's Prophetical Office is precious, Deuteronomy 18. 15. He is the great Oracle of Heaven; he has a preciousness above all the Prophets which went before him; he teaches not only the ear, but the heart: He who has the Key of David in his hand, opened the heart of Lydia, Acts 16. 14.

2. Christ's Priestly Office is precious: This is the solid basis of our comfort, Hebrews 9. 26. Now once hath he appeared to put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself. By virtue of this Sacrifice, the soul may go to God with boldness; Lord give me heaven, Christ has purchased it for me; he hung upon the Cross, that I might sit upon the Throne. Christ's Blood and Incense, are the two hinges on which our Salvation turns.

3. Christ's Regal Office is precious, Revelation 19. 16. He hath on his Vesture, and on his Thigh, a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Christ has a preeminence above all other Kings for Majesty; he has the highest Throne, the richest Crown, the largest Dominions, and the longest possession, Hebrews 1. 8. Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Though Christ has many Assessors, Ephesians 2. 6. yet no Successors. Christ sets up his Scepter where no other King does; he rules the will and affections; his power binds the Conscience: The Angels take the oath of Allegiance to him, Hebrews 1. 6. Christ's Kingship is seen in two Royal Acts.

1. In ruling his people.

2. In over-ruling his Enemies.

1. In ruling his people. He rules with Clemency; his Regal Rod has honey at the end of it: Christ displays the Ensign of Mercy, which makes so many Volunteers run to his Standard, Psalm 110. 3. Holiness without Mercy, and Justice without Mercy, were dreadful; but Mercy encourages poor sinners to trust in him.

2. In over-ruling his Enemies. He pulls down their pride, befools their policy, restrains their malice, Psalm 76. 10. The remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain: Or as it is in the Hebrew, thou shalt girdle up. That stone cut out of the Mountains without hands, which smote the Image, Daniel 2. 34. was an Emblem (says Austin) of Christ's Monarchical power, conquering and triumphing over his Enemies.

3. Christ is precious in his benefits; by Christ all dangers are removed, through Christ all mercies are conveyed; in his blood flows Justification, Acts 3. 9. Purgation, Hebrews 9. 14. Fructification, John 1. 16. Pacification, Romans 5. 1. Adoption, Galatians 4. 5. Perseverance, Hebrews 12. 2. Glorification, Hebrews 9. 12. This will be matter of sublimest joy to Eternity. We read, that those who had passed over the Sea of Glass, stood with their Harps, and did sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb, Revelation 15. 2. So when the Saints of God have passed over the glassy Sea of this world, they shall sing Hallelujahs to the Lamb, who has redeemed them from sin and hell, and has translated them into that glorious Paradise, where they shall see God for ever and ever.

2. The second thing to be illustrated is, that every godly man does set an high value and estimate upon Christ, 1 Peter 2. 7. Unto you therefore who believe, he is precious: In the Greek it is, an honour: Believers have an honourable esteem of Christ; the Psalmist speaks like one captivated with Christ's amazing beauty, Psalm 73. 25. There is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. He did not say he had nothing; he had many comforts on earth, but he desired none but God; as if a wife should say, there's no one's company she prizes like her husband's: How did David prize Christ, Psalm 45. 2. Thou art fairer than the children of men: The Spouse in the Canticles looked upon Christ as the Coryphaeus, the most incomparable one, Canticles 5. 10. The chief among ten thousand. Christ out-vies all others, Canticles 2. 3. As the appletree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. Christ does infinitely more excel all the beauties and glories of this visible world, than the appletree does surpass the trees of the wild Forest: So did Paul prize Christ, that he made him his chief study, 1 Corinthians 2. 2. I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ; I judged not any thing else of worth: St. Paul did best know Christ, 1 Corinthians 9. 1. Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? He saw him with his bodily eyes in a Vision, when he was wrapped up into the third heaven, 2 Corinthians 12. 2. and he saw him with the eye of his faith, in the blessed Supper, therefore he did best know him; and behold, how he did slight, and viliprize other things, in comparison of Christ, Philippians 3. 8. I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Gain he esteemed loss, and gold dung for Christ. Indeed, a godly person cannot choose but set an high valuation upon Christ, he sees a fulness of worth in him.

1. A fulness in regard of variety, Colossians 2. 3. In whom are hid all treasures. No Country has all commodities of its own growth; but Christ has all kind of fulness; fulness of Merit, of Spirit, of Love; he has a treasure adequate to all our wants.

2. A fulness in regard of degree: Christ has not only a few drops, or rays, but is more full of goodness than the Sun is of light; he has the fulness of the Godhead, Colossians 2. 9.

3. A fulness in regard of duration: The fulness in the creature, like the brooks of Arabia, is soon dried up; but Christ's fulness is inexhaustible, 'tis a fulness over-flowing and ever-flowing.

And this fulness is for Believers: Christ is Communis Thesaurus (as Luther says) a common Treasury or Magazine for the Saints, John 1. 16. Of his fulness have we all received; Set a glass under a Still, and it receives water out of the Still drop by drop: So those who are united to Christ, have the dews and drops of his grace distilling upon them: Well then, may Christ be admired of all them that believe.

Use 1. Is a godly man an high prizer of Christ, then what is to be thought of them who do not put a value upon Christ, are they godly or no? There are four sorts of persons who do not prize Christ.

1. The Jews. They believe not in Christ, 2 Corinthians 3. 15. Unto this day the veil is upon their heart: They expect their saeculum futurum, a Messiah yet to come, as their own Talmud reports: they blaspheme Christ, they slight righteousness imputed: They despise the Virgin Mary, calling her in derision Marah, which signifies bitterness: They vilify the Gospel; they deny the Christian Sabbath; they have the Christians in abomination; they hold it not lawful for a Jew to take physic of a Christian. Schecardus relates of one Bendema a Jew, that being stung with a Serpent, a Christian came to heal him, but he refused his help, and chose rather to die, than to be healed by a Christian: So do the Jews hate Christ, and all that wear his Livery.

2. The Socinians, who acknowledge only Christ's Humanity: this is to make him below the Angels; for the Human Nature simply considered, is inferior to the Angelical, Psalm 8. 5.

3. Proud Professors; who do not lay the whole stress of their Salvation upon Christ, but would mingle their dross with his gold, their duties with his Merits; this is to steal a Jewel from Christ's Crown, and implicitly to deny him to be a perfect Savior.

4. Airy Speculatists; who prefer the study of the Arts and Sciences before Christ; not but that the knowledge of these is commendable: Moses was skilled in all the knowledge of the Egyptians, Acts 7. 22. Human Learning is of good use to prepare for the study of better things; as a coarser dye prepares the cloth for a richer and a deeper dye: but the fault is, when the study of Christ is neglected: The knowledge of Christ ought to have the preeminence: It was not sure without a Mystery, that God suffered all Solomon's writings about birds and plants to be lost; but what he wrote about spiritual wisdom, has been miraculously preserved; as if God would teach us, that to know Christ (the true Wisdom) is the Crowning Knowledge: One leaf of this Tree of Life, will give us more comfort on a death-bed, than the whole Idea and platform of Human Science: What is it to know all the motions of the Orbs; and influences of the Stars, and in the mean time to be ignorant of Christ, the bright Morning Star? Revelation 22. 16. What is it to understand the nature of Minerals, or precious stones, and not to know Christ the true Corner-stone? Isaiah 28. 16. 'Tis an undervaluing, yea despising of Christ, when with the lodestone we draw iron, and straw to us, but neglect him who has tried gold to bestow upon us, Revelation 3. 18.

Use 2. Is it the sign of a godly person to be a Christ-prizer? then let us try our godliness by this: Do we set an high estimation upon Christ?

Question. How shall we know that?

Answer. 1. If we are prizers of Christ, then we prefer him in our judgments before other things: We value Christ above honor and riches; the Pearl of Price lies nearest our heart: He who prizes Christ, esteems the gleanings of Christ better than the world's Vintage: He counts the worst things of Christ better than the best things of the world, Hebrews 11. 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches, than the treasures in Egypt. And is it thus with us? Is the price of worldly things fallen? Gregory Nazianzene did solemnly bless God, that he had any thing to lose for Christ's sake. But alas, how few Nazianzenes are to be found: You shall hear some say, they have honourable thoughts of Christ, but they prize their Land and Estate above him. The young man in the Gospel preferred his bags of gold before Christ: Judas valued thirty pieces of silver above him: May it not be feared, if an hour of trial come, there are many would rather renounce their Baptism, and throw off Christ's Livery, than hazard the loss of their earthly possessions for him.

2. If we are prizers of Christ, we cannot live without him; things which we value, we know not how to be without. A man may live without music, but not without food. A Child of God can want health and friends, but he cannot want Christ. In the absence of Christ he says as Job, I went mourning without the Sun, Job 30:28. I have the star-light of creature-comforts, but I want the Sun of Righteousness. Give me Children (said Rachel) or I die, Genesis 30:1. So says the Soul, Lord give me Christ, or I die; one drop of the Water of Life to quench my thirst. Let us try by this, do they prize Christ, who can make a shift well enough to be without him? Give a child a rattle, and it will not mind gold. If men have but worldly accommodations, corn and wine, they can be well enough content without Christ. Christ is a Spiritual Rock, 1 Corinthians 10:4. Let men have but oil in the cruse, they care not for honey out of this Rock. If their Trading be gone, they complain, but if God takes away the Gospel, which is the Ark wherein Christ the Manna is hid, they are quiet and tame enough. Do these prize Christ, who can sit down content without him?

3. If we are prizers of Christ, then we shall not grudge at any pains to get him. He who prizes gold, will dig for it in the Mine, Psalm 63:8. My Soul follows hard after God. Plutarch reports of the Gauls, an ancient people in France, after they had tasted the sweet wine of the Italian Grape, they enquired after the country, and never rested till they had arrived at it. He in whose eye Christ is precious, never rests till he has gotten Christ, Song of Solomon 3:1, 2, 4. I sought him whom my soul loves, I held him, and would not let him go.

Try by this! Many say they have Christ in high Veneration, but they are not industrious in the use of means to obtain him. If Christ would drop as a ripe fig into their mouth, they could be content to have him, but they will not put themselves to too much trouble to get him. Does he prize his health, who will not put himself upon physic or exercise?

4. If we are prizers of Christ, then we take much complacency in Christ. What joy does a man take in that which he counts his treasure? He who prizes Christ, makes him the Head of his joy. He can delight in Christ, when other delights are gone, Habakkuk 3:17. Though the fig-tree does not flourish, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Though a flower in a man's garden die, yet he can delight in his money and Jewels. He who esteems Christ, can solace himself in Christ, when there is an Autumn upon all other comforts.

5. If we are prizers of Christ, then we will part with our dearest lusts for him. Paul says of the Galatians, they did so esteem him, that they were ready to have pulled out their own eyes, and have given him, Galatians 4:15. He who esteems Christ, will pull out that lust, which is his right eye. A wise man will throw away a poison for a cordial. He who sets an high value upon Christ, will part with his pride, unjust gain, sinful fashions. He will set his feet upon the neck of his sins.

Try by this! How can they be said to prize Christ, who will not leave a vanity for him? Not a spot in the face, not an oath, not an intemperate cup. What a scorn and contempt do they put upon the Lord Jesus, who prefer a damning lust, before a saving Christ.

6. If we are prizers of Christ, we shall think we cannot have him at too dear a rate. We may buy gold too dear, but we cannot purchase Christ too dear. Though we part with our blood for him, it is no dear bargain. The Apostles rejoiced that they were graced so much, as to be disgraced for Christ, Acts 5:41. They esteemed their fetters more precious than bracelets of gold. Let not him say he prizes Christ, who refuses to bear his Cross, Matthew 13:21. When persecution arises because of the Word, by and by he is offended.

7. If we are prizers of Christ, we will be willing to help others to a part in him; that which we esteem excellent, we are desirous our friend should have a share in. If a man has found a Spring of water, he will call others that they may drink, and satisfy their thirst. Do we commend Christ to others? Do we take them by the hand, and lead them to Christ? This shows how few prize Christ, because they strive no more that their Relations should have a part in him. They get land and riches for their posterity, but have no care to leave them the Pearl of Price for their portion.

8. If we are prizers of Christ, then we prize him in health as well as in sickness; when we are enlarged, as well as when we are straitened. A friend is prized at all times; the Rose of Sharon is always sweet. He who values his Saviour aright, has as precious thoughts of him in a day of prosperity, as in a day of adversity. The wicked make use of Christ, only when they are in straits; as the Elders of Gilead went to Jephthah when they were in distress, Judges 11:7. Themistocles complained of the Athenians, that they ran to him but as to a Tree, to shelter them in a storm. Sinners desire Christ only for a shelter. The Hebrews never chose their Judges, but when they were in some imminent dangers. Godless persons never look after Christ, but at death, when they are in danger of hell.

Use 3. As we would evidence to the world that we have the impress of godliness on us, let us be prizers of Jesus Christ; he is Elect, Precious; Christ is the wonder of beauty. Pliny says of the Mulberry Tree, there is nothing in it, but what is medicinal and useful, the fruit, leaves, bark. So there is nothing in Christ, but what is precious; his Name is precious, his Virtues precious, his blood precious. —Et precium mundi sanguis erat Domini—

Oh then let us have endearing thoughts of Christ; let him be accounted our chief treasure and delight. This is the reason why millions perish, because they do not prize Christ. Christ is the door by which men are to enter into heaven, John 10:9. If they do not know this door, or are so proud that they will not stoop to go in at it, how can they be saved? That we may have Christ-admiring thoughts: Let us consider,

1. We cannot prize Christ at too high a rate; we may prize other things above their worth; that is our sin, we commonly overrate the creature; we think there is more in it than there is; therefore God withers our gourd, because we over-prize it. But we cannot raise our esteem high enough of Christ, he is beyond all value. There is no Ruby or Diamond but the Jeweller can set a just price upon it, he can say it is worth so much, and no more; but Christ's worth can never be fully known. No Seraphim can set a due value on him; his are unsearchable riches, Ephesians 3:8. Christ is more precious than the Soul, than the Angels, than Heaven.

2. Jesus Christ has highly prized us; he took our flesh upon him, Hebrews 2:16. He made his Soul an offering for us, Isaiah 53:10. How precious was our Salvation to Christ? Shall not we prize and adore him, who has put such a value upon us?

3. Not to prize Christ is high imprudence; Christ is our Guide to Glory; 'tis folly for a man to slight his Guide. He is our Physician, Malachi 4:2. 'Tis folly to despise our Physician.

What, to set light by Christ for things of no value? Matthew 23:17. Ye fools and blind. How is a fool tried, but by showing him an Apple, and a piece of Gold, if he choose the Apple before the Gold, he is judged to be a fool, and his Estate is begged. How many such Idiots are there, who prefer Husks before Manna, the gaudy empty things of this life, before the Prince of Glory, Will not Satan beg them at last for fools?

4. Such as slight Christ now, and say, There is no beauty in him that he should be desired: There is a day shortly coming, when Christ will as much slight them; he will set as light by them, as they do by him. He will say, I know you not, Luke 13:27. What a slighting word will that be, when men shall cry, Lord Jesus save us, and he shall say, I was offered to you, but you would none of me; you scorned me, and now I will set light by you, and your Salvation; Depart from me, I know you not. This is all that sinners get by rejecting the Lord of Life. Christ will slight them at the day of Judgement, who have slighted him in the day of Grace.

7. A godly man deeply prizes Christ. To illustrate this, I will show two things.

1. That Jesus Christ is in Himself precious.

2. That a godly man recognizes and honors that preciousness.

1. That Jesus Christ is in Himself precious. 1 Peter 2:6: Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious. Christ is compared to the most precious things.

1. To a bundle of myrrh, as Song of Solomon 1:13 says. Myrrh is highly precious — it was one of the chief spices used in the holy anointing oil, as Exodus 30:25 describes.

1. Myrrh has a perfuming quality — and so Christ perfumes our persons and our acts of worship, making them a sweet fragrance before God. Why is the church, that heavenly bride, so fragrant with grace? Because Christ, that myrrh-tree, has dropped His fragrance upon her.

2. Myrrh is also invigorating — its scent comforts and refreshes the spirit. In the same way, Christ comforts the souls of His people when they are overwhelmed by sin and suffering.

2. Christ is compared to a pearl. Matthew 13:46: When he found one pearl of great value. Christ, this pearl, was small in His humility but infinite in His value. Jesus Christ is a pearl that God wears at His heart — a pearl whose brilliance outshines all the world's glory, a pearl that enriches the soul, the highest part of a person, a pearl that illuminates heaven, a pearl so precious it makes us precious in God's sight, a pearl that restores and heals, a pearl worth more than all of heaven. The preciousness of Christ can be seen in three ways.

1. He is precious in His person — He is the radiance of His Father's glory, as Hebrews 1:3 says.

2. Christ is precious in His offices, which are like several rays of the Sun of Righteousness.

1. Christ's prophetic office is precious, as Deuteronomy 18:15 says. He is the great oracle of heaven. He surpasses all the prophets who came before Him in preciousness, for He teaches not only the ear but the heart. He who holds the key of David opened the heart of Lydia in Acts 16:14.

2. Christ's priestly office is precious — this is the solid foundation of our comfort. Hebrews 9:26: Now once at the end of the ages He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. By virtue of this sacrifice, the soul can go to God with boldness and say: Lord, give me heaven — Christ has purchased it for me. He hung on the cross so that I might sit on the throne. Christ's blood and intercession are the two hinges on which our salvation turns.

3. Christ's kingly office is precious. Revelation 19:16: On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ surpasses all other kings in majesty — He has the highest throne, the richest crown, the widest dominion, and the longest reign. Hebrews 1:8: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. Though Christ has many who share in His glory, as Ephesians 2:6 says, He has no successors. Christ extends His scepter where no other king can reach — He rules the will and the affections, and His authority binds the conscience. Even the angels swear allegiance to Him, as Hebrews 1:6 shows. Christ's kingship is seen in two royal acts.

1. In ruling His people.

2. In overruling His enemies.

1. In ruling His people, He rules with kindness — His royal rod has honey at the end. Christ raises the banner of mercy, which causes so many willing volunteers to run to His standard, as Psalm 110:3 says. Holiness without mercy and justice without mercy would be dreadful — but mercy invites poor sinners to trust in Him.

2. In overruling His enemies, He brings down their pride, outwits their scheming, and restrains their malice. Psalm 76:10: The wrath of man shall praise You; the remainder of wrath You will restrain — or as the Hebrew puts it: You will gird up. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which struck the great image in Daniel 2:34, was a symbol, as Augustine says, of Christ's royal power conquering and triumphing over His enemies.

3. Christ is precious in His benefits. Through Christ all dangers are removed, and through Christ all mercies are delivered. In His blood flow justification (Acts 3:19), cleansing (Hebrews 9:14), fullness of grace (John 1:16), peace with God (Romans 5:1), adoption (Galatians 4:5), perseverance (Hebrews 12:2), and glorification (Hebrews 9:12). This will be the subject of the highest joy throughout eternity. We read that those who had passed over the sea of glass stood with their harps and sang the song of Moses and the Lamb, as Revelation 15:2 says. In the same way, when God's saints have crossed the glassy sea of this present world, they will sing hallelujahs to the Lamb who redeemed them from sin and hell and brought them into that glorious paradise where they will see God forever and ever.

2. The second point to establish is that every godly man places a high value on Christ. 1 Peter 2:7: To you who believe, He is precious — or in the Greek: an honor. Believers hold Christ in the highest esteem. The psalmist speaks like someone captivated by Christ's breathtaking beauty: Psalm 73:25: Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. He did not say he had nothing — he had many comforts on earth — but he desired nothing above God. It is like a wife who says there is no one whose company she prizes like her husband's. How David prized Christ: Psalm 45:2: You are fairer than the sons of men. The bride in Song of Solomon saw Christ as the chief, the most incomparable of all: Song of Solomon 5:10: He is outstanding among ten thousand. Christ surpasses all others: Song of Solomon 2:3: Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. Christ infinitely surpasses all the beauty and glory of this visible world more than the apple tree surpasses the trees of the wild forest. Paul prized Christ so highly that he made Him his supreme pursuit: 1 Corinthians 2:2: I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ — I counted nothing else of value. Paul knew Christ best of all — 1 Corinthians 9:1: Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? He saw Him with his bodily eyes in a vision when he was caught up to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2, and he saw Him with the eye of faith in the Lord's Supper — and so he knew Him best of all. See then how he dismissed and counted worthless everything else compared to Christ: Philippians 3:8: I count all things as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. He counted worldly gain as loss and gold as garbage for the sake of Christ. Indeed, a godly person cannot help but place supreme value on Christ — he sees in Him a fullness of worth beyond all comparison.

1. A fullness in terms of variety. Colossians 2:3: In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. No single country produces everything — but Christ has every kind of fullness: fullness of merit, of Spirit, of love. He has a treasure equal to every one of our needs.

2. A fullness in terms of degree. Christ does not have mere drops or rays — He is more filled with goodness than the sun is filled with light. He has the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Him, as Colossians 2:9 says.

3. A fullness in terms of duration. The fullness found in created things is like the streams of Arabia — they dry up quickly. But Christ's fullness is inexhaustible — it overflows and flows on forever.

And this fullness is for believers. As Luther says, Christ is a common treasury or storehouse for the saints. John 1:16: Of His fullness we have all received. Set a glass under a still and it receives water drop by drop. In the same way, those who are united to Christ receive the dew and drops of His grace distilling upon them. How worthy Christ is to be admired by all who believe!

Application 1: Since a godly man highly prizes Christ, what should we think of those who place no value on Him? Are they godly or not? There are four kinds of people who do not prize Christ.

1. The Jews. They do not believe in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:15: To this day the veil is on their heart. They await their future Messiah, as their own Talmud reports. They blaspheme Christ, reject imputed righteousness, and despise the virgin Mary — calling her in mockery Marah, meaning bitterness. They treat the Gospel with contempt, deny the Christian Sabbath, regard Christians with disgust, and consider it unlawful for a Jew to receive medical care from a Christian. Schecardus records the story of one Bendema, a Jew who was bitten by a serpent and when a Christian came to heal him, he refused the help and chose to die rather than be healed by a Christian. Such is the hatred the Jews bear toward Christ and all who bear His name.

2. The Socinians, who acknowledge only Christ's humanity. To do this is to place Him below the angels, since human nature by itself is inferior to angelic nature, as Psalm 8:5 says.

3. Proud professors who do not place the full weight of their salvation on Christ alone, but want to mix their own dross with His gold — their own works with His merits. This is to steal a jewel from Christ's crown and to implicitly deny that He is a complete and sufficient Savior.

4. Vain intellectuals who value the study of arts and sciences above Christ. Not that knowledge of these things is wrong — Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, as Acts 7:22 says, and human learning is useful for preparing one to study deeper things, just as a coarser dye prepares cloth to receive a richer and deeper color. The problem is when the study of Christ is neglected. The knowledge of Christ must hold first place. It was surely not without meaning that God allowed all of Solomon's writings about birds and plants to be lost, while what he wrote about spiritual wisdom has been miraculously preserved — as if God wanted to teach us that knowing Christ, the true Wisdom, is the crowning knowledge of all. One leaf from this Tree of Life will give more comfort on a deathbed than the entire body of human learning. What does it profit to know the movements of the planets and the influences of the stars, while remaining ignorant of Christ, the bright Morning Star, as Revelation 22:16 says? What does it profit to understand the nature of minerals and precious stones while not knowing Christ, the true cornerstone, as Isaiah 28:16 says? It is an undervaluing — even a despising — of Christ when, like a magnet drawing iron and straw, we pursue lesser things and neglect the One who has refined gold to give us, as Revelation 3:18 says.

Application 2: Since it is a mark of a godly person to prize Christ, let us test our godliness by this — do we hold Christ in high esteem?

Question: How can we know whether we do?

Answer: 1. If we truly prize Christ, we prefer Him in our minds above all other things. We value Christ above honor and wealth — the pearl of great price lies closest to our heart. The person who prizes Christ considers even the leftovers from Christ better than the world's finest harvest. He counts the worst things of Christ better than the best things of the world. Hebrews 11:26: He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt. But is this true of us? Has the value of worldly things gone down in our eyes? Gregory of Nazianzus solemnly thanked God that he had anything at all to lose for Christ's sake. But how few people like him can be found today. You will hear some say they have a high regard for Christ — yet they value their land and estate above Him. The rich young man in the Gospel preferred his bags of gold to Christ. Judas valued thirty pieces of silver above Him. Is it not to be feared that if a moment of real testing came, many would rather renounce their baptism and throw off Christ's colors than risk losing their earthly possessions for Him?

2. If we truly prize Christ, we cannot live without Him — for we cannot do without the things we truly value. A person can live without music, but not without food. A child of God can go without health and friends, but he cannot go without Christ. In Christ's absence he says with Job: I go about in mourning without the sun, as Job 30:28 says. I have the starlight of earthly comforts, but I lack the Sun of Righteousness. Rachel cried in Genesis 30:1: Give me children, or I will die! So the soul cries: Lord, give me Christ, or I die — give me one drop of the water of life to quench my thirst. Test yourselves by this: Do those prize Christ who can manage perfectly well without Him? Give a child a rattle, and he will not care about gold. If men have enough worldly provision — grain and wine — they are content to do without Christ. Christ is the spiritual Rock, as 1 Corinthians 10:4 says. As long as men have oil in the jar, they have no desire for honey from this Rock. If their business fails, they complain — but if God removes the Gospel, which is the ark containing Christ the manna, they remain calm and untroubled. Do those truly prize Christ who can sit down content without Him?

3. If we truly prize Christ, we will not begrudge any effort to obtain Him. The person who prizes gold will dig for it in the mine. Psalm 63:8: My soul clings hard after God. Plutarch records that the Gauls, an ancient people of France, after tasting the fine wine of the Italian grape, asked about the country where it came from and never rested until they had reached it. The person in whose eyes Christ is precious never rests until he has found Christ. Song of Solomon 3:1-2, 4: I sought him whom my soul loves; I held him, and would not let him go.

Test yourselves by this. Many say they hold Christ in high regard, but they put no real effort into using the means to find Him. If Christ would drop like a ripe fig into their mouths, they might be willing to have Him — but they will not put themselves to any real trouble to seek Him. Does someone truly prize his health if he refuses to take medicine or exercise?

4. If we truly prize Christ, we take great delight in Him. What joy does a person take in what he counts his greatest treasure? The person who prizes Christ makes Him the chief source of his joy. He can delight in Christ even when all other delights are gone. Habakkuk 3:17: Though the fig tree should not blossom, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Though a flower in a man's garden withers, he can still delight in his money and jewels. The person who esteems Christ can find his comfort in Christ even when autumn has stripped every other comfort away.

5. If we truly prize Christ, we will give up our most cherished sins for Him. Paul said of the Galatians that they esteemed him so highly they would have pulled out their own eyes and given them to him, as Galatians 4:15 says. The person who esteems Christ will pull out the sinful desire that is his right eye. A wise man will throw away a poison to take a remedy. The person who places high value on Christ will part with his pride, his dishonest gain, his sinful habits. He will put his foot on the neck of his sins.

Test yourselves by this! How can those be said to prize Christ who will not give up a single vanity for Him? Not a proud habit, not a curse, not a single drunken cup. What contempt and scorn do they show for the Lord Jesus who prefer a sin that will damn them over a Savior who will save them.

6. If we truly prize Christ, we will feel that no price is too high for Him. We can pay too much for gold, but we cannot pay too much for Christ. Even if we give our blood for Him, it is no bad bargain. The apostles rejoiced to be honored so highly as to be dishonored for Christ's sake, as Acts 5:41 says. They counted their chains more precious than bracelets of gold. Let no one say he prizes Christ who refuses to carry his cross. Matthew 13:21: When tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

7. If we truly prize Christ, we will want others to share in Him. Whatever we consider excellent, we naturally want our friends to have a share in it. If a man discovers a spring of fresh water, he calls others to come and drink and satisfy their thirst. Do we commend Christ to others? Do we take them by the hand and lead them to Him? The fact that so few do this reveals how few truly prize Christ — they do not strive for their loved ones to have a part in Him. They work to leave land and wealth to their children, but show no concern about leaving them the pearl of great price as their true inheritance.

8. If we truly prize Christ, we prize Him in times of health as well as sickness — when we are prosperous as well as when we are pressed. A true friend is valued at all times — the rose of Sharon is always sweet. The person who rightly values his Savior thinks just as highly of Him on a good day as on a hard day. The wicked reach for Christ only when they are desperate — as the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah only when they were in trouble, as Judges 11:7 records. Themistocles complained that the Athenians came to him only as men run to a tree for shelter from a storm. Sinners want Christ only as a shelter. The Hebrews never chose their judges except when they were in imminent danger. Godless people never look for Christ except at death, when they face the threat of hell.

Application 3: If we want to show the world that we bear the mark of godliness, let us prize Jesus Christ. He is chosen and precious. Christ is the wonder of beauty. Pliny said of the mulberry tree that there is nothing in it that is not useful and medicinal — the fruit, the leaves, the bark. In the same way, there is nothing in Christ that is not precious: His name is precious, His virtues are precious, His blood is precious. The blood of the Lord was the price of the world.

Let us have tender, adoring thoughts of Christ and count Him our greatest treasure and delight. This is why millions perish — they do not prize Christ. Christ is the door through which people enter heaven, as John 10:9 says. If they do not know this door, or are too proud to stoop and enter through it, how can they be saved? To cultivate Christ-admiring thoughts, let us consider the following.

1. We cannot place too high a value on Christ. We may prize other things above their worth — that is one of our great sins; we commonly overrate created things, imagining they contain more than they do, which is why God withers our gourd when we overvalue it. But we can never raise our esteem of Christ high enough — He is beyond all value. Every ruby and diamond can be assigned an exact price by the jeweler, who can say: this is worth so much and no more. But Christ's worth can never be fully known. No seraph can adequately value Him. Ephesians 3:8 calls His riches unsearchable. Christ is more precious than the soul, than the angels, than heaven itself.

2. Jesus Christ has placed the highest value on us. He took our flesh upon Himself, as Hebrews 2:16 says. He made His soul an offering for us, as Isaiah 53:10 says. How precious was our salvation to Christ! Should we not prize and adore the One who has placed such value on us?

3. Failing to prize Christ is the height of foolishness. Christ is our guide to glory — it is madness for a person to despise his guide. He is our physician, as Malachi 4:2 says. It is madness to despise one's own physician.

What does it mean to treat Christ as worthless in exchange for things of no real value? Matthew 23:17: You fools and blind men. How is a fool identified? By offering him an apple and a piece of gold — if he chooses the apple over the gold, he is judged a fool. How many such fools there are — people who prefer husks over manna, the gaudy empty things of this life over the Prince of Glory. Will Satan not claim them as fools in the end?

4. Those who dismiss Christ now and say there is no beauty in Him worth desiring — a day is coming very soon when Christ will dismiss them just as completely. He will treat them with the same indifference they showed Him. He will say: I do not know you, as Luke 13:27 says. What a devastating word that will be — when people cry, Lord Jesus, save us! and He answers: I was offered to you, but you would have none of Me. You scorned Me, and now I will have nothing to do with you or your salvation. Depart from Me; I do not know you. This is all that sinners gain by rejecting the Lord of Life. Christ will dismiss at the day of judgment those who dismissed Him in the day of grace.