THE GREAT QUESTION

Part of a sermon preached by Ralph Erskine at Portmoak on August 22nd, 1725

Part I

My friends, if you have any regard to the voice of the Son of God speaking to you in this text, then to be sure the application of it is begun before ever we come to the explication of it. And indeed, if the Lord Himself would open and apply it to you, you would see more in it that we can tell you. Perhaps many here, when the minister reads his text, turn up their Bibles and put a mark upon the place of Scripture: very well: but then they think, "There is the minister's text," and so no more of it; as if it were only the minister's concern, or at most that it is only the minister's business to speak to his text, and their business to hear what he says. But, my friends, you would know that you have here more than a text, and it is my business at the time not only to read you a text, but to ask you a question; and I cannot resume my text without proposing it, "What think ye of Christ?" And it is your business not only to hear seriously what is said, but to answer solemnly before God what is asked, namely, "What think ye of Christ?" If you take it up simply as my text, you will think yourselves little concerned with it; but if you apprehend it as Christ's question to you, then your concern is great. It is not my question only; but as Christ proposed it to the Pharisees here, so your hearing it repeated to you in Christ's name, and from His word, makes it His question to you, "What think ye of Chirst?"

At such solemnities as this, you have occasion to hear much of Christ; but now the question is, What think ye of Christ, of whom you hear so much? Many, the more they hear of Christ, the less they think of Him; like Israel, when they had the manna so plentifully rained down about their tent doors, they thought very little of it. But woe will be to you who hear much of Christ, and yet think little or nothing of Him: "If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ," says the Apostle, if he hath no esteem of him, "let him be ANATHEMA MARANATHA" (accursed until our Lord come). If you have the sacramental supper in view, you know Christ hath ordered you to search and try beforehand, saying, "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat"; and now if you would examine to purpose, I cannot see a more short and substantial question in all the Bible to try yourselves by than this is, "What think ye of Christ?" Solomon says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," where he declares the man's state to be according as the thoughts of his heart go. Now so it is here; truly, according as you think in your heart, especially concerning Christ, so are you, and so is your state in God's sight. According as you think highly and duly of Christ or not, so are you either a gracious or a graceless man; either a believer or unbeliever; either a man fit to go to a communion-table or not; and therefore inquire into it, "What think ye of Chirst?" The trial here comes to a narrow point wherein God only can be the witness who will be the judge. You may deceive men with your words and works, which is all we have to know you by, but here you are called to try yourselves by your thoughts before that God that searches the heart and sees the thought: "What think ye of Christ?"

The occasion of Christ's propounding His question was this. The Pharisees had proposed several questions to Him concerning the law, by which they thought to have exposed Him, while they did but expose themselves; particularly from verse 15 and downward, thinking to entangle Him, "They sent forth their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" What is lawful? or, What says the law concerning this? Christ answers the question to their astonishment and confusion. Again, from verse 23 and downward, the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, came to Him with a question on that head; and they start a difficulty out of the law of Moses which they thought was irreconcilable with the doctrine of the resurrection: but Christ answers that also, and puts them to silence. Again, afterwards, from verse 34 and downward, the Pharisees finding that the Sadducees were silenced by Him, they gather together their forces to puzzle and tempt Him: and one of them that was a lawyer comes with another question to Him, saying, "Master, what is the great commandment in the law?" Now, they having asked so many questions at Him, and He having answered them all, it was time for Him to ask them a question; and He does it while they are gathered together in confederacy against Him. Though their forces were united, and every one present to help another, yet He puzzles them; for God delights to baffle His adversaries, and conquer His enemies when they think themselves strongest and have all the advantages they can desire. Now Christ asked them a question which they could easily answer; it was a question in their own catechism, "What think ye of Christ?" And, "Whose Son is He?" They answer truly according to the Scripture that He was the son of David. This they were taught from Psalm Lxxxix. 35 and several other places, shewing that the Messias was to be the seed of David, the rod out of the stem of Jesse. But now Christ starts a difficulty upon their answer, which they could not easily solve; nay, which silenced them and all that sought occasion against Him. "If Christ be David's son, how then is He David's Lord?" (ver. 43, 44, 45). Christ did not hereby intend to ensnare them as they did Him, but to instruct them in a necessary truth which they were to believe, namely that the expected Messiah is God as well as man; David's Lord as well as David's son; and so both the root and offspring of David. Now, herein they were puzzled and put to silence.

Many are proud of their knowledge because they can answer some questions of their catechisms as the Pharisees here did in general, but yet they have reason to be ashamed of their ignorance; for when the question is opened up, they cannot confirm the truth which they affirm, nor reconcile one truth with another any more than the Pharisees here could: by which it was evident that though they answered, yet they did not understand this question which He proposed: 1. More generally, "What think ye of Christ," the Messias? 2. More particularly, "Whose Son is He?" It is the question as proposed in general that I confine myself unto, yet not excluding the other branch of it as the subject may bring it in. When Christ proposed this question to the Pharisees, "What think ye of Chirst?" no doubt they reckoned their thoughts of the Messias were very sound and right every way, while they thought He was the Son of David; but like the damnable deluded Arian doctors of our day, they did not think so highly of Him as to apprehend Him to be the Son of God; they did not think so honourably of Him as to own His being the supreme God, equal with the Father; for all their acquired and imagined knowledge, there was more in that question than they understood, "What think ye of Chirst?"

The Pharisees had asked Christ several questions concerning the law and the greater precept of the law; and now it was fit that Christ should ask them a question concerning the great promise of the gospel. They were so taken up with the law, they had no thought of the gospel; they thought so much of Moses that they had no thought of Chirst; therefore, says He, "What think ye of Christ?" Many are so full of the law that they forget Him, who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Here is a question to check the pride of the legalists, "What think ye of Christ?" There is a depth in every place of Scripture, which, though it seems to be very plain to the carnal eye, yet the spiritual depth thereof cannot be sounded without the help of the Spirit of God. There is also a great depth in this question; angels cannot sound the depth thereof; they pry into it, and cannot think enough of Christ; they can never think too much of Him: and what shall men say in answer to it, "What think ye of Chirst?"

To divide this text too critically, would, I suppose, be the way to confuse it, but I think every word hath an emphasis therein.

1. There is an emphasis in the question What: "WHAT think ye of Christ?" What place do you give Him? What value do you put on Him? What grandeur and glory do you ascribe unto Him? What esteem have you of Him? And so,

2. There is an emphasis in the verb Think: some think not of Him at all, God and Christ is not in all their thoughts; some think meanly, some think basely, some think dishonourably, some think hardly of Him: but what think ye? What is your judgment of Christ? What is your opinion of Him? What is your sentiment of Him? What is your apprehension of Him? How stand you affected towards Him? And what consideration have you of Him?

3. There is an emphasis in the pronoun ye: What think YE of Chirst?" ye Pharisees and Sadducees; "What think YE of Christ?" Ye that are so busy in starting questions about the law, "What think ye of Christ, the end of the law?" Ye legalists and self-righteous persons, "What think ye of Chirst?" Yea, though it was put to the Pharisees in particular, yet it concerns all in general. The trying question that is proposed for the conviction of hypocrites and to find them out is useful for the consolation and confirmation of believers, and for discovering their uprightness. While the daughters of Jerusalem think no more of Christ than of another beloved, saying "What is thy beloved more than another?" the spouse of Christ thinks Him to be the chief among ten thousand. Therefore, it comes to you all, "What think ye of Christ," believers and unbelievers? Surely, to them that believe He is precious.

4. There is an emphasis in the object or matter of the question, Christ. What think ye of CHRIST? What think ye of the Messias? What think ye of the Anointed of God, the Christ of God? It is remarkable, Christ says not here, What think ye of ME? But, What think ye of CHRIST? that is God's Anointed, and the Messias promised to the fathers; and hereby it is intimated to us that as Christ loves to magnify His office as the Sent and Sealed and Anointed of God, so we cannot have right and becoming thoughts of Him unless we apprehend Him in His saving offices to which He is authorized of the Father. And so, when He says not, What think ye of ME? but, What think ye of CHRIST? He does not simply commend Himself but His Father also, who anointed Him to that office; and Himself bearing His Father's commission and invested with His authority to save sinners: "What think ye of Christ?" Here is the proper object of the esteem of rational creatures, and especially mankind sinners, on whom their thought ought to be terminate. It is not, What think ye of God absolutely considered? For God out of Christ is a comsuming fire. It is not, What think ye of Moses? You magnify Moses and the law; but a greater than Moses is here, even He by whom the law is magnified and made honourable. It is not, What think ye of the ministers and their sermons? Oh! they are nothing but the image of death without Him! But the question is, "What think ye of Christ?" The word itself is but a dead letter without Christ. It is a remarkable saying that Christ hath to the same purpose, "Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they that testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me that ye might have life." You think you have eternal life in the Scripture, but the Scripture testifies of Me; yet ye will not come to Me, though the Scripture testifies that eternal life is only to be had in Me. Christ is the true God and eternal life, "And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." Seeing then that the Scripture testifies to Christ that eternal life is in Him, in vain do men think to have eternal life even in the Scripture while they will not come to Christ that they may have life. People may think respectfully of the Scripture, and yet perish in their ignorance and die in a delusion while they do not think respectfully of Christ in a suitableness to the testimony that the Scripture gives of Him. Therefore, the great question is still, "What think ye of Christ?"

Why is this the great leading question by which people are to try themselves? and why is this question put as a touchstone for discovering what metal we are of?

1. This question, "What think ye of Christ?" is put because without right thoughts of Christ there are no right thoughts of God; and without the knowledge of Christ, there is no true knowledge of God. God is an invisible God, and Christ only is the image of the invisible God. There are three ways to know, see, and comprehend God. One is by the creatures He hath made: "The invisible things of God are clearly seen from the creation of the world, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Rom. 1:20). Another is by the Scriptures, for they make God known. But the third and only saving way of knowing and apprehending God is by Christ. Now, the knowledge of God that we have by the creatures is like the knowledge we have of a man by his workmanship which he hath wrought. If the workmanship be rare and excellent such as hath required great art and strength, then we conceive the man that hath done it hath been a wise man, a strong man, and the like, according to the nature of the workmanship. So when we know God by the creatures, we conceive that the God that hath made them must be a great God, a wise God, a powerful God. But next, the knowledge that we have of God by the Scriptures, I mean the literal knowledge, is like that knowledge that one gets of a famous learned man by reading what he writes; if in his writing he hath discovered much learning, vast sense, and solid judgment, accordingly we conceive him to be a sensible, judicious man. So by reading the Word we conceive of God's excellency as we do of a man by his writing. But the knowledge of God that we get by Christ is like that knowledge which one gets of a king by having seen his image, or rather his son, who is as like him as he can look. Now Christ is like the Father, and so truly and really His image that though blind Arians cannot see the essential glory of the Father in Him, yet He says to Philip, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." Now, in the book of the creature we may see the being of God; in the book of the Scripture, the will of God; but above all these, we have another book, written as it were with the rays of the sun, even Christ, whom we may call a book for He is still the Word of God (Rev. xix. 13). But He is not made with ink and paper; He is a living book, a living picture and representative of the Father; the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person. The saving knowledge of God is by Christ and in Christ. And again, hence,

2. This question, "What think ye of Christ?" is put because without right thoughts of Christ there can be no religion, and consequently no salvation. There is no coming to God but in Christ: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by Me." Without believing thoughts of Christ then, we cannot worship God aright or acceptably: for, "Without faith it is impossible to please God"; and I have shewn you already that right thinking is believing, and without believing in Him, there is not salvation; "He that believes not shall be damned; for there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved; neither is there salvation in any other." A man that cannot think of Christ as he should, cannot perform a religious action as he ought. As the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things, so a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things. Now Christ in the heart by His Spirit is indeed a good treasure. And as natural thoughts produce natural actions, carnal thoughts carnal actions; so spiritual thoughts bring forth spiritual actions, and Christian thoughts Christian actions. True religion begins and advances with the right thoughts of God. I defy a man that knows the Lord to pray and worship God comfortably without some due apprehension of Christ. For as in Christ alone God is well-pleased, so it is in the view of Christ, or of God in Him, that the soul is well-pleased.

3. This question, "what think ye of Christ?" is put because it is the best rule of self-examination, seeing as men's thoughts of Christ are, so is their state; as men think in their heart, so are they. If a man be risen with Christ, then his thoughts and affections are set on things above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. If you be Christians indeed, then you have Christ in you, the hope of glory; and if Christ be in you, He will have a high room in your thoughts and esteem: and therefore it is laid down as the best rule of examination, "Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove yourselves; know ye not your own selves, how that Christ Jesus is in you, except you be reprobates? If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Now they that have the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit, the things of God, and particularly the Christ of God.

4. This question, "What think ye of Christ?" is put because this question comprehends all other questions in religion. After the Pharisees had done with asking their difficult questions about the law, Christ proposes a question which swallows up all their questions and comprehends all that is necessary to be known; and if we could answer this question to purpose, we would be in case to answer all the questions that concern both the law and the gospel; for Christ is the end of the law and the sum of the gospel. They that know Christ, they know where to find all the righteousness that the law requires and all the grace that the gospel promises: and so this question is the compend of the Christian catechism, and that not only with respect to knowledge, but also with respect to practice and experience. Christ is the sum of practical godliness, for, "Without Him you can do nothing"; and by Him strengthening you, you can do all things. And Christ is the sum of experimental religion also. That experience is not worth much that hath not Christ for the sum-total of it; for it is out of His fulness we receive grace for grace: and when man can say, "Beholding His glory, I have been changed into the same image," it is a rich experience. In a word, all questions that relate to Christian experience may be reduced to this one, "What think ye of Christ?" If the question be; what know ye of conviction? what know ye of conversion? what know ye of illumnination? what know ye of regeneration? what know ye of justification? what know ye of sanctification? what interest have ye in Christ? what part and portion have ye in the Son of Jesse? what share have ye of His grace? and what hope of His glory? All such questions may be answered with the answer of this, "What think ye of Christ?"

5. This question, "What think ye of Christ?" is put because He would by this put a stop and give a check to all unnecesary, curious questions. They were but curious questions at best that the Sadducees and Pharisees had asked of Christ; but here Christ gives a check to them by a question of everlasting moment. Some that are but senseless professors shew a deal of curiosity in some of their questions, such as, Who was Melchizedeck's father? and the like; but O, here is a more necessary question, Who was Christ's Father? "What think ye of Christ? whose son is He?" Here is an ocean of wisdom that you may profitably dive into, and yet never get to the bottom of it; for who can answer that question about Christ's Father, "what is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?"

6. This question, "What think ye of Christ?" is put because our thoughts are but lost if they be not

bestowed upon Him. Till we be brought to think of Christ duly, all our thoughts are but lost thoughts and vain thoughts, "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness; how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?" The Lord sees the thoughts of men to be but vanity. Our thoughts are like birds flying from mountain to mountain, and skipping from place to place: and like the children running after butterflies or such like trifles, their pains are lost, and so are our thoughts lost while they are not terminated upon Christ.

7. This question is put, "What think ye of Christ?" because there are so many mistaken thoughts of Christ in this world. "He is despised and rejected of men"; the world is filled with prejudice against Him, saying, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Therefore we ought to come and see and consider what He is, and whose Son He is, that we may not run into the same common mistake with the rest of the world, and that we may not take Him for a root out of a dry ground, having no form or comeliness.

8. This question is put to us, "What think ye of Christ?" because we have mistaken thoughts of other things while we have not right thoughts of Christ. The Pharisees had mistaken thoughts of God and His law because they had not right thoughts of Christ; therefore Christ proposes the question. And indeed, sirs, we mistake God, we mistake the law, we mistake the gospel, we mistake ourselves, we mistake our duty, we mistake every thing, as long as we have wrong notions of Christ. A man may mistake so far as to think that he is about his duty to God and yet may be fighting against God, while Christ is not known or thought upon. "I verily thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth," says Paul; and accordingly he was persecuting Christ in His members; yet he thought he was doing God service till Christ discovered Himself and cried to him, saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" Then he began to think of Christ, saying, "Who art thou, Lord?" Why, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Whenever he began to think duly of Christ, then he saw he had been in a mistake. People may think verily they ought to do this and that against some of God's children; but if they had other thoughts of Christ, they would have other thoughts of their duty, and would see that verily they ought not to do so. Again, Paul thought his own righteousness gain before he knew Christ; but then he thought it loss; "What things were gain to me, these I counted loss for Christ."

(to be continued)

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