CHRIST IS OUR LESSON

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I. The meaning of this.

II. What kind of lesson Jesus Christ is,

III. What inferences may be drawn from it.

I. Let us inquire into the meaning of this—He is a lesson.

To understand this, we must look upon the church as a great school, wherein we ourselves, and all others that are baptized with Christian baptism, are thereby entered as scholars. Baptism is the enrolling or enlisting of us as scholars in this school. Now in this great school,

1. There is a head master, or teacher, and that is the Spirit of God, the alone teacher of hearts, John 14:26; 15:1.

2. There are the ushers and under teachers; and those are the ministers, whose work it is, as ministers, to instruct and teach people, young and old, weak and strong, one with milk by catechising, the other with strong meat by preaching, as they are able to bear it.

3. There is the lesson they are to learn, and that is, in one word, Christ. Christ is the lesson, the great lesson, taught in the church. Learn Him, and you learn all. Learn not Him, and you learn nothing. The expression may seem harsh and uncouth, but you see it is Paul’s phrase of speech, and, I think, he had the Spirit of God,—Ye have not so learned Christ.

What is it to learn Christ?

1. We must learn to know Him. This is absolutely necessary, and on this the foundation of all the rest is to be laid, John 17:3, it is life eternal; the way to life eternal; the first step towards it. The knowledge of Christ blessed Paul preferred before everything in this world, Phil. 3:8, 10. Now how unlike herein are the most of us to Paul, who prefer everything else before this. There are four things, especially, which we should all covet to know concerning Christ.

(1.) Who and what He is in Himself. He is God and He is man. He is God-man.

He is God blessed for ever, begotten of the Father before all worlds. This account of the knowledge he had of Him Peter gave when the question was put to him, Matt. 16:15, Who say ye that I am?—Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Do ye know this? Not with comprehensive knowledge,—as if we could, by our finite understandings, fathom the depth of it, for it is a mystery how it should be, a son without a mother,—but with the knowledge of faith that it is. We are to believe it because God hath revealed it.

He is man also. He was born of the Virgin Mary, in the fulness of time; when the Word was made flesh: and here is another mystery to be believed, and not to be pried into—that there should be a son without a father. Now these two natures, united in one person, are Christ. Have ye learned this? O learn it.

(2.) What He hath done.

He hath fulfilled all righteousness, by the perfect obedience of His life.

He hath satisfied God’s justice for all our sins, by the merit of His death.

He hath raised Himself again out of the grave, on the third day, and thereby declared Himself to be the Son of God with power.

Yea, and He is still doing for us in heaven, where He lives to make intercession.

And hereafter, at the end of the world, He will certainly come again with great glory to judge both quick and dead. Have ye learned this? Do ye know it? Again,

(3.) What He hath said. There are a great many choice sayings of His recorded in the book called the Bible: nay, choice sermons preached by Him, for He was a preacher. Those we should learn, for they contain in them the whole will of God concerning our salvation, which He came out of the Father’s bosom to reveal and make known. And yet how many heed them not, nor mind to learn them; they had rather be reading an idle romance, or play-book. God complains, Hos. 8:12, “I have written to him the great things of My law, but they were counted as a strange thing,”—much more, My gospel.

(4.) What He is made of God to all His elect, such as were given to Him from all eternity by the Father. He is their foundation, food, root, raiment, head, hope, refuge, righteousness. Have ye learned this? Ye have heard it often, but have ye learned it? Have ye understood all these things? Can ye say ye know them? There is a two-fold knowledge:

One, that swims in the head, and goes no further. Another, that sinks into the heart.

2. We must learn to believe in Him. Not only learn what it is to believe, but do it. Many can answer to what is faith in Jesus Christ, that have not faith in Him. Now to learn Christ is to have faith in Christ; none else can say they have learned Him, John 6;45. To believe in Christ, is to come to Christ, as the sick man comes to the physician, the thirsty to the fountain, the hungry to the cupboard, the malefactor to the city of refuge. Have ye thus learned Him, received Him, closed with Him, let all go for Him, all your sins, all your own righteousness, saying, None but Christ, none but Christ?

3. We must learn to love Him. The apostle speaks of being taught of God to love one another, I Thess. 4:9, and certainly there is such a thing as being taught of God to love Jesus Christ. Now have ye been so taught? Can ye appeal to Him, with Peter, and say, Lord Jesus, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee? They that do not love Him have not learned Him. Learn but two things of Him, and you cannot but love Him:

How lovely He is in Himself, Ps. 45:2; Cant. 5:10, amp;c. And

How loving He hath been to you in giving Himself for you, Gal. 2:20,—in washing you from your sins in His own blood. Paul prays “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” Eph. 3:19.

4. We must learn to obey Him, to do everything as He would have us to do. Faith and love without this, if we could suppose them without it, which certainly they are not if true, are nothing, signify nothing, John 14:15; 15:14. Paul is in the context exhorting Christians to walk worthy of their calling, not as do the heathen; No, says he, you have not so learned Christ—you are better taught.

5. We must learn to suffer for Him, if He call us thereunto. And what day passes over our heads wherein we are not, in one kind or other, called to it? Now have ye learned to do it, to take up your cross, and to follow Him? Luke 9:23.

II. What kind of lesson is Christ?

1. He is the lesson that all should learn; all that mean to be saved should learn Jesus Christ. There is no salvation in any other, Acts 4:12; John 14:6. You are not all bound to learn Latin, Or Greek, or Hebrew; to learn Logic, Philosophy, or Mathematics; to learn the several trades and manufactures; but you are all bound to learn Christ, bound by the covenant of your baptism, bound by your being called Christians. Either cease to be called a Christian, or learn Christ,—to know, believe, love Him.

2. He is the lesson that any one may learn. There are some arts and sciences that are above and beyond the capacity of some people, though they would never so much wish it; though they desire and endeavor all that ever they can, yet it will not do; they labour in vain. Now such a lesson Christ is not. He is an easy lesson, easy to be learned. Mistake me not; I do not mean easy to mere nature; no, it is quite contrary; it is to mere nature hard and difficult, nay, utterly impossible. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,” I Cor. 2:14. Witness Nicodemus, John 3. But easy—to the mind enlightened, easy—to the willing learner, Prov. 14:6, easy—where God gives a faculty, which He always doth to those that seek it. Christ is a way—wherein “the way-faring men, though fools, shall not err,” Isa. 35:8. O learn this way; you must travel it. How could it have been else, that so many plain illiterate men, such as the apostles were, should all on the sudden be such proficients in this learning?

3. He is the lesson that few do learn: the more is the pity. People are taken up with the study of other things, but make light of this learning, as of the gospel feast, Matt. 22:1–7; Matt. 7:14.

4. He is the lesson that multitudes are damned eternally for not learning. If I should say it is the only damning sin, I could make it good from Scripture. Whatever we have done amiss, if we have learned Christ, it shall be forgiven: whatever good we have done, unless we have learned Christ, it will not be accepted. This will be the question,—Hath he learned Christ? Is He found in him? Rom. 8:1.

5. He is a lesson that we must be sure to learn by heart, I mean, be hearty in learning, inward, sincere, upright, serious, With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, Rom. 10:10; Prov. 23:26. If we learn Christ to talk of Him only, and not to walk in Him; to have Him on the tip of our tongues, and not to lodge Him in the secret chambers of our hearts; it will not do.

6. He is a lesson that is best learned upon our knees. When in a humble sense of our ignorance, blindness, darkness, dullness, we go to God, every day, for the unction, saying, Lord, teach me,—as David, up and down the 119th Ps., (he, thy statutes —we, thy Christ,) we learn best; we then make the best progres in this school, Ps. 25:9; Zech. 4:4, 13.

7. He is a lesson that but one book is enough to teach us. Other learning is not had without abundance of books; philosophers, historians, physicians, lawyers, must have large libraries; but one book alone well learned will suffice to make thee a Christian, 2 Tim. 3:15. Then search the Scriptures, John 5:29. Prefer having eyes to read the Scriptures, and be blind to everything else, than to read everything else and neglect the Bible.

8. He is a lesson that it will do us abundance of good to learn. It is a useful lesson. All kinds of learning are in some way or other useful, but this learning excels them all, for it is profitable for all things.

It is unspeakably satisfying to the understanding part. The most learned, after all their inquiries into other learning, have professed themselves uneasy and dissatisfied, but this fills; as the great Mr. Selden,* when dying said, he had rest nowhere but in Titus 2:11–14.

It is unspeakably sweet, and comfortable, and refreshing, and joyous; like honey and the honeycomb. Every word of God is so, Ps. 19:10, but especially God the Word. —How sweet is it to a lost undone sinner, to be acquainted with a Saviour! Other learning increased, increases sorrow, Eccl. 1:18, but this doth not.

It is strangely renewing and changing within, in the inner man; making the tree good; bowing the will; raising the affections, 2 Cor. 3:18.

It is strangely reforming and amending without— in the life and conversation.

There is no bridle like this to keep us from sin. When a temptation to sin comes, it says—No, I have not so learned Christ. I thank God, I am better taught. There are other arguments on this head.

Is this thy kindness to thy friend?
It will be bitter in the end;
Thy vows, O God, upon me he,
Should such an one as I am fly?

Was Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. Did He teach me to be proud, passionate, envious, drunken? No, I never learned that of Him.

There is no spur like this to put us on duty.

He that hath learned Christ hath learned the example of Christ, learned Him as a copy to write after. To learn Christ is to learn of Christ—”Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me,” Matt. 11:29. It is called His law, Gal. 6:2.

He that hath learned Christ, hath learned the encouragements given by Christ in the promises.

9. He is a lesson that we can never be perfect at. He that hath learned it best, and learned most of it, must, after all, say there is more to be learned;—yet ever learning, 2 Tim. 3:7, is true of this learning. —It is a bottomless ocean that we can never fathom; our finite understandings are not capable of reaching His infinite perfections, I Cor. 8:2.

10. He is a lesson that when we have once learned we can never unlearn again. It is the better part, that can never, never be taken away, Luke 10:42. All other learning may be lost. Many a great scholar hath gone mopish. However, death dissolves it, melts it, it is gone like a snow-ball in a thaw. It is a pity it should be so, but so it is. But he that hath learned Christ, hath learned Him for ever. Death robs him not of it, but perfects it, I Cor. 13:12.

III. What inferences are to be deduced from hence?

1. An inference of reproof to several sorts of persons.

(1.) To those that slight and despise this excellent lesson and learning, as if it were not worth the looking after. “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” The blessed stoop to look into this depth, and is it below us?

(2.) To those that have learned Christ in some good measure, but do not improve their learning— who do not improve it for their own furtherance in the ways of God and godliness; that use it not as a bridle, a spur. —Nor for the instruction of others; especially those under their charge. When Andrew had found Christ he called Peter, when Philip found Him he called Nathaniel, John 1. So should we; not in pride and vain-glory, but with an earnest concern that others may be acquainted with Him.

2. An inference of comfort and encouragement to those that fall not justly under either of these reproofs—that prize this lesson, and are learning and improving it for their own and others’ good. Go on and prosper; the Lord is with you, “Your path shall be as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day,” Prov. 4:18. There is a promise, Matt. 25:29, for your encouragement—”Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance.”

3. An inference of exhortation to all.

By all means, whatever ye do, learn Christ. Con this lesson; be conning it every day. “Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord,” Hosea 6:3. Follow on by daily prayer, reading, hearing, meditation, conference. When ye have it, it will make you rich amends—here and hereafter. Value that preaching best, that hath most of Christ in it. It is sad to see whole sermons printed, and Christ not once named in them. Is that preaching Christ? Paul could say, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord,” 2 Cor. 4:5; I Cor. 2:2. Remember, ye are Christians. What! and not learn Christ?

Ye that are young. Now is your learning age; some of you are scholars—O learn Christ.

Ye that are old. There is yet a learning day. Nicodemus was old when he began. —Yea, all of you— learn Christ.

1691

*Called by Grotius the Glory of England.

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