As to the first of these, namely,
First, To premise a few things concerning this blessed Plant.
First, I would have you to know what is here attributed and ascribed to Christ: It is not to be understood absolutely of him as God, but officially as he is Mediator and Redeemer. Considering him absolutely as God, this cannot be properly said of him, that he was raised up: for he is God co-equal and co-essential with the Father; But viewing him as Mediator, he is a Plant, as it were of God’s training. You will see from the context, all that is said of Christ has a respect to him as a Mediator, that he was to be God’s Servant to do his work: In that consideration he is here called a Plant, and a Plant of Renown. Hence, Zacharias, when speaking of him, has a phrase much to the same purpose; “He hath raised up a Horn of Salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” Again,
Secondly, Another thing I would have you to remark, is, That this Plant is but small and little in the eyes of a blind world. He was little looked upon when he sprung up in his Incarnation; and when he was here in a state of humiliation, men looked upon him “as a Root sprung up out of a dry ground; they saw no comeliness in him why he should be desired.” And to this day, though he be in a state of exaltation at the right hand of God, yet he is little thought of, and looked upon, by the generality of mankind, and the hearers of the gospel; He is despised and rejected of men. But then,
Thirdly, Another thing I would have you to remark, is, That however contemptible this Plant of Renown is in the eyes of a blind world, yet he is the tallest Plant in all God’s Lebanon, there is not the like of him in it, “He is fairer than the children of men;” and, “He is as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood,” If ever you saw him, you will be ready to say so too, and with David, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides thee.” Again,
Fourthly, Another thing I remark, is, That this blessed Plant of Renown, he was cut down in his death, and sprung up gloriously in his resurrection; the sword of divine justice hewed down this Plant upon Mount Calvary, but within three days he sprung up again more glorious and more beautiful and amiable than ever; and “He was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead.”
Lastly, I would have you to remark, that all the little plants in the garden are ingrafted in this Plant of Renown: “I am the Vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: For without me ye can do nothing—I am a green fir tree, from me is thy fruit found.” If you be not ingrafted firs, in this Plant, you will never grow; and all the trees that are not planted in him, they are all but weeds. There is a time coming when all the weeds will be plucked up, and therefore take heed that you be ingrafted in him by a faith of God’s operation. So much for the first thing I proposed.
The second thing was to shew, that he is a Renowned Plant. He is renowned in heaven, and he is renowned on earth, and will be so, For his name shall endure for ever, Psal. lxxii. 17. O he is renowned!
For what, say you, is he renowned? I might here enter upon a very large field; I shall only tell you,
1. That he is renowned in his Person. There was never the like of him! The two natures, God and Man, are joined together in one, in him: Did you ever see that? If you have not seen that, you have not seen the Mystery of Godliness: He is the most renowned person in heaven; but he is Immanuel, God manifested in the flesh.—Then he is,