Fourthly, For whom he is raised up.
Fifthly, For what good, or for what benefit and advantage he is raised up. And,
Lastly, To apply the whole.
As to the first, I spoke to it, and premised a few things concerning this blessed Plant; therefore I shall not stay to resume what was said on that Head. I likewise entered upon the second, and shewed that Christ is A Plant of Renown in several respects: I mentioned eleven or twelve particulars wherein Christ is renowned, but I shall not resume these neither: I shall only tell you a few things wherein this blessed Plant is renowned.
1. In the first place, this blessed Plant, he is renowned for his antiquity. There are many other plants in God’s garden, as angels, seraphims, cherubims, saints militant and triumphant, they are all but upstarts in comparison of him; for he was set up before ever the earth was. You will see that one name of this Plant of Renown is, The Everlasting Father, or, “The Father of Eternity,” as it may be rendered.
2. As he is renowned for his antiquity, so for his Beauty: he is the most beautiful Plant in all the garden of God; “I am the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the valleys.—He is the apple-tree among the trees of the wood.” He is renowned I say, for his beauty and his glory; for the glory of a God is in him. Is there any glory in his eternal Father? Why, that glory shines in our Immanuel, in the very brightness of it, Heb. i. 3. “He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of his person.” Now, sirs, if ever your eyes were opened by the Spirit of God, to take up the glory of this Plant, his glory has just dazzled your very eyes! You that never saw any glory in him, you never saw him to this very day: Pray that the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, may yet shine into your hearts. It would make a heartsome Sacrament, if this Plant were displayed in his glory among us. Sirs, have you come to see him in his glory? O give God no rest till he make a discovery of himself to your souls. Then,
3. He is renowned for his verdure, for his perpetual greenness. Other plants are fading; you and I are fading plants; “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:” He is a Tree ever green, he never fades, summer nor winter, and shall be ever a green Plant to the Saints as it were to eternity! When millions of ages, yea, myriads of ages are past in heaven, he will be as fresh and green to the believer, as when he first saw him, or the first moment the saint entered glory: therefore it is, that the songs of the redeemed in glory are always new; and throughout eternity, will be new, because they will constantly see matter of a new song; and the more they see, they will wonder the more at him throughout eternity! Again,
4. This Plant is renowned not only for his verdure, but for his virtue. We read, Rev. xxii. “That the leaves of the Tree of Life were for the healing of the nations.” That Tree of Life is the very same with this Plant of Renown; the leaves of this Plant are for the healing of the nations; and we that are ministers are come this day to scatter the leaves of this Tree of Life, of this Plant of Renown; try if you can get a leaf of it applied and set home upon your souls. Depend upon it, there is virtue in every word of his. Sirs, mingle faith with a word, and you will find that it will have the same efficacy with you as it had with the poor woman with the bloody issue, that was healed with a touch of the hem of his garment, who had spent all her living on doctors. O see if you can find him! I assure you he is here; he is behind the door of every man’s heart: “Behold I stand (says he,) at the door and knock! If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” And O let him in! there is virtue in him for curing you all, though there were ten thousand millions of you more than there are; there is virtue in him for healing every one of you. But then,
5. This blessed Plant is not only renowned for his virtue, but likewise for his fertility. He is not a barren Plant; he would not be renowned if he were barren: He brings forth all manner of fruit every month; yea, I may add, every day, every moment. You read in Rev. xxii. of the Tree of Life that brings forth twelve manner of fruits every month; that is to say, he brings forth all fruit that is necessary for a poor soul: whatever thy soul stands in need of, is to be found in him; see then and gather, see if you can gather some of it. There is the fruit of his incarnation; there is the fruit of his death; there is the fruit of his resurrection; there is the fruit of his ascension; there is the fruit of his intercession, and sitting at the right hand of God; there is the fruit of his prophetic office; there is the fruit of his priestly office; there is the fruit of his kingly office; there is the fruit of his appearing within the vail; there is the fruit of what he did without the vail, and without the camp. O what fruit is here! Here is wisdom for fools; here is justification for the condemned soul; here is sanctification for the polluted soul, and clothing for the naked; riches for the poor, bread for the hungry, drink for the thirsty. All manner of fruit is here, and we are trying, sirs, to shake the Tree of Life among you; and blessed be God, they may be gathered: O sirs! they are dropping among you; O gather, gather, for salvation is in every word that drops from him; for his words are the words of eternal life. But, in the