Glorious Mystery - Chapter 9

Here we are dealing with the nature and causes of the honour due to Jesus Christ. Some people think that there is no use of Christ in religion: "it proceeds on this supposition...that there is something in rleigion wherein the person of Christ is of no use at all;-a vain imagination" (p. 104). But there are four respects we have to Christ in releigion...

1. Honour - because he is divine and excellent. Those who worship him but deny his divine nature, worship a golden calf. In him taking a human nature, he in no way loses his divine right of worship: "but adds an effectual motive unto it" (p. 105) John 5:23 confirms that Christ is worthy of all divine worship.

But why would the Father want the Son honoured if the reason for the Sons honour is his divine nature - which the Father has to? 1. The honour in John 5:23 is to the distinct Son. 2. He does it so that no one thinks because Jesus is a servant and sent by God he is not worthy of divine honour.

Honour Jesus then with "divine, sacred, religious, and supreme honour...We do not honour the Father with one kind of honour, and the Son with another" (p. 106) "To honour the Son as we ought to honour the Father, is that which makes us Christians, and which nothing else will so do." (p. 107)

There are two duties by which wegive honour to Christ:

1st, Adoration - "humbly to bow down ourselves or our souls unto God" (p. 107) This is always due to Jesus Christ. "The principle thing that the heathen of old observed concerning the Christian religion, was, that in it 'praises were sung to Christ as unto God'" (p. 108). In Revelation 5: the object of worship = Christ. The motives to worship = what he has won for the church (redemption). The nature of the worship = a) "solemn protestation" (p. 109) b) "all divine honour and glory" (p. 109) c) the way of expressing that worship (by song). The adoration of Jesus is the same with that of God in its nature. But not of its "especial motives" (p. 109) For God the motives are the work of creation, and how his glory is manifested in that. For the Father the motives are "his love, grace and goodness...Eph. 1:4-5." But for the adoration of the Son the motive is redemption.

2nd, Invocation - which consists in two parts: a) ascribe to him all te divine properties which belong to God, this is vital to prayer. b) represent our will to Jesus as we call on him: "with an expectation of being heard" (p. 110). This is how the church is different from all idoalters - it calls on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. What makes a laful invocation? that it has the right object, [this being Jesus as "all the perfections of the divine nature are in him" (p. 111)] and the right motives [which Christ is the object of as all he hath one for us is great]. Such as Ex. 20:2-3 explains. If you make Christ not omniscient, omnipresent and with almighty power, you cannot pray to him - for this would be idolatry.

Ultimately we call on God the Father but it is in the name of Jesus the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. But when should we call? 1. when we are distressed about temptations and desertion: "A time of trouble is a time of the especial exercise of faith in Christ." (p. 114). 2. when we discover glorious truths about Christ's person or his love for us. 3. When we are persecuted for Jesus' or the sake of the gospel: a) "They cannot but continually think and meditate on him for whom they suffer." (p. 116) b) christ is intimately connected with all the Christian's suffering. 4. When we grasp any grace which is in Christ Jesus: "it is a season of especial application unto him by prayer for the increase of it" (p. 117). We must want these graces as we are meant to be like him. 5. in the time of our death wheather natural, or violent for the sake of his name.

Jesus Christ interceedes to the Father for us, can we pray to him that he would interceed for us? 1. There is no example of it in Scrpiture so it would be dangerous. 2. Christ is honoured as he is God, not as he is mediator - as Christ is mediator so we ask the Father for things.