hence the foul derives its, capacity of enjoying God, and of being happy in his immediate prefence for ever. And this, too, greatly tends to illuftrate the tranfcendent excellence of its nature.

And furely that must be highly valuable which is thus Spiritual in its nature, immortal in its duration, and capable of such extenfive knowledge, usefulness and happiness.

2. The value of the human foul appears from the price that was paid for its redemption. This was none other than the blood of the Son of God.-Forafmuch as we know that we were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold, from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers, but with the precious blood of Chrift, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. The Apostle calls the price of our redemption the blood of God. Feed the church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own blood.

man.

The person who fhed this blood was God as well as He was the Divine perfon, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. There is not a perfection of the Divine nature, however effential to Deity, or incommunicable to the creature, but what belongs to him, as well as the Father, and to him in the same sense with the Father. This is he who affumed our nature into a perfonal union with his Divine. How glorious the fight! Deity and humanity conjoined in one mysterious perfon, and yet so as to preferve each nature diftinct from the other. This was he who fulfilled all righteousness for us, by a life of the most perfect obedience to the precepts of the law. This was the perfon who hath redeemnd us to God by his blood. And did our time admit of confidering here the nature of those fufferings our Lord endured previous to his death, and in

dying on the accurfed cross for us, it would greatly tend to enhance the value of this price in our estimation.

I shall only obferve at prefent, that they include all the agonies of Gethsemane,-all the infults he endured from thence to Mount Calvary, and all the exquifite anguish of the cross, until he cried, It is finished, and gave up the ghoft. But all this, my brethren, ferves to illuftrate the high value God fets upon that foul which he hath redeemed at fo expensive a rate. Would God give the Son of his love to all that ignominy, fuffering and death, to redeem a thing of nought? Verily no.

3. The difplay of the perfections of God, exhibited in the plan of faving loft fouls through Jefus Chrift, tends greatly to illuftrate the value he puts upon them. This plan was laid from all eternity. Then it was the Sacred Three concerted and covenanted with each other respecting this important bufinefs, and each Perfon in the adorable Trinity took his part in the Divine defign, and engaged for its execution in the fulness of time.

Thus it was, God loved us with an everlasting love. I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore, with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.-But what was it they deliberated upon? Whether they would fave loft finners? No, this was graciously fixed. It was the way, the manner of doing it, fo as to fecure the honour of God's moral government, and exhibit the glories of the Divine character in a proper point of light. The propofals of Mercy and claims of Juftice would seem to oppofe each other.

Mercy was inclined to fave the finner, while Juftice infifted upon his death, as the proper demerit of his fin.

Holiness too had its claim upon the finner, and abfolutely forbade his falvation, unlefs conformed to the Divine image; while Truth infifted upon the execution of

the

the threatening of the law on the tranfgreffor. But in the plan of faving men through Jefus Chrift, all thefe feveral claims are answered, and gloriously harmonize. God can now be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Fefus.

The mercy of God is illuftrated in that the finner is faved. The justice of God, in the fatisfaction made by Chrift's obedience to the precepts of the law, and his suffering its penal sanction, in the manner you have just heard, as the finner's furety. His bolinefs, not only by the obedience of our Lord's life, which indeed is one of the brightest displays ever made of it, but also by that purity of heart and manners, to which this plan of falvation recovers us, by the agency of the Spirit of grace. His truth is illuftrated, by the full execution of the threatenings of the law, in all their dread extent, though not on the finner's own person, yet on the person of his furety; and his faithfulness in the fulfilment of his promiles to the Divine Mediator, and to every true believer in and through him; while the wisdom of God fhines with diftinguished luftre, in concerting and executing a plan that unites all these feemingly jarring interests; a plan that so fully provides for fecuring and illustrating the Divine honour, and the faving of loft men. Thus, mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace bave kiffed each other.

From this brief fhetch, you fee what a mirror of Divine glory the plan of our falvation thorough Jefus Chrift is. Here, we all with open face behold as in a glass, the glory of the Lord. Here, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God fhines in the face of Jefus Chrift. But what is all this about? Whose falvation are the three perfons of the adorable Trinity thus planning and execu ting? That of fallen angels? No; that of human fouls.

It

It is their falvation which exhibits this glorious display of the Divine perfections and character. And, Oh! in what an important point of light does this set this foul of man! How ineftimable its value, about whofe falvation not only every perfon in the Trinity, but every attribute of the Divine nature, is thus fomehow or other employed, and in and by which it is glorified!

4. The provifion God has made for the recovery of this foul to his image, and a capacity of enjoying him as his portion, is a further evidence of its high value. He has given us the Sacred Scriptures, as a rule both of faith and manners. We are here taught all that is neceffary for us to know and believe, to the faving of our fouls, We are here taught the whole compass of our duty to God, our neighbour, and ourfelves. Taught, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righte ufly and godly in this prefent world. Thus, all Scripture being given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. And in this refpect, among others, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the foul; the teftimony of the Lord is fure, making wife the fimple. And you will please carefully to observe here, that the truths contained in the Sacred Scriptures, are the great means chofen and appointed by God for effecting our perfonal holiefs. To this accords our Lord's prayer for his difciples.-Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.

It is for the fame end the ordinances of the Gospel are instituted This is one great end of the fabbath, and all its appointments. It is, that we may by these hold an intercourse with God while in this life, and thus be trained up for holding the most delightful communion

with him in glory.—We read, that faith cometh by bearing, and bearing by the word of God. That faith by which our hearts are purified, made like God, and we trained up to a meetnefs for the inheritance of the faints in light. For the fame gracious purpose has God appointed the Gofpel-miniftry, which is reprefented by the Apostle, as among the richest of our Lord's afcenfiongifts. When be afcended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And be gave fome Apostles, and fome Prophets, and some Evangelifts, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the faints; for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the body of Chrift: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man; unto the measure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift. But I must not omit adding here, that as all these were but means, and therefore could not effect any thing in themselves, God has provided the Holy Spirit for rendering them effectual. This is the part he affumed in the lan of our redemption. Hence he is ftyled the Spirit of Holiness; and we are faid to be faved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghoft, which he fhed on us abundantly, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour; and this great work is elsewhere styled, the Sanctification of the Spirit, because of his agency in effecting it. But, O! the rich variety of influences the Spirit sheds on his people for this purpose, and the rich variety of graces he forms in them! But does not all this befpeak the value of the foul, for whofe fanctification and happiness this glorious provision is made? Yes, furely.

5. The nature of that happiness which God has provided for the human foul beyond the grave, bespeaks its high value. It is a happiness derived from the immediate presence and enjoyment of himself; a happiness that flows

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