SERM. V. imagine what worth and value must be in that blood; and how eternal love, fpringing forth triumphantly from it, flourishes into pardon, grace and peace. Here is a way in which the finner may fee juftice and mercy kiffing each other, and the latter exercifed freely, without prejudice to the former. All other confciences, through the world, lie either in a deep fleep in the devil's arms, or elfe are rolling (fea-fick) upon the waves of their own fears and difmal prefages. Oh, happy are they that have dropped anchor on this ground, and not only know they have peace, but why they have it!

Ufe 5. Of how great concernment is it, that Chrift should have union with our particular perfons, as well as with our common nature? For by this union with our nature alone, never any man was, or can be faved. Yea, let me add, that this union with your natures, is utterly in vain to you, and will do you no good, except he have union with your perfons by faith also, It is indeed infinite mercy, that God is come fo near you, as to dwell in your flesh; and that he hath fixed upon fuch an ex-cellent method to fave poor finners. And hath he done all this! is he indeed come home, even to your own doors, to feek peace? doth he vail his unfupportable glory under flesh, that he might treat thee more familiarly? and yet do you refufe him, and shut your hearts againft him? then hear one word, and let thine ears tingle at the found of it: Thy fin is hereby aggravated beyond the fin of devils, who never finned against a mediator in their own nature; who never defpifed, or refufed, becaufe, indeed, they were never offered terms of mercy, as you are.

And I doubt not but the devils themselves, who now tempt. you to reject, will, to all eternity, upbraid your folly for reject ing this great falvation, which in this excellent way is brought down, even to your own doors.

Use 6. If Jefus Chrift has affumed our nature, then he is fenfibly touched with the infirmities that attend it, and fo hath pity and compaffion for us, under all our burdens. And indeed this was one end of his affuming it, that he might be able to have compaffion on us, as you read, Heb. ii. 17, 18., "Wherefore "in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, "that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, in things "pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the fins of the "people. For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, "he is able to fuccour them that are tempted." O what a comfort is this to us, that he who is our high priest in heaven, hath our nature on him, to enable him to take compaffion on

us!

Ufe 7. Hence we fee, to what a height God intends to build up the happiness of man, in that he hath laid the foundation thereof Jo deep, in the incarnation of his own Son.

They that intend to build high, ufe to lay the foundation low. The happiness and glory of our bodies, as well as fouls, are founded in Chrift's taking our flesh upon him: for, therein, as in a model or pattern, God intended to fhew what in time he refolves to make of our bodies; for he will μesar×nuariZav, transform our vile bodies, and make them one day contor mable to the glorious body of Jefus Christ, Phil. iii. 21. This flesh was therefore affumed by Christ, that in it might be shewn, as in a pattern, how God intends to honour and exalt it. And indeed, a greater honour cannot be done to the nature of man, than what is already done, by this grace of union: Nor are our perfons capable of higher glory, than what confists in their conformity to this glorious head. Indeed the flesh of Chrift will ever have a diftinct glory from ours in heaven, by reafon of this union; for being the body which the Word affumed, it is two ways advanced fingularly above the flesh and blood of all other men, viz. fubjectively, and objectively: Subjectively, it is the flesh and blood of God, Acts xx. 28., and fo hath a diftinct and incommunicable glory of its own. And objectively, it is the flesh and blood which all the angels and faints adore. But tho' in these things it be fupereminently exalted, yet it is both the medium and pattern of all that glory which God defigns to raise us to.

Ufe 8. Laftly, How wonderful a comfort is it, that he who dwells in our flesh is God! What joy may not a poor believer make out of this? what comfort one made out of it, I will give you in his own words, "I fee it a work of God," faith he," that experiences are all loft, when fummons of impro"bation, to prove our charters of Chrift to be counterfeit, are "raised against poor fouls in their heavy trials. But let me be a finner, and worse than the chief of finners, yea, a guilty devil, I am fure my well-beloved is God, and my Chrift is God. "And when I fay my Chrift is God, I have faid all things, L can fay no more. I would I could build as much on this, "My Chrift is God, as it would bear: I might lay all the world upon it."

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God and man in one person, oh! thrice happy conjunction !-As man, he is full of experimental fenfe of our infirmities, wants, and burdens and as God, he can fupport and fupply them all. The aspect of faith upon this wonderful perfon, how relieving, VOL. I.

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how reviving, how abundantly fatisfying is it? God will never divorce the believing foul, and its confort, after he hath married our nature to his own Son, by the hypostatical, and our perfons alfo, by the bleffed myftical union.

Shews the Authority by which CHRIST, as Mediator, acted.

JOHN vi 27. For him hath God the Father fealed.

YOU have heard Chrift's compact, or agreement with the

Father, in the covenant of redemption; as alfo what the Father did, in pursuance of the ends thereof, in giving his Son out of his bofom, &c.; alfo what the Son hath done towards it, in affuming flesh. But though the glorious work be thus far advanced, yet all he should act in that affumed body, had been invalid and vain, without a due call, and commission from the Father, fo to do: which is the import of the words now before you.

This fcripture is a part of Chrift's excellent reply to a felfended generation, who followed him, not for any fpiritual excellencies that they faw in him, or foul advantages they expected by him, but for bread. Inftead of making his fervice their meat and drink, they only ferved him, that they might eat and drink. Self is a thing may creep into the beft hearts and actions; but it only predominates in the hypocrite. These people had fought Chrift from place to place, and having at last found him, they falute him with an impertinent compliment, "Rabbi, "whence cameft thou hither?" verfe 25. Chrift's reply is parly diffuafive, and partly directive. He diffuades them from putting the fecondary and fubordinate, in the place of the principal and ultimate end; not to prefer their bodies to their fouls, their fleshly accommodations to the glory of God. "Labour "not for the meat that perisheth." Wherein he doth not take them off from their lawful labours and calling; but he diffuades them, first, from minding those things too intently; and, fecondly, he diffuades them from that odious fin of making religion but a pretence for the belly.

And it is partly directive, and that in the main end and bu

finels of life. "But labour for that meat which endureth to "eternal life;" to get bread for your fouls to live eternally by. And, that he might engage their diligence in feeking it to purpofe, he fhews them 'not only where they may have it, ["which "the Son of man fhall give you"] but also how they may be fully fatisfied that he hath it for them, in the clause I have pitched on; "For him hath God the Father fealed."

In these words are three parts obfervable.

1. The Person sealing or investing Christ with authority and power; which is faid to be God the Father. Tho' all the perfons in the Godhead are equal in nature, dignity and power, yet in their operation there is an order obferved among them; the Father fends the Son, the Son is fent by the Father, the Holy Ghost is fent by both.

2. The subject in which God the Father lodges this authority, [Him] that is, the Son of man. Jefus Chrift, he is the por dexlixov, firft receptacle of it; and he must here be underftood exclufively. God the Father hath fo fealed him, as he never fealed any other before him, or that shall arife after him. No name is given in heaven, or earth, but this name by which we are faved, Acts iv. 12.; "The government is upon his shoul"ders," Ifa. ix.

3. Here is farther obfervable, the way and manner of the Father's delegating and committing this authority to Chrift; and that is, by fealing him. Where we have both a metonymy, the fymbol of authority being put for the authority itself, and a metaphor, fealing, which is a human act, for the ratifying and confirming an inftrument, or grant, being here applied to God. Like as princes, by fealed credentials, confirm the authority of thofe that are fent by them; as the Dutch Annotators well exprefs the meaning of it. Hence we note,

DocT. That Jefus Chrift did not of himself undertake the work of our redemption, but was folemnly fealed unto that work by God the Father.

When I fay, he did not of himself undertake this work, I mean not that he was unwilling to go about it, for his heart was as fully and ardently engaged in it, as the Father's was: fo he tells us, Pfal. xl. 7., "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God; thy law is in my heart." But the meaning is, he came not without a due call, and full commiffion from his Father. And fo it is to be understood in oppofition to intrufion, not voluntary

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fufception; and this is the meaning of that fcripture, John viii. 24. I proceeded and came from God; neither came I of myfelf, but he fent me." And this the apostle plainly expresseth, and fully clears*; Heb. v. 4, 5. "And no man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron: "fo alfo, Chrift glorified not himself to be made a high prieft; "but he that faid unto him, Thou art my Son." And on the account of these fealed credentials, he received from the Father, he is called the apostle and high priest of our profession, Heb. iii. 1. i. e. one called and fent forth by the Father's authority. Our prefent business, then, is to open Chrift's commiffion, and view the great feal of heaven by which it was ratified.

And, to preferve a clear method in the explication of this great truth, into which your faith and comfort is refolved, I shall,

Firft, Shew what was the work and office to which the Father fealed him.

Secondly, What his fealing to this work doth imply.

Thirdly, How, and by what acts, the Father fealed him to it. Fourthly, Why it was neceffary that he should be thus fealed and authorized by his Father; and then improve it in its proper uses.

First, What was that office, or work, to which his Father fealed him? I anfwer, more generally, he was fealed to the whole work of mediation for us, thereby to recover and fave all the elect, whom the Father had given him; fo John xvii. 2. "It was to give eternal life to as many as were given him :" It was "to bring Jacob again to him," Ifa. xlix. 5. or, as the apoftle expreffes it, 1 Pet. iii. 18. "That he might bring us to "God:" More particularly, in order to the fure, and full effecting of this most glorious defign, he was fealed to the offices of a prophet, priest, and king, that fo he might bring about and compass this work.

1. God fealed him a commiffion to preach the glad tidings of falvation to finners. This commiffion Chrift opened and read in the audience of the people, Luke iv. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21." And "when he had opened the book, he found the place where it "was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he "hath anointed me to preach the gofpel to the poor, he hath "fent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to

*That there can be no other thing inferred from this expreffion of the apoftle, but this, That Chrift was called to the office of Mediator, by him whofe Son he was, Cameron's Myrothec. p. 317.