Mary, by which the latter became the only begotten Son of the Father, that the relation of Father and Son began in the incarnation of Christ, and consists wholly in this? And do they by this supposition avoid any difficulty, and render the filiation of the Redeemer more consistent, intelligible, or honorable to him? Let the thoughtful, candid, discerning reader judge.

IV. The Redeemer of man, who is God-man, the Son of God, sustains the character of Mediator between God and man. That such a person only is equal to this, to mediate between God and rebellious man, so as to effect a reconciliation, will be made evident when we proceed more particularly to consider the work of redemption, what is implied in it, and what was necessary in order to effect it. And it will also appear that he is every way qualified to sustain such an office and station, and in the best manner complete the arduous, the glorious work; and the character of this infinitely high, important, and wonderful personage will be more fully investigated and displayed in the sequel.

I. By attending as above to the person and character of the Redeemer, we are in some measure prepared to see the folly of that pride which has led many to reject every thing in divine revelation which does not comport with their boasted reason, and is to them dark and unintelligible, and to be sensible of the reasonableness and importance of modesty, humility, and self-diffidence, while we think and inquire concerning the being and character of God, and the Son of God, the Redeemer. Many by this pride, and trusting to what they call their own reason, have been led to renounce divine revelation, the only light and sure guide, in the high and important business of religion, and have plunged themselves into darkness and delusion. And others, though they profess to believe the Bible to be a revelation from God, reject the most essential and peculiar doctrines contained in it, on the account of which, men principally stand in need of a revelation from heaven.

When we are once convinced, by undeniable, clear, and abundant evidence, that the Bible contains a revelation from God, if we make a right use of our reason, we shall expect to find in it declarations concerning God, his character, and works, which are beyond our comprehension, and, in this respect, perfect mysteries to us, and that we shall not, at first,

understand many things; yea, they may appear inconsistent and contradictory to us, which afterwards, by further study and increase in the knowledge of divine things, we may understand and see them to be plain and perfectly consistent. The things of God, or heavenly things, are so infinitely high, great, and wonderful, that the greatest created, finite mind falls infinitely short of fully comprehending all or any of them. The angels do not perfectly understand them. They make swift advances in the knowledge of them, without end, and yet will forever fall infinitely short of reaching to their infinite height, so as to comprehend all. How ignorant and short-sighted, then, must man be in those things, who not only has less natural capacity, but is sunk down in that moral depravity, which is blindness itself, with respect to the things of the Spirit of God, and carries in the nature of it strong prejudices against them! How unreasonable, how arrogant, is it in him to imagine that he can, by his own scanty, corrupted discerning, at once understand, and fully comprehend, all he needs to know and believe concerning God and heavenly things! Such a conceit, such pride and arrogance, can take place nowhere but among such fallen, apostate creatures as mankind are, and serves to verify the ancient declaration: "Vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." (Job xi. 12.)

If a philosopher should undertake to teach children of eight or ten years old a system of philosophy, would he think himself well treated by them if they were disposed to call in question the truth of every proposition of his which they did not directly understand, and immediately conclude that every thing he delivered to them for truth was inconsistent and absurd, which they were not able to reconcile? So long as they were of this disposition, they could receive no instruction from him. They would find many things perfectly dark and unintelligible to them, and others would appear to their narrow, childish conceptions inconsistent and impossible. But the objects of natural philosophy are not so much above the understanding and capacity of these children as heavenly things are above the understanding of men. There is an infinite difference, especially if we take into the account man's moral depravity, which blinds him to the things of the Spirit of God.

There are many things in natural philosophy which men of the greatest capacities, and who have attended most to them, and made them their chief study, cannot understand, but remain unintelligible mysteries; yea, they are propositions which appear to be inconsistent, and yet both of them must be received as true. For instance, it can be demonstrated that matter is infinitely divisible; and that matter is finite, is equally de

monstrable; which two demonstrable propositions appear to be perfectly inconsistent.

And shall we, to whom earthly things are, in so many instances, unintelligible and appear inconsistent, imagine that when God speaks to us of heavenly things, - things infinitely great, high, and wonderful,- we are able to comprehend them all, and are warranted to reject every thing as not true, and not revealed to us by him, which we do not understand, or are not able to reconcile with each other!

Let us rather become fools, that we may be wise. Sensible of our ignorance and proneness to imbibe error, to love darkness rather than light, and put light for darkness, and darkness for light, let us study the Bible with a modest diffidence. in our own reason and wisdom, and implicit confidence in our divine Instructor, looking to him to open our eyes to understand the Scriptures, and behold the wonderful things revealed in those sacred oracles. "The meek will he guide in judg ment; the meek will he teach his way." (Ps. xxv. 9.)

2. This subject brings into view the infinite fulness and sufficiency of God—a fulness equal to the wants of sinners, and suited to relieve and save them. In order to this, he must be not only infinitely powerful, wise, and good, but subsist in a manner of which we could know nothing had he not revealed it-viz., a Trinity in Unity - -and when revealed, it is infinitely above our comprehension. And if it were not so, we should have no reason to believe this was the true God; for the true God must be incomprehensible both in his existence and manner of subsistence. Had there not been a God subsisting in three persons, so distinct as to covenant with each other, and act a separate and distinct part in the work of redemption, man could not have been redeemed, and there could have been no Redeemer. They, therefore, who disbelieve the doctrine of the Trinity, and that the Redeemer is the second person in the Triune God, do really, though ignorantly, exclude the possibility of the redemption of man, and of a Redeemer equal to such a work, which will appear as we proceed in our inquiry into the work of redemption.

But let us believe this revealed mystery, God the Son, manifest in the flesh, and adore and rejoice in the infinite fulness and sufficiency of God, which appears in the person and character of the Redeemer, for the redemption of sinners; which fulness and sufficiency never could have been known to men or angels had it not been revealed, and the redemption of man had not taken place.

3. We are led by this subject, with wonder, gratitude, and joy, to contemplate the ability and sufficiency of Jesus Christ

to redeem sinners, and see that he is just such a Savior as we need.

Were he not a person of infinite greatness, dignity, and worthiness, were he not God, his sufferings and obedience would have been of no avail to make atonement for the sins of men, to procure pardon, and merit eternal life for us. And were he not man, he could neither suffer nor obey. But being both these, he was equal to this. "Such a High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens." (Heb. vii. 26.) And were he not almighty, infinitely wise, and good, he would not be able and willing to rescue sinners from the power of sin and Satan, and completely sanctify them, and make them meet for the inheritance in heaven. But being all this, he is a complete Redeemer. "For it hath pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell. Who is made of God, unto his people, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and complete redemption." (1 Cor. i. 30. Col. i. 19.) And all the redeemed must know and say, "Surely in the Lord have I righteousness and strength; in the Lord Jesus Christ shall the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory." (Isa. xlv. 24, 25.)

They who know their own state and character, as sinners, being wholly lost in sin, infinitely guilty and miserable, and believe in Christ, see all this in some degree. To such Christ is all-sufficient, most honorable, and precious. But to them who are ignorant of themselves, the nature and ill desert of sin, and their own guilt and misery, who are unbelieving and disobedient, Jesus Christ, considered in his true character, is "a stone of stumbling, and rock of offence." (1 Pet. ii. 7, 8.)

His sufficiency also includes his inexhaustible, unbounded fulness, as the glorious object of knowledge, contemplation, and love, and of enjoyment and happiness. The redeemed will attend forever to their Redeemer, who is infinite, and whose person and character are full of wonders, with ever fresh and increasing delight. They will spring forward in the full employ and strongest exertion of all their powers, and make swift progress in the knowledge of their Savior, and in holiness and happiness, without ever coming to an end. Whatever wonders and glories they may have seen, and however high their love and happiness may be at any supposed future period, the Redeemer may with truth say to them, as he did to Nathaniel, "Ye shall see greater things than these." St. Paul entered upon this endless, progressive, and happifying knowledge of Christ when he commenced a Christian, and was admitted into the school of his Lord and Master, which he expresses in the following words: "What things were gain to me, those I

counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. That I may know him," etc.

4. The view we have now had of the person and character of the Redeemer is suited to enlarge our ideas, and excite a sense of the infinite, wonderful condescension and love exercised and manifested in the work of redemption. The love of the Father is expressed in giving his only begotten, dear Son, to descend to such a low state of humiliation, of poverty, disgrace, and sufferings, even unto a most cruel death, to redeem man. And as this his own Son was equal to himself, and infinitely dear to him, the degree of love and goodness expressed in giving him up to redeem man, by suffering the curse under which he had fallen, must be infinite, and the greatest possible instance and exercise of disinterested benev olence that can be conceived, or that ever did or can take place. And the more the greatness and dignity of the Son of God is known, and how dear he is to the Father, the greater will his sufferings appear to be, and the higher and more affecting will be the view and sense of the goodness of the Father in giving up his Son to such sufferings. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." Herein is love.

And the condescension and love of Christ in his humiliation and sufferings for the redemption of men, appear in the most affecting and striking light, when we take into view his greatness and dignity, and the infinite height from which he descended to such an amazing scene of debasement, ignominy, and sufferings. And the more our ideas are enlarged in the view of the former, the greater sense shall we have of the latter. Hence it follows, that as his greatness, dignity, and excellence are infinite, there is a foundation for increasing, endless views and admiration of "the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge."

5. By considering the person of the Redeemer, we are led to infer the height to which the redeemed are raised, the great honor which is conferred upon them by their union to him. In the personal union of the human nature to the Son of God, the greatest honor is put upon it; and they who are united to this person as the redeemed are, rise to a degree of honor and exaltation far above the angels, and unspeakably beyond all our present conceptions. They are the bride, the Lamb's wife, and share in all his honors and riches. They are "raised up together with him, and made to sit together, in heavenly places, with Christ Jesus." (Eph. ii. 6.) In his exaltation, they are exalted, as members of his body, of which he is the