not as the fcribes, and warmly urged their compliance by all the motives proper to influence reasonable and generous minds, enforced by his moft amiable example.

And, by virtue of the fame commiffion, he empowered and delegated a fet of men, whom he had found faithful, to act for him, and in his name to renew the fame gracious proposals of peace, when he was gone to his Father's court in heaven, where he would act in another depart ment of his mediatorial office-that of advocate and interceffor; and, for their encouragement, he promised them his affiftance and prefence, faying, "Lo I am with you always, unto the end of the world; he therefore who defpifeth you: defpifeth me, and he who receiveth your receiveth me," who fend you; i. e. he who rejecteth the propofals of peace and reconciliation made by you in my name, I shall respect as rejecting the propofals made by me; and they who cordially clofe with the propofals made (according to my gofpel, by you in my name) I fhall receive, as if they fell in with the fame propofals made by me in perfon: and he who thus receives you receives me, and he who receiveth me receiveth him who fent me, and fo is no longer at enmity with God, but reconciled, and interested in all the bleffings of the new covenant, and which fhall be confummated in eternal life-Which brings me to what I have to mention in the next place, viz. that—

By his high commiffion, he had power to difpenfe eternal life to all them who believe. "We are fure that the witnefs of God is according to truth, and this is the teftimony which God has given of his Son-that he hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." He has commiffioned and appointed him to promife, enfure and confer eternal life on all who believe, or comply with the terms of reconciliation, as ftated in, and publilhed by, the gofpel. He is therefore spoken of in the

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facred.

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facred writings as the chief Corner-ftone, the Elect and Precious, on whom refts all the chriftian hope of future bleffedness. And, to fhew what stress is to be laid on him, he is fometimes called the head-stone of the corner, though he had been rejected by them whofe office it was to build up his church. And it is affirmed, that those who build on him, or believe in him, fhall not be confounded. And his very name implied as much as this. His name Jefus was given him by the angel before he was born of his virgin mother, with this profeffed purpofe, that he might be viewed and confided in as one able to fave his people from their fins-from the guilt, power and punishment of their fins-and confer upon them complete falvation. And in the fame view we often hear him fay, "He who believeth on me hath everlasting life, and I will raife him up at the last day," that the whole man, body and foul, may fhare the bleffings of eternal life; and, "As the Father hath life in himself, fo hath he given to the Son life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.. Marvel not therefore at this; for the hour cometh, in which all who are in their graves fhall hear his voice, and come forth; they who have done good, to the refurrection of life." Nothing is more expreffive of his high commiffion, and unlimited authority to difpenfe eternal life to all them who believe. And having life in himself, as he is effentially God, who alone hath life and immortality; and having authority from God, as mediator, to execute judgment-to prefide as final judge at the laft day-and to confer eternal life on all who have accepted of and closed with the terms of reconciliation, and evidenced their fincerity by doing good; béfpeaks his high commiffion, and fupreme authority inhis mediatorial kingdom. And we have a very striking illustration of his rectoral character and fupreme authority, in the representation which he has given us of the last

day,

day, in the 25th of Matthew, from the 31ft verfe, where our contemplations are led forward to that day when we are to look for him, defcending from heaven in all his divine and mediatorial glory, attended with the fhining orders. of angelic hosts, and, having feated himself upon a throne of judgment, giving orders to ministering spirits to. assemble the world of mankind before him, when he will with authority fentence or acquit, condemn or fave, ac cording as they have or have not closed with the propo fals of peace which he or his ambassadors in his name. have made to them, and witnessed the fincerity of their faith in, and obedience to, the gofpel, by well-directed.. acts of charity and benevolence; faying, "Come, ye. blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world ;" and to those of an oppofite character, " Depart, ye curfed, into ever lafting punishment, prepared for the devil and his angels." Thus, I have fhewn you what we are to think of Christ as mediator, qualified for the work, and commif fioned to execute it..

I am next to fhew, that he has faithfully discharged all the duties of a mediator which belonged to his state of, humiliation, and is now continually discharging those. which belong to his ftate of exaltation.

And it is a delightful truth, that he cheerfully fubmitted to sustain and support, with honour and fidelity, thofe characters, and to act in those offices, which were neceffary to fit and qualify him for executing that work; and that he has faithfully performed all which properly belonged to his state of humiliation, and which we can, fuppofe were neceffary to obtain and fecure final falvation for finful men.-And this I fhall endeavour to illustrate, in a few particulars,

1. He cheerfully undertook the great, the arduous and painful work, When the falvation of men became the

fubjec

fubject of confultation in heaven, and the inquiry was made "Whom fhall we fend, or who will go?" it is reprefented as though the bleffed Jefus ftepped forward, and faid, "Lo I come, for I delight to do thy will, O my God." And for this purpofe he became Immanuel-af fumed our nature into a perfonal union with the divine nature; for, inafmuch as the children whom he undertook to conduct to glory were partakers of flesh and blood, he himself took part of the fame, that he might become capable of yielding that obedience to his Father's law, and of making that atonement to the injured juftice of Hea ven, which otherwife would have been impoffible. The redemption of the foul is precious, and would have ceafed forever, had not this propitiatory facrifice been offered. He therefore, affumed a mortal body, that he might have foméwhat to offer; he fubmitted to be made under the law, to which he was under no neceffity of nature to be fubject; he was obedient to human as well as divine laws; he voluntarily affumed and fupported the character of a fon, a subject, and a fervant, that, by perfectly obeying and patiently fuffering, he might work out and bring in an everlasting righteoufnefs, which might juftify from all things. He alfo received the fanctifying influences of the Holy Ghoft, which perfected his human nature, which fitted and qualified him, as man, to offer unto God a facrifice which fhould make atonement for the fin of man..

And when we confider that this holy and immaculate Lamb of God was flain that he might take away the fin of the world, the blood which proceeded from his human body when it hung on the crofs might with propriety be called the blood of God, from that clofe and intimate union which fubfifted between the divine and human natures in the perfon of Chrift. The Apoftle therefore charged the elders of the church at Ephefus to "feed the church of God, which he had purchased with his own

blood;"

blood;" and the apostle John fays, "the blood of Jefus Christ cleanseth us from all fin, and he is become the author and finisher of eternal falvation for us."

To this end I have to obferve, that he has done all which we can imagine was necessary for him to do, in the ftate of humiliation, in order to effect and fecure our final falvation. He left his Father's court, he came down to ́act as the Immanuel on earth, fufpended for a while the ineffable glories of his divinity, and took upon him the form of a fervant. Being found in fashion as a man, he fubmitted to the infirmities, inconveniences and forrows of mortal life, and at last to a painful death; for he be came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, that he might atone to the injured juftice of God, and: purchase forfeited happinefs for man, and furnish him with thofe endearing motives and confiderations, which might powerfully engage him to holy love and obedience-confiderations and motives drawn from his unparalleled love and goodnefs, which constrain to undiffem-bled love and obedience, more ftrongly than those which are drawn merely from reafon or future rewards: for love is strong as death, and in many inftances, especially in days of primitive christianity, it has proved to be ftronger; for they counted not their lives dear unto them, fo that they might win Chrift, and finish their courfe with. joy. Many cheerfully refigned life, when they could no longer hold it confiftently with their fidelilty to their di vine Master, and fubmitted to death in all its most horrid forms, rather than do any thing unworthy the love they bore to their dear Redeemer.. This love animated and constrained them to refift unto blood, ftriving against fin.

Having finished his embaffy on earth, and clofed the fcene of his labours and fufferings, he at length returned to his Father, that he might appear in the prefence of God for us; where he refides, making continual interceffion

for