Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

that there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to the Lord; and the pots in the Lord's houfe fhall be like the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerufalem, and in Judah, fhall be holiness to the Lord of hofts. And in that day there fhall be no more the Canaanite in the land*. Such will be that glorious time, that the common occurrences in life fhall be, HOLINESS TO THE LORD, as much as ever the facred ordinances, and utenfils of the Temple in its pureft times were. Well might old Simeon fay,Mine eyes have feen thy falvation, which thou haft prepared before the face of all people; a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Ifrael.-But what thought can conceive, or what tongue can utter, or pen describe, the smallest ray of that ineffable glory which shall be revealed, when he shall take unto himself his great power, and fhall reign?

13. No doubt but the Godhead of our adorable Redeemer will be now fo confpicuous, that the mouth of every gainfayer must be stopped, and every doubt will be cleared up to fuch as have been honeftly enquiring after the truth; fo that every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess him to be Lord, to the glory of the Father. That great mystery of godliness, namely, God manifested in the flesh, will be made clear as noon-day-fo every one will fee how the Fullness of the GODHEAD dwelt bodily in the man Chrift Jefus. Many dark difpenfations of unerring Providence will be unfolded, both in general, and what may refpe& ourselves, so that we fhall fee caufe to wonder and adore the manifold wildom of the Deity exhibiting a scene of love, pity, and tenderness to the needy fons of men, and efpecially to his body the Church, X

to

to wit, all that have the faith which works by love, and which purifies the hearts of all true followers of the Lamb. At that day, fays our Lord, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you*. How sweetly will every divine attribute harmonize in the ever-blessed Lord from heaven, while every true worshipper is lost in wonder, love, and praise! O, glorious feafon ! Sweet time of refreshing from the prefence of the Lord! O, haften, haften it, bleffed Lord, when thou wilt mount thy white horse, and be followed by thy fhining hosts, and difplay thy now concealed name,-KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSt.

II. I come now to fhew that this divine kingdom of Grace, Power, and Glory, is juftly to be ascribed unto our God and his bleffed Christ.

1. HE is the divine founder of it. His hands have laid the foundation, so that it is not by human might, nor by human power, but by my Spirit, faith the Lord. He formed the glorious plan long before man was created. The man Chrift being the first-born of every creature, fo I apprehend all the human race was contained in him, every foul of man, and from him they came-he breathed them into Adam, and, as from him they came, his own pure (offspring, he could but love them, being united to him, and centered in him, from eternity; and, therefore, Chrift, under the character of Wisdom, fays,-The Lord poffeffed me in the beginning of his ways, before his works of old. I was fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, or

ever

* John xiv. 20.

+ Rev. xix. 16.

ever the earth was made. When there were no depths, I was ; brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding avith

water.

:

Before the mountains were fettled; before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the duft of the world.. When he prepared the heavens I was there; when he fet a compass upon the face of the deep; when he established the clouds above; when he strengthened the fountains of the great deep when he gave to the fea his decree, that the waters. fhould not pass his commandment; when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the fons of men *. To this agree the words of our Lord, For God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlafting life†. To the fame purpose the Lord fpeaks, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee ‡.

2. OUR Lord fays in his laft prayer, Thou lovedft me before the foundation of the world; and, if fo, he loved all the fouls contained in him; and it was highly confiftent with his wisdom and goodness to put them into a state of probation, as he did the angels, yet laying them under no abfolute restraint, no kind of compulfion, for that would be utterly inconfiftent with a state of probation as well as a future judgment. But, nevertheless, as known unto God are all his works, and likewife whatsoever fhall come to pafs, he faw they would fall, and therefore took care that

X 2

Prov. viii. 22---33. ↑ John iii. 16.

Jer. xxxi. 3.

a

a remedy fhould be provided; hence that glorious One, that Firft-Bern of every creature, that original fource of all fouls, was pleased to take hold of human nature, called the feed of Abraham, and to be made, in all things, like unto his brethren-that is, fin only excepted. Hence he fubjected himself to pain and poverty-to fhame and reproach to diftreffes and perfecutions-agony and death; thus he was in the likeness of finful flefh, and for fin was condemned, that he might condemn fin in the flesh, and thus gave himself a ranfom for all to be teftified in due

time.

3. THIS HOLY ONE, by an inconceivable union, is fo connected with Jehovah, that he is One with him-infomuch, that be who bath feen him, bath feen the Father alfo, and could, without any impeachment of blafphemy, fay, I and my Father are one*. From this inconceivable union refults all our life and happiness, and the full redemption of loft fouls. Here is the immovable foundation laid in Zion, and here will be build his Church, fo that all the powers of Hell shall not be able to prevail. He will revive lively ftones out of the rubbish, poor fallen fouls in feeble houfes of clay, and will form them like unto himself, a beautiful Bride-a fpotlefs Church, conformed in all things unto their living Head-a glorious Head, and glorious Members-a compact and a compleat Body, without rent or schism, world without end !

4. THIS bleffed redemption, and never-failing remedy, lay deeply concealed in the bofom of the Deity, and committed to our Covenant Head, the Lord from hea

[blocks in formation]

ven, who was to undertake our caufe, and, in the fullness of time, was to manifeft that council of peace to a ruined race, which he hath declared in fuch words as never man fpake, and confirmed by a life of purity, labour, and toil; by reproaches and flander, by long-suffering and patience, in a body of the fame nature of that which finned; and ratifying and fealing the unsearchable riches of grace by unknown agonies, cries and tears, in blood and death, upon the CROSs. O, love immenfe! O, love, ftronger than death! Amazing stoop of Majefty divine! Lord, what is man? What is a finful worm ?Thine own offpring, thine own breath! fallen among thieves, ftripped, naked, bleeding to death, lying flain, and perifhing!But thou, O good Samaritan, camest where he was; thou faweft him, and hadft compaffion-haft bound up his wounds, fweetly pouring in the oil and wine of grace and mercy, and haft made him the object of thy tender care. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the inhabitants of the rock fing, for the Lord hath appeared in our nature to put away fin by the facrifice of himself. The veffel which was made of clay was marred, even as it were, in the hands of the potter ; but he makes it again another veffel, as it feemeth good to the potter to make it *.

5. ALL this is confirmed by St. Paul, who faith, He hath faved us, and called us, with an holy calling; not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus before the world began. Given us in Chrift Jefus, as our Covenant Head;

[blocks in formation]
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »