before me there was no God formed, neither fhall there be any after me. I, even I, am JEHOVAH; and befide me there is NO SAVIOUR: There is no God elfe befide me, a juft God, and a SAVIOUR, there is NONE BESIDE ME. Look unto me, and be faved, all ye ends of the earth, for I am GoD, and

THERE IS NONE ELSE.

13. Surely to fave finners with fo great a falvation, must be a work of equal difficulty with that of the Creation or Prefervation of all things. Accordingly, the Apostle joins them all together in the paffage quoted from Col. i.-For after he has fpoken of Chrift as the Maker, Upholder, and Lord of all, he goes on to tell us that he is the Head of his Body, the Church; the beginning, the firft-born from the dead alfo, that in all things, in thofe of grace, as well as thofe of nature, he might have the pre-eminence.For, adds he, it pleafed the Father, that in Him fhould all fulness dwell, viz. all the fulness of wifdom, power, and love, all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, (nothing fhort of this being fufficient for fuch a mighty undertaking) and having made peace through the blood of the Crofs, by him to reconcile all things unto himfelf, by him (I fay) whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

14. Hence the Apostle affures us, that God is in Chrift (the Divine Nature in the human) reconciling the world to himfelf, and the Prophet Ifaiah, having a prophetical view of Immanuel, God with us, God manifeft in the flesh, for the redemption and falvation of Loft Man, exhorts as follows:Oh! thou that bringeft good tidings to Zion, (fee Bifhop Lowth's tranflation) get thee up into the high mountain-Oh! thou that bringeft good tidings to Ferufalem, lift up thy voice with ftrength, lift it up, be not afraid; fay to the cities of Judah, Behold a mere man? NO-BEHOLD YOUR GOD! Behold (adds he) the LORD GOD will come with a strong hand, and his arm will rule for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He fhall feed his flock like a Shepherd: he shall gather

the

the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bofom, and fhall gently lead thofe that are with young, Ifaiah, Chap. xl. v. 9-11.

15. And to the fame purpose, in the 35th Chapter, fpeaking of the happy effects of this manifeftation of Jehovah in our nature, he declares, ver, 2. They fhall fee the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God, and (ver. 3, 4.) exhorts, Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be ftrong, fear not: Behold, YOUR GOD will come with vengeance, even GOD, with a recompence; he will come and fave you. Then the eyes of the blind fhall be opened, and the ears of the deaf fhall be unflopped: Then fhall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb fhall fing. All this, it is well known, was literally fulfilled when the WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and men behield his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Then were

all these miracles, and many others, really and continually performed: Day by day the blind received their fight, the lame walked, the lepers were eleanfed, the deaf heard, the dead were raifed up, and the poor had the gofpel preached unto them.

16. And thefe mighty works were done in a way and manner that manifeftly fhewed, that the perfon performing them was more than man. Man he was undoubtedly, but not man only: Jehovah, by his Eternal Word, dwelt in that Man, and did the works by him. Hence, in doing his mighty works, Chrift fpake, and acted with an authority and power, fuch as neither Mofes nor Elijah, nor any of the Prophets or Apoftles. had ever manifefted. Lord, if thou wilt, faid the leper, thou canft make me clean: Jefus put forth his hand, and touched him, faying, I will, be thou clear. Speak the word only, faid the Centurion, and my fervant fhall be healed. Jefus faid, Go thy way; and as thou haft believed, fo be it done unto thee. When Peter's wife's mother lay fick of a fever, he only touched her hand, and the fever left her. When the

L 3

Devils

Devils befought him, faying, If thou caft us out, fuffer us to go into the herd of fwine; and he faid unto them, Go-and they went into the herd of fwine.

When the people were put forth, he went in and took her by the hand, and the maid arofe, Math. ix. 25.-fee Mark v. 29. Math. xiv. 34-36. Luke vi. 17, 19. When they came nigh to the gate of the city, behold there was a dead man carried out, the only for of his mother, and fhe a widow: and much people of the city with her. And when the Lord faw her, he had compaffion on her, and faid anto her, Weep not: and he came and touched the bier, and faid, Young man, I fay unto thee, arife. he that was dead, fat up, and began to fpeak, and he delivered him to his mother, Luke vii. 12.

And

17. Now was it thus the Prophets and Apoftles wrought miracles? Did they fpeak in this authoritative manner, as having life and power in themfelves to raise the dead, and do cures? Quite the reverfe. In the name of Jefus, rife up and walk.I command thee in the name of Jefus Chrift of Nazareth to come out of her.-Eneas, Jefus Chrift maketh thee whole.-And Elijah cried unto the Lord his God, and faid, O Lord my God, haft thou alfo brought evil upon the widow with whom I fojourn, by flaying her fon? And he ftretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and faid, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's foul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the foul of the child came into him again, and he revived. See a fimilar inftance concerning Elijah, 2 Kings, Chap. iv. ver. 18-36.

See

18. But thefe works of mercy done by the Lord Jefus upon the bodies of men, were nothing in comparison of thofe done for men's fouls. one or two inftances among a thousand.-Behold, they brought to him a man fick of the palfy, lying on a bed. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the prefs, they uncovered the roof where he was: And when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the fick of the palfy lay and when Jefus: faw their faith, he faid unto the fick of the palfy,

Son

Son, THY SINS BE FORGIVEN THEE. But there were certain of the fcribes fitting there, and reafoning in their hearts,Why doth this man thus fpeak blaf phemies? Who can forgive fins but GOD ONLY? And Jefus knowing their thoughts, faid, Whereforethink ye evil in your hearts? For whether is eafer to fay, Thy fins be forgiven thee, or to fay, Arife and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive fins, (he faith to the fick of the palfy) I fay unto thee, Arife, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine houfe; and immediately he arofe, and took up the bed, and went forth before them all, infomuch that they were amazed,. and glorified God, faying, We never faw it on this fafhion, Mark ii. 3-12.

19. See him performing another work. of ftill greater mercy, a relation of which is given us by an eye-witnefs, who was alfo the fubject of it, in the following words, Acts xxvi. ver. 9--19.. I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth which things I alfo did. But as I went to Dumafcus, at mid day, I faw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the Sun, fhining round about me and them which journeyed with me.. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice fpeaking unto me, and faying in the Hebrew tongue,Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I faid,. Who art thou, Lord? And he faid, I am Jefus, whom thou perfecuteft. But rife, and ftand upon thy feet; for I have appeared unto thee for this purpofe, to make thee a minifter and a witness, both of thefe things which thou haft feen, and of thofe things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I fend thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness. of fins, and an inheritance among them which are fanctified by faith that is in me. And is this Luftre, exceeding the brightness of the Sun, the glory of a mere man ?

man? Is this voice, Why perfecuteft thou me 2 I am Jefus, whom thou perfecuteft,the voice of a mere man? Is it a mere man that here appears to make a minifter, and promises to deliver him from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom he fends him? And is it by faith in a mere man, that they receive forgiveness of fins, and an inheritance among the fan&tified?

20. Let us attend to this wonderful story a little further. Because the amazing fplendour of Divine Glory that had furrounded Saul, upon the appearance of this auguft Perfonage, had fo dazzled his eyes as to deprive him of fight; the fame gracious Lord, who arrefted him, in his mad career to fhed the blood of the Saints, and of a blafphemer and perfecutor made him a Preacher and an Apoftle, commanded Ananias to go to him to restore him: And when Ananias hesitated, faying, Lord, I have heard of many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy faints at Jerufalem, and here he hath authority from the chief Priests to bind all that call on thy name, the Lord faid unto him, Go thy way; for he is a chofen veffel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the Children of Ifrael. For I will shew him how great things he must fuffer for my name's fake. Mark thefe expreffions-THY SAINTS, that CALL ON THY NAME-A chofen veffel unto ME, to bear MY NAME before the Gentiles-how great things he must fuffer for MY NAME'S SAKE. Are the Saints the property of a mere man? Do they call on a mere man for falvation? Is it the name of a mere man, that Apoftles are conftituted chofen veffels to bear? And is it for the fake of a mere man that they fuffer fuch great things?

21. Now, as it is certainly the fole prerogative of God to forgive fins, and receive guilty finners to mercy, -fo our Lord manifefted himself to be God, by exercifing this power, not only in thefe inftances, but in a great many others recorded in the gofpel.. Indeed all believers are reprefented in the Scriptures, not only as having redemption