or benefit to us without this gift of Jefus Chrift. If all the world were given to us, what would it profit us if Christ were not given to us? Such a great gift then as this of Jefus Chrift, fhould make room for God in our hearts. It fhould draw forth our dearest love to him. In this gift, God difcovers his moft wonderful love to us. I Job. iv. 9. In this was manifefted the love of God towards us, because God fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Now fuch love as this, demands of us a return of love to God: ver. 19. We love bim, because he first loved us. His prior love to us, as it is the original caufe of our love to him, fo it is a marvellous motive thereunto. Never can we love him too much, never can we love him enough, for this inconceivable love of his to us, in the gift of Jefus Chrift.

3. A return of fervice and obedience. The bleffings which God beftows on us in providence, are obligations upon us to obey him. Our very common mercies do bind us to ferve God. How much more does this mercy of mercies, the gift of Jefus Chrift, engage us to yield up ourselves fervants to God? Rom. xii. 1. I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, the chief whereof is Chrift, that ye prefent your bodies a living facrifice, baly, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable fervice. Nothing more reasonable, than that we should give ourfelves to God, who has given his Son to us. O then, let us fee to it, that we make fuch returns of praise, love, and obedience to God, for the gift of Jefus Chrift.

And to prefs you to a ferious concern hereabout, I fhall only fay, that your diligence or negligence in this matter, will determine, whether Chrift be actually given to you, or not. If the gift of Chrift, do not quicken you to blefs God, to love and ferve God, you have as yet no real interest in Chrift. It may be, he may have been given for you; but 'tis most certain, he has not as yet been given to you. You cannot groundedly fay, Christ is mine. You do but prefume, if you fay fo.-But on

the other hand, if the thought of God's giving Chrift to be a faviour, does excite you to praise God, and inflame your love to God, and draw forth your willing obedience to God, then may you fafely conclude, that God has indeed given Chrift to you, and that he will together with him freely give you all things. I end with that of the apoftle, 2 Pet. i. 10, 11. Wherefore the rather, bretbren, give diligence to make your calling and election jure : for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For fo an entrance fhall be miniftred unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and faviour Jefus Chrift.

DACAC

DISC.

Success promised to CHRIST, in calling the Gentile World, after his Glorification.

DISCOURSE VII.

ISAI. LV. 5.

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knoweft not, and nations that knew not thee, fhall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the holy One of Ifrael; for he hath glorified thee.

N these words, God the Father directs his Ifpeech immediately to Jefus Chrift the Meffiab. Wherein obferve,

1. A declaration made to Jefus Chrift, of what he fhould do.-Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knoweft not, and nations that knew not thee. By a nation, and nations, we are here to understand the Gentile world.-Thefe nations Jefus Chrift fhould call, by the preaching of the gospel to them; not in his own perfon, but by his apoftles. For they are here faid to be those that be knew not, i. e. as man, when he was here on earth. For he went not into the Gentile world, but confined

⚫ confined his refidence among the people of the Jews. He preached the gofpel throughout Judea, but not unto the Gentile world. For he himself faid, he was not fent but unto the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael, Matth. xv. 24. He had therefore no perfonal knowledge of the Gentile world, as man; though as God, he perfectly knew them in all their circumftances. And as he knew not them, fo they knew not him, as 'tis here faid. They never had heard, that there fhould come a Meffiab; and when he was come, they had no knowledge of him. They were utter strangers to, and ignorant of, Jefus Chrift the faviour, till after his exaltation.

2. A promise of fuccefs, that fhould accompany his call they fhall run unto thee. The preaching of the gospel of Chrift to them, fhould have fuch a wonderful efficacy upon them, that they would readily and zealously accept of him as their faviour, and betake themselves to him for falvation. They fhould even run, i. e. haften to him, as the manflayer did to the city of refuge, that they might escape the wrath of God: according as God the Father faid to Chrift, Ifai. xlix 6. It is a light thing that thou fhouldeft be my fervant to raife up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preferved of Ifrael: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayeft be my falvation to the end of the earth. Thus we find that after the afcenfion of Jefus Chrift into heaven, the gospel did marvellously spread and prevail among the Gentile nations. The found of the gospel, in the mouths of the apostles and other minifters of Chrift, went out into the earth, and their words unto the end of the known world, with furprizing fuccefs, Rom. x. 18.

3. The ground or reafon of this fuccefs, viz. because of the Lord thy God, and for the boly One of Ifrael.-Becaufe of the Lord, or Jehovah, which is the original word. This name Jehovah denotes, partly, God's giving existence or being to his promifes. Hence God is wont to ratify his promifes, with fuch words as thefe, I am Jebovab, or, Thus faith Jehovah. So that this word in our

text, points out to us, God's effectually working unto the fulfilment of those promises of fuccefs, which he made to Jefus Chrift, Ifai. liii. 10. He shall fee his feed, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his band. The cause therefore of the fuccefs of the gofpel, in bringing home finners to Jefus Chrift, is the effectual working of God the Father therewith, according to his promise given to Chrift.-And here further, this Lord, or Jebovab, is called the God of Jefus Chrift, and the holy One of Ifrael. He is the God of Jefus Christ, the Covenant-God of Chrift, as he is mediator; and fo is under a federal engagement, to profper him in his mediatory work for the faving of finners. This Lord, or Jehovah, is also the boly One of Ifrael; fo called, partly, because it is he who fanctifies Ifrael; who is the author of fanctification, in all that become fpiritual Ifrael.-So that all these names here given to God the Father, do fhew that the fuccefs of the gospel of Chrift proceeds from the co-operation or active concurrence of God the Father therewith.

4. The time of this fuccefs, viz. after the glorification of Chrift. For, or when, be bath glorified thee, as it is rendred by fome. Take it either way, it declares the fuccefs and progrefs of the gofpel among the Gentile nations, to be confequent upon God the Father's full glorifying Jefus Chrift. Before his glorification, there were but now and then, fome few Gentiles profelyted, and brought over to join themselves to the church of Chrift among the people of the Jews. But after the afcenfion of Chrift to heaven, and his exaltation to the right hand of God, the gofpel of Chrift ran very fwiftly, and was glorified, throughout the then known Gentile world. God accompanied the miniftry of the gofpel with the powerful efficacy of his boly Spirit; fo that multitudes believed on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and made profeffion of his name. From the words feveral doctrinal truths may be noted.

DOCT. I. Such as know not Jefus Chrift, are in a very miferable condition.-Chrift's calling the Gentile nations

to