my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed; hear ye him. Matth. xvii. 5. God has not thought it enough merely to ufe men in calling upon us, to hearken unto Jefus Chrift but he has by his own immediate voice from heaven, required us fo to do. Now fince God has in fuch a glorious manner, declared it to be his fovereign. will and pleasure, that we fhould hearken unto Chrift, it lays us under the most awful obligations to hearken to him. If God fhould now in great majefty and glory, call to us from heaven to hear Jefus Chrift, we could not but think our felves bound in confcience to hear him. And yet that voice from heaven in the holy mount, is as really directed to us, as it was to Peter, James, and John; and as much binds us to hear Chrift, as it bound them. Not for their fakes only, but for ours alfo, was that voice fpoken. And therefore Jefus Chrift ordered them to tell the world of this vifion after his refurrection (Matth. xvii. 9.) To fhew that it as much concerned us, as them. O then, let us not be difobedient to the heavenly vifion.

A. 2. JESUS CHRIST is a perfon most worthy to be hearkened unto. Such is the glory and dignity of his perfon, as juftly challenges our audience and obedience. He is no mean, contemptible perfon, but one every way great and excellent.

1. Jefus Chrift is the Son of God. He is the proper, begotten, only begotten, and moft dearly beloved Son of God. He is not merely the Son of man, but the Son of God alfo ; the fecond divine perfon in the glorious Godhead. Now fuch a perfon as this, is infinitely worthy to be hearkened unto. And hence God the father mentions this near and dear relation of Chrift unto himself, as one reason and motive, why we should hearken to him. Matth. xvii. 5. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed; hear ye him. Becaufe he is the beloved Son of God, therefore we should hear him. And hence the divine Sonfhip of Jefus Chrift is mentioned as a mighty obligation upon us to hearken to him. Heb. i. 2. God bath in thefe laft days fpoken to us

by his Son. The expreffion is very emphatical. God has spoken to us, not only by the prophets and apoftles, but alfo by his Son, in his own perfon. And upon this confideration, the apoftle preffes us unto a more diligent hearkening to the gofpel. Heb. ii. 1. Therefore we ought to give the more earreft heed to the things which we have beard. The tranfcendent greatnefs of the perfon of Christ, birds us to a more heedful attention unto the things fpoken by him. He is greater than all men cr angels, and therefore ought more diligently to be heark-. ened unto, than if any man, or an angel from heaven, fhould speak unto us.

2. Jefus Chrift is our fovereign Lord.-Ile is the beir of all things. Heb. i. 2. The owner and difpofer of the whole creation. He is Lord of all. A&t. x. 36. We call him lord and mafter, and fo he is. Joh. xiii. 13. He is the Lord our maker, the Lord our redeemer, whofe we are by right of creation and redemption. Now, his abfolute propriety in us, and fovereignty over us, are strong engagements upon us to hearken diligently unto him. All religious homage and refpect is due to him from us, on the account of his lordship over us. Pfal. xlv. 11. For he is thy Lord, and worship thou him. Diligent hearing his word, is one part of that worship and refpect, which we should pay to him as our Lord. When our Lord fpeaks, we fhould hear. As Samuel faid, Speak, Lord, for thy fervant beareth. 1 Sam. iii. 1o. From this confideration the apoftle cautions us against neglecting or difregarding the gofpel of Chrift. Heb. ii. 3. How fhall we efcape, if we neglect fo great falvation, which at the first began to be Spoken by the Lord? He that fpake was the Lord, the Lord of glory, the Lord of angels, the Lord of heaven and earth; and therefore his words are not to be neglected, but diligently attended to. Jer. xiii. 15. Hear ve, and give car, be not proud; for the Lord bath Spoken. When the Lord fpeaks, we fhould hear and give ear, that is, attentively and obfequioufly

Learken to him.

3. Jefus Chrift will be our Judge. The laft and great

judgment

judgment of mankind, will be managed by Jefus Chrift. Act. xvii. 31. God hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained. This man, is the man Chrift Jefus. Rom. ii. 16. In the day when God fball judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift. And our Lord himself has plainly told us that he will judge the world, and has declared to us much of the proceedings of that day, in Matth. xxv. 31,&c. We read,We must all appaer before the judgment feat of Chrift, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. v. 10. Now, if we must be judged by Christ, and have our eternal ftate determined by him, it greatly concerns us to hearken diligently unto him. From the confideration of this moft terrible future judgment, the apostle perfwades men to hearken to Chrift, and to obey him. 2 Cor. v. 11. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we perfwade men, i. e. to receive the gospel of Chrift, and live according to it, as ever they would hope to escape condemnation in that day.

A. 3. The excellency of the things Spoken by Chrift, make him worthy to be hearkened unto. The things which Chrift fpeaks to us about, are not mean and ordinary, but most important and excellent. Upon which account, he demands and encourages our hearkning to him. Prov. iii. 6. Hear, for I will Speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips fhall be right things. Never were there any things fo excellent, and worthy of hearing, as thefe fpoken by Jefus Chrift. For,

1. They are infallibly true.----Jefus Chrift is the true and faithful witnefs. Rev. i. 5. Yea, he is truth itself. Joh. xiv. 6. Whatever therefore he speaks, is the truth, and nothing but the truth. There neither is, nor can be, the leaft mixture of falfhood with any of his words." He is one that cannot deceive; to whom it is impoffible to lie. The things therefore that he fpeaks to us, are not cunningly devised fables, but undoubted certainties. They are perfectly free from all error and miftake fo that by hearkening to them, we fhall not wander from

F 4

from the truth. Job. viii. 12. I am the light of the world; be that followeth me, fhall not walk in darknefs, but shall bave the light of life. By following his guidance and counfel, we fhall be led into all truth. The fayings then of Chrift are true and faithful fayings, and confequently worthy of all acceptation. The mind of man, is formed within him, for the reception of truth. It is made for this end, that it might take up true and right notions of things. Now, no doctrine furnishes the mind. of man with fuch just conceptions and notions of truth, as the doctrines of Jefus Chrift do. For this caufe we fhould apply our minds to hearken to him.

2. The things fpoken by Jefus Chrift are exceeding great and glorious. For this caufe the gofpel of Chrift, which contains the things fpoken by him, is called the glorious gofpel. 2 Cor. iv. 4. Left the light of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, fhould fhine unto them. It is a glorious gofpel, inafmuch as Jefus Chrift therein reveals to us very great and glorious things: Such things as are no where elfe to be found. Ex. gr.

1. The infinitely great and glorious perfections of God. There is a great manifeftation of the glory of God in the works of creation. Many of the divine excellencies are therein difplayed. Pfal. xix. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament fheweth bis bandy work. The glory of his wifdom and power is confpicuous therein. So, Rom. i. 20. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly feen and underflood, from the things which are made. But no where are the glorious attributes and excellencies of God, fo fully revealed to us, as in the gospel of Jefus Chrift. Here the glory of God fhines forth in i's greatest luftre. Hence it is called the glorious gofpel of the blaffed Cod, or the gofpel of the glory of the bleffed God. 1 Tim. i. 11. Being that wherein the divine excellencies are moft refplendent, and have their fulleft manifeftation. Jefus Chrift, who is in the bofom of the father, he bath declared him. Feb. i. 18. He hath in an higher meafure made God known, than ever he was. Every attribute of God has,

by

by Jefus Chrift, been fet in a greater light, than ever. Especially has he given the moft full revelation of the adorable love, kindnefs, mercy and grace of God, towards finners. By Jefus Chrift, the riches of God's glorious grace are exhibited, unto the admiration of men and angels. He has given us clearly to perceive the love of God, to a finful and miferable world, in fending himself, the only begotten Son of God, into the world, that he might be the propitiation for our fins, and that we might live through him. Job. iii. 16. 1 Joh. iv. 9, 10. In these things God appears to be love, in the abstract; all love, nothing but love, to them for whom Chrift died. y. 16. For we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love.

2. The great and glorious works of God.---Concerning thefe Jefus Chrift fpeaks unto us. So that thofe who hear the gospel of Chrift, may fay as they did, A&t. i. II. We do bear the wonderful works of God. Jefus, Chrift fpeaks to us concerning God's work of creation; giving us to understand, that the worlds were framed by the word of God, fo that the things which are feen, were not made of things which do appear, i. e. of any pre-existent matter. Heb. ii. 2. He fpeaks to us alfo concerning God's work of providence; giving us to understand, that it extends itfelf to the most minute creatures, even, the little Sparrow, the flowers of the field, and the very hairs of our head. Matth. vi. 26, 28. and x. 29, 30. But especially does he fpeak to us concerning God's great work of the redemption of finners by himself. This moft glorious of all the works of God, was the principal fubject of his miniftry, and that which he most fully opens to us. He gives us to understand, that God of his moft free and fovereign Grace, fent him into the world, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, from the power of fatan, from the curfe of the law, from death and the grave, and from the wrath that is to come. Never was there fuch a clear exhibition, of this ftupendous work of God, given to the world, as has been given by Jefus Chrift. He is the appointed redeemer,