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the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Chrift." And you will be pleased to obferve,

I. It is God's own purpose. The contrivance, the discovery, the progrefs, the accomplishment, all, all is from heaven. In what relates to this world, in what contributes to the fuftentation and comfort of a tranfient life, human fagacity, ingenuity and industry may challenge a little praife. Men foon invented and improved the neceffary, ufeful, and ornamental arts. They foon learned to build cities, to work in brafs and iron, to handle the harp and organ." But their dexterity, addrefs, perfeverance and fuccefs in the pursuit of perishable interefts, form an humiliating contrast with their aukwardnefs, indolence, inattention and incapacity in their higher, their spiritual and everlafting concerns. Wife in trifles, or to do evil, how to do good they find not. The experiment was permitted to be fully made. It was proved how far the powers of nature could go. Egypt, Affyria, Greece, Rome, improved one upon another; and what was the refult?"The world by wisdom knew not God." They became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Profeffing themselves to be wife, they became fools; and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beafts, and creeping things."*

To increase our wonder and mortification, when God's purpose of mercy was declared, when his method of falvation was revealed, men were "flow of heart to believe." They " refifted the Holy Spirit ;" Chrift • came to his own and his own received him not." The difciples themselves understood not, believed not "what the prophets had spoken." No wonder then that the doctrine of the crofs was "to the Jews a ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness." Here then is a purpose, which not only is not of man's forming, but which man uniformly and violently oppofed.

Rom. i. 22, 23.

In

In other cafes, we behold the wisdom of God blending itself with human counfels, directing, fubduing them to its determination, and the great God graciously condefcending to divide his glory with the creature. But if there be a defign more peculiarly bis, from which he claims undivided praife, which was not, which could not be of man, nor " according to our works," it is this, the gracious defign of "faving them that believe," by Jefus Chrift, and him crucified.

II. This leads us forward to obferve, that, as the work of redemption is JEHOVAH's own peculiar purpofe, fo it is a purpofe of grace. The thoughts of " the Father of fpirits" are unfolded, and they are" thoughts

of peace." Transporting view! Behold the greatest and most glorious of all beings employing himself in devifing the means of doing good, of communicating happiness, of relieving the miferable; and forming a fcheme of benevolence which extends from eternity to eternity, and comprehends innumerable myriads of rational beings reftored, recovered from ignorance, from guilt, from mifery, to wifdom, to holiness, to perfect and exalted felicity. Blessed purpofe! The formation of man, the creation of an universe are only parts of it. Man was formed that he might be redeemed; was fent into this world to be prepared for

heavenly places in Chrift Jefus." The firmament was expanded, adorned, lighted up, to witness the difplay of "the exceeding riches of the grace of God, in his kindnefs towards us through Chrift Jefus ;" and every fucceffive opening of the plan of Providence is only a new discovery, a more endearing expreffion of the love of Chrift "which paffeth knowledge," of "the peace of God which pafleth all understanding." Think, O guilty man, think, O my foul, what a purpofe of justice, think what a purpose of wrath would have been, had "God fent his Son into the world to condemn the world!"-The fpirit fails at the dreadful thought. Behold an infulted God defcending to con

found

found the pride and prefumption of the builders of Babel; and mark their fpeedy difperfion. Behold a righteous God defcended on a purpose of fiery indignation against polluted Sodom; and confider, in trembling filence, the smoke of her torment afcending up to heaven. Behold a whole world of ungodly `men overwhelmed with the waters of a deluge; and learn how dreadful, how inconceivably dreadful a deliberate purpose of vengeance is. And, when you have pondered it well, reflect with wonder, gratitude and delight, that "God fo loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlasting life;"* that Chrift came to feek and to fave that which was loft. Again,

III. This purpofe of God, this purpose of grace was formed, before the world began. Human purposes are feeble, fluctuating, unenlightened; obftructed by unforefeen events, they are conftrained to change their direction, and to affume a new form. The imperfect work which through many difficulties is at length executed, bears no manner of refemblance to the original defign. Man performs what he may, because he cannot effect what he would. He is governed by circumftances over which he has no power. But the diftinctions of paft and future vanifh away from before the eye of God. There can be no difficulty in the way of almighty power, nothing concealed from the view of omnifcience. The duration of a world fhrinks into a fingle moment before Him who is " from everlafting to everlafting." Contingency and chance can have no effect on the counfels of Him "who feeth the end from the beginning," and faith, "My counsel fhall stand, and I will fulfil all my pleasure.

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Chriftianity as old as the creation! It boasts a much more ancient date. The creation is of yesterday, the world is not yet fix thousand years old; but christianity is of the effence of God himself. It bears date

* John iii. 16.

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of old, even from everlafting." "This "This pure river of water of life" proceeds out of the throne of God, who dwells in inacceffible light. Imagination wearies. itself, thought is loft, in tracing it up to its fource. Blefs the Lord, O my foul, who from eternity, in the greatness of his might, in the plenitude of his goodnefs, in the incomprehenfibility of his wifdom, condefcended to fix the bounds of thy habitation, to arrange the events of thy mortal existence, to prepare thy place in the heavenly manfions; who "before the world began" furveyed with complacency and delight his own benevolent defign, his own glorious work, the universe which he was about to fpeak into being, the bit of clay he was to fafhion into a man, the immortal fpirit which his breath was to infpire, the needy perifhing wretch whom his mercy was to redeem. But

IV. The bleffed Author of this gracious, everlasting purpose, has revealed and beftowed it in his own way. He hath faved us," "not according to our works," nor in the way of our own wifdom-it is given us in Chrift Jefus. From the formation of the merciful plan of falvation to its confummation in glory, the neceffity of a Mediator is never for a fingle moment left out of view. His name, like a fweet perfume, is wafted on the wings of every wind. Survey the world of nature through all its vaft extent, and in its minuteft particle, and we behold the omnific "WORD by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made that is made." He alfo "upholdeth all by the word of his power;" "all power is given unto him in heaven and in earth." Open the hiftory of redemption at whatever page, and it ftill unfolds the mercy of God through Chrift Jefus our Lord. Conducted of the Spirit back to the eternal days of uncre ated light, admitted to the deliberations of the coups cils of peace, we hear the Son of God proclaim, I am Alpha," the beginning." Carried forward in joyful hope to the day when he fhall "make all things

new,"

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new," the fame voice ftill proclaims, "I am Omega," "the ending," "who was, and is, and is to come." Search the fcriptures; confult the prophets; to him they "all give witnefs." Meditate the promises; "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God." Examine the record; "this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."* Confider the miniftration of angels; the covenant of promise " was ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator." Hearken to a voice from the moft excellent glory: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear him.' All is light and glory; but not a fingle ray of light is tranfmitted through any medium but this. All is grace-free, fovereign grace; but there is not one intimation given, not one act of favour conferred, but through the "one Mediator between God and man, the Man. Chrift Jefus." To him let every knee bow, to him every tongue confefs, of things in earth and things in heaven. What faith the fcripture?" He putteth no trust in his faints, and his angels he chargeth with folly." Is not this a plain declaration, that the highest and holieft of created beings are imperfect and dependent; that they stand in need of a Mediator and Advocate in order to their acceptance with a holy God? And is it not for this reason, that, "when he bringeth in the First-begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the angels of God worship him?"-It being the fundamental law of God's everlasting kingdom before the world was, and after it shall be burnt up and pafs away, with all that it contains, under patriarchs, prophets and apoftles, under the legal and under the evangelical difpenfation, under the dominion of grace and in glory, on earth and in heaven, that there fhould. be accefs to, hope in, and acceptance with God, for men and for angels, only through the Son of his love,

*John v. 11, 12.

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