let us take our fill of love." Come friends, come company, let us go unto such a tavern, or such a place, where we may be fully merry: come, O my soul, take thy contentment in creature fulness, there is enough there. This robs Christ of the glory of all his fulness. To carry away the custom of my thoughts unto another shop from Christ, argues that there is not enough in Christ alone. Then, beloved, to conclude all. Are there any here, as I fear there may be too many, that have thus robbed Jesus Christ of the glory of his fulness? I beseech you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose fulness I have been now preaching to you; I beseech you, in the fear of God, go into your chamber, and be alone awhile, and fall down before the Lord, and say thus unto him, or to this purpose:

Oh, Lord, I confess it hath been so with me: I have thought that there hath not been a sufficient rule for the government of the churches: and herein I have wronged Christ in his prophetical fulness, and the Lord pardon this

unto me.

Lord, I confess also, that I have said many times that my sins are so great that there is no hope for mercy, that there is no hope for pardon: herein I have wronged the priestly fulness of Jesus Christ: now the Lord pardon this unto me.

I confess, Lord, I have stinted thee, and I have limited thee, and I have said many times in my haste, If this means fail, then England is undone, the church undone: thus I have limited thee, Lord. Oh, herein I have wronged thee, and robbed Christ in his kingly fulness.

Yea, Lord, I do acknowledge and I do confess, I have gone to creature comforts, and my heart hath taken a content and complacency, as if there were enough there; but now I see there is a fulness in Jesus Christ: the Lord pardon me that ever I let out my heart upon any creature comfort, upon any thing but Jesus Christ. You that have been guilty, fall down and humble yourselves before the Lord, and consider that there is a fulness in Jesus Christ, and labour to draw out this fulness from him. Which that you may so do, think on all these things, and the Lord bless them to you.

SERMON II.

"And of his fulness have all we received, even grace for grace." JOHN 1. 16.

I HAVE made entrance into these words in a neighbouring congregation, and shall now desire to go on where I left there.

The words hold forth three great, grand propositions.

First, That there is a fulness of grace in Jesus Christ. Secondly, That of his fulness all we do receive. Thirdly, That we do receive of his fulness, even grace for grace.

The former proposition I have despatched, and desire at this time to speak unto the second.

All we do receive of his fulness. "Of his fulness have all we received."

The difficulty that lies upon the proposition is this: Who are meant here by this "All we?" Some there are that conceive, that by those words we are to understand all the creatures of heaven and earth, because it is said before, in the beginning of the chapter, that "He is the light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world." But though the thing be true, that there is no creature either in heaven or earth, but more or less is beholden to Jesus Christ: for if Christ had not stepped in upon the fall, God's displeasure was so great against man, that he would presently have broke up house; and the sin of the fall was so heavy, that it would have broken the very axle-tree of the world, if Jesus Christ had not put too his shoulder, according to that of the apostle, "He bears up all with the word of his power," Heb. i. 3: yet notwithstanding, all the creatures in heaven or earth cannot be meant here, by this "All we," for all the creatures in heaven and earth do not receive grace: they may be said to receive of the fulness of Christ, but not grace for But at the 12th verse it is said, "As many grace. as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name." Now in scripture phrase, those are said to receive Christ himself, that do receive his grace; and those that receive his grace, receive Christ himself. Understand therefore by this "All

we," those that receive him; as ye have it in the 12th verse, which is explained to be, Them that believe in his name.

And then the observation or doctrine lies plain before us, which is this:

That all the saints and people of God, do partake of the fulness of Christ in a way of receiving.

It falls asunder into two parts, thus:

First, That there is a communication of the fulness of Jesus Christ unto all believers.

Secondly, That whatsoever grace or holiness the saints have from Christ, they have it in a way of receiving.

I shall only speak unto the former at this time:

There is a communication of the fulness of Jesus Christ unto all believers. "Of his fulness all we receive." Mark, there is a communication of the fulness of Jesus Christ unto all believers.

He is the second Adam which the apostle speaks of, in the 1st Corinthians, xvth chapter, and the 45th verse: "The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." The whole world is divided into two great houses: as once in this kingdom, there was the house of York and the house of Lancaster; so now, the whole world is divided into two great houses, the house of the first Adam, and the house of the second Adam. "The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit:" that is, look as the first Adam did communicate life unto all his seed; so the second Adam does communicate spiritual life and grace unto all his people. As by the first Adam, sin and sorrow and death came into the world, and so upon all mankind; so by the second Adam, grace and life and eternal life unto all believers. There is a dealing out, a giving out of the fulness of Jesus Christ unto all believers. This will appear

First of all, By the union that there is between Christ and a believer. There is a gloricus, a blessed, an incomparable union between Christ and every believer, though he be never so weak, though he be never so poor. There is a union between the root and the branches; and by virtue of that union, the root sends forth life and strength into all the branches, but yet, notwithstanding, the root is not in the branches; nor the branches in the root, mutually. There

is a union between the head and the members, and by virtue of that union, the head hath an influence upon all the members; but yet the head is not in the members, nor the members in the head. But now, there is a union between Christ and believers, and Christ is in them, and they are in Christ : We in Christ, and Christ in us. There is a glorious, and blessed union between them. Now, union is the cause of communion or communication; bread is united unto a man's body by eating of it; and so by virtue of the union, strength is derived into all the parts, into all the members, and the nearer and closer unto, this union is, the more full is the communication. Now though the union between Christ and a believer, be set out in scripture phrase, under such metaphors as these; the root and the branches; the husband and the wife; and the head and members; yet none of all these are able to reach it, not in all respects: it is a glorious, and it is a blessed and incomparable union. And therefore, there must needs be a communication of the fulness of Christ to every believer.

Secondly, My second reason I lay upon four propositions, and so shall arise and ascend unto the conclusion by several steps, thus:

I. There is an infinite treasury of grace and holiness in Jesus Christ; whereby he is able to supply, and succour all those that are tempted. If a man hath had a strait shoe upon his foot, or a strait garment; he knows where it pinches, and accordingly he is able to get it amended. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, He hath put on our flesh, and knows where it pinches; he hath been clothed with our flesh, and he knows every place where it pinches; and accordingly he is able to succour. And therefore, says the apostle, "He was in all things tempted like unto us, that he might be able to succour those that are tempted," Heb. ii. 18. Jesus Christ is not only the Lord Treasurer of all our comforts; but the Lord Keeper of all our graces. The nearer any thing comes unto the fountain of excellency, the more excellent it is. The sun is the fountain of light, and the nearer any thing comes to the sun, the more light it hath. Fire is the fountain of warmth and heat; and the nearer any thing comes to the fire, the more warm it is. Why, the Deity is the fountain of all holiness, and Jesus Christ is so near unto

it, as Mediator; that the apostle says, "In him the fulness of the God-head dwells," Col. ii. 9. And surely therefore there must needs be an infinite treasury of grace, and holiness in him.

The saints, you know, of the Old Testament, they were very holy; Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Solomon; they were full of grace, and holiness; and yet these were but types of Christ, they were but shadows of Christ. Now the type and the shadow does fall infinitely short of the thing typified, and of the substance: and therefore, if there were so much grace and holiness in things that were but a shadow of Christ; if there was so much wisdom and holiness in others of them that were but the type: oh! what an infinite treasury of grace and holiness must there be in Christ himself. This is the first proposition.

II. As there is an infinite treasury of grace, and holiness in Jesus Christ; so whatever grace and holiness Christ as Mediator hath received by God the Father; he hath not received it for himself, but for others: pray mark it, whatsoever grace and holiness is in Jesus Christ as Mediator, I do not speak of him as God, but as Mediator, he hath not received it for himself, but for others. Jesus Christ was not baptized for himself, but for sinners, stood in the place of sinners when he was baptized. Jesus Christ died not for himself, but for us. When Christ ascended up to heaven, he went not for himself only, but saith he, "I go to prepare a place for you," John xiv. 2. And so when Christ received gifts, says the apostle, " He received gifts for men," Eph. iv. 8; not for himself, but for others: he received gifts for men. The woman hath milk in her breasts, but not for herself, but for her child. The sun hath abundance of light in his body, it is not for himself, but for the world. And so Jesus Christ he hath received abundance of grace and holiness; but it is not for himself, but for others. And therefore pray mark what he says, in John xvii. 19, “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." He does not say, for my own sake do I sanctify myself, but for their sakes: "For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." There are certain official parts in the body, you know, that