"

they fhall fee God," Mat. v. 8. "And without holiness no man thall fee God," Heb. xii. 14. No gifts, no duties, no natural endowments will evidence a right in heaven, but the least measure of true holinefs will fecure heaven to the foul.

Thirdly, As holiness is the foul's beft evidence for heaven, fo it is a continual spring of comfort to it, in the way thither. The pureft and fweetest pleasures in this world, are the refults of holinefs. 'Till we come to live holily, we never live comfortably. Heaven is epitomized in holiness.

Fourthly, And to fay no more; it is the peculiar mark, by which God hath visibly diftinguifhed his own, from other men, Pfal. iv. 3. "The Lord hath fet apart him that is godly, for himself, 7. d. this is the man, and that the woman, to whom I intend to be good for ever. This is a man for me. O holinefs, how furpaffingly glorious art thou?

66

Inference 1. Did Chrift die to fanctify his people, how deep then is the pollution of fin, that nothing but the blood of Chrift can cleanfe it! All the tears of a penitent finner, should he shed as many as there have fallen drops of rain, fince the creation, to this day, cannot wash away one fin. The everlasting burnings in hell, cannot purify the flaming confcience, from the least fin, O guefs at the wound by the largeness and length of this tent that follows the mortal weapon, Sin.

Inference 2. Did Chrift die to fanctify his people? Behold) then the love of a Saviour. 'He loved us, and washed us from ་་ our fins in his own blood." He did not fhed the blood of beafts, as the priests of old did, but his own blood, Heb. ix. 12. And that not common, but precious blood, 1 Pet. i. 1, 19. The blood of God; one drop of which out-values the blood that runs in the veins of all Adam's pofterity. And not fome of that blood, but all; to the laft drop. He bled every vein dry for us; and what remained lodged about the heart of a dead Jefus, was let out by that bloody fpear which pierced the Pericardium: fo that he bestowed the whole treasure of his blood upon us. And thus liberal was he of his blood to us, when we were enemies. This then is that heavenly Pelican that feeds his young with his own blood. O what manner of love is this!

But I must haften.

End 4. As Chrift died to fanctify his people; fo he died alfo to confirm the New Teftament to all thofe fanctified ones. So it was in the type, Exod. xxiv. 8. and fo it is in the text. "This is

"the New Teftament in my blood," Matth. xxvi. 28. (i. e.) ratified and confirmed by my blood. For, where a teftament is, there must also of neceffity be the death of the teftator, Heb,

SERM. XXXVIII. ix. 16. So that now all the bleffings and benefits bequeathed to believers in the laft will and teftament of Christ, are abundantly confirmed and fecured to them by his death. Yea, he died on purpose to make that teftament in force to them. Men make their wills and teftaments, and Christ makes his. What they bequeath, and give in their wills, is a free and vo- . Juntary act, they cannot be compelled to do it. And what is bequeathed to us in this teftament of Chrift, is altogether a free and voluntary donation *. Other teftators ufe to bequeath their eftates to their wives and children, and near relations; fo doth this teftator, all is fettled upon his fpoufe the church, upon believers, his children. A franger intermeddles not with these mercies. They give all their goods and estates, that can that way be conveyed, to their friends that furvive them. Chrift giveth to his church, in this New Teftament, three forts. of goods.

First, All temporal good things, 1 Tim. vi. 1. Mat. vi. 33. (i. e.) the comfort and bleffing of all, though not the poffeffion of much. "As having nothing, and yet poffeffing all things," 2 Cor. vi. 10.

I

Secondly, All fpiritual good things are bequeathed to them in this teftament, as remiffion of fin, and acceptation with God, which are contained in their juftification, Rom, iii. 24, 25, 26. Sanctification of their natures, both initial and progreffive, 1 Cor. 1. 30. Adoption into the family of God, Gal. iii. 26. The miniftry of angels, Heb. i. 14. Intereft in all the promises," 2 Pet. i. 4. Thus all spiritual good things are in Chrift's teftament conveyed to them. And as all temporal, and fpiritual, fo,

Thirdly, All eternal good things. Heaven, glory, and eternal life, Rom. viii. 10, 11. No fuch bequests as these were ever found in the teftaments of princes. That which kings and nobles fettle by will upon their heirs, are but trifles to what Chrift hath conferred in the New Teftament upon his people. And all this is confirmed and ratified by the death of Chrift, fo that the promise is fure, and the eftate indefeasible to all the heirs of promise.

How the death of Chrift confirmed the New Testament is worth our enquiry, The Socinians, as they allow no other end of Chrift's death, but the confirmation of the New Teftament, fo they affirin he did it only by way of teftimony, or witness

* Nullo præfentis metu periculi. i. e. Without any fear of prefent danger. Coke's Inflit. 1 z. cap. 10.

bearing in his death. But this is a vile derogation from the efficacy of Chrift's blood, to bring it down into an equality with the blood of martyrs. As if there were no more in it

than was in their blood.

But know, Reader, Christ died not only, or principally, to confirm the teftament by his blood, as witnefs to the truth of thofe things, but his death ratified it as the death of a teftator, which makes the New Testament irrevocable. And fo Chrift is called in this text. Look as when a man hath made his will, and is dead, that will is presently in force, and can never be recalled. Befides, the will of the dead is facred with men. They dare not cross it. It is certain the last will and teftament of Christ is most facred, and God will never annul or make it void. Moreover, it is not with Chrift as with other teftators, who die, and must trust the performance of their wills with their executors, but as he died to put it in force, fo he lives again to be the executor of his own teftament. And all power to fulfil his will is now in his own hands, Rev. i. 18.

The probate of Chrift's laft will and teftament.

Inference 1. Did Chrift die to confirm the New Testament, in which fuch legacies are bequeathed to believers. How are all believers concerned then to prove the will of a dead Jefus t My meaning is, to clear their title to the mercies contained in this bleffed tefta ment. And this may be done two ways. By clearing to ourselves our covenantrelations to Chrift. And by discovering those special covenantimpreffions upon our hearts, to which the promises therein. contained, do belong.

First, Examine your relations to Chrift. Are you his spouse? Have you forfaken all for him? Pfal. xlv. 10. Are you ready to take your lot with him, as it falls in profperity or adversity? Jer. ii. 2. And are you loyal to Chrift?" Thou shalt be for me, "and not for another," Hof. iii. 3. Do you yield obedience to him as your head and husband? Eph. vi. 24. then you may be confident you are interested in the benefits and bleffings of Chrift's laft will and teftament; for can you imagine Chrift will make a teftament and forget his fpoufe? It cannot be. If he fo loved the church as to give himself for her, much more what he hath is fettled on her. Again, are you his fpiritual feed, his children by regeneration? Are you born of the Spirit? John iii. Do you resemble Chrift in holiness? 1 Pet. i. 14, 15. Do you find a reverential fear of Chrift carrying you to obey him in all things? Mal. i. 6. Are you led by the Spirit of Chrift?" As many as VOL. II.

"are fo led, they are the fons of God," Rom. viii. 14. To conclude, Have you the fpirit of adoption, enabling you to cry, Abba Father? Gal. iv. 6. That is, helping you in a gracious manner, with reverence mixed with filial confidence, to open your hearts fpiritually to your Father on all occafions? If fo, you are children; and if children, doubt not but you have a rich legacy in Chrift's laft will and teftament. He would not feal up his teflament, and forget his dear children.

Secondly, You may difcern your intereft in the new tefta ment or covenant (for they are fubftantially the faine thing) by the new covenant-impreffions that are made on your hearts, which are fo many clear evidences of your right to the benefits it contains. Such are fpiritual illuminations, Jer. xxxi. 34gracious foftness and tenderness of heart, Ezek. xi. 19. the awfuldread and fear of God, Jer. xxxii. 40. the copy or tranfcript of his laws on your hearts in gracious correfpondent principles, Jer. xxxi. 33. Thefe things fpeak you the children of the covenant, the perfons on whom all these great things are fettled.

Inference 2. To conclude, It is the indifpenfible duty of all on whom Chrift hath fettled fuch mercies, to admire his love, and walk anfwerably to it.

Firft, Admire the love of Chrift. O how intenfe and ardent was the love of Jefus who defigned for you fuch an inheritance, with fuch a fettlement of it upon you! Thefe are the mercies with which his love had travailed big from eternity, and now he fees the travail of his foul, and you also have seen fomewhat of it this day. Before this love, let all the faints fall down astonished, humbly profeffing that they owe themselves, and all they are, or fhall be worth, to eternity, to this love.

Secondly, And be fure you walk becoming perfons for whom Christ hath done fuch great things. Comfort yourselves under prefent abafures with your fpiritual privileges, James ii. 5. and let all your rejoicing be in Chrift, and what you have in him, whilst others are bleffing themfelves in vanity. Thus we have finished the state of Chrift's humiliation, and thence proceed to the fecond state of his exaltation.

An Introduction to the State of Exaltation.

HAving finished what I defigned to speak to, about the work of redemption, so far as it was carried on by Christ in his humble ftate, we fhall now view that bleffed work as it is further advanced, and perfected in his ftate of exaltation.

The whole of that work was not to be finished on earth in

a state of suffering and abafure, therefore the apostle makes his exaltation, in order to the finishing of the remainder of his work, fo neceffary a part of his priesthood, that without it he could not have been a priest, Heb. viii. 4. "If he were on earth he "should not be a priest," (i. e.) if he should have continued always here, and had not been raised again from the dead, and taken up into glory, he could not have been a compleat and perfect priest.

For look, as it was not enough for the facrifice to be flain without, and his blood left there; but after it was shed without, it must be carried within the vail, into the most holy place before the Lord, Heb. ix. 7. fo it was not fufficient that Chrift thed his own blood on earth, except he carry it before the Lord into heaven, and there perform his interceffion-work for us.

Moreover, God the Father food engaged in a folemn covenant, to reward him for his deep humiliation, with a moft glorious and illustrious advancement, Ifa. xlix. 5, 6, 7. And how God (as it became him) made this good to Chrift, the apoftle very clearly expreffes it, Phil. ii. 9.

Yea, juftice required it fhould be fo. For how could our furety be detained in the prison of the grave, when the debt for which he was imprisoned was by him fully discharged, fe that the law of God muft acknowledge itfelf to be fully fatisfied in all its claims and demands? His refurrection from the dead was, therefore, but his discharge or acquittance upon full payment. Which could not in justice be denied him.

And, indeed, God the Father loft nothing by it, for there never was a more glorious manifestation made of the name of God to the world, than was made in that work. Therefore it is faid, Phil. ii. II., fpeaking of one of the defigns of Chrift's exaltation, it was, (faith the apostle), "That every tongue fhould confels "that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." O how is the love of God to poor finners illuftriously, yea, aftonishingly, displayed in Chrift's exaltation. When, to fhew the complacency and delight, which he took in our recovery, he hath openly declared to the world, that his exalting Chrift to all that glory, fuch as no mere creature ever was, or can be exalted to, was bestowed upon him, as a reward for that work, that most grateful work, of our redemption, Phil. ii. 9. Wherefore, God alfo hath highly exalted him; there is an "* emphatical pleonasin C 2

* Yspuors, Pleonafmus emphaticus, Hieron. Multiplicavit fublimitatem ejus, Arab. Sublimitate fublimavit eum, Syr.

figniter