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Son of God was about to become incarnate, the angel who announced these good tidings of great joy to the blessed virgin, the highly favoured Mary, thus addressed her: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

Again, it was required of Christ, as the covenant head of his people, that he should perfectly obey, and thus fulfil the righteous law of God. Perfect righteousness after the fall could not be wrought out by man. Still it was necessary that, in some way, man should be a partaker of perfect righteousness. The surety therefore undertook to fulfil the obligation of perfect obedience, in order that a righteousness might be obtained to be imputed to his people, who might become united to him by faith. Hence it is said that God "laid help upon one that is mighty:" who was in all respects qualified for the work he was to undertake; and who would be "able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by him." In every respect therefore he fulfilled the will of God: he was perfect, even as his Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Once more, it was another condition of the covenant of redemption, that Christ should ratify it with his blood. The Redeemer was not only perfectly to obey the law, but likewise to suffer the penalty due to its sanction by human trangression. He was to be made sin for us, and to die," the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God." This was an

power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." But do you ask, How shall we know that by our fleeing for refuge to Christ, we shall obtain an interest in the covenant, in which the conditions were fulfilled by him, and the promises made to him? To this it may be replied, that all the spiritual seed of Christ were included in the covenant made with him as their representative and head. His people are represented and chosen in him. He is the head and they are the members. He is the root and they are the branches. He stands in the covenant not merely as an individual, but as the representative head, and the common root of all his posterity. "For I have said, mercy shall be established for ever my faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations." The same covenant which is established with Christ, as God's chosen, is established with his seed likewise. The conditions were performed by Christ as our surety; but our own temporal and eternal advantage is connected with the promises. To us as the represented, it is a covenant of grace; to Christ as the representative, it was a covenant of works. Hence when we speak of it in reference to the Mediator, we generally call it the covenant of redemption; but in respect to the redeemed, the covenant of grace. But perhaps you may inquire, Has not God sometimes entered into. covenant with his people? Doubtless he has for

instance with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; with the Jewish nation, with David, Solomon, and others. But all these covenants were made in subserviency to the covenant of redemption. For it was only in consequence of that covenant, that God could, consistently with his holy attributes, have any communication with man as a sinner. But some of these covenants were connected with temporal mercies, and depended on conditions on the part of the persons with whom they were made. Thus the national covenant with Israel was a charter, by which they were incorporated as a people, under the government of Jehovah. It was an engagement of God to give them the possession of Canaan, and to protect them in it: to render the land fruitful and the nation victorious and prosperous, and to perpetuate his ordinances and oracles among them; so long as they did not, as a people, reject his authority, apostatise to idolatry, and tolerate open wickedness. These things constituted a broken covenant, the forfeiture of which was at length consummated by their national rejection of Christ. But the covenant that God enters into with his people in all ages, in regard to their everlasting state, is that referred to by the prophets and apostles: "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." Here you see, all is promise: the conditions are performed already, and therefore the covenant made with the redeemed runs thus: "As for me, this is my covenant with

of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Another of the stipulations made to Christ in the everlasting covenant, was that he should have a kingdom set up and preserved in the world to the end of time. "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." The gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, is the rod or sceptre of the Redeemer's strength and authority; and the gospel was sent forth from Zion by the apostles and evangelists, who were the instruments employed by Christ for erecting and establishing his kingdom in the world. In this kingdom he has hitherto continued to reign in the midst of his most inveterate enemies, evil spirits, and wicked men, who in vain have attempted to subvert his throne. But the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. His cause must prosper, or prophecy must fail of its accomplishment. The latter hypothesis implies an impossibility, and therefore every prediction with reference

able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Perhaps you may have trials, conflicts, and tribulations to pass through in the way to your destined inheritance. But remember for your

consolation, "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose: for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."

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