1

SERMON XI.

Containing the Second Motive to enforce the general Exhortation, from a fecond Title of CHRIST.

LUKE i. 72.

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and remember his boly covenant,

TH

HIS fcripture is part of Zechariah's prophecy, at the rifing of that bright ftar, John, the harbingerjand fore-runner of Chrift: They are some of the first words he spake after God had loofed his tongue, which, for a time, was ftruck dumb for his unbelief. His tongue is now unbound, and at liberty to proclaim to all the world, the unspeakable riches of mercy through Jefus Chrift, in a fong of praife. Wherein note,

The mercy celebrated, viz. redemption by Chrift, ver. 68. 2 The defcription of Chrift by place and property, ver. 69. 3 The faithfulness of God in our redemption this way, ver. 70, The benefit of being fo redeemed by Chrift, ver. 71.

The exact accomplishment of all the promifes made to the fathers in fending Chrift, the mercy promised into the world, ver. 72. "To perform the mercy promifed to our fathers," &c. In these words we find two parts, viz.

1. A mercy freely promifed.

2. The promised mercy faithfully performed.

Firft, You have a mercy freely promifed, viz. by God the Father, from the beginning of the world, and often repeated and confirmed in feveral fucceeding ages, to the fathers, in his covenant-tranfactions.

This mercy is Jefus Chrift, of whom he fpeaks in this prophecy; the fame which he ftiles "An horn of falvation in the houfe of David," ver. 69.

The mercy of God in fcripture, is put either for,

1. His free favour to the creature. Or,

2. The effects and fruits of that favour.

It is put for the free and undeferved favour of God to the crea ture, and this favour of God may refpect the creature two ways, either as undeferving, or as ill-deferving.

It refpected innocent man, as undeferving, for Adam could put no obligation upon his benefactor. It refpecteth fallen man, as ill-deferving. Innocent man could not merit favour, and fallen man did merit wrath: the favour or mercy of God to both is every way free; and that is the first acceptation of the word mer

cy: but then it is also taken for the effects and fruits of God's favour, and they are either,

1. Principal and primary: or,

2. Subordinate and fecondary.

Of fecondary and fubordinate mercies, there are multitudes, both temporal, refpecting the body, and spiritual, refpecting the foul; but the principal and primary mercy is but one, and that is Chrift, the firft-born of mercy; the capital mercy, the comprehenfive root-mercy, from whom are all other mercies; and there fore called by a fingular emphasis in my text, The mercy; i. e. the mercy of all mercies; without whom no drop of faving mercy can flow to any of the fons of men; and in whom are all the tender bowels of divine mercy yearning upon poor finners. The mercy, and the mercy promifed. The first promife of Chrift was made to Adam, Gen. iii. 15. and was frequently renewed afterwards to Abraham, to David, and as the text fpeaks, unto the fathers, in their respective generations.

Secondly, We find here alfo the promifed mercy faithfully performed; "To perform the mercy promifed." What mercy foever the love of God engaged him to promife, the faithfulness of God stands engaged for the performance thereof. Chrift, the promised mercy, is not only performed truly, but he is alfo performed, according to the promise in all the circumftances thereof, exactly. So he was promifed to the fathers, and juft fo performed to us their children: Hence the note is,

Doct. That Jefus Chrift, the mercy of mercies, was graciously pro-
mifed and faithfully performed by God to his people.

Three things are here to be opened.
First, Why Chrift is ftiled the mercy.

Secondly, What kind of mercy Chrift is to his people.
Thirdly, How this mercy was performed.

Firft, Chrift is the mercy, emphatically fo called; the peerless, invaluable, and matchlefs mercy: Because he is the prime fruit of the mercy of God to finners. The mercies of God are infinite; mercy gave the world and us our being; all our protection, provifion, and comforts in this world are the fruits of mercy, the free gifts of divine favour: but Chrift is the first and chief; all other mercies, compared with him, are but fruits from that root, and streams from that fountain of mercy; the very bowels of divine mercy are in Chrift, as in ver. 78. according to the tender mercies, or as the Greek, the yearning bowels of the mercy of God.

Secondly, Chrift is the mercy, because all the mercy of God to

finners is difpenfed and conveyed through Chrift to them, John i. 16. Col. ii. 3. Eph. iv. 7. Chrift is the medium of all divine communications, the channel of grace, through him are both the decurfus et recurfus gratiarum; the flows of mercy from God to us, Fond and vain thereand the returns of praise from us to God. fore are all the expectations of mercy out of Chrift; no drop of faving mercy runs befide this channel.

- Thirdly, Chrift is the mercy, because all inferior mercies derive both their nature, value, fweetness, and duration from Chrift, the fountain-mercy of all other mercies.

Firft, They derive their nature from Chrift; for out of him, those things which men call mercies, are rather traps and fnares, than mercies to them, Prov. i. 32. The time will come when the rich that are chriftlefs, will wifh, O that we had been poor! And nobles, that are not ennobled by the new birth, O that we had been among the low rank of men! All these things that pafs for valuable mercies, like cyphers, fignify much when fuch an important figure as Chrift ftands before them, else they fignify nothing to any man's comfort or benefit.

Secondly, They derive their value as well as nature from Chrift: For how little, I pray you, doth it fignify to any man to be rich, honourable, politic, and fuccefsful in all his designs in this world, if after all he muft lie down in hell?

Thirdly, All other mercies derive their sweetness from Christ, and are but infipid things without him. There is a two-fold fweetness in things; one natural, another fpiritual: Thofe that are out of Chrift can relifh the firft, believers only relifh both. They have the natural sweetness that is in mercy itself, and a sweetness fupernatural from Chrift and the covenant, the way in which they receive them. Hence it is, that fome men tafte more spiritual fweetnefs in their daily bread, than others do in the Lord's fupper; and the fame mercy, by this means, becomes a feast to foul and body at

once.

Fourthly, All mercies have their duration and perpetuity from Chrift; all chriftlefs perfons hold their mercies upon the greatest contingencies and terms of uncertainty; if they be continued during this life, that is all: there is not one drop of mercy after death. But the mercies of the faints are continued to eternity; the end of their mercies on earth, is the beginning of their better } mercies in heaven. There is a twofold end of mercies, one perfective, another deftructive; the death of the faints perfects and completes their mercies; the death of the wicked deftroys and cuts off their mercies. For these reasons, Chrift is called the mercy.

Secondly, In the next place, let us enquire what kind of mercy

Chrift is; and we fhall find many lovely and tranfcendent properties to commend him to our fouls.

Firft, He is free and undeferved mercy, called upon that account, The gift of God, John iv. 10. And to fhew how free this gift was, God gave him to us when we were enemies, Rom. v. 8.

Needs must that mercy be free, which is given, not only to the undeferving, but to the ill-deferving; the benevolence of God was the fole, impulfive cause of this gift, John iii. 16.

Secondly, Chrift is a full mercy, replenished with all that answers to the wishes, or wants of finners; in him alone is found whatever the juftice of an angry God requires for fatisfaction, or the neceffities of fouls require for their fupply. Chrift is full of mercy, both extenfively, and intenfively; in him are all kinds and forts of mercies; and in him are the highest and moft perfect degrees of mercy; "For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness "dwell, Col. i. 19.

Thirdly, Chrift is the feasonable mercy, given by the Father to us in due time, Rom. v. 6. In the fulness of time, Gal. iv. 4. a seasonable mercy in his exhibition to the world in general, and a seasonable mercy in his application to the foul in particular; the wifdom of God pitched upon the beft time for his incarnation, and it takes the very propereft for its application. When a poor foul is diftreffed, loft, at its wits end, and ready to perifh, then comes Chrift. All God's works are done in feafon, but none more seasonable than this great work of falvation by Christ.

Fourthly, Chrift is the necessary mercy, there is an absolute neceffity of Jefus Chrift; hence in fcripture he is called the "bread of life," John vi. 41. he is bread to the hungry; he is the "water of life," John vii. 37. as cold water to the thirsty foul. He is a ranfom for captives, Mat. xx. 28. a garment to the naked, Rom. xiii. ult. Bread is not fo neceffary to the hungry, nor water to the thirsty, nor a ransom to the captive, nor a garment to the naked, as Chrift is to the foul of a finner: The breath of our noftrils, the life of our fouls is in Jefus Chrift.

Fifthly, Chrift is a fountain-mercy, and all other mercies flow from him: A believer may fay with Chrift, " All my springs are "in thee;" from his merit, and from his fpirit, flow our redemption, juftification, fanctification, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost, and bleffednefs in the world to come: "In that day fhall there be a "fountain opened," Zech. xiii. 1.

Sixthly, Chrift is a fatisfying mercy; he that is full of Christ, can feel the want of nothing. "I defire to know nothing but Jefus "Chrift, and him crucified," I Cor. ii. 2. Chrift bounds and terminates the vaft defires of the foul: He is the very fabbath of the foul. How hungry, empty, and ftraitened on every fide is the

foul of man in the abundance and fulness of all outward things, till it come to Chrift? the weary motions of a restless foul, like thofe of a river, cannot be at reft till they pour themfelves into Chrift, the ocean of bleffedness.

Seventhly, Chrift is a peculiar mercy, intended for, and applied to a remnant among men; fome would extend redemption as large as the world, but the gofpel limits it to thofe only that believe; and those believers are upon that account called a peculiar people, 1 Pet. ii. 9. The offers of Chrift indeed are large and general, but the application of Chrift is but to few, Ifa. liii. 1. The greater caufe have they to whom Chrift comes, to he with their mouths in the duft, aftonished and overwhelmed with the fenfe of fo peculiar and distinguished a mercy.

Eighthly, Jefus Chriít is a fuitable mercy, fuited in every refpect to all our needs and wants, 1 Cor. i. 20. wherein the admirable wifdom of God is illuftricufly difplayed; "Ye are complete in "him," (faith the apoftle) Col. ii. 20. Are we enemies? He is reconciliation: Are we fold to fin and Satan? He is redemption : Are we condemned by the law? He is the Lord our righteouf nefs: Hath fin polluted us? He is a fountain opened for fin, and for uncleannefs: Are we loft by departing from God? He is the way to the Father. Reft is not fo fuitable to the weary, nor bread to the hungry, as Chrift is to the fenfible finner.

Ninthly, Chrift is an aftonishing and wonderful mercy; his Name is called wonderful, Ifa. ix. 6, and as his name is, so is he; a wonderful Chrift: His Perfon is a wonder, 1 Tim. iii. 16. « Great is "the mystery of godliness, God manifefted in the flesh."

His abafement is wonderful, Phil. ii. 6. His love is a wonderful love; his redemption full of wonders; angels defire to look into it, He is, and will be admired by angels and faints to all eternity.

Tenthly, Jefus Chrift is an incomparable and matchiefs mercy; "as "the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, fo is my beloved "among the fons," (faith the enamoured fpoufe) Cant. ii. 3. Draw the comparison how you will betwixt Chrift and all other enjoyments, you will find none in heaven nor on earth to equal him: He is more than all externals, as the light of the fun is more than that of a candle: Nay, even the worst of Christ is better than the best of the world; his reproaches are better than the world's pleafures, Hcb. xi. 25. He is more than all fpirituals, as the fountain is more than the ftream. He is more than juftification, as the caufe is more than the effect; more than fanétification, as the perfon himself is more than the image or picture. He is more than all peace, all comfort, all joy, as the tree is more than the fruit. Nay, draw the comparison betwixt Chrift and things eternal, and you will