and a wisdom sufficient to contrive the proper employments, and destinations, of this endless multitude of beings, as well as the natures and attributes necessary for them, so as to accomplish those ends, and those only, which are worthy of the incomprehensible Workman. Of this power, knowledge, and wisdom, the Scriptures, therefore, assert Christ to be possessed, when they declare him to be the Preserver of all things. Our ideas of the power, exerted in the preservation, and also in the creation, of the Universe, they exceedingly enhance, by informing us, that both these amazing works are accomplished by his word. Upholding all things by the word of his power. He spake; and it was done. Of course, both are performed with perfect ease; and he, who does them, fainteth not, neither is weary.

In the character of the Preserver of the Universe, all creatures owe to Christ the continuance of their blessings, and their hopes. As we should have been nothing, had we not been created, so we should become nothing, were we not preserved. On this relation therefore, next after that of Creator, we depend for every thing; and to him who sustains it we owe every thing. Were it possible, that he, who sustains it, should be any other than God, we should still, originally and continually, owe all things to him, and nothing to God. To such a monstrous absurdity does the opinion, that the Creator, and Preserver, is any other than the True and Perfect God, ultimately conduct, and, if they would be consistent with themselves, does in fact conduct, those, who deny Christ to be God.

As the Preserver of the Righteous, Christ is appropriately called, in the Scriptures, by the emphatical name of the Shepherd. I, saith he, of himself, am the good Shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd and know my sheep. John x. 11, 14.-Our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the Sheep. Hebrews xiii. 20.-And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory, which fadeth not away. 1 Peter v. 4.-There shall be one fold, and one Shepherd. John x. 16.-Awake, O Sword, against my Shepherd, against the Man that is my fellow, &c. Zech. xiii. 7.-Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him : behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall

feed his flock, like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah xl. 10, 11.-JEHOVAH is my Shepherd; 1 shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake. Psalm xxiii. 1-3. In these passages we are informed, that Christ is the good Shepherd, the great Shepherd, the chief Shepherd, and The Shepherd of God, the Man that is the fellow, or compeer, of Jehovah of Hosts. We are further informed, that there is one Shepherd to the flock; that he is the final Judge of the quick and the dead; that JEHOVAH is the Shepherd of David, one of the Righteous, and therefore, by irresistible consequence, of all the righteous; that the Lord God will feed his flock, like a Shepherd, will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom. If, therefore, Christ be not JEHOVAH; if he be not the Lord God, then there are two Shepherds, instead of one; of whom Christ is still the chief and the great Shepherd: and, although the Shepherd of David was JEHOVAH, yet Christ is the Shepherd of all other righteous persons. This character Christ recognizes, when he informs us, that at the Great Day he will separate the Sheep from the goats; and this character he will for ever sustain in the future world; for there, we are taught, he will feed them, and lead them to living fountains of waters.

3dly. Christ sustains the Character of the Possessor of all things. At his entrance into this world, it is said, He came unto his own things, raidia; and his own men, or kindred, ('a ',) received him not; that is, he came into the world, but mankind or the Jewish nation received him not. John i. 11.-All things, saith Christ, which the Father hath, are mine, or my things; John xvi. 15.Again, in his intercessory prayer, he says to the Father, All things, that are mine, are thine, and the things, which are thine, are mine. John xvii. 10. It will be needless to add any further passages to texts so perfectly explicit, and unambiguous, as these. It is proper, however, to remark, that the possession of all things is inseparably connected with the Creation and Preservation of all things. All things are necessarily the property, and possession, of Christ, because he made them, and because he upholds VOL. II.

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them in being; as saith the Psalmist, The Earth is JEHOVAH'S, and the fulness thereof, the World and they that dwell therein; for he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. But the Possession of the Universe involves in the Possessor, to say the least, an absolute knowledge of every thing that is thus possessed. No mind can possess any thing, to which its comprehension does not extend. Entitled to it, it may be; in the actual possession of it it cannot be. But no mind, except the Omniscient, can comprehend, or ever discern, more than a little part of the Universe; and therefore none but the Omniscient Mind can possess any more than this little part.

There is indeed a humbler and totally different sense, in which it may be figuratively said, and in which it is said in the Scriptures, that the Saints shall inherit all things; and in which all things are said to be theirs; viz. that all things shall work together for good to them. In this manner all things cannot, with propriety, be said to belong to Christ; because, being the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, his enjoyment is, like himself, unchangeable; and cannot in any sense be the result of the changes, of which created things are the subjects. The happiness of created beings results only, and necessarily, from his government of all things for their benefit; but his happiness existed before the things themselves, and can be dependent on nothing, but his own mind.

Further, the possession of all things involves, inseparably, the control over them in such a degree, as to direct them immediately to the use, and purposes, of the possessor. That, which we cannot command for our own use, we do not in the proper sense possess. But the power and the knowledge, necessary to the possession of all things, are in this view plainly infinite.

4thly. Christ sustains the relation of Supreme Ruler to the Uni

verse.

Revelation xix. 11, &c. And I saw Heaven opened; and behold a white horse, and He that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD. And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written: KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.-Rev. xvii. 14, These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is LORD OF

Lords, and King of kings.-1 Tim. vi. 15, Which in his times the blessed and only potentate shall shew, the KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS.-Acts x. 36, Jesus Christ: this person is Lord of all things.-Romans ix. Christ, who is over all things, God blessed for ever, Amen.-Philippians ii. 10, 11, 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. In these passages Christ is directly exhibited as the Lord, or Ruler, of the Universe, in the most absolute sense; the Lord of all things, whom things in Heaven, and things in earth, are respectively required to confess as their Lord.

But the government of the Universe requires, if any thing requires, the attributes of an Infinite Mind: goodness to prompt, justice to direct, knowledge to discern, and power to execute, whatever is right, wise, and good to be done; and to prevent the existence of whatever is not. It demands also existence every where present, and eternally enduring, throughout the boundless and everlasting kingdom of God. Without these attributes Christ must be the Lord only in name, and rule only in pretence; and such must undoubtedly be the character, attributed to him in these, and the almost innumerable other, passages. of Scripture, in which he is styled Lord, and said to hold the dominion over all things; unless he is essentially possessed of these attributes. The Scriptures are not thus deficient in their own scheme; for, when they attribute universal dominion to Christ, they teach us, that he is qualified for such dominion, by declaring, that in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead. We are not, therefore, left at a loss by the Scriptures themselves concerning his perfect qualifications for the exercise of this government; nor can we wonder, that he, who made, and preserves, should also govern, all things.

In this relation Christ gave the Law to the Israelites, and to Mankind, at mount Sinai ; and in this character, as the rightful Lawgiver, he directed his own Spirit to inspire the Prophets and Apostles with the knowledge of his Word, as the universal Law to mankind. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the FATHER, even the SPIRIT OF TRUTH; He will guide

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you into all the truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things which the Father hath are mine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shew it unto you. John xv. 26. xvi. 13-15. Of which salvation the Prophets have enquired, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify. Accordingly the Scriptures are called the Word of Christ; Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom; and The Law of Christ; Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the Law of Christ. The Law, here referred to, is no other than the second command of the moral Law, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; or that branch of this command, which, respecting Christians peculiarly, is called the New commandment; A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another. John xiii. 34.-In this character, Christ, when he began to preach, expounded, altered, and annulled, the Law of Moses, in his own name, and at his own pleasure. All the prophets, who came before him, introduced their messages to mankind under the name, and authority, by which they spoke; and prefaced them with Thus saith the Lord; Thus saith Jehovah; and Thus saith Jehovah of hosts. Christ, on the contrary, when altering and annulling these very things, uses no name but his own; and speaks directly by his own authority; introducing his own laws with Verily, I say unto you; plainly intended to be equivalent to Thus saith the Lord; because the things, which were prefaced with this latter phrase, were openly altered and revoked by him.

In this character also, he disposes of the present and future allotments of all beings; opens and shuts at his pleasure the world of death, and departed spirits; consigns whom he pleases to endless suffering; and bestows on whom he pleases immortal life. In this character, he is the head of all principality and power. Col. ii. 10.-Who having gone into Heaven, saith St. Peter, is on the right hand of God: Angels, Authorities, and Powers, being subjected to him. In this relation, it is obvious, that all Intelligent beings are bound to render him their supreme and ultimate homage and obedience: that his Law is the rule of all their