that, the law being weak through the flesh; yet, eternal life was set before them, even by Moses; "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him; for he is thy life, and the length of thy days," Deut. xxx. 20. Once more: Adam had the cherubims placed before him at the gate of Eden, to teach him where to direct his worship; and so had Israel. They were to direct their prayer and to look up for help from between the cherubims; "For here," saith the Lord, "will I meet and commune with you." No people, but Adam and Israel, ever had the cherubims set before them.

I have much matter still on my mind upon the subject in hand, which, to hurry over briefly, would not be doing justice to my text; therefore will leave the remaining part of my thoughts till the evening. May God command his blessing upon what has been delivered. Amen.

SERMON II.

JOHN V. 17.

"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."

In the morning I shewed you that, in the decree of election, it was ordained of God to bring his elect to heaven in the image of Christ, and what we were predestinated to by virtue of that decree.

2. What the image of God in Adam was, and that it was the noblest work of God in the whole creation. This is plain; for, when this lower world shall be destroyed, nothing of all God's works will be left to the glory of the great Creator but the elect of God in the image of the second Adam.

3. That the principal thing, or the most invaluable blessing, in God's image in Adam, was life. This may be seen two ways: first, by all the misery of the wicked; 2. by all the happiness of the righteous. All the misery that the wicked suffer in this world, and their endless torments in the

world to come, are for the want of life; "The wages of sin is death:" they are dead in trespasses and sins while they live, and when they die. So all the comfort that the elect have in this world is from life: "This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me." Yea, all the glories of the upper world, together with all the grace of God bestowed upon us in this, is included in this one word, life: for, as "The wages of sin is death," so, "The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Hence it is plain, that eternal misery is the want of it; and eternal happiness is the enjoyment of it; therefore it is the greatest blessing.

4. I shewed you that there was something of this blissful and paradisiacal state shadowed out to Israel in the land of promise. It seemed to be something of a reviving of it, as well as emblematical of a paradise yet to come; but that all faded and vanished away, and Israel is banished from all his bliss; as every thing will that hath not the promise of momentary support from God: for nothing can stand alone. "Wo to him that is alone when he falleth." Angels fell, and Adam fell, and Israel is fallen, by their iniquity: but the elect angels stand; they stand in God's decree, and are confirmed in it by the head of all principality and power: and so the elect stand, being kept by the mighty power of God; without this they could not stand one moment. Let them have what strength they may, as Samson had, and have

Christ revealed to them by God the Father from heaven, as Peter had; and be blessed by Christ in that revelation and confession of it, as Peter was; yet, under one violent assault of Satan, when the whole mass of human corruption is stirred up, all would wither in a moment, were it not for momentary support and supplies, by which they are preserved in Christ Jesus: "I will water them every moment, I will keep them night and day." "For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever," Psalm xxxvii. 28. How soon do we find the strongest joys, the warmest love, and most lively frames, wither, and our best purposes broken off, even the thoughts of our hearts; so that, though to will is present with us, yet how to perform that which is good we find not; yea what we would, that we do not; and what we would not, that we do. But our life is hid with Christ in God; and, though the branch may seem to wither, and sensible barrenness to follow, yet eternal life is in Christ the root; and our being in him, by an indissoluble union, virtue must go out of him; for the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit: "I am like a green olive tree," says Ephraim: but, "In me is your fruit found," saith the Lord. I shall now proceed to shew.

5. That the incarnation of Christ, his sufferings, and death; the proclamation of the gospel; and the mission of the Holy Ghost; are to restore the lost image of God the Saviour to God's elect among the sons of men.

God's image

1. The incarnation of Christ. being lost in Adam, and a most despicable image obtained in the room of it; and all Adam's offspring coming into the world in his image and likeness, which God despises; and sin having separated between God and man, and our actual transgressions making the breach wider and wider: Christ by his incarnation, determining to destroy that image, came down into our likeness: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage: for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham; wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people," Heb. ii. 14 -17. God having predestinated us to be conformed to his Son's image; and Christ being set

up from everlasting to be future man, second Adam, and covenant head; of whom the first Adam was a figure; he came, in the fulness of time, to assume that nature, and to appear in that body, prepared in the purpose of God. The apostle says he passed by the nature of angels, which was our ruin, and took a part of our flesh and blood; and then assigns the reason for so doing: "Wherefore, in all