what fuits all cafes; for, the promifes are nothing elfe but the veins where the blood and fulnefs of Chrift doth run. Are you wandering? Chrift fays, I am the way.-Are you in darknefs? Chrift fays, I am the light of the world.-Are you in deadness? Chrift says, I am the refurrection and the life. Are you guilty? Chrift fays, he is the Lord our righteousness. Are you polluted? Chrift fays, he is the Fountain opened for fin and for uncleannefs.-Are you dejected? Chrift fays, He will fend the Comforter. --Do you need protection? Chrift affirms, that he is the Rock of ages, in whom is everlasting ftrength.-Do you need direction? Chrift is the wonderful Counsellor, and he fays, I will lead the blind by a way they know not.-As Chrift can fatisfy all defires and fuit all conditions, fo he can answer all objections. If any of you fay, "Alas! I am a poor "loft finner." Then Chrift fays, I came to feek and to fave that which is loft, Luke xix. 10.-" Oh! fays another, I am unrighteous, and I am a great finner." Well, Chrift fays, I came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance, Matth. ix. 13. Oh! fays a third, but I "cannot repent." Well, it is anfwered, "Him hath God exalted to give repentance to Ifrael, and remiffion of fins,” A&ts v. 31. "Alas! cries another, but I cannot turn

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from fin." It is answered, Chrift is fent to bless you, in turning every one of you from your iniquities, Acts iii. 26. It is his work to turn away tranfgreffion from Jacob; to turn you from darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. “Ah! but I have no might or ability "to come unto Chrift." It is anfwered, "He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might he createth ftrength," Ifa. xl. 29, 30, 31. He is the Author of faith, Heb. xii. 2. "Oh! but I have finned to the uttermoft." Why, then, he tells you, he is able to fave to the uttermoft, Heb. vii. 25. "Alas! I am a backflider, and "bent to backfliding." To this it is anfwered, "I will heal their backflidings; I will love them freely," Hof. xiv. 4. "Oh! but though I fhould come to him, I cannot fol"low him; his fheep follow him." Well, what fays he to this? Even that "He will carry the lambs in his arms, and gently lead thofe that are with young," Ha. xl. 11. Whatever the objection is, he can anfwer it; what

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whatever the cafe is, he can remede it; whatever the defire is, he can fatisfy it: why then, all things muft be in his hand; and no wonder, for all the treasures of divine plenitude and fulnefs are in his hand.This may fuffice to demonftrate the truth hereof.

Secondly, The next thing propofed, was, in order to clear our faith in this matter, to notice the beauty of this difpofure of infinite wifdom, in giving all things into Chrift's hand. And,

1. In this contrivance infinite wifdom hath confulted the Father's right and property, and manifefted that he is the giver of all things, and the poffeffor of all things; infomuch that, when he gives all things, he cannot lofe thereby the poffeffion of any thing he gives; for, the Father's giving all things into Chrift's hand doth not imply, that he alienates his own right. It is true, when we give a thing to another, we lofe a right to it; but it is not fo with God; for when he gives all things to Chrift, and when he gives Chrift, and all things in him to us, he ftill keeps his right to all that he gives : "All things are yours, and ye are Chrift's, and Chrift is God's," 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. Thus, what the Father gives into Chrift's hand, remains fill in the Father's hand; "And I give unto them eternal life, and none fhall pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one," John x. 28.

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2. In this contrivance infinite wifdom hath confulted the Son's right and title. This donative right that he hath, as Mediator, as it is well adapted to him, who, as God, hath the fame effential right and title to all things with the Father and the Holy Ghoft. For, as to his eternal Godhead, he is the everlafling Father, Ifa. ix. 6. whofe goings forth have been of old, from everlafting, Micah v. 2. "By whom are all things, and we by him,' 1 Cor. viii. 6.—And, as Mediator, his donative right is attended with an acquifitive right, by his purchase, by which he hath merited and obtained a name above every name, and a being head over all things to the church, Phil. ii. 9. Eph. v. 23.-A bellical right, by conqueft, making the people to fall under him, Pfal. cx. 4.; making

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them willing in a day of his power, Pfal. cx. 3.; and overcoming thofe that make war with him, Rev. xvii. 14."He is able to fubdue all things to himfelf," Heb. ii. 8. An hereditary right, being the heir of all things, Heb. i. 2. and being the first-born, higher than the kings of the earth, Pfalm lxxxix. 27.; the firit-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence, Col. i. 18.

3. In this contrivance, infinite wifdom hath confulted the fecurity of the flock and treafure, with which Chrift is intrufted; and taken the beft method for fecuring all things in his hand. We will find it is done with a fpecial folemnity: It is done by folemn election, he being chofen to this truft; "Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my foul delighteth," Ifaiah xlii. 1. It is done by folemn tranfaction between the Father and him, when the counfel of peace was between them both; "I have made a covenant with my chofen," Pfalm lxxxix. 3.-It was done by a folemn call, a formal and legal call; "I the Lord have called thee, and given thee for a covenant of the people, a light to the Gentiles," Ifa. xlii. 6.; and fo to be all things to his people. It was done by a folemn commiffion, under the broad feal of heaven, whereby he is authorized to be all things that finners need: "Him hath God the Father fealed," John vi. 2. All things are given to him with the folemnity of a promife; fuch as, Pfal. Ixxii. 8,-11. "His dominion fhall be from fea to fea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." To the fame purpofe, Pfalm lxxxix. 24, 25." But my faithfulness and my mercy fhall be with him and in my name fhall his horn be exalted. I will fet his hand alfo in the fea, and his right-hand in the rivers." Yea, all things are given into his hand with the folemnity of an oath; Pfalm lxxxix. 34, 35." My covenant will I not break, nor alter the word that hath gone out of my mouth: once have I fworn by my holiness, I will not lye unto David." Pfalm ex. 4,-7. “The Lord hath fworn, and will not repent, thou art a Prieft for ever, after the order of Melchifedeck," &c.: not only fo, but a King, for ever, upon a throne, ruling over all things; "The Lord, at thy right-hand, fhall ftrike thro' kings in his wrath:

he fhall judge among the heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he fhall wound the head over many countries."-This vaft treasure, then, is well fecured.

4. In this contrivance, infinite wifdom hath confulted the fitnefs of the great Trustee, to whom all things are granted. O what wifdom is in this, that he who is, fo to fpeak, the centre of the glorious Trinity, I mean, the middle perfon, fhould be the centre of all things: Thus he hath, as it were, confulted the convenience of all things. How fit is it that all things fhould move towards their centre, and meet there! He is the centrical place, not only the middle perfon of the glorious Trinity, but alfo the Mediator between God and man, that all things being between God and man, they might have all things common between them, for his own glory and their good. Read concerning this, Eph. i. 10. "That he might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are in earth, even in him." All things good and bad may be faid to be given into his hand all evil things; fuch as, the devil, the world, and fin, and death, that they may be ruled and over-ruled: and all good things, that they may be managed and fecured. All our enemies are put in his hand, that they may be deftroyed; and all our bleffings put in his hand, that they may be preferved. None but Chrift was capable of fuch a trufl; no mere creature, among men or angels, was capable to bear this glory: "It is he that builds the temple of the Lord, and bears the glory," Zech. vi. 13. None but he was capable to be the difpofer of all wants and difpenfer of all bleffings: therefore he is made the general receiver of all things.

5. In this contrivance, infinite wifdom hath confulted the pleasure of all parties, even the pleasure of all the perfons of the glorious Trinity; " It pleafed the Father, that in him fhould all fulnefs dwell," Col. i. 19.: where you may notice, that the word FATHER is not in the original; and, therefore, this work of repofing all things, all fulness in Chrift, may be looked upon, not only as the work of the Father, but the work of the whole glorious Trinity. It pleafed Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, that in Chrift fhould all fulness dwell; that into his hand fhould

fhould all things be given: the Father propofed, the Son accepted, and the Holy Ghoft confented, that in Christ, as Mediator, fhould all fulness dwell; and this was done with rapturous pleafure. It pleafed the Father to propofe it; for, he fays," I have laid help upon One that is mighty" It pleafed the Son to accept; for, he fays, Lo I come! It pleafed the Holy Ghoft to confent; for, he refted on Chrift, and furnished him for his work: "The Spirit of the Lord God was upon me, for he hath anointed me," Ifa. lxi. 1. This ravishing pleasure, of the glorious Trinity, is not only plainly imported in the words of our text, where it is the Father's love to the Son, as our Saviour and Surety, is made the fpring of his giving all things into his hand; but you have it plainly expreffed, Ifa. xlii. 1. “Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my foul delighteth." And, Prov. viii. 30. "Then," fays Chrift, namely, from all eternity, "I was by him, as one brought up with him; I was daily his delight." Now, in what refpect was he the Father's delight? Even in refpect of his rejoicing in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights being with the fons of men. The Father delighted in me, because I delighted in the fons of men, in the very profpect of faving and redeeming them by my blood. He delighted to fee him delighting in this mediatorial fervice, for which all things were given into his hand, with infinite pleasure. And, as God confults his own pleafure herein, fo the pleasure of all poor finners, for whofe fake and benefit all things were given unto him and hence, whenever the glory of this method of falvation, through Chrift, is open to the heart of any poor finners, they are not only pleafed and fatisfied, but ravifhed and filled with fweet wonder, and ftrong confolation, Heb. vi. 18.; and rejoice with joy unfpeakable, 1 Pet. i. 8. The foul is, by a glorious and ravishing power, carried out to reft in this device, as every way worthy of God, and every way fuitable and fatisfying to their cafe.

6. In this contrivance, infinite wifdom hath confulted the credit and honour of all concerned. He hath herein confulted the credit and honour of his own majefty and greatnefs, in giving all things into the hand of Chrift,