tabernacle, God required that they fhould give it willingly with their heart, Exod. xxv. 2. With the fame frame of mind we should do the duties which Chrift requires of us. If we do not obey him willingly, he neither regards, nor will reward, our obedience. An involuntary, forced, conftrained obedience, is of no account with Chrift. Many perfons do duty as a task and burden; and are ready to fay of it, What a wearinefs is it? 'Tis with much regret and reluctancy of fpirit, that they do engage in duty. They had rather let it alone, than do it. And were they left to their own liberty, they would chufe rather to leave it undone, than to do it. And hence they fecretly with God had not commanded fuch and fuch duties, because they have no heart to them. Nevertheless, from meer constraints of confcience, and fears of damnation, they dare not live in the total omiffion of thofe duties. Now fuch obedience as this, is meer extorted obedience; no better than what devils, in many cafes, do yield to Jefus Chrift. (Mar. i. 27.)---Our obedience then to Chrift, fhould be of another fort, even free and willing obedience. And fuch is the obedience of all them that really and heartily take him to be their Lord. They have an inward inclination and defire to ferve Christ Jefus; the bent of their will is that way. And when they find, as they often do, any degree of backwardnefs and unwillingness unto the fervice of Chrift, that unwillingness is their burden; but not fo, the fervice of Chrift. They do not cry out against the law of Christ, but against the law of fin in them. Rom. vii. 22, 23, 24. "Tis not the command of Chrift, that is grievous to them, but their own corruption. And they do not long to be delivered from the commanding power of Chrift, but from the captivating power of fin, whereby they are hindred from doing the will of Chrift as they would.

2. We fhould keep the commandments of Chrift univerfally. All of them must be obferved, without the exception of any. Thus Jefus Chrift enjoined the apo

And

ftles to require all nations, to obferve all things whatso ever he had commanded them, Matth. xxviii. 20. indeed, unless we make confcience of doing all that Chrift requires, he will not accept of any that we do. No obedience is pleafing to Chrift, but what is univerfal. Nor are they fincere Chriftians, who can content themselves with a partial obedience. Such are at best but hypocrites. They that are righteous before God, are fuch as Zacharias and Elizabeth, who walked in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord blamelefly, Luk. i. 6. An upright man is careful to keep both tables of the law; to be religious towards God, and juft and charitable towards men. When Chrift would give us a character of his unfeigned friends, he defcribes them from their univerfal obedience to his commands. Job. xv. 14. Te are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you. If we live in the willing allowed neglect of any known duty, we are not Chrift's friends. The heart of a real friend of Chrift, is reconciled to, and loves, all the commandments of Chrift; none of them are grievous to him, 1 Joh. v. 3. He efteems them all, and has refpect to them all, Pfal. cxix. vi, 128.

3. We fhould keep the commandments of Chrift believingly. Our obedience must be the obedience of faith, Rom. xvi. 26. We must do all in the strength of Christ; not trusting in our felves. And when we have done all, we must count ourselves unprofitable fervants; eying his grace alone for acceptance, and looking for the mercy of the Lord Fefus Chrift to eternal life. Jud. y. 21.---See then that you thus keep the commandments of Chrift ; then may you hope to find that promife made good to you, Joh. xiv. 23. If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unte bim, and make our abode with him.

DocT. IV. It ought attentively to be confidered, that Jefus Chrift, in all his faving offices, was given of God the Father to the world.--Bebold I have given him---

God

God the Father here calls upon us to behold, attentively to confider, that 'tis he who has given Jefus Christ, to be a witnefs, a leader, and a commander to the people; which titles comprize in them the faving offices of a prophet, prieft and king, wherewith Jefus Chrift is invested. Under two propofitions we may speak to

this Doctrine.

I.

PROP. 1. Jefus Chrift in all his faving offices, is given by God the Father, unto the world. Jefus Chrift, is the gift of God, unto the world. Job. iv. 10. The Father fent him, to be the faviour of the world, I Joh. iv. 14. Here I thall diftinctly confider the faviourly offices of Jefus Chrift, and thew that in all of them, he is given to the world by God the Father.

1. Jefus Chrift as a Prophet, was given of God the Father to the world. It was God the Father, who appointed and called Jefus Chrift unto the office of prophet. Deut. xviii. 15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him fhall ye hearken. This the apostle Peter applies to Jefus Chrift, Act. iii. 22. It was God, that raifed him up to be a prophet to the people; that defigned and authorifed him to this office...It was God the Father alfo, that directed and inftructed him in the doctrines that he was to preach to the world. Job. xii. 49, 50. I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which fent me, he gave me a commandment what I should fay, and what I should speak. What foever therefore I fpeak, even as the Father faid unto me, so I speak.----It was God the Father alfo, that actually fent him into the world, to declare his mind and will to them. Ifai. lxi. 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord bath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent mé to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. This fcripture Jefus Chrift applied to himself, as having its fulfilment in him. Luk. iv. 18-21. And he began to fay unto them, This day is this fcripture fulfil

led

led in your cars. Jefus Chrift then is a teacher come from God, as was acknowledged by Nicodemus, Joh. iii. 2.

2. Jefus Chrift as a Prieft, was given of God the Father unto the world. From everlafting, God the Father defigned and ordained him unto this office of a Priest. 1 Pet. i. 20. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, viz. To redeem us by the facrifice of himself, in the discharge of his priestly office.---God the Father alfo prepared that human nature for him, which as an high-prieft he was to offer up for us. Heb. x. 5. A body haft thou prepared for me, i. e. a body ani mated with a rational foul.---God the Father alfo called him unto, and fent him into the world to execute, the office of a prieft in dying for us. Heb. v. 4, 5. No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So alfo Chrift glorified not himself, tó be made an high priest, but he that faid unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. God his Father authorized him to that office, and alfo gave it him as part of his charge, to lay down his life for us. Joh. x. 18. I have power to lay down my life, this commandment have I received of my Father.---Yea further, God the Fa ther himself laid the punishment due to our fin upon him. Ifai. liii. 6, 10. The Lord hath laid on him the ini quity of us all. It pleafed the Lord to bruife him, he hath put him to grief.

3. Jefus Chrift as a King, was given of God the Fa ther to the world. From eternity, God the Father de figned him to this kingly office, and paffed a decree about it, whereof the Meffiah himself fpeaks, Pfal. ii. 7. I will declare the decree, i. e. of God the Father, concerning my being king.----God the Father alfo anointed him with gifts and graces, fitting him for the discharge of that royal office. A&t. x. 38. Heb. i. 9.---God the Father alfo actually inftalled him in the office of a king. Pfal. ii. 6. I have fet my king on my holy bill of Zion, i. e. made him king over my church, which was fignified by the hill of Zion, where the church and people of God affembled for divine worship. This folemn inauguration

guration of Jefus Chrift in his kingly office, was at his exaltation to the right hand of God in heaven. Then God the Father fet him upon his throne, and put all things in fubjection to him, Epb. i. 20, 21.-Pfal. viii. 5, 6. Thou baft crowned him with glory and bonour. Thou madeft him to bave dominion over the works of thy bands, thou haft put all things under his feet. Thus for the first propofition, fhewing that all faving offices are conferred on Jefus Chrift by God the Father, and that in them all he is given by him unto the world.

PROP. 2. It ought to be attentively confidered by us, that Jefus Chrift in all his faving offices is thus given to the world by God the Father. Jefus Chrift fhould be pondered upon, as the gift of God the Father, unto the world. It is our duty and intereft thus to do. For fuch a confideration of Jefus Chrift, as given of God the Father to the world, will be of fpecial use and advantage to us. Particularly,

1. This will ferve to prevent all jealoufies concerning the good will of God the Father towards us. We are apt to entertain hard thoughts of God the Father, as if there were fomething of averfenefs and backwardness in him unto our falvation. As for Jefus Chrift, we can more easily apprehend a willingness in him to fave, because he has undertaken the falvation of finners by becoming a mediator between God and us. But as for God the Father, we are more prone to fufpect him of unwillingness to be reconciled to us, and to receive us into his favour. But all fuch fufpicions as thefe are altogether groundless. The heart of God the Father is as much fet for our falvation, as the heart of Jefus Chrift. For it was God the Father, who invefted Jefus Christ with the office of a faviour, and fent him into the world to purchase falvation for us. Herein he has given a full difcovery of his love to us, and concern for our eternal falvation. 1 Job. iv. 9, 10, 14. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God fent his only be

gotten