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fice of a Prophet, of a Prieft, and of a King: Acts iii. 22. For Mofes truly faid unto the fathers, A prophet fhall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him fhall ye hear in all things whatsoever he fhall fay unto you.' Heb. v. 6. Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchifedec.' Pfal. ii. 6. Yet have I let my King upon my holy hill ' of Zion.' The Relation of thefe Offices of Chrift to the Covenant of Grace, is, that, in his prieftly Office, he performed the Condition of the Covenant; in his prophetical and kingly Offices, he adminifters the Covenant: Heb. vii. 20. 22. And in • as much as not without an oath he was made priest, C by fo much was Jefus made a furety of a better * teftament.' Mal. iii. 1. The Lord whom ye ⚫ feek, fhall fuddenly come to his temple: even the • messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in.' If. lv. 3. 4. 'Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your foul fhall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and com mander to the people.' It is neceffary for our Redemption, that he fhould execute all thefe Of fices; And it is neceffary, in refpect of the Ignorance, Guilt, and Bondage in our Cafe: 1 Cor. i. 30. But of him are ye in Chrift Jefus, who of God is made unto us wifdom, and righteousness, • and fanctification, and redemption.'

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True juftifying Faith receives Chrift in all his Offices: 1 Cor. i. 30. forecited. Compared with John i. 12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name.' But as jufti

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fying, it eyes him particularly in his priestly Of fice: For there only can the convinced Sinner fee an Atonement, a Ranfom, and a Righteoufnefs, for his Juftification: Rom. iii. 25. Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his 'blood, to declare his righteoufnefs for the remif'fion of fins. Chap. v. 1. We joy in God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom we have now received the atonement.' And the Life of Faith lies in a daily Ufe-making of Chrift in all his Offices: Gal. ii. 20. 'I am crucified with 'Chrift: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift ( liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, 'who loved me, and gave himself for me.' Compared with Col. ii. 6. As ye have therefore re'ceived Christ Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him.' The State of our Redeemer is twofold; namely, his State of Humiliation, and his State of Exaltation: Phil. ii. 8. 9. And being found in fashion " as a man, he humbled himself, and became o 'bedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 'Wherefore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every 'name.' He was in his State of Humiliation, when he was on the Earth: He is in his State of Exaltation now, when he is in Heaven. He did execute all these Offices in his State of Humiliation on Earth: Rom. xv. 8. Now I fay, that Jefus Christ was a minifter of the circumcifion for the 'truth of God, to confirm the promises made un'to the fathers.' Eph. v. 2.. Chrift hath given himself for us, an offering and a facrifice to God for a fweet-fmelling favour.' Matth. xxi. 5. 'Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King

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cometh unto thee, meek, and fitting upon an afs, and a colt the fole of an afs.' And he doth ftill execute them all, now when he is in Heaven: Heb. xii. 25. See that ye refuse not him that fpeaketh: For if they efcaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more fhall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.' Chap. vii. 24. 25. But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able alfo to fave them to the uttermoft, that come unto • God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them." Luke i. 33. "And he fhall < reign over the houfe of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there fhall be no end.' Yea, he did execute them all, under the old Teftament, before he came in the Flesh: 1 Pet. iii. 19. ' which alfo [the Spirit] he went and preached to the fpirits in prifon.' Zech. i. 12. Then the 6 angel of the Lord anfwered and faid, O Lord of hofts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerufalem, and on the cities of Judah, against which thou haft had indignation these threescore and ten years?' Cant. i. 4. 'Draw me, we will run after thee the King hath brought me into his * chambers.'

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Queft. 24. How doth Chrift execute the Office of a Prophet?

Anf. Chrift executeth the Office of a Prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the Will of God for our Salvation.

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EXPLICATION.

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The Office of Prophets was to reveal the Will of God to Men: Heb. i. 1. God, who at fundry times, and in divers manners, fpake in time paft unto the fathers by the prophets.' And the Lord Jefus Chrift, as our Redeemer, is a Prophet: Alts iii. 22. For Mofes truly faid unto the fathers, A prophet fhall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him fhall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall fay unto you.' The Difference betwixt him and the other Prophets, lay here, that Chrift was the Fountain-head of Prophecy, revealing by his own Spirit; whereas they were ut Inftruments by whom he fpake, through them at Times: 1 Pet. i. 10. 1 tion the prophets have inquired, and ligently, who prophefied of the grote but dould come unto you: fearching what, what manner of time the Spirit of Chrift which was in them did fignify, when it teftified beforeh d the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that fhoi follow.'

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The Office of a Prophet belongs to our Redeemer, as a Redeemer by Power: Pfal. cx. 2. The Lord fhall fend the rod of thy ftrength out of Zion.' Compared with Is. xi. 4. But with righteousness 'fhall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity, for the meek of the earth: and he shall fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips fall he flay the wicked.' And in it he redeems or refcues by Strength of Light. And he executes it, by revealing to us the Will of God for our Salvation. By

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the Will of God for our Salvation, which Christ reveals, is meant, the whole Will of God in all Things concerning our Edification and Salvation: John xv. 15. Henceforth I call you not fervants; for the fervant knoweth not what his lord doth : but I have called you friends; for all things that 'I have heard of my Father, I have made known ( unto you.' Acts xx. 32. And now, brethren, 'I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which 6 are fanctified.' Jolm xx. 31. · But these are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.' We could never of ourselves have difcovered the Will of God for our Salvation: John i. 18. No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him.' Chap. iii. 13. And no man hath afcended up to heaven, but he that came down 'from heaven, even the Son of man which is in

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heaven.' But our Redeemer was fit to reveal it to us, in that, as he was God, he was from Eternity privy to the whole Counfel of God, and as he was Man, the Spirit, who fearcheth the deep Things of God, refted upon him: John i. 18. a bove cited. .xi. 2. And the spirit of the Lord If. fhall reft upon him, the fpirit of wisdom and understanding, the fpirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the 'Lord.' 1 Cor. ii. 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit fearcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.' He reveals to us the Will of God. for our Salvation, externally

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