them. There can be no doubt that the Lord of all, God infinitely wife, had the best reasons for his conduct, the most noble and excellent purposes in view in every thing that he ordained; but they are not discovered to us, and perhaps they are above our comprehenfion. The fingle point we are called to attend to, is the diftinction infinitely gracious which is made in our favour. A Saviour is provided for us, a mercy infinite in itself, and the more highly to be prized, that (Jude, verf. 6.) the angels, our fellow-creatures, "who kept not their first e"ftate, but left their own habitation, he hath "reserved in everlasting chains under dark. "ness, unto the judgement of the great day." If we should attempt a comparison between ourfelves and thefe fpirits of higher order, we could find no ground of preference in our own favour; perhaps we fhould find many things that might seem to operate a contrary way; but it is fafeft, in humility and gratitude to say with the pfalmift, Pfal. cxv. 3. "Our God is in the “heavens, he hath done whatsoever he plea"fed."

(2.) But this is not all; there is also a diftinction of particular perfons as the veffels of mercy. Since I am introducing this fubject, to prevent mistakes, I muft obferve, that every finner of the race of Adam who fhall perish eternally, fhall alfo perifh moft juftly; his blood fhall lie at his own door, and he fhall be found guilty of rejecting the counfel of God against himself. At the fame time, all who are effec

tually

tually brought to the faving knowledge of God through Chrift, fhall be obliged to confefs, that they were brought in by almighty power, or, in the language of the Holy Ghoft, 1 Pet. i. 2. that they are "elect according to the foreknow66 ledge of God the Father, through fanctifica"tion of the Spirit unto obedience, and fprink"ling of the blood of Jefus Chrift."

On this, as on the former branch of this head, it may be observed, that we must not prefume to penetrate into the unfearchable depth of the divine counfels; but at the fame time it must be remembered, that we are not permitted, and cannot pretend, to find the reasons of preference in ourselves; for no flefh may glory in his prefence. God in many paffages afferts his own fovereignty and perfect liberty in the distribution of his grace: Rom. ix. 15. 16. "For he "faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom "I will have mercy, and I will have compaffion "on whom I will have compaffion. So then "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that "runneth, but of God that fheweth mercy." And again, in the 18th verfe, "Therefore hath "he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and "whom he will he hardeneth." Nothing can be harder, indeed, than for the proud and carnal mind to bow before the fovereignty of God; yet nothing is more evident, than that the destination of the veffels of mercy doth not proceed upon the ordinary grounds of human eftimation. Nay, there feems to be an exprefs defign to ftain the pride of all human glory :

1 Cor. i. 26. 27. "For you fee your calling, "brethren, how that not many wife men after "the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble 65 are called. But God hath chofen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wife; " and God hath chofen the weak things of the "world, to confound the things which are

mighty." Experience daily illuftrates this; for while we fee fome brought to an entire fubmiffion to the gospel, and an obedient conformity to the will of God, we see many of equal, or of greater rank, of equal or of greater ability and endowments of mind, and favoured with equal or fuperior advantages and opportunities of inftruction, who yet continue to bear the marks of reprobation. The fame mercies difpofe one to thankfulness, and infpire another with pride.. The fame trials will foften one heart, and harden another. All this our Redeemer makes the fubject of a folemn thanksgiving to God, Luke x. 21. "In that hour Jefus rejoiced in spirit, "and faid, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of "heaven and earth, that thou haft hid thefe

things from the wife and prudent, and hast "revealed them unto babcs: even fo, Father, "for fo it seemed good in thy fight." Who that believes, in this affembly, will prefume to take the leaft part of the honour of it to himfelf, or will refufe to adore the diftinguishing love of God? And how often must those who bear the meffage of peace be obliged to feek the caufe of an unfuccessful gospel in the counfels of the Moft High? 2 Cor. iv. 3. "But if our gofpel

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gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft : "in whom the god of this world hath blinded "the minds of them which believe not, left the

tr

light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who "is the image of God, fhould fhine unto them."

5. The love of Chrift was an expensive love. So great a deliverance would have called for the most humble and thankful acknowledgement, though it had been as much without price to the Saviour as to the finner. But oh! my brethren, how far was it otherwife! and what fhall we think or fay of the love of Christ, when we confider how much it coft him to procure falvation for us! when we confider the depth of his humiliation, the variety, the continuance, and the greatnefs of his fufferings ! You cannot but be fenfible how frequent mention is made of this in fcripture, or rather how feldom it is omitted when the love of Chrift is introduced at all. It is the circumftance particularly pointed at in the text, Unto him that loved us, and wafbed us from our fins in his own blood. The fame thing appears from the other doxologies, or acts of worship to the Saviour, which are contained in this book, as Rev. v. 9. "And they fung a new fong, faying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the "feals thercof: for thou waft flain, and haft

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redeemed us to God by thy blood." It appears alfo, from the frequent mention of the crofs of Chrift, on which his fufferings were completed. Nay, of fo much moment was this,

that

1

that it feems to have made the fum of the gofpel, as preached by the apostles: 1 Cor. ii. 2. "For I determined not to know any thing a-mong you, fave Jefus Chrift, and him cruci "fied."

The fufferings of Chrift, then, ought to be ever prefent to the mind of the believer. The neceffity and importance of this is plain from. both the feals of the covenant of grace. The water in baptifm reprefents the blood of Chrift; and we are told, Rom. vi. 3. "Know ye not, "that fo many of us as were baptized into Je"fus Chrift, were baptized into his death." The institution of the Lord's fupper alfo haď ́ the remembrance of Chrift's fufferings as its di rect and immediate intention : I Cor. xi. 24.25. 26. “And when he had given thanks, he "brake it, and faid, Take, eat; this is my bo

dy, which is broken for you: this do in re"membrance of me. After the fame manner "alfo he took the cup, when he had fupped,

faying, This cup is the new teftament in my "blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in "remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat "this bread, and drink this cup, ye do fhew "the Lord's death till he come." Remember, then, Chriftians, how he left the throne of his glory, and took upon him the form of a fervant. Remember him despised and rejected of men, a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief. His life indeed was one continued fcene: of forrow, from the cradle to the grave.

I hope the particulars of his fufferings are not ftrangerss

M.2.