own received him not, John i. II. And he knew it before-hand, and therefore complained by the prophet, Ifa. liii. ." Who "hath believed our report ?" &c. Yea, and that he is believed on in the world, is by the apoftle put among the great mysteries of godliness, Tim. iii. 16. A man that well confiders with what convincing evidence Chrift comes, would rather think it a mystery, that any should not believe. But, Oh the brutish obftinacy, and devilish enmity, that is in nature to Jefus Christ ! Devilish did I fay? You must give me that word again, for he compelled the devils affent; "We know thee, whom thou art." And it is equally as wonderful to fee the facility that is in nature to comply (mean while) with any, even the moft foolish imposture. Let a falfe Chrift arife, and he fhall deceive many, as it is, Matth. xxiv. 24. Of this Chrift complains, and not with. out great reafon, John v. 43. " I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: If another come in his own name, "him will ye receive," q. d. You are incredulous to none but me: every deceiver, every pitiful cheat, that hath but wit, or rather wickedness, enough to tell you the Lord hath fent him, though you must take his own fingle word for it, he shall obtain and get difciples; but though I come in my Father's name, i. e. fhewing you a commiffion figned and fealed by him, doing those works that none but a God can do, yet ye receive me not, But in all this we must adore the juftice of God, permitting it to be fo, giving men up to fuch unreasonable obftinacy and hardness. It is a fore plague that lies upon the world, and a wonder that we all are not ingulphed in the fame infidelity.

Inf. 2. If Chrift was fealed to his work by his Father, then how great is the fin of those that reject and defpife fuch as are Jent and fealed by Jefus Chrift? For look, as he came to us in his Father's name, fo he hath fent forth, by the fame authority Minifters in his name ‡; and as he acts in his Father's, fo they in his authority. "As thou haft fent me into the world, even "fo have I alfo fent them into the world," John xvi. 18. And fo John xx. 21. "As my Father hath fent me, fo have I sent "" you." You may think it a fmall matter to defpife or reject a minister of Christ (a fin, in the guilt whereof, I think no age hath been plunged deeper than this); but hear, and let it be a warning to you for ever; in fo doing you defpife, and put the flight both upon the Father that fent Jefus, and upon Chrift

This form of the miffion of the Apoftles by Chrift, evidently enough fhews the dignity of their office, in their authority and power which was fupreme and incomparable. Cameron.

that fent them: So that it is a rebellion, that however it feems to begin low in fome fmall piques against their perfons, or fome little quarrels at their parts and utterance, tones, methods or gefures; yet it runs high, even to the fountain head of the most fupreme authority. You that fet yourselves against a minister of Chrift, fet yourselves against God the Father, and God the Son; Luke x. 16. "He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that de"fpifeth you, defpifeth me; and he that defpifeth me, defpifeth "him that fent me." God expects that you behave yourselves, under the word spoken by us, as if he himself spake it; yea, he expects fubmiffion to his word in the mouths of his minifters from the greateft on earth. And therefore it was that God fo feverely punished Zedekiah," becaufe he humbled not himself "before Jeremiah the prophet, fpeaking from the mouth of the "Lord," 2 Chron. xxxvi. 12. God was angry with a great king for not humbling himself before a poor Prophet. Yet here you must diftinguish both of Perfons, and of Acts. This reverence and fubmiffion is not due to them as men, but as men in office, as Christ's ambassadors; and must involve that respect fill in it. Again we owe it not to them, commanding or forbidding in their own names, but in Chrift's, not in venting their own spleen, but the terrors of the Lord: And then to refift is a high rebellion and affront to the fovereign authority of Heaven, And, by the way, this may inftruct ministers, that the way to maintain that veneration and refpect that is due to them, in the confciences of their hearers, is by keeping close to their com miffion.

Inf. 3. Hence alfo we infer, how great an evil it is to intrude into the office of the miniftry, without a due Call. It is more than Chrift himself would do; he glorified not himself: The ho nours and advantages attending that office, have invited many, to run before they were fent. But furely this is an insufferable violation of Chrift's order. Our age hath abounded with as many church levellers as ftate-levellers. I wish the minifters of Chrift might at last fee and confider, what they were once warned of by a faithful watchman: I believe (faith het) God hath perN 2

As if a mafter of a family fhould first prescribe to his fervant what he fhould order to be done in the family, and then fhould fay, Whofo heareth you, heareth me; it would not thence follow that it is impoffible for that fervant to depart from what his Mafter had prefcribed to him; or whenever he should do fo, he fhould be obeyed. Cameron. Myroth. p. 130.

+Mr. Strong."

mitted fo many to intrude into the minifters calling, because 'minifters have too much meddled with, and intruded into o⚫ther mens callings.'

Inf. 4. Hence be convinced of the great efficacy that is in all go/pel ordinances duly adminiftred: For Chrift having received full commiflion from his Father, and by virtue thercof having inftituted and appointed thefe ordinances in the church, all the power in heaven is engaged to make thein good, to back and fecond them, to confirm and ratify them. Hence, in the cenfures of the church you have that great expreffion, Matth. xviii. 18. "Whatsoever ye bind or loofe on earth, shall be bound or loofed "in heaven." And lo, for the word and facraments, Matth. xxxiii. 18, 19, 20 "All power in heaven and earth is given unto me: Go therefore," &c. They are not the Appointments of men; your faith stands not in the wildom of men, but in the power of God That very power, God the Father committed to Chrift, is the fountain whence all gospel inftitutions flow. And he hath promised to be with his officers, not only the extraordinary officers of that age, but with his minifters, in fucceeding ages, to the end of the world. O therefore, when we come to an ordinance, come not with flight thoughts, but with great reverence, and great expectations, remembring Chrift is there to make all good.

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Inf. 5. Again, here you have another call to admire the grace and love, both of the Father and Son to your fouls: It is not lawful to compare them, but it is duty to admire them. Was it not wonderful grace in the Father, to feal a commission for the death of his Son, for the humbling him as low as hell, and in that method to fave you, when you might have expected he should have fealed your Mittimus for hell, rather than a commiffion for your falvation? he might rather have fet his irreverfible feal to the fentence of your damnation, than to a commffion for his Son's humiliation for you. And no lefs is the love of Chrift to be wondered at, that would accept fuch a commiffion, as this for us, and receive this feal, understanding fully (as he did) what were the contents of that commiffion, that the Father delivered him thus fealed, and knowing that there could be no reverfing of it afterwards.

O then, love the Lord Jefus all ye his faints, for ftill you fee more and more of his love breaking out upon you. I commend to you a fealed Saviour this day; O that every one that reads thefe lines might, in a pang of love, cry out with the enamoured Spouse, Cant. viii. 6. "Set me as a feal upon thy heart, as a "feal upon thy atm; for love is ftrong as death, Jealoufy is

"cruel as the grave; The coals thereof are coals of fire, which "have a vehement flame."

Inf. 6. Once more; Hath God fealed Christ for you? Then draw forth the comfort of his fealing for you, and be restless till ye allo be fealed by him.

1. Draw out the comfort of Chrift's fealing for you. Remember that hereby God ftands engaged, even by his own feal, to allow and confirm whatever Chrift hath done in the business of our falvation. And on this ground you may, thus plead with God: Lord, thou hast sealed Chrift to this office, and therefore I depend upon it, that thou alloweft all that he hath done, and all that he hath suffered for me, and wilt make good all that he hath promised me. If men will not deny their own feals, much lefs wilt thou.

2. Get your interest in Chrift sealed to you by the Spirit, elle you cannot have the comfort of Chrift's being fealed for you. Now the Spirit feals two ways, Objectively and Effectually; the first is by working those graces in us, which are the conditions of the promises the latter is by hining upon his own work, and helping the foul to difcern it, which follows the other, both in order of nature, and of time. And these fealings of the Spirit are to be diftinguished, both ex parte fubjecti, or the quality of the perfon fealed, which always is a believer, Eph, i. 13. for there can be no reflex, till there have been a direct Act of faith; and ex parte materia, by the matter of which that comfort is made; which if it be of the Spirit, is ever confonant to the written word, Ifa. viii. 20. And partly ab effectis, by its effects: for it commonly produces in the fealed foul, great care and caution to avoid fin, Eph. iv. 30. Great love to God, John xiv. 22. Readi nefs to fuffer any thing for Christ, Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. Confidence in addreffes to God, I John v. 13, 14. and great humility and felf-abasement; as in Abraham, who lay on his face when God fealed the covenant to him, Gen. xvii. 1, 2, 3. This, O this brings home the sweet and good of all, when this feal is fuper-aded to that.

SERMON

VIL

Treats of the Solemn CONSECRATION of the ME

DIATOR

JOHN xvii. 19. And for their fakes I fanctify myself.

JES

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ESUS Christ being fitted with a body, and authorized by a commission, now actually devotes, and fets himself apart to his work. In the former fermon you heard what the Father did; in this you fhall hear what the Son hath done towards the farther advancement of that glorious defign of our falvation: He fanctified himself for our fakes. Wherein obferve, (1.) Chrift's fanctifying of himself. (2.) The end or defiga of his fa doing.

I, You have Chrift's fanctifying of himself. The word is not here to be understood for the cleansing, purify. ing or making holy that which was before unclean and unholy, either in a moral fenfe, as we are cleansed from fin by fanctification; or in a ceremonial fenfe, as perfons and things were fanctified under the law; though here is a plain allufion to those legal rites: But Chrift's fanctifying himself, imports, (1.) His Leparation, or fetting apart to be an oblation or facrifice. So Beza, nempe ut facerdos et victima, as the priest and facrifice. I fanctify myself, imports, (2.) His confecration, or dedication of bimfelf to this holy ufe and fervice*. So the Dutch Annotations, I fanctify myself (i. e.) I give up myself for a holy facrifice. And to our English Annotations, I fanctify, (i. e.) I confecrate and voluntarily offer myself a holy and unblemished facrifice to thee for their redemption. And thus under the Law, when any day, perfon, or veffel was confecrated and dedicated to the Lord, it was to intirely for his ufe and fervice, that to use it afterward in any common service, was to profane and pollute it, as you fee Dan. v. 3.

2. The end of his fo fanctifying himself [for their fakes, and that they might be fanctified †] where you have the Finis cujus,

*To fanctify, is to feparate or fet apart for divine ufes. Brentius on this place.

The meaning then is this, I fanctify myself, i. e. for their fakes