this food, till power come from the throne; and yet when it cometh, it comes fo fweetly and kindly, that there is nothing like force or violence. The man is made as frank and free, in going out after Chrift, to be the food of his perifhing foul, as if there were no power at all put forth in the cafe. Power makes him eat and feed heartily; Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power," Pfal. cx. 3.

3. It must be fpiritual feeding that comes from the Lamb in the midst of the throne; for his throne, his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, it is not of this world: "The flesh profits nothing;" his words are spirit and life. Food for the foul must be fpiritual food: "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft," Rom. xiv. 17.

4. It must be plentiful provifion and feeding that comes from the Lamb in the midft of the throne; for it is a rich throne, and all fulness is there. There is plenty of wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption ; abundance of all forts. Here is wifdom enough, for the moft ignorant; righteousness enough, for the most guilty; fanctification enough, for the most filthy; redemption enough, for the most ruined; comfort enough, for the moft forrowful; ftrength enough, for the weakeft; They fhall be abundantly fatisfied with the fatnefs of thy boufe, Pfal. xxxvi. 8. O the plenty that is about the throne! Plenty of divine perfections to feed upon, when viewed in Chrift. Indeed, the mildeft attributes of God, out of Chrift, will be a terrible fight; but the moft terrible attributes of God, in Chrift, are a pleafant feaft; even justice, holiness and truth. Here is plenty of promifes to feed upon, while the performance is delayed. Every thing in Chrift is a feast; his names, and natures, offices, life, death, refurrection, afcenfion, interceffion; his merit, his Spirit, his word, his flesh, his blood, and victory.

5. It must be fuitable food that comes from this quarter; for, the Lamb being in the midst of the throne, will diftribute equally and fuitably. He cannot poffibly fail and miscarry, by giving too much, or too little; being in the middle of the throne, and the middle perfon VOL. V. + Bb

be

SER. LXXXIV. between God and man, to communicate what is fuitable for God to give, and fuitable for man to have, no more and no lefs does he communicate, because he is the Lamb in the midft of the throne. And, indeed, as a key is fuited to a lock, fo is Chrifl's fulness to our wants. We are diseased, he is a Physician; we are loft, he is a Saviour; we are debtors, he is the Surety; we are dead, he is Life; we are blind, he is Eye-falve; we are naked, he is Clothing; we are troubled, he is Reft: Are we bewildered? he is a Guide: Are we in danger? he is a Guard: Are we benighted? he is a Sun: Are we affaulted? he is a Shield.-Who in heaven or earth can thus fupply our wants, heal our wounds, bear our burdens, fweeten our afflictions, fubdue our enemies, as Chrift? O fuitable feeding to the foul is here in all cafes!

6. It must be joyful feeding and provifion that comes from the Lamb in the midft of the throne; for, the throne is a place of joy and triumph. Here must be the choiceft cheer, amidst the choicelt company; God, and Chrift, and angels, and faints. There is as much fweetnefs in Chrift, as there is fulnefs and fuitablenefs: He is the fountain of fweetnefs; his mouth is moft fweet, his prefence is moft fweet, his fruits are moft fweet; "I fat down under his fhadow with great delight, fays the church, and his fruits were fweet to my talte," Song ii. 3. Here are the sweet rivers of living waters that drive ' away all death and forrow, as it follows here in the

text.

7. It must be free provifion and feeding that comes from the Lamb in the midft of the throne. There is nothing to pay about a throne; this would be a difgrace and difparagement to the prince that poffeffes the throne: fo here, all is to be had freely. The finest is always the freeft, Ifa. lv. 1. The legalifts, that cannot feed upon Chrift and his righteousness freely, but only on their own works and duties, they feed upon afhes: the legal preacher, that cannot offer Chrift freely, is like the unnatural fathers, that when their children ask bread, give them a stone; when they ask a fish, give them a fcorpion. What is our beft performances but fcorpions,

fer

ferpents, ftones, yea, poifon to them that make them. their foul-food? Nothing can feed the foul but Chrift. Rabfhakeh threatened to make all the people on the wall to eat their own dung, 2 Kings xviii. 26. the legal preacher accomplishes this threatening, in a fpiritual fenfe; our belt works are but dung; "I will fpread the dung of your facrifices on your faces, even the dung of your folemn feafts." But, O Sirs, here the finest and fweeteft feaft is the freeft; from the throne of grace proceed all bleffings freely.

8. It must be durable provifion and feeding that comes from the Lamb in the midft of the throne: for he ever lives upon the throne, and his throne is for ever and ever; and therefore everlafting food comes from thence, and food that nourishes to everlafting life: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven, fays Chrift; if any man eat of this bread, he fhall live for ever,'

John vi. 15. Here is provifion for eternity; "Labour not for the meat that perifheth, fays Chrift, but for that meat that endures to everlasting life, which the Son of man fhall give unto you," John vi. 27. What a fool was he, that filled his barns, and then faid, "Soul, take thy reft, thou haft much goods laid up for many years!" while God faid to him, "Thou fool, this night fhall thy foul be required of thee?" But, O what wisdom were it to lay up for eternity this day, that death may not be able to rob you of your ftore, but that ye may have it all before your hand! The Lamb that is in the midst of the throne, lives for ever there to feed; "He lives for ever to make interceffion;" he lives for ever to make provifion: they have everlafting food, who have the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne to feed them. Thus you fee what fort of feeding is to be had under the throne of the Lamb, and who it is that mult cover our table this day, even the Lamb in the midft of the throne; he hath mounted the throne, to be a feeder, and to let down bleffings to the footstool.

VI. The last thing propofed, was, The application. Is it fo, that our Lord Jefus is the Lamb in the midst of Bb 2

the

1

SER. LXXXIV. the throne? Hence we may infer thefe following par

ticulars..

1. Surely we need not be ashamed of a crucified Chrift, nor our Chriftian paffover this day, the Lamb that was facrificed for us. Since now the Lamb is upon the throne, and in the midft of the throne, the fhame and reproach of the crofs is wiped away, with the glory and fplendor of the throne. We need not be afhamed of the crofs of Chrift, who is now in the midft of the throne. Let none defpife thofe that efpoufe the caufe and interest of the Lamb, whatever hardships they may be brought under before courts, councils, and judicatories on earth: they need not be afhamed to go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. The great apostle Paul fays, "God forbid that I fhould glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift." O believer, it is our greatcft glory to be bearing his crofs, who is now wearing the crown; to be followers of the Lamb that is in the midft of the throne.

2. Hence we may learn, that the church of God is fafe, fince the Lamb that is their Head is in the midst of the throne. Believers in Chrift are happy and safe; their Head and Hufband, their Lord and King is upon the throne: the militant clrurch, the fighting remnant, are in no great danger while he hath the government. Perhaps there are fome here, like Eli, whofe hearts are trembling for the ark of God, and the work of God at this day, when fo many axes and hammers are lifted against the carved work of the doctrine, worship, difcipline, and government of God's houfe: but let this be matter of joy to their hearts, that the Lamb is in the midst of the throne; and therefore, as he rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth, and over-rules all damage done to his houfe, fo he will make it appear in the iffue, that according to his word, " Upon all the glory there fhall be a defence," Ifa. iv. 5.

up

3. Hence we may learn, that the enemies of Chrift may have a quaking heart, fince the Lamb, whom they def pife, is in the midst of the throne. His Father, that set him on the throne, hath faid, Pfal. lxxxix. 23. "I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that

hate

hate him. The heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing; the kings of the earth fet themfelves, and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and his Anointed, faying, Let us break their bands, and caft their cords from us. But he that fits in heaven fhall laugh, the Lord. fhall have them in derifion: having fet his King upon his holy hill of Zion, he will break them in pieces with a rod of iron, and fhall dafh them in pieces like a potter's veffel, Pfal. ii. 1,-9. The Lord reigns, let the people tremble; he dwells between the cherubims, let the earth be moved," Pfal. xlix. 1. The Lamb being in the midst of the throne, is matter of terror to the enemies of his glory; for he fits upon the throne of power, and the Lamb will be a Lion to tear them in pieces.

4. Hence we may learn, that there is a fure foundation laid for the faith and hope of life and juflification by the blood of the Lamb. Since the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, the throne of grace is a door of hope; and, that our hearts may be raifed and lifted up to lively hope, the Lamb that was flain is raifed and lifted up to the throne. Did he rife again for our juftification? and does his refurrection feal upon our confciences the fufficiency of his death, and the acceptablenefs of his righteoufnefs unto God? Much more may our faith and hope be confirmed herein, that he is exalted to the midst of the throne; for his Father had never put fo much honour upon him, had he not been infinitely well-pleafed and fatisfied with his obedience unto the death. may now read the dream that Jacob had at Bethel, Gen. xxviii. 12. "Behold, a ladder fet upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:" the ladder is the Lamb; the foot of the ladder was fixt in the midst of the earth, when he was here in a humbled eftate; and now the top of the ladder is fixed in the midft of the throne: all the rounds of it are completed, that we may afcend by this way from earth to heaven.

We

5. Hence we may learn, what good reafon there is for having a high efteem of Chrift, fince God hath fo highly exalted him, to the very midst of the throne. O believer, fhould not Chrift be high in our valuation, when God hath fet him fo high! No wonder then that