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1691 has perfected for ever them that are fanctified: as the virtue and efficacy of his facrifice reached the faints from the foundation of the world: and therefore is faid to be the Lamb flain from thence; fo it will reach the faints in all ages of the world, to the end of time, and throughout the endlefs ages of eternity. Nay further, though he has done facrificing, yet he has not done interceding for us: how we have an advocate with the father; now he is pleading the vir tue of his facrifice for us ; and this is one branch of his priestly office.

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But you will fay, when all the elect are called by grace and brought to glory, and all the' bleffings purchased by his blood bestowed on them, will he then continue to intercede? I answer; The apoftle tells us, that he ever liveth 10 make` intercession for us; and one way by which Chrift intercedes, is by appearing in the prefence of God for us; and this he will do for ever: and as our being brought to glory, will be owing to his interceffion, fo our continuance will be owing to the fame; and though he may not continue to intercede formally for us, yet the virtue of his interceffion will continue for ever. Moreover alfo, the glory of his prieftly office will be continually given him, both by his father, who after he had offered one facrifice for fin, fet him down at his own right hand, which is a branch of his mediatorial glory, in which he will be continued for ever: and then alfo this glory will be given to him for ever by all the faints in heaven; who will be continually faying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and firength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing: all the bleffings of grace and glory they enjoy, they will for ever afcribe to his facrifice and interceffion. But now let us proceed to confider,

Thirdly, That the stability and firmness of Chrift's priesthood lies in the immutable and irrepealable oath of God; The Lord hath fworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest, &c. The priesthood is not only affigned to Chrift by the word of God, but by the oath of God, which is no other than an unalterable decree of his, which was revealed to David by infpiration of which oath or decree he will never repent. God fometimes indeed changes his work, his way of acting; but he never changes his will: for he is not a man, that he should lie, nor the fon of man, that he should repent; and whenever repentance is afcribed to God, it is to be understood in the former, and not in the latter fenfe thus when it repented him that he had made man upon earth, he did not change his will, but he changed his way of acting; he changed the difpenfation and therefore brought a flood and destroyed man from off the earth and even this was ac cording to an unalterable counsel of his own will. So when he repented that he had made Saul king, he did not change his will, but his way of acting, and therefore he cut him off; and gave his kingdom to another and yet all accordVOL. 1. Zia al La

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ing to his unchangeable will. Now he has conferred the priesthood on Chrift; and as he will never change his will, fo he will never change the difpenfation, his way of acting in regard hereunto; he will never transfer the priesthood from him to another. This may fhow us,

ift, The validity of Christ's call to the priestly office: he was not called to and invested in the priestly office by men; but God called him to, and fixed him in it by his unalterable decree: neither did he take this honour to himself; he did not thruft himfelf into this office; Chrift glorified not himself to be made an bigh priest, but he that faid unto him; Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee': and therefore as God has called him to it and confirmed him in it by his oath, he will never be removed from it.

2dly, The fingularity thereof: it might seem somewhat strange and incredible that God's own Son, his only begotten Son, fhould be made an high priest, to offer facrifice for fin and to make interceffion for tranfgreffors: and therefore he confirms it by his oath, that he shall be a prieft: as alfo, Chrift was of another tribe, of which Mofes faid nothing concerning priesthood: and therefore this was a fingular inftance; and, to put an end to all hesitation about it, he fware

to it.

3dly, It fhews also the dignity of Chrift's priesthood; the apostle obferves this, and mentions it as an undeniable evidence of the preferableness of Chrift's priesthood to the Levitical priesthood; that those priests were made without an oath, but he with an oath, by him that faid unto him, The Lord fware, and will not repent, &c. and he also adds, by so much was Jefus made a furety of a better Teftament: they were made priests by a law which is changed and abrogated, but he by two immutable things, God's word and oath.

4thly, It evidently makes it appear, that Chrift's priesthood is a matter of moment; an oath is not to be taken by men in matters that are trivial and of no moment; and we may be fure that when God fwares it is not in a trivial affair, but in a matter of great importance, fuch as the priesthood of Chrift is; for on his facrifice and interceffion, the whole hinge of our falvation turns: because that he hath an unchangeable priesthood, and ever liveth to make intercession for us; that be is able to fave to the uttermost all that come unto God by him; therefore we should fet an high value on Chrift's facrifice and interceffion, and be careful that we do not let these things flip, or fuffer them to be wrung out of our hands.

5thly, This lets us fee the durableness of Chrift's priesthood; God has called him unto it and bestowed it on him; and his gifts and callings are without repentance: and therefore be shall continue a priest for ever. The law indeed made men high priests which had infirmity, and therefore they did not continue long; but

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but the word of the oath which was fince the law, maketh the Son, who is confecrated for evermore".

6thly and lastly, God gives his oath in this affair, not fo much on his Son's account, who would never have doubted of his call unto, and inveftiture in the prieftly office; but upon ours; therefore God willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promife the immutability of his counfel, concerning this matter, confirms. it by an oath; that all doubts and hesitations might be removed, and that we might have strong confolation who have fled unto, and laid hold upon Chrift our high priest. Thus have I confidered the feveral parts of the text, and shall close with fome brief improvement.

First, From hence we learn the excellency and greatness of Chrift's perfon. The Jews vainly asked him this question, Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? and the prophets are dead; Whom makeft thou thyself? Yes, he was greater than Abraham; for he was greater than Melchizedek, who was greater than Abraham; to whom Abraham paid tithes, and by whom he was bleffed. Chrift is great both in his perfon and office; he is God over all, bleffed for evermore; therefore fhould we entertain high thoughts of him, and have a great value and efteem for him.

Secondly, Since we learn the preferableness of Christ's priesthood to all others; they are changed and abolished, but Chrift's is an everlasting and unchangeable one; and therefore feeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jefus the Son of God, let us bold faft our profeffion, and come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Thirdly, Hence we learn how fuitable Chrift is for us; all offices meet in him; he is a king, to rule and govern us, and to fubdue all our enemies, both inward and outward; he is a priest, to atone for our fins, and make interceffion to the Father for us; and he is a prophet, to teach and inftruct us: whither should we go, but unto him? Such an high priest becomes us, who is after the order of Melchizedek, both king and priest.

Fourthly and lastly, Hence we learn, that all our bleffings and privileges are fecured, and will be continued to us for ever: Chrift is a priest for ever; and the virtue and efficacy of his facrifice and interceffion continues for ever: and therefore all the bleffings which depend thereon, will be continued to us for ever: we shall for ever be reaping the fruits and benefits of Christ's priestly office: it affords abundant matter of confolation now, and will be the fubject of our wonder to all eternity.

Heb. vii. 28.

Heb. vi. 17, 18.

y John viii. 53.

z 2

SERMON

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Preached June 15, 1736, to the SOCIETY that support the
LORD'S-DAY Evening Lecture, near Devonshire-Square.

COLOSS. I. 19.

For it pleafed the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell.

HE apostle, after his usual falutation to the church at Coloffe, with a great deal

Tof pleasure, takes notice of their faith in Chrift, and love to all the faints,

puts up feveral petitions on their account, for an increase of spiritual knowledge, holiness, fruitfulness, patience and strength; gives thanks for fome special blefsings of grace he and they were partakers of; fuch as meetness for heaven, deliverance from the power of darkness, a tranflation into the kingdom of Chrift, redemption through his blood, and the forgiveness of fins; and then takes an occafion to fet forth the glories and excellencies of the perfon of Chrift; who, he fays, ver. 15. is the image of the invifible God, the natural, effential, eternal, uncreated, perfect and exprefs image of his Father's perfon, whom no man hath seen at any time; and the first-born of every creature: Not that he was the first creature God made, which will not agree with the apoftle's reafoning in the next verse, for by him were all things created; and will be liable to this manifeft contradiction, that he was the creator of himself; but the meaning is, either that he is the only begotten of the Father from all eternity, being the natural and eternal Son of God, who, as fuch, exifted before any creature was brought into being; or that he is the first parent, or bringer forth of every creature; as the word will bear to be rendered, if, inftead of gallon, we read 176x, which is no more than changing the place of the accent; and may be very easily ventured upon, feeing the accents were all added fince the apostle's days, and efpecially, feeing it makes his reafoning in the following verfes appear with much more beauty, ftrength and force; he is the first parent of every creature, for by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, whether

they

they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers; all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things confift. Next the apostle proceeds to confider Chrift in his office-relation, and mediatorial capacity; and he is the head of the body the church, even of the general affembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven; all the elect of God, over whom he is an head of dominion and power, and to whom he is an head of influence and fupply; he adds, who is the beginning, both of the old and new creation, the first-born from the dead, who first rose from the dead by his own power to an immortal life, is fet down at the right hand of God, has all judgment committed to him, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence; for which he is abundantly qualified, fince it pleafed the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. The method I fhall take in confidering this paffage of fcripture will be this:

I. To inquire what fulness of Chrift is here intended.

II. To give some account of the nature and properties of it.

III. To fhew in what fenfe it may be faid to dwell in Chrift.

IV. To make it appear, that its dwelling in Chrift is owing to the good-will and pleasure of the Father.

I. I fhall inquire what fulness of Chrift is here intended; fince the fcriptures fpeak of more than one: And,

Firft, There is the perfonal fulness of Chrift, or the fulness of the deity, which is faid by our apostle, in this fame epiftle, to dwell in him; for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. There is no perfection effential to deity, but is in him; nor is there any the Father has, but he has likewife. Eternity is peculiar to the Godhead Chrift was not only before Abraham, but before Adam; yea, before any creature existed; he is the alpha and omega, the first and the laft, the beginning and the ending; which is, and which was, and which is to come; he is from everlasting to everlasting. Omnipotence, or a power of doing all things, can only be predicated of God. The works of creation, providence, redemption, the resurrection of the dead, with other things, in which Christ has been concerned, loudly proclaim him to be the Almighty. Omniscience, another perfection of deity," may easily be observed in Jefus Chrift; be needed not that any should teftify of man, for be knew what was in man; he is that living word of God, who is a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart; neither is there any creature that is not ma-` nifeft in his fight; but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, or to whom we must give an account; who in a fhort time will make all the churches, yea, all the world know, that he it is which fearcheth the

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reins Heb. iv 12, 13. Rev. ii 23..

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