his person as thus confidered. It is a perfonal glory due unto him and given unto him. To fpeak more fully in the words of Dr. Goodwin: "It is the glory "of the very Godhead dwelling perfonally in him, "breaking forth in, and fhining through his human "nature. As if the fun, being encompaffed with a "cafe of cryftal, how glorious would that cryftal "be a glory, fuch as is only worthy to appear in "him that is one perfon with God. This is the "greatest and highest glory, as well as mystery, God "manifefted in the flesh, feen of angels, taken up "into glory." This glory that was thus due to the person of Chrift as God-man, is the glory which he had by defign and appointment; and which, as he bore the title and character of God-man, he had with the Father before the world was; and it was this glory Chrift laid afide, and emptied himself of, and which the Scriptures treat fo largely of. For it was a right and due belonging to the human nature which the Son of God in wondrous grace affumed, to have been immediately exalted and glorified in heaven. But, in order to perform the mediatory work, and act in a mediatorial character and capacity, our adorable head, the God-man, Jefus, JEHOVAH, humbled himfelf; and though he was rich, (for all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him) yet for our fakes he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich. Over and above Chrift's glory, as JEHOVAH effentially, as God-man, in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth bodily, or fubftantially, he has an acquired glory, refulting from his work of mediation, confidered both

as an head, and a redeemer of his church and people; and therefore my interpretation of the glory Christ prays for on his own behalf, and wills for his people, is, that the glory of his person as God-man may appear, and the glories of his mediatorfhip be difcovered, and he be poffeffed of it, alfo that his people may behold him in his perfonal and mediatorial glories in which he fhines within the vail: to this may be added, that the appearance of Chrift before his incarnation, gives fome intimation of it. In the 6th chapter of Ifaiah, the prophet fays, In the year that king Uzziah died, I faw alfo the Lord fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above (or about it) flood the feraphims, each one had fix wings; with twain be covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and faid, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hofts, the whole earth is full of his glory. And that that prophecy and vision referred to him as God manifefted in the flefh, is evident from Chrift's own application thereof to himself, as prophetically fpoken of him who was to come. These things faid Efais when he faw his glory and Spake of him, John xii. 41. And the apostle John, fpeaking for himself and other apostles, fays, We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And Peter, who was present when the glory of the Godhead darted its rays through the manhood, breaks forth, faying, We were eye-witnesses of his Majesty, And I apprehend it, and therefore fpeak it, that Chrift will be the fole medium in heaven by whom we fhall

enjoy God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, to the uttermoft perfection of blifs and happinefs; and therefore our beholding the perfonal glories of Chrift, our feeing and beholding him face to face; in this will confift the beatific vifion. In him God will be to us all in all; and what higher felicity can be thought of? What greater bleffednefs can we partake of, than to behold, gaze upon, and enjoy God in Chrift? To fee all the glories of the Deity fhining forth in the perfon of God-man? Having very faintly endeavoured to give an hint of what I apprehend to be the meaning of the glory of Chrift, fpoken of in the text, I proceed to confider how the faints become entitled to a fight of it; and this, I could venture to affirm, is theirs in confequence of their union with the perfon of Chrift; and which I think may be gathered from the words of the text. For the argument or motive that Chrift urges is this, For thou lovedft me before the foundation of the world. Now Chrift was loved in his election from everlafting, and the elect with him, and they were chofen in him, and out of that love were given unto him; and to what end, or for what purpofe? Even to behold, admire, and adore him in his person and glory, that being what they were ordained for, more than for their own glory and which he mentions not, for it arifeth from their beholding his, and was ordained for his. "And if it be afked what "glory is it of Chrift's they are to behold, the an"fwer is, the glory of his person, first absolutely de❝ creed him, which is the heighth of his glory in hea"ven, where it is they are ordained to behold it." Dr. Goodwin. And Chrift refolves God's loving and

knowledges, with fhame and confufion of face, his own fins, and the fins of his people. His confeflion of fin, in verses 5, 6, is very particular: he there vindicates God's justice, acknowledging the fins of his people, as the juft caufe and reafon of the judgments the Lord had righteously inflicted upon them. In verse 9, he begins to plead God's mercies; and at laft concludes, in begging that God would cause his face to shine upon his fanctuary, that is, upon his church, for the Lord's fake, that is, for the Meffiah's fake. And having mentioned this as a moft prevailing motive, he is drawn out to pray with very great importunity in verfes 18, 19. And we have the remarkable anfwer which the Lord was pleased to give this his fervant in the twentieth and following verfes. And while I was speaking and praying, and confeffing my fin, and the fin of my people Ifrael, and prefenting my fupplication before the Lord God, for the holy mountain of my God, (that is, for the church called the holy mountain, because it was built upon mount Zion, and it was holy, because it was God's habitation). Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, (it was not a man, but an angel who appeared in the form of a man) whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly fwiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. There were two lambs offered every day, one in the morning, and the other in the evening, and they were typical of the lamb of God, which hath taken away the fin of the world. And Daniel had this vifion about the time of the evening facrifice, which might be an item to him, and ought to be fo to us, that our

my

prayers are accepted and anfwered, only upon the account of the facrifice and interceffion of Jefus Chrift. And he informed me, that is, the angel informed Daniel, and talked with me, and fajd, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy fupplications the commandment came forth. Very likely the commandment of Cyrus, to give the Jews leave to return to their own land, and to build the temple of the Lord, had that very morning been given forth. And, I am come to fhew thee, for thou art greatly beloved, therefore understand the matter, and confider the vifion. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgreffion, and to make an end of fin, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteoufnefs, and to feal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. The angel had addreffed Daniel under the title of greatly beloved, and by the meffage he brought him, he appeared to be greatly beloved indeed for how could the Lord's love be more clearly manifefted unto him than by hearing his prayer, and fending him an immediate anfwer, and fuch an one as contained a clufter of ineftimable mercies, mercies of a fpiritual, and of an eternal nature and duration, the bleffings of which would be felt upon earth, and enjoyed in heaven. The words of our text may be confidered as a confirmation of the promife of the Meffiah's coming, of the time of his coming, and the work to be performed by him. He was to finish tranfgreffion, to make an end of fin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righ