"on earth, (faith he to the Father) I have finished the work "thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify me with "thine own felf:" As if he had faid, Father, the work is done, now where is the wages I was promised? I call for glory as my due, as much my due as the hire of the labourer is his due, when his work is done.

4. More particularly; we will next confider the articles to which they do both agree; or, what it is that each perfon doth for himself promife to the other. And, to let us fee how much the Father's heart is engaged in the falvation of poor finners, there are five things which he promiseth to do for Chrift, if he will undertake that work.

First, He promifeth to inveft him, and anoint him to a threefold office, anfwerable to the mifery that lay upon the e lect, as fo many bars to all communion with, and enjoyment of God; for, if ever man be restored to that happiness, the blindness of his mind must be cured, the guilt of fin expiated, and his captivity to fin led captive: anfwerably, Chrift muft, "of God, be made unto us, wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctificati "on and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 30. And he is made lo to us as our Prophet, prieft, and king: but he could not put himself into either of thefe; for if fo, he had acted without commissi on, and confequently all he did had been invailed; Heb. v. 5. "Chrift glorified not himself to be made a High Priest, but he "that faid unto him, Thou art my Son." A commiffion therefore to act authoritatively, in thefe offices, being neceffary to our recovery, the Father engages to him to feal him fuch a threefold commiffion.

He promiseth to invest him with an eternal and royal priefthood, Pfal. cx. 4. "The Lord hath fworn, and will not repent; "Thou art a prieft for ever, after the order of Melchifedec." This Melchifedec being king of Righteoufnefs, and king of Sa. lem, that is, Peace, had a royal priesthood; and his defcent not being reckoned, it had an adumbration of eternity in it, and fo was more apt to type and shadow forth the priestood of Chrift than Aaron's was, Heb. vii. 16, 17, 24, 25. as the apostle accommodates them there.

He promifeth moreover to make him a Prophet, and that an extraordinary one, even the prince of prophets; the chief fhepherd, as much fuperior to all others, as the fun is to the leffer ftars; fo you have it, Ifa. xlii. 6, 7. "I will give thee for a light

to the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes," &c.

And not only fo, but to make him king alfo, and that of the whole empire of the world; fo Pfalm. ii. 6, 7, 8. " Ask of me,

" and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the "utmost ends of the earth for thy poffeffion." Thus he promifeth to qualify and furnish him completely for the work, by his inveftiture with this threefold office.

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Secondly, And forasmuch as he knew it was a hard and difficult work his Son was to undertake, a work that would have broken the backs of all the angels in heaven, and men on earth, had they engaged in it; therefore he promiseth to stand by him, and affift and ftrengthen him for it: fo, Ifa. xlii. 5, 6, 7. “ I "will hold thy hand," or take hold of thee with my hand, for fo it may be rendered † (i. e.) I will underprop and fupport thy humanity, when 'tis even overweighted with the burden that is to come upon it, and ready to fink down under it; for so you know the case stood with him, Mark xiv. 34. and so it was fore told of him, Ifa. liii. 7. “He was oppreffed," &c. and indeed the humanity needed a prop of no lefs ftrength than the infinite power of the Godhead: the fame promise you have in the first verse also, "Behold my fervant whom I uphold."

Thirdly, He promifeth to crown his work with fuccefs, and bring it to an happy issue, Ifa. liii. 10. "He fhall fee his feed, "he fhall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall "profper in his hand." He fhall not begin, and not finish; he fhall not shed his unvaluable blood upon hazardous terms; but shall see and reap the fweet fruits thereof: As the joyful mother forgets her pangs, when the delightfully embraces and kisses her living child.

Fourthly, The Father promiseth to accept him in his work, tho' millions fhould eternally perish, Ifa. xlix. 4. Surely (faith he) "my work is with the Lord." And verfe 5. "I fhall be glo. "rious in the eyes of the Lord." His faith had therein respect to this compact and promife. Accordingly, the Father manifefts the fatisfaction he had in him, and in his work, even while he was about it upon the earth, when there came fuch "voice " from the excellent glory, faying, This is my beloved Son, in "whom I am well pleased.

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Fifthly, As he engaged to reward him highly for his work, by exalting him to fingular and fuper-eminent glory and honour, when he fhould have dispatched and finished it. So you read, Pfal. ii. 7. "I will declare the decree; the Lord hath said unto

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+ I, whofe power is boundlefs and infinite, will fo befriend and fupport thee, that all thy enemies fhall not be able to hurt thee. Marior, on this place.

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me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." "Tis fpoken of the day of his refurrection, when he had just finished his fuffering. And fo the apostle expounds and applies it, Acts xiii. 32, 33. For then did the Lord wipe away the reproach of his cross, and invefted him with fuch glory, that he looked like himfelf again. As if the Father had faid, Now thou haft again recovered thy glory, and this day is to thee as a new birth-day.

Thefe are the encouragements and rewards propofed, and promised to him by the Father. This was the "joy fet before him," (as the apoftle phraseth it in Heb. xii. 2.), which made him fo patiently to "endure the crofs, and defpile the shame."

And in like manner, Jefus Chrift reftipulates, and gives his engagement to the Father; that, upon thefe terms, he is content to be made flesh, to divest, as it were, himself of his glory, to come under the obedience and malediction of the law, and not to refuse any, the hardest sufferings it fhould please his Father to inflict on him. So much is implied in Ifa. 1. 5, 6, 7"The Lord "hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned "away back; I gave my back to the fmiters, and my cheeks to "them that pulled off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and

fpitting For the Lord God will help me, therefore fhall I not "be confounded; I have fet my face as a flint, and I know that I "shall not be afhamed." When he faith, I was not rebellious, he meaneth, I was moft heartily willing, and content to accept the terms; for there is a Meiofis in the words, and much more is intended than expreffed. And the fense of this place is well delivered to us in other terms, Pfal. xl. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. "Then faid I, lo I come, I delight to do thy will, O God, "thy law is within my heart." O fee with what a full confent the heart of Chrift clofeth with the Father's offers and propofals; like fome echo, that anfwers your voice twice or thrice So doth Chrift here answer his Father's call, “ I come, I delight to do thy will; yea, thy law is in my heart." And thus you see the articles to which they both fubfcribed, or the terms they agreed on.

over.

(5.) I will briefly fhew how these articles, and agreements were on both parts, performed, and that precisely and punctually. For, (1.) the Son having thus confented, accordingly he applies himself to the discharge of his work. He took a body, in it fulfilled all righteoufnefs, even a title, Matth. iii. 15. And at laft his foul was made an offering for fin, fo that he could fay as it is, John xvii. 4. "Father, I have glorified thee on earth, I "have finished the work thou gavest me to do." He went through all the parts of his active, and paffive obedience, chear

fully and faithfully. (2.) The Father made good his engagements to Christ, all along, with no lefs faithfulness than Chrift did his. He promised to affift, and hold his hand, and fo he did; Luke xxii. 23. "And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, "ftrengthning him." That was one of the forest brunts that ever Chrift met with; this was seasonable aid and fuccour. He promised to accept him in his work, and that he should be glorious in his eyes; fo he did: For he not only declared it by a voice from heaven, Luke iii. 22. "Thou art my beloved Son, " in whom I am well pleased:" But it was fully declared in his refurrection and afcenfion, which were a full discharge and juftification of him. He promifed him that "he fhould fee his feed," and fo he did; for his very birth-dew was as the dew of the morning; and ever fince his blood hath been fruitful in the world. He promised gloriously to reward and exalt him; and fo he hath, Phil. ii. 9, 10, 11. and that highly and fupereminently, "giving him a name above every name in heaven and "earth." Thus were the articles performed.

(6.) Lastly, When was this compact made betwixt the Father and the Son? I anfwer, it bears date from eternity *. Before this world was made, then were his delights in us, while as yet we had no existence, but only in the infinite mind and purpose of God, who had decreed this for us in Chrift Jefus, as the apoftle speaks, 2 Tim. i. 9. What grace was that which was given us in Christ before the world began, but this grace of redemption, which was from everlasting thus contrived and defigned for us, in that way which hath been here opened? Then was the council, or consultation of peace betwixt them both, as fome take that fcripture, Zech. vi. 13.

Next let us apply it to ourselves.

Ufe 1. The firft use that offers itself to us from hence, is the abundant fecurity that God hath given the elect for their salvation, and that not only in respect of the covenant of grace made with them, but also of this covenant of redemption made with Chrift for them; which indeed is the foundation of the covenant of grace. God's fingle promife is fecurity enough to our faith, bis covenant of grace adds, ex abundanti, farther fecurity; but both these viewed as the effects and fruits of this covenant of redemption, make all fast and fure. In the covenant of grace, we

* Antequam ab omnibus retro feculis tempora fluere inciperent, decrevit Deus hanc nobis falutis gratiam per Chriftum conferre: j. e. From all eternity, God decreed to bestow on us the gift of falvation through Jefus Christ.

SERM. III. queftion not the performance on God's part, but we are often ftumbled at the grand defects on our parts: But when we look to the covenant of redemption, there's nothing to ftagger our faith, both the federates being infinitely able and faithful to perform their parts; fo that there is no poffibility of a failure there. Happy were it, if puzzled and perplexed Chriftians would turn their eyes from the defects that are in their obedience, to the fulness and compleatnefs of Chrift's obedience; and fee themfelves compleat in him, when most lame and defective in themselves.

2. Hence alfo be informed, that God the Father, and God the Son, do mutually rely and trust to one another in the bufiness of our redemption. The Father relies upon the Son for the performance of his part; as it is, Ifa. xlii. 1." Behold my "fervant, whom I uphold." + Montanus turns it, on whom I lean or depend. As if the Father had faid, behold what a faithful fervant I have chofen, in whom my foul is at reft: I know he will go through with his work, I can depend upon him. And, to speak plain, the Father fo far trufted Chrift, that upon the credit of his promife to come into the world, and in the fulness of time to become a facrifice for the elect, he faved all the Old Teftament faints, whofe faith alfo refpected a Christ to come; with reference whereto, it is faid, Heb. xi. 39, 40. "That 66 they received not the promife, God having provided some better "things for us, that they without us fhould not be made perfect,” i. e. without Jefus Christ manifested in the flesh, in our times; tho' believed on, as to come in the flesh, in their times. And as the Father trufted Chrift, fo doth Chrift, in like manner, depend upon, and truft his Father. For, having performed his part, and left the world again, he now trusteth his Father for the accomplishment of that promife made him. Ifa. liii. 10." That "he shall see his feed," &c. He depends upon his Father for all the elect that are left behind, yet unregenerated, as well as thofe already called, that they shall be all preserved unto the heavenly kingdom, according to that, John xvii. 11. "And now "I am no more in the world, but these are in the world: and I

come unto thee: holy Father, keep, through thine own name, "those whom thou haft given me." And can it be imagined, that the Father will fail his truft, who every way acquitted himfelf fo punctually to the Son? It cannot be.

Ufe 3. Moreover, hence we infer the validity and unquestionable fuccefs of Chrift's intercession in heaven for believers. You

* 12 100 [Athemoch beu] Innitar in eo. Montanus.