the Lord, and to him gave all the Prophets Witness : But it is his Prerogative alone, to preach himself, faying, Come to me, all ye that labour, &c. Look to me and be faved; I am the Rofe of Sharon, I am the Light of the World; I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. O then, was there ever any Phrophet or, Teacher that could compete with him? The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, fays Chrift, for he hath anointed me to preach glad Tidings to the Meek: He is the Chrift, the anointed Prophet; and what think ye of Chrift; (2.) What think ye of his Priefhood? For, as Chrift, he is anointed to be a Prieft for ever, after the Order of Melchifedeck. All the Levitical Priefts were but Shadows and Types of him, who was the true Prieft, the true Temple, the true Altar, the true Sacrifice all in one. What high Thoughts may we have of his Oblation, or Obedience unto Death, even the Death of the Cross? For here was the grand Condition of the Covenant of Redemption or Grace fulfilled. The Covenant of Grace was all Grace with Refpect to God, who of his Grace found out the Ranfom, and with Refpect to us who are faved by Grace; but with Refpect to Chrit, it is a Covenant made upon Terms and Conditions, namely, his Obedience, Righteoufnefs, Paffion and Oblation; Whom God hath fet forth to be the Propitiation through Faith in his Blood, &c. Rom. iii. 25. O what a free, full, perfect, holy, sweet and fatisfying Sacrifice did he offer up of himfelf, even a Sacrifice of a fweet-fmelling Savour unto God, whereby Juftice was fatisfy'd, Wrath appeafed, Sin expiated, God attoned, Death vanquifht, Hell quenched, Heaven purchased, and the Devil's Kingdom deftroyed; for by Death he deftroyed him that had the Power of Death, that is the Devil! What may we think of his Interceffion, grounded upon this Oblation? For he is able to fave to the uttermoft all that come to God by him, because he ever lives to make Interceffion. Here is the Antidote against all Charges and Accufations, Rom. viii. 33, 34. The Antidote against all Temptations, Heb. ii. 17, 18. & iv. 14, 15.

an

an Antidote against all the Snares of the World, John xvii. 15. againft all Sins, Failings and Infirmities, 1 John ii. 1, 2. against all Fears, through Senfe of Unworthiness, to draw near to God's Throne of Grace, Heb. iv. 15, 16. Heb. x. 19, 20, 21, 22. and against all Fears of Apoftacy and Falling away, John xvii. 11. O his Promife, his Power, his Prayer, give great Security, and greater cannot be given: He hath prayed for the Spirit, and the conftant Abiding thereof, John xiv. 16, 17. fee John iv. i4. Chrift's Interceffion is founded on his Oblation, and the Father is fo well pleafed with the Oblation, that he cannot refuse his Interceffion; nay, he hears him always: Therefore, what think ye of Chrift? (3) What think ye of his Kingdom and Royalty? The Queftion, What think ye of Christ? imports this alfo; for, as Chrift, he is anointed to be a King, Pfal. ii. 6. I have let my King, or, as it is in the Hebrew, anointed my King, upon my holy hill of Zion. Is not all Power in Heaven and Earth committed unto him, having on his Vefture and Thigh this Name written, KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS? He is the King eternal and immortal, the Government is upon his Shoulders, and of the Increase of his Kingdom and Government there fhall be no End. His delivering up the Kingdom to his Father at laft, is but a Changing the Manner of his Adminiftration, and delivering up all his Members, of whom his Kingdom confifts, unto his Father, to be eternally crowned and glorified; He will reign through Eternity, and the Children of Zion will be joyful in their King, and fing through Eternity. I might here fhew what a powerful and peaceable, mild and merciful, wife and holy, juft and righteous King our Lord Jefus is; and then afk you, What think ye of Chrift? But it is not poffible to give fo much as a Hint at the Thoufand Part of his Glory and Royalty: His Kingdom is fpiritual and internal; if you be his Spiritual Subjects, his Kingdom is within you; yea, tho' you be yet Subjects to the Devil, he hath Power over all Hearts, and can foften the hardeft, and bind the toutD

eft, and make the People fall down under him: Yea, as he is able fo he is willing; for he is not only the God of Power, but the Prince of Peace, Ifa. ix. 6. and therefore, as a Prophet, he preaches Peace; as a Pricft, he purchases Peace; and as a King, he proclaims Peace; yea, Créates the Fruit of the Lips, Peace, Peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is nigh. powerful Potentate he is able, and as a Prince of Peace he is ready, to fave to the uttermoft. As he is

As a

full of Power, fo he is full of Pity; and his Power and Peace both are joined together, for the Encouragement of Sinners to come to him, Ifa. xxvii. 5. Let him take Hold of my Strength, that be may make Peace with me, and he shall make Peace with me. Perhaps, by the By, fome poor Soul is thinking, O but I have no Strength to take Hold of his Strength. Well, it is right fo to think of yourself, and of your own Weaknefs and Wickednefs: But no Strength comes in by that Thought, while poring on yourfelf only; that is but the Half of what you are to think, when you think right of yourselves, as weak and wicked. But what think ye of Chrift our glorious King? If you can think honourably of him, as able and willing to help you, O you would find Strength coming in with fuch a Thought And high Thoughts of a powerful and merciful King Jefus, is one of the Ways of taking Hold of his Strength. If you fuppofe that you think he is able and ready, and yet you find no Strength coming in, O fufpect your own Thought of him, that it is but a mifbelieving and difhonourable Thought: For I affare you, right Thoughts of Chrift will fet the Heart all in Motion towards him. But now there would be no End in fpeaking of the Royalties of King JESUS, his Royal Throne, his Royal Crown, his Royal Victories, his Royal Triumphs, and the Royal Intertainment that he gives to his Subjects at his Table above, and even below, when he brings them to his Banqueting-houfe. I fhall only add, That as it is faid of Solomon, There was no King like him, fo behold a greater than Solomon is here: There is no King

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like him who is the King of Zion; he hath all other Kings under his Check and Controul; and what think ye of Chrift then? Other Kings have their Domini ons, for the moft Part, by Ufurpation, by Encroach, ment; but Chrift is King conflitute of his Father Pfal. lxxxix. 27. I'll make him my First-born, higher than the Kings of the Earth, and all this for the Good of his People, Eph. i. 22. He hath put all Things under bis Feet, and given him to be Head over all Things anto his Church. This leads to another. Import of the Queftion; that is,

(4.) What think ye of his Authority and Ability, Commiffion, Fulnefs, Furniture, and Fitnefs for executing of thefe faving Offices? For all this is implied in the Defignation CHRIST, the Anointed; that is, One commiffionate and qualified of God, by a fupereminent Unction, John iii. 34. Behold his Excellency here, above all that ever had the like Offices. Behold he is anointed, for the Concurrence of all these Offices, whether general; as Saviour, Surety, Redeemer; or particular, as Prophet, Prieft, King. Some have been Prophets, fome Priefts, fome Kings anointed; but never any was anointed to all thefe but Chrift: What think ye of Chrift? Behold the Matter of his Anointing; others have been anointed with ma terial Oil, but he is anointed with Holy Oil, the Holy Spirit And whereas others have had the Spirit in fome Refpects, therefore behold the Measure of his Anointing Others were anointed in Measure, but he without Measure; They may have a Fulnefs of Sufficiency, but he hath a Fulnefs of Redundancy; they a Fulnefs like the Fulness of a Veffel, but his the Fulnefs of an Ocean; they a Plenitude, but he a Fountain. Behold and view the Duration of his Anointing his Saints and Servants may have the Spirit fometimes working, fometimes ceafing, fometimes flowing and fometimes ebbing; but Chrift is anointed with an enduring Unction, John i. 33. The Spirit that defcended on him, did remain and reft upon him; fee Ifa. lix. lat. Hence behold alfo the Equality of his Anoin

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ting with himself: The Spirit given to others, that were invested with any Office in God's Houfe, did work with them as mere Men; There was no Equality betwixt them and the Spirit given to them: But as Chrift is anointed with the Spirit as he is Mediator God-Man, fo as to God he is co-equal with the Spirit, wherewith he is anointed; yea, the fame in Substance, equal in Power and in Glory with the Father and the Holy Ghoft. And what think ye of Chrift, his Authority, Ability, and Furniture for his Work? In a Word, behold the Efficacy of his Anointing and the communicable Nature, thereof: He is anointed above his' Fellows, yet fo, as he hath Fellows to whom he allows Fellowship in the fame Anointing: He hath not only received the Spirit of all Grace and Gifts for himself, but He received gifts for Men, even for the Rebellious, Pfal. xviii. 18. Hence, according to his Pleasure, he allows the Oil to drop down to the Skirts of his Garment; yea, like Rain upon the mown Grafs, or Showers that water the Earth, Pfal. Ixxii. 6. It is true, Minifters anointed with the Spirit are faid to drop, Ezek. xx. 46. Son of man, drop thy Words towards the fouth: And Mofes fays, my Doctrine foall drop as the Rain; but as the Clouds from whence the Rain defcends have not their Water originally in themfelves, but from the Sea, and moift Places of the Earth, exhaled and drawn up by the Heat of the Sun'; fo no Minifter of Chrift hath a Faculty of teaching heavenly and divine Things, and faving Gofpel-Truths of himself; but it is drawn up out of Chrift, as out of a full Sea and Ocean of all Wisdom and Knowledge; and is conveyed unto them, by the Heat and Vigour, not of their own Spirit, but the Spirit of Chrift, who is anointed, to anoint others. And O for a liberal Share of his anointing among us at this Occafion! In a Word, the Name Chrift imports fuch an Anointing, as that he is qualified with all Authority and Ability, all Furniture and Fittedness for his Work of faving Sinners; with all Fulnefs of Divine Perfections, and all Fulnefs of Mediatorial Gifts and Graces: And

all