DISCOURSE II.

HEBREWS vii. 25.

Wherefore he is able also to fave them to the uttermoft that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them.

WHEN we confider the great and wonderful

work of our redemption, though we cannot account for every step of it to our own reafon and underftanding, yet neither can we imagine it to be the effect of mere will and arbitrary appointment, and void of all foundation in the reason and propriety of things. All the works of God are works of wisdom; and, as far as our capacities give us leave to judge, we difcern evident marks of wisdom in them all, and discover a fitness and propriety in every thing with refpect to the end which it is intended to serve or promote. If this be fo in every instance in which we are able to make any judgment, it is a great prefumption that it is, and muft be, fo in all other inftances, which are too high and great to be viewed and measured by human understanding: and we have one pofitive argument that it is fo, arifing from the natural notion we have of God, and of his attributes of wisdom and juftice. It is impoffible to suppose fuch a being to do any thing by chance, or in com

pliance to mere will and humour. No: every act of God is the act of infinite wifdom, and is founded in the neceffary reafon and propriety of things: and it is as true of the works of grace, as it is of the works of nature, that in wisdom he has ordained them all.

It is one thing not to be able to difcern the reafons of providence, and another to suppose there is no reason in them. The reasons, that made it either neceffary or proper for Chrift to die for the fins of mankind, may be removed out of our fight: but to suppose that Chrift really did die for the fins of the world, and yet that there was no reason or propriety in his fo doing, is to found revealed religion upon a principle deftructive of natural religion; for no religion can subfift, with an opinion that God is a being capable of acting without reafon.

The publication of the Gospel has made an alteration in the fcheme of religion, by revealing to us the Son of God, whom God hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds; who is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his perfon; who upholdeth all things by the word of his power, Heb. i. 2, 3.

The knowledge of the Son of God, of his power and dominion in the creating and upholding all things, became neceffary, as the foundation of the faith required to be placed in him as our Redeemer. The character of Redeemer would be but ill fupported by any person who had not power equal to the great undertaking. The New Teftament doctrines therefore, relating to the dignity and authority of

Jefus Chrift, are relative to his office of Redeemer; and therefore there was no explicit declaration of them either before or under the law of Mofes.

Natural religion leads us by certain conclufions to the acknowledgment of one fupreme intelligent Being, the author and creator of all things, and can by no reasoning whatever discover any other being concerned in the making, framing, or governing the world: and therefore all the hopes and fears, in a word, all the religious acts of man, in the state of natural religion, are neceffarily and immediately relative to this one fupreme Being. But put the cafe, that natural religion could poffibly discover that this one fupreme Being had an eternal Son, to whom he had communicated all power and authority, who was the immediate creator, governor, and judge of mankind; I beseech you to confider, whether, upon this fuppofition, there would not neceffarily arise an alteration in natural religion; whether the hopes and fears, and all other religious acts of mankind, would not relate immediately to this their immediate Creator, Governor, and Judge. Can it be reasonably fuppofed, that we were created by the Son of God, that we are now under his government, and shall be finally under his judgment; and at the fame time maintained, that no fervice, obedience, or regard is due to him from us his creatures and fubjects? If this cannot be maintained confiftently with this fuppofition, the conclufion will be, that the religion of a Christian is a natural and reasonable service, arifing from the relation between Chrift and mankind, which the Gofpel has revealed and made known to the world.

When we confider what expectations we have from our Redeemer, and what great promises he has made to us in his Gospel, we cannot poffibly avoid inquiring who this person is: when we hear his promise to be always prefent with us to the end of the world, to support us under all our difficulties, it is but a reasonable demand to ask by what authority he does these things: and when we are told that he liveth for ever, and is the Lord of life and of glory, there is no room to doubt of his being able to fave us. St. Paul tells us, that the Lord Jefus Chrift Shall change our vile bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. A great expectation this! but confider what the reasonable foundation of this expectation is: St. Paul tells us, it is the energy of power with which Chrift is endued, whereby he is able even to fubdue all things to himself. Our Saviour puts this article upon the fame foot: hear his declaration; Verily, verily, I fay unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear fhall live. In the next verse the reason follows; For as the Father hath life in himself, fo hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, John v. 25, 26. If the Son has life in himself, even as the Father has life in himfelf; if he is really endued with power to which all mature fubmits and obeys, a power fufficient for the creation of the world at first, and for the preservation ever fince; we have reafon to conclude, that he is now as able to restore life, as he was at first to give it; to call men from the grave into being, as well as to call them out of nothing at the first creation.

The relation of Chrift to mankind as creator and governor confidered, the work of redemption could not properly have been undertaken by any other hand: for, if Chrift was the immediate creator and governor of the world, what reafon can you imagine why God fhould resume this authority out of the hands of his Son, or fet up another to have dominion and authority over any part of the creation, which by natural right belonged to him, who made all things? Were we to confider one person as our Creator, and another as our Redeemer, it would be extremely to the diminution of the honour and regard due to the Creator, inafmuch as the bleffing of redemption would greatly outweigh the benefit of creation; and it would be natural to us to prefer the love that delivered us from the evils and miferies of the world, to that which placed us in them. In the daily fervice of our church we praise God for creating and preferving us, but above all for his ineftimable love in the redemption; which is very confiftent with refpect to one great benefactor, who both made us and redeemed us: but, had any other hand redeemed us, fuch expreffion of gratitude to him would have reflected difhonour upon the Creator.

St. Paul tells us exprefsly, that Chrift is head of the church; a title founded in the right of redemption, that in all things he might have the preeminence; that, as he was the head of all creatures in virtue of having created them, fo he might be the head of the church, the elect people of God, in virtue of having redeemed them: for it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; that is,