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these two great commands. But Christ said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. Had Christ remained in heaven therefore, his part of the covenant of redemption could never have been performed. Besides, Christ was under obligation to love God with all his heart on his own account, whether he had come into the world or not. This was of infinite consequence to Christ, on account of his own personal honour and happiness. Had he not loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, his Father never would have said to him, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."* Jesus, therefore, though made a little lower than the angels, "for the suffering of death, was crowned with glory and honour." If Christ had not suffered death in the exercise of perfect love to God, he would not have merited a crown of glory and honour. Doing the will of God then implies perfect conformity of heart to God: still the will of God in the sense of the text, means something more, and distinct from, loving him with all the heart.

Christ, that he might do the will of him who sent him, must not only be a man, but he must be the second Mun. The first man was of the earth, earthy; the second man was the Lord from heaven." And as the first man was a figure of the second, so the second man must answer the figure: And as Adam was a covenant head, so Christ must be. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Christ then must be a covenant head, and take the place of Adam-his place before his fall-not his place as a transgressor: this would be inconsistent, because Adam was not the figure of him who was to come, after he ceased to obey the law of his Maker,

* Psalm xlv, 67.

For as soon as Adam eat of the forbidden tree, the relation between them as type and Antitype, ceased. God made Adam upright, and in that character he was tried; but he did not retain his character: by transgression, therefore, he lost his station as federal head. And as Christ was the Antitype of Adam, it was the will of God that he also should be tried; for if he could not bear trials, if he could not resist every temptation, and triumph over all opposition from earth and hell, he could not do the will of him who sent him. Hence Christ submitted to the lowest degree of humiliation, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Christ was tried by Satan and wicked men. Read the history of Christ, and we shall find how extremely great his trials were. The powers of darkness from earth and hell were combined against him. Wicked men and devils op posed him in his work; but he was determined that nothing should prevent his doing the will of his holy Father.

That the Child Jesus might do the will of his God, he must be put into such a situation as that every thing prophesied concerning him, might be accomplished in him. Hence Joseph went into Egypt, "and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the mouth of the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, He shall be called a Nazarene."

We may know what the will of God was, which Christ had to do, by knowing what he actually did do, when he was come in the flesh: and by knowing what things were prophesied of him; together with the things by which he was represented by types and shadows, we see the whole work.

The predictions, types, and shadows, by which the Messiah was represented, we have already considered.

And the particulars concerning his sufferings and death will be brought into view in another place.

That Christ might fulfil the law of redemption, it was necessary that he leave the bosom of the Father, and come down into this world. It was the will of God that Christ should come into this world and do a particular work according to appointment; that he should exercise all the power and authority delegated in a commission from the Court of heaven. This was the law of God in his heart; it was the same with respect to Christ, as the particular law with respect to Aaron, which was given him in Paradise. This law was binding only on the first man; and the law of redemption was binding only on the Second Man. It was never required of us to abstain from any tree in the garden of Eden. And it is not required of man to do the work which Christ came into the world to do. When Christ said to his Father, I have glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, he had done more than barely to fulfil the moral law. And because he had finished the work of redemption, he said, "Now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine ownself, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." Hence the work which God gave Christ to do, was distinct from any work required in the moral law. For angels and men may please and glorify God in the exercise of perfect holiness, and yet be exempted from all the peculiarity of circumstances, under which Christ did the will of him who sent him.

"And see, the blest Redeemer comes,

Th' eternal Son appears,

And at th' appointed time assumes
The body God prepares.

Much he reveal'd his Father's grace,
And much his truth he shew'd,
And preach'd the way of righteousness,
Where great assemblies stood,

His Father's honour touch'd his hearta He pitied sinner's cries,

And to fulfil a Saviour's part

Was made a sacrifice.

Then was the great salvation spread,
And Satan's kingdom shook;
Thus by the woman's promis'd seed,
The serpent's head was broke.”

SERMON XXV.

THE HEEL OF THE WOMAN'S SEED BRUISED BY THE SERPENT AND HIS SEED.

GENESIS iii, 14, 15.

And the Lord God said unto the serpent-I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel.

7. REDEMPTION by the precious blood of Christ supposes that all his sufferings from his birth in the manger, till he expired upon the Roman cross at Jerusalem, were immediately from Satan and wicked

men.

That the work of redemption might be accomplished, Christ had a very important part assigned him; and, that he might enter upon and finish the work, it was necessary that he should leave the bosom of the Father, become man, and perform his part of the covenant of redemption in this world: he found the stage, therefore, on which he must act his part, full of mortal enemies. Satan was always an enemy to Christ; and such, so great, and so deep rooted was his enmity, that he ever meant, if possible, to destroy him. And the enmity of man coalesced with the enmity of Satan. Although the Messiah came into this world, on an errand the most kind and benevolent, even to save men from eternal perdition; yet the very men whom Christ came to save, joined with Satan, if possible, to effect his destruction. Though man joined with Satan in opposition to Christ, yet it was in the heart of "that wicked one" to rain man as well as the Lord's

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