goes to Hell, but Jefus Chrift He locks him up there, He Locks him up there unto all eternity; if He did not lock him in, he would not be there unto all eternity. So that whatfoever Grace, or Holinefs there is in any mans heart, He opens the door, He lets it in, 'tis by His ordering and His fending thither.

Mal.4.2

Rev. 22,

And Beloved, if Jefus Chrift were not the great LordKeeper of His Fathers Wardrobe; why fhould thofe Names, and Titles be given to Him, which you find fo frequently in Scripture? Caft your eyes where you wil,you fhal hardly look upon any thing, but Jefus Chrift hath taken the Name of that upon Himfelf. If you caft your eyes up to Heaven in the day, and behold the Sun: He is called, The Sun of Righteousness. If you caft your eyes in the night upon the Stars, or in the morning upon the morning Star: He is 16. called, The bright morning Star. If you behold your own Col. 1.18 Body: He is called the Head, and the Church the Body. If Rom. 13. you look upon your own Clothes: He is called your Ray-14. ment; Put ye on the Lord Jefus. If you behold your Meat: Iob.6.35 He is called Bread, The Bread of Life. If you look upon Iob.10.9 your Houses; He is called a Door. If you look abroad in Iob.10.11 to the fields, and behold the Cattel of the fields: He is cal- Iob.1.29 led, The good Shepherd; He is called, The Lamb; He is cal- Luk 15. led, The fatted Calf. If you look upon the Waters: He is called, A Fountain, The Blood of Chrift a Fountain. If Zac.13.J you look upon the Stones: He is called, A corner Stone. If you look upon the Trees: He is called, A Tree of Life. What is the reafon of this? Surely, not only to way lay your thoughts, that wherefoever you look, ftiil you hould think of Chrift: but to fhew, that in a Spiritual way, and fence, He is all this unto the foul. And you may obferve, that thefe Titles, and Names, they are not barely, and nakedly given to Him; but ftill with fome Speciality, fome mark or other. He is not barely called the Shepbeard; but the good Shepheard. He is not only called a Lamb; but the Lamb flain from the beginning of the world. He is not barely called the Light: but, The true

23.

Ifa. 28.

16.

Pro.3.18

Object.

Anfw.

Light, the Light of the world. He is not barely called Bread; but, The Bread of Life. Now you know why Adam at the first gave Names unto the Creatures: according to their Names was their Natures, was their conditions, and Adam, our first father Adam, was not miftaken when he gave the names. And do you think, Chrift the Second Adam, when he gives these names unto himself, that he is miftaken? Certainly, he is not mistaken, he is all this. And therfore as the Apostle fpeaks in the 3. Col.11.you reade it,Chrift is all in all : but better, He is all things, in all perfons: or all things, in all things: He is all things. Whatsoever good there is found in any man, 'tis from Jefus Chrift. Surely may one fay, The Lord is our ftrength, Surely may we all fay, the Lord is our ftrength, the Lord Jefus is our righteoufnefs: Whatfoever Grace, or Holiness the Saints have, they have it from Jefus Christ.

You will fay, This, though it feem to give much to Chrift, it derogates from the Father: for if all be from Jefus Chrift; then nothing from the Father, and fo it derogates from God the Father.

No, It does no way derogate from God the Father. The Apostle Paul was much in this Do&trine that now I am Rom.1.7. upon, and yet he honored the Father too. Grace and Peace (faies he) from God our Father, and from our Lord Jefus Chrift. Though al Grace be from Chrift, yet Grace and peace from the Father too, (faies he) from God our Father. And having fhown in the 7.of the Romans,That being married unto Chrift, and dead unto the Law, that therefore we should bring forth fruit. (as in the 4. verfe.) Wherefore my Bre:bren, ye alfo are become dead to the Law, by the Body of Christ, that ye fhould be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. He does not fay, That we fhould bring forth fruit unto Chrift; but that we should bring forth fruit unto God. The Father Job. 10. and Christ are one: I and my Father are one (faies Chrift.) In honoring Jefus Chrift, you honor the Father, as in honoring of the Father you honor Christ.

30.

You

You will fay, Wherein is the honor to the Father, ac- Quest. cording unto this Truth? how does this any way make to

the honor of God the Father, that all Grace is from Jefus
Chrift?

Yes! for, First, Though all Grace be immediately gi- Answ.
ven out of the band of Chrift, all Grace from Him, and' He
gives it out; He is Commiffioned, and defigned by the Fa-

ther to do it: He does but the Fathers work. I came not to do Iob. 6.38
my own will, but the will of Him that fent me. Was it any dif
honor to Phareab, that Jofeph gave out the bread in the time
of famine? No, because he was Commiffioned by Pharoah
to do it. And fo now, If Jefus Chrift have a Commiffion
from the Father to do this, 'tis no difhonor to the Father:
and a Commiffion He hath, He will fhew you it under
hand and feal; Him bath God the Father fealed. So faies | Iob. 6.27
Chrift.

Again, Though all Grace come immediately out of the
hand of Chrift, all Grace from Him, and He gives it out:
Yet He is furnish't, and accomplish't with ability unto this
great Office by God the Father. Ifa. 61. 1. The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me (faies he) and He hath anointed me to open
the prifon doors to Captives,&c. Now, is it any dishonor to
God, that the Sun does diftribute, and give out light,
and heat unto all the Creatures? No, but rather an honor
to Him: for when a man fees fo glorious a creature as the
Sun, that gives out light, and heat unto all the Creatures
here below; he lifts up his hands, and faies; Oh! what
a glorious God have we, that hath furnished this Creature
with these abilities? So now, when a man confiders Chrift,
as this great Sun of righteousness, diftributing His Graces
to all the Saints; will it be any difhonor to God the Father
that He is in this Office, feeing He hath furnished Him
hereunto? Surely no, they will rather lift up their hands
and fay, Oh! what a good God have we, that hath fur-
nished Chrift with all thefe abilities for our poor fouls ?
Again, Though the adminiftration of things be in the
band of Chrift, the right is in the Father: and when Jefus

27.

Chrift hath done His work, He will give up the Kingdom Iob.6.14 to the Father in the mean while, None comes unto the Son Mat.11. but whom the Father draws, And None comes unto the Father, but he unto whom the Son reveals Him. Is it any difparagement unto a man, to have a wise, a potent, a great man to his child? A wife fon makes a glad father (saies Solomon.) Indeed, if the Father, and the Son were two, they might be enemies: but Chrift and the Father are one: I and my Father are one: and therefore, in honoring of Jefus Chrift, you honor the Father alfo.

Pro. 10. 1

Job. 10.

30.

Quest.

Answ.

Phil. 2.

7.9.

But you will fay, Was there no creature in all the world, that was fit to make this great truft over to? Why bath God the Father put Chrift into this Office, that all Grace fhould come out of His hand? Was there no Creature that was fit for this work but Chrift alone?

No, This truft would have broke the back of any Creature: no Creature in Heaven or Earth, as a meer creature, was able to purchase this truft; he had not a Stock, and Eftate of Grace enough by him: Chrift Himfelf hath it by purchase: For he being the Second Perfon, the Apoftle tels us, He emptied Himself, and became of no reputation; wherefore God hath given Him a Name above every name, that in the Name and ftrength of Jefus Chrift we should be more than Conquerers. He had a great Eftate by Him, He was the Second Perfon: Yet notwithstanding, this purchase was fo great, that (faies Paul) He emptied Himfelf. Surely no Creature in Heaven and Earth was able to come to this par chafe, He that must be the worlds Jofeph, to give out bread of Grace to all the world,the Saints in the world; He must have infinite Knowledg; to know the wants of Gods People and He must have infinite Mercy, and Patience, and Goodness to pity them and He must have infinite Power, to reach it forth unto them, which no creature hath, and therefore no creature at all fit for this work.

Befides, God the Father hath fo ordered things in the Difpenfations of His Grace, that He might take the mott contentment, and complacency, and delight in the duties,

and

17.

and fervices of his People: this is the only way to it. This is my beloved Son (faies he) in whom I am well pleafed. If there Mat. 3. be a garment that is laid with gold-lace, hung or stuck full of Pearls; though the Cloth of the garment be not much worth; yet becaufe of the gold lace, and the Pearls that are upon it, you count it very precious. Such are our duties; the Cloth of our duty is not much worth, but becaufe of the golden-lace, and the Pearls of the Graces of Jefus Chrift, they are very precious. 'Tis not in regard of our duties, as in regard of our flowers, or pofies: let a flower, or pofie be never fo fweet, they receive not any of the sweetness from the bofom that it fticks in: the polie does fweeten the bofom, but the bofom does not fwetten the pofie. I but now, the duty that is ftuck in the bofom of Jefus Chrift, is fweerned by the bofom, by the bofom that it fticks in. Pray mark therefore what is faid in the 11. of the Canticles for this purpose. (Saies the Spouse at the 12. ver.) When, (or while) the King fittetb at his table,My pikenard fendeth forth the fmel thereof. My Spikenard; what is that? The Graces, and the Duties, and the Services of Gods People, they are His Spikenard: this Spikenard fendeth forth the smell thereof, while the King fitteth at his table; while it is in the prefence of Jefus Chrift; whilst the pofie is in His bofom it fmels fweet, elfe it does not. Now God the Father, (I say) He hath so ordered things, that He may take a complacency, and contentment in the Duties, and Services of His People, and therefore it is that all their Graces they come from Jefus Christ, by vertue of Him.

It will be objected yet. It should seem that all Grace Object. does not come from Chrift; no, nor from God the Father neither for in the 16. of the Proverbs, and the 1. verfe, it is faid, (as fome tranflations reade it) The preparations of the beart are of man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. If a man,can prepare his heart, that is a great matter: but now (faies Solomon) The preparations of the heart are of man, bat the anfwer of the tongue is from the Lord: Surely

P

therefore,