contradictory, as that many stumble and fall at it eternally, Rom. x. 3, 4. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.'

But in this interposition of Christ, in this translation of punishment from the church unto him, by virtue of his conjunction therewith, there is a blessed harmony between the righteousness of God and the forgiveness of sins; the exemplification whereof, is his eternal glory. "O blessed change! O sweet permutation!" as Justine Martyr speaks.

By virtue of his union with the church, which of his own. accord he entered into, and his undertaking therein to answer for it in the sight of God, it was a righteous thing with God, to lay the punishment of all our sins upon him, so as that he might freely and graciously pardon them all, to the honour and exaltation of his justice, as well as of his grace and mercy, Rom. iii. 24-26. 'Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.'

Herein is he glorious in the sight of God, angels and men. In him there is at the same time, in the same divine actings, a glorious resplendency of justice and mercy; of the one in punishing; of the other in pardoning. The appearing inconsistency between the righteousness of God and the salvation of sinners, wherewith the consciences of convinced persons are exercised and terrified, and which is the rock at which most of them split themselves into eternal ruin, is herein removed and taken away. In his cross were divine holiness and vindictive justice exercised and manifested; and through his triumph, grace mercy are exerted to the utmost. This is that glory which ravisheth the hearts, and satiates the souls of them that believe. For what can they desire more, what is further need

and

ful unto the rest and composure of their souls, than at one view to behold God eternally well pleased in the declaration of his righteousness, and the exercise of his mercy, in order unto their salvation? In due apprehensions hereof, let my soul live; in the faith hereof let me die, and let present admiration of this glory make way for the eternal enjoyment of it in its beauty and fulness.

He is glorious, in that the law of God in its preceptive part, or as unto the obedience which it required, was perfectly fulfilled and accomplished. That it should be so, was absolutely necessary from the wisdom, holiness, and righteousness of him, by whom it was given; for what could be more remote from those divine perfections, than to give a law, which never was to be fulfilled in them unto whom it was given, and who were to have the advantages of it? This could not be done by us ; but through the obedience of Christ, by virtue of this his mystical conjunction with the church, the law was so fulfilled in us by being fulfilled for us, as that the glory of God in the giving of it, and annexing eternal rewards unto it, is exceedingly exalted, Rom. viii. 3, 4. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the like. ness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.'

This is that glory of Christ whereof one view by faith, will scatter all the fears, answer all the objections, and give relief against all the despondencies of poor tempted, doubting souls; and an anchor it will be unto all believers, which they may cast within the vail, to hold them firm and steadfast in all trials, storms, and temptations, in life and death.

CHAP. X.

THE GLORY OF CHRIST IN THE COMMUNICATION OF HIMSELF UNTO BELIEVERS.

ANOTHER instance of the glory of Christ which we are to behold here by faith, and hope that we shall do so by sight hereafter, consists in the mysterious communication of himself, and all the benefits of his mediation, unto the souls of them that do believe, to their present happiness and future eternal blessed

ness.

Hereby he becomes theirs as they are his; which is the life, the glory and consolation of the church, Cant. vi. 3. 'I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; he feedeth among the lilies.' Chap. ii. 16. iii. 10. He, and all that he is, being appropriated unto them by virtue of their mystical union; there is, there must be some ground, formal reason and cause of this relation between Christ and the church, whereby he is theirs, and they are his; he is in them, and they in him; so as it is not between him and other men in the world. The Apostle, speaking of this communication of Christ unto the church, and the union between them which doth ensue thereon, affirms that it is a great mystery; for 'I speak (saith he) concerning Christ and the church,' Eph. v. 32.

I shall very briefly inquire into the causes, ways and means of this mystical communication, whereby he is made to be ours, to be in us, to dwell with us, and all the benefits of his mediation to belong unto us; for, as was said, it is evident that he doth not thus communicate himself unto all by a natural necessity, as the sun gives light equally unto the whole world; nor is he present with all, by an ubiquity of his human nature; nor as some dream, by a diffusion of his rational soul into all; nor doth he become ours by a carnal eating of him in the sacrament; but this mystery proceeds from, and depends on other reasons and causes, as we shall briefly declare.

But yet before I proceed to declare the way and manner

whereby Christ communicateth himself unto the church, I must premise something of divine communications in general, and their glory. And I shall do this by touching a little on the harmony and correspondency that is between the old creation and the new.

1. All being, power, goodness, and wisdom, were originally, essentially, infinitely in God; and in them, with the other perfections of his nature, consisted his essential glory.

2. The old creation was a communication of being and goodness by almighty power, directed by infinite wisdom, unto all things that were created for the manifestation of that glory. This was the first communication of God unto any thing without himself, and it was exceeding glorious, Psal. xix. 1. 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy-work.' Rom. i. 20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.' And it was a curious machine, framed in the subordination and dependency of one thing on another, without which they could not subsist, nor have a continuance of their beings. All creatures below live on the earth, and the products of it; the earth for its whole. production depends on the sun and other heavenly bodies, as God declares, Hos. ii. 21, 22. 'I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel.' God hath given a subordination of things, in a concatenation of causes, whereon their subsistence doth depend. But,

3. In this mutual dependency on, and supplies unto one another, they all depend on, and are influenced from God himself, the eternal fountain of being, power, and goodness. He hears the heavens; and in the continuation of this order by constant divine communication of being, goodness, and power unto all things, God is no less glorified than in the first creation of them, Acts xiv. 17. 'Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.'

Chap. xvii. 21. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.'

4. This glory of God is visible in the matter of it, and is obvious unto the reason of mankind; for from his works of creation and providence, they may learn his eternal power and Godhead, wherein he is essentially glorious.

5. But by this divine communication, God did not intend only to glorify himself in the essential properties of his nature, but his existence also in three persons, of Father, Son, and Spirit. For although the whole creation in its first framing, and in its perfection, was and is by an emanation of power and goodness, from the divine nature, in the person of the Father, as he is the fountain of the Trinity, whence he is said peculiarly to be the Creator of all things; yet the immediate operation in the creation was from the Son, the power and wisdom of the Father, John i. 1-3. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.' Col. i. 16. Heb. i. 3. And as upon the first production of the mass of the creation, it was under the special care of the Spirit of God to preserve and cherish it, unto the production of all distinct sorts of creatures, Gen. i. 2. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters;' so in the continuance of the whole, there is an especial operation of the same Spirit in all things. Nothing can subsist one moment, by virtue of the dependence which all things have on one another, without a continual emanation of power from him, Ps. civ. 29, 30. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled, thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.'

By these divine communications in the production and preservation of the creature, doth God manifest his glory, and by them alone in the way of nature he doth so; and without them, although he would have been for ever essentially glorious, yet