vindicated by a perfect obedience to its precept, and a complete satisfaction be given to justice for the injuries done to the honour of the great Lord and Lawgiver: without this, “ he will by no means acquit the guilty.” Thus matters stood with Adam before the first promise of Christ, and thus matters stand with all his posterity, until we fly to him, who is “ the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

II. The second thing was to inquire, Who is he that undertakes to magnify the law, and make it honourable, as our Surety!

I answer, it is none other than Messiah the Prince, of whom you were hearing from Daniel ix. 24, the eternal Son of God, who voluntarily offered himself as a Surety and Saviour of lost sinners, and who gave bond from eternity to his Father, that, in the fulness of time, he would not only assume our nature, but repair the honour of the law, and satisfy justice to the full, saying, as Psal. xl. 7, 8: "Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me: I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” Now, this is the person who magnifies the law and makes it honourable; and concerning this glorious person we find many great things said in this chapter. As,

1. That he is his Father's servant, as ver. 1.: “ Behold my servant whom I uphold.” He is essentially considered " in the form of God, and thinks it no robbery to be equal with God," and yet "he made himself of no reputation,

6 and took upon him the form of a servant;" and, as a servant, he had both his work and his wages appointed him by his Father. His work was, to redeem the lost sinners of Adam's family, by his obedience to death; and his wages or reward was, his own and his Father's glory, and our salvation: and for this “joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame," thinking his thirty-three years' service but a little time, for the love he bore to his Father's honour and our salvation, alluding to Jacob's service for Rachel.

2. We are here told of him, that he is his Father's elect, ver. 1::“ Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect,” that is, my chosen one, according to that, Psal. Ixxxix. 19:

I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.” He was elected by his Father, and we are elected in him, Eph. i. 4: " He hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world.” Oh, sirs ! let God's elect, or chosen Redeemer, be our choice also. The reason why his Father chose him, and set him up from everlasting, was, none other was fit for the undertaking, none

other was capable to bear the weight of that service, but he alone.

3. We are told that he is his Father's darling or delight, ver. 1: "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth." Agreeably to this is that which Christ, under the notion of the wisdom of God, tells us concerning himself, Prov. viii.: "I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." Oh, sirs! let it fill us with wonder and admiration at the love of God to lost sinners, that he should take his beloved Son, his only Son, the Son of his bosom and delight, and give him to the death for us sinners, that he might repair the honour of the law, at the expense of his blood, that so we might be saved in a consistency with the law and justice of God; "this is the Lord's doing," and may justly be marvellous in our eyes."

4. We are told concerning this person, who magnified the law as our Surety, that he is qualified by his Father for the work and service of redemption, by the anointing of the eternal Spirit, ver. 1: "I will put my Spirit upon him, God, even his God, hath anointed him with the oil of gladness above all his fellows." There is a fulness of the Spirit in him, as the head of the mystical body, that out of his fulness we might receive grace for grace, and because of the savour of this good ointment, his "name is as ointment poured forth."

flax shall he not quench;" he will not discourage or despise the least degree or beginnings of faith, love, or obedience; no," he shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

8. That he would be victorious and successful in his work, mauger all the opposition that should lie in his way, either from heaven, earth, or hell, ver. 3, 4: "He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth."

9. We are told of him, that he would bear his Father's commission, and be sustained in his work by the right hand of his power, ver. 6: "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee." He did not intrude himself into the work of the ministry, or run unsent. No, but he was "called of God, as was Aaron,” and being called, he was not left alone.

10. We are told of him, that he is the free gift of God to a lost world, in the close of ver. 6: " and give thee for a covenant of the people," insomuch, that whosoever believes in him, has a saving interest in the covenant of grace and promise, and in all "the sure mercies of David." Whosoever believes in him, and trusts and credits him with his eternal all; whosoever receives him as the unspeakable gift of God, may travel through the wide covenant, and pick up there whatever he finds for his use, saying, 'This is mine, and that is mine, and all is mine, because Christ is mine, as the free gift of God.'

is “well pleased for his righteousness' sake;" and therefore he says, in a day of power, to the poor prisoners, “Go forth.” and thus you see who and what he is, from the context, who is here said to magnify the law.

III. The third thing proposed, was to inquire what is imported in his magnifying the law, and making it honourable.

Answ. There are these few things supposed or implied in the expression :

First, As you were hearing, it supposes that the law is broken, and thus the greatest indignity done to it, and to him who gave it. Hence sin, which is a transgression of the law, is called a casting of God's counsel behind our backs, as we do with a thing that we nauseate and disdain. The sinner disdains to be under the government of the law of God, but sets up his own lusts and corrupt inclinations in the room of it, and what greater ignominy and disgrace can be put upon the royal law

of heaven. Secondly, The expression implies or supposes, that God the great Lawgiver, stands upon reparation; he will have his law vindicated, and the honour of it repaired, otherwise no flesh living can be saved. Oh that this were but duly weighed by sinners who have broken the law times and

ways without number! If reparation be not made to the holy law, for the transgression of it, it stands as an eternal bar in the way of our salvation. Now, are you capable to yield it a perfect obedience after you have broken it? or can you satisfy the penalty of it, and make an atonement to justice?

Thirdly, It implies, that man, who has broken the law, is utterly incapable to repair its honour, or to satisfy justice. Indeed, every legalist is attempting it, but, alas, he - walks in a vain show," he “walks in the light of his fire, and in the sparks that he has kindled," and then “lies down in sorrow.” He but “ wearies himself in the greatness of his way," for “ his webs cannot become garments, neither shall be cover himself with his works;" for " by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Fourthly, It implies, that God, the great Lawgiver, admits of the “substitution of a Surety in the room of the sinner," otherwise he could not magnify the law in our room and stead. Sirs, if God had stood to the rigour of his law, according to the tenor of the first covenant, " In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," he would have exacted reparation of us in our own persons; in which case, we should have fallen an eternal sacrifice into the hands of avenging wrath and justice: but, glory to his name, he dispenses with

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the rigour of his law, and admits a Surety, and not only admits of a Surety, but provides a responsible one too for us. “I have laid help upon one that is mighty: I haye found David my servant.”

Fifthly, It implies, that Christ, as our Surety, actually put his neck under the yoke of the divine law. Though he was no debtor to the law, either as to its precept or penalty, yet he bowed his glorious head, that that heavy yoke might be wreathed about his neck for us. Hence is that of the apostle, Gal. iv. 4, 5, “made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law."

Sixthly, It implies, that the holy law is no loser by Christ's substitution in our room; no, it has all that it demanded in order to its satisfaction. Did the law demand holiness, and perfect holiness, in our nature? Well, it has its demand in Christ, for he was originally holy; he is without the stain or defilement of original sin: “That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God,” Luke i. 35 : “He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.” Did the law demand perfect obedience to its commands? Well, that it has in Christ; for he “ fulfilled all righteousness.” “He did no violence, neither was guile found in his mouth.” Did the law demand satisfaction to justice, or the execution of its penalty? Well, it has its demand in him: for " he was wounded for our transgressions; the just suffered for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." Thus, the law loses nothing by Christ's substitution, but has all that it required.

Seventhly, It implies, that the holy law, instead of being a loser, gains an additional honour and glory by the righteousness of the Surety. Never had the law such a subject before as its own Lord who made it.. Suppose the sinless obedience of Adam and all his posterity, and the obedience of all the angels in heaven, and of all creatures were put together, and this obedience continued through eternity, yet this could not magnify the law, or make it honourable; because the obedience of creatures is nothing but what they own in justice to the law of their great Creator. But here we have the great Lord of angels and men, whose will is a law to them all, yielding obedience to the law in our room. This, surely, adds a new lustre and an additional glory to the law which it never had before. And thus you see what is im plied in Christ's magnifying the law, and making it honourable.