the power of the Holy Ghoft, in the womb of the virgin Mary, and born of her without fin. Thus you fee what is the birth and pedigree of our glorious Redeemer. O Sirs, you need not be ashamed to own him, for he is the credit of all his kin, he is the credit of his Father's family, for his Father glories in him, and fhews him in a way of triumph and gloriation to the wide world, crying, If. xlii. 1. "Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my foul delighteth:” and if he be the credit of his Father's family, much more is he the credit of Adam's family; in him the human nature recovers its crown of glory and dignity to a vast advantage, which was loft by the fin of our first parents; and "in him shall all the feed of Ifrael be justified, and shall glory."

3. If you ask again, with relation to this Redeemer, the aven ger of our blood, How is he called, what is his name? I anfwer, as the Angel did unto Manoah, Judg. xiii. 18. “Why afkeft thou after my name, feeing it is fecret?" or wonderful as in the margin. It is like the white ftone, and new name, that no man knows, but he that is taught of God; for flesh and blood cannot reveal it, but only our Father which is in heaven. However, the Spirit which fearcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God, has given us fome hints of his names, every one of which is like ointment poured forth to them that can read and understand them in the light of the Spirit.

ift, Then, his name alone is JEHOVAH, Moft High over all the earth: Jer. xxiii. 6. " This is his name whereby he shall be called, JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU, The Lord our righteousness." Well may we call him by that name, when the angels, the cherubims and feraphims of the higher house, who ftand continually in his prefence, cover their faces with their wings, when they fee him upon his throne, high and lifted up, crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, JEHOVAHZABAOTH: Thefe things fpake Efaias, when he faw his glory," John xii. 41. compared with If. vi. 3.

2dly, Another letter of his name you have, Exod. iii. 14. "Go (fays he unto Mofes), and tell them, I AM hath sent me unto you, I AM THAT I AM;" which is just an expli cation of the name JEHOVAH, and fays, that he is the very fountain of all being and bleffednefs, that is, felf-existent in dependent God, who hath faithfulness for the girdle of his reins, and truth for the girdle of his loins. And that he who appeared unto Mofes by this name, is none other than Christ the glorious Meffiah, is clear, by comparing that paffage with Acts vii. 32.

3dly, His name is Immanuel, God with us, Matth. i. 23. He not only a God in our nature, but God on our fide, God

avenging

avenging our quarrel. But if the Lord of hofts be with us, and the God of Jacob our refuge, what have we to fear? "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not difmayed, for I am thy God: I will ftrengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnefs."

4thly, His name is, The Word of God: Kev. xix. 13. "He hath his vesture dipt in blood, and his name is, The Word of God." He is the Alpha and Omega of the written word; all the lines of the Bible centre in him. And as a man gives his command by his word; fo by this Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hofts of them by the breath of his mouth. As a man brings out the thoughts of his heart by his words; fo by Chrift, the eternal counfels of the heart of God anent our redemption are opened and brought unto light, for he it is that opens the book, and looses the feven feals thereof. 5thly, His name is, The King of kings, and the Lord of lords and this name is written upon his thigh and his vefture, Rev. xix. 16. All the powers of the earth are but his vaffals, for he is "the Prince of the kings of the earth: By me kings reign, and princes decree justice." But what do I speak of the powers of the earth, for the powers of heaven bow at the name of Jefus? He is the head of all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name that can be named, whether in this world, or that which is to come. Many other names he gets in fcripture, which I cannot now ftand upon. His name is "Jefus, a Saviour;" his name is " Meffiah, or Chrift the anointed;" his name is "The Lamb of God, who taketh away the fin of the world ;" his name is "The Branch of the Lord, who is beautiful and glorious;" his name is. "The Shepherd of Ifrael, who leadeth Jofeph as a flock;" his name is the Prince of life, the Plant of renown." See a cluster of his glorious names together, If. ix. 6. "Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given: and his name fhall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of peace." ."-Thus you see what is our great Redeemer's name, or how he is called.

4. What are his qualities as a Redeemer ?

Anfw. 1ft, He is a chofen Redeemer: If. xlii. 1. He is mine elect. He was chofen as the only fit perfon in heaven or earth, for managing that great undertaking of our redemption: "I was fet up," fays he, "from everlafting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." And God the Father, we find him glorying in the choice, Pfal. lxxxix. 19. "I have laid help upon one that is mighty: I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my fervant." O Sirs, let the Father's choice be your choice alfo.

2dly, He is a strong and mighty Redeemer: "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to fave. I have laid help upon one that is mighty." He is the true Samson, that carries away the gates of our spiritual prison, and who flays our fpiritual enemies heaps upon heaps, with weapons which, to us, would appear as unfuitable as the jaw-bone of an afs, for "through death he deffroyed him that had the power of death.”

3dly, He is a Redeemer of great authority; for "he rules in Jacob, and to all the ends of the earth." The government is laid upon his fhoulder; not only the government of the church, but the government of the world, for the church's fake; "he hath given him to be head over all things to the church." His authority is abfolute; for "he doth whatever pleases him in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." His authority is irrefiftible; every creature must bow unto him; he "ftrikes through kings in the day of his wrath." His authority is perpetual; for "his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of his dominion there is no end."

4thly, He is an opulent and wealthy Redeemer. He was fully capable to redeem the inheritance for his poor kindred; and whatever justice demanded of him, he told it down to the uttermoft farthing. O Sirs, our Goel, our kinfman, is the Heir of all things, all the immense treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him; unfearchable riches, all the plenitude of the Deity dwells bodily in him.

5thly, He is a matchlefs and incomparable Redeemer. He is not to be paralleled among all the inhabitants of the higher or lower house. He has obtained a more excellent name than men or angels: "As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood." Matchlefs in his perfon as Immanuel; matchless in his perfections, being "the brightness of his Father's glory:" matchlefs in his love, for he died out of love to his very enemies; his love made him wade through the deep ocean of his Father's wrath; yea, like Jonah, to caft himself into the fea of vengeance, that we might not be swallowed up in it for ever.

6thly, He is a refolute and courageous Redeemer. He was not afraid to encounter all the powers and armed legions of hell; no, no, The day of vengeance, says he, is in mine heart: he fet his face like a flint against the ftorm of his Father's wrath, and of the rage of men and devils that blew directly in his face, when he came upon the work of our redemption; he did not faint nor was difcouraged, till he had fet judgement in the earth; he came from Edom and Bozrah, travel. ling in the greatness of his ftrength, faying, "I will tread

them

them in mine anger, I will trample them in my fury." Thus you fee fome of his excellent qualities as a Redeemer. And fo much shall serve for the first thing, which was to give some little account of the Redeemer.

II. The fecond thing propofed was, to fpeak a little of the redeemed: The year of my redeemed is come. And here again, two or three questions may be moved concerning them in fhort.

1. Who are they that are here called the redeemed? Anfw. In a word, they are a felect company of the loft race and pofterity of Adam chofen by the Father, and given by him to the Son, before the foundations of the world were laid, that in due time he might redeem and deliver them from that wo and wrath they lay expofed to, for the breach and violation of the divine law, or covenant of works, and whom he engaged to call effectually, to juftify; fanctify, and at length to bring to eternal glory in the enjoyment of God for ever. So that you fee Chrift did not spend the price of his blood, or travel of his foul, for the fallen angels, but for fallen man; "he took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham :" neither did he redeem all mankind, by paying a ransom for every individual, but for these whom the Father. gave him out of Adam's family: "I lay down my life,” says he, "for my fheep," not for the goats, but "for the sheep: I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou haft given me out of the world, for they are thine," John xvii. 9.

ἐσ

2. You told us of the Redeemer's descent and pedigree ; what is the pedigree of the redeemed, how are they defcended? Anfw. Although the redeemed be honourably defcended; yet they, by their natural generation; are a bafe-born company, being defcended and sprung of Adam, and so are the degenerate plant of a ftrange vine, of the fame common mass of corruption with the reprobate world who perifh for ever, "Children of wrath, and heirs of hell, as well as others.' The children of Ifrael were taught to fing that melancholy and mournful ditty, "A Syrian ready to perifh was my father;" and the Lord tells them, Ezek. xvi. 3. "Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite." Oh Sirs, you and 1, whatever our immediate parents were, whether they were gracious or graceless, whether they were rich or poor, hoble or ignoble; yet, confidering us as the pofterity of the firft Adam, we may derive our pedigree from hell: "Ye of your father the devil," fays Chrift unto the Jews, who made their boast that they had Abraham to their father. But VOL. II

3. I

are

yes

yet the redeemed of the Lord, though they be thus basely defcended by natural generation, yet by their new birth, or regene ration, they are nobly defcended; "they are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God: To as many as received him, to them gave he power, or right, to become the Sons of God."

3. If you afk, with what price hath Chrift redeemed them? the apostle Peter anfwers this queftion, 1 Pet. i. 18. 19. "We. are not redeemed with corruptible things, fuch as filver and gold; but with the precious blood of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as of a Lamb without blemish and without fpot." No lefs a price than that of blood would do the bufinefs; for "without the fhedding of blood there is no remiffion of fin:" and it was no ordinary blood that would do it, but the best blood of the whole creation, even the blood of the immaculate Lamb of God and what valuable blood this is, will appear, if we take either an abfolute or comparative view of it. (1.) View it abfolutely, it is the blood of God, as it is called, Acts xx. 28. "Feed the flock of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." And it is fo called, because of the perfonal union between the man Chrift Jefus and the fecond person of the glorious Trinity, by virtue of which, he is Immanuel, Godman in one perfon. O what a valuable ransom must this be! It is the blood of him who is "the man of God's right hand, who is in the form of God, and thinks it no robbery to be equal with God." It is indeed royal blood that is the ranfom of our fouls, the blood of him who is "The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of peace." (2.) Let us view this blood comparatively (as I was faying juft now), it is the best blood of the whole creation. The blood of a man is more valuable than the blood of a beast, because man was made after the image of God; the blood of the faints is more valuable than the blood of other men, because the image of God, which was loft by the fall, is impreffed upon them by regenera ting and sanctifying grace; hence we are told, that precious in the fight of the Lord is the death (or blood) of his faints." O then how precious muft his blood be, who is "the express image of the Father, and the brightness of his glory!" What is the blood of a creature, in refpect of the blood of the everbleffed Creator! Although the whole angels in heaven, men on earth, and devils in hell, yea, the whole frame of nature had been offered up in facrifice, they could never have fatisfied juftice, or expiate the guilt of the leaft fin; no, no, nothing less than a ranfom of infinite value could do it; the redemption of the foul is precious, and would have ceased for ever, unless the Son of God had poured out his foul for us. Thus you fee what is the price wherewith they are redeemed.