Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

4. If it be asked, What relation do the redeemed stand in to the Redeemer ? for here he fpeaks of them as his in a way of eminence, The year of my redeemed is come. I answer, We find him in fcripture afferting his claim to them under a manifold relation. Sometimes we find him calling them his people, as in the 8th verfe of this chapter, And" he faid, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie and fo he was their Saviour." Sometimes he calls them his fervants: "Where I am (fays he), there fhall alfo my fervant be." Sometimes ⚫ he calls them his friends: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you.". Sometimes his feed: If. liii. 10. "He fhall fee his feed, he thall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand." Sometimes his brethren; and "he is not ashamed to call them brethren," having taken part of the children's flesh. Sometimes his spouse and bride, as you fee frequently in the Song of Solomon. Sometimes he calls them his jewels: "They fhall be mine, faith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I make up my jewels." Sometimes his portion: "The Lord's people are his portion, and Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." Sometimes his crown and his ornament; "Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." Sometimes his glory; a very strange expreffion!" I have placed falvation in Zion for Ifrael my glory." Thus you fee that he afferts his interest in them under manifold relations. And fo much concerning the Redeemer, and the redeemed. Į proceed now to,

III. The third thing propofed, which was, to fpeak a little of the year of the redeemed. But before I enter on it we shall fing.

Is. lxiii. 4.-For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

III. HE third thing propofed was, to speak of the year of the redeemed. Whether there be a literal refpect in the words unto the year of jubilee, or the year of the release of .Ifrael from their captivity in Babylon, after feventy years bon

dage,

[ocr errors]

dage, I fhall not contend: I take it here in its fpiritual and ulti mate meaning, as pointing at the time of our redemption by Chrift Jefus. And here I will tell you of a fivefold notable year of the redeemed. 1. There is the year of purposed redemption. 2. The year of purchafed redemption. 3. The year of exhibited redemption. 4. The year of applied redemption. And, 5. The year of confummate redemption. These are five notable years, and many great and glorious things were and are to be done in every one of them.

Firft, I fay, there is the year of redemption by ordination or purpofe. And this is fuch an ancient year, that it never had a beginning, the glorious frame and plan of our redemption being laid in the heart of God from eternity, before ever the foundations of the world were laid with refpect to this year, Chrift is called "a Lamb flain from the foundation of the world." If it be afked, What were the principal occurrences of this year?

Anfw. 1. This year electing and everlasting love lighted upon the redeemed, when he faw them in his own decree lying in their blood: Ezek. xvi. 6. "And when I paffed by thee, and faw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wait in thy blood, Live: yea, I faid unto thee when thou waft in thy blood, Live. And ver. 8. “When I paffed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love." O is not this a great matter, a wonderful occurrence, that from the ancient years of eternity God paffed by the fallen angels, and pitched his love upon a company of poor finners of Adam's family, who were like the new-born infant, caft out into the open field, wallowing in its native blood and filth, without hope, without help, without strength, beauty, or any thing elfe to commend them unto him! Oh let heaven and earth wonder at that ftrange word, Jer. xxxi. 3. "I have loved thee with an everlafting love: therefore with everlafting kindnefs have I drawn thee," from the ancient years of eternity.

2. This year of everlasting love, the grand council of peace was called in heaven among the perfons of the adorable Trinity; where the affair under confideration was, how Satan's ufurped kingdom in this world might be fapt and overturned; and in order to this, how finners of Adam's family might be faved, in a confiftency with the honour of the divine law and juftice, fovereignty, and other attributes. A queftion which would have nonpluffed a general assembly of angels, and put them to an everlafting ftand. "How fhall I put them among the children?" is a query which we must leave unto God imfelf, and his infinite wisdom and grace, only to answer.

3. This

[ocr errors]

3. This year the happy overture was made, and agreed to in the council of peace, that the fecond perfon of the glorious and adorable Trinity, the only begotten Son of God, should, in the fulness of time, affume the nature of man, take his place in law, and act the part of a Saviour for loft finners, and, by his obedience unto the death, fulfil the law, fatisfy justice, finish tranfgreffion, make an end of fin, and do every thing requifite for their falvation, and the ruin of Satan's kingdom. That this was agreed, and gone in to, appears from what we have, Pfal. xl. 6-8. "Burnt offering and fin offering haft thou not required. Then said 1, 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," this law of redemption, " is within my heart." O how did the heart of our glorious Immanuel leap in his breaft when the overture was made! Lo, I come, &c. With what pleasure doth he speak of it, Prov. viii. 23. " I was fet up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was! I rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth, and my delights were with the fons of men!"

4. In this year it was agreed upon, and finally ended, that the eternal Son, God coequal with the Father, should come under a new covenant relation to his own Father, and that he, as head of the new.covenant, fhould have the right to eternal life, and all the bleffings of the covenant fubfervient thereunto, fettled in his own perfon; that fo having the right in his perfon, he might give it unto as many as the Father had given him. It was with a view to this new-covenant right with his own Father, that it was prophefied of him, Pfal. Ilxxxix. 26. "He fhall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my falvation." And upon this new.covenant conveyance, he tells his difciples, when he was about to ascend into glory, "I afcend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."

5. It was agreed upon this year, that the whole power and ftrength of the eternal Father, yea, the whole power of the glorious Trinity, fhould be forthcoming to our glorious Redeemer, for his fupport and throughbearing in his glorious un dertaking of man's redemption: "He is my fervant whom I uphold, faith the Lord. With him my hand shall be established: mine arm alfo fhall ftrengthen him," Pfal. lxxxix. 21. Therefore Chrift is called "the man of God's right hand." As also it was agreed, that the fulness of the Godhead should dwell in him bodily; that he fhould receive the Spirit above measure, to fit, furnish, and qualify him for his undertaking: "I will put my Spirit upon him, and he fhall bring forth judgement into the Gentiles."

6. This

6. This year it was agreed, that "the pleasure of the Lord fhould profper in his hand," that he fhould be fuccefsful in his undertaking, maugre all the oppofition that either hell or earth fhould be capable to raise against him; for this end he engaged that his hand fhould be upon the man of his right hand, whom he had made ftrong for himself; that he would make his enemies his footstool, and ftrike through kings in the day of his wrath, and plague all these that hated him. Many other things I might name, as tranfacted in this year of our redemption by ordination; but if I should infift here, I might anticipate all that was tranfacted in the following years, because whatever occurred in them was fixed upon and determined this first year of redemption. And therefore I proceed

to a

Second year of the redeemed, and that is, the year of our redemption by purchase or impetration; under which period I comprehend the whole time that the Son of God fo journed in this lower world in our nature, till he afcended again into glory. This was the acceptable year of the Lord, which the Old Teftament faints fo much longed for; this was the day which Abraham saw afar off, and was glad when he faw it. If it be asked, What were the transactions of this year? I anfwer, Great things were done this year, yea, wonderful without number. I fhall only inftance in a few.

1. This year the great God was incarnate: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." Sirs, what think you of this piece of strange news, were your fouls never affected with it? Whatever you may think of it, yet Paul, the great apoftle of the Gentiles, rehearses it as a matter of the higheft won der, 1 Tim. iii. 16." Without controverfy, great is the myftery of godliness, God manifefted in the flesh." And Heaven thought it a matter of fo great moment, that fo foon as ever this year commenced, a meffenger was difpatched from the throne of glory to notify it unto the fhepherds, faying, Luke ii. 10. "I bring you good tidings of great joy: for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Chrift, the Lord." And immediately a multitude of the heavenly host begin their fong of praife, crying, "Glory to God in the higheft, and on earth peace, good-will towards men." The morning ftars fang together, and fhouted for joy, crying, "Glory to God in the highest, when the foundation-stone of our redemption was laid. O Sirs, let heaven and earth, angels and men, wonder at what God hath done for us! The great Creator became a creature, the Ancient of days became an infant, and made of a woman; here is a mystery of wil dom, grace, and love, that may make us cry, "O the depth

of

of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!"

2. This year the great Lawgiver, whofe will is a law to angels and men, voluntarily fubjected himself to his own law, and that in the room and stead of rebels, who had violate his law, and contemned his authority: Gal. iv. 4. 5. In the fulness of time God fent forth his fon made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons." O Sirs, had ever the law fuch a fubject! No, no; here is the Creator made under the law given to the creature; hence it was, that his obedience to the law reflected a glory and honour upon the law, which it never had before, and which the obedience of men and an gels, though never fo perfect, could not have done: If. xlii. 21. "The Lord is well pleafed for his righteoufnefs fake, for he fhall magnify the law, and make it honourable."

3. This year God bleffed for ever was made a curfe; and he who is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity, was made fin: Gal: iii. 13. "He hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us." And, 2 Cor. v. 21. "He was made fin for us, who knew no fin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." O were not thefe ftrange and remarkable events! "Shall it not be faid in Jacob and Ifrael, What hath God wrought!"

4. This year everlafting righteoufnefs was brought in for the juftification of ungodly finners. Sirs, immediately upon Adam's fall, by the breach of the first covenant, fin entered into the world; and that moment that fin entered into the world, righteoufnefs went quite out of the world, fo that there was none righteous, no not one. But this year Christ the Son of God brought it in again into the world, by his obedience unto the death; "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God fending his own Son, in the likenefs of finful flesh, for fin condemned fin in the flesh: that the righteoufnefs of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

5. This year God actually laid the foundation of a throne. of grace, in juftice and judgement, and of the houfe of mercy, which fhall be built up for ever. God intended to rear up a new house of mercy for miferable finners, upon the ruins of the broken covenant of works; and Chrift himfelf is the firft ftone of the building: If. xxviii. 16. " Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried ftone, a precious cornerftone; and he that believeth on him fhall not be confounded." Indeed this tone was rejected by the Jewish builders, but

God

« PreviousContinue »