that covenant; and brought himself, and all his pofterity, under the curfe or penalty of death temporal, fpiritual, and eternal, Rom. v. 12. "By one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned."

6thly, The law being broken and violated by fin, the honour of the law, and the authority of God, the great Lawgiver, are, as it were, laid in the duft, and trampled under foot, by the rebellious and difobedient finner. When man finned, he, upon the matter, denied that the law was holy, juft, and good; and, at the fame time, difowned God for a fovereign, faying, with proud Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I fhould obey him? I myself am Lord, and will come no more unto thee." In a word, every fin, every tranfgreflion of the law, is a breaking God's bands, and a cafting his cords from us, and a faying practically, Let the Almighty depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of his ways.' And what an infufferable affront and indignity is this, for worm man to offer unto the "high and lofty One that inhabits eternity?" and what a wonder is it, that "indignation and wrath, tribulation, and anguish," does not pursue every finner through eternity?

7thly, The law being violated, and the Lawgiver affronted, in fuch a way as has been hinted, the falvation of finners by the law, and the works of it, becomes utterly impoffible, unlefs the honour of the law, and of the great Lawgiver, be repaired and restored fome how or other. It is among the irreverfible decrees of heaven, that "in his fight no flesh living hall be juftified," unlefs the holiness of the law be vindicated by a perfect obedience to its precept, and a complete fatisfaction be given unto juftice 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 promife of Chrift, and thus matters ftand with all his pofterity, until we fly to him, who is "the end of the law for righteoufnefs to every one that believeth."

II. The second thing was to inquire, Who he is that undertakes to magnify the law, and make it honourable, as our Surety? I answer, it is none other than Meffiah 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 loft finners, and who gave bond from eternity to his Father, that, in the fulness of time, he would not only affume our nature, but repair the honour of the law, and fatisfy juftice to

the

the full, faying, as Pfal. 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 perfon who magnifies the law and makes it honourable; and concerning this glorious perfon we find many great things. faid in this chapter. As,

1. That he is his Father's fervant, as ver. 1. " Behold my fervant whom I uphold." He is effentially confidered " in the form of God, and thinks it not robbery to be equal with God," and yet he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant, and, as a fervant, he had both his work and his wages appointed him by his Father. His work was, to redeem the loft finners of Adam's family, by his obedience unto death; and his wages or reward was, his own and his Father's glory, and our falvation: and for this "joy that was fet before him, he endured the cross, defpifing the fhame," thinking his thirty-three years service but a little time, for the love he bore to his Father's honour and our falvation, alluding to Jacob's fervice for Rachel.

2. We are here told of him, that he is his Father's elect, ver. 1. "Behold my fervant whom I uphold," mine elect, that is, my chofen one, according to that, Pfal. lxxxix. 19. "I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chofen 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 chofen redeemer, be our choice alfo. 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 fervice, but he alone.

3. We are told that he is his Father's darling or delight, ver. I. "Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my foul delighteth." Agreeable to this is that which. Christ, under the notion of the wisdom of God, tells us concerning himself, Proy. 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 loft finners, that he fhould take his beloved Son, his only Son, the Son of his bofom and delight, and give him to the death for us finners, that he might repair the honour of the law, at the expence of his blood, that fo we might be faved in a confiftency with the law and juftice of God; "this is the Lord's doing," and may justly be "marvellous in our eyes."

4. We are told concerning this perfon, who magnified the

law

law as our Surety, that he is qualified by his Father for the work and fervice of redemption, by the anointing of the eter nal Spirit, ver. 1. "I will put my fpirit 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 favour of this good ointment, his "name is as ointment poured forth.”

5. He is one whofe commiffion is very extenfive; for we are told in the close of ver. 1. that he hall "bring forth judgement to the Gentiles." The eternal counfels of heaven, here called judgement, were to be published, not only to the Jews, but even to the Gentiles, who were “aliens to the commonwealth of Ifrael," for many hundred years. I will not only give him "to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to reftore the preferved of Ifrael;" but also to be " a light unto the Gentiles, and to be God's falvation unto the ends of the earth." Oh! that now, when this prophecy is turned into hiftory, there may be a flocking of the poor Gentiles into this "enfign that is fet up unto the nations; Chrift preached unto the Gentiles" is a part of the incredible "mystery of godlinefs."

6. We are told of him, that he was to be a meek and lowly Saviour, and that he would manage and carry on his work without much noife, ver. 2. "He fhall not cry, nor lift up, nor caufe his voice to be heard in the street."

7. That he was to be very tender and compaffionate towards his poor people, particularly the weaklings of his flock, ver. 3. a bruifed reed fhall he not break, and the smoking flax fhall he not quench;" he will not difcourage or despise the leaft degree or beginnings of faith, love, or obedience; no,

he fhall feed his flock like a fhepherd, he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bofom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

8. That he would be victorious and fuccefsful in his work, maugre all the oppofition that should lie in his way, either from heaven, earth, or hell, ver. 3. 4. "He fhall bring forth judgement unto truth. He fhall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have fet judgement in the earth."

9. We are told of him, that he would bear his Father's commiffion, and be fuftained in his work by the right hand of his power, ver. 6.-" 1 the Lord have called thee in righteoufnefs, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee." He did not intrude himself into the work of the ministry, or run

unfent.

unfent. 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 unto a loft world, in the close of ver. 6. " and give thee for a covenant of the people," infomuch, that whofoever believes in him, have a faving intereft in the covenant of grace and promife, and in all the fure mercies of David. Whofoever believes in him, and trufts and credits him with his eternal all; whofoever receives him as the unfpeakable gift of God, may travel through the wide covenant, and pick up there whatever he finds for his ufe, faying, This is mine, and that is mine, and all is mine, because Chrift is mine, as the free gift of God.'

11. We are told of him, that he would be the light of the world, and particularly a light to the poor Gentiles, who had fo long fitten in the regions and shadow of death, ver. 6. clofe, I will give him "for a light of the Gentiles,” ver. 7. "to open the blind eyes." Chrift is the true "Sun of righteoufnefs, the light of the world," and every man has as good a title to make ufe of him for all the ends of his falvation, as he has to make use of the light of the fun in the firmament, to which every man is born heir, be he rich or poor, noble or ignoble, faint or finner. Oh Sirs, take in the light of the Sun of righteousness into your understandings, and you will find "healing under his wings."

12. We are told of him, that he would loose the devil's prifoners, ver. 7. He fhall "bring out the prifoners from the prison, and them that fit in darkness out of the prison-house." Sinners, they are the lawful captives of hell, and the devil has law and juftice on his fide against all mankind, to detain them in the bonds of iniquity, as God's jailor: Well, but Christ he magnifies the law, and makes it honourable, and the great Judge is "well pleased for his righteousness fake;" and therefore he fays, in a day of power, to the poor prifoners, "Go free." And thus you fee who and what he is, from the context, who is here faid to magnify the law.

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

able.

Anfw. There are these few things fuppofed or implied in the expreffion.

First, As you were hearing, it fuppofes that the law is broken, and thereby the greatest indignity done to it, and to him who gave it. Hence fin, which is a tranfgreffion of the

law,

law, is called a cafting of God's counsel behind our backs, as we do with a thing that we nauseate and difdain. The finner difdains to be under the government of the law of God, but fets up his own lufts and corrupt inclinations in the room thereof, and what greater ignominy and difgrace can be put upon the royal law of heaven.

Secondly, The expreffion implies or fuppofes, that God, the great Lawgiver, ftands upon reparation; he will have his law vindicated, and the honour of it repaired, otherwise no flesh living can be faved. Oh that this were but duly weighed by finners who have broken the law times and ways without number! If reparation be not made to the holy law, for the tranfgreffion thereof, it stands as an eternal bar in the way of our falvation. Now, are you capable to yield it a perfect obedience after you have broken it? or can you fatisfy the penalty of it, and make an atonement unto justice?

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

Fourthly, It implies, that God, the great Lawgiver, admits of the "substitution of a Surety in the room of the finner," otherwise he could not magnify the law in our room and ftead. Sirs, if God had flood to the rigour of his law, according to the tenour of the first covenant, "in the day thou eatest thereof thou fhalt furely die, he would have exacted reparation of us in our own perfons; in which cafe, we fhould have fallen an eternal facrifice into the hands of avenging wrath and juftice: but, glory to his name, he difpenfes with the rigour of his law, and admits a Surety, and not only admits of a Surety, but provides a fponfible one too for us. "I have laid help upon one that is mighty: I have found David my fervant."

Fifthly, It implies, that Chrift, 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.