Our Lord, in the words that I have read, proves, that he was greater than Abraham; namely, becaufe Abraham having gotten a promife of the Meffiah to come of his lineage, he earnestly defired to fee that happy day: And accordingly, though he did not fee the real incarnation of the Meffiah, yet he got a fight of it by faith, to the unspeakable joy and admis ration of his foul: Your father Abraham rejoiced to fee my day: and he faw it, and was glad. In which words we may notice, ift, Abraham's ambition and defire; he rejoiced to see my day. 2dly, Abraham's fight, by faith; he faw the day of the Meffah. 3dly, Abraham's frame, which was the fruit of his faith; he was glad. ft, I fay, we have the height of Abraham's ambition and defire expreffed in these words, Abraham rejoiced to fee my day. The word agaliaftato fignifies, he leapt at it. Though the word commonly is put for rejoicing, yet here, it must rather fignify à transport of defire, than of joy: Otherwife there would be a tautology in the latter clause of the verfe, where it is faid again, He faw it, and was glad. The notices he had received of the Meffiah to come, had raised in him an expectation of fomething, that was fo exceeding great, that he reached out and stretched himself forth to see it. He never leapt fo much to fee the promised land, that God was to give to his pofterity, as to fee the day of the Son of man. Olferve, That they who difcern the dawnings of the Sun of righteoufnefs, cannot but with to fee his rifing. The myf tery of redemption, is that which angels defire to look into much more thould we, that are more immediately concerned in it. 2dly, We have Abraham's fight of faith; he faw it, i. e. he faw the day of the Meffiah; he faw it by the spirit of prophefy, he faw it by the eye of faith acting upon that promise, " In thy feed fhall all the nations of the earth be blefed:" And he had his faith confirmed by the fight of Melchifedec, one “made like unto the Son of God, the Priest of the most high God, and King of peace, and of righteoufnefs:" He faw the angel of the covenant, with two other angels, in the plains of Mamre. And in offering Ifaac, and the ram in the room of Ifaac, he faw a double type of the great facrifice that was to be offered up in the fulness of time. And his calling the place Jehovah Jireh, "In the mount of the Lord it fhall be seen," lays, that he faw fomething more in it, than others did, which time would produce. 3dly, We have Abraham's frame as the fruit of his faith; VOL. III. 3 F he was glad. He was glad of the Lord's favour and kindness to himself, and of the mercy, grace, and love, which he faw God had in ftore for all the nations of the earth, in the promifed feed. But the words will be further cleared, in taking notice of the following obfervations from them. Obf. ft, That the time of the gospel is the day of Christ, in a way of eminency and excellency. 2dly, That the Old Teftament faints breathed and longed much for a fight of the gofpel day, and for the actual coming of the great Meffiah. Abraham here leapt, as the word fig nifies, through the ftrength of defire after it. 3dly, That even the panting defires of the foul after Christ, though he be not enjoyed in a fenfible way, are accompanied with a great deal of joy. So Abraham rejoiced to fee my day; or his defires after it was that which filled him with a holy joy. 4thly, That the breathing or longing defires of the foul after Chrift fhall not be difappointed. Abraham, though he did not fee the Meffiah actually manifested in the flesh, yet he got fuch a fight of him, and his day, as yielded a great deal of fatisfaction and joy. 5thly, That faith is the eye of the foul, whereby it takes up Chrift, and the glorious bleflings that come along with him, as held out in the revelation of the word. So here Abraham faw the day of Chrift, by faith acting upon the promises and types of him, that were prefented before his view. 6thly, That faith acting upon the promife, will fee Christ through many vails, and at a prodigious diftance. Thus we are told, Heb. xi. 13. that Abraham, and others, faw the promifes of Chrift afar off, and they embraced them: Faith is a quick-fighted grace, it takes up things at a vaft diftance. 7thly, That faith's views and uptakings of Chrift fills the foul with joy and gladnefs, "Whom having not feen, ye love; in whom though now ye fee him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory," Pet. i. 8. I fball abftract from all thefe doctrines, and discourse a little upon the words themselves. And speak a little, I. Of the day of Chrift. II. Of faith's views and fight of this day. III. Of the joy and gladnefs arifing from a fight of this day. IV. Whence it is, that a fight of Chrift, and of the day of Chrift, brings fuch joy and gladness. .. V. Apply. I. The first thing is to difcourfe of the day of Chrift. And here I will tell you, ft, Of fome notable days of the Son of man. 2dly, Give you fome qualities of the day of Chrift. 3dly, Some notable fights that are to be seen in his day. ift, I would tell you of fome notable days of the Son of man. 1. There is the day of his eternal deftination to be your Redeemer. This is a day of a more ancient date, than the day of the world's creation; for he was verily fore-ordained before the world was made. "I was fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, &c. Of this day the pfalmift speaks, Pfal. ii. "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. I will declare the decree the Lord hath faid unto me.' Which decree was fully manifefted in his refurrection from the dead, as the apostle Peter fhews, Acts ii.: all the prophefies, promifes, and types of the Old Testament, were nothing elfe but fo many gradual openings of what was concerted in the council of peace from eternity. 2. There was the day of his actual incarnation, or manifeftation in the flesh. When the eternal Son of God was made of a woman, made under the law: This was the most surprifing day that ever the world had feen; a more remarkable day than that, when the foundations of the world were laid. This was a day in which a host of angels are dispatched from the throne of glory, to proclaim the glad news to the shepherds, Luke ii. "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people: for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord." 3. The day of his folemn inauguration and inftalment into his mediatory office. This was a day of great folemnity; then the heavens were opened unto him, and a voice iffued out from heaven, faying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed:" And the Spirit of the Lord defcended on him, in the likeness of a dove; never fuch an ordination of a minifter as this of Chrift; for that day he was anointed with the oil of gladnefs above his fellows. 4. Another notable day of Chrift was the day of his oblation or death, when by one offering he for ever perfected them that are fantified. That day the work of our redemption. was perfected in a way of purchase. Hence it was, he criet out, "It is finished, and bowed his head, and gave up the ghoft." This day, the little ftone cut out of the mountain, which broke in pieces the kings and kingdoms of the earth, was himself broken in pieces, by the heavy hammer of his Father's wrath. Oh! was it not a notable day, when the Father drew his glittering fword againft his only and beloved Son, Son, and bathed it in his blood for our fins; wounded him for our iniquities, and cried, "Awake, O fword, against the man that is my fellow." 5. The day of his refurrection was a notable day; for then, and thereby, was fulfilled the fign of the prophet Jonas, which was the confummating evidence of his Meffiah-fhip, Rom. i. 4, He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the refurrection from the dead." Was it not a remarkable day, when Christ as our Surety having defcended into the grave, he came forth again as our Surety, like Samfon, carrying the gates and bars of the prifon along with him, crying to his friends, "I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore," &c. "And because I live, ye fhall live alfo," His refurrection is our discharge of the debt, and we are raised up together with him. Chrift's refurrection was a greater miracle, than if all the race of Adam had been brought out of the grave in a moment: for he had the heavy ftone of the curfe of God, and of our fias lying upon him. And who could roll away this "ftone from the door of the fepulchre?, and yet it was not poffible that he should be held therein. He was taken from prison and from judgement," 6. The day of his folemn afcenfion into heaven, and his fitting down on the right hand of the majesty on high," Heb. i. 3. There was but little of the folemnity of that day feen by the inhabitants of this world; only the difciples, when upon Mount Olivet, in company with him, they ftood gazing up into heaven as he paffed out of their fight. But O! it was a day of great folemnity in the eyes of the invifible world of fpirits! All the trumpets of heaven founded, and all the fiery chariots of angels attended him in his paffage; "God is gone up with a fhout, the Lord with the found of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, fing praifes: fing praifes unto our King, fing praifes," Pfal. xlvii. 5 6. and lxviii. 17. "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place." 7. The day of Pentecoft was a remarkable day, when, like a mighty Prince newly come to the throne, he fcattered his gifts among his fubjects; when, like "the rufhing of a mighty wind," the Spirit was poured out from on high, in his miraculous and extraordinary gifts, endowing the apostles and others with the gift of tongues, in order to the propa gating and fpreading the gospel among all nations of the world; and when fome thoufands of finners (feveral of whom had their hands dipt in the blood of Chrift) were converted unto his obedience. 8. The day of his manifeftation by the gofpel, especially among the Gentile nations, is a notable day of the Son of man. When the partition wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down, Eph. iii. 14.; the Old Teftament œconomy unhinged, and the waters of the fanctuary, which were pent up in the typical temple, began to run down to the valley of Shittim, and water the uncultivated nations, that were aliens to the commonwealth of Ifrael; the preaching of the gospel unto the Gentiles was such a notable day of the Son of man, that it is made a great branch "of the mystery of godlinefs," 1 Tim. iii. laft. This day was fulfilled the old prophecy of Jacob, that to "Shiloh fhould the gathering of the people be," and the promise made to Abraham, "In thy feed fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed." And that of Isaiah, chap. xi. 10. "There shall be a root of Jeffe, which fhall ftand for an enfign to the people, to it fhall the Gentiles feek." 9. The day of his marriage and coronation is a remarkable day of Chrift, when the poor finner, that was in covenant with hell, lying among the pots, under the fentence of death, and the curfe of the law, is taken and betrothed unto the Son of God; and he fays to it," Thy Maker is thine Husband, (the Lord of hofts is his name.") That day there is a new crown of glory fet upon his head, and a royal diadem put in his hand, "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart." This day makes little noife in this world, but it makes a great noife in heaven, " for there is joy in heaven at the converfion of one finner." 10. The day of the renewed vifits that he makes to the foul, in the ordinances of his appointment, werd, facraments, prayer, or meditation; when the soul is made to say, “I fat, down under his fhadow with great delight. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love," &c. 11. Again, The day of his appearing in the power of his Spirit, in the difpenfation of the everlafting gofpel, when he goes forth with his bow, and with his fword, conquering and to conquer; pulling down the strong holds of Satan; destroying the works of the devil, and rearing up his kingdom; reviving and reforming his churches; and finners flocking in to him, |