Kinfman? I anfwer, He is; for he is "God manifefted in the flesh," his name is "Immanuel, God with man, God with us;" he was made of a woman, and took part of our flesh, and by fo doing has adorned our nature with a greater glory than ever it had, while it fhined with all the beauties and glories. wherewith it was adorned when it dropt out of the Creator's fingers in innocency; yea, to a greater glory than that of the angelical nature was ever advanced; for he took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham." And upon this ground, let us claim him as our Lord Jefus Chrift, our Brother, our elder Brother; for "he is not afhamed to call us brethren." It is very remarkable, that Chrift, while here in a state of humiliation, commonly gloried in that name of calling himself the Son of man, rather than that of being the Son of God. Why, what was the design of his making choice of that defignation, but that he might inculcate his relation upon us as our Kinsman, by virtue of his affuming our nature, that fo we might be encouraged to put our trust under the fhadow of his wings? But then, Sirs, confider that Christ is not only related to you by nature, but alfo by office, he is the Prophet, Prieft, and King of the church; a Prophet to give wisdom to the ignorant; a Priest to juftify the guilty finner; a King to fubdue the enmity of the heart, and to deliver the devil's captives; he is presented to us in the gospel under each of these relative offices, that we in a way of believing may be encouraged to truft him. O Sirs, what is a Saviour for? is he not for a loft finner? Yea, furely, he himself tells us, that this was his very errand, to "feck and fave that which was loft; that he came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance." What is a furety for, but for a broken bankrupt and dyvour? And are not you fuch? Yea furely, you and I are broken to all intents and purposes in the first Adam, and to you he is prefented in this gofpel upon this design, that you may, by trufting in him, be put in a capacity to answer all the charges that either law or juftice have against you. So then, I fay, let the near relation he stands under to you, both by nature and office, encourage you to put your trust under the fhadow of his wings.

2. The exprefs command of God may warrant and encourage you to trust this bleffed Kinfman and relation of yours., The Father commands you by a proclamation from the excellent glory, Taying, "Hear ye him, for this is my beloved Son" hence the apostle, 1 John iii. 23. fpeaks of this as the fum and fubftance of all commands, yea, as if this were the only command of God to finners, "This is his command

ment,

ment, that ye believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift:" now, to believe in Chrift, and to truft him with our falvation, is one and the fame thing. How frequently is this command inculcate both in the fcriptures of the Old and New Testament; and what is called believing in Chrift in the New Teftament, is called trufting in the Lord' in the Old Testament: If. xxvi. 4. "Truft ye in the Lord for ever: for with the Lord' JEHOVAH is everlafting ftrength. Truft in him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." O'Sirs, what can be a warrant for any duty, if not the exprefs command and authority of the great God?" Do not imagine that it is prefumption in you to believe, or trust in the Lord Jefus (as defcribed before); no, no, a man can never be guilty of prefumption in doing what God bids him do; yea, not to do it, not to obey him in this matter, is to rufh upon his neck, to trample upon his authority. Do not think that it is left optional to you, whether you truft him or not; no, the law is paffed, and you are concluded under its authority, and difobedience to it is as the fin of witchcraft: Do not imagine there is no danger in fitting the command of God in this matter; no, it is a command fenced with the most severe penal fanétion of any thing that ever God commanded the children of men : "He that believeth not, is condemned already; and the wrath of God abideth on him."

3. Let the promife annexed unto believing or trufting engage you to truft your Kinfman, "He that believeth, fhall be faved. Whofoever believes in him fhall not perish, but have everlafting life." And therefore if you love your life, yea, the everlafting life of your fouls, incline your ears, come unto your Kinfman, and intruft him with your everlasting all. This connection established between trufting and falvation, makes an open door to every hearer of the gofpel: for there is no doubt but faith is the duty of all by the command of God, otherwife unbelief could not be their fin; now feeing the duty is to all, the promife of life connected therewith must be to all likewife: fo that is true of every fon of Adam, that if he believe he shall be faved. But then confider, that the promise, yea, all the promifes of this glorious teftament are indorfed and directed to you as a warrant and encouragement for you to trust in our bleffed Kinfman. "To you is the word of this falvation fent. The promife is unto you, and to your feed, and to all that are afar off, and to as many as the Lord our God fhall cal!." I do not think that the apostle's meaning was, that the promise was theirs in poffeffion before they believed it; but it was theirs in the exhibition, as a letter directed to a perfon is his letter, becaufe directed to him, even before it

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come to his hand, or before he break it up, and read the contents of it.

4. To encourage you to truft this bleffed Friend, Kinfman, and Avenger, will you confider how pleafing and agreeable a thing it is to him to have poor finners putting their trust under the fhadow of his wings for fafety. John vi. 29. fays Chrift there unto a company of men who were fond to know what the works of God were, that they might do the things that pleafed him," This (fays he) is the work of God, that ye believe in him, or trust in him, whom he hath fent." As if he had faid, God hath fent his Son upon an expedition unto this lower world, to fatisfy juftice, and to take vengeance upon the devil and his works, to rescue finners from their bondage they are under to their enemies, and there is nothing fo pleafing or agreeable unto him, yea, nothing can be pleafing to him, unlefs you believe or trust in him for falvation from fin, Satan, and wrath. O Sirs, never did a mother draw forth her breast to her fucking child with greater pleasure, when they were gorged and pained with great abundance of milk, than a God of love doth draw forth his grace, and mercy, and love to finners in the gospel, that they may fuck by faith, and be fatisfied with the abundance of his grace. O how is he pained at the heart, till finners come and fuck the breasts of his grace, by putting their trust under the shadow of his wings! “O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, how often would I have gathered thee, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings! How doth he expoftulate with finners for their averfion to come unto him! "O my people, what have I done unto thee? wherein have I wearied thee?" As if he had faid, O what ails you at me? what harm have I done you? was I ever a barren wilderness, or a land of drought to you?

5. To encourage our faith and truft in this glorious Kinsman, and the Avenger of our blood, will you confider, that this is to answer the end of all that ever he did or fpake. Pray tell me, why did God fend his only begotten Son into the world? Why did the only begotten Son of God come into the world? Why did he affume our nature, take our place in Jaw? Why did he bruise Satan's head? Why did he die, rife again, and afcend, and fit down at the right hand of the Majetty on high? Why did he fend forth his apottles, and other minifters, as heralds to proclaim all his glorious atchievements unto a loft world? What is the design of a preached gospel? Why has he given you his statutes and teftimonies, opened to you the great things of his law and covenant, opened up the love of his heart? And why are his bowels fending out a found to you who are running in the broad way to ruin, fayVOL. II.

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ing, "As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn unto me and live?" What, I fay, is the defign of all this, but juft that finners may truft and rest, and believe in Chrift with affured confidence, that fo they may not perish, but have everlasting life? This is the very hinge on which all religion turns, this is the white we should aim at in preaching, and you in hearing, that you may be brought to trust the Avenger of our blood. Now, feeing this is the scope of the whole gofpel-revelation, and of all that ever Chrift did. or faid, does not this fufficiently warrant you to believe and truft in him?

6. Confider the hazard and danger of not trusting and believing in him. You do what in you lies to defeat the defign of his whole undertaking, and the defign of the whole gofpel; you make God a liar in refusing to believe the record he hath given of his Son; you must continue in a confederacy with Satan against him if you do not believe, there is no mids, you lay your fouls open to inevitable ruin; for "there is no name given under heaven whereby to be faved, but by the name of Jefus." You make your kind Kinfman your enemy, and draw the vengeance he defigned in order to your deliverance, upon your own heads; and there is no vengeance fo terrible as the vengeance of an incensed friend. O how terrible is the wrath of a flighted Saviour and Redeemer! 2 Theff. i. 8. "The Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gofpel." Confider this, ye that say now, "We will not have this man to rule over us."

7. Confider what glorious advantages fhall redound to you by trufting and believing in this bleffed Redeemer and Aven ger. Perfect peace fhall be the fruit of it, a peace that paffes all understanding: If. xxvi. 3. "Thou wilt keep him in per fect peace whofe mind is ftayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Joy fhall fpring up in your bofoms upon your trufting in him, yea, a "joy unfpeakable and full of glory;" we are "filled with joy and peace in believing." Provifion and food both for foul and body: Pfal. xxxvii. 3. "Truft in the Lord, and do good, fo fhalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou thalt be fed." Protection and fafety in a time of danger; protection from Satan, that cunning fowler, and all his birds of prey: Pfal. xci. 2-4. "I will fay of the Lord, He is my refuge, and my fortrefs: my God, in him will I truft." And then it follows, "Surely he fhall deliver thee from the fnare of the fowler, and from the noisome peftilence. He fhall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings fhalt thou trust."

Firmness,

Firmnefs and ftability is the fruit of trufting in him, fo as not to be fhaken, like the trees of the wood, with the wind of temptation or affliction: "He that trufteth in the Lord fhall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." King Jehoshaphat advises Ifrael, under a fhaking difpenfation, "Believe in the Lord your God, fo fhall you be eftablished; believe his prophets, fo fhall ye profper." You shall not be afraid of evil tidings, if your hearts be fixed, trufting in the Lord. Increafe and growth in grace is the fruit of trufting in him. Would you have your fouls in a lively flourifhing condition, like the palm-tree and the cedar in Lebanon? Then truft your kind Kinfman and Avenger: fee a fweet promife to this purpose, Jer. xvii. 7. 8. " Bleffed is the man that trufteth in the Lord, and whofe hope the Lord is. For he fhall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that fpreadeth out her roots by the river, and fhall not fee when heat cometh, but her leaf fhall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither fhall ceafe from yielding fruit." But what fhall I fay more, everlafting life, and all that pertains to it, is the fruit of trufting in him and he who believes in him fhall never be confounded of his hope and expectation. Thus you fee what glorious warrants and encouragements you have to truft in this glorious Kinfman, the Avenger of our blood.

Queft. 3. When is it that we fhould truft this kind Kinf man? what are the special seasons of this duty we owe him? Anfw. In general, there is no time unfeasonable, yea, it is feafonable at all times, "Truft in him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before him;" there is not a moment of your life, there is not a turn of your pilgrimage here below, in which you do not ftand in need of grace and mercy from your Kinfman to help you; and therefore you need to truft him at all times, "To whom coming" by a lively trust and faith, ye are built up a fpiritual houfe," &c. But there are fome special seasons in which we are called in a particular manher to exercife truft, faith, hope, and dependence upon him for his helping grace.

1. Under the arrefts of the law as a covenant, or under the challenges of conscience supported by the law, craving the debt of obedience or punishment, according to the terms and tenor of the covenant: then we are called by faith to trust to him, and flee to him as "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes in him." O finner, who art finking under thy debt thou owes to justice, come put your trust in this Surety, he who bruifed the head of the ferpent in aven ging your quarrel upon him, he will be fure to ftand between

thee