"against a ftone," Pfal. xci. 11, 12. which was by the devil himself acknowleged to refpect Jefus Christ, when, in tempting him, he quoted and applied it, Matth. iv. 6. Nor did the Father only preferve the Man Christ in a negative view, but actually miniftred affiftance and confolation to him, in the manner and measure his circumstances, as a man of forrows and acquainted with griefs, requir ed. When the devil left him in the wilderness of Judea, "Behold, angels came and ministred unto "him," Matth. iv. 11. and when he wrestled in the mount of Olives, under the wrath of his Father, "there appeared an angel unto him from "heaven, ftrengthening him," Luke xxii. 43. Moreover, the Father's inclining to him is expreffive of his being well pleased with his fervice; with the discharge of his truft, as Mediator; with the performance of his covenant obligations, as the kinfman Redeemer of finners: and fo much pleafed with him, that he beheld, does, and will behold others, with a pleafant countenance, for his name's fake. Not only has Jehovah, once and a- . gain, declared him to be his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased; but the apoftle has affured us that, through grace, the Father "hath made us "accepted in the Beloved," Eph. i. 6. in other words, hath accepted finners, because of his complacency in the mediatory interpofition of the Saviour.

The Father not only inclined unto the Man Chrift, but heard his cry. Our Lord had always ready access to the Father; an immediate audience in the prefence chamber was always granted him, and he had an exclufive privilege of approaching

the

the divine prefence immediately in perfon: nay,
it would feem, the Father waited for him, until
he made fuch approaches to him; for as his eyes
are upon
the righteous, fo "his ears are open to
"their cry," Pfal. xxxiv. 15. Not only was per-
petual access miniftred to the Man Chrift; but, on
his approach, the Father hearkened to his fuits
and fupplications, however great and numerous,
whether perfonal or relational. He gave him
all encouragement to make his whole requests
known, never failed of hearing him to the laft;
and, as if regardless of every thing elfe, he noticed
the breathings of the Mediator's foul with peculiar
attention and delight. What qur Lord himfelf is
reprefented as faying to the church, may, with all
manner of fafety, be applied in the prefent cafe ;
as an expreffion how much the Father defired to
hear the Redeemer's cry, while he attended unto
it; "Let me fee thy countenance, let me hear thy
"voice," Song ii. 14. Nor was the cry of the
Man Christ only waited for, and attended unto,
but entirely approved of, by Jehovah. The Fa-
ther approved of his cry, as to the matter of it,
petition, adoration, or thanksgiving; as to the
manner of it, by words, fighs, tears, groans, roar-
ings, or otherways; as to the fource of it, the
heart of a Son, an only, and, at the fame time,
a dutiful Son, and an obedient Son; as to the mo-
tives of it, confidence in his Father, and love to
his people; as to the ends of it, his Father's glory,
his own reward, and his people's falvation and
the Father approved his cry, as to the arguments
he used in it; the Divine Faithfulness, and the
Merits of his own obedience. His cry was delight-
ed in, as well as approved of by the Father. The
Father delighted in Jefus Chrift himself, and
thence, in all he said, did and asked. "I was by

"him (faid the Son of the Father) as one brought 60 up with him, and I was daily his delight," Prov. viii. 30. If fo, when only undertaking to do his will; how much more behoved he to be fo, when actually engaged in his work? In confequence of all, the Father complied with Chrift's voice, granted all his requefts, anfwered all his demands, fulfilled all his defires, did all for him, in a perfonal or mystical view, he prayed for: nay, there is fuch an oneness between the Father's everlasting will of grace, and the Mediator's every cry, that in anfwering the latter, he only accomplisheth the for

mer.

SECT.

III.

Since Jefus Chrift, in perfon, waited for the Father, and cried to him; his members, the fpiritual feed of Ifrael, will, ought, and must, do so. The Redeemer's waiting and crying is an example for them to imitate, an original for them to copy after. At the fame time, his having done fo, is the only ground upon which they may expect to do fo with fuccefs and comfort. The Lord Jefus and believers, being mystically one; he the head, and they the members; he the vine, and they the branches; he the foundation, and they the fabric; their waiting and crying will be confidered by the Father, as if he in perfon was the fervant and fupplicant. He waited and cried in the quality of their head; they wait and cry in the quality of his members and therefore, if the Father inclined to Christ, and heard his cry; he will incline to them, and hear their cry. In noticing the head, he regards the members;-and in regarding the members, he notices the head :-nor will our Lord fail,

according

according to this view, to confider what the Father does to his people as if done to himself.

The falvation of believers having been wrought out in the Redeemer's humiliation; however faulty and defective your fervices, it is delightful to know that the fervice of Jefus Chrift in your ftead was perfect and immaculate. Though you are ill pleafed with yourselves; though your own hearts condemn you; and though you fee God the Father would be just in executing the fentence of condemnation against you: yet your encouragement lies in Chrift being accepted, and in your acceptance being fecured through him. Though your own cries and prayers deserve not access nor answer; your Lord's cry is full of merit; big with fuccefs; and, to you, pregnant with manifold bleffings.

If, therefore, you fee the right Jehovah has to perfect, univerfal, perpetual obedience, from you as creatures; the impoffibility of your yielding fuch obedience as the law requires; that God would be juft in pleading a controverfy with you as rebel finners, in cafting off your perfons, rejecting your fervices, and being angry against your prayers: if you fee your incapacity of atoning past offences, or performing future obedience; of paying your debt of duty or fuffering; of procuring redemption in a negative, or purchasing falvation in a positive, view: if you fee a fitnefs and propriety in the perfon and mediation of Chrift, for reaching the ends of your recovery upon honourable terms: if you admire the grace, wifdom and love, of Jehovah Redeemer, in the contrivance and execution of that wonderful redemption: if you prize Jefus Chrift; approve of him, in way of defire; follow after him; and with, above all things, to be faved through his waiting for the Father, and crying to him if you would chearfully and joyfully be ren

dered

dered debtors to Divine Grace, Sovereign Mercy; if you are driven from every other dependence for falvation; if you are enabled to hang about the Lord's hand, in the duties, means, and ordinances, of his appointment: then there is reason to hope good things concerning you, and things that accompany falvation; to hope your intereft in these bleffings, and those privileges, arifing from the Father's attending to Chrift, and hearing his cry, is real, fcriptural and indubitable.

Are you faying, My experience of a law work has never been diftinct and obfervable; I know nothing of fuch awakenings and terrors as others, of whom I have read, with whom I have converfed; and thence, any encouragement I would take from the mediation of Jefus Christ is at once marred; my hopes, arifing from thence, are perpetually fhaken? The Lord is fovereign as to the degrees of fuch a law-work in that refpect, he keeps no beaten, common tract. The great matter is, to have fuch experience of your natural obligations to the law, as convinces you of the abfolute need of Christ. If that is the cafe, the end of the law is fo far reached; and you do well to encourage yourselves in the Lord, as having waited for the Father, and cried unto him.

Are you faying, My acquaintance with the comfortable parts of religion, the bright fide of the cloud is fo finall, tranfient and inconfiderable, that I know not what to make, what judgment to form, of the cafe? You should remember that gladness is only fown for you; this is but your feed-time, and, it may be, a feed-time of tears and forrow: the harvest of your joy and confolation will not be fully ripe, how long your connection with mortality lafts. What intervals of joy others have, are only the first fruits; and though these be denied

yon,