poffeffed of perpetual falvation through him. All the ranfomed ones were federally exalted in their Head; though their full enjoyment of that triumph over fin, hell and wrath, be referved to the time of their tranflation to Immanuel's better land, where glory dwells. He and they being one, in a myftical regard, what is faid of him as the Redeemer, may be faid of them as the redeemed; and what he did, fuffered, deferved and procured, may be confidered as if done, deferved, fuffered and procured by them, in their own perfons.

Our Lord's circumftances, as Man-Mediator, are now the reverse of what they were in his humbled flate. Inftead of being in a pit or dungeon, out of view, out of mind, inconfiderable and unobferved, his feet are now upon a rock, he is placed upon a glorious eminence, and fet up in the most public, confpicuous, advantagious and honourable point of light. His divinity, formerly vailed, is now manifefted and difplayed, and, as united to his human nature, it fhines forth with distinguishing fplendour and magnificence. His human nature itself, is exalted to the highest pitch of beauty and perfection, whether in a moral or material view. In a moral view, the human foul of Jefus Chrift bears the neareft refemblance, the greatest likenefs, to the moral character and perfections of God, that the creature is capable of. The holiness of the most exalted angel, and diftinguished faint, bears little or no proportion to that divine holiness wherewith his foul is embellifhed and adorned. And in our Lord's material beauty, as Man-Mediator, there is fomething fo great, refplendent and majeftical, that, according to the defcription given

of

of it by infpired writers, it is hardly poffible to form any adequate idea of what it really is. We fee what a noble and magnificent figure he cut, when he but tried on his refurrection clothes, on the mount of transfiguration; "his face did shine as the fun, and his raiment was white as the light," Matth. xvii. 2. And we fee the peculiar grandeur of his appearance to John in Patmos, ced with a garment down to the foot, and L about the paps with a golden girdle; his head and his hairs white like wool, as white as "the fnow, and his eyes as a flame of fire his "feet like unto fine brafs, as if they burned in a "furnace; and his voice as the found of many 66 waters," Rev. i. 13, 14, 15. Our Lord, as Man Mediator, is likewife eminent in refpect of the place to which his prefent refidence is confined, namely, the highest heavens, where is the glorious throne of the Father: he refides there, in the view of angels and glorified faints, beheld and admired by thousands of thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousands daily in waiting, and continually miniftring, not only before the throne of God, but of the Lamb. Moreover, he is fet on a glorious eminence, as he is held up on the pole of the everlafting gofpel, to be viewed and improved by finners of mankind. Under the Old Testament, men were directed to look to him, as to be manifested in due time; under the New Teftament difpenfation, they are called to look to him, as both come and gone, as one who is alive and was dead, and as one, whom, in his human nature, the Father has received into the most distinguishing mansions of blifs and glory. In the gofpel, upon the pole of which he is exhibited, his divinity appears like that of the Father and the holy Ghoft, univerfally diffused through heaven, earth and hell; but his

human

human nature, as the moft glorious workmanship of God, is reprefented as inhabiting the highest pinnacle of glory in all his Father's kingdom above.

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Our Lord is now upon a folid bottom, in place of being in a miry clay; fo much is included in the notion of a rock, which gives not way to the feet of him who is fet upon it. His present state is as fure, as it is eminent; as impregnable, as it i alted: it is incapable of degenerating in itself, and proof against all attacks from his enemies of men. or devils. Though their malice and refentment be radically the fame, his prefent ftate baffles all their attempts, machinations, plots and defigns: the rock on which he stands, they can neither fap nor fcale; the whole artillery of hell and earth is incapable of fhaking, touching, or even reaching that glorious bottom of reft.

Instead of reproach and wrath, our Lord, as Man-Mediator, is furrounded with glory and happiness. He is both the darling and wonder of heaven, the delight and ftay of angels and men; the object of their adoration, as well as love; of their praise and worship, as well as furprise and esteem while his perfon and performances are the burden of many fongs peculiar to the Jerufalem above. Instead of wrath, happiness, ineffable happiness, and blifs, are continually poured on his facred head; not only all the happiness that the most capacious creature-veffel can hold, but all the happinefs whereof He, as the infinite Jehovah, would be poffeffed. As he was peculiar, in refpect of the nature and degrees of his fufferings; fo his happiness will be fuch as fhall be peculiar, abfolutely peculiar, to himself. It is, and will be, to the ranfomed world, what the fountain is to the streams, or the fun to the rays of light; continually diffufing felicity

felicity to others, without being leffened, exhausted, or impaired.

Befides, the Man Chrift, in his exalted state, is clothed with power and authority, in place of being covered with contempt, as was his lot in the days of his humiliation; with the power of adminiftration and government, of trial and judg ment, of approbation and condemnation. worlds, of all creatures, in all circumftances, are under his rule, fubject to his controul; and, as to the rational part of them, anfwerable at his bar. The government and kingdom, whether of nature, grace, providence or glory; the authority over the creatures, whether angels, men or devils; whether rational, or irrational; animate, or inanimate; vifible, or invifible; are intirely his own. In his divine nature, this doctrine bears no difpute; but even as Mediator, the language of infpiration is plain to the fame purpose. "All power is given

to me (faid he) in heaven and on earth," Matth. xxviii. 18. and the apoftle is very explicit on this head, when, he fays, "Wherefore, God hath

highly exalted him, and given him a name a"bove every name; that, at the name of Jefus, "every knee fhould bow, of things in heaven, "things on earth, and things under the earth; "and that every tongue should confefs, that Jefus "Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Philip. ii. 9, 10, 11. Moreover, we are affured, by the fame authority, That, as "God hath ap"pointed a day, in which he will judge the "world; fo he will do it by that man whom he "hath ordained; whereof (fays the apostle) he "hath given affurance unto all men, in that he "hath raised him from the dead," Acts xvii. 31. and, by our Lord himself, that "the Father judgeth

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judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg "ment to the Son," John v. 22.

This was all the doing of Jehovah the Father; as, in the plan of redemption, there are particular parts the province of each Perfon in the Trinity. Strictly speaking, indeed, there is nothing done by Jehovah, in the Perfon of the Father, but may be equally faid to be done by Jehovah, in the Perfons of the Son and holy Ghoft: yet, in a fuitableness to our weak comprehenfions, as for other ends, worthy of infinite wisdom and grace, there are different parts in the execution of the council of peace, afcribed to the different Perfons of the Godhead the purchase of redemption is ascribed to the Son; and application of it to the Spirit; as the contrivance of it is to the Father: fo here, the reward beftowed on the Mediator, for "his becoming "obedient even unto death," is attributed to the Father, whofe Servant, in that capacity, he was.

Our Lord's exaltation is the doing of the Father, as, in the different parts of it, it required nothing lefs than the power of God to accomplish. If divine power was neceffary to raise him from the dead; fo, to give him glory, and to advance him, in his human nature, to fuch an exalted pitch of honour and magnificence.

It was, likeways, the doing of the Father, as the powers with which Chrift, as Mediator, is clothed, were originally in the Godhead; were fo much the province and prerogative of God, that it was competent for him to delegate and commission whom he pleafed, to act in thefe exalted capacities. The creatures being all his, he might have ruled them by what inftrument he chufed, without leaving room to fay, "What doest thou?"

And