All power, fays he, is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing. them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I command you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world, Matt. xxviii. 18, 19, 20. In this place you hear our Saviour declaring all power and authority to be given him at his refurrection; in consequence of which power hẹ commiffions his difciples to convert, baptize, and inftruct the world. There is no doubt but this power is part of the exaltation which St. Paul speaks of in the text, to which God raised Chrift for his fufferings: you : you fee likewife, that the powers delegated to the minifters of the church derive themfelves from this power fo received; and, confequently, all acts done by them in the name of Christ are founded in the power which he received at his refurrection.

St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the Romans, c. i. v. 4. exprefsly tells us, that Chrift was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holinefs, by the refurrection from the dead. God had before, at his baptifm, and at his transfiguration on the mount, declared him to be his well-beloved Son, in whom he was well pleafed; but at his refurrection he was declared not only to be his Son, but to be his Son with power. If you look forward to the fourteenth chapter of this Epiftle, you will find the Apoftle's fenfe of this matter very fully and clearly expreffed; For to this end Chrift both died, and rofe, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living: fo that the power over all things, the do

minion both of the dead and the living, commenced at the refurrection, which was indeed the very firft step to glory and honour, which our bleffed Saviour took after his ftate of humiliation and fufferings for though, according to our conceptions, his pains and sufferings ended on the cross, yet in the grave there is neither honour nor glory in his refurrection he firft and truly appeared to be himfelf, to be the Lord of life and glory.

In his Epistle to the Coloffians, towards the middle of the first chapter, St. Paul fpeaks largely of the person of Jesus Christ: he represents to them his great dignity and glory, by fetting before them the part which he bore in the creation of all things, and likewise the authority and power to which his Father raised him, and which he now exercises as head of the body, the church. And this place is the better worth your attention, because the Apoftle does not only diftinguish between the power by which Chrift created all things, and the power by which he governs all things as head of the body, the church; but he has likewife diftinguished and marked out to us the different fources and originals, from whence these two powers flow. In the 15th verse he thus fpeaks of Jefus Chrift: Who is the image of the invifible God, the firft-born of every creature: all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things confift. With respect to this great work of the creation, you fee, St. Paul confiders him as being before all things, as being the image of the invifible God, the first-born of every creature: immediately the Apoftle adds, And he is head of the body, the church; who

is the beginning, the firft-born from the dead. This furely is a very different beginning from that which he mentioned before; and yet this beginning, which is his refurrection, is plainly laid down as the foundation of the principality and headship which he holds over the church: he was the beginning, the dex, with refpect to the creation of all things, being the firft-born of every creature: he is the beginning and head of the church, being the first-born from the dead.

I shall mention but one place more to you, and that so plain an one, that I fhall not need to spend much of your time in it: it is in the Epiftle to the Ephefians, and the first chapter, where St. Paul tells them, that his prayer for them was, that the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints, and what is the exceeding greatnefs of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Chrift, when he raised him from the dead, and fet him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but alfo in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who filleth all in all. What can be added to this description of power and authority? and yet the Apostle, you fee, founds all this upon his refurrec

tion, and his exaltation confequent to it: then were all things put under his feet; then was he given to be head over the church, and fet above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named. The Scripture abounds in evidence of this kind: and I think there is nothing plainer in the Gospel, than that Chrift Jefus is our Lord, because he hath redeemed us; that he is our King, being raised by the Father to all power and authority; that he is our Mediator and Interceffor, being fet down on the right hand of God in the heavenly places. But,

Secondly, All honour and worship paid to Christ, in and by the church of God, are founded in this exaltation.

This is a natural confequence of what has been already faid. The title which Chrift Jefus has to receive honour and worship and adoration in the church, is the reafon and foundation upon which honour and worship and adoration are paid him in the church. What his title is, you have already heard; and, confequently, the foundation of the church's worship has been already manifefted: but, that your faith may not ftand in the words of man's wisdom, I will lay before you the evidence of Scrip ture in this point also.

In the Revelation of St. John we have feveral hymns recorded, which the church of the firft-born fing to God and to his Chrift; and we cannot form our devotions from a better copy than that which they have fet us. In the fourth chapter, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that fat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and

ever, and caft their crowns before the throne, faying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Here you fee plainly, that the adoration paid to God the Father is founded upon his being the Creator of all things: look a little farther into the next chapter, and you will find the fame perfons praifing and adoring Chrift Jefus, faying, Thou art worthy to take the book, ́and to open the feals thereof: for thou waft Alain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and haft made us unto our God kings and priefs: and we shall reign on the earth. Here you as plainly fee the worship paid to Chrift to be founded in this, that he was flain, and did by his blood redeem us: nay, the very choir of angels fing praises to him in the fame ftrain, faying, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and firength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. From all which it is evident, that the worship paid to Chrift is founded upon the redemption, and relates to that power and authority which he received from God at his refurrection.

In the text St. Paul tells us, that God has given Chrift a name above every name-that every tongue fhould confefs that Chrift is the Lord; where confeffion implies much more than a bare acknowledgment that Chrift is the Lord: it comprehends those honours and that worship which thofe who heartily confefs him to be the Lord will naturally and readily pay him. How this confeffion must be made, and from what ground it muft proceed, the fame