feph ruler over Egypt, and when the famished people cried to him for bread, he bade them go to Jofeph, Gen. xli. 55.; fo God has dealt with the Mediator, and tells us by the gofpel, Pfal. lxxxix. 24. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him and in my name hall his horn be exalted. If we look into the ruins of the fall, we may take them up under four heads, an, fwerable to which there are remedies in Chrift.

(1.) Man is ignorant naturally of the way to true happiness he has loft God, and knows not how to find him again. Falling into the hands of Satan, he loft his two eyes, like Samfon; gropes for the way of happinefs, but cannot find it, like the Sodomites at Lot's door. Some remains of knowledge found in the ruins of the fall were improved in the world, by ftudy, obfervation of the works of God, and in fome by external revelation, which yet the natural darkness of the mind did pervert. And these notions thus improved they called wifdom. But the way of happiness by works, the only way naturally known by Adam, being blocked up by his fall, it was impoffible for them by their wifdom to fall on the other way, unless we fhould fay that fallen man's natural knowledge could reach farther than his natural knowledge when it was whole and entire before the fall, So man's wifdom is his folly.

For remedy of this, Chrift is made wisdom. The treafures of wisdom and knowledge were lodged in him, Col. ii. 3. and he is conftituted the grand Teacher of all that mind for eternal happinefs. Therefore the philofophers and rabbi's muft lay by their books as infufficient to point them the way to happiness, and study that body of divinity, Jefus Chrift, in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth bodily. The wife men of the world muft renounce confidence in their natural abilities, draw a black fcore over all their attainments in their Chriftlefs ftate, and fit down at Chrift's feet, as knowing nothing, and learn of him: and thofe of the thalloweft capacities giving up them

felves to him, fhall get the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 6.

(2.) Man is unrighteous, and cannot ftand before a righteous God. His guilt binds him over to wrath, and makes him miferable before a juft God, a revenger of fin. And this is fo impreffed on the hearts of men, that even a natural confcience fometimes makes terrible heart-quakes within him, knowing the judgement of God, that they who commit fuch things are worthy of death. Now, the natural man, for remedy of this, goes about to work out a righteoufnefs of his own, to fpin a righteousness out of his own bowels, and to appease the anger of God, and gain his favour, by his obedience. But when it appears in the light of the holy law, it is nothing but as a nafty, rotten, moth-eaten garment, that cannot cover the foul before the Lord, If. lxiv. 6. Let them ftretch it as they will, the bed is fhorter than a man can stretch himself on it, and the covering narrower than he can wrap himself in it.

For remedy of this, Chrift is made righteousness. He, by his obedience to the law's commands, and fuffering the wrath it threatened, hath brought in everlafting righteoufnefs, which is a large garment, able to cover all that betake themselves to it, for it is the righteoufnefs of God; a beautiful garment, found in every part, for it is white raiment, without the leaft ftain, being the righteoufnefs of the Son of God, who was holy, harmlets, undefiled, feparate from finners, Therefore the most refined moraliits muft lay afide, in point of confidence, their highest attainments in morality, as filthy rags before the Lord; and the ftrictest profeffors and livers on earth, who follow after the law of righteoufnefs, muft renounce their inherent righteoufnefs, and fit down naked before the Lord, to receive the imputed righteoufnefs of Chrift. And the vileft of men coming to him, fhall find a righteoutnefs in him to be communicated to them; fo that they that are from righteoufnefs fhall be wrapt up in

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a perfect righteoufnefs, if they will take Chrift to them as God has made him.

(3.) Man is unholy, unfit for communion with a holy God here or hereafter. His foul is dead in fin, his lufts live and are vigorous in him; fo that he is no more meet for heaven than a fow for a palace. The natural man, to help himself in this point, calls together his natural powers as in a folemn day, and endeavours to fet about his duty, and turn the ftream of his life and converfation into the channel of the law. Some prevail this way to the reformation of their outward converfation; but there is as much difference betwixt true holiness and their attainment, as betwixt a living body and an embalmed corpfe. Others find all their endeavours to no purpose, and so they come to despair of fanctification, and therefore even lay the reins on the necks of their lufts, Jer. ii. 25. And how can it be otherwife in either of them? for, like fools or madmen, they go into the mire to wash themselves clean; the houie that must be razed from the foundation, they go to patch up and repair; for in their attempts for holiness they act as if they had need of nothing but activity to ufe and improve their natural abilities for fanctification; which is as oppofite to the doctrine of the gofpel, as to fay, the cripple needs but to fet himself to rife and walk, and he will be cured, is contrary to common fenfe; for our natural abilities will serve us no more for fanctification, than the cripple's legs will ferve him to walk. Let men learn from Job, that where the whole body is all full of boils and fores, their hands are not fit to fcrape the fores on the reft of their body, being as ill themfelves as any other part: therefore he took a potfherd, and fcraped himjelf. And while to the unbelieving there is nothing pure, but their very natural powers are defiled, they can never purify the man in holinefs.

But for remedy in this, Chrift is made fanctification. There is a fulness of the Spirit of holinefs lodged in him, to be communicated to the unholy; and to him God

fends the unholy finner, that out of his fulness he may receive, and grace for grace. Therefore the most fober natural man and ftricteft profeffor, who has hammered out of his mere natural abilities, affifted by external revelation, a life blamelefs before the world, being eftranged ftill to the life of faith, must know that he has but put a new face on the old man, which Christ never intended to repair, but to destroy, Rom. vi. 6. and muft begin anew to attain true holiness, from and by him whom the Father has made fanctification to us. And the most polluted finner, whose lufts are most raging, may confidently try this grand method of fanctification, which can no more fail him, than God's device can fail to reach the end he defigned it for.

(4.) Man by the fall is become mortal, liable to many bodily infirmities and miferies, and at length muft go to the grave, the houfe appointed for all living. Nature could find no remedy for this. The learned Athenians mocked at the refurrection of the dead, Acts xvii. 32. the Sadducees among the Jews denied it, Matth. xxii. 23. The unrenewed part of the world, who, by the benefit of external revelation, have embraced the doctrine of the refurrection, and particularly of the happy refurrection, have no other way to attain it, but what they follow to attain righteousness and fanctification; and that being infuflicient to attain them, muft be fo alfo in this refpect; for all their Chriftlefs endeavours leave them still under guilt and corruption, these bonds of death, wherewith the fecond death will draw them down into the pit, when they are raised out of their graves at the Îaft day.

But man's falvation cannot be complete without a remedy for this; therefore Chrift is made redemption, who will give in due time deliverance to his people from mifery and death, which is called the redemption of the body, Rom. viii. 23 And in this fenfe he calls himfelf the refurrection and the life, John xi. 25. So our redemption is in him in fo far as he has got above

death and the power of the grave by his refurrection, and that as a public perfon, thereby enfuring the happy refurrection of all that are in him. Therefore, if ever we would get our heads above these waters, we muft come to him for it.

2. That all who partake of this falvation, muft partake of it in him, by virtue of union with him: But of him are ye in Chrift Jefus, &c. As the ftock is itay, ftrength, and fap to the branches; fo is Christ wifdom, righteousness, fanctification, and redemption to them that are in him, or unto finners united to him. The fap of the stock is not conveyed to branches that are not in it; neither is Chrift wisdom, &c. to any but those that are in him. He is the Saviour of his body, and we must partake of his falvation as members of his body. In the old world when the deluge came on, fome without the ark getting up on the tops of trees or mountains, might be fafe for a while; but none but those who were in the ark were fafe to the end: fo men that are out of Chrift may get common tempo. ral favours from the Lord; but none but thofe in him receive that wifdom, &c. which is the great falvation. The loft world is the first Adam, and the na tural branches of that stock. The faved world are fuch branches as are taken out of that dead and killing ftock, and ingrafted into Chrift the true vine.

This then is the grand device of falvation, that Chrift fhall be all to finners, and that they muft partake of all in him; which is quite opposite to our natural imaginations, and exalts the free grace of God, depreffing nature. (1.) They do not help themselves, their help is in another: He is made wisdom, &c. (2.) They do not fo much as help themselves to their helper; for it is of God by the power of his grace that they are brought to be in him. It is not the branch itfelf, but the husbandman that ingrafts it.

The doctrine I obferve from the words is,

DOCT. God's device for the fanctification of an unholy