fion to the ordinances of the church, but such as Christ has left behind him. This is high rebellion against the King of Zion.

6. The truth of the kingdom of Chrift is a folid ground of fuffering, on which people may comforta bly lose whatever is dear to them in the world, knowing they are in the way of their duty. And this was the ground of the sufferings of the Lord's people in the perfecuting reigns before the revolution, whofe memory ought to be always regarded, for their zeal ous and firm adherence to the prerogatives of Chrift's kingdom.

7. The church fhall ride out all the ftorms that can blow upon her, whether from earth or hell. All plots and contrivances against her fhall be defeated in the end; for her King liveth, and will never fuffer the gates of hell to prevail againft her. The crown fhall flourish on his head, when the church's enemies fhall be ruined, and their kingdoms laid by for ever.

8. However weak any poor believer be amongst many enemies, yet the broken fhip fhall farely come to land. The fpark of grace fhall be preferved amidst an ocean of difficulties and corruptions within or with out. The feed of grace fown in the heart fhall be maintained, and fpring up in the fruits of holiness. All Chrift's honeft fubjects fhall be kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation.

9. Whoever they be that refufe fubjection to the ordinances and difcipline of Chrift's houfe, do in fo far reject Chrift from ruling over them. Confider this, ye that neglect a regular attendance upon the ordinances of divine inftitution, and will not fubmit to difcipline and cenfure for your fcandalous and offenfive behaviour. Ye are the enemies of Zion's King, and your conduct plainly declares, that ye will not have this man to reign over you. Repent of this your rebellion, otherwife ye thall be flain as his enemies.

10. See, believers, ye that are ftriving against fin

d Satan, and waging war with your lufts and all hrift's enemies, to whom you are to have recourfe or help in all your difficulties; even to your almighy King, who is infinitely able to help you in all traits. Make ufe of him daily as your King, applying and trufting to him, for life, ftrength, defence, and victory over all your enemies.

11. Lastly, Ye that are ftrangers to Chrift, captives to Satan, and under a miferable thraldom to your own Jufts, will ye be perfuaded to come under the fceptre and government of King Jefus; take on his yoke, and fubject yourselves to him and his bleffed government, For motives, confider,

(1.) The great glory and dignity of his perfon. He is God equal with the Father, the wonder of men and angels. The most glorious monarch that ever fwayed fceptre among men, is but like a worm of the earth, or a defpicable infect in the air, compared to him. All created excellencies fall under a vail, when his glory begins to fhine.

ye

have

(2.) He has the beft right to govern your fouls. The devil and your vile lufts are all ufurpers. But Christ is your rightful Lord. He has an original right to you as God, and a derivative right as Mediator. He hath an unqueftionable title by the grant of the Father, Acts ii. 36. Let all the house of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made the fame Jefus, whom crucified, bath Lord and Chrift. And he hath a right by his own merit and purchafe, Rom. xiv. 9. For this end Chrift both died, and rofe again, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. Ye are his, whether ye will or not. Ye are entirely at his difpofal. He has more power over you than the potter has over the clay. Your own confent and willingness adds nothing to his title; but it will fearfully aggravate your fin, if ye refufe it.

(3) Confider the mifery of your condition till once ye fubmit to him. Ye are under a miferable bondage to the devil; ye are flaves to the prince of darknets;

that spirit rules in you that worketh in all the children of disobedience. Your condition will grow ftill worse and worse, till it be incapable of any further addition of mifery. Ye are now without God, without the promises of the covenant, without peace, without the pardon of fin, having no communion with God, or title to heaven. Ye are flaves to your fordid lufts, under the curfe of the law, and condemned already. Whenever ye die out of Chrifty ye fhall die in your fins; and he that was your ruler and leader in this world, will be both your companion and tormentor in the world to come. O fearful condition! Can ye

of

fleep quietly in your chains? When ye hear that Chrift was anointed by the Father to preach good tidings to the meek, to proclaim liberty to captives, and the opening of the prifon to them that are bound; fhould not this make you figh, nay cry through the grates the prison to this glorious Deliverer who ftands at the door? when ye fee Chrift's ftandard pitched in the gofpel, and his glorious banner difplayed there, will ye not repair to it, and lift yourselves among his faithful fubjects?

(4.) It is your greateft dignity to be fubjects to Chrift. Theodofius the Emperor thought it a greater honour to be a fervant to Chrift, than the head of an empire. Chrift's fubjects are called veffels of honour, a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, &c. They are confecrated and fet apart for God, to be the objects of his fpecial grace, and the inftruments of his glory and service in the world. This advanceth them to great dignity and honour. Subject yourselves then to Chrift, and ye fhall arrive at the highest pinnacle of honour,

(5.) His government is moft fweet and pleafant, His yoke is eafy, and his burden light, His cross is better than the world's crown. Submit then to his

eafy fceptre.

(6.) Confider the great happiness that will attend your fubjecting yourselves to Chrift's goverment. It is in

troductive to every privilege, mercy, and bleffing that men can defire. By this ye will be delivered from the vaffalage of Satan, the fervitude of fin, the malediction of the law, and danger of the wrath to come. Let this prevail on you to fubmit to this King,

(7.) By this ye will put the crown upon his head, and give him the reward of his bloody death and sufferings, when ye renounce fin and Satan, and all the lufts and idols that exercifed dominion over you before, and betake yourselves to him by faith, and give your hearty confent that he fhall reign in your fouls.

(8.) This is the defign of all God's ordinances and difpenfations; all the arrows in the gofpel-quiver are levelled at this mark; it is the point and centre into which all thefe bleffed lines are drawn. Submit to him then, and disappoint not the defign of all his love and grace to poor finners.

(9.) Ye can have no faving benefit by Christ, unlefs ye fubmit to him as your King. It is through his kingly office that all his other offices are made effectual. All the bleflings and benefits of his purchase are conveyed to believers this way. It is by his regal power that he changes their natures, powerfully inclines them to believe on him, and to love and obey him. If ye accept not of him as your King, ye can have no benefit by him at all. Ye muft receive him as your Lord, as well as your Prophet and Prieft.

(10.) Lastly, If ye will not ftoop and bow to him, he will break you in pieces. God has fettled an irreversible decree, that to him every knee fhall bow; and if they do it not chearfully and willingly, they fhall be made to do it with force and çonftraint. He has a rod of iron, and therewith he will break in pieces the mightiest potentates of the earth that will not fubject themfelves to him. Hence we have that counsel given them by the Spirit of God, Pfal. ii. 10. 11. 12. Be wife now therefore, O ye kings: be inftructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with VOL. II,

K

trembling. Kifs the Son, left he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little : bleffed are all they that put their trust in him.

Of Chrift's Humiliation.

PHILIPPIANS ii. 8.

He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

AVING difcourfed of our Redeemer and his in

H carnation, and the feveral offices he executes

under that character, I come now to treat of his amazing humiliation and abasement, to which he willingly fubmitted, in order to accomplish the redemption of elect finners. The text holds forth this ftate of humiliation.

1. The voluntarinefs of it: it was no matter of force or compulsion; He voluntarily humbled himself.

2. The nature of it: it was obedience, viz. to the Father's will, which comprehends the whole of what Chrift did and fuffered for our redemption,

3. The depth of it: It was unto death; and he could go no lower. As for the kind of death, he humbled himself to the basest and most humiliating kind of it, the death of the cross. Under this is comprehended his burial, and continuing for a time under the power of death. Death had our Redeemer as low as it could carry him.

4. The continuance of this humiliation. He had a race thereof fet before him, in which he continued till he came to death, as the end of it.

Chrift's humiliation was a voluntary thing: he voluntarily did and fuffered whatever he did and fuffered for us, Pfal. xl. 7. Lo, I come, faid he. Even in the deepest points of his humiliation, he was led as 得 lamb to the flaughter, and as a sheep before her fhear