but the falvation of Ifrael: to be the reft of the weary; "Come to me, all ye that labour, and I will give you reft:" to be the bleffing of the curfed finner; he comes to bless, according to the promise, "Men fhall be bleffed in him." He gives himself to be the builder of the temple, and the bearer of the glory; to be the glory of his houfe, "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his peo, ple Ifrael; and in him shall all the feed of Ifrael be justified and fhall glory."-He gives himself to be a refuge for the oppreffed and caft down; "The eternal God is thy refuge:" Ofly to him to be a fun and fhield.-He gives himfelf to be a Succourer of the tempted; " For he suffered, being tempted, that he might be able to fuccour them that are tempted:" to be a Prophet, Priest, and King: to be a Father to the fatherless, "In whom the fatherless findeth mercy:" to be a Hufband to the widow, "The ftranger's fhield, the widow's stay, the orphan's help is he:" to be a reftorer; "Then I restored that which I took not away." He restores the image of God, the favour of God. O! his love is a giving love. He gives himself to be an advocate, "If any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous:" to be the Author of faith, and Finisher thereof: the Author of repentance; he is exalted a Prince and a Saviour to give it: the Author of true know. ledge; "Who teacheth like him?" the Author of love, "I will circumcife thy heart, and the heart of thy feed, to love me."-He gave himself to be a bearer of burdens, that you may caft all yours upon him; to be a Counfellor, a wonderful Counsellor; to be a Day's-man; a door of hope; The defire of all nations ;" to be the end of the law for righteoufnefs: to be a Friend, a Phyfician of finners, a fure foundation; to be God with us; to be Head over all things to the church; to be Jefus, and to be the Chrift; to be King in Zion; to be Lord of all; to be a Doer for us; to be a Sufferer and a Satisfier; to be an open fountain; Alpha and Omega, a Saviour; a Seeker of the loft. He gives himself to be all our hope; "Thou art my hope in the day of evil;" the hope of Ifrael; the Surety, the Shepherd, Ifa.xl. II. a Physician and Healer. JEHOVAH-ROPHI: to be an Undertaker; "I am oppreffed, undertake for me:" to be ALL IN ALL,

II. We come now to the confirmation of the doctrine, O Sirs, every thing about Chrift, this glorious Lover, . points him out as a glorious Giver.

His covenant is a giving covenant; a covenant of free gifts; I will give thee the fure mercies of David," Acts xiii. 34. compared with Ifa. lv. 3. "I will make an everlafting covenant with you, even the fure mercies of David."

His blood is a giving blood; it fpeaks better things than the blood of Abel, and it gives better things; for it gives peace with God; "He made peace by the blood of his crofs."

His heart is a giving heart: the very thoughts of his heart are thoughts of giving; "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end," Jer. xxix. 11. Your unbelief, O poor fenfible finner, is always faying, Oh! he hath fome ill thoughts, fome ill defign againft you but, behold he is now telling you what are his very thoughts, even thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. You are to meafure his thoughts and defigns, by his words of grace.

His words are giving words: his word is a life-giving word; "The hour cometh, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear, fhall live." His word is a health-giving word; "He fent his word, and healed them."-His word is a light-giving word; "The entrance of thy word gives light."-His word is a joy-giving word; " Thy word was found of me, and I did eat it, and it was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."

His hand is a giving hand; "The eyes of all things wait on thee; and thou giveft them their meat in due feafon. Thou openest thine hand, and fatisfieft the defire of every living thing," Pfalm cxlv. 15, 16. His hand. gives with his heart.

His life both in earth and heaven, is a giving life. His life on earth was to give himself for us, and to give him- felf to be a facrifice and atonement for our fin: and his life in heaven is to give himfelf to us, and to give out the bleffings of his atoning blood; "Him hath God exalted

alted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and forgivenefs of fins," Acts v. 31. He was humbled on earth to give, and he is exalted to heaven to give.

His glory, to which he is exalted, is a giving glory. And, indeed, the higher he is exalted, the lower does he ftill ftoop to give; Jefus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, he girds himself with a towel, and rifes from fupper, and washes his difciples feet," John xiii. 3, 4.

Again, his fupereminent unction, wherewith he is anointed, is a giving unction: he is anointed that he may anoint; "God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladnefs above thy fellows, Pfal. xlv. 5. I have put my Spirit upon him; he fhall bring forth judgment unto the Gentiles," Ifa. xlii. 1. And hence, as his errand to the earth was a giving errand; fo his errand to heaven again was a giving errand: "If I go away, fays he, I will fend the Comforter."

His fulness is a giving fulness; "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily: and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power, Col. ii. 9, 10. Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace," John. i. 16.

His Father is a giving Father; " God fo loved the world. that he gave his only begotten Son," &c. And fo he loved, and he loves the world, as to give himself to be the Saviour of a loft world. O! how do the Father and the Son harmonize in this matter? "In this was manifefted the love of God toward us, because that God fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live thro' him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins," I John iv. 9, 10. And he fays, "Lo, I come!" upon this giving errand, Pfalm xl. 7.

His Spirit is a giving Spirit. These bleffed three who bear witness in heaven, we may say, as they are one, fo they agree in one: as it is faid of the Three that bear witnefs on earth, they agree in one; fo they agree in giving. The Father is a giving Father; he gives the Son: Chrift is a giving Chrift; he gives himself and both the Father and the Son give the Spirit, John xv. 26.

where

where Chrift, fpeaking of the Comforter, fays, "Whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father." And the Spirit is a glorious giver of all things, that belong either to the Father or the Son; yea, the giver of all things that belong both to the Father and the Son, John xvi. 14, 15. The Spirit gives conviction and illumination. He makes the application of redemption. He is the immediate Giver of faith, and repentance, and love, and other graces, that are all the fruits of the Spirit; the Spirit gives as a Spirit of adoption, he gives to cry, Abba, Father; as a Spirit of liberty, he gives a loofing to our bands; as a Spirit of grace, he gives all grace; and as a Spirit of glory, he gives the faith of glory, the hope of glory, the view of glory, the first fruits and beginnings of glory. Again,

As the Father is a giving Father, and his Spirit a giving Spirit, fo his fervants in the ministry are giving fervants; for he fays to them, "Freely ye have received, freely give; Go preach the gofpel to every creature.”— We are earthen veffels, for no other use but as cups, or veffels, for giving out to you what he gives to us for you.

Wherefore was Chrift humbled? Even to give himfelf for us. And wherefore is he exalted? He is even exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give himself to us, by giving repentance and remiffion of fins. He was humbled to give himself, and exalted to give his Spirit.

All his offices are giving offices. He is a Prophet, to give inftruction, and advice, and wifdom; a Prieft, to give righteoufnefs; and a King to give power and victory.

All his names are giving names. He is Jefus, to give falvation from fin and wrath; he is Chrift, to give the Spirit, the anointing; and he is Lord, to give the crown and the kingdom.

All his appearances are giving appearances. His doing, is for giving us a title to heaven; his dying is for giving us fecurity from hell and death; his refurrection, is for giving us a new life, and raising us to a new and

lively hope; his afcending up to heaven, leading captivity captive, was for receiving gifts for men, even for the rebellious; his fitting at the right-hand of God, and making continual interceffion there, is for giving out the bleffings of his purchase, and for making the powerful application thereof.

All his ordinances are giving ordinances. Minifters are earthen veffels, into which he puts the treasure that he gives out for you; "We have this treasure in earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." What is the word preached, and the facraments difpenfed, but like fo many veffels and cups, and means for conveying his gifts and bounties to finners?

All his promifes are giving promifes. There is the new heart to be given; "A new heart alfo will I give you:" there is the new Spirit to be given; "I will put my Spirit within you."

I may fay all his commands are giving commands; for the fum of his commands is this, that ye believe in him; and what is that but that ye receive him? It is just God ftretching forth his hand, and commanding you to take all from him, and to be obliged to him for all; for, "He gives grace, and glory, and every good thing:" and his command is, that you take what he gives. QUEST. How does he give?

ANSW. He gives freely, and fully; when he gives himfelf, he gives all: He gives irreverfibly; "The gifts and callings of God are without repentance:" He gives lov. ingly; He loved me, and gave himself for me.

QUEST. What of himfelf did he give for them?

ANSW. He gave his body a facrifice; his back to the fmiters, and to the whole burden of wrath; his cheeks to them that pulled off the hair; his name to be a reproach; his hands, and feet, and fide, to be pierced; his head, to be crowned with thorns; his blood, to be poured out; his foul, to be an offering for fin.

QUEST. Why is his love a giving love?

ANSW. Thus he gets glory to his name, to his Father, and to himself. This is fuitable to his peoples need

and