unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him."* But it more especially refers to the Divine supports which are afforded to our Redeemer in His mediatorial administration and government. That kingdom of grace, at the head of which He is placed, is upheld by the watchful care and the ceaseless energy of the almighty Providence. Every dispensation of that Providence, toward individuals and toward nations, is contrived and arranged in entire subserviency to the cause of Christ, and to the great purposes for which He lived, and died, and rose again. So that, while He is the Father's Servant, all are His servants for God hath "set 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 also 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." +-This expression also intimates to us the high sanction and supreme authority of every saying and act of Jesus Christ. Whatever He speaks or does, the Father upholds and confirms. From His teaching and administration, though He be a Servant, there is no appeal to the Father who employs Him. None of His public acts will ever be disallowed or reversed. final and irrevocable. If He bless men, they shall be blessed. If He finally condemn them, His sentence shall never be set aside. To Him everything connected with the moral and eternal interests of the human race is definitively committed; and at the close of His mediatorial operations it will be said, with awful emphasis, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." t It is vain, and, after the uniform assertion of Scripture as to the finality of the Christian dispensation, it is as unbecoming as vain, for men to hope that any "uncovenanted" exercise of the Divine prerogative or sovereignty will Revelation xxii. 11. * Luke xxii. 43. His decisions are absolutely † Ephesians i. 20–22. being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (5.) I observe, lastly, that reverence and all kindred habits are demanded by the very terms of access and acceptance, which God in His word has connected with the promises He has made to His worshippers.-"Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy." In this spirit, therefore, you must necessarily draw nigh to God; for only in that case is He pledged to draw nigh to you. Reverence, seriousness, and contrition, with lively faith, are essential to secure those covenant blessings of which religious ordinances are the appointed channels. While mere triflers, after many years' attendance on God's house, remain the same sinful and miserable beings as ever, those who thus worship Him in spirit and in truth, and who give earnest heed to His holy word, shall infallibly receive the most substantial benefits. In His light shall they see light. They shall be made wise unto salvation. They shall be favoured with the delightful assurances of pardoning mercy. Their souls shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Thus shall they go from strength to strength, till in that Zion which is above every one of them shall appear before God. Briefly, in conclusion:-Let us all endeavour, when we come together to the house of God, to keep in view the great objects of our assembling. Some attend a place of worship from curiosity, some from custom, some for intellectual entertainment, some to meet and salute their friends. Now, it is better to come from such motives than not to come at all. You have already heard, that these assemblies are not exclu towards sinners may obtain their perfect gratification, and yet be reconciled in their exercise with the utmost claims of the Divine honour and holiness. This acceptance of the death of Christ, and this complacency in it, were publicly testified by His resurrection and exaltation to heaven. For the suffering of death, that very nature which died is now crowned with glory and honour. Humanity, in the person of our ascended Lord, is seated on the throne of the universe: a most illustrious proof of the Father's delight in His chosen Servant.This delight has reference to the Mediator in His present character and operations, as the Head of the church, and the Agent by whom the plans for its gradual enlargement and ultimate perfection are constantly superintended, and shall be brought in due season to a prosperous issue. The work of redemption, and the great transactions and results connected with it, are events of the most interesting and joyous character. They bring joy and gladness to men, wherever they are duly appreciated. They afford to angels delightful views of the manifold wisdom, and power, and goodness of God. They yield a recompense of joy to the blessed Saviour; for He sees of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied, in proportion as those objects are successively accomplished, to which He looked forward in all His sufferings as the joy set before Him. And, supremely, they afford a delight to the benevolent mind of the Father Himself, such as never resulted from any or all of His other works and dispensations. The salvation of man by Jesus Christ is the concern which is nearest and dearest to His heart, and in the process and consummation of which He takes the highest pleasure. In Christ, and in His work, God's very soul delighteth. Before I proceed to the second head of discourse, allow me to pause for the purpose of briefly pointing out to you the instruction which may be derived from the view already taken of the official character of our Saviour, in reference to all Christian ministers and missionaries. Every such functionary should in his measure sustain the same character with that In the mean time, let us prize these earthly tabernacles of our God; frequent them, with our families and households; and cheerfully bear our part of the expenses of their maintenance. Let us emulate the zeal of ancient Israel, in response to the call of Moses, as we read in Exodus xxxv. :— They came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all His service, and for the holy garments." May God grant us this grace! : stance, that in almost all their pastoral letters they distinctly state, with a striking uniformity of idea and expression, that they were apostles "by the will of God." And all their successors in the work of Christ, but especially such as are occupied in those Missionary labours which most nearly approximate in things essential to the duties of the primitive apostleship, should see to it that they have, in no uncertain or unimportant sense, their warrant in those commanding words of Jesus,-"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain."* And let all who trust that they are thus chosen and ordained remember, finally, that Jesus Christ is ready to put upon all His servants the same Spirit of power and holiness which the text describes the Father as having put upon Him. For the full baptism of that Spirit let them apply in prayer and faith. If even apostles needed this unction from above, and were commanded to tarry at Jerusalem till they received its Pentecostal fulness, how manifestly needful is it for modern ministers and missionaries! Many other qualifications are desirable, but this is indispensable. When men thus called by God, and endued with the Spirit, not of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, go forth to serve the Lord and their generation, the happiest effects may be anticipated. Such men will be upheld in their work by Divine grace and providence; and God will smile with acceptance on their labours of love. By such helps and such sanctions given to their efforts, He in truth accomplishes in one respect the promise made in the text to the Mediator Himself. He glorifies His Son in those by whom He is represented, and who are His agents and ambassadors among men. Nor is it only to ministers or missionaries themselves that this application of the text is important. To the church of Christ at large it speaks the language of instruction in righteousness. It reminds us of our duty to pray to the Lord * John xv. 16. |