you may meet with, and you will readily find God will be with you.

Laftly, Pray, pray, lift up a cry for the rem nant that is left; let us meet continually at the throne of grace, minifters and people, to tryst with him in his ordinances, and to wrestle for his. prefence.

CHRIST,

CHRIST THE FATHER'S GIFT TO HIS

CHOSEN PEOPLE *.

SERMON XIII.

ISA. lv. 4. Behold, I have given him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people.

IN the firft verfe of the chapter, there is a large

offer of grace, and a cordial invitation to all to improve the bleffings of falvation. In the fecond and third verfes, the Lord expoftulates with finners for their flighting this offer, and pursuing after other things. Then the invitation itself is renewed, and backed with weighty motives. In all this the Lord has a special respect to the Gentiles, who at that time were strangers to the covenants of promise. In the text, there is a notable ground of encouragement for finners to come to Chrift; the very scope of it is to encourage them to come to him; it is as if God had faid, Why

*The time when this Difcourfe was delivered is not mentioned.

Why are you afraid to come? behold I have given him for that very end, to be a witnefs, a leader, and a commander to the people. Therefore you may conclude, that he must have a people to believe in him as a Witnefs, follow him as a Leader, and obey him as a Commander. Did ever any prince give any a captain's commiffion, but when he defigned alfo he should have fome under him as foldiers?

In the text, we have a declaration of what God the Father hath done for poor finners; and because it is an unequalled deed, it is ushered in with a note of attention and admiration, Behold, I have given. He has made a gift to finners, a gift fuch as may supply all their wants.

1. Confider the Giver; I, that is, the Father, the contriver and fource of the finner's falvation. None else could give fuch a great gift, none elfe had power to make this gift. In regard of the great Giver, then, it ought to be received with all due refpect and gratitude.

2. Confider the gift, him; that is, Chrift, of whom David was a type : John, iii. 16. “ God fo loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son." This is a gift fuitable to the greatness of the Giver. He gives like a King, yea, like the King of kings for his gift is unspeakably and infinitely great.

3. Mark the conveyance of this noble gift: I have given him; I have freely beftowed him. This was according to the covenant of grace; he was not given against his will. No; his Father's will and his are one, he gave himself alfo. The Father freely defigned him for the work, and he chearfully accepted, faying, "Lo! I come."

4. Confider the end of this gift. For what purpofe did the Father give Chrift? Why, it was to

fupply

fupply the needs of the people, both the Jews and the Gentiles. But here the Gentiles seem to be. especially aimed at, ver. 5. « Behold, thou fhalt call a nation that thou knoweft not; and nations. that know not thee shall run unto thee." What fort of people thefe were, may be learned in part from the ends for which Chrift is given. He is given,

(1.) For a Witnefs, to teftify the truth and to reveal the mind and will of God to the people : John, xviii. 37. "To this end," faid Jefus, "was. I born, and for this caufe came I into the world, that I fhould bear witness to the truth; every one: that is of the truth he heareth my voice." Hence it follows, that they are an ignorant people, that know not God, nor the mysteries of falvation i the very people that have loft their eyes in Adam; an unbelieving people, who will not believe God, unless he proves what he fays by his Witness.

(2.) For a Leader, to go before them as a Prince and a Captain, as the word fignifies, and fo they are a people that have difficulties to go through, and know not their way, and so stand in need of a Leader. He is given,

(3.) For a Commander, to give them out laws and rules for their obedience. This implies that they are an unruly people, who must have one to keep them in order.

There is a Behold prefixed to the text. This ferves to stir up attention and admiration. Let us confider and wonder, how graciously and fuitably the Lord has provided for us.-In this verfe,, there is this.

DOCTRINE, That the Father's giving of Christ to be a Witness, Leader, and Commander to finners, is a metter worthy of deepest confidera( tion, and greatest admiration.

In difcourfing on this fubject, it is intended, by divine aid,

I. To fhew you some special steps of God's giving this noble gift, Christ.

II. To inquire for what this gift is so remarkable.

III. What we may behold in the Father's giving this gift. And,

IV. To conclude with a practical improvement.

WE are then,

I. To fhew you fome fpecial fteps of God's giving this noble gift, Chrift.

I. God made this gift before time, even from all eternity, in refpect of defignation; the Lord defigned him to be a Witness, Leader, and Commander to the people; from all eternity did God design to bring many fons to glory; and therefore at that period alfo did he design their Captain for them. What is done in time is but the execution of eternal decrees; eternal life was promifed us in Chrift Jefus before the world began, Tit, i. 2.

2. God gave him in the morning of time, in the firft promife: "The feed of the woman shall bruise the head of the ferpent." When Adam fell, and involved all his pofterity in a loft condition, when he had carried all of them out of the way of life, fo that none of them could ever know it again without a Witness, nor walk in it without a Guide, then God promised this noble gift, to make up what Adam had lost, and to restore to us what he had taken away.

3. In the fulness of time, when he actually exhibited this gift; when the word was made flefh, and tabernacled among us: "When the fulness of time was come, God fent forth his

Son,