know that they are in very dangerous circumstances, and need a deliverer; and as Christ sustains that character, the knowledge of him is equally necessary, in order that they may apply to him. This truth will apply equally to believers. Their salvation is not yet completed, they ought, therefore, to know what is deficient, that they may employ Christ to carry it forward. But they ought to know that he is adequate to the work, a Saviour adapted to their condition, and possessed of such resources as will afford them an ample supply of every necessary. As it hath pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell, the alarmed sinner, taking a view of his fulness, flees unto him as his security against the impending danger; and believers, who have already experienced the comfortable truth, make it their daily exercise to "receive out of his fulness, and grace for grace." A few remarks have already been made on this fulness, showing what it includes, and our next work shall be

II. To point out its excellence, by mentioning some of its leading properties.

IN discussing this part of the subject, we do not speak of his fulness as God, but as it belongs to his mediatory character, nor of any fulness that belongs properly, or inherently, to his human nature. It is his fulness as God man Mediator, vested in his person by the Father, for the salvation of his people.

1. It is uncreated. There is nothing of a created nature about the Mediator but his man-hood. As a divine person, possessing all the perfections of supreme Deity, he has nothing created, but is necessary existent. Unitarians and Socinians would persuade us that he is no more than a creature, a person of our own order,a man like ourselves. He is distinguished as

Creator, from all creatures. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John i. 3. "By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth;-and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Col. i. 16, 17. His fulness of life, of the Spirit, of merit, of light and truth, of wisdom, of power, and of glory, is all uncreated. His divine person is the proper subject of all this fulness, not by creation, but by the special appointment of the Father, who, as he hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Some may be ready to hesitate about his righteousness, as if it were something created. The inherent habitual holiness of his human nature is properly created, but his relative surety righteousness is not. It is not a creature but a quality of his person as Mediator. When God administrates the affairs of his moral government, preserves his church, pardons his people, and punishes his enemies, he acts righteously. This is the righteousness of his moral character, but it can with no propriety be said to be created.

IF the fulness of the Mediator were created, himself, the subject of it, behoved to be a creature. In that case all of it, however extensive, would be no more than sufficient for himself. He could not, then afford any supply to us. The greatest extent of created fulness, in any being, would be no more than adequate to the obedience which he owed to God. It could admit of no positive communication to any other, nor fit him for producing any thing similar to it in others. It is purely owing to the uncreated fulness of the Mediator that he is able to save sinners. His fulness of Deity enabled him to create the world, and the same fulness

in him, as Mediator makes him adequate to the great

work of the new creation. Every part of his fulness bespeaks his Divinity, and renders him a proper object of the faith, worship, and obedience of his people, as much as the Father, who will have all men to honour the Son as they honour himself.

2. THIS fulness is unlimited.

Limitation is proper The effects of it, and

to creatures only, not to God. the communications made from it to his people, are necessarily limited; but this, instead of implying limitation in the fulness of the Saviour, necessarily implies the contrary. The universe, though of vast extent, is finite, yet does not infer a limitation of the powers of the Creator, but their infinity. All believers are subjects of limited capacity, all of them taken collectively, are also limited, but the fulness from which they receive their supplies is necessarily unbounded, otherwise it would be diminished, and at last exhausted.

IN whatever point of view his fulness is taken it will appear necessarily unbounded. In general, he comprised all his fulness in these words of his intercessory prayer to his Father. "All mine are thine, and all thine are mine." Or, more agreeably to the original, "All the things that are mine are thine, and these that are thine are mine." John xvii. 10. Though Christ speaks of those persons that were given him by the Father, these words cannot be restricted to them, though they include them. All things, in the most unlimited sense, the divine nature, perfections, counsels, power, worship, creatures, &c. are the common property of the Father and Son. All this he possesses in his mediatory character, for of that does he here speak. He uses a similar phraseology, chap. xvi. 15. "All things that the Father hath are mine." If the fulness of Christ may be estimated from his own declarations,

it is the same with the fulness of the Father, as they have all things common. In respect of his Deity, "All the fulness of the God-head dwells in him." In respect of his life," He only hath immortality." "God gave not the Spirit by measure unto him." His righte ousness is of infinite worth; and he hath all power in heaven and in earth,-a name above every name. Were the fulness of the Mediator limited he could not be the object of faith and trust to his people, as they would have good reason to apprehend want, and he would have to return them the answer of the wise virgins to the foolish, who applied to them for oil, "Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you." Alimited fulness would suffice for himself: but could admit of no supply to others.

3. It is inexhaustible. It can undergo no diminution, notwithstanding the extensive supplies which the necessities of his church and people constantly require. All his fulness remains still in his person, and no part of it is given away, or ceases to be in him, by the supplies which he affords to them. All creatures are the offspring of supreme Deity, and their sustentation is owing to the unremitting exertion of the same perfections that produced them, but these perfections are not impaired. Corporeal exertions debilitate and exhaust the strength of the agent; and communications from one man to another diminish the store from which they are taken. By passing into the possession of the one they cease to be possessed by the other. The case of the Mediator forms a striking contrast to this. There is no partition of his fulness, no division of it into parts, no transferring of it from himself unto others; it remains still in his own person. His people are made one with him by special union, and in virtue of that

enjoy his fulness, according as their necessities require. That life which he confers on them does not diminish or impair his own; he has still life in himself, as the living One, and because he LIVES they shall live also. Though he give them the Spirit, to dwell in them, and to show them the things that are his, the same Spirit dwells still in himself, as the Spirit of life. He is the same ONE living Spirit in the head and in the members. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom. viii. 9. When he clothes them with his righteousness, he does not unrobe himself; for if he did he would cease to be a justified head. But he continues the justified head of his people, because his surety righteousness remains in his person, and is inseparable from it; and they are partakers of his righteousness and his justification by becoming one with him. The whole mystical body of Christ, in union to him as its righteous head, is righteous in him, as one with him. Those rays of divine light by which he illuminates their minds, and that blessedness and glory which he confers upon them, leave him in possession of his fulness undiminished. There is nothing opposite to this in what Paul asserts concerning him, " That, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor." 2 Cor. viii. 9,, And, "That he made himself of no reputation;" Or, "emptied himself." Phil. ii. 7. He did not divest himself of any perfection, excellence, blessedness, greatness or fulness, belonging to his person; for even in his incarnate and humbled condition, "all the fulness of God-head dwelt in him;" and he was "full of grace and truth." But by assuming human nature, and appearing, and acting in the low, humble, condition of a servant, his glory was eclipsed, and in his external circumstances was indeed poor, "not having where to