your heart? Then, hope, there is fome power; and if you be hearing his powerful voice, then rife, the Mafter calls you. Rife, dead Lazarus; rife, ftupid foul, ye that are as ftupid as the earth beneath your feet. "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." The laft trumpet will not be more powerful, to make the earth and fea give up their dead bodies, than this great gofpel-trumpet is powerful to raife dead fouls, if the Lord by the breathing of his Spirit be blowing it, and if you be hearing his voice;" They that hear fhall live." I have no more to fay; and I have faid nothing that will be heard, unless he fay the word. Rife and live; rife and come to Jefus, and in this way come and worship in his holy mount. -May the Lord himself speak powerfully to you.

SERMON

SERMON CIII.

The SUM of the GOSPEL; or, GOD in

CHRIST.*

MAT. iii. 17.

-This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleafed.

THIS chapter fhews us two things principally, 1. The rifing of the morning-flar, John the Baptift, to prepare the way for Chrift's appearing. 2. The more glorious rifing and fhining of the Sun of righteoufnefs himself, particularly in Chrift's baptifm. Here is an objection John makes against baptizing Jefus, when he came to him to be baptized, ver. 13, 14. " But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comeft thou to me?" Here is Chrift's over-ruling objection, infifting upon the being baptized of him, and giving the reafon of it, ver. 15. "And Jefus anfwering, faid unto him, Suffer it to be fo now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs." We have here the folemnity of the baptifm; and here is from heaven a fpecial display of heavenly glory, both to encourage Christ in his undertaking, now when entering upon his work, his public miniftry, and to encourage us to receive him, in and through whom the heavens are opened to us. And hereupon we have,

ift, A messenger from heaven, and then a voice; He faw the Spirit defcending like a dove, ver. 16. If there must be a bodily appearance, it must not be that of a man;

*This fermon was preached immediately before the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper at Dunfermline, July 10th. 1737. with fome additional enlargement.

for

for, the being feen in fafhion as a man, was peculiar to the fecond perfon: none, therefore, more fit than the fhape of one of the fowls of heaven, and of all fowls, none fo fignificant as the dove. Why? The Spirit of Chrift is a dove-like Spirit; not a filly dove, without heart; but an innocent dove, without gall, and harmlefs, inoffenfive. The dove was the fowl offered in facrifice; and Chrift, by the eternal Spirit, offered himfelf without fpot unto God. The tidings of the falling of the flood was brought by the dove, with an olive branch in her mouth fitly, therefore, is the glad tidings of peace with God brought by the Spirit as a dove, by the voice of the turtle heard in our land; by which, the Chaldee Paraphrase understand, the voice of the holy Spirit.

2dly, We have a voice from heaven. As the Holy Ghoft manifefts himself in the likeness of a dove; fo God the Father, by a voice; and it is a voice that brings the best news that ever was heard, and that ever came from God to earth: for it fpeaks plainly forth God's favour to Chrift, and then to us in him.

1. It speaks forth God's favour to Chrift Jefus our Lord; This is my beloved Son. This expreffeth both his relation and affection.

(1.) It exprefleth the relation he ftands in to him; He is my Son. Chrift is his Father's Son by eternal generation; thus, as God, he is co-equal with the Father, begotten of him before all worlds, Col. i. 15. "Who is the image of the invifible God, the firft-born of every creature:" as man, he is the Son of God, by fupernatural conception, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghoft. Alfo, he is the Son of God, by fpecial defignation to the work and office of Redeemer; he is fanctified, fealed and fent upon this errand, brought up with the Father for it, and appointed to it.

(2.) It expreffeth the affection the Father hath for him, This is my beloved Son; he is his dear Son, the Son of his love, Col. i. 13. He had lain in his bofom from eternity, John i. 18.; was always his delight, Prov. viii. 30. But particularly, as Mediator, and in undertaking the work of man's redemption, he was his

beloved

beloved Son; His Elect, in whom his foul delighteth, Isa. xlii. 1. "Therefore doth my Father love me, becaufe I lay down my life, that I may take it again, John x. 17. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things in to his hand," John iii. 35. Surely thus we may know and admire how he loved us, and the like of us, that he hath not witheld his Son, his only Son, his Ifaac whom he loved, but gave him up a facrifice for our fins; and therefore he loved him, because he laid down his life for us.

Therefore,

2. Obferve God's favour to us in him. He is my beloved Son, not only with whom, but IN whom I am well-pleafed. Not only well-pleafed with all that are in him, and unite to him by faith; but, being in him, E am well-pleased, and declare my felf well-pleafed, and fatisfied.

The word fignifies fomewhat elfe than that love, affection, and delight in Chrift, in the former claufe. The word here on though it be a Greek word importing approbation and affection; yet it hath its fignifi cation, not from the Greek, but from the Hebrew; for this verfe is taken from Ifa. xlii. 1. "Mine Elect, in whom my foul delighteth;" which, though it be readered, as here, by the feventy Interpreters, yet properly it fignifies to be appealed, pacified, reconciled; and fo it is not only, in whom I delight, and am well-pleased for thyfelf; but alfo, in whom I am quieted, and fatisfied with all these that belong to thee. This is the fum of the Gofpel, as it is expreffed, 1 Cor. v. 19. "God was in Chrift reconciling the world to himself." Out of Christ he is a confuming fire; but in Chrift, he is, a reconciled God; he offering himself a facrifice to fatisfy divine juf tice, and reconcile us unto God.

From the words we obferved two doctrinal propofitions. The firft was, That Chrift Jefus, the Son of God, is the beloved of the Father, the object of his highest love, delight, and esteem. This doctrine being formerly *

*This firft doctrine was handled in feveral stated difcourfes before the facrament.

fpoken

spoken to, at confiderable length, I proceed now to the fecond, viz.

DOCT. That God is in Chrift, and in him alone a well-pleafed and pacified, God.

For proving and illuftrating of this doctrine, fee thefe parallel texts, Ifa. xlii. 1. “Behold, my Servant, whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my foul delighteth:" compared with Mat. xii. 18. “Behold my Servant, whom I have chofen; my Beloved, in whom my foul is well-pleafed. Ifa. xlix. 3. Thou art my Servant, O Ifrael, in whom I will be glorified. John xiii. 31. Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. Mat. xvii. 5. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am wellpleased; hear ye him. I Cor. v. 15. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself."

The method we lay down, for the further profecuting of this fubject, through divine affiftance, fhall be as follows,

I. We fhall speak of God's being in Christ.
II. Enquire how God is in Christ.

III. Shew that in Chrift he is well-pleafed.
IV. Make application of the whole fubject.

ན

I. We are to fpeak of God's being in Chrift. For understanding this, we may confider, 1. What God is out of Chrift. 2. What God is in Chrift.

1ft, What God is out of Chrift to the finner. Why, he is an offended, a threatening, a dishonoured, and a diftant God.

1. God out of Chrift is to a finner an angry God; Pfal. vii. 11. “God judgeth the righteous; God is angry with the wicked every day;" or, it may be read, God is the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE; God is angry with the wicked every day;' becaufe he is a righteous Judge, therefore he cannot but be difpleafed, offended, and angry with them; and, oh! but the wrath and anger of God is a terrible matter.." Who knows the power of his wrath?" When it begins to burn, it burns to the lowest hell.

2. God