and reign with him forever. This honour have all the

faints.

لا

VI. Ws may hence see the warrant we have to wor. ship and pray to Jesus Christ, and call upon his name. We have seen that he is worshipped by all the inhabitants of heaven; that the Apostles and primitive chriftians prayed to him, and called on his name: And there is the fame reason why his people should do so in all ages, and at all times. He is God manifest in the flesh, Immanuel, God in our nature. He has all power in heaven and on earth; and is head over all things to the church. He can do all things for us that we want; why should we not ask him for what we want, and constantly pray to him, acknowledging our absolute dependence on him, and his sufficiency and ability to do all for us ? And is not a neglect to do this putting a flight upon him ?

It will be asked, perhaps, whether this be not expreffly forbidden by Christ, when he says, "In that day ye shall ask me nothing: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will - give it you."t

Anf. When he says, "In that day ye shall ask me nothing," the word in the original is commonly used - for asking questions. And not to make a petition. The disciples had been asking him a number of questions for their information about things which they did not understand. Christ tells them in these words, that after his ascension they should have no opportunity or occa. fion to afk him any questions; for they should then have sufficient knowledge by the holy spirit teaching them all things they should have need to know. When he says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the father," he uses another word for asking, which always fignifies to make a petition.

But

† John xvi. 28,

But from these last words there arises another question. Here Christ directs to ask the Father in his name. not this an implicit prohibition to ask any thing of him directly?

Is

Anf. This cannot be understood as a prohibition to pray to Jesus Christ, and call on his name because the Apostles and primitive christians did this, as has been shown. And perhaps, if the matter be properly confidered, it will appear that praying directly to Jefus Chrift, and asking him, is asking in his name, and afking the father, as really, though not exprefsly, as when we ask the father directly, in the name of Christ. Jesus Christ says, "I and my father are One. What things soever the father doth, these also doth the Son likewife."* He hath, and exerciseth all the power that is in heaven and earth. It hath pleased the father that all fulness should dwell in him. And the father says to wretched man, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." Whatever you want, go to him for relief and a supply; as Pharoah faid to the starving people, "Go to Joseph." He then, who goes to Christ and asks the things which he wants of him, does really and in truth go to the father, and asks of him, as he is the appointed governor and steward, and has all things in his hands. "The father loveth the son, and hath delivered all things into his hand. All things that the father hath, are mine." As the people by applying to Joseph, with whom all the authority and supplies were lodged, did really apply to Pharaoh; fo they who apply to Christ and ask him, do really apply to the father through him, and ask of the father as really as if they expressly applied to him: For he and the father are one, and what he does, the father doth, and what the father doth, the same doth the son likewife. Therefore what our Saviour says in one paffage the father will do, in another he says, he himself will do the fame.

In the text under confideration he says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name, he will give it you." At another time he said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my pame, that will I do. If ye fhall ask any thing in my name, I will do it"+ And we ask the father in the name of Jesus Chrift, when we go to Christ, and ask him; for in this way we approach to the father, through him. We ask in the name of Christ, when we go immediately to Jesus Christ, and through him as a medium to the father, as really and as much as if we apply expressly to the father, and ask expressly in the name of Christ: For to afk in the name of Christ, is to rely on the atonestment he has made, and on his merit and righteousness for the favour we ask. And this may be done when we : apply immediately to Chrift, as really and as much as if we apply expressly to the father in his name.

:

VII. THIS fubject is suited to excite in our minds a conviction, and impress a sense of the amazing, infinite crime and folly of flighting and rejecting the Redeemer of men. The crime of this is great in proportion to the greatness, worthiness and excellence of this person, and his amazing condescension and goodness exercised and manifested in what he has done and suffered for man. And the folly of it is great, in proportion to the greatness of the evil from which he offers to deliver us; and of the good and happiness which he has obtained for man and invites him to accept, both of which are infinite. How unspeakably great then must be this wickedness and folly! They are to us as incomprehenfible in their magnitude, as are the person and works of the Redeemer; they are truly boundless and infinite! They are attended with innumerable other aggravations, which far exceed our thought. How much more guilty are they who reject and cast contempt upon Christ, than they could have been, had there been no such person, no such Redeemer! Andtheir endless punishment who persist in slighting him

+ John xiv. 13, 14.

and

and neglecting this salvation, and die impenitent, will be inconceivably greater. They flight, they reject and dispise God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and declare themselves to be irreconcilable enemies to him, while he is offering to be reconciled to them, to pardon their multiplied and infinitely aggravated offences, and bestow on them eternal life, in consequence of the Redeemer's undertaking in behalf of man, and obeying, and suffering unto death, for them. This serves to discover the universality, the exceeding greatness, and the malignity of the moral depravity of man. Jews and Gentiles acted this out, in the horrid action, never to be forgotten, in condemning and crucifying the Son of God, the Redeemer, when he was in their reach and power. And every man and woman who have lived since, and had opportunity to know the person and character of the Redeemer, have been guilty of the same crime, in a greater or less degree; as we have all flighted and abused him more or less; and so have, in this way, in some meafure at least, joined with them who put him to death.

CHAP. 111.

CHAP. 111.

Coverning the Defign and Work of the Redeemer.

HIS is a subject upon which professfing christ. ians are far from being agreed. They differ in opinion relorcting it, according to their different views of the moral state and character of man; from what he is to be redeemed; and of what is necessary to be done or suffered in order to his redemption. And this lays the foundation of their difference of opinion respecting the perfon and character of the Redeemer. For he must be aniwerable to the state of man, and to that which must be done or fuffered in order to his being delivered from fin and misery, and made completly happy forever, confiftent with the divine law, and the wisdom and honour of the moral Governor of man.

There are not a few in the christian world who entertain fuch ideas of God, his law and moral government; of the character of man, and the nature and crime of fin, that they fee no need of a Mediator and Redeemer, in order to the pardon and salvation of men: And therefore consider Jefus Christ as an impostor, and all who believe in him as deluded; and wholly discard divine revelation, and plunge into the darkness of Deism.

The Jews are fo ignorant of the nature of the moral law, and their own state, that they think they stand in need of no Redeemer, but one who shall deliver them from the power and oppression of man, and bestow on them