This leads to a queftion, Why, fay you, who may expect a share of this engagement of Chrift ? Des he engage in behalf of us all? I answer, in fuch a manner as concerns all that hear me, that he engaged in behalf of all that were given him of the Father; and that none of all that hear this gospel may look upon themselves as fhut out, he expreffes it thus, John vi. 37. All that the Father hath given me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out. And confequently he engages in behalf of all that fhall not exclude themselves from the benefit of this glorious engagement by their final unbelief, in rejecting this Christ, and refufing to be saved on these terms, which Chrift engaged to fulfil. And fo the door is open to you all, to put in for a full share of all that Chrift hath engaged to do; especially if you think that your own perfonal bonds and engagements, vows, promifes and covenants, are not fo good and fufficient as Christ's perfonal engagement in your stead: Think you fo, my friends? friends? O then, here is a good bargain for you; you that have no money to pay your debt, no grace to perform your duty, no ftrength to fecure your fafety, O here is a Chrift engaging to God for your debt, your duty and your fafety: O let your heart fay with application, Amen, it is a good bargain for me; and if fo God hath beforehand faid Amen, fo let it be. In a word, the fum of Christ's engagement that he came under in his approach to God, was to fulfil God's law, to vindicate his holiness, to fatisfy his juftice, to bear his wrath in our stead, and to be made fin for us, and fo to be made a curfe for us, I Cor. v. laft. Gal. iii. 13. He engaged to be made a facrifice, a ransom, a propitiation for us, and to be all that the glory of

God's

God's perfections in the matter of our falvation required. Thus he engaged himself to approach to God.

Secondly, What approach did he make to God under thefe engagements? In fhort, (1.) it was a near approach, by God's own allowance and appointment. See the context, I will caufe him to draw near, and he shall approach to me. We behoved to have stood at an infinite diftance from God to all eternity, had not Christ been allowed to come near in our ftead. But behold, he made a near approach under the fhadow of lawful authority; his Father authorised him therein, and caufed him to approach: God the Father is the primary cause of our falvation. This commandment, fays Christ, have I received of my Father, John x. 15. It is his Father's will that he came to do, Pfal. xl. 8. And how near Chrift approaches to God in our ftead, under this authority, allowance, and command, who can tell among men or angels? For he came fo near, as to lay his hand upon God; yea, to take God and all his glorious perfections, all his feemingly jarring attributes in his arms, as it were, and reconcile them one to another, and bind them together with the band of infinite amity and harmony to the higheft glory of each of them, in the matter of our falvation: And hence, upon this near approach, it was faid, mercy and truth are met together, righteoufnefs and peace have kifed each other. Therefore, (2.) It was a bold approach by God's own affiftance, as well as near by his allowance. This is evident alfo in the text, I will caufe him to draw near; and who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? faith the Lord. It was a bold and couragious approach indeed; but it was by his Fa

ther's

*

ther's help and affiftance. Ifa. 1. 7. The Lord God will help me, therefore fhall I not be confounded; yea, therefore have 1 jet my face like a flint. It was fuch a bold adventure, as none could have made but himself. And yet, (3.) it was an humble approach: For tho' he was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God, yet he humbled himself, and took upon him the form of a fervant, Philip. ii. 8. He became his Father's humble fervant in the work of our redemption; Behold my fervant whom I uphold. He ferved him in a state of humiliation, from the time of his incarnation to the time of his exaltation. He was meek and lowly, while he offered his humble fervice to God for our fake, and his humble fervice to us for God's fake, ftooping down to wash our feet, to wash our hearts, to wash our confciences, to wash our fouls in his own blood, faying, If I wash thee not, thou haft no part in me. His approach to God was an humble and reverential approach, with holy filial fear and regard of his Father; therefore it is faid, Heb. v. 7. that in the days of his flesh, be offered up prayers and fupplications, with frong crying and tears, to him that was able to fave him from death, and was heard in that he feared. How humbly did he cry to his Father in the garden, when he faid, Father, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me; neverthelefs not my will, but thine be done: Now is my foul troubled, and what fhall I fay? Father, farve me from this bour; but for this caufe came I to this hour; Father, glorify thy name. It was in the faddeft, earnest, and deepest humility, that he approached to his Father in this work. (4.) It was a folemn approach. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach to me? It is I, fays Chrift; and he fays,

it with a folemnity, Lo I come, Pfal. xl. 7. Lo I come, in the volume of thy book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God. Lo I come; as if he had faid, let heaven and earth be witneffes to this approach of mine; let God and all the creatures of God atteft it; for I am not afhamed of this work which the Father hath given me to do. Lo I come. Other characters of this approach may fall in upon the next general head; Therefore I go to the next particular here premised, which will alfo further illuftrate the nature of this approach.

Thirdly, Under what confideration are we to view the God to whom he approached? Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto ME? What ME? It is to me, fays Jehovah. And here we would confider the God to whom he approached in our ftead, in these following refpects. (1.) He engaged to approach unto God as an abfolute God. Chrift the second perfon of the adorable Trinity perfonally confidered, engaged in our name to approach to God, Father, Son and Holy Ghoft effentially confidered, to approach to the throne of infinite majefty. We have to do with a God in Christ, in all our approaches; and may not approach to a God out of Chrift, otherwife we would be confounded: But Chrift had to do with a God by himself. Chrift is mediator betwixt God and man, but there was no mediator betwixt God and Chrift: Chrift muft approach, as well as he could, to God himself immediately, that we thro' his mediation might have accefs to God. It was a faying of Luther's, Nolo Deum abfolutum, Lord deliver me from an abfolute God, a God out of Chrift; for as he is terrible to finners, fo, in himself confidered, he VOL. II. davells

dwells in light to which no man can approach, 1 Tim. vi. 16. But this inacceffible being is the God to whom Chrift did approach. (2.) He engaged to approach unto God as a commanding God, commanding perfect obedience according to the tenor of the covenant of works, commanding perfect obedience in man's own perfon as the condition of life: And now, feeing, in the covenant of grace, a change of perfons is allowed, but no change of the terms or conditions, but that our holy God will ftill be a commanding God, Chrift accepts of the terms, and engages to fulfil the condition of life, be the command what it will. Lo, I come to do thy will. Father, what is thy command? I come to thee as a commanding God, a law-giver, to obey thy law; yea, thy law is within my heart; or, as it is in the Hebrew, it is in the midst of my bowels. None that had any blemish was to approach or come near unto God, Lev. xxi. 21. If there had been any blemish in the perfon or righteousness of Chrift, he could not have approached to an infinitely holy and commanding God; and his coming to God under this confideration, is juft his coming under the law, or under the command in our ftead. (3.) He engaged to approach unto God as a threatning God, threatning death and wrath to the tranfgreffors of his command, and faying, as Lev. x. 3. I will be fanctified by all that approach or come nigh unto me; I will either be fanctified by them, or fanctified upon them: And thus he had God to deal with, not only as a commander and law-giver requiring obedience, but as a judge requiring fatisfaction when the law is broken. He approaches to God, not only as God of infinite holiness, whofe command must be obeyed;

but