God extends his care to the whole creation- He fupplied their every want— Thus, though lefs vifibly, he ftill regards thofe who truft in him He watches over them for good f h He limits and restrains all their adverfaries ——— He fympathizes with them in all their afflictions He imparts to them all temporal and fpiritual bleffings He hears and anfwers all their fupplications He accounts them his moft ineftimable treasure '— He communes with them as his fons and daughters He takes upon him the management of all their concerns -] m What encouragement does this afford us to trust in him! Our guardian and protector is infinitely wife [He knows what trials we fland in need of He can fuit all the circumftances of them to our neceffitiesHe can overrule them for our eternal benefit-] He is poffeffed of almighty power [There is no difficulty from which he cannot extricate — Nor duty which he cannot enable us to difcharge Should we, for whom fuch wifdom and power are exercised, be anxious?——— Moreover he is good and gracious [What innumerable bleflings has he already bestowed upon us! He has even given his own Son to die for us What then can we have to fear, if we truft in him • ?—] Above all, he is a faithful God [He has promifed feasonable protection and strength '— And is not his word a fure ground of confidence" ?—— Surely then we should be filled with confolation rather than with care *-] * John xv. 7. "Ifai. xlvi. 4. • Ifai. xxviii. 29. INFER Pf. lxxvi, 10. i Pf. lxxxiv. 11. מן 2 Cor. vi. 18. P Job xl. 2. Ifai. 1. 2. and xliii. 13. Ifai. xl. 27, 28. Ifai. liv. 10. 2 Sam. xxii. 31. Rom. viii. 32. x Heb. vi. 18. INFER 1. How needful is it that all fhould acquaint themfelves with God! ritv [Gaiety and diffipation may bear up the fpirit in profpe But God alone can comfort us in adverfity Y At the hour of death we thall all need divine fupport- 2. How happy would Chriftians be if they rightly enjoyed their privileges! [It is their privilege to be "without carefulness " If they trufted in God as they ought, nothing could disturb them Hence that exhortation to joy in God —— Let the afflicted faints then commit them felves to him — Let them know that duty is theirs, but events are hisLet them, in the face of all difficulties, adopt the words of Joshua Let them, with Hezekiah, repofe themselves on God -] LIII. THE GLORY WHICH CHRIST GIVES TO HIS PEOPLE. John xvii. 22. The glory which thou gavest me, I have given them. THE dignity of human nature is a favourite fubject with many Nor if man be confidered in his primæval ftate, can it be estimated too highly But man is a fallen creature, and reduced to the most abject condition The Scriptures fpeak of him in the most humiliating terms Nevertheless, through the grace of the gofpel, he is reftored to his primitive honours He in fome refpects is elevated even above the angels of heaven No No words can exprefs his dignity more fully than those of the text We enquire what that glory is which the Father gave to Chrift, and Chrift gives to his church and people I. The glory of manifefting the divine power Angels have been used as inftruments of divine power both for the prefervation and deftruction of mankindBut it is peculiar to Chrift and his people to manifeft the divine power in conflicts with their enemies--Chrift had this glory given him [He had innumerable enemies, both men and devils 2 But he conquered fin, Satan, death, and hell This he did through the fupport and influence of his Father -] This glory has Chrift given us [His people are in a state of warfare —— But the very weakest of them triumph at last through Chrift Paul acknowledges this to the praife of his divine mafter -] II. The glory of displaying the moral perfections of the Deity The material world difplays the natural perfections of God But not even the angels in heaven can fet forth all his moral perfections [Being never injured, they cannot exercise mercy, forbearance, love of enemies-] This is the peculiar prerogative of Chrift h [Chrift manifefted the most wonderful compaffion In fo doing he difplayed the Father's perfections This honour he himfelf received of the Father -] His people however are made to fhare this glory with him [They, as ftars in their feveral fpheres, reflect the beams of the Sun of righteoufnefs How ftrongly was his character delineated in the life of Paul and in the death of Stephen! Every Col. ii. 15. Eph. iv. 8- xxiii. 34. and xxiv. 47. Every one of them endeavours to "walk as he walked "- III. The glory of being fons of God The angels are fometimes called fons of God But they bear this relation to him only as creatures-- [Chrift is the Son of God both in his divine and human nature He is emphatically called by the apoftle "God's dear Son "-] The fame honour has Chrift conferred on us [Every believer is brought into this relation to God 1--This aftonifhing mercy may well excite wonder and admiration — -1 It is bestowed on the believer by Chrift himfelf p—IV. The glory of being united to God The Scriptures often speak of the union that fubfifts between Chrift and the Father [Our Lord himself affirmed that he and the Father were. one 9 St. Paul declares that all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in Chrift What our Lord did as man is attributed to him as God'—] A fimilar, though not the fame, union fubfifts between Chrift and his people vine [Our Lord reprefents them as branches of the living He compares their union with him to his with the Father" He declares not only that he him felf is the author of this union, but that it is a part of that glory which he has given us *-] V. The glory of reigning with God Both the good and evil angels are called principalities and powers But they are never faid to "reign" with God Our Lord however has received this honour of his Father [All power in heaven and in earth is committed to him " He is exalted far above all principalities and powers *It is decreed that every foul fhall fubmit to Jefus ~] This honour alfo has Chrift vouchfafed to his people [The victorious faints will exercife a kind of dominion over the ungodly at the laft day b They will fit with Chrift as affeffors in judgment over men and devils They have a kingdom appointed to them even now d They will be formally invefted with it at the last day— They will receive it as a fpecial grant from Chrift himfelf -] INFER 1. What an exalted character is the true Christian! [Chriftians are defpifed by the unbelieving worldBut the Scriptures defcribe their dignity in moft exalted terms How can we ever eftimate aright the glory given them by their Lord! What glory can the earth afford in comparison of this?Let us not then act unworthy of this high character-] 2. How marvellous is Chrift's love to his people! [Every thing, which he himself has received of the Father, he gives to them He even bought it with his blood, that he might bestow it upon them How incomprehenfible is this love!-- Let us entertain worthy conceptions of it Let us be conftrained by it to love and ferve him--] z Eph. i. 20, 21. y Matt. xxviii. 18. a Ifai. xlv. 23. d Luke xxii. 29. eRev. iii. 21. LIV. A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FATHER'S LOVE TO CHRIST, AND CHRIST'S TO US. John xv. 9. As my Father hath loved me, fo have I loved you: continue ye in my love. REASON could never fuggeft motives fufficient to counteract the paffions The law of God itfelf, with all its fanctions, could not change the heart The |