He prayed that his human nature might be exalted to a participation of it [This had been promifed to him And it was now about to be conferred upon him1-] This petition was highly reasonable as grounded on the foregoing appeal [He had left heaven to promote the Father's glory-He ought therefore to return to it for his own glory It was right that his body, which had been the inftrument whereby the Father was glorified, should itself be glorified with the Father-] INFER 1. How easy is it to fee who are real Chriftians! [Every true Chriftian follows Chrift, and walks as he walked But the end and aim of Chrift's life was to glorify the Father Here then is a plain line of diftinction whereby we may judge May we all dread the doom of the unprofitable fervant!— May we begin the work affigned us in good earnest!— May we on our death-bed be able to make the fame appeal, and offer a fimilar petition to that in the text!-] 2. What ground of confolation is there for true penitents! [The work affigned to Chrift was to redeem a loft worldHe perfected that work, fo that nothing need or can be added to it Let penitents then confide in him, and rejoice in his falvation 3. How bleffed is the end of the Christian's labours ! [He here labours much and fuffers much for God's glory But foon he fhall be glorified with God himfelf He fhall continue to enjoy that glory when the world shall be no more Let Christians then look forward to the end with joy-] ▲ Pf. xvi. 10, 11. 1 Phil. ii. 9. LXXIV. GOD'S GIFT OF HIS SON A GROUND FOR EXPECTING EVERY OTHER BLESSING. Rom. viii. 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how, shall he not with him also freely give us all things? THE gospel is juftly compared to an ineftimable treafure While it referves all the glory to God, it communicates unfpeakable bleffednefs to men The perfon who truly receives it cannot have any juft ground of fear Nor is there any thing fo great, but he may reasonably hope that it fhall be given him us of To this effect the apoftle fpeaks in the paffage before He reprefented the falvation of believers as altogether grace In a triumphant manner he teaches them to defy all their enemies b He declares that God's paft goodness to them is a ground for expecting every other blefling at his hands I. The goodnefs of God towards finful man The state of fallen man was desperate No poffible way was left whereby we might restore ourfelves to God's favour God in compaffion to us "fpared not his own Son" [Nothing lels than the incarnation and death of the Son of God could remedy the miferies which mankind had brought upon themfelves Yet, fuch was God's regard for our finful race, that, rather than they fhould perifh, he would not withhold his only Son--] He "delivered him up" to death [God fent not his Son merely to inftruct us He a Ver. 30. Ibid. • Οὐκ ἐφείσατο may either mean that he fpared him not in a way of juftice, i. e. that he exacted of him the utmost farthing of our debt (fee 2 Pet. ii. 4.) or that he fpared him not in a way of bounty, i. e. withheld him not. The latter feems to be the fenfe in this place. He gave him to make atonement for our fins He fent him to die even the accurfed death of the cross-] We "all" were the perfons for whose fake God thus delivered him [All indeed are not alike benefited by this gift But there is a fufficiency in the death of Chrift to expiate the fins of all mankind If any receive not falvation through him, they owe it to their own obftinate unbelief Every one, who defires acceptance through him, may say, He was delivered up for me-] This manifeftation of divine goodness affords abundant ground for II. The inference drawn from it God will "give us all things" that are needful [The general expretlion "all things" muft be understood in a limited fenfe God will not give worldly riches and honours to his people But all things that are good for them he will beftowWhatever they need for body or foul, for time or eternity-] He will give us all things "freely" [He does not need to have bleffings extorted from him by importunity He is far more willing to give than we are to afkNor does he give because we afk, but ftirs us up to afk, be caufe he before determined to give He will beflow every thing on his people as a father on his own children-} This may be inferred from what he has already done [Will not he, who has given his own Son, give fmaller things? Will he, who was fo gracious to his enemies, forget his friends? Will he, who did fo much unfolicited, reffe thofe who cry day and night unto him?— This inference is fo obvious, that the apofile appeals to the reafon of every man to judge of it He infinuates that to doubt it would be the height of abfurdity He feems to think that God could not act otherwife-] By way of IMPROVEMENT let us ། 1. Endeavour to estimate aright this gift of God [God's [God's own Son is infinitely above all creaturesAll the hofts of angels and all the glory of heaven were nothing in comparison of him Had he been a mere creature, the apoftle's inference had been inconclufive He, againft whom the fword of vengeance was put forth, was Jehovah's fellow —— Let our gratitude rife in proportion to the excellency of this gift Let us contemplate its excellency, till we exclaim with the apoftie --] 2. Let us avail ourselves of the encouragement given us to ask for more [We daily nced many things both for our bodies and fouls And we have the fulleft affurance that God will grant us what we need Let not any one then fay "I am too unworthy to ask "What worthine's was there in man to obtain the gift of God's own Son?— After HIM, can there be any thing too great for God to beftow? Surely then the weakeft and the vileft may enlarge their petitions If we "open our mouths wide, God will fill them"-] 3. Let us be chiefly folicitous to receive Chrift himself [God will beftow every thing" with Chriji "— We cannot receive his bleflings without HIM, nor him without his bleffings Let us then in every state labour moft to fecure our interest in Chrift If he be ours, we cannot but have every thing in, and with him -] If our Lord were only a creature, the reasoning would be to this effect:-"If God delivered up one creature to endure temporal pain, how fhall he not deliver millions of creatures from enduring eternal mifery? If he gave one creature, who was infinitely below himself, to be deprived of life for a time, how thall he not give himself, who is infinitely above all creatures, to be our everlasting portion?" What force or propriety, would there be in fuch reafoning as this? Zech. xiii. 7. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Cor. iii. 21-23. fa Cor. ix. 15. 2 Rev. iii. 2. Be watchful, and ftrengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. THE epiftles to the churches of Afia feem defcriptive of the state of the feveral churches at the time they were written But they are for the moft part applicable alfo to other churches There are too many focieties of Chriftians that resemble that at Sardis There was much profeffion and but little life among them This our Lord fignified to them in the letter he dictated to St. John " On account of it he gave them the falutary admonition in the text I. When it may be faid that the things which remain in us are ready to die It is here fuppofed that there were fome good things in the Sardian church, though they were much on the decline What is faid therefore of their being "dead" muft be understood rather in reference to their frame than their State The things which remain in us are ready to die, when our graces languish The exercile of our graces is a fure teft both of the reality and degree of our spiritual life We may form a judgment by examining [The office of faith is to realize invifible thingsWhen it is vigorous it discovers the comparative value of heaven and earth |