CHAP. VIII. Of the Duties we owe to the Son of God, our Saviour and Lord. W E have in the preceding Chapters inveftigated the natures, afcertained the Sonfhip, and given fome account of the generation of the Son of God. We have, agreeably to these principles, delineated the dignity of his perfon, and reprefented the great offices for which he was born into the world, with his effectual execution of them, and the high honours and rewards to which for his perfonal dignity and his offices he is juftly exalted. Thefe are the capital points of this moft important article of the Chriftian faith, and are of the higheft. moment for our inftruction and happiness. Our . .delineation of thefe articles has been general, as we intended to keep as clofe as poffible to the fcriptural reprefentations of it, and that the rays of this great truth, which are diffufed through the whole fphere of divine revelation, might be arranged, collected and concentred into one view, which contributes more to our knowledge and belief of it, than an explication more minute and tedious. Let us now conclude the whole, by pointing out and enforcing the duties, which as men and Chriftians, we owe to this Son of God our Saviour and Lord. Every doctrine of Chriftianity has a practical defign, and ought to be improved to the purposes of religion and falvation; but none more than this fundamental and moft important.. one, one. The Sonship and offices of Christ comprehend the great foundations of the Chriftian faith and hopes, and therefore fuggeft the great and capital duties of the Chriftian character. They contain all that Chrift has become, all that he has done, is doing, or will do for our complete falvation, and naturally lead us to confider all that we must be and do, for the honour of our divine Mafter, and to fecure our intereft in that falvation he purchased and reveals to us. 1. Let us feriously confider this gracious conftitution of heaven in the generation and offices of the Son of God for our falvation, and be convinced of its truth and neceffity, its fitnefs and fufficiency, for the great ends defigned by it. Inconfideration is the fource of that ignorance, ignorance of that disbelief, and disbelief of that difregard to Chrift and Chriftianity that have fo generally prevailed in the world. Did men confider the Chriftian fcheme with that attention its infinite importance deferves, they could not fail to underftand it. In proportion as they understand it, they must be convinced of its truth, neceffity and importance; and in proportion as they are convinced of thefe, will they admire and regard it. The whole hiftory of the human world from the beginning, the public face of mankind, and the private feelings of every confcious individual in every age, join with the declarations of heaven in afluring us, that we are finful and guilty creatures, and that a divine Saviour was neceflary to redeem and fave us. The whole revelations of God to mankind from age to age, have informed us, that of the divine goodnefs a Saviour was provided for us, and that this Saviour was to be the Son of God. And the fulfillment I 5 fulfillment of all the prophecies given of the Son of God and Saviour of the world, in Chrift Jefus, and the glorious characters himself poffeffed, give every difcerning mind the fulleft and moft incon teftable evidence, that he is that illuftrious perfon. But befides thefe external proofs of its neceffity and truth, Chriftianity carries much internal evidence of its divinity, and neceffity, which, to all who attend to it, is no lefs demonftrative. Signatures of their divine author are ftampt deep upon all the works and ways of God; and the more thefe works and ways are confidered, the more clearly do the divine mind that defigned, and the hand that executed them, appear. The falvation of the human, and confirmation of the moral world, by the perfonal conftitution and mediating offices of God's only begotten Son, like the glorious person who atchieved them, are the chief of the ways of God. What but divine wifdom could have concerted fuch a scheme as the perfonal union of the Creator with his creatures? A fcheme fo fupernatural, that no mind lefs than divine could ever have thought of it, and no power below omnipotence could have accomplished it: yet a scheme, which, by the moft admirable accommodation of the means to its ends, difplays the divine wifdom in the nobleft point of view, and which being calculated to difplay the divine perfection, and exalt, improve, and confirm his rational creation, tends, beyond any thing we can conceive, to anfwer the ends of the creation, and fo holds forth the great Creator to be its author and accomplisher. The whole fcheme itself demonftrates not only its divinity, but its neceffity alfo for the ends de figned figned by it. If the union of God with our nature, and his atonement for our fin, had not been neceffary to procure our redemption from eternal mifery, the Divine Word had never been made flefh, and the Son of God had never died to procure this redemption: or, did not the wifdom of heaven fee it proper by him to reconcile and unite under one glorious head, the various tribes of God's rational empire, Chrift, as Godman, had never been conftituted the head and Lord of the creation. For Omnifcience can never err, nor can infinite wisdom do any thing in vain. We weak, and often prejudiced mortals, who know very little of the measures and ends of the Divine Government, are ready to judge of what we do not know, and condemn what we have not confidered. But, whatever God does, we may be fure is done wifely, and well; and the more we know of his great defigns, the more fhall we be convinced that every part of them is neceffary; and that the whole is concerted in the moft perfect wisdom. But as this divine conftitution demonftrates itsown neceffity, fo it no lefs difcovers, its fitnefs and fufficiency for the purposes to be accomplished: by it. What can more dignify the created Sonsof God, than to have their natures united with that of God in the perfon of his Son? What can be a proper and effectual atonement for our fins, and ransom of our fouls, if the blood of the Son of God is not an atonement proper, being the blood of man; an atonement infinite, being the, blood of a perfon who was alfo God. What can fo mortify the pride of devils, as that men whom they had enslaved and debafed by fin, fhould be ennobled above angels, by the affumption of their I 6 nature nature into the union with the Divinity, and that redeemed by Meffiah's merits, we fhould be exalted to fupply their places in the palace of heaven; while thefe malignant beings, fhall be configned for ever to the prifon of hell? What can more confirm the authority of the divine laws, than the obedience given to them by the fupreme Lawgiver himself, in hunian nature? Or what can more eftablifh God's creation, in loyalty to their fovereign, and friendship with each other, than the clofe alliance that is formed among the whole by the wonderful perfon, and confirmed by the offices of his Son our Saviour? Thus Chriftianity carries its evidence of its divinity, neceffity and excellence in itfelf. These are the fources of that faith, by which the bulk of Chriftians believe and embrace the Gospel. By the Word of God, in which this fcheme is unfolded, and by the Spirit of God, by whom they are enabled rightly to apprehend it, they perceive its divinity and excellence: from a fenfe of their perishing condition, they are convinced of its neceffity and importance; and from its admirable fitnefs and fufficiency for their complete falvation, they are brought to approve of it, and to fall in cordially with its gracious defign. This therefore ought to be the first and the ferious concern of every human being: for this is the great duty of Christianity, and from this every duty we owe to the Son of God our Saviour muft naturally originate. We muft ftudy this glorious fcheme before we can know it; and be convinced of its truth and importance before we can believe and comply with it, for our falvation and happiness. How careful then ought we to be to know God and Jefus Chrift? This of all fubjccts of study is the |