efficacy of his own word and Spirit. From him they derive their fpiritual life, being united to him by faith, and receiving from firft to laft out of his fulness. And he is an everlasting Father. Our fathers, according to the flesh, are subject to death. But his relation to them fubfifts unchangeably, and therefore they cannot be deftitute; and he is thus, equally to them all. They live upon the earth, and are removed from it, in a long fucceffion of ages; but He is the Father of the everlasting age, the fame yesterday, to day, and for ever. All generations shall call him blessed, To him, therefore, the apostle teaches us to apply that sublime paffage of the pfalmist, Thou, Lord, in the beginning haft laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remaineft; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the fame, and thy years shall not fail †.

5. Lastly, He shall be called the Prince of Peace. Whofe fovereign prerogative it is, to Speak peace to his people ‡. And there is no peace, deferving the name, but that which he * Pfal. cii. 25—27. † Heb. i. 10-12. Pfal. lxxxv. 8.

be

beftows. The fcripture exprefsly declares, There is no peace to the wicked*. By whatever name we call that thoughtless fecurity and infenfibility, in which mankind generally live, while ignorant of God and of themselves, we cannot allow it to be peace. It is the effect of blindness and hardness of heart; it will neither bear reflection nor examination. Can they be faid to poffefs peace, however fatally regardless they may be of futurity, who are at present under the dominion of restless, infatiable, and inconfiftent paffions and appetites ? But the kingdom of MESSIAH is a kingdom of peace, and in him, his happy fubjects enjoy a peace which passeth all understanding †, such as the world can neither give nor take away. He has made peace by the blood of his cross ‡, for all that come unto God by him. Until they are in trouble and diftrefs; until they feel the bitterness, and fear the confequences of their fins, and see the impoffibility of helping themfelves, they will not apply to him; but whenever they do feek him, thus weary and heavy laden, he hears their prayer. Their minds, for a feason, are like the fea in a storm, they are diftreffed with *Ifai. lvii. 21. + Phil, iv. 7. + Col. i. 20.

5

guilt,

guilt, fears, and temptations; but when He reveals his mighty name, and boundless grace to their hearts, and fays, Peace, be fill*, there is a great calm. Being juftified by faith, they have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. He gives them peace likewife in a changing troublesome world, by inviting, and enabling them to caft all their cares upon him, and to trust all their concerns in his hands, upon the affurance his word gives them, that he careth for them, and will manage and overrule every thing for their good. In proportion as their faith realizes his promises, they feel a compofure and fatisfaction. Knowing that the hairs of their head are numbered, that their afflictions, no less than their comforts, are tokens of his love, that he will give them ftrength according to their day, that be will be their guide and their guard even unto death; they are not greatly moved by any events, or disturbed by apprehenfions, because their hearts are fixed +, trusting in the Lord. Farther, he teaches them (what can only be learnt of him) how to feek and maintain peace among men. His love fubdues the power felf, and forms them to a fpirit of philan

* Mark iv. 39.

+ Pfal. cxii. 7.

of

thropy

thropy and benevolence, which has often fuch an effect, that they who diflike them for their attachment to him and to his precepts, and would willingly fpeak evil of them, are ashamed, and put to filence, by their perseverance in well-doing. Thus their peace increases as a river, which runs with a deeper and a broader stream as it approaches the ocean. For their peace is then strongest and most unshaken, when they draw near to death, and are upon the point of refigning their fouls into his hands. This is the time, when, if not before, the falfe peace of the worldling, will give way to terror and dismay. But mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace*. It must be allowed, that many of his people, through the power of temptation and remaining unbelief, have, at fome feafons, uncomfortable fears. concerning a dying hour; but when the time of their difmiffion actually arrives, we seldom fee them afraid of the fummons. There is a ftrength neceffary to fupport the foul at the approach of death, which is usually withheld till the time of need. But then it is vouchfafed. They who have frequently access to

* Pfal. xxxvii. 37.

the beds of dying believers, can bear testimony, as eye-witneffes, to the faithfulness of their Lord. How often have we seen them triumphing in the prospect of immortality! as happy, in defiance of pain and sickness, as we can well conceive it poffible to be, while in the body, and as fure of heaven, as if they were already before the throne.

Such is the character of MESSIAH! This is the God whom we adore; our almighty unchangeable friend! His greatness and goodnefs, his glory and his grace, when once known, fix the heart no more to rove; and fill it with admiration, gratitude, and defire, From hence fpring a cheerful, unreserved obedience to his commands, and a deliberate voluntary fubmiffion to his holy will. For his people do not serve him, or yield to him by constraint; at least, it is only the pleasing conftraint of love, which makes their duty their delight; and their burden and grief is, that they can serve him no better.

May we be all thus minded. I dare not hope it is fo with us all at prefent. But this is the day of his grace. For this cause he came into the world, that he might draw many

hearts