a woman took and hid in three meafures of meal, till the whole was leavened."* "And he faid, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man fhould caft feed into the ground, and fhould fleep, and rife night and day, and the feed fhould fpring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, firft the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear: But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the fickle, because the harveft is come."t V. The work of redemption is the greatest and most glorious work of God, and indeed, the fum and end of all his works. This is abundantly evident from divine revelation; which revelation itself originated from this defign, and has been formed and given to man, in order to promote and accomplish it. It is of no importance or worth, any farther than it answers ends which refpect the redemption of man. This afferts that the new creation, by which is meant the work of redemption, or the church of the redeemed, which is the new Jerufalem with the inhabitants, is fo fuperior to the old creation, or the natural world, and fo much the end of it, that the firft creation shall be swallowed up and forgotten, in the exiftcnce and glory of the latter. "Behold, I create new heavens, and a new earth: And the former fhall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever, in that which I create: For behold, I create Jerufalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." This is moft exprefsly afferted in the following words. "For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vifibie and invifible, whether they b thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: things were created by Him, AND FOR HIM." ་་ All the created univerfe, containing every creature and thing, visible and invisible, greater and lefs, are her faid * Matt. xiii, 31, 32, 33. Matt. iv, 26-29. Ifaiah, lxv. 17, 18. faid to be created for Chrift, confidered as God, Man, Mediator, the Redeemer of man; for in that character and capacity he is confidered, defcribed and spoken of in thefe words, and the context, as being "the head of the body, the church, who have redemption through his blood." For Him, as the Redeemer of the church, and for the fake of the work of redemption; for Chrift, the Son of God, and his redeemed church, were all things made, and to this end they are all fubordinated, in the works of creation and providence. He is therefore appointed the heir of all things," and made head over all things to the church; all things being put under his feet.t ¢ It is hence most certain, that all the works of God have reference to the work of redemption, as their end, being all fubordinated to this, in order to promote and perfect it, and really belong to it, as parts and appendages of it. All things are created for the fake of Christ and his church, and therefore they are all used and improved for this end in the courfe of divine providence; which confifls in ordering and difpofing all events, and uling all things fo as completely to answer the end for which they were made. And that the work of Redemption is the greatest and most glorious of all the works of God, and the end of all, will be evident, if we confider what it is, and the things which it comprifes. To this belong the character and works of the Mediator. There could have been no fuch character as this, and no fuch works as he has done, had there been no redemption of man. And his character, and his works, are infinitely greater and more glorious, than any could have been, had not redemption taken place. There is an unspeakably greater and more illuftrious difplay of the divine character and perfections in "God manifeft in the fiefh," than could could have been in any other way. And to redeem the church by giving himself a ranfom for it, even his life on the accurfed crofs; to recover man from the power of fin and fatan; to fanctify the church and make it a perfectly holy and most beautiful fociety; is, beyond all comparison, a greater work of power, wisdom and goodnefs, than creating and upholding all worlds, or the government of all poffible moral worlds, exclufive of this. Therefore in this work is the proper and full difplay of the divine perfections, which is the higheft end of all God's works. And by the redemption of the church and the eternal kingdom of Chrift, the greateft poffible happiness of the creation is effected, as an eternal monument of the infinite power, wifdom and goodness of God. All intelligent creatures who are friends to God, will be, beyond expreffion, more holy and happy, than they could have been, had there been no fuch perfon and character as that of the Redeemer, and no redemption. Though holy angels be not redeemed; yet they behold the works of redemption, and the Redeemer with holy love, admiration and joy; and fee and enjoy unfpeakably more of God, than otherwife they could have done, and are happy in their activity to promote it. "Into this the angels defire to look."* "To the intent that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church, the manifold wifdom of God."+ Are they not all miniftring spirits, fent forth to minifter for them who fhall be heirs of falvation?" By this they have a fong to fing, which otherwife they never could have known. "Glory to God in the higheft, and on earth peace, good will to men." Thus we have abundant evidence from fcripture, and from the reafon and nature of it, that the work of redemption is not a fecondary purpose, detached from the original plan of divine operations; but is itfelf the firft and ori ginal Luke ii. 14. ginal defign and end of all the works of God, to which all things in creation and providence, in the divine purpofe, have respect, and are fubordinated. "Jefus Chrift, the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world, was himself foreordained before the foundation of the world." And all the favour, good and happiness beftowed on the church, was, by the divine purpose and decree "given to them, in Chrift Jefus, before the world began ;" they being "chofen in him, before the foundation of the world, according to the eternal purpose, which he purposed in Chrift Jefus our Lord."* I M MPROVEMENT. 1. WE learn, particularly from the third obfervation, what an ample foundation is laid in the work of redemption, for the higheft and endless gratitude of the redeemed. As in the work of redemption is the highest exercile and most perfect and glorious difplay of divine, infinite benevolence, in delivering from infinite, deferved evil, and bestowing infinite, undeferved good and happiness ; by fuch infinite labour, coft and sufferings of the Son of God, the redeemed are laid under infinite and endless obligations; fuited to excite the highest exercise of that gratitude which confifts in a proper view, fenfe and adiniration of this benevolence and goodness of God, and in feeling and expreffing their obligations to him, in eternal thankfgiving and praife. And in this a great part of the beauty, glory and happiness of the redeemed church will confift. In order to raife creatures to the highest happiness, there must not only be objects in the best manner fuited to excite the exercifes of benevolent and complacential love; but they must be in circumftances || 1 Peter, i. 20. tz Tim. i. g. * Eph. i. 4.—iii. 11. fuited to call forth the warmeft, and moft sweet exercises of grateful love to him, who by his fovereign goodness has laid them under the greateft obligations. The work of redemption is in the highest degree fuited to this; and the redeemed will be forever immensely more happy in the exercife of this fweet happifying love, than any creatures could have been had not the redemption of man taken place. This will be the fweet, animating fubject of the new fong which none but the redeemed can learn, and which they will fing with increafing delight forever. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord fay fo."* They will fay fo forever with unceafing, growing pleafure. In this, in a great measure, the happiness of heaven will confist. II. WE alfo learn from the fourth obfervation, and what has been faid to illuftrate it, that they have made a great miftake,who have thought that the divine goodness and grace, does not appear fo great in the pardon and falvation of finners for Chrift's fake; it being obtained and procured by his fuffering in their flead, and hereby making atonement for their fins; as it would, had pardon and falvation been granted without any fuch confideration, as that of the atonement and merits of Chrift. It appears from what has been faid above, that the falvation of finners by the obedience and fufferings of Chrift, is fo far from rendering the benevolence and grace of God lefs in faving them, that it enhances and magnifies the divine goodness to an amazing degree. Could finners have been faved, without fuch a Mediator, and fuch attonement as he has made, confiftent with the honour of divine government, and the greatest good of the univerfe; their pardon and falvation would have required and manifefted very little benevolence, compared with that which is exercifed and appears in their falvation, *Pacvii, 1. 2. |