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fuing the enquiry, with a restlesness and refolution, never to take up with any thing in his room? When it is thus, you may hear his own words, as directed to you, Come nnto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft. Matth. xi. 28.

3. Be thankful for what of Jefus you have feen, and be defirous of more. Improve all the tokens of his love, and in that love, long for his return from heaven: and then though it doth not yet appear what you shall be, when he shall appear, you shall be like him: for you fhall fee him as he is, to your eternal safety and glory.

SER

SERMON XVIII.

JOHN XVII. 24.

Father, I will that they alfo whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory.--

HESE are the words of our dear and dy

Τ Ting Redeemer, praying over has difciples

when about to take his farewel of them, and go unto the Father. Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end; and, from that love provided for them as to both worlds.

Being to leave them for a time on earth, that he might not leave them comfortless, he earnestly commended them to his Father's care praying, though not that he should prefently take them out of the world, yet that he would keep them from the evil.

But whatever privileges they enjoyed upon earth, earth was but earth ftill: A place of labour and fuffering, trouble and temptation, and very unfit to be their reft: One far removed from their Father's houfe; and whilft remaining thereupon, their ftate was to be but im

perfect

perfect comparatively, their communion with God little and unconftant, and their dearly Beloved was to be out of their fight: With whom they earnestly longed and defired to be, and whofe pleasure and promise it was, that they fhould be fo.

Wherefore, having requested their prefervation whilst in the world, he further infifts upon their happiness when taken out of it; and this was the highest that could be enjoyed. Nothing lefs could fatisfy his love for them, nor fully anfwer the dignity and privilege of the relation in which they stood to him.

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While looking up to heaven, whither he was fpedily to afcend, he, with the most affectionate vehemence, thus interceeds for them, Father, I will that they alfo whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory.

The doctrinal propofition, I would briefly confider, is this.

Doct. It is the will of Chrift, which shall certainly be fulfilled as to all that the Father hath given him, that they may be perfectly and for ever happy, in being with him where he is, beholding his glory.

It is their future eternal bleffednefs he here defires, and that in a very peculiar and preffing manner, as what he moft earnestly defired, and was not willing it fhould be denied him, Father, I will, &c.

Many requests he had put up for them, relating to their fanctification, fafety and comfort in and throughout their ftate in this world:

but

but to these he adds one more, as the crown of all, concerning their happiness in another, viz. That they might be with him, where he was going to be, in the fame place and state, and to the most defireable end; that they might behold his glory, and fhare in it, to their full and everlasting fatisfaction.

His death was now at hand; and fo, his entrance into heaven, as mediator: where, as to his divine nature, he now, and always was: and we find him fpeaking of himself in this respect, as already there, John i. 13. No man bath feen God at any time the only begotten Son, which is in the bojom of the Father, he hath declared him. Chapter iii. 13. And no man bath afcended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. But, as not being willing to know the fweetness of heaven alone, when now become mediator for his people, and to have them kept at a distance from Partaking of this together with him, he fays, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am: i. e. I plead upon thy gift of them to me, that these which are so dear to me, may not continue to be so far from me, as earth is from heaven: I being now become fo intimately one with them as I am, I would have them, in due time, in the fame place with myself, and there, in order to their compleat felicity, to behold my glory.

In fpeaking to this, I would do these two or three things.

I. Shew that Chrift has a people in the world, in a peculiar manner given him of the Father.

II. That

II. That they fhall be with him in heaven, and perfectly happy in being fo, as beholding his glory.

III. That Chrift's will concerning this fhall certainly be fulfilled, as to all that are his. And Lastly, Apply thefe.

1. Chrift has a people in the world, in a peculiar manner given him of the Father.

Thefe he often mentions, and bears them upon his heart in his application to heaven; ver. 6. I have manifefted thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. So, ver. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. He delights to speak of them under this notion, as his, as a powerful argument to back his requeft for them: Holy Father, keep through thine own Name thofe whom thou haft given me, ver. 11.

Here I might fhew,

Who they are, that are given to Christ, When they were, or are fo, and in what respects.

1. As to the perfons given him, Chrift plainly fpeaks, ver. 10. All mine are thine, and thine are mine: which, as opposed to the world, are to be understood of all God's chosen, those that already do, or hereafter fhall believe in him: concerning whom it is faid, 2 Tim. ii. 19. The foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are bis. Tho' they lie for a time undiftinguished among the children of wrath, and afterward may have many unfound profeffors mixed with them, yet the Lord

knoweth

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