sacrifice and intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Would we have the curse due to our sins removed, and a sense of it communicated; would we have our persons and services accepted as righteous by a just God; would we enjoy communion with a holy God; how can this be done (if the Scriptures be the word of God) but through the blood of sprinkling, presented by Christ as High Priest, in the. Holy of holies? 5th, We must do all things to the Father with a view to the glory of Christ. Whether we consider the person, the commission, the work, or the blessings acquired and dispensed by Christ, we must see reason for aiming at his glory, as well as the glory of the Father. It is the will of the Father that we should honour the Son even as we honour the Father. "When every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, it shall be to the glory of God the Father." What then is it to withhold the glory due to the united, divine, and human natures of the Mediator,—the glory of his being with the Father the supreme end of human action, but to withhold the glory of the Father and of the Son?

What can be more suitable, more full of comfort, than this precept, "do all in the name of the Lord Jesus," to all who are suitably alive to their actual character and condition as children of Adam? Without this atonement of infinite value, how could you come with all your guilt on your head into the presence of your Judge? your Judge? Without the aids of the

Holy Spirit, how could ye have attempted to serve God with any hopes of success? Without the per

fect obedience of Jesus, what room could ye have to hope that God will receive the still imperfect and unworthy though sincere services of a heart not yet made perfect in holiness? And unless all these blessings, so necessary to your holiness and happiness, had been lodged with a Mediator, who is man to pity you, and God Almighty to render them effectual to your salvation, how could ye conceive a ground of confidence at all suited to your corruption, infirmities, and guilt? If this means of doing all things unto the Father is so admirably adapted to our afflicting circumstances, it is no less honourable to God, the author of it. It conveys the most fearful impressions of the divine justice, which exacteth such satisfaction for sin as the propitiation in the blood of Christ. It conveys the most reviving impressions of the sovereign love and mercy of God, through it pardoning the most criminal offences. It illustrátes gloriously the power of God, rendering this means effectual to sanctify and save the chief of sinners. It exhibits, in the most encouraging light, the wisdom of God, which maintains his honour, which punishes sin, and saves the sinner. It demands the profoundest veneration for the holy and awful majesty of God, which is not to be approached by the purest saints in their purest services, but through a Mediator sprinkled with atoning blood.

Must all things done to the Father be also done

in the name of the Lord Jesus? What a variety of sharp reproofs does this minister to persons violating the prerogatives of the Lord Jesus! It is plain from the second chapter, that the apostle primarily intended to maintain here as there, that Jesus is the head of all principality, against those who taught to worship God through the mediation of angels. Now, if Christians are complete in Christ,-if men are beguiled of their reward by a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, how much more must they be beguiled of their reward by a voluntary humility and worshipping of saints! Angels deprecated, apostles deprecated, this mistaken regard for them, and this impious encroachment on the rights of the one Mediator between God and man. What then must we think of those who do violence to the judgment of saints and angels, and address to them adorations which they justly abhor, as unsuitable to them and derogatory to the honours of Jesus? Where have the Scriptures enjoined to do" all things," or any thing, in the name of any saint or angel? Does not the command to do all things to the Father, in the name of Christ, demonstrate that the Lord Jesus is God and man, as well as the only Mediator? For who but God could, without idolatry, be the end and the solicitor in the court of heaven of all the actions of all his people? Now, how grievous the error of those who deny the divinity of Christ! They have not the Son," as he is revealed in the Scriptures, and, therefore, "they have

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not the Father." On the other hand, how strangely unscriptural, inconsistent, and self-contradictory are those who profess to believe that the Lord Jesus, the Mediator appointed by the Father, is God; and yet presume to exalt mortal men to his rank of mediator, and consequently of deity! These are unscriptural views which ye do not entertain. But many of us habitually, and all of us occasionally, do encroach on the prerogatives of the Lord Jesus, by other and more subtle, and to us more dangerous, because less gross, impieties. As often as we trust in any degree in our own powers for the attainment of holiness, and in our own righteousness, or even in the general mercy of God for salvation, so often do we not "rest upon him alone for salvation," so often do we violate the divine command in the text, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

III. The text determines the temper in which all things are to be done to the Father, in the name of Christ," giving thanks." Every act is to be done to the Father in the name of Christ. This is to be done throughout life, and this is to be done " in giving of thanks." Thankfulness is the temper of the Christian. "In every thing give thanks." This temper is to be maintained at all times, even the most afflicting: "giving thanks always for all things." And it is to be manifested in suitable expressions

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of gratitude, statedly, occasionally, frequentlyabounding therein with thanksgiving." But this temper and these acts of thanksgiving are to be presented to the Father " by the Lord Jesus." The apostle Peter assigns the reason to the Christians of the dispersion : "Ye are an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Even the purest, the most spiritual, and heavenly sacrifices of a devout heart are of no savour, are of an evil savour, unless presented and perfumed by him, the angel of the covenant: "By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,—that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.”

How ample the ground, how inexhaustible the themes of Christian thanksgiving to the Father by Christ! The Christian contemplates him as the overflowing source of all blessings, and pouring them out on a guilty world by Jesus Christ as the capacious channel of them; and by the same channel does he send back the notes of his praise, improving in sweetness and force of expression as they roll towards the throne of Deity. He gives thanks for the goodness of God, in endowing him with a reasonable nature, sparing his guilty race under a sentence of death, and crowning him, even when evil and unthankful, with the bounties of his kind providence. He gives thanks for that love from which originated the plan of justice and mercy to fallen man, 1 John iii. 1. He gives thanks for Jesus