Conqueror as this? If there be none of thefe offices to be difpenfed with, then take hold of him in them all. 4. If all things are in his hand, then he is clothed with all relations that can contribute to the happiness of finners. What friend or relation do you want, O finner?-Want you a father to pity you? Behold, here you may have an everlasting Father, that is his name, Ifa. ix. 6. and, "In him the fatherless findeth mercy."? Want you a mother to be tender of you? Behold, here motherlefs children may have their lofs made up; when father and mother leaveth you, he is one to take you up, Pfal. xxvii. 10. He is one that can be a thousand times better to you than father or mother; and manifefts more love than the tendereft mother that ever was; "Can a woman forget her fucking child, that fhe fhould not have compaffion on the fon of her womb? yea, the may forget, yet will I not forget you," Ifa. xlix. 15.-Want you a husband? O! what would you think to be married with the heir of all things? Why, if the ear of faith be open, you may hear him faying, Thy Maker is thy Hufband, Ifa. liv. 5. and again, Hof. ii. 19. "I will betroth thee unto me for ever." If you fay, 'O! how will it be confiftent with the juftice of God for him to marry fuch a 'black bride? Why, he fays, "I will betroth thee unto me in righteoufnefs;" I will betroth thee unto me in wifdom; I will betroth thee unto me in judgment, in loving kindness; yea, and in faithfulness; and thou fhalt know the Lord; thou fhalt know God in Chrift. How can he betroth thee to himself, and yet be infinitely juft, and wife, and merciful, and faithful in doing fo? Because mercy and truth have met together in Chrift, the glorious Bridegroom; they ftruck up a match together, and embraced each other, that there might be nothing to hinder the match between Chrift and you.-Want you a proper match then, O finner, or a meet help, poor bankrupt, run in fuch deep arrears to the law and juftice of God? Is not he that hath unfearchable riches a fit match for you? Poor dying creature, that will be food for worms in a little, here is a living Head for you, that can make you live for ever. O! mortal worm, here is an immortal Hufband for you. Poor changeable crea ture, 66 ture, here is an unchangeable match for you; "Chrift the fame yeflerday, to-day and for ever." Want you a lover? are you an outcalt, that reckons yourfelf defpifed by all the world, in fo much, that none cares for you, or loves you? Behold, an infinitely loving and lovely Jefus, of fering and boding his love upon you, faying, "I will heal your backflidings; I will love you freely," Hof. xiv. 4. And he is feeking your heart, your conjugal love, faying, My fon, give me thy heart."-Want you a leader thro' the dark and difficult fteps of your way? A guide, a director, and counfellor in whatfoever affair you have upon your hand, wherein it is needful to be directed? O! here is a wonderful Counfellor, who fays, Ifa. xlii. 16. "I will lead the blind in a way they know not, and in paths that they have not known."-Want you a fhepherd to feed you, or a captain to fight your battles for you?-Want you a physician, when in ficknefs, to heal you?-Want you a refiner and purifier, when you are in the furnace, to purge' away your drofs? Behold he who hath all things in his hand, has all the relations that you can defire. 5. If all things be in his hand, then all graces are in his hand. This is a great part of the glory of the only begotten of the Father, that he is full of grace and truth, and, "Out of his fuinefs have all we received and grace for grace, John i. 14. 16. Grace is poured into his lips," Pfal. xlv. 2. and I hope he is pouring grace from his lips by his word among fome of you this day. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon him, for he hath anointed him.” He is anointed with the oil of gladnefs, anointed with the Spirit of all grace.-Want you grace to believe? Behold it is in his hand, as he is the Author of faith. Want you grace to repent? Behold it is in his hand, as a Prince and Saviour exalted to give repentance.--Do you want grace to pray? It is he that has the Spirit of prayer in his hand to give, Zech. xii. 10.-Do you want grace to communicate? Grace to mortify fin? Grace to bear the crofs? Grace to refift temptation? Grace to do and fuffer? It is he that has all grace in his hand to give; and who fays, "My grace fhall be fufficient for you :” Vol. V. S hence hence his people are called to be strong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus. 6. If all things are in his hand, then all bleflings are in his hand to give. He is the Lord-difpenfer of temporal bleflings; for, "The earth is in his hand, and the fulness thereof:" the Lord-difpenfer of fpiritual bleflings; for, behold heaven is in his hand, and the fulnefs thereof: the Lord-difpenfer of eternal bleffings; for, eternal life is in his hand. It was promised of him, that men fhould be bleffed in him; and accordingly he is fent ta blefs us, Acts iii. 26. “God having raised up his Son, Jefus, fent him to blefs you, in turning away every one of you from hisiniquities." Imight here enumerate many particular bleffings. The bleffings of illumination is in his hand; for, he is a Light to enlighten the Gentiles. The blefling of converfion is in his hand; for, he fays, "When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” The blefling of juftification is in his hand; for, "We are juftified freely by his grace." The bleffing of reconciliation with God is in his hand; for, it is he that maketh peace by the blood of his crofs. The blefling of fanctification is in his hand; for, "He is made of God unto us, fanctification." The bleffing of acceptance is in his hand; for," By him we have boldnefs and accefs, with confidence, thro' the faith of him." The bleffing of confolation is in his hand; for, he is the Confolation of Ifrael. The bleffing of a happy death is in his hand; for, "Bleffed are the dead which die in the Lord." The bleffing of a happy refurrection is in his hand; for, He is the refurrection and the life. The bleffing of a happy fentence at the great day is in his hand; for, All judgment is committed to him; and it is he that will fay to the wicked, "Depart ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels ;" and to the righteous," Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world." The bleffing of eternal glorification is in his hand; for, as he is the glory of the higher house, fo he fays," Father, I will, that thofe whom thou haft given me, be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory: and fo fhall they be ever with the Lord."-Can you tell me any fpiritual bleffing that is not not in his hand? No: Eph.i.3. "Who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleflings, in heavenly places, only in Chrift." And now, after all, what think ye of him? Have you no heart to join hand with a well-furnished Saviour, that hath all things in his hand? If you have got no heart to fuch a good bargain, this is very fad; but, because it is a day of glad tidings, I will tell you among other things, that all hearts are in his hand, and it is his prerogative to open the locked heart. It is eafy with him to create a clean heart, to melt the hard heart, to fix the wandering heart, to cleanfe the filthy heart, to elevate the drooping heart, to conquer the ftubborn heart, to quicken the dead heart, to draw the backward heart, as I noticed on another fubject; and if any thing draw your heart to him, it will be the revelation of his grace and fulnefs, as having all things in his hand.-Thus much may fuffice for a comprehenfive view of the extent of this treasure. Fourthly, I come to the fourth thing I propofed, which was, in order to the further affifting of faith, to confider the manner how all things are in Chrift's hand. I have already told you,, all things are in Chrifl's hand naturally as he is God; and donatively, as he is Mediator: but, befides, there are thefe following ways wherein all things given him of his Father are in his hand. 1. All things are in his hand fubftantially; not fymbolically, as Chrift is faid to be in the elements of bread and wine in the facrament; or, as God was faid to be in the temple, by the fymbol of his prefence. It is not the fhadow of all things, but the fubftance, which is in his hand; therefore it is faid, Col. ii. 9. "In him dwelleth all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodily ;" that is, fubftantially, and fo in a glorious, eminent, fuperlative and tranfcendent way. Chrift is the fubftantial All of his people; the fubftance of all the types, and facrifices, and ceremonies under the law. They were but the fhadow of good things to come, Heb. x. 1. All the good things themfelves are in Chrift fubftantially. 2. All things are in him communicatively; his Mediatorial fulness is communicable and omnipotent. All S2. fhops 1 fhops are clofed, but Chrift's houfe ftands open; and on it 3. All things are in his hand fufficiently; there is bread enough and to fpare, Luke xv. 17. Fulnefs enough for the deftitute; light enough for the dark; life enough for the dead: there is grace enough in him, pardon enough in him, help enough in him; bread enough and to spare. If you think there is none to fpare for you, it is becaufe you do not believe there is enough in him; but will you difgrace our infinitely noble and glorious Lord, by fuppofing that there is not enough in him? O! He can fatisfy the longing foul, and fill the hungry foul with good things. Nothing in this world gives fatisfaction to the foul: he was a fool that faid, when he had a full barn, "Soul, take thy reft, thou haft goods laid up for many years." We may as well dream of a coffer full of grace and glory, as of a foul full of corn and wine; it is only Christ that has in him fuitable and fatisfying fulness for the foul, and enough to give complete, folid, permanent, and everlafting fatisfaction. 4. All things are in his hand efficiently and effectively, in fo much, that he can make others to fhare of a conformity to him, in that ftore that is in his hand. For example, hath he all comeliness? Well, what fays he? "I have made thee perfect thro' my comelinefs which I put upon thee," Ezek. xvi. 14. Hath he all righteoufnefs? Well, the believer is made righteous through his righteoufnefs. Hath he all glory? The believer is made glorious |