2. There was never fuch union and communion between God and the creatures in the world before, as in this kingdom. Now God's nature and ours is wonderfully met in the perfon of the Son of God, the King of this kingdom. This was not till Chrift came; neither was the Holy Ghost dwell. ing in the Son of man, as the head, and in all his people, as the members of his myftical body. For however the OldTeftament faints were prepared for this, by the Spirit of Chrift in them beforehand, yet they could not be thus united to the "Word made flesh," the "Firft-born from the dead", the "Head of the body, the church," Eph. i. 19.-23. Col. i. 18. 19. Our Lord propofes this wonderful new thing to his disciples for their encouragement, when about to leave them, John xiv. 17.-20. Speaking of the Holy Ghoft, he faith, "He dwelleth in you;" and further promises, "He fhall be " in you, and I will come unto you. The world feeth me no " more, but ye fee me; because I live, ye shall live also. At "that day ye fhall know that I am in my Father, and you in 66 me, and I in you."

3. God was never fo worshipped in the world before, as he is in this kingdom. While the creatures were perfect, they glorified God to their power; but all the creatures put together, could not, by any performance of worship, fully glorify him. They came infinitely short of this: and as there were fome of his attributes not known to them, particularly pardoning mercy; fo he had not the glory of it from them: neither was his vindictive juftice glorified in that state of things to purpose. But God would have the glory of these attributes, and he will be perfectly worshipped and glorified. This could not be by mere creatures, nor could it be but by a fin-offering; therefore fin muft enter into the world, or God cannot be thus worshipped and glorified in the world. From the entrance of fin, God was not worshipped among men, but by facrifices and offerings for fin: but, alas! the facrifices of beafts, men, or angels, could never fully glorify God's juftice, mercy, and all his other attributes; he would never have appointed fuch facrifices, but with a view to a better that fhould follow. "In burnt-offerings and facrifices "for fin he had no pleasure. But then, in the fulness of "time, the Son of God came, the high priest and facrifice "of God's providing." He hath glorified God by presenting unto him an offering for fin, whereby the juftice and mercy of God, and all his other attributes, are glorified to the full. Was there ever a worshipper like this in the world before, or

fuch a high priest as Jefus the Son of God? "Now every "high priest is ordained to offer gifts and facrifices: where"fore it is of neceffity that this man have fomewhat also to "offer," Heb. viii. 3.; and that is the facrifice of himself, his own blood, wherewith he hath entered into the true holy place, heaven itself, there to prefent it continually before the Father, as the minifter of the fanctuary and the true ta. bernacle. This facrifice, once offered, and the blood of it brought into the holy place, and prefented before the throne, glorifies God infinitely and fully; because it is the facrifice. of the Son himfelf, his own blood, the blood of God. "Burnt-offering and facrifices thou wouldst not; then faid I, "Lo, I come.” There is something worth the noticing in that I, repeated with a Behold. The stress of the whole leans there; God, that found himself not fuitably worshipped, not fully glorified, in all the fin-offerings, for want of worth in them, is pleafed in this I: "This is my beloved Son, "in him I am well pleased." See Jer. xxx. 21. is the Father's equal, partaker with him in the fame God. head, "the man his fellow," that was in the form of God, and took on him the form of a fervant, for this purpose. Here is a divine worshipper then, and divine worship performed, and given to the Father by Jefus Chrift, prefenting before him this his offering, and God is fully glorified by the blood of God.

This I

This is the worship given unto God in the name of the whole church, Heb. ii. 12. and God is infinitely pleased in it. All the church in heaven and earth behold it, and cry,

Worthy is the Lamb that was flain;" for what is our worfhip, but an acknowledgment of, and concurrence with this most perfect worship given to the Father by Jefus Chrift? God takes no pleasure in any worship where this God-glorifying offering is not acknowledged. The high priests on earth went into the holieft with their offering, bearing on their breaft and fhoulders, or arms, the names of the tribes ingraven with the ingravings of a fignet: But, Oh, to be fet as a feal in the heart, as a feal on the arm of this high prieft, appearing in the prefence of God for his people, and worshipping in their name. This was a good thing to come of old; now it is come; let us improve it. "Let us come boldly to a throne of grace, to obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in the time of need. Bring no more vain "oblations." Acknowledge the oblation made. "Offer "unto God thanksgiving" for what is done. And we muft

alfo

alfo know, that this is a moft awful thing: Here the divine glory and majefty fhines in its ftrength. When we ferve him acceptably, holding this grace, it must be with reverence and godly fear: "O worship the Lord in the beauty of ho "linefs: Fear before him all the earth."

4. There was never such a society before in the world as is this kingdom. Of this incomparable fociety we have fome account, Heb. xii. 22. 23. 24.; and we have fomething of it, Col. i. 20. But, in the epiftle to the Ephefians, which feems defigned to give an account of the excellency of the New-Teftament church, we have this thing much extolled by the Apostle. He uses feveral fimilitudes to fet it forth; he calls it a city, wherein we are fellow-citizens, chap. ii. 19. And to this agrees what is faid, Heb. xii. 22. “Ye are come to the city of the living God." And Phil. iii. 20. "Our conversation," or citizenship, "is in heaven." He calls it a household, a family; the whole family in heaven and in earth, chap. ii. 19. and iii. 15. He calls it a body, chap. iii. 6. and iv. particularly y 16. and i. 23. He calls it a building, a temple, chap. ii. 20. 21. "And are built upon "the foundation of the apoftles and prophets, Jefus Chrift "himself being the chief corner-ftone, in whom all the "building fitly framed together, groweth into an holy tem"ple in the Lord." And chap. iii. 16.-19. And chap. iii. 16.-19. He prays for believers, that they may be "ftrengthened with all might by "the Spirit in the inner man ;" that "Chrift may dwell in "their hearts by faith," and that "they may be rooted " and grounded in love;" for this purpose, that so they may be able to have a true profpect of, and take up rightly the dimensions of this glorious fpiritual building:

"That he

't may be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the "breadth, and length, and depth, and height." And he tells us what advantage they should have thereby: "So they " shall know the love of Chrift that paffes knowledge, and "be filled with all the fulness of God." So great a matter did the Apostle, yea the Spirit of Chrift in him, make the understanding of this glorious thing. And, chap. i. 8. 9. 10. he magnifies the grace of God much in making known the mystery of it to them: "He hath abounded toward us in "all wisdom and prudence: having made known unto us the "mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which "he hath purpofed in himself." And what mystery of his will can this be? Even this, "That, in the dispensation of the "fulness of times, he might gather together in one" (or ga

ther

ther again in one head)" all things in Christ, both which are "in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him." There is a wonderful affociation, or rather union, of different things here, that were separated, but never united after this manner before. God and the creature, angels and the fpirits of just men in heaven; again, heaven and earth; and on earth, Jews and Gentiles, and they of all nations, all ranks, conditions, and fexes, are all joined in one in Christ Jefus, the Son of man, who is the Son of God. This is a moft glorious fociety for number; and when it appears at the last day, all the promises and types of it, in this refpect, will be found fully verified in it. They are gathered in one in Christ, even in him. This must be peculiarly noticed, because fo repeated. There was never fuch a bond of union, fuch an uniting head, in any fociety in the world before, as this is. In him all the members ftand in the nearest manner united to one another, and to God, John xvii. 21. 23. 1 Cor. xii. 12. 13. And this wonderful union is moft firm and everlasting. It is impoffible that it should be by any means diffolved: "On "this rock will I build my church." There had been an u nion and peace among the creatures before, but it was diffolved by the entrance of fin. God has now settled this fociety and its union upon an everlasting foundation. The things in heaven and earth are united together here in the most holy manner; the bond of union is divine. In him also they fit together in heavenly places, Eph. ii. 6. There was never fuch a fociety as this in the world before. "Jefus afcended "far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." This was referved" unto the difpenfation of the fulness of times," as the Apostle fays. And in this all God's great counsels and defigns concerning all his works whatsoever do terminate. The head of this body the church, is head over all things unto it, even as all things were before made by him, and for him, Eph. i. 22. 23. Col. i. 16.-20.

5. There was never fuch an inheritance in the world before, as that which the Father gave to Jefus Christ his Son, when he fet him at his own right hand in heavenly places; and in this inheritance his people in heaven and earth are joint heirs with him, who purchased it by his own blood, Rom. viii. 17. Gal. iv. 7. Eph. i. 11.-18. The eyes of our understandings must be enlightened by the Spirit, if we would know the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints. The glory bestowed on the Son of man, the head of the church, and the fulness given to him

in poffeffion, when he afcended to the Father's right hand, is fuch as was never given to any before: and this is the inheritance of the New-Teftament church, of which believers have the earnest and first-fruits here, while they see him "by faith "whom the world cannot fee," John xvi. 14. 15. Yet they "live by faith, not by fight." But when Christ, with "whom their life is now hid, fhall appear, then shall they appear with him in glory."

There can be no queftion but it was an addition to the happiness and glory of those in heaven, when they began to partake with the Son of man, Chrift Jefus, in that fulness bestowed on him, however great their happiness was there before, while they were there, as Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, dwelling in Canaan, the land of promise, but not yet poffeffing the inheritance. Thus the inheritance of this

kingdom is a new thing excelling all that was before.

6. That holy Spirit of promife wherewith believers are fealed in Chrift, which is the earneft of their inheritance, even the Spirit of adoption, the Comforter, feems to be another new thing in this kingdom, and peculiar to New-Testament believers; as thefe fcriptures feem plainly to declare: John vii. 38. 39. "He that believeth on me, as the scripture "hath faid, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. "But this fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on "him fhould receive: for the Holy Ghoft was not yet gi

ven, because Jefus was not yet glorified." John xvi. 7. "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you "that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will "not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto "you." Acts i. 4. 5. "And being affembled together with "them, commanded them, that they should not depart "from Jerufalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, "which, faith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly "baptized with water; but ye fhall be baptized with the "Holy Ghost not many days hence." Acts ii. 33 "There"fore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having "received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he "hath fhed forth this, which ye now fee and hear." Acts xv. 8. 9. "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them "witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto "us; and put no difference betwixt us and them, purifying "their hearts by faith." Acts xix. 2. 3. "He faid unto "them, Have ye received the Holy Ghoft fince ye believed? "And they faid unto him, We have not fo much as heard

"whether