flow from the relation of the creature to the Creator always were paid, and ftill are paid, to the Father; for the evidence arifing from the works of nature lead to the acknowledgment of one, and but of one, great Being; and therefore there could be no pretence of setting up another, either in oppofition or conjunction with him, to be an object of worship: but when Christ undertook and completed the redemption of the world, then it was thought proper to make known the glory which he had before the worlds began; that we might know that we were to expect falvation from a hand that was able to fave, and that the honour and duty owing to him who made us, and to him who redeemed us, might be confiftent for when Chrift purchased mankind at the price of his own blood, they became his by the stricteft bonds of juftice and gratitude; there arose a new relation between the Redeemer and the redeemed, and the duty and worship and honour, which flow from that relation, are immediately owing to Chrift Jefus.

Thus Chrift, having perfected the redemption of the world, was by the Father made Lord of all things all things were put in fubjection under him, and the head of every man is Chrift: we are no longer our own, but Chrift's, being bought with a price, even with the precious blood of the Son of God. This is the Scripture account of the matter, almoft in Scripture words: and you see here is no room to speculate about nature or effence, or to fuppofe that Chrift, before his exaltation, was lefs honourable, as to his nature and effence; any more than there is room to fuppofe that God was lefs ho

nourable, as to his nature, before the creation, becaufe at the creation the fons of God fung together for joy, and paid new honours and adorations to the great Creator.

Having, I hope, removed this difficulty, I fhall proceed to confider the doctrine of the text, in the following method:

Firft, That the power and authority exercised by Chrift Jefus, in and over the church of God, are derived from this exaltation: and confequently,

Secondly, That the honour and worship paid to Chrift, in and by the church of God, are founded in this exaltation.

Thirdly, That the power and authority exercised by Chrift, and the honour and worship paid to Christ, are, and ought to be, ultimately referred to the glory of God the Father.

These propofitions are fo evidently contained in the words of the text, as to be fubject to no doubt in the explication: but it may be of service to fhew that the doctrine is agreeable to, and is confirmed by, the whole tenor of Scripture.

First, I am to fhew you, that all power and authority, exercised by Chrift Jefus in and over the church of God, are derived from this exaltation.

And the first authority which I fhall produce, in confirmation of this propofition, is a very great one, even that of our bleffed Lord himself; who, after his resurrection, and not long before his ascenfion, appeared to his difciples, and gave them a folemn commiffion to teach and baptize in his name: but, before he gave them commiffions, he did, as it were, open his own, which was the foundation of theirs :

All power, fays he, is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; teaching them to obferve all things whatsoever I command you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world, Matt. xxviii. 18, 19, 20. In this place you hear our Saviour declaring all power and authority to be given him at his refurrection; in confequence of which power he commiffions his difciples to convert, baptize, and inftruct the world. There is no doubt but this power is part of the exaltation which St. Paul speaks of in the text, to which God raised Chrift for his fufferings: you fee likewife, that the powers delegated to the minifters of the church derive themfelves from this power fo received; and, confequently, all acts done by them in the name of Chrift are founded in the power which he received at his refurrection.

St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the Romans, c. i. v. 4. exprefsly tells us, that Chrift was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holinefs, by the refurrection from the dead. God had before, at his baptifm, and at his transfiguration on the mount, declared him to be his well-beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased; but at his refurrection he was declared not only to be his Son, but to be his Son with power. If you look forward to the fourteenth chapter of this Epiftle, you will find the Apoftle's fenfe of this matter very fully and clearly expreffed; For to this end Chrift both died, and rofe, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living: fo that the power over all things, the do

minion both of the dead and the living, commenced at the refurrection, which was indeed the very first ftep to glory and honour, which our bleffed Saviour took after his ftate of humiliation and fufferings for though, according to our conceptions, his pains and fufferings ended on the crofs, yet in the grave there is neither honour nor glory in his refurrection he firft and truly appeared to be himself, to be the Lord of life and glory.

In his Epistle to the Coloffians, towards the middle of the first chapter, St. Paul fpeaks largely of the person of Jefus Chrift: he represents to them his great dignity and glory, by fetting before them the part which he bore in the creation of all things, and likewise the authority and power to which his Father raised him, and which he now exercises as head of the body, the church. And this place is the better worth your attention, because the Apostle does not only diftinguish between the power by which Chrift created all things, and the power by which he governs all things as head of the body, the church; but he has likewife diftinguished and marked out to us the different sources and originals, from whence thefe two powers flow. In the 15th verfe he thus fpeaks of Jefus Chrift: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firft-born of every creature: all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things confift. With respect to this great work of the creation, you fee, St. Paul confiders him as being before all things, as being the image of the invifible God, the firft-born of every creature: immediately the Apoftle adds, And he is head of the body, the church; whe

is the beginning, the firft-born from the dead. This furely is a very different beginning from that which he mentioned before; and yet this beginning, which is his refurrection, is plainly laid down as the foundation of the principality and headship which he holds over the church: he was the beginning, the dex, with refpect to the creation of all things, being the firft-born of every creature: he is the beginning and head of the church, being the first-born from the dead.

I fhall mention but one place more to you, and that so plain an one, that I fhall not need to spend much of your time in it it is in the Epiftle to the Ephefians, and the first chapter, where St. Paul tells them, that his prayer for them was, that the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Chrift, when he raised him from the dead, and fet him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but alfo in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who filleth all in all. What can be added to this description of power and authority? and yet the Apostle, you fee, founds all this upon his refurrec