ESSAY V. Tß7 Therefore though' the gospel be sent to be preached to all the world in general, and salvation to be offered them through Jesus Christ, yet we are' told often by the evangelist John, of these particular persons whom the Father had given unto Christ, that theymight be his, that is, his seed, his subjects, and his willing people. In conformity to this great act of the Father in committing the souls of men into the hands of Christ, we also having seen him all-sufficient for this work, must commit our souls into his hand, as one able to keep what we commit to him until the last day ; 2 Tim. i. 12. We must resign ourselves unto him, is a glorious undertaker for our salvation : We must receive him, or be willing to submit to him, in all his appointedoffices of prophet, priest, king, example, head of influence, &c. that we may receive from him every thing that we stand in need of, in order to our being brought home to God' in heaven. We must trust in him as a Prince and Saviour, exalted to give repentance to sinners, and forgiveness of sins. We must trust in him as the great pro- pitiation for our sins, our peace-maker, and the procurer of our pardon ; we must live upon him as our head of vital influence, to change our 'sinful natures, and to work the principles of all grace in us by his Holy Spirit, and to preserve them in opposition to all our corruptions : We must depend on what he bath done and' suffered for us, as the ground of our acceptance with God, and we must seek to hiin to form our natures so far in the likeness of God, as to fit us for happiness in the enjoyment of God for ever. We must commit the important affairs of our souls 'to him, as one that is able to take care of them, and to carry them safely through all the temptations and dangers of the present life ; and we must trust in him to receive our departing spirits at death, to raise our bodies from the dust at the last day, and to make our whole natures completely holy and happy, in the favour and image,of God for ever : All this belongs to his commission which he received from the Father. This is that great act of christian faith, trust, hope or de- pendance, which we are so often called to perform in the New Testament, which is foretold by the prophets of old, and upon which our salvation is so much represented to depend, in the wri- tings of the evangelists and the apostles. 8. If I were to add any thing to what has been already said, it should be this, viz. that as God the Father has appointed his Son Jesus Christ to be the great and general medium of our restoration and return to his favour, image and happiness, so he has appointed that in all our particular addresses, and applica- tions to himself, in a way of prayer or trust, thanksgiving or praise, we should make use of the name of his Son Jesus, as the only valuable and worthy foundation for our hope of acceptance;
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