ESSAY VI. 179 IV. Christ is set forth under these various characters, that as our understanding in the things of religion, and in the graces and glories of Christ increases, we might'take the faster hold of Christ, if I might so express it, and that we might have more various exercises of our faith, and more numerous evidences of the truth of our faith, and secure to ourselves more solid ground of hope, when we can view him in all these relations, and our faith can receive or lay hold of him under all these forms. Thus wemay hereby obtain double and trebleconfirmation of our faith and comfort; Heb. i. 17,18. God gives us both his promise and his oath, to secure salvation to us ; he swears, in order to confirm what he hadpromised, that by severalimmutable things, inwhich it is impossiblefor God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who havefled to lay holdof the hope set before us. Thus has God been pleased also to do in the various repre- sentations he has made of Christ Jesus our Saviour, that our meditations and prayers, our hopes and dependencies, and in- deed all the pious exercises of our souls towards Christ, might have a rich variety for our entertainment, support and joy ; and therefore the apostles have written these things unto the disciples of Christ that theirjoymight befull; 1 John i. 4. I add fifthly, another reason is, V. That God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour might have thelarger revenues of glory from us, and receive honour from our hands in a rich variety ; that we might have our thank- offerings rising up to God and the Lamb, inmany forms of adoration and expression ; that we might bless our dear Re- deemer, rejoice in him, anddo honourto his name under all those happy representationsof his grace and glory, in which he has set himself before us in the gospel: The last reason I will add, shall be this : VI. That in all ages the followers of Christ might have a more clear and easy relief from those difficulties and controver- sies whichmay attend these great doctrines of our salvation, and which might darken and perplex the way whereby God has ap- pointed as to be made partakers of this blessing, SECT. IV.The Difficulties which are Relieved by this Various Representation of the Salvation of Christ. Since God has set forth our blessed Saviour with his sal- vation and our faith which interests us therein, under so many various characters and expressions, the following difficulties will be very much relieved hereby, and several controversies abolished. I. A christian who reads these things in bible, can- not say that Christ has saved us in this partic nner, and thereforehe did not save us in the other ; as for instance, When st 2
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