JLooking unto jjcfuS'. Book 11. 45 brings in Chrift as looking for help from God,for the Lord God will help me, therefore ]hall Heb. >·IJ, 1 not be confo 1 mded-And behold the Lord will help me, who uhe that ]hall condemn mer Ira. S<>· 7,8,9, wherero agrees rhar orher paffage, and my God ]hall be my 'rength; !fa, 551 •f• 3 . There wa> a promife of fubmiffion to his Fathers will mbearmg the reproaches and injuries chat fl10uld be done ro him; and to lay down his life for chofe, that were given to him by the Father: the LordGod o~ened my ear, and I WM not rebellious, neither tur~- td a 1 v:zyback_, !gave my back_tothefmtters, andmycheekftothem tl.at pluck[dojf the ha,r, Ifo, 50. $,6. Jhid not my face from jhame and[pitting, a":d tkerefore my Father loves me becau(e I ~ down my life. Chrill: firft rhus covenanted wuh h1s Father, and then hewascarefaf tod1(- Ioh. 1o. '7· charge the fame, and at !aft he tells God, I have finijhed the work,. which thou gaveft me Iohn '7· 4· to do. 4 . There WJS an earneft expeCtarionoftharglorywhich the Fatberpromifed Chrill: and his members: Andnow0 Fatherglorifiethoume with thine one felf, lVith theglory which Jhad with thee before the tvodd w.u. And Father 1 will, that they alfowhom thou haft ti- Iohn17. 5• ven me be with me where I am, that they m•y behold my glory which thou haft given me, for Iohn •7• >4•1 thou /ovedft me before the foundation of the world.-Thefe were the Articles of the Covenant on Chrifts part, and hence it is that God is called the God ami Father of our Lord Ephtf, •· l• 'JefmChrijl, viz.. by reafon of tbe Covenant. _ 0 my foul, wid1 what delight mayll: thou conltder, mufe, and ponder on thefeArticles~ what, that Cod lhoufd make a Covenant, and enter into thefe, and thefe Articles with his own Son for thy good, and for thy Etern~l good? what, that God lhould bring in the fecond perfon in the Trinity to be the head of the Covenant as on thy parr? what amer– cy is this? 0 run over and over this medi?atipn, a thoufand, and a thoufand rimes! 0 confider thy hope of Eternal,life, which God, that carmot lye, promifed before the wortd began! If thy foulqueftion what promife was there made before'the world began? .to whom Tit.i. , ; was the promife made? who was there before the world be~an for God to make any l'ro. ' mife to? why now thou haft learned it was only to the Son of God, the fecond p,erfon in the Trinity. There was a mofl: bleffed tranfaetion between' God the Father and God the Son, before the world began, for thy everlafling gaod; and upon that tranfaetion depends all thy hope, and all thy falvation. 0 this is worthy of thy deep, and fad, and ferious, and inmoft meditation. I have bee~ particular and large in this pa!fage of looking /Into, or confidering refm, but I fliall be bnef m the refl:. S E C T. III. Of deji;·ing after Jejies in that refptfl. 3· vv£ mufl: defire after {efru carrying oo the great work of our falvation in ·that . Eternity. It is not enough to know and confider, bur we mufl defire. Now, defire t1 ap~J!ion looking after the attainwent of fome good which we enjoy not,.and which we imagine to be jittilfg for m. In this refpeet we cannot deGre after Jelus, as now to carry on that work of our falvari 0 nbefor~ the world began, forrhat work is already perfeCtly dene; But thefe t!ungs we may dehre after,as, I. After the manifeftationof that work in us. 2. After God and Chrift th~ complotters and aCtors of that great work for us. 3: After the .full and uuuofl execuuon,wher~by God elfeGtually works in rime accor~ - dmg to all Ius workmgs, or decrees before ume. , I. We mufl: deGre after the manifellation of this work in us. We have heard of mar– vellous,excelle~t,glorious rhingsd_one by Jefus Chriftfor hisSaimsfromall Eierniry; and oh what defires now flwuld bem us to know that we are of that number? when I hear and conrtder that there wJs fucha projeCt, and fuchcounfels, and fuch love, and f~ch apurpofe, and fuch decrees, and fuch a Covenant betwixt God and Chrifl: for falva– tlon of fouls; and wi~hal, that they are but few !n comparifon concerning whom God andChn!l bath allthtscare, will nor this whet on my defires? and make me cry, and uy agam, Oh that thefe loves were mine ! how happy were I, ifI ha J a Jharc in thefe eter– n~lthoughts of God? Methinks we fhould not hear of fuch tranfaetiom, bur it fl1ould fh_r u.pour hearts in infinite dertres; methinks we fhould pant after affurance, and frill be WtflJmg, Oh whttt u truth? and what u e>hrift? and what Jid ehrijf for me 6efore Jw.u, or before the world was? I woulJI J.f0e\, him, I would I could enjoy him, I wouldJwere ~tj{ured that he had onegood thought of me·in that .Eternity! Chrill:ians! if you have any fl1are tn thofe tranfa:lwns, Joo er or later you w•ll feel rhefe defires. nay, if my finG3 - ' fui . \
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