T'he !i?.!fa!ity in whi.ah th<?y are introduced. 395 t. at they have fometimes bveen 1eft to hang by a hair of a promire, (if { may be allow,ed the expreflion) not without fears of falliog rinto the lake of fire: but now Chrifi gives tbe word of t!wir admiffion; ' they are brought in, and put beyond ali hnud: l~aflly, Th.us he fpeaks to them, as the perfoo introducing them into the . kingdom , into the pre– fence· chamber . of the great Ki ng, and unto the throne. ' Je!us Chrifl: is_the gre:n fecretary of heaven . whofe office it is to bring the fainrs into the graciolls prdence of God ; and :to whom alone it belongs to bring them into the gloriou$ prefence of God in heav.en. Truly heaven won!d be a 'firange p!ace to them, if Jefus was not there: but the Son will int,roduce his brethren into his F~ther's kingdom; they {hal·l go in with him to the marriage, Matth. xxv. 10. U. Let ~s confider in what quality they' are iptroduced :by him. . Firfl, He brings them in as the blcffed of hiJ Father: (o 1ruos t he ea!! from the throne, C()me, ye b!ejfed if ff!J Fa .. {her, ~c. ft is Chrifl's Father's h?uje they are to com~ into: therefore h,e puts_ them in mind, that they.are bleffed of his Father; dear to the Father, as weH as to himfelf•. Thi s is it .that, makes heaven home to them; namely, that it is Chrifl's f'ilther'shoufe, where.they may be affwred of wel– come, being married to the Son, and being his Father's t;hoice for t hat verJ ·end. He br.ing~ them in for his ~·a.. ther 's fake, as well' as f-or his own; they _afe the bldred of his Father; who, as be is the fount~in of tbe Deity, is al– fo the .jountain of all bl effings conferred on the ~hi!d~.en of men. They at·e thefe to whom God ddigned well from ~.teroiiy. They wer:e b!dfed in the eternal p1::rpofe of G<!d, being elet.'led to evef lafliog life: at the opening of the book of l ife, their names were found written therein. So that, . bringing them to the kingdom , he doth but bring them to what the Falber,Jrom all eternity, defigned for them; J;~~ ing Hved 'by the Son, they are javei according to hiJ, (i. e. the Father's_purp:;ft, 2 f'irn. i. 9· They •n·e thefe to wboro the Fath er has fpoken well. He fpake well to them in his word, which muH now receive irs fuil accompliih– JW!nt . They had his promife of i:he kingdom, lived and died in the faith of it, and nov1 they come to receive the thinrg··promifed. Unto them he has done well. A gift is · ohm
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