v E R. It Z. Epi Ile to the H E B R E WS. 21 were made by the Son the fecondPerfon of the Trinity, and hie Spirit fpeaking in the Prophets,, 1 Pet. t. 11, rz, 13: yet as it was not by him immediately, no more was it as abJolutely fo, but as thegreat Angel andMefnger of the Covenant, by the will and appointment of'the Father. And thereforeRhe very Difpenfcrs of the Gofpel are laid, aptaprtíuv grit xttca, to treat as Embaffadours about thebufinefi ofChrii f with men in the nameof God the Father ; re`s s ea aapotaaavil - ¡I' tiur"u;, faith the Apoftle; as ifGod the Father exhorted inand by us, 2, Cor. 5.2o. For to him doth this whole work principally relate. And from the appropriatingof thiswork originally and principally to the Father, there are three things, that areparticularly intimated unto us. 1.The Authority that is to beconlidered init : the Father is the Original ofall power and Authority ; of him the whole FamilyofHeaven and Earth is named, Ephef.3. i5. He is the Father of the whole Family,fromwhom Chrift himfelfreceives all his Power and Authority as Mediator, Mat. 28.18. which when his work is accomplithed, he he (hall give up again Into his hand, r Cor. 15.28. He fen* him into the world,fir him over his houle, gave him command untohis work. Thevery name andTitle of Father, carries Authority along withit, Mal. 1.6. And in the difpofal of the Church, in refpec of thispaternal power doth the Son affirm, that the Father' is greater than be, .ob.14. 28. And runs up the contempt of the word in the preachingof it by his Mefjngers, into a contempt of this Authority ofthe Father, he that refufetb yan, re- fufith me, be that refufith me, refufth him that fnt me. The Revelation then anddifpenfation of the mind and will of God in the word, is tobe conlidered as an a5tofSupream Soveraign Authority : requiring all fubjetaion of Soul and Confcience in the receivingof it. It is the Father of the Familythat fpeaks in this word ; he that hath all power andAuthority effentialy in him, over the fouls and eternalconditions of themto whom he fpeaks. And what holy reverence, hu- mility and univerfal fiibje&ion of foul to the word this in a particular manner re- quires, is ealie to beapprehended. 2. There is alto Love. In the Oeconomy of the bleffed Trinity about the work of our Salvation, that which is eminently and in an efpecial manner afcribed unto the Father, is Love, as hath been at large clfewhere mewed, 1 Joh. 4. 9, to, x6. God, that is, the Father faithhe, it Love. Andhow he exerts that property of his nature in the work of our Salvation by Chrift, he there fhews at large So lob. 3. t6. Rem. 5.7, 8. To be Love, full of Love, to be the efpecial fpring of all fruits of Love, is peculiar tohim as theFather. And from Love it is that he makes the Reve- lation of his Will whereof we fpeak, Dent. 7, 8. c. 33.3. Pfeil. 147.19, 2o. 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19. It wasout of infinite Love, mercyand compaffìon, that God wouldat ail revealhis Mind and Will unto [inners. He might for ever have locked up the treafurer of his Wifdomand Prudence, wherein he abounds towards us in his word, in his owneternal bread. He might have left ¡II the Sons of men unto thatwoful darltnefs, whereunto by Sin they had calf therrifelves; and kept them under the chains and power of it, with the Angels that finned before them, unto the judgement of the groat day. But it wasfrom infinite Love that he made this condefcenfion to reveal himfelfand his Will unto us. This mixture of Authoritf and Love, which is the fpring of the Revelationof theWill of God,untous, requires all reading?, willing- nefs and chearfulnefsin thereceipt ofir, and fubtnifiìon unto it ; Befides thefe elfo, 3. There isCare eminently fees in it. Thegreat Care of the Church is in, andon theFather. He is the Husbandman that takes Care of the Vine and Vineyard, Job. 15. 1, 2. And thence our Saviour who had adelegated Care ofhis people, commends them to theFather, Job. 17. as to whom the Care of them, did principally and originaóÿ belong. Care is proper to a Father as fuch ; to God as aFather.. Care is infeparable from paternal Love. And this alto is to be conlidered in the Revelation of the Will ofGod. What direliions from their Confiderationsmay be taken for the ufe both of them that diJpenfe the word , and of thofe whofe duty it is to attend unto the difpen- fationof it, dial( only be marked inour paffage. For the Difßenfers of the Word ; Let them, I. Take heed of purfuing that work negligently, whichhath its fpring in the Au- thority, Love and Care ofGod. See i Tim. 4. 13, 14, 15,16. 2. Know to whom to look for fupportment, help, ability, and encouragement in their work, Ephef. 6. 19, 20. And, Yy 2 3.14ot
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