Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .O8 1721

of the P.ER9ONof CxxisT. 87 angel before thee tokeep thee in theway, to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Bewareofhim and obey his voice,provoke bimnot,for, be will not pardonyour tranfgrefons, for my name is in him. But if thoujhalt indeed obeyhis voice, and do all that Ifpeak the name of God the Father is fo in him, that is, he is fo partaker ofthe fame nature with him, that his voice is the voice ofthe Father. If thou obey bis voice, and do all that I Beak. Neverthelefs he, alts herein as the angel of God, with power and authority delegated from him. So is he hill immediately prefent with the church requiring obedience in the name and majefty of God. (3. All judgment upon and concerning this obedience is committed un- to him by the Father. For the Fatherjudgeth no man, (that is, immedi- ately as the Father,) but bath committed alljudgmentunto the Bon, JohnV. 22. He Mathgiven him authority to execute judgment, becaufe he is the Sonof man, ver. 27. And his judgment is the judgment of God S for the Fatherwho judgeth none immediately in his own perfon, judgeth all in him, a Pet.i. 17. If call on the Father who without refjieét of-perfons judgeth every one according to his work. He doth fo in and by the Son unto whom all judgment is committed. And unto him are we to have regard in all our obedience, unto whom wemutt give our account concern- ing it, and bywhomwe are and mutt be finally judged upon it. To this purpofe fpeaks the apoftle, Rom. xiv ro, it, 12. We muff allRand before= the judgmentfeat ofChrift, for it is written, as I live faith the Lord, every knee(hall bow to me, and every tongue fhall confefs to God, fo every one of us hall give an account ofbimfelf to God. He ptoveth that we Ihall all fand before thejudgmentfeat of Chrifi, or be judgedby him, by-a teftimo- ny offcripture that we Ihall be all fo judged by God himfelf; and give an account of our felves unto him And as this Both undeniably prove and confirm the divine nature of thrift, without the faith whereof; there is neither cogencx in the apoftle's teflimony, nor force in his arguing ; fo he declares that (mod judgeth us only in and by him. In this regard of our moral obedience unto Chrift, lies the way whereby God will be glo- rifled. All things are yet more plain with ref ell unto inflitutions of divine wor- foip. The appointment of all divine ordinances under the New Teftament, was his efpecial province and work, as the Son and Lord over his own houfe. And obedience unto him inthe obfervance of them is that which he gives in efpecial charge unto all his difciples, Math. xxviii. r8, i9, 20. And it is nothing but a lofs of that fubjeftion of foul and confcience unto him, which is indifpenfibly required of all believers, that bath fee the minds of fo many at liberty to do and obferve in divine worfhip what they pleafe, without anyregard unto his inftitutions. It is otherwifewith refpeft unto moral duties. For the things of the moral law, have an ob- ligation on our confciences antecedent unto the enforcement of themby theauthority of Chrift, and there holds us fart. But as to things of the latter fort, our confciences 'can no way be affefted with a fenfe of them, or a neceffityof obedience in them, but by the foie and immediate autho- rity of Chrift himfelf. Ifa fenfe hereof be loft in our minds, we shall not abide-in the obfervance of his commands. . Y.(:\' & CHAP.

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