DISC. IX.) ?AITH BUILT ÓN KNOWVLEDCE. 247 found in him, I am persuaded " he is able" and willing " to save to the uttermost;" and I leave my all with him till the last day. Thus we have briefly run through the personal qualifications of Christ. But, II. Besides these his personal qualifications, which are the objects of a believer's knowledge, and the motives of his faith, there is another thing that engages his confi- dence in him ; and that is, his special character and commission as a mediator, which he has received from the father, and which he has voluntarily undertaken to fulfil. Hereby he stands obliged to use all his personal abilities to take careof sinners that are committed to his charge. He often speaks of his being " sent from the father to do his will." See John vi. 39. And this is the Father's will that sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. By this commission Christ has a right and authority to exercise all his natural powers and capacities to secure the souls of believers, The justice, and wisdom, and holiness, as well as the grace and mercy of God the Fa- ther, joined to commit this authority into his hands. And it is in this sense that all power in heaven andearth is given him; Mat. xxviii. 18. And he is head over all things for the church; Eph. i. 22, When we say, that all gifts and all graces are treasured up in the hands of Christ, to be communicated to his people, we mean that as a commissioned Mediator, he has a right- ful authority to exert all his natural and divine pòwers in the communication of gifts and graces, and holy in- fluences of the Spirit ; which power neither he nor his Father did think proper to be exerted without satisfac- tion made for sin as Mediator. Behold then our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, and the Son ofGod behold him in all the sufficiencyof the united god -head, and in all the glory and authorityof his mediatorial commission, fully capacitated to keep whatsoever is committed to him ! The believer sees this and rejoices ; he beholds all the souls of sinners designed for salvation " given into the hands" of Christ, " by the Father, to keep ;" which Christ himself often speaks of it 4
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