PART II. SERMON X. 145 both those which are revealed tothe children of men, and those that are known only to the Son and the Father : But it is suffici- ently evident, that all the degrees and powers ofthe spiritual and eternal life Ofthe saints, with all the graces, glories and blessings that shall ever attend theta, arehiddenand laid up in these sacred engagements and promises. IL This leads me to the second enquiry ; and that is, what is meant by these words, with Christ, in my text ? and how the Christian life is hid with Christ ? If I would branch this into three particulars also, I should express themthus : 1. Our life ishidden with Christ, as he is the great Treasurer and Dispenser ofall divine benefits to the children of men. This is thehigh office to which the Father hath appointed him ; and this is the character that he sustains ; andhe is abundantly fur- nished for the executionof this great trust. In this sense, all the stores of life and blessing, that ever shall be bestowed on the sin- ful race ofAdam, are laid up in the hands of Christ, the Sonof God. It hath pleased the Father, that in him allfulness should dwell ; Col. i. 19. And he wasfull ofgrace and truth, that of his fulness we might receivegrace for grace ; John i. 14-16. That is, a variety of graces and blessings answerable to that rich variety, with which our Lord Jesus Christ, the High-treasurer ofheaven, wasfurnished from the hand of the Father. And to this purpose, perhaps, John v. 26. may be interpreted, com- pared with ver. 21. As the Father hath life in himself; so bath he given to the Son to have life in himself; that as the Father razseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son may quickenwhom he will. Theblessed Spirit itself, as itis thegreat promise ofthe New Testament, and the glorious gift of God to men, was communi- cated- to the Son, and by him bestowed upon us ; for he went to heaven to receive the promise of the Spirit fromthe Father, and he shed it forth upon the apostles and the believers; Acts ii. 33. It isthis Spirit who gave miraculous gifts to them heretofore, that is the immediate principle, or worker, of divine life in dead souls now : And it is by this same Spirit, that he shall raise our dead bodies from the grave ; Rom. viii. 11. He is the springof our spiritual and eternal life; and he is dispensed to usfrom the Fa- ther, by the hands of the Son. And here it is proper to take notice of thespecial manner wherein the LordJesus Christ is the treasurer, or keeper of life, and all divine benefits for the saints, and becomes the dispenser thereof tohis people : He is ordained to stand in therelation of a Vol.. 1. L
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