270 FAITH BUILT ON ItNOWLEDGE. will raise my flesh to immortality, and rejoin it to my soul at the great day. 7. In the last place, I might add, the faithfulness of Christ to fulfil all that he undertakes, is another qualification that en courages our trust. His name is the . imen, the faithful and the true; Rev. iii. 14. The Lord is faithful who shall establish you, andkeep you from evil ; therefore saith the apostle to the saints at Thessalonica, We have confidence in the Lord touchingyou; 2 Thess. iii. 3, 4. His sincerity is above all possibility ofbeing corrupted, and what he once designs he will accomplish : Whom he loves, he loves to the end; John xiii. 1. He is unchangeable in his compassion from the very truth of his nature ; hiszeal and watchfulness can never admit him tobe forgetful one moment, ofall the infinite concerns that abeliever has intrustedwith him. His faithfulness adds force and strength to all the encourage- ments that our faith receives from all the other qualifications of Christ ; and, if I know all these excellencies are 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 ofa believer's knowledge, and the motivesof his faith, there is another thing- that engageshis confidence in him ; and that is, his special character and commissionas 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 care of sinners that are committed to his charge. He often speaks of his being sent from the Father to do his will. See Johnvi. 39. Andthis is the Father's will that hath sent me, that of allwhich he hath givenme, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. By this commissionChrist has a right and authority to ex- ercise all his natural powers and capacities to secúre the souls of believers. Thejustice, andwisdom, and holiness, as well as the grace and mercy of God the Father, joined to commit this autho- rity into his hands. And it is in this sense that all power in hea- venand earth is given him ; Mat. xxviii. 13. And he is head over all things for the church ; Eph. i. 22, 23. 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 commissionedMediator, he has a rightful authority to exert all his natural and divine powers in the communication of gifts and graces, and holy influences of the Spirit ; which power neither he nor hisFather did think proper to be exertedwithout satisfac- tion made for sin as Mediator. Behold thenour Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, and
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