DISCOURSE IX. 271- the Son of God; behold him in all the sufficiency of the united godhead, and in ,all the glory and authority of 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 in the xvith and xviith chapters of the gospel of St John. And he reads those words of hisLord with abundant joy, And I give into them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father zzwhicl, gave themme, is greater than all: and none is able topluck themout of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one; John x. 28, 29, 30. "Now, says the believer, shall I , not venture my eternal state in those hands where God himself has laid it ? Shall I not chuse him to be,my guardian in this my weak and helpless state, whom the Father has appointed for this very purpose, and trusted with the care of all his children ? Who is so fit to be my shep- herd as that glorious person to whom the Father has comuitted the charge of all his sheep ? God the Father knows him well, that he is equal to the great undertaking, orelse he would never have intrusted him .with the souls of his chosen ones ; and I through' his grace have beheld such abilities, sick love, and such faithfulness in him,' that he is sufficient to answer the weighty charge; therefore I have intrustedhim with my all, and I know whom I have trusted." Besides, says the christian, this is the person whom God has ordained to take care ofhis own"infinite honours, as well as of the immortalconcerns of men ; and where can I trust my soul better than where the all-wise God has trusted all his own glory ; Thegovernment of heaven and earth, of angels and men, is laid upon his shoulders, and of his dominion there is no bound, there is no end; Is. ix. 6. Thebiggest affairs of kingdoms and nations, all the revolutions and concerns of the worlds of nature, grade, and glory, are committed to Christ the Mediator ; all things are delivered into his hands by the Father; Johniii. 35. And surely, saith the christian, there is none like him to take care ofmy soul ; since God himself, upon a survey of all the creation, found none like him ; none so 'fit to be intrusted with all his own infinite con- cerns, in all the worlds which he hath made. I know therefore whom I have believed, when I believed in Jesus, and i am persuaded he is able to keep that which I have committed tohire against that day. Secondly, After having discovered what it is that a chris- tian knows of Christ that engages his belief, and firm cons, deuce, we proceed to enquire, What sort of knowledge this is, or how hecomes to know him so as to trust in him, and rejoice in his faith ? The answer may be reduced to these two heads : A,
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