other, in the enjoyment of the most sweet love and friendship; every way to an unfpeakably greater degree than could have been in different circumstances, or in any other way, in which fhe would not have been fo much dependent upon, and fo greatly obliged to him.

This is but a faint shadow of the cafe before us, with respect to Christ, the friend and bridegroom of his church and people. They are fallen into an infinitely calamitous and evil ftate; a ftate of complete, total and eternal deftruction; into the hands of the devil, their great and potent enemy, and under the difpleafure and curfe of the God that made them: being infinitely guilty and ill deferving, the prifoners of juftice, bound over to fuffer his eternal wrath; not being able or dif pofed to help and deliver themselves in the leaft degree. The Son of God was the only perfon in the universe that was able to redeem and fave them; and he was not under the leaft obligation to do it. But he voluntarily offered himself, and undertook this most difficult, coftly and mighty work; and that from pure love and benevolence to these loft and infinitely miferable creatures, and a defire to procure and prefent to himself a glorious church, a bride, not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing, but perfectly beautiful and holy, and without blemish, being brought into the nearest and everlasting union and friendship with himself.

In order to this, he gave himself for them. Though he was a perfon of infinite dignity, riches and worth, he became poor, and humbled himself fo as to become a fervant, and fubjected himself to the greateft ignominy and fufferings, even unto death. He voluntarily put himself into the place and circumftances of his spouse, and when her whole intereft lay at ftake, and fhe was in a state of complete deftruction, he took the whole of her deftruction and fufferings on himself, and went through with the matter: he drank the whole of the bitter cup, that he might escape; he gave his life for her ranfom, and fpilt his own blood in the moft_trying circumftances, that he might completely redeem

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her from the jaws of the moft dreadful and eternal deftruction, and deliver her from the hand and power of all her enemies. He has furvived the dreadful fcene, having completed the greatest and most diflicult work that ever was, or ever will or can be undertaken, and yet lives to efpouse the caufe of his people; and will not ftop till he has completed the matter, and fanctified and cleanfed every one of them with the washing of water by the word, and brought them into the most near, and an everlasting union and friendship with himself, in the moft perfect enjoyment of his love, riches, honours and happiness forever and ever.

Thus the redeemed have a Friend, not only in himfelf most excellent and worthy, and full of the greatest benevolence and goodness, but one on whom they are in the highest degree dependent, and to whom they are indebted and obliged in the highest imaginable or even poffible degree, in a manner which is moft pleafing to them, and ferves to render him unspeakably more excellent and worthy in their eyes, and give a sweetness to their love and friendship, which could not be known in any other circumftances.

No other creatures in the universe have fuch a friend as this. The angels have no fuch friend. When some of them fell into fin and wo, they had no friend to redeem them. And the redeemed from among men have had infinitely more done for them, and they are infinitely more dependent on the Son of God for all good and happiness, and indebted and obliged to him, than the angels are. They are the bride, the Lamb's wife, who are by him redeemed out of great tribulation, from a ftate of infinite wo, in which they lay perfectly helplefs; that he might enjoy them forever in a peculiar union and friendfhip, which exceeds every thing of this kind in all poffible degrees. These circumftances lay a foundation for a fweetness and enjoyment immenfely higher than could take place in any other way. In a fenfe and acknowledgment of what Chrift has done for them, and their peculiar dependence upon, and obliga

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tions to him, the redeemed will exercise a kind of humble, fweet and beautiful love towards their Friend and Redeemer, which is peculiar to them, and never could have had an exiftence in any other way but this; and which will be the eternal fource of a most sweet and high enjoyment, which no ftranger, none but the beloved bride, not even the angels, can intermeddle with or taste. the exercife of this peculiarly fweet love and friendship towards their infinitely dear and glorious Friend and Redeemer, they will eternally fing a new fong, which none but the redeemed, the bride, the Lamb's wife, can poffibly fing or learn, to all eternity; no, not even the highest and best angel in heaven; faying, "Worthy is the Lamb to receive power, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory; for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, and haft made us kings and priests unto God." Well then may they now begin to fay, with a heart-felt fweetnefs, and joy which is unfpeakable and full of glory, "This is my beloved, and this is my FRIEND."

4. Jefus Chrift is a friend who has exercised the highest degrees of love, and has given the greatest poffi ble teftimonies of it.

In order to true friendship there must be mutual love. This is effential to the character of our friend, that he loves us; and he acts in this character, and maintains friendship, by exercifing love, and giving proper tokens and manifeftations of it, on all occafions. Solomon obferves, that "A friend loveth at all times." And he is the greatest friend, whofe love is the ftrongeft, and is exercifed and manifefted in the moft difficult and trying circumftances.

Now Chrift has diftinguished himfelf from all others in this refpect, and has difcovered himself to be infinitely the greateft and best friend. This appears from what was faid, under the laft particular, of what Christ has done and fuffered for his fpoufe; for in all this he exercised and expreffed his love, and that in the most trying circumftances, and to the higheft poffible degree.

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One thing that recommends a friend, and adds to his worth and excellence, and makes him dear to his beloved, is, that he is a tried friend; he has perfevered in his friendship, and exercised and expreffed his love in the moft difficult cafe imaginable; in doing which he has been at the greateft pains and coft, while he had the greatest temptations to give up his beloved. Jefus Chrift is fuch a tried friend, and that to the greateft poffible degree.

"Greater love hath no man," fays this greatest and chief of all friends, "than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' But Chrift's love and friendfhip has infinitely exceeded this. He has done and suf. fered more for his people than merely dying for them, a thousand times over. He drank the bitter cup for them, which was infinitely more than merely dying a violent death. He was made a curfe for them, and fuffered a fenfe of the wrath of God. This drank up his fpirits the foretafte of it threw him into the moft amazing agony and this made him cry out, in inexpreffible and moft aftonishing anguifh, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me!" What is the most cruel death that ever martyr fuffered, to this? The martyrs have been able to rejoice in the midst of all the keeneft tortures enemies could inflict. They have fung in the flames, and found it the most happy, joyful hour they ever faw. And fo might Chrift have done on the crofs, had he but their fupports, and no more to fuffer than they. But what he fuffered in his death was fomething infinitely greater and more terrible. Under this infinite weight he hung on the cross, and at last bowed his head and gave up the ghoft. This was dying in a fenfe and degree in which no other perfon ever did.

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die thus was infinitely more, and greater, and more dreadful, than the death of all the ten thoufand mar tyrs who have fallen a facrifice to the cruelty of their bloody perfecutors. Yea, it was as great a thing and equivalent to the eternal death and destruction which the redeemed deserve, and were exposed to: for he died

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in their ftead; he took their death and eternal deftruc tion on himself. On him it fell in its full weight, and he bore and went through it all. He knew what it would cost him to espouse the cause of finners; yet he voluntarily undertook, put himself in their circumftan. ces (fin only excepted) and went through with it, without flinching in the leaft degree. Here is an inftance of love and friendship, to which there neither is, nor can be, any parallel in the univerfe. This is the evidence and token of love which Chrift has given to his people; which is infinitely the greatest that ever was, or can be.

Befides, the love of Chrift to his people will appear yet greater, if we confider their native character and difpofition towards him. He loved them, and died for them, when they were not only mean, worthless, unworthy and infinitely guilty, but his enemies, difpofed to hate, defpife and oppofe him, in his whole character and in all his ways; and even in his moft aftonishing works of love and kindnefs to them. Herein he has com

mended his love to us, in that, when we were his great and inexcufable enemies, he died for us. It is a much higher exercise of love, and a greater teftimony of it, to love and die for an enemy, a bafe, odious injurious creature, than it would be to do this for an excellent, benevolent and much efteemed friend.

What higher evidence and teftimony could Christ give of his love of benevolence, to thofe whom he redeems, than this! And what higher act of love and friendship can there be! Surely his love to his people cannot be doubted of. And if he thus loved them when they were his vile enemies, he will continue to love them now they are reconciled, and have chofen him for their best friend and patron. And this is an exercife and evidence of a ftrong and wonderful love, that will unfpeakably endear him to them, and add an inexpreffible sweetness to this friendship forever.

And, as the effect and further evidence of this love, he gives them his Holy Spirit to change their hearts, deliver them from the dominion of fin, and the flave

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