thing; and will you be wanting to him in every thing? A fon honoureth his father, and the fervant his mafter; If I then be a father, where is my honour, if a mafter, where is my fear? Mal. i. 6. As a father, fo will he be reverenced for his goodness; as a mafter, he will be feared for his mercy. Oh what is that little he defireth of you, to that much he deferveth from you? If honour be not due to him, let it not be bestowed if it be due to him, let it not be denied. If God do great things for his children, he will not accept of fmall things from them. Do but fee the great out-cry that he makes against his own children, Ifa. iii. 3. Hear O heaven, and be aftonished, O earth! What is the matter? I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The nearer the relation, the greater the obligation: Chrift is related to them as a Lord to his fervants, as a father to his children, as a Prince to his fubjects, and as a head to his members. Where the relation is nearest, it is there the provocation is greateft; it is a more pleafing thing to fee rebels become children, than it is to fee them become rebels.

What mother can endure to fee thofe lips that drew her breast, to fuck her blood? O christians, you are more known to God than others; therefore, you must more acknowledge him than others; you do not look for

fo

.

fo much splendour from the burning of a candle, as from the fhining of the fun; nor for fo much moisture, from the dropping of a bucket, as from the diffolving of a cloud; To whom much is given, of them much shall be required. God doth not expect much, where little is bestowed, nor accept little where much is received. Hear ye the words of the Lord, O children of Ifrael, you only have I known of all the families of the earth, Amos, iii. 2. God hath exalted you above others, and therefore you must do more for God than others. It was a great blemish to Hezekiah, that his returnings were not anfwerable to his receivings.

O! believers, let me befeech you to do much, love, give and pray much; feeing you have received much. I fhall wind up all with a word of comfort to you the children of God.

O firs, God in Chrift is your everlafting father, and you are his children; therefore fear not, it fhall go well with you hear and hereafter, Luke xii. 32. Fear not little flocks, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He will with-hold no good thing from you, Pfal. Ixxxiv. 11. He gives grace and glory to you. Grace is the filver link, that draws the golden link of glory

after it.

SERMON VII.

SERMON VII

The PRINCE of PEACE.

CANT. V. 16. He is altogether Lovely. Doctrine, Jefus Chrift is Infinitely and Su-· perlatively Lovely.

WTM

HEREVER Chrift is a prieft for redemption, he is a prince for dominion, wherever he is a Saviour, there is he a ruler; where he is a fountain of happiness, there he is a fountain of holiness; where he is a redeemer, there he is a refiner; whereever he takes a burden from off the creatures back, there he lays a yoke upon their neck. The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law giver, the Lord is our king, he will Save us, Ifa. xxxii. 22.

I fhall now proceed to the fifth title of Jefus Chrift, which is Prince of Peace: This you have in Ifa. ix. 6.

It is the happiness of the Church of God, that although they cannot give peace, yet they may get peace; though they cannot fettle it on earth, yet they may feek it from heaven; peace is the well-being of all other enjoyments; all other mercies fuck their livelihood at the breast of peace, it is the mother of all profperity; as the life of old

Jacob,

Jacob, was wrapt up in the life of the lad Benjamin, fo is all happiness wrapt up in peace. It is the felicity of the faints on earth, and the glory of the angels in heaven. When the old Hebrews, wifhed any happiness to any one, they only used this experf. fion, "Peace be unto you." From this title. of Chrift, I fhall lay down two propofitions. 1. That Sions king is a peaceable king. 2. That the Lord Jefus Chrift, the Prince of Peace, is the caufe and foundation of a believer's peace. In the profecution of it, I fhall fhew you four things.

1. Christ is a peace-bringer; he brought in everlafting peace by righteoufnels, and uot by fword, Luke ii. 14. Peace on earth, and good will towards men. Why, was the bread of life an hungry, but that he might feed the hungry with the bread of life? Why was reft itself weary, but to give the but to give the weary reft? Why was the Prince of peace in trouble, but that the troubled might have peace? None but the image of God, could reftore us to his image; none but the beloved of God, could make us beloved to him; none but the natural fon, could make us fons; nothing but the wifdom of God could make us wife; none but the Prince of peace, could bring the God of peace, and the peace of God to poor finners; therefore he is called our peace, Eph. ii. 14. Oh what is fo good as Chrift, and what fo great an evil as fin?

The

The former brings us to joy and peace, and the latter to woe and mifery.

2. He is the peace-maker, as well as the peace-bringer; he is the peace-maker between God and men: Sin is the great bar between God and the foul: Sin is the wall of feperation between God and us; but the Prince of peace makes peace between God and us: He paid all debts, and took up all controverfies; blotted out the hand writing, and hath broken down the partition wall, and made up the breach between God and man, 2 Cor. v. 19. God was in Chrift, reconciling the world to himself. Mark, tis in Chrift: So likewife elfewhere, You who were Jometimes far off, he made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Oh finers, Chrift is our peace-maker, he makes peace between God and us, and reconcileth God to man, and man to God; fo that though God might juftly be displeased with us; yet his fon is well pleased with us: God is more pleased with a believer for Chrift's fake, than he was displeased with him for fin's fake.

3. Jefus Chrift is the peace giver; alas! poor finners, we have no peace with Angels, confcience, nor with one another, till the Prince of peace gives it us: Peace I leave with you, peace I give unto you, faith our Lord to his Difciples, John xiv. 27. Oh firs, he gives peace with God, in Rom, v. 1.

We