3. He performed this obedience with infinite respect to God, and the honor of his law. The obedience he performed was with infinitely greater love to God, and regard to his authority, than that of angels. The angels perform their obedience with perfect love, with a sinless perfection; but Christ performed his with infinite love. Though the human nature of Christ was not capable of love absolutely infinite, yet Christ's obedience in that nature, is the obedience of his person as God-man; and therefore there was infinite love manifest in that obedience. And this, together with the infinite dignity of the person who obeyed, rendered his obedience infinitely meritorious.

II. The second distribution of the acts of Christ's obedience, regards the different parts of his life, wherein they were performed. And in this respect they may be divided into those which were per formed in his private life, and those which were performed in his public ministry.

1. Those acts he performed during his private life. He was perfectly obedient in his childhood. He infinitely differed from other children, who, as soon as they begin to act, begin to sin and rebel. He was subject to his earthly parents, though he was Lord of all. Luke, 2:51. And was found about his Father's business even when a child. Luke, 2: 42. He then began to fulfill the mediatorial law, which the Father had given him. He continued his private life for about thirty years, dwelling at Nazareth, in the house of his reputed father Joseph, where he served God in a private capacity, and in following a mechanical trade, the business of a carpenter.

2. Those acts which he performed during his public ministry, which began when he was about thirty years of age, and continued for the last three years and a half of his life. Most of the evangelical history is taken up in giving an account of what passed during that time: indeed all the history of Matthew, except the first two chapters; the whole of Mark and John, and all of Luke, except the two first chapters; excepting also what we find in the evangelist concern ing the ministry of John the Baptist. Christ's first appearing in his public ministry, is what is often called his coming in Scripture. Thus John speaks of Christ's coming as future, though he had been born long before.

Concerning the public ministry of Christ, I would observe the following things:

1. The forerunner of Christ's coming in his public ministry was John the Baptist. He came preaching repentance for the remission of sins, to make way for Christ's coming, agreeably to the prophecies of him. Isa. 40: 3-5, and Matt. 3: 5, 6. It is supposed that John the Baptist began his ministry about three years and a half before Christ; so that John's ministry and Christ's put together, made seven years, which was the last of Daniel's weeks. Dan. 9: 27. He will confirm the covenant with many for one week." Christ came in the midst of this week of years, as Daniel foretold: "And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease."

John the Baptist's ministry was designed to awaken and convince men of sin, to prepare them for the coming of Christ, and to comfort them. A very remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God attended

John's ministry; and the effect of it was, that "Jeru salem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, went out to him, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." John was the greatest of all the prophets who came before Christ. Luke, 7: 28. 'Among those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; that is, he had the most honorable office. He was as the morning star, which is the harbinger of the approaching day, and forerunner of the rising sun. The other prophets were stars that gave light in the night; but those stars went out on the approach of the gospel-day. Now the coming of Christ being very nigh, the morning star comes before him, the brightest of all the stars, as John the Baptist was, in the sense mentioned, the greatest of all the prophets. And when Christ came in his public ministry, the light of that morning star decreased too; as we see, when the sun rises, it diminishes the light of the morning star. So John the Baptist says of himself, John, 3: 30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." And soon after Christ began his public ministry, John the Baptist was put to death; as the morning star is visible a little while after the sun is risen, but soon disappears.

2. Christ's entrance on his public ministry was by his baptism, followed with the temptation in the wilderness. His baptism was as it were the solemn inauguration by which he entered on his ministry; and was attended with his being anointed with the Holy Ghost in a solemn and visible manner, the Holy Ghost descending upon him in a visible shape, like a dove, attended with a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well Redemption.

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pleased." Matt. 3: 16, 17. After this he was led by the devil into the wilderness. Satan made a violent attack upon him at his first entrance on his work; and he had a remarkable trial of his obedience; but he got the victory. He who had such success with the first Adam, had none with the second.

3. The work in which Christ was employed during his ministry. And here are three things chiefly to be noticed, viz. his preaching, his working of miracles, and his calling and appointing disciples and ministers of his kingdom.

(1.) His preaching the Gospel. Great part of the work of his public ministry consisted in this; and much of that obedience by which he purchased salvation for us, was in his speaking those things which the Father commanded him. He more clearly and abundantly revealed the mind and will of God than ever it had been. He came from the bosom of the Father, perfectly knew his mind, and was in the best capacity to reveal it. As the sun, as soon as it is risen, begins to shine, so Christ, as soon as he came into his public ministry, began to enlighten the world with his doctrine. As the law was given at Mount Sinai, so Christ délivered his evangelical doctrine (full of blessings and not curses) to a multitude on a mountain. Matt. ch. 5-7.

When he preached, he did not teach as the scribes, but as one having authority; so that his hearers were astonished at his doctrine. He did not reveal the mind and will of God in the style of the prophets, as, "Thus saith the Lord;" but in such a style as this, "I say unto you," " Verily verily, I say unto you." He delivered his doctrines

not only as the doctrines of God the Father, but as his own. He gave forth commands, not merely (as the prophets were wont to do) as God's commands, but as his own. This is my commandment." John, 15: 12. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." Ver. 14.

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(2) Another thing that Christ was employed in during the course of his ministry, was working miracles. Concerning which we may observe several things:

Their multitude. Besides particular instances, we often have an account of multitudes coming at once with diseases, and his healing them.

They were works of mercy. In them was displayed not only his infinite power and greatness, but his infinite mercy and goodness. He went about doing good, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and the proper use of their limbs to the lame and halt; feeding the hungry, cleansing the leprous, and raising the dead.

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They were almost all of them such as had been spoken of as the peculiar works of God, in the Old Testament. Such were stilling the sea, Psalm 107: 29, "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still;" walking on the sea in a storm, Job, 9: 8, Which alone treadeth upon the waves of the sea;" and casting out devils, Psalm 74 14, Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces." So as to feeding a multitude in a wilderness, Deut. 8: 16, "Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna;" telling man's thoughts, Amos, 4: 13,"Lo, he that declareth unto man what is his thought-the Lord, the God of hosts is his name;" and raising the dead. Psalm 68: 20, "Unto God