God, he could not have given fatisfaction by his sufferings: but, being God-man, his fufferings are dignified with infinite value and virtue. -Our Redeemer muft both die for us, and conquer death: now, if he had not been man, he could not have died; and therefore he took on our nature, that he might tafte death for every man: if he had not been God, he could not have destroyed death, conquered death; but now, he is declared to be the Son of God with power, by his refurrection from the dead. There is the man that is God's Fellow. But now,

4thly, Confider the account we have of his mediatory office, My Shepherd. Here you may a little view, 1. How he comes to be called a Shepherd. And, 2. How the Lord of hofts comes to call him his Shepherd; My Shepherd:

1. Then, how he is called a Shepherd. This will appear by noticing a few fcriptures wherein he is so defigned. He is called the shepherd of Ifrael, Pfal. lxxx. 1. He is called the fhepherd of fouls, 1 Pet. ii. 25. You were like fheep gone aftray, but you are returned to the fhepherd and bishop of your fouls. He is called the good Shepherd, John x. 11. I am the good Shepherd. O but it fets him well to commend himfelf! I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd gives his life for his Sheep. He is called the great fhepherd, Heb. xiii. 20. Now, the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, that great fhepherd of the fheep, by the blood of the everlafting covenant, make you perfect, etc. He is called the chief fhepherd, 1 Pet. v. 4. When the chief Shepherd fhall appear, ye fhall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. He has all the qualities of a good and great fhepherd. Does a fhepherd take care to provide for his flock and feed them? fo does Chrift; The Lord is my fhepherd, I fhall not want. He feeds his flock like a fhepherd, Ifa. xl. 11. He feeds them with the bread of life. Does a fhepherd water his flock? fo does Chrift; he gives them not only meat for their nourifhment, but drink for the refreshment of his weary flock, even the water of life, that flows from below

the

the throne, through the conduit of the gofpel; by which I understand the Spirit, that well of water Springing up to everlasting life; and the influences of his grace, by which he ftrengthens, purifies, and comforts his people. -Does a fhepherd lead his flock to convenient paftures? fo does Chrift; Give ear, O Shepherd of Ifrael, thou that leadeft Jofeph like a flock. He leads them to green pastures, and befide the Atill waters of Gofpel-ordinances and promifes: and thefe paftures are fweeter to them than honey or the boney-comb.- Does the fhepherd heal his diftreffed flock? fo does Chrift; his name is Jehovah-Rophi, I am the Lord that healeth thee. Is there any here that are poor diseased sheep, plagued with atheifm, un belief, enmity, and pride? plagued with a backfliding heart? what think you of that fhepherd that fays, I will heal your backflidings, and love you freely.-Does the fhepherd feek out the loft fheep till he find it? fo does Chrift; He came to feek and to fave that which was loft.-Does the fhepherd take special care of the poor tender fheep, that is fo far behind that it can. hardly follow the flock? fo does Chrift; He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them in his bofom, and gently leads thofe that are with young. Does the

thepherd prevent the fraying of the fheep, and bring back fuch as go aftray? fo does Chrift; he prevents their total apoftacy, according to his covenant, Jer. xxxii. 40. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me. Hence comes it, that his fheep never go back into perdition, Pfal. xxxvii. 24. Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down; for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Hence comes their recoveries after falls, because this fhepherd ga thers and brings back his ftraying fheep. See a fweet scripture to this purpose, Ezek. xxxiv. 11, 12, 13, 16, 23. compared particularly with verf. 16. As this may be a fweet word to poor fheep, that have nothing, and fee they have nothing; no good, no grace, no faith, no love, no repentance, no good VOL. I. F

qualifications of their own, nothing to recommend them to God, but their want and neceffity; and to the weak fheep, that finds he can do nothing, he cannot pray, cannot believe, cannot mourn, cannot communicate, and therefore fees an abfolute need of Christ to be their righteoufness and ftrength: fo it may be an awakening word to the fat and strong fheep; these that are fat and full in themselves, and think they are increased with goods, and ftand in need of nothing; they have a good heart to God ; they are not fo ill, they think, as fome perfons: and thofe that are strong, they think they can pray, and hear, and believe, and communicate well enough; what should hinder them? whereas the poor and weak will be fed with mercy; the fat and the strong, will be fed with judgment. Let the poor weak sheep, though fenfible of great ftrayings, yet conceive hope; this Shepherd feeks that which was loft, and brings again that which was driven away. Was you driven away with a cheek-wind; driven away by the devil; driven away from your Shepherd by temptation and powerful corruption? Why, yet he brings again that which was driven away.-Does a fhepherd defend his flock from troubles, and fuch as would make a prey of them? fo does Chrift; when grievous wolves, whether in church or ftate, would destroy the poor sheep, whether in their perfons or principles; yet upon all the glory there fhall be a defence and no weapon formed against them fhall profper: for, There is no inchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Ifrael.Does a fhepherd know all the fheep of his flock, by his own mark upon them? fo does Chrift; The foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. As his fheep hear and know his voice from the voice of a stranger, fo he knows them, and calls his own fheep by name, John x. 3. But,

:

2. How does the Lord of hofts come to call him HIS Shepherd? Awake, O fword, against my Shepherd. Why, he is God the Father's Shepherd in feveral refpects; which I touch at only in a word.

(1.) He

(1.) He is God's Shepherd, because God made him fo; he has the Father's commiffion for this effect, John vi. 27. Him hath God the Father fealed. Chrift was appointed and authorized; he was elected for this effect; Behold, my fervant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my foul delighteth. He tranfacted with him for this effect; I have made a covenant with my chofen. He formally callled him to this employment, and fet him up to be a Shepherd, Ezek. xxxiv. 23. I will fet up one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them; he fhall be their Shepherd. He qualified him for this work, by a fupereminent unction; I have put my Spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

(2.) He is God's Shepherd, because God gave him the fheep, John xvii. 6. Thine they were, and thou gaveft them me: they were thine by election, and thou gaveft them me, to be redeemed by me. This donation of the sheep to Christ is begun in election, and accomplished in effectual vocation; All that the Father hath given me, fhall come to me.

3. He is God's Shepherd, because God recommends all his sheep to his fpecial care, John vi. 39. This is the Father's will, which has fent me, that of all which he has given me, I fhould loofe nothing: God has given him the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermoft ends of the earth for his poffeffion. All whom he chofe to be the objects of his fpecial love, he lodges as a truft in the hands of Chrift: he gave him the charge of the sheep, and his inftructions are, not only to lofe none, no not the leaft of them, the weakest of them; but to lofe nothing: and as he will lofe none, no perfon; fo he will lofe nothing, no part of the perfon; neither foul nor body.

(4.) He is God's Shepherd; Why? God appointed him to lay down his life for his fheep, John x. 18. I lay down my life for my fheep; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again: this commandment have I received of my Father. Chrift fuffered death, not only voluntarily, but in a way of fubjection to his Father, that fo the merit of his death

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might

When this fword did

come between them and it. awake against Christ, he found it as broad as the curfe denounced against mankind, upon the back of our fall in Adam, which you may read, that you may the better understand what the man that is God's Fellow underwent, when he substitute himself in our room, and undertook to fuffer the punishment due for our fins, the curfe pronounced against Adam, and in him against all his pofterity, and which, in all the parts of it, lighted upon Chrift; you read of it generally, Gen. ii. 17. In the day thou eateft, thou shalt furely die; or, dying, thou shalt die; and more particularly, Gen. iii. 17, 18, 19. Curfed is the ground for thy fake, in forrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns alfo and thistles fhall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the Sweet of thy face fhalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it waft thou taken: for duft thou art, and unto duft shalt thou return. Where you see the curfe has three parts. 1. The frailties and infirmities that human nature was fubject to after the fall. 2. The calamities incident to man's life; Thou shalt eat thy meat with the fweat of thy brows: thorns and thiftles fhall the ground bring forth. 3. Death; duft thou art, and to dust thou shalt return: which has in it the death of the foul as well as the body. Here is an abridgment of all the curfes of the Bible; and this broad fword must awake against the man that is God's Fellow, and our Surety, for this curfe in all its parts feized upon him.

(1.) The first was the frailties and infirmities of human nature, a part of the curfe? this feized upon Christ at his incarnation; for his body was of the duft like ours, fubject to the like infirmities with ours; he took not on him our nature in its prime and glory, but after broken and shattered with the fall, Rom. viii. 3. He came in the likeness of finful flesh, and for fin condemned fin in the flesh.

(2.) As to the calamities and miferies that attended man's life, this part of the curfe feized on him alfo; he eat his bread with the fweat of his brows,

when