and flowers, &c. represented in it; but in the middle you have the main design: Thus is this foreordained redemption amongst the works of God; all his other works in the world, all the beauty of the creatures, and the succession of ages, and things that come to pass in them, are but as the border to this as the main-piece. But as a foolish unskilful beholder, not discerning the excellency of the principal piece in such maps or pictures, gazes only on the fair border, and goes no further: thus do the greatest part of us, our eyes are taken with the goodly show of the world and appearance of earthly things; but as for this great work of God, Christ fore-ordained, and in time sent for our redemption, though it most deserves our attentive regard, yet we do not view and consider it as we ought.

2. We have the performance of that purpose, was manifested in the last times for you. He was manifested both by his incarnation, according to that word of the Apostle St. Paul, manifested in the flesh, and manifested by his marvellous works and doctrine, by his sufferings and death, resurrection and ascension, by the sending down of the Holy Ghost according to his promise, and by the preaching of the Gospel, in the fulness of time that God had appointed, wherein all the prophecies that foretold his coming, and all the types, and cercmonies that prefigured him, had their accomplish

ment...

The times of the gospel are often called the last. times by the prophets; for that the jewish priesthood and ceremonies being abolished, that which succeeded was appointed by God to remain the same to the end of the world. Besides this, the time of our Saviour's incarnation may be called the last times, because although it were not near the end of time by many ages, yet in all probability it is much nearer the end of time than the beginning of it, Some resemble the time of his sufferings in uit# 150ti # 1 Tim. iii. 16, &c.

the end of the world, to the paschal lamb in the evening.

It was doubtless the fit time; but notwithstanding the schoolmen offer at reasons to prove the fitness of it, as their humour is to prove all things, none dare I think conclude, but if God had so appointed, it might have been either sooner, or later; and our safest way is to rest in that, that it was the fit time, because so it pleased him, and to seek no other reason, why having promised the Messiah so quickly after man's fall, he deferred his coming about four thousand years, and a great part of that time shut up the knowledge of himself, and the true religion, within the narrow compass of that one nation of which Christ was to be born: of these and such like things we can give no other reason but that which he teacheth us in a like case, even so father because it seemeth good unto thee.

3. The application of this manifestation, For you.] The apostle represents these things to those he writes to, particularly for their use; therefore he applies it to them, but without prejudice of the believers that went before, or of those that were to follow in after ages. He that is here said to be fore-appointed before the foundation of the world, is therefore called, a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And as the virtue of his death, looks backward to all preceding ages, whose faith and sacrifices looked forward to it; so the same death is of force and perpetual value to the end of the world: After he had offered one sacrifice for sins, says the apostle to the Hebrews, he sat down for ever on the right hand of God; for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. The cross on which he was extended points in the length of it to heaven and earth, reconciling them together, and in the breadth of it to former and following ages, as being equally salvation to both.

1

In this appropriating and peculiar interest in Jesus Christ lies our happiness, without which it * Matt. xi. 26.

1 Rev. xiii. 8.

Chap. x. 12. 14.

avails not that he was ordained from etern ty, and in time manifested. It is not the general contemplation, but the peculiar possession of Christ, that gives both solid comfort, and strong persuasion to obedience and holiness, which is here the apostle's particular scope.

Ver. 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.

Now because it is faith that gives the soul this particular title to Jesus Christ, the apostle adds that, to declare who he meant by you, (says he) who by him do believe in God, &c.

Where we have, 1. The compleat object of faith. 2. The ground or warrant of it. The object, God in Christ. The ground or warrant, In that he raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory.

1. The compleat object of faith. A man may have (living out of Christ) yea, he must, he cannot chuse but have a conviction within him that there is a God, and further he may have, even out of Christ, some kind of belief of those things that are spoken concerning God; but to repose on God, as his God, and his salvation, which is indeed to believe in him, this cannot be, but where Christ is the medium through which we look upon God; for so long as we look upon God through our own guiltiness, we can see nothing but his wrath, and apprehend him as an armed enemy; and therefore are so far from resting on him, as our happiness, that the more we view it, it puts us upon the more speed to fly from him, and to cry out, Who can dwell with everlasting burnings, and abide with a consuming fire? But our Saviour taking sin out of the way, puts himself betwixt our sins and God, and so makes a wonderful change of our apprehension of him. When you look through a red glass, the whole heavens seem bloody, but through pure uncoloured

glass, you receive the clear light, that is so refreshing and comfortable to behold. When sin unpardoned is betwixt, and we look on God through that, we can perceive nothing but anger and enmity in his countenance: but make Christ once the medium, our pure Redeemer, and through him, as clear transparent glass, the beams of God's favourable countenance shine in upon the soul; the Father cannot look upon his well-beloved Son, but graciously and pleasingly. God looks on us out of Christ, sees us rebels, and fit to be condemned, we look on God as being just and powerful to punish us; but when Christ is betwixt, God looks on us in him, as justified, and we look on God in him as pacified, and see the smiles of his favourable countenance: take Christ out, all is terrible; interpose him, all is full of peace: therefore set him always betwixt, and by him we shall believe in God.

2. The warrant and ground of believing in God by Christ is this, that God raised him from the dead and gave him glory, which evidences the full satisfaction of his death, and in all that work both in his humiliation and exaltation, standing in our room, we may repute it his as ours: if all is paid that could be exacted of him, and therefore he set free from death, then are we acquitted, and have nothing to pay: if he was raised from the dead, and exalted to glory, then so shall we; he hath taken possession of that glory for us, and we may judge ourselves possessed in it already, because he our head possesseth it. And this the last words of the verse confirm to us, implying this to be the very purpose and end for which God having given him to death, raised him up and gave him glory; it is for this end expressly that our faith and hope might be in God: the last end is, that we may have life and glory through him; the nearer end, that in the mean while, till we attain them, we may have firm belief and hope of them, and rest on God as the giver of them, and so in part enjoy them before hand, and be upheld in our joy and conflicts by the comfort of them. And as St. Ste

phen in his vision. Faith doth, in a spiritual way, look through all the visible heavens, and see Christ at the Father's right hand, and is comforted by that in the greatest troubles, though it were amidst a shower of stones, as St. Stephen was. The comfort is no less than this, that being by faith made one with Christ, his present glory wherein he sits at the Father's right hand, is assurance to us, That where he is we shall be also.

Ver. 22. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren; see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.

JESUS CHRIST is made unto us of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It is a known truth, and yet very needful to be often represented to us, that redemption and holiness are undivided companions, yea, that we are redeemed on purpose for this end, that we should be holy. The pressing of this, we see, is here the apostle's scope; and having by that reason enforced it in the general, he now takes that as concluded and confessed, and so makes use of it particularly to exhort to the exercise of that main christian grace of brotherly love.

The obedience and holiness mentioned in the foregoing verses, comprehend the whole duties and frame of a christian life towards God and men; and having urged that in the general, he specifies this grace of mutual christian love, as the great evidence of their sincerity, and the truth of their love to God: for men are subject to much hypocrisy this way, and deceive themselves, if they find themselves diligent in religious exercises, they scarce once ask their hearts, how they stand affected this way, namely, in love to their brethren. They can come constantly to the church, and pray, it may be,,

b Acts vii. 55.

c John xiv. 3.
C

a 1 Cor. i. 30.