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reins and hearts. Omniprefence and immenfity are proper to God, and are to be found in Chrift Jefus, who was in heaven at the fame time he was here on earth; which he could not be, if he was not the omniprefent God; any more than he could make good the promises he has made, that he will be with his people when they meet in his name, and with his minifters unto the end of the world; nor could he be prefent with his churches in all places, as he certainly is; nor fill all things, as he certainly does. Immutability only belongs to God: Christ is the fame yesterday, to day, and for ever. In fhort, independence and necessary existence, which are effential to Deity, are to be ascribed to him; for he is God of himself: Though as man and mediator, he has a life communicated to him from the Father; yet as God, he owes his being to none; it is not derived from another, he is over all, God bleffed for ever; and muft, therefore, be the true God and eternal life. If any perfection of Deity was wanting in him, the fulness, all the fulness of it could not be faid to dwell in him, nor he be faid, as he is, to be equal with God. Now fome think that this is the fulness defigned in our text, and read it, the fulness of the Godhead', which feems to be tranfcribed from another paffage in this epiftle already mentioned; and fuppofe that this fuits well with the apostle's defign in proving the primacy and preeminence of Chrift over all things: But it fhould be observed, that the fulness of the Deity poffeffed by the Son of God, does not depend on the Father's will and pleasure; but is what, as fuch, he naturally and neceffarily enjoys by a participation of the fame undivided nature and essence with the Father and Spirit, and therefore cannot be the fulness here intended.

Secondly, There is a relative fulness which belongs to Chrift, and is no other than his body the church, of which he is head, who is called the fulness of him that filleth all in all; and for this reason, because she is filled by him. When all the elect are gathered, the fulness of the Gentiles brought in, and all Ifrael saved; when these are filled with all the gifts and grace of God defigned for them, and are grown up to their juft proportion in the body, and have attained to the measure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift; then will they strictly be, and may be truly called fo. Some interpreters are of opinion, that this is the fulness here meant: But, though the church dwells in Chrift, and he in her, and that through the good will and pleasure of the Father; and though fhe is complete in Chrift, and is faid to be his fulness; yet, properly speaking, is not fo yet, at least in such sense as fhe will be: Nor is fhe ever faid to be all fulness, as in the text, and therefore cannot be here intended.

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Thirdly, There is a fulness of fitnefs and abilities in Chrift to discharge his work and office as mediator, which greatly lies in his being both God and man,

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• Heb. xiii. 8.
f Vid. Beza and Gomarus in loc.
Vid. Beza and Gomarus in loc.

Ephef. i. 23.

or in the union of the two natures, divine and human, in one perfon. Hereby he becomes abundantly qualified to be the day's-man betwixt us, able to lay bis hand upon us both; or in other words, to be the mediator between God and man ; to be both a merciful and faithful bigb-priest, in things pertaining to God, and to make reconcilation for the fins of the people: For being man, he had somewhat to offer in facrifice to God, and was thereby capable of making fatisfaction in that nature which finned, which the law and juftice of God feem to have required, and also of conveying the bleffings of grace procured by him to elect men; for which reason, he took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham. The holiness of Chrift's human nature greatly fitted him to be an high-priest, advocate, and interceffor, and very often an emphasis is put upon this in the facred writings; as when he is faid to take away fin, and in him is no fin, to of fer up bimfelf without spot to God, and we are faid to be redeemed by the blood of Christ, as of a lamb without spot and blemish: And, indeed, such a redeemer is proper for us, fuch an advocate fuits us, who is Jefus Chrift the righteous; such an high priest became us, is every way fit for us, who is boly, harmless, undefiled, and Jeparate from finners. Being God as well as man, there is a fufficient virtue in all his actions and fufferings to answer what they were defigned for; in his blood to cleanse from all fin, in his righteousness to justify from it, and in his facrifice to expiate and atone for it. Being the mighty God, he could travel in the greatness of his strength, draw nigh to God for us, offer up himself to God, bear our fins, and all the punishment due unto them, without failing or being difcouraged; his own arm alone was capable of bringing falvation to himself and us; there is nothing wanting in him, to make him a complete Saviour of the body, and head of the church. Now, this may be taken into the sense of our text, yet is not the whole of it: For,

Fourthly, There is difpenfatory, communicative fulness, which is of the Father's good will and pleasure, put into the hands of Chrift, to be distributed unto others: And this is principally defigned here, and is,

1. A fulness of nature. Christ is the head of every man, and the head over all things to the church; God has appointed him heir of all things, even in nature: The light of nature is in him and from him; and he is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world': The things of nature are all with him, and at his difpofal; the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereofTM; and he gives it to his chofen and fpecial people in a peculiar manner: The bleffings of nature are wisdom's left hand bleffings, as thofe of grace are her right hand ones: The world, and they that dwell therein, are his, even the men of the world; the wicked part of the world are, in some sense, given unto him,

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to be fubfervient to the ends of his mediatorial kingdom and glory: Ask of me, fay's the Father to him", and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy poffeffion; which cannot be understood of the chofen veffels of falvation; fince it follows, Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

2. A fulness of grace. Chrift is faid to be full of grace and truth; and it is of this fulness that the believer receives, and grace for grace; a fort of a fulness out of it, all kind of grace, every measure, and every fupply of it."

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(.) There is a fulness of the Spirit of grace, and of the gifts of the Spirit in Chrift: For he is the Lamb in the midst of the throne, baving seven horns and seven eyes, which are the feven fpirits of God; not seven diftinct perfonal fubfiftencies; but the phrase designs the one bleffed Spirit of God, and the perfection of his gifts and grace, fignified by the number seven, which, in the most enlarged' fenfe, dwell in Chrift; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord rest upon him; he is anointed with the oil of gladness, the holy Ghost, above his fellows, any of the fons of men, who are made partakers of his grace and glory; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure to him'. All thofe extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghost, with which the apostles were filled on the day of Pentecoft, were given from Christ, as the head of the church; who, when he afcended to heaven to fill all things, received gifts for men, and gave them to them, to qualify them for extraordinary work and fervice: And he has been in all ages fince, more or lefs, bestowing gifts on men, to fit them for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of his body the church, and the refidue of the spirit is with him.

(2.) There is a fulness of the bleffings of grace in Chrift. The covenant of grace is ordered in all things, as well as fure, it is full of all fpiritual bleffings.' Now this covenant is made with Chrift, it is in his hands, yea, he is the covenant itself, all the bleffings of it are upon the head, and in the hands of our antitypical Jofeph, even on the crown of the bead of him who was separate from his brethren; and therefore, if any are bleffed with thefe bleffings, they are blessed with them in heavenly places in Chrift: And, indeed, in a very ftrange and furprifing manner do they come from him to us, even through his being made a curse for us; for he was made a curfe for us, that the bleffing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through him: particularly, there is in Chrift a fulness of juftifying, pardoning, adopting, and fanctifying grace.

There is a fulness of juftifying grace in him. One part of his work and office, as mediator, was to bring in everlasting righteousness; a righteousness answerable to all the demands of law and juftice, which fhould answer for his people in a' time

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timme to come, and last for ever; fuch a righteousness he has wrought out and brought in, by which juftice is fatisfied, the law is magnified and made honourable, and with which God is well pleased: whence he is truly called, The Lord our righteousness, and the Sun of righteousness, from whom alone we have our juftifying righteousness. Now this righteoufnefs wrought out by the Son of God, is in him, and with him, as the author and subject of it; and to him are fenfible fouls directed, to him they look, and to him they apply for it; and every one for themselves fay, as their faith grows up, furely, in the Lord have I righteousness and ftrength: From him they receive this gift of righteousness, and with it an abundance of grace, a flow, an overflow of it. As it was freely wrought out for them, it is freely imputed to them, and bestowed upon them, without any confideration of their works; and is fo full and large, that it is fufficient for the juftification of all the elect, and that from all things, from which they could not be juftified in any other way.

There is also a fulness of pardoning grace in Chrift. The covenant of grace has largely and fully provided for the forgiveness of the fins of all the Lord's people. One considerable branch of it is, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their fins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In consequence of this covenant, and the engagements of Chrift in it, his blood has been shed for many, for the remiffion of fins. The iffue of which is, that in him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of bis grace"; which, as it is entirely free, the riches, the glory of grace and mercy are eminently difplayed in it, fo it is large and abundant, full and complete; for God, pursuant to the covenant of his grace, and looking upon the precious blood of his Son, forgives all the trespasses of his people, past, prefent, and to come: Through the man Chrift Jefus is preached unto us, and bestowed upon us, the free and full forgiveness of our tranfgreffions. This is the declaration of the gofpel; and what makes it good news and glad tidings to fenfible finners, that whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of fins.

There is likewise a fulness of adopting grace in Chrift. The bleffing of the adoption of children fprings originally from the love of the Father: Behold, fays the apostle John ", what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us, that we fhould be called the fons of God. Predeftination to it is by, or through Jefus Chrift: The enjoyment of it is greatly owing to the redemption which is in him; for he came to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons. The right, the privilege, the liberty of becoming the fons of God, is actually given forth from Chrift, to them that receive him and believe in him; fo VOL. I.

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that those who are the children of God, are openly and declaratively fo by faith in Chrift Jefus.

Add to this, that there is a fulness of fanctifying grace in Chrift. The whole ftock and fund of the faints holiness is in Chrift's hands; he is their fanctification, as well as their righteousness; it is of his fulness they receive one fort of grace, as well as another; All the holiness is derived to them from Chrift, which they are made partakers of in life, and which is made perfect in the hour of death; for without holiness, even perfect holiness, no man fhall fee the Lord'. In the firft work of converfion, a large measure of fanctifying grace is given forth from Chrift; when the grace of our Lord is exceeding abundant, with fa th and love which is in Christ Jesus2: As he is the author and finisher of faith, he is the author and finisher of every other grace; every measure of it is owing to him, every supply of it is from him: There is a fulness of all grace in Chrift, to fupply all our wants, fupport our persons, and to carry us fafely and comfortably through this wildernefs There is a fulness of light and life, of wisdom and knowledge, strength and ability, joy, peace, and comfort in him: all spiritual light is in him, and from him. As all that light which was scattered throughout the whole creation, was on the fourth day collected together, and put into that great luminary the fun, so all fulness of fpiritual light dwells in Chrift, the Sun of righteousness, from ' whom we receive all we have; which by degrees grows, increases, and shines more and more unto the perfect day: All fpiritual life is in him, with him is the fountain of it; from him we have the living principle of grace, and by him it is maintained in us unto eternal life. In him are bid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and from him they are communicated to us. As in him is righteousness to justify us, fo in him is ftrength to enable us to oppofe every corruption, withstand every enemy, exercise every grace, and discharge every duty. Though we cannot do any thing of ourselves, and without him can do nothing; yet through him ftrengthening us we can do all things. In a word, there is a full fountain, and a folid foundation of all spiritual peace, joy and comfort in Chrift: If there is any confolation to be had any where, it is in Chrift; it arises from and is founded upon his perfon, blood, righteousness and facrifice; in a view of which a believer is fometimes filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: For as the fufferings of Christ, those which we fuffer for Christ, abound in us, fo our confolation alfo aboundeth by Chrift. There is a grace in Chrift fufficient for us to bear us up under, and bear us through all the trials, exercises and afflictions of life; to make us fruitful in every good work; and to cause us to hold on and out unto the end. There is a fulness of fructifying and perfevering grace in Christ.

(3.) There

Heb. xii. 14.

* 1 Tim. i.

2 Cor. i. 5.

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