2. The eternity of Chrift. To say that Chrift lives, or is living, is to fay, that he is eternal: As God, he is from everlafting to everlasting; as God-man and Mediator, he was fet up from the beginning, or ever the earth was; his goings-forth, in the covenant of grace, were of old, from everlasting; he is the alpha of all God's ways, and the omega of all his works; he is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, which is, and which was, and which is to come.

3. The stability, permanency, and immutability of Chrift. This stands oppofed to the inconftancy, and mutability of every thing in this world, which Job had a large experience of, and under which he was fupported by this confideration. There was a change in his outward circumftances, his substance was gone, but his Saviour was in being, his children were dead, but his Redeemer lived; his friends and relations were fickle, inconftant, mutable, but his Jefus was the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever. What fupported Job, may' support faints in the like circumftances; whatever changes and viciffitudes they undergo, Chrift remains the fame, and his years fail not: Though friends and relations die, and the strongest ties and bonds of nature are unloofed, and every relation ceases, as those of husband and wife, parents and children, mafter and servant, pastor and people, yet the Redeemer ever lives, and relation to him can never be loft. Though as man he once was dead, he will die no more, death fball have no more dominion over him; he is alive, and fhall live for evermore, and that for the good, comfort, and happiness of his people; for he ever liveth to make interceffion for them.

4. The life of Chrift. This he has in himself for all his people; he has a fulness of life, he is the fountain of it, all spiritual and eternal life fpring from him: As God, he has an original, underived life, which is not given him by, or received from another; but as Mediator, the Father has given him to have life in bimfelf; and this gift is in confequence of a request of his to him; he afked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. He came into this world that his people might have life, and that in abundance; he gives it to them, and it is fecured in him; their life is hid with Chrift in God: This lays a folid foundation for faith and hope, both with refpect to a final perfeverance in grace and holiness, and to the refurrection of the body at the last day: Because I live, fays Chrift, ye shall live alfo ; which is, and will appear to be true, both of a spiritual and corporal life. But,

Thirdly, Job expreffes his faith in Christ as his Redeemer; he afferts and claims his intereft in him, when he calls him my Redeemer; which is more than to say or believe that he is a Redeemer. It is one thing, with the men of

Samaria

The Chaldee Paraphrafe renders the Word by Dp firm, ftable, durable; the Septuagint by ná, perpetual, conftant, which always continues. a Heb. vii. 25. • Pfalm xxi. 4.

£ Col. iii. 3.

Jahn xiv. 19.

Samaria, to know, believe, and own, that Chrift is the Saviour of the world; and another thing, with Job and other believers, to know, own, and declare him to be our Saviour and Redeemer; the one without the other will be of little avail; the one is indeed abfolutely requifite to the other. The difciples of Chrift are justly reprehended for their flowness to believe, and for their hesitation about Chrift's being he who was to redeem Ifrael. And on the other hand, fuch are commended who believe that Jefus is the Son of God, the Meffiah and Saviour of the world; for without believing that he is a Redeemer, we cannot believe in him as ours; but then, fuch a faith is not to be depended on, becaule it may be where there is no true grace, no going out to Chrift, relying on him, or committing any thing to him.

Again, Such an act of faith as Job here puts forth on Chrift, is more than a bare reliance on him, or hope of interest in him. Souls, when first awakened to fee their need of Chrift, and the worth of him, long for an interest in him, but cannot claim it; their language is, give me Chrift, or I die; but cannot fee their property in him; under a sense of their perishing condition, and with fome encouraging hopes of finding grace and mercy, they venture on him, refolving, that if they perifh they will perifh at his feet; they put their mouths in the dust, if so be there may be hope; and fometimes encourage themselves, that there is hope in Ifrael concerning this thing; and fo are helped to trust in the Lord, and stay themselves upon the mighty God of Jacob. But,

This is expreffive of a very strong act of faith, such as was the church's, when fhe faid, My beloved is mine, and I am bis; and Thomas's, when he made a declaration of it in these words, My Lord and my God'; and the apostle Paul's, who could fay, Who hath loved me, and hath given himself for me*.

Now let it be observed, that it is not this, or any other act of faith, that gives a foul an intereft in Chrift; not this act, because then none could be said to have an intereft in him, unless they had the faith of affurance; nor any other act, because a man cannot believe unless he is alive in Chrift; and no man can be alive in Chrift without an intereft in him; confequently then an interest in Christ is before faith, and not by it; he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die'. An interest in Chrift is not got but given; it is not obtained by faith, nor any other act of the creature, but is owing to the free grace of God. Faith views an intereft in Chrift as freely given; afferts and claims it on that act of grace, but does not procure it.

An intereft in Chrift is the greatest of bleffings: To be able to say these two words in faith, my Redeemer, is the greatest mercy in the world. If a man could fay, the whole world was his; all the riches of the Indies, the vast treasures that lie in the feveral parts of the univerfe; all the kingdoms, inheritances, and

poffeffions

h Cant. ii. 16.

i John xx. 29.

k Gal. ii. 20.

1 John xi. 26.

poffeffions of the earth his, what would it fignify, if he could not say, that Chrift was his? This is the chief of mercies, and what gives a title to all the other bleffings of grace, which are all the believer's, because Chrift is bis, and be is Chrift's: It is a discovery of this which fupports the foul in dying moments, and when just ready to enter upon an invifible world. Whom bave I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth I defire befides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the ftrength of my heart and my portion for ever". interest in Chrift; but,

Job not only had an

Fourthly, He knew it: I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth. This was not a mere speculative knowledge of the Meffiah, which he might have by special revelation, as Balaam had, or from the first intimation of him, as the feed of the woman, that fhould bruife the ferpent's head, to our first parents; which was, no doubt, traditionally handed down to Job's time; but Job not only knew that there was a Redeemer promised, that he then existed, but he knew him to be his Redeemer. Nor was this knowledge only a knowledge of approbation. Those who savingly know Chrift, do approve of him above all other perfons or things in heaven or in earth; he is to them the chiefest among ten thousand: They value him for his perfonal excellencies, and proper qualifications to be a Redeemer; they like and approve of him to be theirs, as did Job, when he said, He also fhall be my falvation". But then this was not all, he not only approved of him as a Redeemer, but he knew him to be his. Nor was this knowledge only a fiducial one; they that know his name, his perfon, blood and righteoufnefs, will put their trust in him; and as their knowledge of him increases, their confidence in him will grow. And such a trust was reposed in him by Job, who could fay, Though he flay me, yet will I trust in him; but he does not stop here, he mounts the highest step in the ladder of faith, and rifes up to a full affurance of it; he could fay as the apostle Paul long after did, under greater light, and larger difcoveries of Chrift; I know whom I have believed; and I am perfuaded, that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day".

The doctrine of affurance is decryed by Papifts, and now-a-days difcouraged by many who are called Proteftants, and underflood experimentally by a very few. It is true, indeed, that for a man to know his intereft in Chrift, and title to heaven, is the highest pitch of grace he arrives to here; yet this may be attained under the influences of the Spirit of God, without an extraordinary revelation, as is objected. You will fay, how do any know their intereft in Christ, or that he is their Redeemer? I answer, this may be, and is known, from the inhabitation of the Spirit in them, Hereby we know, that we dwell in him, and be in us, because be bath given us of bis Spirit. This is known alfo from the teftimony of the Spirit witnessing with their spirits, that they are the children and heirs of

VOL. I.

Pfalm lxxiii.
25, 26.

P 2 Tim. i. 1 2.

n Job xiii. 26.

• Job iv. 13.

3 A

• Job xiii. 15.

of God, and co-beirs with Christ; and from the work of the spirit upon their fouls, which is a fruit and effect of redeeming grace; and from the benefits of redemption being applied to them, fuch as righteousness, pardon of fin, atonement, and the like; this is certain, that they to whom the bleffings of redemption are applied, are interested in the Redeemer, who may justly conclude, from their receiving the earnest of the redemption of the purchased inheritance, that they fhall enjoy the whole: The connexion between grace and glory is infeparable, and he that has the one may be fure of the other. So much for the first article of Job's faith.

II. The second article in this creed is, that the living Redeemer ball ftand upon the earth in the latter day. The word day is not in the original text, but is a fupplement of the tranflators; hence fome interpreters leaving it out, refer the word latter or last, not to time, but perfons, about whom they cannot agree fome' afcribing it to God the Father, who is the first and the last, the eternal God, who, as he is before all creatures, fo he will continue after all have had their beings, and have acted their part in this world. Others to Jefus Chrift, to whom the fame characters of Alpha and Omega, the first and the laft, belong. Others to Job himself, who, they suppose, calls himself the lat upon the earth, that is to fay, "the meanest among men ", the most despicable "of creatures, the off-fcouring of all things, and the refufe of the earth;" and yet, notwithstanding this, declares his faith and confidence, that he should stand, keep his ground, maintain his cause, and carry his point against his friends, having an interest in such a Redeemer. But, for my own part, I am inclined to think, that the living Redeemer mentioned in the first article, is designed in this, and that the words belong to him, which, according to the different verfions they will admit of, refer to different things.

1. Reading them as they are rendered by our tranflators, He shall ftand at the latter day upon the earth, they may defign the incarnation of Christ, and hold forth Job's faith in it. This was an article in his creed, that the fame Redeemer, who then lived and exifted in heaven, fhould defcend from thence, not by local motion, but by affumption of the human nature, and stand and dwell with men here upon this earth. Thus, according to Job's faith, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us"; converfed with mortals upon earth upwards of thirty years, travelled over the land of Judea, took many fatiguing journeys, went about doing good, at length died for his people, and was buried in this earth. Now

• Vid. Caryl in loc.

Vid. Mercerum in loc. ↑ Vid. Bolducium in loc. "So Ultimus Myforum," the last of the Myfians," a poor mean people in Phrygia, was used proverbially of one that was exceeding despicable and contemptible. Quid porro in Græco fermone tam tritum atque celebratum eft, quam, fiquis defpicatui ducitur, ut Myforum ultimus dicatur, Ciceron. Orat. 24. pro L. Flasco, p. 785. Ed. Gothofred. John i. 14.

Now it was in the last days that God fent this Redeemer, and spake to us by this his Son: It was once in the end of the world that Christ appeared to put away fin by the facrifice of himself.

C

2. If we read the words as they may be, and are rendered; He fall rise the laft out of the earth, or dust. Then they exprefs Job's faith in the refurrection of Christ, that as he should appear on earth, converfe a while here, then die, and be buried, so he should rife again; God would not leave his foul in bell, (or the grave) or fuffer his boly One to fee corruption. When Chrift is faid to rife the last out of the duft, this is not to be understood, as though he should be the last man that should rise from the dead; fo far from this, that he is the first that rofe from the dead to a life of immortality: God firft fhewed him the path of an immortal life, hence he is called the first-fruits of them that flept, and the first-born from the dead; but when he is faid to rife the laft, this, as fome well obferve, is to be understood of him as the last Adam, in opposition to the first man; and so it is written, The first man, Adam, was made a living foul, the laft Adam was made a quickening Spirit. The refurrection of Chrift is a confiderable article of faith, much depends upon it; it has a great influence both on our justification and regeneration: The whole fyftem of the chriftian religion is nothing without it; if this is not true, our faith and hope are both in vain, nor have we any reason to expect the resurrection of our bodies, or look for the bleffed hope. Hence the resurrection of Jefus was a principal fubject of primitive preaching, and ought not to be neglected now.

3. If we translate the words as they may be tranflated, thus, He shall stand at the latter day above, or over the earth, they may refer to Chrift's fecond coming to judgment, when he will defcend from heaven, come in the clouds of it, and appear in the air, over the earth, where he will be met by the living faints, and will judge the world in righteousness. This was a very early article of faith; the Jews fay, that the difpute and quarrel between Cain and Abel was about this; the one afferting, the other denying, that there would be a future judgment. However, Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophefied of it, and of the coming of the Lord with ten thousand of his faints, to execute it. It was known and believ ed in Job's time; he afferts it, and acquaints his friends with it; that ye may know, fays he, that there is a judgment. This has been, and ought to be, a generally received truth, "that after death is judgment." Nothing is more certain, than

3 A 2

the y Heb. i. 2. and. ix. 26. z Nempe ego novi Redemptorem meum vivum, qui poftremus ex pulvere (terra) furget. So Noldius in his Concordant. Ebraeo-Chald. particular. p. 676. n. 1750. where he gives many inftances of the particle by being so used.