Chrift made no

the world thro' him might be faved." objection, but fays, "Lo! I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me.” Here confider a few things.

1. The perfon fent; I will fend THEE. THEE, MY eternal Son; for, "God fo loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Thee, my Servant whom I have chofen; mine Elect in whom my foul delighteth."

2. The perfon fending, in the pronoun I; I will fend thee. Who is this I? It is even God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, one God, by unanimous counfel, ordained and appointed the Son to come into the world, in his own perfon, upon the errand of man's redemption: and God the Father being the firft in the order of subsistency, and fo the first in operation, ad extra, therefore the fending is primarily afcribed to him, John xvi. 28. "I came forth from the Father, fays Chrift; and they have believed that thou didit fend me. John viii. 42. I come not of myfelf, but he fent me: and ver. 29. He that fent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone."

3. Obferve the fovereign reafon of Chrifl's miffion, it is the divine will; I WILL fend thee. Chrift went into it, faying, "Lo! I come; I delight to do thy will." By this will Chrifl is fent; by this will we are fanctified, faved, and redeemed. The whole covenant of redemption or grace, ftands upon this divine will; I will give thee for a covenant of the people." See how Christ opens up his commiffion, faying, This and this is the will of him that fent me: John vi. 38. "I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent me. And this is the Father's will that hath fent me, that of all that he hath given me, I fhould lofe nothing. See ver. 39, 40. I lay down my life for my fheep; and this commandment have I received from my Father." Thus it was the Father's will, for the great ends of his glory, to fend his Son, our true Mofes.

4. Obferve here, the errand on which he was fent; I will fend thee to EGYPT; to my people, who are in the Egypt of this world, and are in a state of fin and misery, and bondage to Satan, death, and hell, and wrath, that thou mayft deliver them; "I will give thee to be my falvation to the ends of the earth, to proclaim liberty to

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the captive, and the opening of the prifon to them which are bound," Ifa. Ixix. 6.

5. Obferve the folemnity of his mifion, and the time. of it; Come now, and I will fend thee. "We have "ftruck hands from all eternity, might the Father fay "to the Son; we have been waiting for this time; our delights were with the fons of men; and now come, "let us accomplish our love-defign: now is the fit time; the neceffity of my chofen ones cries for the "accomplishment of the promife, That the feed of the "woman fhould bruife the head of the ferpent.-Come now, and I will fend thee to Egypt." And accordingly, Gal. iv. 4. "When the fulnefs of time was come, God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law."

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6. Obferve here, the nature of the miffion itself, it is called a fending; Come now, and I will SEND thee. And it imports the incarnation of the Son of God; "The Word was made flesh:" it imports the fitnefs of Chrift for the work; "I will fend and qualify thee, and put my Spirit upon thee, that thou mayft bring forth judgment to the Gentiles" it imports the authority of Chrift's miffion, and God's confidence in him as able for, and faithful to perform the whole work that he gave him to do: hence the Father glories in him, Pfal. Ixix. 19. "I have laid help upon One that is mighty: and again, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed:" and, in a word, it imports the Father's zealous concern for the errand on which he was fent, viz. the redemption and falvation of men, that before this be left undone, he will rather part with his own Son, and fend him to Egypt, and fend him clothed with all authority, office, and ability, needful for this work; "God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." He was fent, and came as a fruit of his everlafting love.

Hence, by way of application of this particular, viz. the Father's fending Chrift, two things efpecially may be

inferred.

(1.) O Sirs, fee and admire the love both of the Sender and the Sent; both of the Father and of the Son towards loft and undone finners, lying in their Egyptian

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bondage to fin, and Satan, and death: "In this was manifefted the love of God towards us, because that God fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live thro' him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins," John iv. 9, 10. And as the love of God in fending Chrift, fo the love of Chrift in coming is wonderful: Eph. v. 2. "He loved us, and gave himfelf for us, an offering and a facrifice of a sweet-fmelling favour unto God. Rev. v. 2. He loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood. Gal. ii. 20. He loved me, and gave himself for me. I will fend thee," said the Father; and, "I will go," faid the Son: I will go down to earth, down to Egypt, down to the crofs, down to the grave, and down to a hell for thee, and for them.

(2.) See what a fure foundation is laid in Zion, for the falvation of finners, whereof a number muft and fhall be faved out of the Egyptian bondage of their ftate of fin and mifery: Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jefus Chrift, 1 Cor. iii. 11. Neither is there falvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven whereby we must be faved," Acts iv. 12. O! how fhould finners welcome the Sent of God? John v. 24. and believe in him as fent upon fuch a faving errand as that mentioned, Acts iii. 26. where it is faid, "That God having raised up his Son Jefus, bath fent him to blefs us?" He hath fent him to bless you, in turning every one of you from your iniquities. But how does God fend him to blefs us, even after he hath raifed him from the dead, and received him into heaven? Why, it is even by the continued miniftry of the gofpel to the end of the world, Matth. xxviii. 18. This leads to another view of the words, viz.

[2.] As they relate to Chrift in his minifters and meffengers. Come now, and I will fend thee into Egypt. And here is the effect and confequence of God's fending Chrift namely, Chrift fent his fervants; "As my Father fent me, fo fend I you," John xx. 21. Which words may be viewed either as they relate to the apofiles, and so to shew their immediate miffion from Chrift, "I fend you:" or, as they relate to other ordinary minifters, and what is

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common to them with the apoftles: it may be faid of them, "As my Father hath fent me, fo fend I you." Where there is, 1. The act of fending. 2. The manner of it; fo fend I you, as my Father fent me.

1. The act of fending, " I SEND you." Chrift is the author of this minifterial function. He fends not only immediately, by himself; but mediately, by the church; in fuch order as he hath appointed in his word. This ordinary golpel-miffion is neceffary; for, How fhall they preach, except they be fent?" Rom. x. 15. Why, God looks upon them as impoftors, Jer. xxiii. 21. " They have run, and I have not fent them." Their meffage is void, even as one that is an ambaffador, without the prince's leave; his whole embaffy is null. And only these that are fent can promise themselves and expect his bleffing, his fuftenance and fupport in their work, Mat.xxviii. 19, 20. to whom he fays, Go; to them he fays, "Lo! I am with you." Chrift fays of every faithful minister, whom he fends to labour in any fpot of his vineyard, Come now, and I will fend thee into Egypt, to deliver my people there, that are yet in the houfe of bondage, in the gall of bitternefs, and bond of iniquity; to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, Acts xxvi. 17, 18.

2. The manner in which he fends them: "AS my Father hath fent me, SO fend I you;" and that in the following refpects.

(1.) Chrift was fent into the Egypt of a finful world by his Father: fo are minifters fent of Chrift, John xvii. 18. "As thou haft fent me into the world, fo have I alfo fent them into the world. Mark xvi. 15. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

(2.) And more particularly, it is as if he had faid to his fervants, As my Father fent me out of his bofom, to declare his mind, John i. 18.; fo fend I you out of my bofom to discover my mind and meffage, to declare the whole counfel of God, Mat. xxviii. 26. "Teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I commanded you."As my Father fent me with authority, to act in his name, as his Ambaffador; fo fend I you with authority to act in my name, as my ambaffadors; "We are ambaffadors of Chrift."

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Chrift."-As my Father fent me with a promife that he would be with me, John viii. 29. "He that fent me is with me:" fo fend 1 you with the promife, "Lo! I am with you always unto the end of the world."-As the Father fent me to do nothing of myfelf, but as he taught, John viii. 28. fo fend I you to do nothing of yourfelves, but as you are taught of me.-As my Father hath fent me not to fpeak of myfelf, but as he gave me commandment what I fhould fay, and what I thould fpeak, John xii. 49. fo fend I you, not to fpeak of yourselves, nor for your own glory, John vii. 18. but as I give commandment what you fhould fay, and what you should speak.-As my Father fent me, and anointed me to preach glad tidings to the meek, Ifa. lxi. 1. fo fend I you to preach the gol pel to every poor creature.--My Father fent me to live by him, John vi. 47. "The living Father hath fent me, and I live by the Father; fo fend I you, fo as that you may live by me; that the life you live, may be by the faith of the Son of God.-My Father fent me to give out freely of the gifts I received for men, even for the rebellious; fo fend I you: "Freely you have received, freely give:" tell the poor world, they have nothing to pay for life and falvation, for I have paid for all.-My Father fent me to be affaulted by many bulls of Bafhan, compaffing me about; fo fend I you, Mat. x. 16. “Behold, I fend you forth as fheep in the midst of wolves:" think not ftrange tho' they attempt to tear you and your commiffion.— My Father fent me to be an example to you, and to leave you an example, that you might follow my teps: fo fend I you, that ye may be enfamples to the flock, i Pet. v. 5. My Father fent me with a promife of a reward of my work; Tho' Ifrael fhould not be gathered, yet fhould I be glorious in the fight of the Lord: even fo fend I you; for, When the chief Shepherd fhall appear, you fhall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away."-Again, my Father fent me to be a light to the world, a light to lighten the Gentiles: fo fend I you; "Ye are the light of the world," Mat. v. 14. and ye are to fhine as lights in the world, Phil. ii. 15-My Father fent me to be a fign, a fign that should be spoken against, Luke ii. 34. even fo fend I you, Ezek. xii. 6. "Son of Son of man, I have

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