ftance, Degree or Circumftance, be otherwise than holy, and agreeable to God's Nature and Will. The following Things make this evident.

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1. God had promifed fo effectually to preferve and uphold Him by his Spirit, under all his Temptations, that he should not fail of reaching the End for which He came into the World; which he would have fail'd of, had he fallen into Sin. We have fuch a Promife, Ifa. xlii. 1, 2, 3, 4. Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my Soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him: He fhall bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles: He fall not cry, nor lift up, nor caufe his Voice to be heard in the Street.-He fhall bring forth Judgment unto Truth. He shall not fail, nor be difcouraged, till he have fet Judgment in the Earth and the Ifles fhall wait for his Law. This Promise of Chrift's having God's Spirit put upon Him, and his not crying and lifting up his Voice, &c. relates to the Time of Chrift's Appearance on Earth; as is manifeft from the Nature of the Promise, and alfo the Application of it in the New Testament, Matth. xii. 18. And the Words imply a Promise of his being fo upheld by God's Spirit, that he should be preferved from Sin; particularly from Pride and Vain glory, and from being overcome by any of the Temptations he fhould be under to affect the Glory of this World; the Pomp of an earthly Prince, or the Applaufe and Praife of Men: and that he should be fo upheld, that he should by no Means fail of obtaining the End of his coming into the World, of bringing forth Judgment unto Victory, and establifhing his Kingdom of Grace in the Earth.And in the following Verses, this Promife is confirmed, with the greatest imaginable Solemnity. Thus faith the LORD, HE that created the Heavens,

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and stretched them out; He that Spread forth the Earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth Breath unto the People upon it, and Spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called Thee in Righteoufnefs, and will hold thine Hand; and will keep Thee, and give Thee for a Covenant of the People, for a Light of the Gentiles, to open the blind Eyes, to bring out the Prisoners from the Prison, and them that fit in Darkness out of the Prifon-Houfe. I am JEHOVAH, that is my Name, &c.

Very parallel with these Promises is that, Ifa. xlix. 7, 8, 9. which alfo has an apparent Respect to the Time of Chrift's Humiliation on Earth. Thus faith the Lord, the Redeemer of Ifrael, and his boly One, to Him whom Man defpifeth, to Him whom the Nation abborreth, to a Servant of Rulers; Kings fhall fee and arife, Princes also shall worship; becaufe of the Lord that is faithful, and the holy One of Ifrael, and he shall chufe Thee. Thus faith the Lord, In an acceptable Time have I heard Thee; in a Day of Salvation have I helped Thee; and I will preferve Thee, and give thee for a Covenant of the People, to establish the Earth, &c.

And in Ifai. 1.5-9. we have the Meffiah expreffing his Affurance, that God would help Him, by fo opening his Ear, or inclining his Heart to God's Commandments that He fhould not be rebellious, but should perfevere, and not apoftatise, or turn his Back: That through God's Help, He fhould be immoveable, in a Way of Obedience, under the great Trials of Reproach and Suffering he should meet with; fetting his Face like a Flint: So that He knew He fhould not be ashamed, or fruftrated in his Defign; and finally should be approved and juftified, as having done his Work faithfully. The Lord hath opened mine Ear;

So that I was not rebellious, neither turned away my Back: I gave my Back to the Smiters, and my Cheeks to them that plucked off the Hair; I bid not my Face from Shame and Spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore fhall I not be confounded: therefore have I fet my Face as a Flint, and I know that I fhall not be afbamed. He is near that justifieth me: who will contend with me? Let us ftand together. Who is mine Adverfary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me: who is be that fhall condemn me? Lo, they shall all wax old as a Garment, the Moth fhall eat them up.

2. The fame Thing is evident from all the Promises which God made to the Meffiah, of his future Glory, Kingdom and Succefs, in his Office and Character of a Mediator: which Glory could not have been obtained, if his Holiness had fail❜d, and he had been guilty of Sin. God's abfolute Promise of any Things makes the Things promifed necessary, and their failing to take Place abfolutely impoffible and in like Manner it makes thofe Things neceffary, on which the Things promifed depend, and without which they can't take Effect. Therefore it appears, that it was utterly impoffible that Chrift's Holinefs fhould fail, from fuch abfolute Promises as thofe, Pfal. cx. 4. The Lord bath fworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Prieft for ever, after the Order of Melchizedek. And from every other Promife in that Pfalm, contained in each Verfe of it. And Pfal. ii. 7, 8. I will declare the Decree: The Lord bath faid unto me, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten Thee : Afk of Me, and I will give Thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance, &c. Pfal. xlv. 3, 4. Gird thy Sword on thy Thigh, O moft Mighty, with thy Glory and tby Majefty; and in thy Majefty ride profperously, &c. And fo every Thing that is faid from thence to

And thofe Promises,

the End of the Pfalm.

Ifa. lii. 13, 14, 15. & liii. 10, 11, 12. And all thofe Promises which God makes to the Meffiah, of Success, Dominion and Glory in the Character of Redeemer, in Ifai. Chap. xlix.

3. It was often promised to the Church of God of old, for their Comfort, that God would give them a righteous, finless Saviour. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. Behold, the Days come, faith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch; and a King Shall reign and profper, and shall execute Judgment and Juftice in the Earth. In bis Days Shall Judah be Javed, and Ifrael fhall dwell fafely. And this is the Name whereby He fhall be called, the Lord our Righteoufnefs. So, Jer. xxxiii. 15. — I will caufe the Branch of Righteousness to grow up unto David; and be fhall execute Judgment and Righteousness in the Land. Ifai. ix. 6, 7. For unto us a Child is born; Upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with Judgment and Justice, from henceforth, even for ever: The Zeal of the Lord of Hofts will do this. Chap. xi. at the Beginning. There fhall come forth a Rod out of the Stem of Jeffe, and a Branch fball grow out of his Roots; and the Spirit of the Lord fhall rest upon Him,—The Spirit of Knowledge, and of the Fear of the Lord: - With Rigbteoufnefs fball He judge the Poor, and reprove with Equity: Righteoufnefs fhall be the Girdle of his Loins, and Faithfulness the Girdle of his Reins. Chap. lii. 13. My Servant fhall deal prudently. Chap. liii. 9. Because He had done no Violence, neither was any Deceit in bis Mouth. If it be impoffible, that thefe Promises thould fail, and it be easier for Heaven and Earth to pafs away, than for one Jot or Tittle of thefe Promifes of God to pafs away, then it was impoffible that Chrift should commit any Sin. Chrift himself fignified, that it was impoffible but that the Things which were spoken

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concerning Him fhould be fulfilled. Luk. xxiv. 44. That all Things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Mofes, and in the Prophets, and in the Pfalms concerning Me. Mat. xxvi. 54. But how then fhall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Mark xiv. 49. But the Scriptures muft be fulfilled. And fo the Apostle, Acts i. 16. — This Scripture must needs have been fulfilled.

4. All the Promises which were made to the Church of old, of the Meffiah as a future Saviour, from that made to our first Parents in Paradife, to that which was delivered by the Prophet Malachi, fhew it to be impoffible that Chrift fhould not have perfevered in perfect Holinefs. The ancient Predictions given to God's Church, of the Meffiah as a Saviour, were of the Nature of Promises; as is evident by the Predictions themselves, and the Manner of delivering them. But they are exprefly, and very often called Promifes in the NewTeftament; as in Luke i. 54, 55, 72, 73. Acts xiii. 32, 33. Rom. i. 1, 2, 3.. and Chap. xv. 8. Heb. vi. 13, &c. These Promises were often made with great Solemnity, and confirmed with an Oath; as in Gen. xxii. 16, 17, 18. By myself have Ifworn, faith the Lord, that in bleffing, I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy Seed, as the Stars of Heaven, and as the Sand which is upon the SeaShore:And in thy Seed fhall all the Nations of the Earth be bleffed. Compare Luke i. 72, 73. and Gal. iii. 8, 15, 16. The Apostle in Heb. vi. 17, 18. fpeaking of this Promife to Abraham, fays, Wherein God willing more abundantly to fhew to the Heirs of Promife the Immutability of his Counsel, confirmed it by an Oath; that by two IMMUTABLE Things, in which it was IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie, he might have strong Confolation.-In which Words, the Neceffity of the Accomplishment, or (which is the fame Thing) the Impoffibility of the contrary, is

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