Sermons Author:Henry Vaughan Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON III. THE PRIESTLY OFFICE OF CHRIST. Matt. i. 21. Thou shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. From these word... more »s of the evangelist, we have undertaken to consider the several ways in which Christ our blessed Redeemer may with strict propriety be styled a Saviour, and his work salvation. A very cursory reflection upon the condition of man, for whom salvation was to be effected, made it appear requisite that there should be provided, in the first place, a full and clear revelation of the divine will respecting the way of salvation. In this want of fallen man was laid the necessity for Christ's prophetic office; in the execution of which he was, according to the constant predictions of the prophets, and confident expectation of that nation to whom the prophets spake, to make a perfect and finalrevelation of so much of God's will as it concerned man to know for the interests of eternal life. This prophetic office we considered in a former discourse upon the words of our text: Christ's most wonderful preparation for it; most solemn inauguration to it; most perfect administration of it. But man'sā??fallen man's wants stop not here. More, much more is required. He must draw more largely at the fountain of divine grace, must be a larger pensioner on the divine bounty, or still remain most miserable ; a child of wrath and an heir of hell. A revelation of the divine will, however perfect; precepts, however excellent, sublime, and sanctifying, enforced by sanctions however awful, would of themselves prove but wretched comforters. Were he once, indeed, put into a condition of salvation, these might serve him with admirable directions for ordering his life and conversation, both towards God and man; they might prove his best counsellors in all...« less