people. As the High-priest of his Church, he is constantly attending to the interests of all its members. He is " not such an high-priest as cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities :" in the days of his flesh, " he was in all points tempted like as we are, though without sinb:" and since, as well as before, his incarnation, " in all our afflictions he is afflicted0." Are we in temporal distress? he engages that " bread shall be given us, and our water be sured:" and if our wants be of a spiritual nature, he assures us, that he will " never suffer the soul of the righteous to famishe," but will make all grace abound towards us, that we, " having always all-sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every good workf."]
2. The subserviency of the whole creation to his will —
[Without hesitation, John accepted the trust; and no doubt he executed it with fidelity and joy. In like manner the whole creation is ready to obey the command of Christ, and to fulfil his gracious appointments. All the hosts of hea- ven would, at the first intimation of his will, fly to our relief. The birds of the air would sustain us s ; the fishes of the sea preserve ush ; the clouds would supply us with daily nutri- ment; and the rocks give from their bosoms an unceasing stream for our support1. The very enemies of God and his people should open an asylum for us, in obedience to his word ; " Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab: be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler k." Hence he bids us " to cast our care on him ;" and encourages the most destitute of mankind to expect from him a seasonable supply of all needful blessings ; " Leave thy fatherless children ; I will preserve them alive : and let thy widows trust in me1."]
Even though the foregoing views should not be thought necessarily connected with the subject, they are profitable in themselves, and are easily deducible from it : but no doubt at all can arise respecting this act of our Lord's, II. As a pattern for our imitation —
Whatever Jesus did as the Messiah, was peculiar to himself; but whatever he did merely as a man, that is to be imitated by us ; for " he set us an example,
b llcb. iv. 15. c Isai. Ixiii. 9. d Isai. xxxiii. 16.
e Prov. x. 3. f 2 Cor. ix. 8. s 1 Kings xvii. 1.
h Jonah i. 17. ' Neh. ;x. 20. k Isai. xvi. 4.
• Jer. xlix. 11.