ii, 20. "Christ loved the church, and

gave himself for it," Ephes. v, 25, 26. "He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," Rev. i, 5. With this: love his soul now travailed, and labored to bring forth the blessed fruits of it. The workings of this love in the heart of Christ, during his great trial, whereby he balanced the sorrow and distress of his sufferings, no tongue can express, no heart can conceive. Zeal for the glory of God; zeal is the height of careful, solicitous love. The love of Christ was great to the souls of men; but the life of it lay in his love to God and zeal for his glory. This he now labored in, that God might be glorified in the salvation of the elect. This was committed to him, and concerning this he took care that it might not miscarry. The highest exercise of obedience to God: it is observed as the height of his condescension, that "he was obedient to death, the death of the cross," Phil. ii, 8. This was the highest instance of obedience that God ever had from a creature, because performed by him who was God also, and therefore was an abundant compensation for the disobedience of Adam, Rom. v, 19. So did he travail in the exercise of grace.

3. He labored also with respect to that confluence of calamities, distresses, pains, and miseries, which was upon his whole nature. In that death of the body which he underwent, and the manner of it, much of the curse of the law was executed. Hence our apostle proves that he was made a curse for us, from that? of Moses, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree;" Gal. iii, 13, Deut. xxi, 22, 23; for the ignominy of being "hanged on a tree," was peculiarly appointed to represent the "execution of the curse" of the law on Jesus Christ, who "in his own body bore our sins upon the tree," Pet. ii, 24. And herein lies no small

mystery of the wisdom of God. He would have a resemblance of the sufferings of Christ among them that suffered under the sentence of the law; but in the whole law there was no appointment that any one should be put to death by being "hanged." Now as God foreknew, that at the time of the suffering of Christ the Jewish nation would be under the power of the Romans, and that the sentence of death would be inflicted after their manner, which was by being nailed to, and "hanged on a cross," he ordered for a prefiguration of it, that some great transgressors, as blasphemers, and open idolaters, after they were stoned, should be “hanged upon a tree," to make a declaration of the curse of the law inflicted on them. Hence it is peculiarly said of such a one, "He that is hanged on a tree is the curse of God;" because God did therein represent the suffering of Him, who underwent the whole curse for us.

And in this manner of his death sundry things concurred; and among these, may we not consider it as a natural sign of his readiness to embrace all sinners that should come to him, his arms, as it were, being stretched out to receive them? Isa. xliii, 22, and lxv, 1: and also as a moral token of his condition, being left, as one rejected of all, between heaven and earth for a season; but yet really interposing between heaven and earth, the justice of God and the sins of men, to make reconciliation and peace? Eph. ii, 16, 17. And may we not consider it as the accomplishment of sundry types; as of him who was "hanged on a tree,” as cursed of the Lord? Deut. xxi, 22; Of the brazen serpent, which was lifted up in the wilderness? John iii, 14, xii, 32; of the wave offering? Exod. xxix, 26. During all these things there was continually in his eye that unspeakable glory which was set before him,

of being the repairer of the breaches of the creationthe recoverer of mankind-the captain of salvation to all that obey him-the destruction of Satan, with his kingdom of sin and darkness-and in all, the great restorer of divine glory, to the eternal praise of Jehovah. Whilst all these things were in the height of their being transacted, is it any wonder that the Lord Christ labored and travailed in soul, according to the description here given of him?

19. Obs. 6. The Lord Jesus at the time of his sufferings, considering God as the sovereign Lord of life and death, as the Supreme Rector and Judge of all, casts himself before him with most fervent prayers for deliverance from the sentence of death and curse of the law. This gives the true account of the deportment of our Savior in his trial here described. There are two great mistakes about his sufferings, and the condition of his soul therein. Some place him in that security, in that sense and enjoyment of divine love, that they leave neither room nor reason for the fears, cries, and wrestlings here mentioned; as if there was nothing real in all this transaction, but all things were alone rather for ostentation and show: for, they suppose, if Christ was always in a full comprehension of divine love, and that in the light of the beatific vision, what can these conflicts and complaints signify? Others grant that he was in real distress and anguish; but, say they, it was merely on account of those outward sufferings which were coming on him. But this, as we observed before, is an intolerable impeachment of his holy fortitude and constancy of mind; for the like outward things have been undergone by others, without any tokens of such consternation of spirit. Wherefore to discern aright the true frame of the spirit of Christ, with the intenseness of his cries and supplica

tions, the things before insisted on are duly to be considered. Hence infer;

$20. How great a matter was it to make peace with God for sinners, to make atonement for sin, and estab lish our reconciliation with God. This is the life and spirit of our religion, the centre wherein all the lines of it meet, Phil. iii, 8-10, 1 Cor. ii, 2, Gal. vi, 14. And those by whom a constant consideration of it is neglected, are strangers to the animating spirit of that religion which they outwardly profess; and therefore Satan employs all his artifices to divert the minds of men from exercising faith and a due meditation on it. To this cause we ascribe much of the devotion of the Romanists, which effectually draws off the mind not only from a spiritual contemplation of the excellency of Christ's offering, and its glorious benefits, but also from the rational comprehension of the truth of the doctrine concerning what he did and suffered.

On the other hand, the Socinians please themselves and deceive others, with a vain imagination, that there was no such work to be done. If we may believe them, there was no atonement to be made for sin, no expiatory sacrifice to be offered, no peace thereby to be made with God, no compensation to his justice, by answering the sentence and curse of the law due to sin. But surely, if they had not an unpardonable mixture of confidence and dexterity, they could not find out evasions against so many express divine testimonies as are directly opposite to their fond imagination, even tolerably to satisfy their own minds; or to suppose that any man can with patience bear the account they must give of the agency, prayers, cries, tears, fears, wrestling, and travail of the soul of Christ on their supposition. But we may pass them over at present as express enemies of the cross of Christ; that is, of that

VOL. II.

cross whereby he "made peace with God for sinners,” Ephes. ii, 14-16.

Others there are, who by no means approve of any diligent inquiry into these mysteries. Our whole duty, according to them, is to be conversant in morality: but as for this fountain of grace; this basis of eternal glory; this demonstration of divine wisdom, holiness, righteousness, and love; this great discovery of the purity of the law, and vileness of sin; this first, great, principal subject of the gospel, and motive of faith and obedience; this root and cause of all peace with God; all sincere and uncorrupted love towards him; of all joy and consolation from him-they think it scarcely deserves a place among the objects of their contemplations. But such as are admitted into the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ, will not so easily part with their immortal interest therein: yea, I fear not to say it, that he is likely to be the best, the most humble, the most holy and fruitful Christian, who is most diligent in spiritual inquiries into this great mystery of reconciliation by the blood of the cross, and in the exercise of faith about it. Nor is there any such powerful means of preserving the soul in a constant abhorrence of sin and watchfulness against it, as a due apprehension of what it cost to make atonement for it. And we may also learn hence,

$21. 1. That a sight and sense of the wrath of God due to sin, will be full of dread and terror, and will put men to a great conflict with wrestling for deliverance. We find how it was with our Lord in that condition; and such a view of the wrath of God all men will be brought to, sooner or later. There is a view to be had of it in the curse of the law at present; but there will be a more terrible display of it in the execution of that curse at the last day, and no way is there to obtain a