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most precious heart's blood, to quench hell's flames that were ready to break out on us! Was there ever love like this?

This love is unfearchably great: you may fooner find out the height of heaven, the breadth of the earth, or the depth of the fea, than measure Chrift's Love; for it palleth knowledge, pb. iii. It is an unfathomable ocean, that hath neither bank nor bottom. O whither did his love carry him? Even from heaven to earth, from the throne to the manger, from the manger to the cross, from the cross to the grave; yea, from the glory of heaven to the torments of hell, and all this for poor creatures, that were despicable as worms, defiled as lepers, deformed as monsters, black as Ethiopians, yea, as black and ugly as hell could make us. Worle are we than devils, if we be not affected with this love, that made the glorious fon of God leave the heaven of his father's prefence, and wade through hell for the dregs of the creation. Did Chrift fee any thing in us to make him love us? No, he faw much to lothe us, but nothing to love us: yet the time when we were moft lothfome was Christ's time of love, Ezek xvi. We were lying polluted in our blood, and all spread over with running ulcers and putrifying fores, when Chrift loved us. Our fouls were as unlovely as Lazarus's body, whofe fores the dogs lick'd; or Job's body, when he was full of boils and fat in the ashes, and scraped himself with a potfherd: yet all this could not cool his affection to

us

The inftances of Chrift's love are inexpreffible, both in their nature and number. Wonder at his condefcendency, in becoming not only a creature, but fuch a mean creature as man, for us; yea, not only a man, but in taking on him the form of a fervant for us; and being willing not only to ly in a manger, but in a cold grave for us. Wonder that the glorious Redeemer of Ifrael fhould be content to be born asa beggar, live as a fervant, and die as a lave for us? Wonder

Wonder that he, who is infinitely pure, fhould be wil. ing, not only to be numbred among finners, and to bear our fins, but alfo to be made fin, and likeways a curfe for us. Was it not for you and your advan tage he did all this; and, will you not admire and love him? He was content to endure the poverty of the world, that you might enjoy the riches of heaven: he lived in the form of à fervant, that you might have the adoption of fans he humbled himself to live with men, that he might exalt you to live with God; he bowed his foul to death, that he might raife you to eternal life he was fhut up forty days with the devil, that you might not be shut up with him for ever ; he was hungry, that you might be fed: he was numbred among tranfgreffors, that you might have a room among the bleffed. O believer, he wept, that you might rejoice forrow oppreffed his heart, that everlafling joy might be on your head: he was fcourged and wounded, that you by his fripes might be healed of fin's wounds: he was crowned with thorns, that you might be crowned with glory: he was fundered and condemned before men, that you might be juflified and acquitted before God: he bore the carfe, that you might inherit the blefing: he drank the bitter and poisonous cap of God's wrath, that you might drink the pure river of life: he was deferted of God, that you might not be forfaken by him eternally: he bore the burden of fin and wrath, that you might for ever be freed from that burden: he hung upon our cross, to advance us to fit upon his throne: he cried out in forrow upon a cross, that we might fhout joyfully in finging God's praise for ever: he thirfted on the cross, that we might not thirft eternally, with Dives, for a drop of cold water to cool our tongue: he ftruggled in a bloody agony, that we might not ftruggle among devils in hell's furnace for ever: oh what fhail we fay of this love! Lord Jefus, thy pity was infinite, thy love hath overflown all banks, and thy compaffion knew no bounds: thou ftoodft be• fore

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fore the mouth of hell that I deferved, and ftop pedft the flaming furnace of divine vengeance, that was breaking out against me: when I was like Ifaac bound to the altar, ready to be facrificed to julie, thou offeredft thyfelf, like the ram caught in the thickets, to be facrificed in my room: when my fans had raised a terrible tempeft, which threatned to drown me eternally, thou waft content to be thrown overboard, like Jonah, to appease the form: when the word of justice was furbished, and ready to be fheathed into my bowels, thou interpofedft be twixt me and it, and receivedst the blow into thy heart: when I was shipwreck'd and perishing, thou caft thyself in as a plank of mercy to fave my life. "Can I think on this, and my heart not burn? Can I fpeak of it, and not feek, with Jofeph, a fecret place to weep in ?'.

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View the furpaffing nature of Chrift's love. No love like to it; yea, Chrift's love to us tranfcends his love to all other things; he loved us more than angels, for he would not put on their nature: he loved us more than heaven; for he left that, to come and fave us: he loved us more than riches and honour; for he chufed poverty, and became of no reputation, to redeem us: he loved us more than the comforts of life; for he parted with these, and became a man of lorrows for our fake: he loved us more than his blood; for he willingly parted with that for us he loved us more than his foul or body; for he gave both thefe to be an offering for our fins : he was more concerned for us than for himself; he rejoiced more in our welfare than in his own; he wept and prayed more for us than for him elf; and in the time of his greatest ftrait, when heaven, earth and hell were all at once rufhing upon him, we have his prayer, John xvii, yet it is all spent for us, ex• cept one verse or two for himself. Again, Christ loved us more than his life, and all that a man bath will be give for his life; yet Chrift willingly parted

with that for our fake: but, is there nothing that is better than life? Yes, David tells us of one thing that is better, Pfal. lxiii. 3. Thy loving kindness is better than life. The faints and martyrs that parted with all other things, would by no means part with that, they'd rather part with a thousand lives than quit with that; yet Chrift, who had infinitely more of it than ever any faint attained to, for our fakes parted with it, and had the light of God's countenance totally eclipfed from him on the cross; fo that he cried out, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken

me?

II. If you would have the facramental graces quickned, particularly faith, take a view of Chrift in all his fweet offices and relations: Losk unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth, Ifa. xv. 22. O communicant, endeavour upon the morning of a communion-Sabbath to give a believing look to Christ, in all his bleffed offices and relations ; and this will strengthen and quicken faith, and help thee to act it the more diftinctly at a communion-table. 1. Look to Chrift, as a bankrupt-debtor to his Surety, an fay, Lord, I owe many thoufands more than I can pay, but thou haft a fufficient ranfom to pay all my debt: I flee to thee as my fure. ty; Lord, undertake for me, and fatisfy thy fa• ther's justice, that I be not seized on and dragged to hell's prifon for ever.

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2. Look to him as an able phyfician to cure thy wounds; fay, Lord, here lies a Job full of boils, a Lazarus full of fores at thy gate; here a para• lytick hand, here a blind eye, here a hard heart, here a plague, and there a wound, that have scorn• ed all other physicians, and despised other remedies; let me this day get the baim of Gilead, even the fovereign plafter of thy blood, to my various maladies; one touch of the Rem of thy garment, and I shall be whole.'

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3. Look to him as a ransomer of captives, and say, Lord, it was thy errand to proclaim liberty to the captives; I look to thee this day to knock off my fetters, loofe all my bonds, and bring my foul out of prison, that I may praise thy name.

4. Look to to him as a mediator and peace-maker, to remove all enmity and quarrels betwixt God and thy foul, and fay, Lord, stand betwixt me and the flaming word; let thy atoning blood this day quench the fire of thy father's anger, and bring the news of peace to my foul."

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5. Look to him as an advocate to plead for thy guilty foul fay, Lord, my crimes are great, and my caufe is bad; but never any caufe mifcarried that thou took in hand: be thou mine advocate, and let every one of thy wounds this day be as fo many open mouths to plead for me; let thy blood fpeak, that speaketh better things than the blood of

Abel.

6. Look to him as thy refuge-city and hiding. place, and fay, Lord, I flee to thee for my life ; for the avenger of blood, the law and justice of God, are at my heels purfuing me; and, if they find me afar off from thee, I am flain, without mer. < cy: the clefts of the rock are my only hidingplace; Lord, be a fafeguard to me.' A Heathen could fay, when a bird fcar'd by a Hawk flew into his bofom, I will not give thee up to thine enemy, Seeing thau cameft to me for fanctuary and furely, thou wilt not deliver my foul, when I flee to thee for fhelter.

7. Look to Chrift as the ark, that can only fave thee from being drowned by the flood of God's wrath: Say, 'Lord, there is no ark to fave me but thou alone; I am fhipwreckt in Adam, and there is no plank but Chrift to bring me to fhore; I clafp to thee by the hand of faith: Lord, fave me, else I perish." 8. Look to him as a reliever of burdened fouls: Say, Lord, here a heavy laden finner coming to

thee

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