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ftrangers to your meditations: may the Lord enable you to contemplate them with faith and love. Remember his agony in the garden, when he fuffered from his Father's hand: For "it pleafed the Lord to bruife him, and to put "him to grief." Think, O Christian, what it was to redeem a loft world, when you hear him faying, as in John xii. 27. "Now is my foul troubled; and what fhall I fay? Father, fave

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me from this hour: but for this cause came "I unto this hour." Remember him feized by the treachery of one of his own difciples; accufed and arraigned as a felon; dragged to the tribunal of an unrighteous judge; clothed with a purple robe, and crowned with thorns in de rifion of his kingly office; feverely fcourged; blindfolded, buffeted, and fpit upon; and the whole indeed fo conducted by the righteous permiffion and unfeen direction of divine providence, that hardly any expreffion, either of cruelty or contumely, was omitted. Ceafe to wonder, my dear friends, that profane wretches deride the figns of his fufferings, when you remember, that the blinded rabble attending the important trial were permitted to infult him, fiying, "Prophefy unto us, thou Chrift, who is "he that fmote thee."

Remember him going forth without the camp, bearing his reproach. Remember that fpotlefs victim, the Lamb of God, ftretched upon a cross, and nailed to the accurfed tree, while he fuffered all that the extremity of bodily pain, and the most unutterable anguifh of spirit, could poffibly

poffibly inflict upon an innocent creature. No wonder that the earth did shake, that the rocks were rent, and the natural fun refused to give his light, when the Sun of Righteousness was under fo great an eclipfe. Did the Saviour then willingly fubmit to all this pain and ignominy for our fakes? Was not this the most expenfive love; and can we refufe to say with the multitude of the heavenly hoft, Rev. v. 12.

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Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to re"ceive power, and riches, and wifdom, and t "ftrength, and honour, and glory, and blef " fing?"

6. The love of Chrift was the moft generous → and difinterefted love. The fuppofition or fufpicion of any interested views in what one perfon does for another, nay, even the poffibility of his ferving any purpose of his own at the fame time, greatly abates the value of any favour, and leffens the fenfe of obligation. But nothing of this kind can be fo much as imagined here. It was giving to thofe from whom he could receive nothing, and emptying himself of that glory to which the whole creation could not make any addition. The truth is, we ought to confider in the fame light every other mercy of God, as well as the love of Chrift his Son, which was the fource of them all: Job xxii. 2.. 3.4. "Can a man be profitable unto God, as "he that is wife may be profitable unto him"felf? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that "thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that "thou makeft thy ways perfect? M 3

Will he re

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prove thee for fear of thee? will he enter "with thee into judgement?" And to the

fame purpose, Job xxxv. 5. 6. 7. 8. “Look CC unto the heavens, and fee, and behold the "clouds, which are higher than thou. If "thou finneft, what doft thou against him?

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or if thy tranfgreffions be multiplied, what "doft thou unto him? If thou be righteous, "what giveft thou him? or what receiveth he "of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a "man as thou art, and thy righteousness may profit the fon of man." The effential glory and happiness of the Deity, and confequently of the Eternal Word, can receive no addition, nor fuffer the fmalleft diminution, from the ftate of or of all his creatures. He was infinitely any, happy in himself from all eternity, before there was man or angel to ferve him, and would have continued fo though they had never been. How infinitely then are we indebted to this generous Saviour! with what gratitude ought we to celebrate his pure and difinterefted love, who gracioufly interpofed in our behalf, and delivered us from the wrath of God, by bearing it in our room!

7. In the last place, the love of Chrift was a moft fruitful, active, and beneficent love. The effects of it are unfpeakably great; the bleffings which we reap from it are not only infinite in number, but ineftimable in value. They are indeed almost as valuable as their price was coftly. It was not to be fuppofed, that fo great a perfon would be employed upon a trivial work,

work, or an infinite price paid for an inconfi derable purchase. But how, my brethren, fhall we form any adequate conception of the benefits that flow from our Redeemer's death? All that is neceffary for us, all that is defireable to us, all that is truly precious in itself, is effectually made ours: Rom. viii. 32. "He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all things?" 1 Cor. i. 30. "But of him are ye in Chrift Jefus, who of "God is made unto us wifdom, and righteouf"nefs, and fanctification, and redemption."

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(1) We are through Chrift delivered from condemnation: Rom. viii. 1. "There is there"fore now no condemnation to them which are "in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, "but after the Spirit." Do you know any thing of a sense of guilt? Does your creator's power and greatness ever make you afraid? Have you trembled at the approach of the king of terrors ? or of that day of righteous judgement, when God fhall render to every man according to his works? Chrift our Saviour hath delivered us "from the wrath to come." This is the first ground of the apostle's afcription in the text: Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood. Hear also the apostle's triumphant affurance, Rom. viii. 33. 34. "Who "fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's e"lect? It is God that juftifieth: who is he that "condemneth? It is Chrift that died, yea ra"ther, that is rifen again, who is even at the

" right hand of God, who alfo maketh inter-"ceffion for us."

(2.) Through Chrift the believer is affured, that he fhall receive every thing that is neceffary for him in his paffage through the world. The Spirit is purchased and beftowed to lead him into all truth, and to fanctify him wholly. Chrift did not fatisfy himself with cancelling our guilt,. but made effectual provifion for the renovation of our nature. The Spirit is alfo given as a spi-rit of confolation. He is ftyled the Comforter,. who fhall abide with us for ever. Without en-larging at this time on the comforts of the gofpel, they are fufficiently commended in the following words of the apoftle, Phil. iv. 7. "And "the peace of God which paffeth all under-"standing, fhall keep your hearts and minds "through Chrift Jefus." To thefe add a fanctified providence. As many as are reconciled to God through Chrift, may reft fatisfied that all things fhall work together for their good. The moft oppofite events, profperity and adverfity, health and fickness, honour and reproach, nay, every thing without exception, fhall be fubfervient to their intereft: 1 Cor. iii. 21. 22. 23. For all things are yours: whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come; "all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Chrift " is God's."

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(3.) Through Chrift the believer is intitled to everlasting glory and happiness in the enjoyment of God to all eternity. This was among the last

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