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about to offer up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world; were of the utmost importance to the acceptableness of his offering, and the manifestation it was necessary should be made of God's righteous displeasure against those for whom he died. For without this absolute perfection, and high dignity, of the character of the Saviour, his death on the cross would not have been a glass in which the divine purity could have been discovered with sufficient clearness, while he exercised mercy toward sinners.

3. THE perfect obedience of Christ, and that even unto death, and the spotless purity of his moral character, were absolutely necessary to prepare him for interceding with the Father for sinners.

THE dignity and excellency of the intercessor's character, add weight, and give importance to his intercession. It is more honorable to a prince to pardon, upon the intercession of some illustrious person, than on that of one of his menial servants. And when the penalty for the remission of which intercession is made, is perfectly deserved; and the honor of the sovereign. is concerned in testifying against it; it is necessary that the intercession itself should carry in it the fullest acknowledgments, both of the righteousness of the judge, and the justice of the punishment. For without this the intercession itself might justly be interpreted as a reflection on the Sovereign, and a vindication of the criminal. This being the case the intercessor naturally, in some sense, puts on the character and takes the place of him who is condemned.

BUT when we consider the glorious and infinite majesty of God, on one hand; and the extreme guilt and inexpressible vileness of the sinner, on the other; we cannot but see the absolute importance of the fullest acknowledgments, both of God's righteousness, and the sinner's guilt, in him who steps in as a mediator

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between them; however dignified he be in his own personal character. None but a person of the most exalted character would be equal to the weight of such a mediation. And one who suitably estimated the infinitely different characters, qualities and stations. of the beings, between whom he was to mediate a peace, would never presume to appear before the great God without the fullest testimonials of a high and perfect sense of the divine righteousness on one hand, and the extreme guilt and wickedness of the sinner on the other. But how could these testimonials be so well obtained, and where could such views in the Saviour, both of God's righteousness, and the sinner's guilt, be so strongly painted, as in his obedience unto death, and that even the death of the cross? in this view of the matter, nothing like the death of Christ, could pave the way for him to the Father: And nothing like his own blood could give weight to his inter

cession.

FOR SO illustrious a person as the infinite Redeemer, to exemplify his regards to the honor of God and his law, by a most perfect obedience under the most unparalleled sufferings, even unto death, and his sense of the sinner's ill desert, by appearing before the etermal God in his own blood; must wonderfully qualify him for so important a mediation; and above every thing, give weight to his intercession. It is no wonder that God does not reject an intercession which does such honor to his law and government, and makes his character appear so glorious in the exercises of mercy to sinners.

THUS We see how a person of Christ's most excellent character prepared himself for acting the part of an intercessor for sinners; and the trying scenes he voluntarily went through, to qualify himself for so weighty and important an office. And all this was

necessary to render himself acceptable in the eyes of the Father, in character of mediator; and to gain an audiance in a cause of such a nature as that which he had undertaken.

CHAP. VI.

Sherving the ends which are answered by the sUFFERINGS of Christ; and what is the language and import of them.

AS none of the providences of God are without their instruction; evils and calamities have a language, an import, as well as other dispensations. And if there be a language in the sufferings which are brought on moral beings, greater degrees of distress and pain are more significant than smaller ones; and expressive of higher emotions in him who inflicts them. Although, therefore, it be admitted that the end and import of the sufferings of Christ cannot be collected. merely from their greatness: this, however, is a consideration which may not be without its use, in investigating a subject of so much importance. Greatness of sufferings gives a coloring to things, which is not found in smaller degrees of distress and naturally raises and heightens the ideas, both with respect to the avenger and the patient.

WERE the sufferings of Christ no more, nor greater, than would naturally and necessarily affect human, animal nature, in that trying situation in which he was placed, and in which he expired; they would still have a language, an import in them. But were there superadded to these, peculiar agonies and distresses, this most surprising event immediately puts on a different hue, and the language of it is written in deeper colors.

In order to a clearer understanding of the design and import of the sufferings of Christ, it may be of use to attend particularly to the descriptions given of them, by the sacred writers; and the manner in which they are represented; that we may, from thence, be enabled to form some estimate of their weight and greatness.

THE whole life of Christ, especially his public ministry, was a scene of labor and suffering: But at the close of it his sufferings became much more severe and intense. Accordingly, in regard of sufferings, this is spoken of with an emphasis, both by Christ and his Apostles. Thus when the Jews laid violent hands on the Saviour, he says, "When I was daily. "with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands "against me: but this is your hour, and the power of "darkness"(y) hereby intimating that now he was in

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peculiar manner given up into the hands of the powers of darkness. For this reason it manifestly was that the prospect of what he had to endure when he was to make his soul an offering for sin, was so extremely trying and affecting to him. This last trying and affecting scene appeared to lie with great and culiar weight on the Saviour's mind: And he ever spoke of it with peculiar feelings and emotion. When he told his disciples that he came to sendfire on the earth, he immediately adds, "but I have a baptism "to be baptised with, and how am I straitened till it "be accomplished."(z) Accordingly, when he went into the garden where he was taken by his enemies, though just before he possessed the utmost composure, he was immediately seized with horror, and said to his disciples," my soul is exceeding sorrowful even " unto death" And this sorrow broke forth into this earnest, pathetic cry, "O my Father, if it be possible,

(y) Luke xxii. 53. (2) Luke xii. 50.

"let this cup pass from me." But that it might not be thought that his spirit failed him, and that his soul shrunk back from the sufferings it was necessary he should endure, he immediately adds, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."(a) This scene is prophetically described, by the Psalmist, in the following manner, "The sorrows of death com"passed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: "I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon "the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, "deliver my soul."(b) One Evangelist relates that, upon his coming into the garden," he began to be "sore amazed, and to be very heavy."(c) And, another, that upon his earnest cry for deliverance if it might be the will of God, an Angel was sent to him from heaven, to support and strengthen him under his distresses: And, that he was in agony in his prayer, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (d) Soor. upon this, his enemies came upon him, being conducted to the place of his retirement by one of his professed friends, and took him by violence, and carried him before the rulers where he suffered the grossest indignity and abuse. Here he was treated with the utmost derision and contempt; mocked, spit upon, and cruelly smitten. Finally, after sentence of death had been passed upon him, he was led out of the city, and like the vilest malefactors nailed to the cross. There after he had hung a number of hours on the accursed tree, and endured the sore revilings and cruel taunts of his enemies; as if given up of God himself, in whom he had ever trusted, he pathetically cries out, "My God, "my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"(e) Upon this, nature itself sinking under so dreadful a weight, the mighty Redeemer bowed his sorrowful head, and

(a) Matt xxvi. 38, 39, 41. xiv. 33. (d) Luke xxii. 43, 44.

(b) Psalm cxvi. 3, 4.
(e) Matt. xxvii. 46,

(c) Mark

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