promise-are all manifestations of the wisdom of God. Such also is the institution of sacrifices, as a type of the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ once for all, by which the leading feature of the future Gospel dispensation was perpetually presented to the mind, and an expectation of a real sacrifice maintained.

We may discern a still more remarkable evidence of wisdom in the method by which GOD SECURES THE

INTERESTS OF HOLINESS, AT THE SAME TIME THAT HE PROVIDES FOR THE PARDON OF SIN, BY THE DEATH

OF CHRIST. There appeared to be an irreconcileable breach between God and man. Whatever pleas mercy might put in, justice and truth seemed absolutely to overthrow them. Though mercy might sue for the pardon of the transgressor, yet holiness opposed to it the interests of the moral government of God. Now, in the mystery of the cross of Christ, these different claims are adjusted. Justice triumphs in the death of the surety, mercy in the pardon of the transgressor. Justice is honoured in the sufferings of the Son of God, and mercy in the application of those sufferings to the offender. God now deals with our sins in a way of infinite severity, and with our persons in a way of infinite compassion. The greatest hatred of sin and the greatest love to the sinner-eternal love and eternal hatred-are manifested at one and the same time. God is just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. O stupendous display of wisdom! The law and holiness of God, as the supreme legislator, are more honoured in the sufferings of the eternal Saviour, than they could have been by the uninterrupted and perpetual obedience of men and angels; and the glory of the divine attributes is thereby more illustriously exhibited to all

intelligent creatures, than if every transgressor had personally endured eternal punishment!*

But the wisdom of God further appears in the VICTORY ACHIEVED OVER SATAN IN THE VERY ACT BY WHICH HE APPEARED TO TRIUMPH OVER THE SAVIOUR. Never did the powers of darkness seem to obtain such a victory as in the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary. Till then the prince of darkness and his angels had trembled before the divine and beneficent power of the Son of God. But, in the crucifixion, they appear to triumph. Satan tempts Judas to betray Christ: he succeeds. He provokes the Jews to demand his crucifixion; the conscience of the Roman governor is overpowered, and the innocent Saviour is condemned. Already the hosts of darkness anticipate the final overthrow of the kingdom of the Messiah. The despised Redeemer is scourged and buffeted and mocked and spit upon. His disciples forsake him and fly. He is nailed to the cross. Thieves are his companions in suffering. He is deserted even by his heavenly Father. The crown of thorns, the nail, the spear, the vinegar, appear all to conspire to accomplish the designs of hell. At last the Saviour gives up the ghost. But in the very act in which Satan and his servants appear to subvert the throne of the Messiah, they establish it. The very act which they designed for the destruction of the infant church, redeemed it. In that very act in which they imagined they had undermined the kingdom of Christ, they ruined their own. They did only whatsoever God's hand and counsel had determined before to be done. Satan fell like lightning from heaven. The Saviour, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death. He spoiled principalities and powers, and

* See Charnock on the Attributes; art. Wisdom of God.

made a show of them openly, triumphing over them on the cross. Salvation was thus accomplished, the sacrifice was offered, the purchase made, the prophecies fulfilled, and the way opened to the exaltation, and glory, and eternal reign of the Mediator.

The wisdom of God may again be discerned in his having made the SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, WHICH

WERE THE MERITORIOUS CAUSE OF SALVATION, THE EXAMPLE WHICH WE ARE TO FOLLOW. The astonishing transactions of redemption might have been events in which we could discern the power and wisdom of God; but which, like the wonders of creation, we were little concerned to imitate. But is it not an additional display of the wisdom of God, that the Cross is our pattern, as well as our propitiation; that we are to be crucified with Christ and conformed to his death, as well as to rely on the atonement there offered for iniquity? And what can inflame our love and supply such motives to the mortification of sin, as the death of our Saviour? It engages our duty as much as it secures our happiness. Every act of faith is a spring of love, and constrains us to live, not unto ourselves, but unto Him that died for us and rose again.

Another evidence of the wisdom of God in the cross of Christ is, that the DOCTRINE OF IT IS DE

SIGNED ESPECIALLY TO COUNTERACT THE VERY SIN

As

BY WHICH MAN ORIGINALLY FELL. Man fell by pride, he is restored in a way of humility. He fell by self-dependence, he is saved by self-renunciation. We lost ourselves by a vain desire after wisdom, we return to God by the foolishness of the cross. we sinned by presumptuous curiosity, the wisdom of God humbles us at the very root of the tree of knowledge; and compels us to renounce the pride of our understanding, and submit to faith. Every thing connected with the cross of Christ opposes the reigning evil of our fallen hearts. Human wisdom re

ceives not the doctrine. Human pride comprehends nothing of it. Repentance begins in humility, faith moves in it as its proper atmosphere, claiming nothing but from the undeserved mercy of God; prayer is the breathing of humility, justification is a free gift, salvation is of grace, holy obedience is the fruit of submission. Every step, every act, every duty, every feeling of a Christian, all is humility. Sin has changed the way to happiness. In the first creation God wished to draw men to the knowledge of himself by the use of their reason, and the consideration of the wisdom of his works. In the second, the Saviour draws men by the folly of the word of the Cross, and by the subjection of their reason and will to the doctrine of faith. Religion is the remedy of human pride, as it is not so much a science of the understanding, as of the heart.

The Cross of Christ then is indeed the display of the wisdom of God, and THIS IN OPPOSITION TO ALL THE PRETENDED WISDOM OF THE WORLD. For, where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. Whatever a false philosophy may pretend, we want no other wisdom than that of the Cross. All the contrivances of men to improve upon this wisdom, fail. The additions which human reason has made to this doctrine, and the schemes by which it would attempt to accommodate it to human pride, have never succeeded. If the Greek, and those who follow his spirit, demand wisdom, and look for the exhibition of consummate contrivance ; we have none to shew them, but the wisdom of the Cross. This we preach as the consummation of divine wisdom-a wisdom rightly estimated in proportion as vain reasonings are silenced, and faith is

enthroned in the heart. Let this be accomplished, and the humble penitent begins to discern in the crucifixion of his Lord the impress of the loftiest intelligence. Then does the Cross no longer appear foolishness unto him, but what it really is, the most stupendous discovery of the eternal counsels of God. Then is he willing to be ignorant of all wisdom, but this wisdom of “Christ crucified." Then is he willing to be a stranger to every science, but the science of salvation. Then does he discover Christ to be the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

From the whole of this subject we may learn,

I. THAT THE PROFESSEDLY CHRISTIAN WORLD MAY BE DIVIDED INTO TWO BODIES, THOSE WHO LOVE AND OBEY THE DOCTRINE OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST, AND THOSE WHO DO NOT. The doctrine of a crucified Saviour is the turning point of Christianity. As men judge of this, they will judge of every thing else in religion. There will necessarily be, therefore, a broad distinction between those who adore the power and wisdom of God as displayed in it, and all other persons. The humble penitent, who understands and feels something of this astonishing subject; who knows in his own case that nothing changes and wins the heart but the grace of the Saviour, who relies on his righteousness, glories in his cross, discerns an unspeakable wisdom in the way of salvation secured by it, and is fully assured that there is no other means of saving others but by leading them into this way, will necessarily be very different in his taste and character and course of life, from those who secretly dislike this whole system of religion; who have never felt their sins, nor their need of salvation; who rely in some measure on their own works, and trust to their own wisdom; and who, though they may acknowledge in a vague manner the mystery of redemption, yet account the