law. Therefore Christ himself saith, that "heaven “and earth shall pass, before one jot, or one tittle "shall pass from the law, until all shall be fulfilled."(u) But to behold a person of such high dignity as the Lord Jesus Christ, and of so transcendently excellent a character, perfectly obeying the divine law; and exhibiting in himself, and that under the most trying scenes, a most perfect pattern of that cheerful obedience and unreserved submission which is required of men; affords a strong testimony to the righteousness of that law under which men were originally placed: And is fitted to convince us that every breach of it deserves the curse. No pattern, no example, could possibly carry stronger evidence of this than the holy and obedient life of Christ.

SUCH a testimony to the righteousness of the law, was but a proper and necessary acknowledgment to be made to God, by him who undertook to mediate peace between God and men. Without this it could not have appeared that Christ in every thing justified God, and wholly condemned the sinner. And, had not the man Jesus Christ most perfectly justified God and condemned the sinner, his offering up himself upon the cross, instead of being a sweet incense, would only have been falling a victim to the just inlignation of his injured sovereign.

BUT, when Christ, being found in fashion as a man, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death; when his death was an expression of the high sense he entertained of the excellency and righteousness of the moral law; the sacrifice he made of himself was then an offering of a sweet savor unto God ; and, naturally prepared the way for a treaty of peace and reconciliation between God and men. And, the

(u) Matt. v. 18.;

perfect obedience of Christ under all the sufferings he endured on earth, especially in the last and extreme scenes of his life, was peculiarly honorable and acceptable to God, as it carried the fullest acknowledgment of the righteousness of divine government when administered in the actual execution of divine vengeance on his enemies.

WHEN We take a view of the nature, design and greatness of the sufferings of Christ, it will appear that his voluntarily subjecting himself to them, and his ready, cheerful and patient obedience under them, were what really constituted the whole moral worth of the sacrifice which he made of himself for the sins of the world. The bare distress and pain of the Saviour, in themselves simply considered, had no virtue in them, and were of no worth. But, the disposition of mind with which he endured those extreme agonies and pains, the temper he expressed under them, were of infinite worth. These were, therefore, precious in the sight of God, and worthy to be acknowledged by Christ's being raised to that high station of honor and glory to which he is now exalted. Therefore, Christ's present exaltation and reign. are spoken of by the Apostle, as the reward of his voluntary humiliation and obedience unto death. Treating on this subject he says of Christ, "being "found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and "became obedient unto death, even the death of the "cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, "and given him a name which is above every name; "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, "of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things "under the earth; and that every tongue should con"fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God "the Father."(w) Christ's real merit of the high

(w) Philip. ii. 9, 10, 11.

station he now possesseth, consisted, not in the extremity of his sufferings, but the perfection of his obedience. It is not, strictly speaking, for the pains he endured, but for the views and temper of mind he manifested under them, that the man Jesus Christ is raised to universal dominion, and has angels, men and devils subject to his authority.

2. THAT God should be manifest in flesh, and voluntarily lay down his life for his people, and become a curse for them, not only strongly attests the righteousness of the divine law as a rule of government; but abundantly proves that the disposition of the divine mind most invariably conforms to the rules of equity and righteousness. That this should be done, was a matter of infinite importance to the honorable exercise of mercy. It is far from being enough that the rules of divine government should be such as approve themselves to the consciences of men, and carry conviction of their equity: But, seeing that God will forever maintain the dignity and honor of his own character; when he was about to do so wonderful a thing as to pardon and save sinners, it was a matter of the last importance that he should exhibit a character, a disposi tion of mind, perfectly conformable to the true spirit of those rules of government which he had previously established. Otherwise, though the law might appear just, God himself could not appear so in justifying the ungodly.

BUT, the scene of the sufferings of the Son of God abundantly displayed this character of Jehovah, this disposition of the divine mind; which it could not have done in such a manner as to lay a foundation for mercy to sinners, had not the character, the obedience of the Mediator, been absolutely spotless and perfect.

HOWEVER Voluntary Christ was in laying down his life, the hand and agency of the Father are nevertheless, by no means to be overlooked in this remarkable event. Though the Son made his soul an offering for sin, the Father bruised him, put him to grief, and laid on him the iniquity of us all; (x) the hand and the agency of God were as truly conspicuous, and his providence as active, in bringing suffering, distress and death on the Son of his love; as in any evil he doth, or ever will, bring on sinners. Christ suffered as much by the decree, the determinate counsel of God, as impenitent sinners will do hereafter. And in this active providence, in that astonishing event, God acted for his own glory, and designedly exhibited his own infinitely excellent character, as really as in the final perdition of impenitent sinners. Yea, and he evi dently designed that the same righteous regard to his holy law, to good order and government, should appear and shine in the former event as in the latter.

THE case being thus, it is easy to see that, unless the moral character of Christ had been absolutely perfect, that exhibition of divine righteousness, which was made in his sufferings and death, could afford no more reason for mercy to sinners, than that which is made in the destruction of sinners themselves. For a manifestation of righteousness in bringing evil upon one whose moral character is not perfect, is so far from exhibiting a reason why the wicked should go unpunished, that it rather inforceth the necessity of their punishment. Therefore, that the sufferings of Christ might be such a manifestation of divine righteousness as would open the way for God to appear just in justifying the ungodly, it was of absolute importance that he himself should be without sin, and that guile should not be found in his mouth.

(*) Isaiah liii. 6, 10.

Then

his taking the curse upon himself, and the Father's laying it on him, will be so bright a display of divine righteousness, as to render God's regard to law, to good order and government, gloriously conspicuous in the exercise of mercy to such as penitently fly for refuge to the Saviour of the world.

If it be admitted that God's regard particularly to the penal part of his law was designedly manifested in the sufferings and death of Christ; it is easy to see that this regard to the law would become conspicuous in proportion to the dignity and excellency of him who suffered. For, as on the one hand, we estimate the benevolence that is expressed in the bestowment of good, partly by the meanness and unworthiness of the subject on whom it is conferred; so, on the other, the "degree of displeasure which is expressed in bringing evil, is estimated greatly by the dignity and excellency of the person on whom it falls. The same measure of natural evil, the same quantity of pain is expressive of very different degrees of displeasure, according to the difference of character and dignity in the person on whom it is inflicted. For a King to imprison his Son for a crime, awes his subjects more than the execution of a common felon, and may do more to establish his authority, and gain respect to his government. The reason is, that his regards to the rights of his government are more strongly painted in the former case than in the latter. So for God to inflict pain upon a mere man, would naturally express displeasure to spectators: But if the same degree of natural evil brought on him who is his fellow, his anger would glow in brighter and more awful colors, and strike the spectators with a reverence and fear which the other instance could not beget.

THEREFORE, the absolute perfection, as well as dignity of the moral character of Christ, when he was

G