John xii. 27, "Now is my foul troubled, and what fhall

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I fay? Father, fave me from this hour! but for this "caufe came I unto this hour." And in that dreadful season, when in the midst of his hardest conflict, this is the form of his prayer, Matth. xxvi. 39. "O my Father! "if it be poffible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, "not as I will, but as thou wilt." And a little after, verfe 42. "O my Father! if this cup may not pass away "from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." Was not this divine glory fhining through the dark cloud that encompassed him? Was not this the patience of a God? And, in spite of the fhame of the crofs on which he hung, did it not constrain the centurion that attended his crucifixion to fay, "Certainly this was a righteous man! Tru"ly this was the Son of God!"

In the laft place, The glory of a fuffering Saviour appears from the end he had in view in his fufferings, and which he fo effectually obtained. This was none other than the glory of the great God, and the everlasting falvation of elect finners. It was to do the will of his heavenly Father that he came into the world, and in doing this he delighted. Towards the close of his life he thus addresses his Father, John xvii. 4, "I have glorified thee on the "earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me "to do." He not only exhibited a fair and bright image. of the divine glory in his perfonal character, while he dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, but in his work as Mediator, illuftrated all the perfections of God; and in particular, glorified his justice and magnified his mercy. If therefore a worthy end beautifies and ennobles any dif ficult undertaking, this excellent purpose must give dignity to a crucified Saviour.

But ought we not to add, the end fo clofely connected with this, the falvation of perifhing finners. Is not this a defign, of the beauty of which we ought to be particularly fenfible? Had not our compaffionate Redeemer stept in between us and the ftroke of divine juftice, we had for ever lain under the wrath of the Almighty. And, Oh, how unable had we been to bear that vengeance which was fo heavy to him! How glorious does he appear to

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the convinced finner in his red apparel! and what reason has he to fay, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to "receive power, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, "and honor, and glory, and bleffing !”

I fhall now conclude this head with obferving, that I have all along confidered Chrift as God and man, in one perfon, our Mediator. I am fenfible, however, he could only fuffer in his human nature, and indeed became man that he might be capable of fuffering. But it was the inconceivable union of the human nature with the divine, from which he derived his glory, which gave him strength for fuffering, and made his fufferings of value fufficient for the purchase of our redemption.

I come, now, in the last place, to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid. And,

ift, We are, here, called to admire and adore the unfearchable wisdom, and unfpeakable love of God. There is a boundlefs depth in all the works and ways of God, and particularly here. Upon a flight view, we may be apt to take offence at the crofs; to hide our faces from him; to be disgusted at an incarnate God, the Lord of glory, defpifed and trampled on by a proud Pharifee; the Creator of the ends of the earth ftanding at the judgmentfeat of a weak mortal; and the Author of life giving up the ghoft. But, upon a nearer inspection, muft we not admire the harmony of the divine attributes, in our redemption, upon this plan? that thefe perfections which feem to limit each other in their exercife, fhould be, in conjunction, more illuftrioufly difplayed: that God's infinite holinefs, and abhorrence of fin, nay, his impartial justice, fhould be more difplayed in the pardon than the condemnation of the finner: that fo fignal a defeat should be given to the enemy of fouls, even when he seemed exulting in the fuccefs of his defigns: that our Lord, by death, fhould deftroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and, by being lifted up from the earth, as unworthy of a place on it, he should draw all men unto him, joining thus the extremities of glory and bafenefs, power and humiliation, and travelling in the greatness of his ftrength. This, without doubt, fhall afford fubject for the adoring inquiry

of glorified faints to eternal ages; and we ought to begin it here, faying with the Pfalmift, Pfal. lxxii. 17, "His "name fhall endure forever; his name fhall be continued "as long as the fun; and men fhall be blessed in him; all "nations fhall call him bleffed !"

2dly, Suffer me to improve the fubject, by fhewing the guilt and danger of all who are not reconciled to God, efpecially thofe, who, by continuing in unbelief and im penitence, fhall die in that condition. There is nothing

we can more juftly infer from what hath been faid, than the holinefs of God, and his deteftation of fin. Such is the hardness of heart of many finners, and fuch their partiality to themselves, that it is a matter of the utmost difficulty to convince them either of their guilt or danger. But, if you have any belief in the truths of the gofpel, if you believe the certainty of that transaction which we are this day to commemorate, with what fear and trembling ought you to reflect upon the juftice of God? If he punished fin fo feverely in the perfon of his own Son, how fhall he punish it in the perfons of the finally impenitent? If a temporary fuffering of the wrath of God was fo terrible to him, who travelled through it in the greatness of his strength, what shall it be to thofe who fhall lie under it to eternity, without the leaft ray of hope or confolation? what fhall it be to thofe who fhall have nothing to fupport them in their unchangeable abode, but an accufing confcience, and despair of mercy?

I cannot help obferving, hear it, O finners, and tremble! that a defpifed gofpel fhall be an aggravation of the guilt, and an addition to the mifery, of all to whom it was offered, Heb. ii. 2. "For, if the word spoken by angels "was ftedfaft, and every tranfgreffion and difobedience "received a juft recompence of reward, how fhall we ef"cape if we neglect fo great falvation?"-Heb. x. 28, 29. "He that defpifed Mofes' law died, without mercy, un"der two or three witnefs of how much forer punish"ment, fuppofe ye, fhall he be thought worthy, who hath "trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted "the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was fanctified, "an unholy thing, and hath done defpite unto the Spirit

"of grace?" The feverity of the punishment of finners rejecting the gospel, fhall bear a juft proportion to the love and mercy of God manifefted in that difpenfation. If these are justly called unspeakably great, the other must be inconceivably dreadful. Every drop of that blood, which was fpilt in behalf of finners, shall be as oil to the flames that confume the impenitent, and make them burn with greater fierceness, to all the ages of eternity. Remember, I beseech you, that our Saviour fhall continue in the character of adminiftrator of the covenant of grace, till the final doom of finners be ordained. The fame perfon, whofe foul was made an offering for fin, and who groaned on Calvary, fhall, one day, come in his own and in his Father's glory, attended with his angels, as the minifters of his juftice; then "every eye fhall fee him, and those "alfo that pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth fhall "wail because of him." Then how fhall his enemies fland before him, when those who came to apprehend him fell to the ground, at his word, even in his humiliation? Those who obftinately refuse to be the trophies of his grace, fhall then be the monuments of his vengeance. It is very remarkable, that as the nation of the Jews were a people uncommonly favored of God, particularly by the enjoyment of the perfonal miniftry of Chrift, and hearing the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth; fo, when they had filled up the measure of their iniquities, by rejecting him, the judgment that fell upon them was the moft fignal, and terrible, and lasting, that ever was inflicted on any people. In this they were an example of the fate of a whole world of finners; and, indeed, the deftruction of Jerufalem is defcribed in fuch terms as do naturally fuggeft to us the final judgment of the world, and teach us what to expect, "when the Lord Jesus shall be "revealed from heaven, in flaming fire, taking vengeance "on them that know not God, and that obey not the gof"pel of our Lord Jefus Chrift."

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Now the Saviour is in the posture of a humble fupplicant, ftanding at the door of many hard hearts, and knocking, and asking admiffion. Now does he earneftly befeech you, by

his mercies, to be reconciled to God; but then fhall he put on the frowns and terrors of a judge; and how fhall they be able to lift up their eyes towards him, who now trample upon his love? See a reprefentation of this matter, Rev. vi. 14, 15, 16, 17. “And the heaven departed as a fcroll when it is rolled together; and every moun"tain and ifland were moved out of their places: and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, "and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every "bondman, and every freeman, hid them felves in the "dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and faid to "the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from "the face of him that fitteth on the throne, and from the "wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is "come; and who fhall be able to ftand!" It is remarkable, that the wrath here spoken of, is called the wrath of the Lamb. Strange expreffion indeed! but ftrongly fignifying, that his prefent meeknefs, and patience, and fuffering fhall inflame and exafperate his future vengeance. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, I would befeech every finner in this affembly, to confider the things that belong to his peace-that the fame ftrength and power of our Redeemer, that was evident in his fuffering in our ftead, that is evident in working out the falvation of his own people, shall also be evident in the judgment of his enemies. Pfal. ii. II, 12. "Serve the Lord with fear, "and rejoice with trembling. Kifs the Son, left he be angry, and ye perifh from the way, when his wrath is "kindled but a little: Bleffed are all they that put their "truft in him."

In the 3d place, I would improve this fubject, for the encouragement of finners to return to God through Chrift. It was for this very end, that God laid help upon One that is mighty, and raised up a chofen One out of the people. Is there, then, among you, an awakened finner, who trembles at the profpect of Divine wrath, upon whofe heart God, in his mercy, has carried home a conviction of his loft ftate, and who is crying out, What shall I do to be saved! Behold, here, the peace-fpeaking blood of the Lamb of God! Behold, here, not only your ranfom paid,