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the apostle there speaks) is reserved something worse than dying without mercy. What pleas and excuses others will make at the judgment-seat, I know not; but one thing is evident, such will be speechless. O poor sinners! your damnation is just, if you refuse grace brought home by Jesus Christ himself to your very doors. The Lord grant this may not be thy case who readest these lines.

4. Moreover, hence it follows that none doth or can love like Christ: His love to man is matchless. Its freeness, strength, eternity, and immutability, give it a lus tre beyond all examples. It was a strong love indeed, that made him lay aside his glory, to be found in fashion as a man, for our salvation. We read of Jonathan's love to David, which passed the love of women; of Jacob's love to Rachel, who for her sake endured the heat of summer and cold of winter; of David's love to Absalom; of the primitive christians' love, who could die one for another but neither were they called to such selfdenial as Christ, nor had he such inducements from the object of his love as they had. His love, like himself, is wonderful.

5. Did the Lord Jesus so deeply abase himself for us? What claims has he on us to exalt and honor him, who for our sakes was so abased! It was a good saying of Bernard, "By how much the viler he was made for me, by so much the dearer he shall be to me." And oh that all to whom Christ is dear, would study to exalt and honor him in these four ways:

By frequent and delightful speaking of him and for him. When Paul had once mentioned his name, he knows not how to part with it, but repeats it no less than ten times in the compass of ten verses. 1 Cor. 1: 1-10. It was Lambert's motto, "None but Christ, none but Christ." It is said of Johannes Milius, that after his conversion he was seldom or never observed to men

"you know the heart of a stranger." Exod. 23: 9. Christ, by being in our nature, knows experimentally what are our wants, fears, temptations, and distresses, and so is able to have compassion. Oh let your hearts dwell upon this admirable condescension, till they be filled with it, and your lips say, Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ!

CHAPTER XIX.

CHRIST'S HUMILIATION-IN HIS LIFE.

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obcdient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil. 2:8.

This scripture was considered in the last discourse, and, indeed, can never be enough considered: it holds forth the humble state of the Lord Jesus during the time of his abode on earth. We have seen how he was humbled by his incarnation; we are now to consider how he was humbled in his life: yet expect not that I should give you here an exact history of the life of Christ. The Scriptures speak but little of the private part of his life, and it is not my design to dilate upon all the memorable passages that the evangelists, those faithful narrators of the life of Christ, have preserved for us; but only to notice and improve some more observable particulars in his life, wherein especially he was humbled.

1. The Lord Jesus was humbled in his very infancy, by his circumcision according to the law. For being of the stock of Israel, he was to undergo the ceremonies and submit to the ordinances belonging to that people, and thereby to put an end to them; for so it became him to "fulfil all righteousness." "And when eight days were

accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus." Luke, 2: 21. Hereby the Son of God was greatly humbled, especially in these two respects:

1. In that hereby he obliged himself to keep the whole law, though he was the Law-maker; "For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." Gal. 5: 3. The apostle's meaning is, he is a debtor in respect to duty, because he that thinks himself bound to keep one part of the ceremonial law, doth thereby bind himself to keep it all; for all the parts are inseparably united. And he that is a debtor in duty to keep the whole law, quickly becomes a debtor as to its penalty, not being able to keep any part of it. Christ therefore coming as our Surety by his circumcision, obliges himself to pay the whole debt of duty by fulfilling all righteousness: and though his obedience to the law was so exact and perfect that he contracted no debt of penalty for any transgression of his own; yet he obliges himself to pay the debt of penalty which he had contracted, by suffering all the pains due to transgressors. This was that intolerable yoke that none were able to bear but Christ. Acts, 15: 10. And it was no small thing in Christ to bind himself to the law, as a subject made under it; for he was the Lawgiver, above all law: and herein the sovereignty of God (one of the choice flowers in the crown of heaven) was obscured and veiled by his subjection.

2. By his circumcision he was represented to the world not only as a subject, but as a sinner; for though he was pure and holy, yet this ordinance passing upon him, seemed to imply as if corruption had indeed been in him, which must be cut off by mortification. For this was the mystery principally intended by circumcision: it served to admonish Abraham, and his seed, of the guiltiness, uncleanness, and corruption of their hearts

"you know the heart of a stranger." Exod. 23: 9. Christ, by being in our nature, knows experimentally what are our wants, fears, temptations, and distresses, and so is able to have compassion. Oh let your hearts dwell upon this admirable condescension, till they be filled with it, and your lips say, Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ!

CHAPTER XIX.

CHRIST'S HUMILIATION-IN HIS LIFE.

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obcdient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil. 2:8.

This scripture was considered in the last discourse, and, indeed, can never be enough considered: it holds forth the humble state of the Lord Jesus during the time of his abode on earth. We have seen how he was humbled by his incarnation; we are now to consider how he was humbled in his life: yet expect not that I should give you here an exact history of the life of Christ. The Scriptures speak but little of the private part of his life, and it is not my design to dilate upon all the memorable passages that the evangelists, those faithful narrators of the life of Christ, have preserved for us; but only to notice and improve some more observable particulars in his life, wherein especially he was humbled.

1. The Lord Jesus was humbled in his very infancy, by his circumcision according to the law. For being of the stock of Israel, he was to undergo the ceremonies and submit to the ordinances belonging to that people, and thereby to put an end to them; for so it became him to "fulfil all righteousness." "And when eight days were

accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus." Luke, 2: 21. Hereby the Son of God was greatly humbled, especially in these two respects:

1. In that hereby he obliged himself to keep the whole law, though he was the Law-maker; "For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." Gal. 5: 3. The apostle's meaning is, he is a debtor in respect to duty, because he that thinks himself bound to keep one part of the ceremonial law, doth thereby bind himself to keep it all; for all the parts are inseparably united. And he that is a debtor in duty to keep the whole law, quickly becomes a debtor as to its penalty, not being able to keep any part of it. Christ therefore coming as our Surety by his circumcision, obliges himself to pay the whole debt of duty by fulfilling all righteousness: and though his obedience to the law was so exact and perfect that he contracted no debt of penalty for any transgression of his own; yet he obliges himself to pay the debt of penalty which he had contracted, by suffering all the pains due to transgressors. This was that intolerable yoke that none were able to bear but Christ. Acts, 15: 10. And it was no small thing in Christ to bind himself to the law, as a subject made under it; for he was the Lawgiver, above all law: and herein the sovereignty of God (one of the choice flowers in the crown of heaven) was obscured and veiled by his subjection.

2. By his circumcision he was represented to the world not only as a subject, but as a sinner; for though he was pure and holy, yet this ordinance passing upon him, seemed to imply as if corruption had indeed been in him, which must be cut off by mortification. For this was the mystery principally intended by circumcision: it served to admonish Abraham, and his seed, of the guiltiness, uncleanness, and corruption of their hearts

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