gates *, and walks in the paths of dependance and obedience. He, therefore, cannot conform to the prevailing maxims and purfuits of the many, and is liable to be hated and scorned for his fingularity. But he neither courts the smiles of men, nor shrinks at the thought of their displeasure. He loves his fellow-creatures, and is ready to do them every kind office in his power; but he cannot fear them, because he fears the Lord God. But this life the Chriftian lives by faith in the Son of God. Jefus is the fource of his wisdom and strength. He, likewise, is his exemplar. He is crucified to the world by the cross of Chrift; and a principal reason of his indifference to the opinion of the world, is, the confideration of the manner in which his Lord was treated by it. He is the follower of him, who faid, I gave my back to the fmiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, I hid not my face from shame and spitting. We may obferve, from the words, that the humiliation of MESSIAH was voluntary, and that it was extreme. I. With respect to his engagement, as the Mediator between God and finners, a great *Prov. viii. 34. + Gal. ii. 20. work work was given him to do, and he became refponfible; and, therefore, in this fenfe, bound, and under obligation. But his compliance was, likewife, voluntary, for he gave himfelf up freely to suffer, the juft for the unjuft. Could he have relinquished our cause, and left us to the deferved confequence of our fins, in the trying hour, when his enemies feized upon him, legions of angels *, had they been wanted, would have appeared for his refcue. But if he was determined to fave others, then his own fufferings were unavoidable. Men, in the profecution of their defigns, often meet with unexpected difficulties in their way; which, though they encounter with fome cheerfulness, in hope of furmounting them, and carrying their point at laft, are confidered as impediments; but the fufferings of MESSIAH, were effentially neceffary to the accomplishment of his great defigns, precifely determined, and prefent to his view before-hand, fo that (as I lately obferved) there was not a fingle circumstance that happened to him, unawares. He knew that no blood but his own could make atonement for fin, that nothing less than his humi liation could expiate our pride; that if he did not thus suffer, finners muft inevitably perish; and, therefore, (fuch was his love!) he cheerfully and voluntarily gave his back to the fmiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. Two defigns of vaft importance filled his mind, the completion of them was that joy fet before him, for the fake of which, he made himself of no reputation, endured the cross, and defpifed the flame. Thefe were, the glory of God, and the falvation of finners. 1. The highest end of his mediation was to difplay the glory of the divine character in the strongest light, to afford to all intelligent creatures *, the brightest manifeftation they are capable of receiving, of the manifold wisdom of God, his holiness, juftice, truth, and love, the ftability and excellence of his moral government, all mutually illuftrating each other, as combined and shining forth in his person, and in his mediatorial work. Much of the glory of God may be seen, by an enlightened eye, in creation, much in his providential rule and care over his creatures; but the brightness of his glory, the exprefs and full discovery of his perfections, can only be known by Jefus * Eph. iii. 10. † John i. 18. Heb. i. 3. Chrift, Chrift, and the revelation which God has given of himself, to the world, by him. And, accordingly, we are affured, that the angels, whofe knowledge of the natural world is, doubtless, vastly fuperior to ours, defire to look into these things; and that the manifold wisdom of God is fuper-eminently made known to principalities and powers, in heaven, by the dispensation of his grace to the church redeemed from the earth. 2. Subordinate to this great defign, closely connected with it, and the principal effect for which it will be admired and magnified to eternity, is the compleat and everlasting salvation of that multitude of miferable finners, who, according to the purpose of God, and by the working of his mighty power, fhall believe in this Saviour; and who, renouncing every other hope, fhall put their trust in him, upon the warrant of the promise and command of God, and yield themselves to be his willing and devoted people. Many are their tribulations in the prefent life, but they shall be delivered out of them all; they fhall overcome, they fhall be more than conquerors, by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of bis may bis teftimony*; and then they shall shine, like the fun, in the kingdom of heaven. The confummation of their happiness, is a branch of the joy which was fet before him. For their fakes, that they might be happy, that he be admired in them, and by them, to the glory of God, who is all in all, he voluntarily fubftituted himself to fufferings and death. He endured the crofs, and he despised the fhame. He gave his back to the fmiters, his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, he hid not his face from fhame and spitting. II. But are we reading a prophecy, or the hiftory of his extreme humiliation? It is a prophecy; how literally and exactly it was fulfilled, we learn from his history by the evangelifts. With what cruelty, with what contempt was he treated, first by the fervants in the hall of the High Prieft, afterwards by the Roman foldiers! Let us confider him, who endured the contradiction of finners against himself. Thefe words of the apostle suggest some preliminary obfervations, to prepare our minds for receiving a due impreffion, from the feveral particulars here mentioned. Rev, xii. 11. + Heb. xii. 3. When |