giveness with God, and difcovers a fure foundation whereon he may build his hope of eternal life, without fear of difappointment. From the moment the apostle Paul was enlightened to understand this mystery of redeeming love, he accounted his former gain but lofs; his former fuppofed wisdom, no better than folly, and became determined to know nothing*, to depend upon nothing, to glory in nothing, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

A representation of the Redeemer's fufferings, capable of exciting tears and moving the paffions, may be made by the powers of oratory; and fimilar emotions have often been produced by a romance or a tragedy, though the subject is known, before-hand, to be entirely a fiction. But light in the understanding, is neceffary to convince and influence the heart. Unless the mind be deeply penetrated with the causes, which rendered MESSIAH's death neceffary, the most pathetic defcription of the fact, will leave the will and affections unchanged. I hope many of my auditory can affign thefe caufes. You have felt yourselves perfonally concerned in an 1 Cor. ii. 2. Gạl. vi. 14.

event which took place long before your birth; and if you are asked, Why was Jefus mocked, buffeted, and fpit upon? and why were his enemies permitted to nail him to the crofs? You can answer, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows-and you can likewise fay, By his ftripes we are healed. The words lead us to confider the caufe, and the effect.

I. The cause of the Redeemer's fufferings, implied in the word our. He bore the griefs and forrows which were our defert. Such is the language, the confeffion, the grateful acknowledgment of all who believe in his name. They who are delivered by grace from the fpirit and power of this evil world, and who live by his death; and, likewise they, who fee they must perish, unless faved by him, are authorized to confider him as mindful of them, and making provision for them, in the day of his trouble.. They who were actually healed by looking at the brafen ferpent, according to God's appointment, had a sufficient proof in themselves, that it was erected, and placed in view of the camp*, on their account. He bore our griefs.—It does not * Num. xxi. 9.

follow

follow that finners must have been crucified, if the Saviour had not been crucified on their behalf. But as this was a painful and terrible punishment, it may teach us, that without his interpofition we were justly liable to extremity of mifery in the present life. That we who have offended God, fhould enjoy health, peace, or fatisfaction for a single hour; that we do not draw every breath in the moft excruciating pain; that we derive any comfort from creatures; that we are not a burden and a terror to ourselves, and mutually to each other; that our state while upon earth, is, in any respect, better than an image of hell, must wholly be afcribed to him. A finner, as fuch, is under the curfe of the law, and this curse includes every fpecies of mifery that can affect us either in mind, body, or eftate. But he was appointed, from the beginning, to fuftain and exhaust the curfe for us. And, therefore, the earth, though fo long inhabited by wretches in a state of bold rebellion against their Maker, is filled with the fruits and evidences of his long-fuffering patience and mercy. Therefore he ftill affords us rain and fruitful feafons*, indulges

us with a variety of temporal bleflings, and gives us power to take comfort in them. This confideration greatly enhances the value of temporal good things to his people. They receive them as from his hand, as tokens of his love and pledges of his favour, fanctified to their use by his blood and promife. Cheered by fuch thoughts as thefe, his poor people often enjoy their plain fare with a pleasure, of which, the expenfive and diffipated sensualist has no conception. And how does it add to the relish of all earthly comforts, to think, while we are using them,

There's not a gift his hand bestows,
But coft his heart a groan !

So, likewife, the remembrance of what he bore for them alleviates the preffure of all their fufferings, and affords them a ground whereon they may rejoice, yea glory in tribulation* alfa.

But his crucifixion, and the whole of his fufferings from wicked men, cannot give us a juft idea of what he endured for us. Grievous as they were, confidered in themselves,

Rom. v. 3.

they

they were light if compared with the agonies of his foul. Thefe extorted the blood from his body *, before the hand of man touched him. And when he uttered his most dolorous cry upon the crofs, it was not for the anguish of his bodily wounds, but his foul felt, for a season, a feparation from the prefence and comforts of God. Therefore he faid, Why hast thou forfaken me†? It is true his holy nature was not capable of some part of the impenitent finner's portion. Remorfe of conscience, the ftings of the neverdying worm, and the horrors and rage of despair, could not touch him, who had no personal fin, and whose love and faith were always perfect. But a fword pierced his foul, and it pleased the Father, not only to permit him to be bruised by the cruelty of his enemies, but to bruise him himself.

The ground of all this was laid in his voluntary fubftitution of himself, from before the foundation of the world, to obey and fuffer in behalf of his people. This point will offer more directly from the paffage we are next to confider. At prefent, let us briefly notice the expreffions before us.

* Luke xxiii. 44. ↑ Matt. xxvii. 46. Ifai. liii. 10,