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cause, to be born of a woman, and to submit to every hardship in human nature; to be "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;" to fulfil all righteousness and to honour the law which man had broken; to be exposed to the most ignominious sufferings, and to die an accursed death, in order to remove the penalty to which mankind were liable, and thus to procure redemption for a ruined world." "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," says the Apostle in another place, "that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." Though he was "in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." Thus he humbled himself that we might be advanced to glory and honour; that we being adopted into the family of God, might be made the heirs of eternal life.

Man had forfeited the favour of God by breaking his laws; Christ came into the world, in the fulness of time, to restore him to favour, by fulfilling the law, and by suffering the penalty due to transgression. Man had

d

e Cor. viii. 9. Phil. ii. 6, 7.

b Isa. liii. 3. Cor. viii. 9.

fallen into a state of bondage to sin and corruption; Christ became his Mediator and Surety, and he paid his debt for him, the price of his redemption; he gave his life a ransom for many for the remission of sins; he "tasted death for every man," and is "the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him." When man had broken the terms of the first Covenant, the covenant of works, then the Son of God himself procured for him a new covenant, and became the head of it; a covenant of grace, established on better promises, and made secure in the hands of a Mediator.

Consider the wonderful grace and condescension of the Son of God in human nature. Follow him through the plains of Judea, and amidst the cities of Galilee, and observe the miracles which he wrought, and the goodness which he displayed, in healing the bodies of men, or in delivering them from the power and malice of Satan. Surely we may say with Peter, that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." Have we never been moved, while reading his gospel, by his meekness and gentleness, by his tender. Heb, v. 9. # Acts x. 38.

Heb, ii. 9.

ness and pity towards the wretched sons of men; and have we not observed how he made the exertion of his almighty power subservient to the manifestation of his abundant grace, in healing the soul while he healed the body, and in proving himself to be the Saviour of the world by his heavenly discourses, and instructive example? During the few years in which he was engaged in his active ministry, he performed such deeds, and displayed such grace and saving mercy, as have filled the world with admiration and awe, and we are constrained to confess with the astonished Centurion, "Truly this man was the Son of God !"h

But that grace by which we are saved, was exhibited in the most wonderful manner by his death and passion. Though "he was stricken, smitten of God and afflicted," yet it was not for his own offences; for, "he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;"k "but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed." Every circumstance in the death of Christ clearly proves, that he died as the Lamb of God to make expiation for the sins of the world. When "all we like sheep

1

Mark xv. 39. i Isa. liii. 4. 1 Pet. ii. 22. ! Isa liii. 5.

had gone astray, and had turned every one to his own way;" "the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all." "It pleased the Lord to bruise him, and to put him to grief, and to make his soul an offering for sin."m

The death of Christ, and the design of it, were expressly foretold by the Jewish prophets: Jesus himself frequently directed the attention of his disciples to that important event; he spoke of it with calmness and composure, and though he was oppressed under his accumulated sufferings, yet he meekly resigned himself up to the will of God. Christ laid down his life freely; "he had power to lay it down, and he had power to take it again."" His prejudiced and embittered enemies took away his life and thirsted for his blood; yet if he had so pleased, he could have defeated their malice, and could have escaped out of their hands: but then the Scriptures would not have been fulfilled, and the gracious designs of God would not have been accomplished. Though his enemies took him, and "by wicked hands crucified and slew him," yet to this was he "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God."

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Isa. liii. 6, 10. John x. 18. Acts ii. 23.

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The death of such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, was not to be in vain; besides his being an example of longsuffering and patience, his death was intended to be expiatory and meritorious in behalf of mankind. "He bore our sins in his own body on the tree," and "suffered" in our stead, as a spotless sacrifice, "the just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God." He made atonement to divine justice for the sins of men, that the mercy of God might be freely exercised without doing any violence to his essential holiness.* "God

was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their tresspasses unto them." "Him hath God," the Father "set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to, declare his righteousness for the remission of sins."r

According to this gracious scheme, "God can be just," just to himself and his infinite perfections, and yet "the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." The death of Christ, being altogether precious in the sight of God his Father, "is a perfect redemption, propitiation,

"The Death of Christ a propitiatory Sacrifice." See the learned and satisfactory Note of Archbishop Magee, in his admirable Work on the Atonement, Vol. i. p. 399.

P 1 Pet. ii. 24. iii, 18. 2 Cor. v. 19.

Rom. iii. 25.

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