flesh, to lead a miserable and afflicted life in the world, and at last to offer it up as a propitiation for us; that "mercy and truth might meet together, and righteousness and peace might kiss each other;" and that "God might at once be just, and also the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Thus, then, the blessed Jesus endured all these dreadful sufferings for us and for our sins. In vain do we exclaim against the treason of Judas, the malice of the Jews, the injustice of Pilate; we have ourselves and our iniquities to blame. Our covetousness and ambition exposed him to poverty and contempt; our excess and intemperance made him hunger and thirst; our levity and foolish mirth were the occasion of the anguish and bitterness of his soul; our sensual and sinful pleasures were the occasion of all the pains and tortures which he endured. And is it nothing unto us? shall we think ourselves unconcerned in these sad effects, whereof we were the unhappy cause?

Again, we are concerned in our Saviour's sufferings, as the benefits of them redound unto us: "By his stripes we are healed." "We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins." God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; we have access unto the throne of God, and "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." And this is not all; "God hath not only sent him forth as a propitiation through faith in his blood, for the remission of sins that are past," but doth also for his sake bestow on us that grace, whereby we may be

enabled to serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. An amnesty, or act of oblivion for past offences, would never have served the turn, we should presently have run ourselves upon another score; nay, sin itself had been enough to make us miserable, though no other punishment had been inflicted upon us and therefore he does not only cover our sins, but cures them; he forgives all our iniquities, and healeth all our diseases; as we are justified by his sufferings, so we are "sanctified too through the offering of Jesus Christ once for all." In a word, by the merits of our Saviour we are both reconciled unto God, and made partakers of the divine nature; we are both delivered from everlasting darkness, and made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light and now, Is it nothing unto us? Can we think ourselves unconcerned in these sufferings, from which we reap so great, so unspeakable advantages?

III. Having spoken of the greatness of our Saviour's sufferings, and the interest which we have in them, we think we should need to say little of the third particular which we proposed; you cannot but be convinced that we ought to regard and consider them. Were it nothing to us, the very strangeness of the thing doth deserve notice; the holy angels desire to pry into this mystery, they will contemplate and admire it to all eternity; and surely we are far more nearly concerned. What an unaccountable dulness and negligence is it then for men to go up and down the world amusing themselves with every trifle, hearing and telling of news about matters of the smallest importance, and never to consider the

stupendous sufferings of our dying Saviour! they walk to and fro, they come and pass, and scarce vouchsafe to look upon him; or if they chance to cast their eyes that way, it is a very short and overly view, they presently turn them away; and this occasions the complaint of the text, "Is it nothing to But sure I am we can no that ye you, all pass by?" where behold an object so worthy of our most serious and solemn regards; the whole world does not afford so useful and edifying a prospect: here it is that we may best learn the horrid and heinous nature of sin, which could not be pardoned at a smaller rate; here it is that we may discover most of the divine bounty and goodness to mankind, and the inexpressible love of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer, which are the most important lessons we can learn. This made the blessed apostle to determine to "know nothing but Christ and him crucified: to count all things but loss to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord." Let me therefore exhort you to fix the eyes of your mind, and call up your most serious attention; reach hither the hand of your faith, and thrust it into the hole of your Saviour's side; put your fingers into the print of the nails, lay to heart all the passages of his lamentable story; and this cannot choose but melt your hearts, unless they be harder than the rocks, and deafer than the bodies in the grave. Let us fix our eyes, I say, on this astonishing object, till our eyes affect our heart, that while we are musing, the fire may burn. Let us mourn for those sins wherewith we have crucified the Lord of glory, and be grieved that ever we should have put him to so much anguish and pain; and let

us vow a perpetual enmity against our lusts and corrupt affections, which would crucify him afresh, and put him unto open shame. Let us consider and admire the wonderful love of our dying Saviour, that our souls may be kindled with reciprocal flames, wherein we may offer up ourselves as a living and acceptable sacrifice unto him; that thus, "Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, we may be rooted and grounded in love; comprehending with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height: and knowing the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that so we may be filled with all the fulness of God." Such meditations and exercises as these will purify and raise our souls, and best dispose us for approaching to the table of the Lord: and the Lord pour out upon us "the spirit of grace and supplication," that we may look upon him whom we have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

SERMON VIII.

A PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY SACRAMENT.

JOSHUA iii. 5.

"Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

WHEN God is to make any signal discovery and manifestation of himself to his people, he calleth them to solemn preparation, that they may be in a fit posture to attend and receive it. Three eminent

instances whereof, we meet with in the travels of his ancient people of Israel: the first is in Exodus xix. 10. where being to descend upon mount Sinai to promulgate a law, and enter into a covenant with them, the Lord said unto Moses, "Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people." Thus when he was at once to satisfy and punish the inordinate appetite of that people who loathed the manna, and lusted after flesh, by bringing innumerable quails from the sea, and causing them to fall about their camp, he commanded Moses to say unto the people, "Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh." A third instance is that of the text: the Lord had