and the Spirit's unction he performed his great work of making an end of sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousnefs; for which he was manifested in the flesh. As God and man in one Christ, he was holiness to the Lord-the holy one of God. His human nature was purity itself. The union, which subsisted between the Son of God and it, stamped every action performed by him therein with infinite worth and everlasting importance. "The word was made flesh, "and dwelt among us." He was made of a woman, made under the law, and lived, as the surety of his people, in perfect conformity to it. It can never be fully described nor conceived. It was of inestimable worth and of everlasting efficacy-stamped with divine honour and eternal dignity. He was the Lamb of God. On him the Father laid the iniquities of all the elect, and made him sin for us. Christ himself bore our sins; and it "pleased the Lord to bruise him, "and put him to grieft." The sorrows and sufferings of our Lord exhibited one grand scene exprefsive of his ardent love. Under the imputation of sin he was sore amazed, sorrowful, and heavy unto death. He saw sin as sin, felt the weight of it, bore it as an intolerable load, and said, "O my Father, if it be t Isaiah liii. 10.

$ John i. 14.

pofsible, let this cup pafs from me".". The curse due to all the sins of the elect was executed on him. His love shone forth when he endured that tremendous agony, which caused him to sweat great drops of blood. By his soul-travail he satisfied the demands of infinite justice for our transgrefsions. By the offering of himself he put away sin for ever out of the sight of law and justice. "He "was wounded for our transgrefsions, he "was bruised for our iniquities: the "chastisement of our peace was upon

him, and with his stripes we are "healed." Thus the great Head of the church, the God-man Christ Jesus, as the Mediator of the everlasting covenant, gave open evidence of his love to his people by making his soul an offering for sin, and enduring all that curse, wrath, shame, death, and hell, which were the true and proper desert thereof; by which it fully appears, that his love pafseth knowledge. Here everlasting love shone forth in its meridian lustre, and was in its zenith. The love of God in giving his only begotten Son was stamped further with this distinguishing character, that He spared him not, but delivered him up freely for us all, and made him a curse to redeem us from the curse of the law, and save us from the Matt. xxvi. 39.. w Isaiah liii. 5.

wrath to come; which proves that God's love to his people surpafses all thought. The manifestations of it in the gift of Christ, in his work, and office of mediation, are so great that they cannot be conceived. "God commendeth his love to"wards us, in that while we were yet sin"ners Christ died for us." The wisdom, mercy, holinefs, justice, truth, and faithfulnefs of God were most divinely displayed in the remembrance which he had of his people in their low estate; and grace triumphed over sin and satan, death and hell, in the salvation of the elect through the redemption, which is in Christ. As in the contrivance of salvation the title of The God of all Grace was most justly given to the Eternal Three, in as much as salvation is all of grace; so in the execution of their eternal designs and purposes, in finishing salvation-work by the obedience and death of the God-man, it fully appeared how worthy they were to be celebrated throughout time and eternity, for the riches of that grace, and the manifold display and communication of it to the elect, through the obedience and sacrifice of Immanuel. Salvation, which consists in a deliverance from sin, the worst of evils, and from damnation, the greatest of miseries, is altogether

a Rom. v. 8.

of grace. So saith the apostle, "By grace are ye saved." In its origin, contrivance, execution, revelation, and application to the elect of God by the Holy Ghost, it is wholly of grace. The

work of Salvation is finished. "The Lord "Christ hath loved us, and washed us "from our sins in his own blood. He "hath redeemed us from the curse of the "law, having been made a curse for us." "He hath been made sin for us, that we

For

might be made the righteousness of "God in him.” "He is Jehovah our Righteousness." He hath in his own Person triumphed most gloriously over all his and his people's enemies. And he must reign till death and hell are made his footstool. So that here we behold grace in its very efsence. what can exceed this? When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. A greater or more vast exprefsion of his grace than this he could not give. "When enemies we "were reconciled unto God by the death " of his Son." Who can sound the immensity of this? None on earth-none in Heaven. Yet, this transcendent grace is the glorious subject of the everlasting gospel. It is revealed in it-proclaimed by the preaching of it-in its meridian Eph. ii. 5. c Gal. iii. 13. e Jer. xxiii. 6.

b

d

2 Cor. v. 21. Rom. v. 6, 10.

splendour-in its utmost perfection-and with the utmost plainnefs, simplicity, and freenefs to sinners, as sinners. The gospel of salvation is accompanied by the Holy Ghost with life and light to elect sinners, and made the power of God unto their salvation. By it they hear Christ's voice-see his glory-behold how he hath loved them-receive him into their hearts-live by faith on the Son of God, and find and enjoy every blessing of the Father's everlasting love and boundless mercy, flowing into their souls through the most precious bloodshedding, and inestimably valuable and everlastingly efficacious sacrifice of the worthy Lamb: all which give us a grand display and open discovery of the exceeding riches of Grace. So saith the apostle, "But God, who is rich in mercy, "for his great love wherewith he loved us, " even when we were dead in sins, hath "quickened us together with Christ, by

grace are ye saved." The Holy Spirit having, as the spirit of life, quickened the elect with spiritual life in their souls, gives them to see, know, and understand the fountain from whence all flows. He opens, explains, and applies with divine power to the mind, what Paul, speaking of himself and Timothy, hath declared, "Who hath saved us, and called us, with 8 Eph. ii. 4, 5