to the heart of Judas to betray Christ, and pushed on the Jews and Romans to crucify him, he saw the dreadful deed accomplished! little thinking, that what he fo rejoiced at, would prove the most dangerous blow to his empire that he ever received. Chrift had overcome the devil in the wilderness; on the cross his victory over him is rendered more compleat, by the influence of his death to deftroy fin, and to abolish death, the effect of fin. By the fame act that Samson brought death upon himself, he involved great numbers of the enemies of God in the fame common destruction. But, ftrictly speaking, it was not Samfon's death that was fatal to the Philistines, but the laft act of his life: whereas, in the prefent cafe, death itself was the way of victory. There have been instances of those who have conquered at death; and, having beaten their enemies, have then died well pleafed. Lo, here is one who conquers, by dying; not a common enemy, but the univerfal and the laft enemy of mankind, even death itself! He was born that he might die, and he died to rise again. Our Saviour's deftroying him that had the power of death, is beft explained by his abolishing death (t); the fame word being used in both places, though differently translated. It is appointed to all men once to die (u). But then Chrift died that he might deftroy, or make void, that death which passeth upon all men (x), by (t) 2 Tim. i. 10. E (x) Rom. v. 12. obtaining obtaining a refurrection for all; and for all that do good, a refurrection to eternal life and happiness. And by making void all that death had been doing for fo many thousand years, he fruftrates, or makes void, the defign of that wicked fpirit, through whose temptations man first loft immortality, and by whom, as a fort of conqueror, the human race is held in bondage to the fear of death and the grave. Chrift the fecond Adam, or head of our race, dying without having deferved death, and dying in our ftead, recovers that immortality which the firft Adam by his fin had forfeited for himself and pofterity. Under this notion, then, let us think of our dying Lord when we fhew forth his death in the facrament of the fupper. Let us think of him as vanquishing, not as vanquished. Let his death be confidered by us as the purchase of our immortality; and his refurrection, which in this cafe we ought not to separate from his death, being fo nearly and fo neceffarily connected with it, as the pledge and affurance of it. By this means we shall find refuge in the meditations of Chrift's death, efpecially at the table, against the fears of our own. "Why "fhould I fear to die? why fear to pass in"to the state of the dead? Hath not my Sa"viour tasted of the fame bitter cup? and "was not his death foon followed by his re"furrection? In like manner, though I die, "I fhall live again, because Chrift liveth. "The interval indeed is like to be much "longer between my death and my refur"rection : "rection: but what of that, fince the fouls "of the faithful immediately go to be where "Chrift is; and I have the fame certainty "that I fhall rise in the last day, as that my "Redeemer is already rifen; and that I shall "rife to dwell with Chrift for ever, as that "I live and die to him now? For this rea"fon, while I am commemorating the death "of my Redeemer, I will take the occafion "to celebrate his conqueft over death; and "to comfort myself with the profpect of that "univerfal triumph of all his members over "it, which is reserved to complete and crown "the folemnities of the laft day. O death, "where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy "victory? The fting of death is fin; and "the ftrength of fin is the law. But thanks "be to God, who giveth us the victory, "through our Lord Jefus Christ (y).” VII. We may confider the death of Christ as the ground of his exaltation. For because he bumbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross; therefore alfo hath God highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jefus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confefs, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the gloiry of God the Father (z). The whole world is fubject to his authority; and all that can, are to acknowledge it, by a voluntary fub(y) 1 Cor. xv. 55.—57· (z) Phil, ii. 8.-11. E 2 jection jection of themselves to it. In another place, God himself is brought in saying to his Son, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a fceptre of righteoufnefs is the fceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows (a); advanced thee far above all thofe, who, like thee, partake of the royal ftate and dignity. From these two places compared together, we learn, that what was fo highly pleafing to God in the death of his Son, and that for which he hath exalted him to his own right hand, invefting him with all power both in heaven and in earth, is the obedience and fubmiffion to the will of God which he manifefted therein; his love of holinefs, and zeal for the advancement of it, which was the great motive to his undertaking the office of Mediator between God and man, and discovers itself throughout the execution of it. From the humiliation of Christ the Son of God, which is the firft fcene that opens to us when we are participating in the memorials of his death, let us pafs in our thoughts to his exaltation, which foon followed. He first fuffered, and then entered into glory. From hence I am inftructed by what method I may gain the divine favour, and advance myself in it: not by praising his filial obedience, and refignation under fufferings, while I indulge to a fretful and repining temper myself; not by trusting to his (a) Heb. i. 8. 9. righteoufnefs, righteoufnefs, when I am without the love of righteousness in my own heart, and a stranger to the practice of it in my life. I cannot think, if I think foberly, that I can rife by any other way than that in which the Son of God did; that though I do not imitate him in his hatred of iniquity, yet for his fake who hated it, and because he hated it, God will bestow the fame marks of his favour upon me, as on those that are most like him; and that a part of that glory which he received. as the reward of his holinefs and obedience, fhall defcend on me, who have nothing to produce of either; not even the loweft degree of gofpel-fincerity. Let this convince me of the neceffity of holiness, that I may please God, and animate me to endeavour after the highest measures of it; fince in the fame degree as I approach my Saviour now, I fhall approach him in happiness and glory hereafter. Once more, S. E C T. VIII TH VIII. HE death of Chrift may be confidered in the relation it bears to his fecond appearance. For as often as we eat this his bread, and drink this his cup, we do fhew his death till he come. Come he will then; and till he does come, his church on earth is never to ceafe fhewing forth his death. As he was once offered to bear the fins of many; fo unto them that look for him E 3 Shall |