⚫ here, and watch with me. And he went a little • further, and fell on his face, and prayed, faying, O, my Father! if it be possible, let this cup pass ⚫ from me! nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou ' wilt! Mark xiv. 33, 34, 35, 36. And he taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and began to be fore amazed, and to be very heavy, and faith unto them, my foul is exceeding forrowful unto death! tarry ye here, and watch: and he went for⚫ward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed, that if it were poffible the hour might pass from him! And he faid, Abba, Father, all things are * poffible unto thee: take away this cup from me! ⚫ nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt! • Luke xxii. 43, 44. And there appeared an angel

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unto him from heaven, ftrengthening him; and, ⚫being in an agony, he prayed more earneftly and 'his fweat was, as it were, great drops of blood fat⚫ling down to the ground!'

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That the fame deep diftrefs of foul continued upon the cross, is plain from this lamentable exclamation, Matth. xxvii. 46. And, about the ninth hour, Jefus cried with a loud voice, faying, Eli, Eli, lamafabachthani! that is to fay, my God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me!' In what manner, precisely, Chrift fuffered the wrath of God on this occafion, it would be too bold for us to determine; whether it was only God's withdrawing from his human foul the comforts of his fenfible prefence-his being affaulted and diftreffed with the infernal fuggeftions of the devil-his having a lively picture prefented to his imagination of the miferies of man

kind here, and hereafter, on account of fin, and fuffering with them by compaffion and sympathyor, finally, God's pofitively inflicting upon him, for a feason, the fame punishment in kind, at least, if not in degree, that should have befallen thofe for whom he fuffered, and which the impenitent fill fhall for ever endure. This laft is by fome fuppofed impoffible and contradictory, as much of their mifery arises from an evil conscience, from which he was abfolutely free; and from defpair of mercy, which none will affirm that even God's defertion of him at that awful feafon did imply. It is probable, there was a mixture of all these particulars in his mingled cup. And, as to the laft, I fhall only fay, that the pain and anguish, that follows any reflection of a rational foul, is only connected with it by the determination of God, the Creator of our fpirits: therefore it was certainly in the power of the Almighty to inAlict a sense of pain in any kind, or in any degree, on the holy created foul of the man, Christ Jesus. And I fee no other contrariety to the divine perfections, in inflicting that very anguish on the holy and innocent Saviour, than in fubftituting him in our room at all, and bruifing him for our iniquities, One thing is certain, that, in his life, and at his death, he fuffered what was a full reparation of the dishonour done to God; a fufficient vindication of the purity of his nature, and the authority of his broken law, and what purchased pardon and peace, fanctification, and eternal glory, to a whole world of elect finners. And now, my brethren, from this view, did not our Redeemer travel in the greatness of his strength?

Was it a small strength that could go through all this track of fuffering, without finking in the way? Yet this did he with unfhaken conftancy; and, as his giving up his life was the laft part of it, fo he expired not, before he could fay, IT IS FINISHED! Well, then, might the answer be given to the queftion in my text, Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his Strength? in the words that follow, 'I that fpeak in righteousness, mighty to fave.

We proceed to obferve in the 3d place, that the glory of our Redeemer in his fufferings, appears from the purity of his carriage, and the perfection of his patience under them. The former confideration fhows his natural ftrength, (fo to fpeak) and this his moral excellence. Affliction is the touchstone of virtue, tries its fincerity, and illuftrates its beauty. Therefore we are told, Heb. ii. 10. That it became 'him, for whom are all things, and by whom are 'all things, in bringing many fons unto glory, to ⚫ make the captain of their falvation perfect through fufferings.' Nothing could give a greater value to the facrifice he offered up, than the meekness and patience with which he refigned that life which was not forfeited, but voluntarily furrendered. Ifa. liii. 7. He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to 'the flaughter, and as a fheep before her shearers is 'dumb, fo he opened not his mouth.' It is worth while to reflect, on that continued and invincible patience with which he went through the feveral

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steps of his fufferings: that reproach and calumny, that contempt and abuse, which he met with from thofe in whose interest he was fo deeply engaged, did not excite his indignation, but his compaffion. Luke xix. 41. And when he was come near, he ' beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou ' hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, 'the things which belong unto thy peace! but now

they are hid from thine eyes.' When his ignorant difciples would have defended him from the affaults of his enemies, he fays, John xviii. 11. — • The cup which my Father hath given me, fhall I ' not drink it? When he entered upon the last and heaviest part of his fufferings, and began to feel their anguish, he fays, John xii. 27. Now is my foul troubled, and what fhall I fay? Father, fave me • from this hour! but for this caufe came I unto this 'hout.' And in that dreadful season, when in the midst of his hardest conflict, this is the form of his prayer, Matth. xxvi. 39. 'O my Father! if it be ⚫ poffible, let this cup pafs from me: nevertheless, not · as I will, but as thou wilt.' And a little after, verse 42. O my Father! if this cup may not pass away 'from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. Was not this divine glory fhining through the dark cloud that encompaffed him? Was not this the patience of a God? And, in fpite of the fhame of the cross, on which he hung, did it not constrain the Centurion that attended his crucifixion, to fay, Certainly this was a righteous man! Truly this man was the Son of God!'

In the last place, The glory of a fuffering Savi

our appears from the end he had in view in his fufferings, and which he fo effectually obtained. This was none other than the glory of the great God, and the everlasting falvation of elect finners. It was to do the will of his heavenly Father that he came into the world, and in doing this he delighted. Towards the clofe of his life he thus addresses his Father, John xvii. 4. I have glorified thee on the ' earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest 'me to do.' He not only exhibited a fair and bright image of the divine glory in his perfonal character, while he dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, but in his work, as Mediator, illuftrated all the perfections of God; and in particular, glorified his juf tice and magnified his mercy. If therefore a worthy end beautifies and ennobles any difficult undertaking, this excellent purpose must give dignity to a crucified Saviour.

But ought we not to add, the end fo closely connected with this, the falvation of perishing finners. Is not this a defign, of the beauty of which we ought to be particularly fenfible? Had not our compaffionate Redeemer ftept in between us and the stroke of divine justice, we had for ever lain under the wrath of the Almighty. And, Oh, how unable had we been to bear that vengeance which was fo heavy to him! How glorious does he appear to the convinced finner in his red apparel! and what reafon has he to fay, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and 'ftrength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing!'

I shall now conclude this head, with observing,