faction of Chrift Jefus: and as thus it is better with the Children of Men, fo the Glory of God is wonderfully advanced by it; for if a man had flood in his Innocence, God had had only the Glory of his Juftice in Rewarding him; or if he had fall'n, the Glory of his Juftice in Punishing him: But there had been no rooni for that glorious Attribute of his Mercy in Forgiving, without violation to his Purity, Truth and Juftice; that glorious Attribute by which he fo often proclaimeth himself, Exod. 34. 6. The Lord, the Lord God, Merciful, Gracious, Long-fuffering, abun dant in Goodness and Truth, keeping Mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. 3. That he fo wonderfully ordered the Redemption of Man, that all his Attributes were preferved inviolable: His Truth, the day thou eatest thou shalt die ; his Juftice, yet his Mercy; his Love to his Creatures, yet his Hatred to Sin: His Son fhall die to fatisfie his Truth and Justice, yet the Sinner fhall live to fatisfie his Mercy: The Sin fhall be punished to juftifie his Purity; yet his Creature fhall be faved, to manifeft his Love and Goodnefs. And thus his Wisdom over-ruled Sin, the worst of Evils, to the Improvement of his Glory, and the Good of his Creature. 4. His Wifdom is manifefted in this, that by the Redemption of Man, all thofe ways of his Adminiftration before the coming of Chrift, do now appear to be excellently ordered to the Redemption of Man, and the making of it the more effectual: the giving of a fevere and yet moft juft Law, which was impoffible for us to fulfil, fhews us the wretchednels of our Condition; our inability to fulfil what was juft in God to require, fhews us the neceffity of a Saviour, drives us to him, and makes this City of Refuge grateful and acceptable, and makes us fet a value upon that Mercy, which to opportunely and mercifully provided a Sacrifice for us in the Blood of Chrift and a Righteoufnels for us in the Merits of Chrift; and a Mediator for us in the Interceffion of Chrift: And by this means alfo all thofe Sacrifices, and Ceremonies, and Obfervations enjoyned in the Levitical Law, which carried not in themfelves a clear Reafon of their Inftitution, are

now by the fending of Chrift rendered fignificant. 5. The Wisdom of God is magnified and advanced in this, in fulfilling the Prophecies of the fending the Meffias to fatisfie for the Sins of Mankind, against all the oppofitions and cafualties and contingencies, that without an over-ruling Wisdom and Guidance might have disappointed it: And this done, in that Perfection, that not one Circumstance of Time, Place, Perfon, Concomitants fhould or did fail in it: And fo bearing witnefs to the infinite Truth, Power, and Wisdom of God in bringing about his Counsels in their Perfection, touching this great Bufinefs of the Redemption of Man, which was the very end why he was created and placed upon the Earth; and managing the Villany of Men, and the Craft and Malice of Satan, to bring about the greateft Bleffing that was or could be provided for Mankind, befides, and above, and against the Intention of the Inftrument. Acts 2.23. Acts 2.23. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. 6. The unfearchable Wisdom of God is manifefted in that he provided fuch a Mediator that was fit for fo great a Work; had all the World confulted that God muft fuffer, it had been impoffible; and had all the World contributed that any Man, or all the Men in the World should have been a fatisfactory Sacrifice for any one Sin, it had been deficient. Here is then the wonderful Counfel of the most high God; the Sacrifice that is appointed fhall be fo ordered, that God and Man fhall be conjoined in 'one Perfon; that fo, as Man, he might become a Sacrifice for Sin; and as God, that he might give a value to the Sacrifice. And this is the great Myftery of Godliness, God manifefted in the Flesh.

2. The wonderful Love of God to Mankind. 1. In thinking upon poor finful Creatures, to contrive a way for a Pardon for us, and refcuing us from that Curfe which we had juftly deferved. 2. Thinking of us for our Good, when we fought it not, thought not of it. 3. When we were Enemies against God, and against his very Being. 4. Thinking of us not only for a Pardon, but to provide for us

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a State of Glory and Bleffedness. 5. When that was not to be obtained, faving his Truth and Juftice, without a miraculous Mediator, confifting of the Divine and Human Nature united in one Perfon, in the Perfon of our Lord Jefus Chrift; here was Love and Goodness of the greatest magnitude that ever was, or ever fhall be heard of, and fufficient to conquer our Hearts into Admiration and Aftonishment. But yet it refts not here. As God fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting Life, John 3.16. So the only begotten Son of God was not behind in this wonderful Love. No fooner (as we may with Reverence fay) was the Counsel of the Father propounded for the fending of his Son, but presently the Son faith, Lo, I come, Pfal. 43. 7. Heb. 10. 7. And now we will confider upon what terms he muft come, or else the Redemption of Mankind muft die for ever: 1. He muft come and empty himself of his Glory, of his perfonal Majefty, and take our Nature, yet without fin; he muft go through the natural Infirmities of Infancy and Childhood. 2. And not only muft he undergo this Abafement, but he muft undergo the Condition of a mean, a low Birth, born of a poor Virgin, in a Stable, laid in a Manger, under the Reputation of a Carpenter's Son. 3. And not only thus, but as foon as he is born, muft ufe the Care of his Mother to fhift for his Life away to Egypt, to prevent the Jealoufie and Fury of Herod. 4. And when grown up to Youth, he muft undergo the form of a Servant, become a poor Carpenter to work for his living, without any Patrimony, or fo much as a Houfe to cover him. 5. He comes abroad into the World to exercife the Miniftry, and the Prologue of his own Tragedy; ftill poor, defpifed of his own Countrymen, and of those that were of Reputation for Learning and Piety, fcandalized under the Name of an Impoftor, a Winebibber, a Friend to Publicans and Sinners, a worker by the Devil, mad, and poffeffed with a Devil : Thefe and the like were his Entertainments in the World; and, which is more, often put to fhift for his Life;

and in fum, what the Prophet predicted concerning him fulfilled to the utmoft: a. 53. 3. Defpifed and rejected of men, a man of forrows and acquainted with grief; and all this to befal the Eternal Son of God under the veil of our Flesh: And all this voluntarily undertaken, and chearfully undergone, even for the fake of his Enemies, and thofe very People from whom he received these Indignities.

III But all these were but fmall Velitations and Conflicts preparatory to the main Battel. We therefore come to the third Confideration; Chrift Jefus, and him Crucified; there is the account of the Text: As Chrift Jefus is the moft worthy Subject of all Knowledge, fo Chrift Jefus, under this Confideration, as Crucified, is that which is the fulleft of Wonder, Admiration, Love: And therefore let us now take a furvey of Chrift Jefus Crucified; as that is the higheft manifeftation of his Love, fo it is the Eye, he Life of the Text: Chrift above all other Knowledge, and Chrift Crucified above all other Knowledge of Chrift.

And now a Man upon the first view would think this kind of Knowledge, fo much here valued, were a strange kind of Knowledge, and the prelation of this Knowledge aftrange miftake in the Apoftle. 1. Crucified: Death is the corruption of Nature: And fuch a kind of Death by Crucifixion, the worft, the vileft of Deaths, carrying in it the Punishment of the loweft Condition of Men, and for the worst of Offences; and yet, that Death, and fuch a Death, fhould be the Ambition of an Apostle's Knowledge is wonderful. 2. Chrift Crucified, carries in it a feeming excefs of Incongruity; that he, that was the Eternal Son of God, fhould take upon him our Nature, and in that Nature anointed and confecrated by the Father, full of Innocence, Purity, Goodness, fhould die, and that by fuch a Death, and fo unjuftly: Could this be fubject or matter of Knowledge fo defirable, as to be preferred before all other Knowledge? which fhould rather feem to be a matter of fo much Horror, fo much Indighation, that a Man might think it rather fit to be forgote ten, than to be affected to be known. 3. Jesus Crucified. A Saviour and yet to be Crucified; it feems to blaft the Expectation

Expectation of Salvation; when the Captain of it must die, be flain, be crucified; it carries in it a kind of Victo ry of Death and Hell, over our Salvation, when the Inftrument thereof muft fuffer Death, and fuch a Death. When the Birth of Chrift was proclaimed, indeed it was a matter of Joy, and worth the Proclamation of Angels. Luke 2. 12. To you is born this day a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord, and can the Death of that Saviour be a thing defirable to be known? The Birth of Chrift feemed to be the rifing Sun, that fcattered Light, Hope and Comfort to all Nations; but can the fetting of this Sun in fo dark a Cloud as the Crofs be the choicest piece of Knowledge of him? which feems as it were to ftrangle and ftifle our Hopes; and puts us as it were upon the Expoftulation of the difmay'd Difciples, Luke 24. 21. But we trusted it bad been he which should have redeemed Ifrael.

But for all this, this Knowledge of Chrift Jefus Crucified will appear to be the most excellent, comfortable, ufeful Knowledge in the World, if we fhall confider thefe Particulars: 1. Who it was that fuffered. 2. What he fuffered. 3. From whom. 4. How he fuffered. 5. For whom he fuffered. 6. Why, and upon what Motive. For what End he fuffered. 8. What are the Fruits and Benefits that accrue by that fuffering. All these Confiderations are wrapt up in this one Subject; Chrift Jefus and him crucified.

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1. Who it was that thus fuffered. It was Chrift Jefus the Eternal Son of God, cloathed in our Flesh; God and Man united in one Perfon; his Manhood giving him a Capacity of fuffering, and his Godhead giving a Value to that fuffering; and each Nature united in one Perfon to make a compleat Redeemer; the Heir of all things; Heb. 1. 2. The Prince of Life; Acts 3. 15. The Light that lightneth every Man that cometh into the World; John 1.9. As touching his Divine Nature, God over all, Bleffed for ever; Rom. 9.5. And as touching his Hu mane Nature, full of Grace and Truth; John 1. 14. And in both the beloved son of the Eternal God, in whom he proclaimed himfelt well pleafed, Matth. 3. 17.

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