Glory of his Creature. Almighty God did at the first create Man in fuch a Conftitution, that he might, not only paffively and objectively, bring unto him the Glory of his Power and Wisdom in the framing of fuch a Creature to Glorifie him, as the Heavens, the Stars and other Creatures below an intellectual Nature do ; but to be a beholder of himfelf and his works, to be an obferver of his Will, and to glorifie his Maker in the admiration of his Power, Wifdom, and Goodness, and in the Obedience and Obfervance of his Law and Will, and to his own Glory had by an eternal Bond annexed his Creature's Perfection and Bleffednefs. Man rebelled, and therefore as he became unferviceable to the End of his Creation, fo he loft the Bleffedness of his Condition: Chrift came, and by his own Blood purchased as unto Man, his Bleffedness, fo unto God the Glory and Service of his Creature: This was old Zachary's Collection, Luke 2.74, 75. That we being delivered out of the bands of our Enemies, might ferve him without fear, in bolinefs and righteoufnefs. Titus 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. And this was the chief that Account that our Lord giveth unto his Father, in that part of bleffed Prayer that he made a little before his Paffion, John 17.4. I have glorified thee on Earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. As if he fhould have faid 'Thou haft fent me into the world about a great and weighty Business, the Reftitution of thy fain Creatures; and 'that therein as thy Creature may partake of thy Goodness fo thou mayeft reap the Glory of thy Creature's Service: "And now behold according to that command of thine, I here return unto thee thy Creature healed, and reftored, 'that it may be as well a monument, as a proclaimer of thy 'Goodness and Glory, unto all Eternity.

2. To manifeft unto Men and Angels the Glory and infinite Perfection and Excellence of all his bleffed Attributes: The Glory of his Wifdom in contriving, and of his Power in effecting fuch a deliverance for the Children of Men, by a way that exceeded the difquifition of Me and Angels; the Glory of his Mercy, that could not have been

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• vereft and vileft Punishment next unto Death, Scour ging and Scorn; here he is, fee what a Spectacle it is, let this fatisfie your Envy. But all this will not ferve, there is nothing below the vileft of Deaths can fatisfie; all cry out, Crucifie him: And when yet the Judge profeffetli he finds nothing worthy of Death, they impofe a Law of their own; We have a Law, and by our Law he ought to die, because be made himself the Son of God, John 19. 7. But when this rather made the Judge the more cautious, they engage him upon his Fidelity to Cafar his Mafter: He that maketh himself a King Speaketh against Cæfar: But all this was not enough; but at length the Importunity of the Priefts and People prevailed; and Pilate who had been before warned by the Monition of his Wife; and had three feveral times pronounced him innocent, yet against the Conviction of his own Confcience, to fatisfie and content the Jews, adds this farther Cruelty and Injuftice to what he had before done, gave Sentence that it should be as they required, Luke 23. 24. delivered him over to that curfed and fervile Death of Crucifixion: and yet his Perfecutors Malice and Envy not satisfied; but, after his Judgment, purfue the Execution of it with as great Malice, Scorn, and Cruelty, as they had before ufed in obtaining it: His Crown of Thorns upon his Head; a Purple Robe upon his Body; the Blood of his Scourging, and Thorns all covering his Vifage; a Reed in his Right Hand; the bafe and infolent Multitude with Spittings and Strokes, and Reproaches, abufing him, till his Crofs be ready; and then the Purple Robe is taken off, and he conducted to the place of his Execution; and to add Torment to his Shame, our bleffed Lord, wearied with an Agony, and long watching the Night before; and from the time of his Apprehending hurried from place to place; and his Blood and Spirits spent with the Scourgings and Thorns, and Blows; and, which is more than all this, a Soul within laden with the weight of Sorrow, and the burden of the Wrath of God, which did drink up and confume his Spirits; yet, in this Condition, he is fain to bear his burthenfome Crofs towards the place of his Execu

tion, John 19. 17. till he was able to carry it no longer, but even fainted under it, and then Simen of Cyrene is compelled to bear it to the place, Matth. 27. 32.

When he comes to the place of Execution, he is ftripped stark naked, and his Cloaths afterwards divided by Lot among the Soldiers, Matth. 27. 35 and his naked Body stretched upon the Crofs to the uttermoft Extenfion of it, Pfal. 22. 17. I may tell all my bones, they look and stare upon me; and at the uttermoft Extenfion, which the cruel Executioners could make of our Saviour's Body, his Hands and his Feet nailed to that Crofs, with great Nails, through those tender Parts full of Nerves and Arteries, and moft exquifitely fenfible of Pain. And in this Condition the Crofs with our Saviour's Body is raifed up in view of all; and that even in this his Execution, that the Shame and Ignominy of the manner of his Death might have a farther Acceffion of Scorn and Reproach, he is placed between two Thieves, that were Crucified with him, with an Infcription of Derifion upon his Crofs, in all the most Univerfal Languages of all the World, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; and the People and Priefts ftanding by with Gestures and Words of Derifion, Matth. 27. 39,40. and, even to a Letter, affuming thofe very Geftures and Words which were fo many hundreds of Years predicted in the Paffion Pfalm 22. 78. He trusted in God, let him deliver bim, if he will have him; and one of thofe very Thieves, that was even dying as a Malefactor, yet was filled with fuch a devilish Spirit,that he upbraids and derides him.

And now our Saviour is under the Torments and Shame of this curfed Execution; but, though thefe his Sufferings of his Body and outward Man, were very grievous, infomuch that it could not but extremely afflict him; yet it is ftrange to fee how little he was tranfported under them, in all his Contumelies, Reproaches, and Accufations, fcarce a Word anfwered: He anfwered them nothing to all his Abufings, Strokes, Ridiculous Garments, Crown of Throns, tearing of his Body with Scourging; yet not a Word; but as a Sheep before the Shearers is dumb, sa be opened not bis Mouth, Ila. 53. 7. In all his Rackings up

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on the Crofs, and nailing of his Limbs to it, and all the Anguish, that, for the fpace of fix Hours, from the third Hour, wherein he was Crucified, Mark 15. 25. until the ninth Hour, wherein he gave up the Ghoft, Matth. 27. 46. not a Word of Complaint; but he refused those very Supplies which were ufually given to fupprefs the Violence of the Pain, Vinegar and Gall, Matth. 27.34. But when we come to the Afflictions of his Soul, they were of a higher Dimension, in the Garden, when no other Storm was upon him, but what was within him, he falls down upon his Face and Prays; and again; and a third time; and is amazed, and forrowful unto Death; and sweats Drops of Blood: And doubtlefs whiles he was under the Reproaches, and Buffetings, and Whippings, and Thorns, he was not without a terrible and confufed Sadnefs and Heaviness within, which though they did not mitigate the Torments of his Body, yet they did infinitely exceed them: The Spirit and the Soul is most exquifitely sensible, and it is that which feels the Pains inflicted upon the Body: Certainly therefore the Wound of the Spirit it self, the Fountain of Senfe, muft needs be exceedingly grievous: And hence it was, that though all the Injuries and Torments of our Saviour could fcarce wring a Complaint from him, yet the weight of that Wrath that lay upon his Soul, now made an Offering for Sin, did wring from him thofe bitter and terrible Cries, that one would wonder fhould proceed from him, that was One with the Father, Mat. 27. 46. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? From the fixth Hour to the ninth, darkness was over all the Land, Matth. 27. 45. fuch a Darkness as bred an Aftonishment even in Strangers and other Countries. The Darkness of the World, though a fuitable Drefs for fuch a time, wherein the Son of God muft die, and the Son of Righteoufnefs must be Eclipfed; yet it was nothing in comparifon of that difmal fhadow that covered our Saviour's Soul all this time. About the ninth hour, our Saviour cried that bitter Cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Manifefting the depth of his Sorrow, and the perfect Senfe he had of it, Why hast thou forsaken me? More could

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with him, and confequently accefs unto him; and indeed it is a part of that duty which he expects from us: Our accefs to him, is not only our privilege, as the accefs of a Subject to his Prince, or a Child to his Father; but it is our duty, as a thing enjoyned unto us in teftimony of our dependance and love unto him.

4. Confequently, Peace with our felves, and our own ConScience; and that upon a double ground. 1. Because our Confcience is fprinkled by the Blood of Chrift, which defaceth and obliterateth all thofe black Items, that otherwise would be continually calling upon us. 2. Because Conscience ever sideth with God, whofe Vicegerent fhe is in the Soul, and hath the very fame afpect, for the most part that Heaven hath; and therefore if it be clear above, it is ordinarily quiet within; and if God fpeaks Peace, the Confcience, unless diftempered, doth not speak trouble. 5. An Affurance of a continual fupply of fufficient Grace, to lead us through this vale of trouble, without a final apoftacy. or falling from him. Were our Salvation in our own. hands or managed by our own ftrength, we fhould utterly lose it every moment; but the Power, and Truth, and Love of God is engaged in a Covenant of the highest Solemnity that ever was, fealed in the Blood of the Son of God, for our Preservation; and it fhall be as Impoffible for us to fall from that condition, as for the Almighty God to be disappointed: No, his Council and Truth, the conftant fupply of the Bleffed Spirit of Chrift, fhall keep alive that Seed of Life, that he hath thrown into his Soul, 1 John 3.9. For his Seed remaineth in him, and be cannot Sin, because be is born of God.

6. Sufficient Grace to preferve us from, or fupport us in, or deliver us out of Temptations. We ftand more in need of Grace, than we do of our Bread; because the confequence of the want of the former, is of more danger than the latter, by fo much as the Soul is more valuable than the Body. If our Father is pleased to furnifh us with our daily bread, how fhall he then deny us our daily and hourly fupplies of his Grace? Rom. 8. v. 13. Efpecially fince our intereft therein is founded upon the Covenant made in the blood"

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