hell, from heaven; from men, from devils, from infinite juftice. He fuffered from all forts of men; from king Herod and his men of war, who mocked him, and fet him at nought; from the Jewish priests and rulers, who did cruelly use and prosecute him to death ; from governor Pilate, who fcourged and condemned him to be crucified: He fuffered from the Jews and from the Romans, from the clergy and from the lawyers, from foldiers and fervants, from great ones and commons, and even from those he had done much good unto. He fuffered from thofe whom he came to fave and wash by his blood; for there were three thousand of thofe who crucified him, or were active in his fufferings, that were converted to him by Peter's fermon. Acts ii. He fuffered not only from enemies, but from profeffed friends and difciples; one of thefe betrayed and fold him, another of them denied and abjured him, and all the reft forfook him, and left him alone to fuffer in the midft of devils and ruffians infulting over him. He fuffered from devils, and all the powers of hell; thefe dogs, and bulls of Bashan, were all let loose to tear and gore him in his laft fufferings; for this, he said, was their hour and power of darkness. But, which was worst of all, he suffered alfo from heaven; for he being subftituted in the room of finners, a just and holy God acted as an inexorable judge towards him, he frowned terribly upon him, fmote him with the sword of justice, and withdrew all the feeling of his loving kindness from him, and all thofe divine influences which might any way refresh his troubled foul in the hour of his greatest need: And thus he fell a facrifice to incenfed juftice for our heinous guilt and provocations. At this time a fearful black cloud was fpread over the glorious Sun of Righteoufnefs, never was there any such eclipfe feen or heard of as this! For a candle to be put out is no great matter, but for the fun to be darkened is very uncommon: But though fun, moon, and stars, had all been blown out at once, it would be no ways fo amazing as the darkening of the eternal Sun of Right

eoufnefs upon the cross-A ftrange and marvellous fight! What meant the heat of this great anger? Muft even the Creator himself fuffer for the creature's fins? Muft he fuffer fuch a load of wrath, as make him cry out to the astonishment of angels and men?

4. I am to confider the High Prieft, and for whom it was he fuffered thofe great and many things. He fuffered not for himself, for he never offended either against God or man, and deferved no punishment. He fuffered none for fallen angels; they must all fuffer for themselves: It was only for men of Adam's race, that were debtors to juftice and prifoners of wrath; he fuffered for creatures most undeferving, for rebels, and for many that were his greatest enemies; and even for thofe who were his murderers and executioners, for he both prayed and was heard for them, when they were pouring out his blood.

5. Let me confider with what affection he fuffered all thofe things for us. It was his ardent love to perifhing fouls, which many waters could not quench; with fervent wishes and longings for the hour of his paffion. I have a baptifm to be baptifed with, and how am Ifraitened until it be accomplished? With great liberality; it is not the blood of his finger, or a part of his blood, that he would fhed for us; no, he would needs pour out all his blood, and even his heart-blood too, and with that he poured out his foul alfo, Ifa. liii. Why would he be fo liberal?-that with him there might be plenteous redemption, Pfal. cxxx. 7. He fuffered with great meeknefs, patience, and refignation: when he fuffered he threatened not, but was led as a fheep to the flaughter, dumb, not opening his mouth: With great humility and felf-denial, content to be as a worm and no man, to bring glory to his father: With a thirsty zeal for the falvation of fouls, and for completing the work of our redemption; and hence it was he cried on the cross, I thirst, and glad when he could fay, It is finished.

O what caufe have I to obey his dying charge, to go

to his memorial feaft, and to think upon and wonder at the matchlefs love of Chrift, that made him willing to fuffer fo many things for fuch wretched creatures as I am. He knew well enough before hand what our falvation would coft him, yet he willingly undertook it, faying, upon the very first motion of it, Lo, I come. But faith God to him, If you will engage in this work, you must bear my wrath, and be handled as if you were the finner in law: Well, faith Chrift, I come to do thy will, O God: I am fatisfied with the terms: Let the cup be never fo bitter, I'll drink it, ere these miferable creatures do it. O loving High Prieft, how fhall I think of thy fufferings without raptures of love and admiration! I had been in hell if thou hadst not been in an agony here; I had been forever scorched there, if thou hadft not fweat here; yea, not only I, but all the posterity of Adam had perished, if thou hadst not fuffered thofe many things for them: Surely the weight of wrath which made thee heavy, and caused thee to fall to the ground, sweat, groan, and cry, would have funk all mankind into hell for ever. O what ingratitude muft it be to refufe Chrift's offers and terms of falvation, after what he has fuffered to purchase it! Was he at fo much pains to obtain redemption for us, and will we be at no pains to get an intereft in it? Did he fhed blood, and will not I drop tears? Lord, pity this heart of mine.

MEDITATION XXI

From JoHN xviii. 4. Jesus knowing all things that should come upen bim, went forth, Sc.

CHRIST foreknew all his fufferings, with all their ingredients, before they came upon him; yet he willingly and refolutely went forth to meet them. He will not flee, nor hide himself from his perfecutors, but caft himself in their way. He faw the cup of wrath mixed

and ready for him, and now, as it were, he reaches forth his hand to take it. When the people would have forced him to a crown, he hid hinfelf from them, John vi. 15. But when they would force him to a crofs, he offered himself to them, knowing that his hour was come to fulfil his furetyship for us, and com. plete our redemption. Upon this account he made. his fufferings welcome, and the paffover that introduced them, Luke xxii. 15. With defire have I defired to eat this paffover. He abhorred all counfels that tended to hinder him, and rebuked Peter as smartly for diffuading him from fuffering, as he would have done Satan himfelf, Matth xvi. 23. And though all his disciples would have diffuaded him, John xi. 8. he marched with great forwardnefs to Jerufalem, where he foretold the bloody tragedy was to be acted; he haftened to the field of battle and place of fuffering: Yea, he went fo faft to it, that his difciples were amazed at it, and afraid to follow him, Math. xx. 18. Mark x. 32. They were behind him, and would have fallen behind altogether, had it not been for fhame, and let him go alone; they were amazed to fee a man haften fo faft to a bloody death. But he would not stop, though they had all left him, as they did afterwards. And when his time was come to be apprehended, he would neither let Peter defend him, nor angels refcue him, though there were twelve legions at his call; One angel would have been fufficient to do it, or one word from his own mouth; but, faith he, The cup my Father hath given me to drink, fhall I not drink it? Wherefore, when they accused him of blafphemy against God, and of enmity against Cefar and Mofes' law, and things he was perfectly innocent of, he would make no legal defence to fave his life before Pilate, but held his peace, infomuch that Pilate marvelled greatly. He might think it was eafy for him to answer all they said, but he knew not the reafon of our Lord's filence, viz. that he would do nothing to hinder the elect's redemption, which he had undertaken. And, as he was filent before Pilate, fo was

he before divine juftice, and would do nothing to divert the ftroke: Soon might he have refcued himself when justice drew the ftroke, by faying, "Father, these "fins are not mine" No, he is filent, and takes with the charge, as if he had committed them all. On me, faith he, be the curfe; I will be the facrifice for these loft fheep. O love unfpeakable!

The reasons of my Saviour's willingness to fuffer are obvious; he knew it was his Father's will he fhould fuffer, and therefore he faid, Pfalm xl. I delight to do thy will, O my God. He knew it would greatly display the glory of the divine attributes, that was fullied by our fins; it would highly magnify his love to his fheep, John x. I lay down my life for my fheep; I do it of myfelf, freely, without compulfion: It was neceffary to make his facrifice acceptable and well pleafing unto God. The heathens would not offer a facrifice to their gods that came ftruggling to the altar; fo every facrifice offered to the true God must be a free-will offering, if we would have it of a fweet smelling favour unto him. This Chrift hath taught us by his example, and upon this account God hath twice proclaimed from heaven, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed.

O, was Chrift's willingness to fuffer for finners fo well pleafing to the Father, and shall it not render him moft amiable and lovely to us? Surely the Mediator's frank and cheerful undertaking to fuffer fo much for us, when unrequired by us, is a favour infinitely kind and obliging, and doth command raptures of love and praife from us when we celebrate his holy fupper. What a moving fight is it to the eye of faith, to behold our glorious Emmanuel voluntarily ftating himself in our law room, without the foliciting of any creature, and engaging cheerfully to go through Satan's buffetings, death's pangs, and hell's flames for us! With what elevated thoughts and raised affections, fhould we admire, love, and praife a crucified Jefus, who did all this willingly and unrequired for us! Oh, he never had fo good will to eat when hungry, as he had to fuf