interef in this redemption, and the evidences thereof cleared up to my foul! O for faith and fervency in prayer, that I my wreftle without ceafing for the affurance of his love, that I may go with joy to his table. MEDITATION XV. He opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter. I T becomes me to read and confider these words with great attention, feeing they were the occafion of the Ethiopian Eunuch's converfion; for it was while he read and thought on these words, that God fent Philip to join him, Acts viii. 29. O that God would, in like manner, fend his holy Spirit to join me while I am meditating on them. 1. I obferve that Christ is the great facrifice provided by God, to make attonement for our fins: He is the great antitype and fubftance of all the lambs and beafts that were offered up in facrifice under the law, and therefore he is often in the New Teftament called the Lamb, the Lamb of God, and the Lamb flain. The Spirit of God feems to have a peculiar delight in dwelling upon this type of the lamb, more than on any other of the Old Testament types; and should not I delight in it too, and often with pleafure make mention of the Lamb, the worthy Lamb, that will be the object of the praises of faints and angels through all eternity. 2. Chrift is reprefented by a lamb to point out the innocence of his perfon, the meeknefs of his nature, the uf fulness of his benefits, and his patience under fufferings. How patient is the lamb under injuries? It is filent both before the thearer and butcher; it parts with its fleece in fhearing time, and with its life in flaughter time, without any noite or refiftance. Dogs and twine howl and cry when violence is offered to them but the lamb is quite filent. Se Chrift the Lamb of God opened not his mouth, under the greatest revilings, mockings, buffetings, fpittings, piercings, and the most cruel death, which he suffered from men, 1 Pet, ii. 23. and hence it is faid in the text, when he was led to the flaughter he opened not his mouth: He opened not his mouth unless it was to blefs, teach, or pray for those who injured him; yea, he not only did pray, but also pled an excufe for them, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And after his refurrection, how ready was this meek Lamb to forgive all that wronged him! When giving orders to preach remiffion of fins to a loft world, he bids begin at Jerufalem, Luke xxiv. 46. where they mocked and pierced him, because there they had greatest need of his blood to wash them from guilt. How meekly did our bleffed Lamb carry to Peter, when he denied him in his hearing? He did not turn and frown upon Peter, as he well deferved, though he might have frowned him into hell; it is faid only, He turned and looked on Peter, Luke xxii. 61. not with an angry look, but with an affectionate melting look, which recovered him to a penitent frame: Nither did he afterwards upraid him with his carriage. O meek Lamb of God! Can I remember thee at thy table, without being filled with remorfe and grief for my impatience under injuries, and the pronenefs of my heart to refent them? Shall I not be afhamed of my unchriftian temper, when I fee my meek and loving Jefus willing to be the fport and derifion of men and devils, that he might be the author of falvation to perishing fouls? Oh, how astonishing is it to fee the Creator affronted by the creature, the potter by his clay, the King of Glory by worms of the earth and yet hold his peace! Now, is the head fo meek and patient, and fhould not the members be fo too? O how unfeemly is it to fee a company of fierce lions following a meek lamb! O that I could learn more of him that is meek and lowly in heart. 3. Here I fee the greatest inftance, of divine love that ever the world faw. Behold an offended God willing to fpare wretched criminals, and take fatisfaction from a furety in their room; and he himself finds out the lamb to be the facrifice, even his eternal Son, who willingly undertook to affume a body for that How aftonishing are the Lamb's words, Heb. x. 5. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body haft thou prepared me! as if he had faid, Father, fince all the legal facrifices are infufficient to fatisfy thy juftice, atone for fin, and ransome precious fouls; even take the body thou haft prepared for me, let that be the facrifice to juftice; it is more valuable than any other, being the tabernacle of my divine perfon; it will bring glory to thy offended juftice, and fatisfy it to the full. I yield myfelf willingly to be the prifon'er of justice, and go quietly as a lamb to the flaughter; not dragged to it as an ox or bullock, but meekly and pleasantly like a lamb.'-When, according to this agreement, juftice required the Lamb to be facrificed, O how patient and filent was he under all the accufations laid against him, though he was wholly innocent; he would fay nothing in his own defence, at which Pilate (not knowing the caufe of his filence) marvelled greately, having never feen the like before. But our Lamb confidered that he flood not only at Pilate's bar, but also at the bar of God's juftice as our furety, bearing our guilt; and though man had nothing to lay to his charge, yet he knew what divine juftice had to charge upon him, and therefore he is filent, and anfwers nothing, that he might not hinder our redemption, nor itop the payment of our debt. When justice charged him with our fins, our unbelief, pride, covetousnefs, &c. he might have faid, O Father, thefe tranfgreffions are not mine, I never offended thee; but he will do nothing to refcue himfelf. Therefore, when the fearful charge of the whole fins of an elect world was exhibited against him, and the fword of juftice drawn, ready to trike, he opened not his mouth, but takes with the charge, as if he had been guilty of all. Glory to the filent Lamb for ever, that would not hinder our release from punishment, but meekly took the ftroke for us. 4. Behold this meek Lamb, before he was brought to the flaughter, led up and down from place to place; from the garden to the High Priest, from the High Priest to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, from Herod back to Pilate, from Pilate to Calvary. Behold him mocked, abufed, and difgraced by them, buffeted and fpit upon, crowned; fcourged, and pierced, and yet never refifts nor complains. He willingly gave his back to the fmiters, and his cheeks to them that pluckt off the hair, and hid not his face from spitting. Now, the meek Lamb is content to be as the ram caught in the thickets, to be flaughtered and facrificed in our room, who were lying bound like Ifaac, to have been the facrifice. Oh, it was our fins that plaited the thorns; they also were the reed that drove them into his temples, yet he opened not his mouth. 5. Now this flaughtered Lamb is fet before my eyes in the facrament, and God's call to me is, Behold the Lamb of God, John i. 29. Now let me behold with an earnest and steady look, with faith and expectation, that I may get healing to all my difeafes. A no tung Ifraelite got healing from the brazen ferpent, unless they looked to it, fo none can get benefit from Chrift unlefs they behold him. May I never look away from this Lamb, to my tears, convictions, prayers, reformations, or any thing else; feeing the beft duties will make bad faviours. If I expect falvation from other things, I am undone, for there is no other name given under hea ven whereby men can be faved: But if I look to the Lamb of God, my falvation is fecured by his promise, Ifa. xlv. 22. 6. There was no houfe in Egypt fafe from the deftroying angel, but those who had their doors fprinkled with the blood of the Pafchal Lamb: So there is no foul fafe from the fword of revenging juftice, but thofe who by faith put themselves under the protection of the blood of this flain Lamb: Let me therefore take the bunch of hyffop, faith, and dip it in the bason of the New Covenant, and fprinkle this blood on my guilty foul, and fo I shall be safe. 7. How bleffed is their character who follow the Lamb, Rev. xiv. 4. May I follow him as my physician to cure me, my righteousness to justify me, my life to quicken me, my husband to fupply my wants, my guide to conduct me, my pattern to direct me in my Iteps. Let me learn from his example, to be patient without murmuring, when I am under affliction.Let me learn meekness towards men, when I meet with reproaches or injuries from them.-Let me learn a readineis to obey God's call to every duty. O did Chrift go willingly to the flaughter for us, and fhall I be backward to pray, cmmunicate, part with fin, or do any thing he requires of me? Let me, in all duties and ordinances, feek after the Lamb's prefence, feeing my eternal happinefs lies in being ever with the Lamb, and to be fed and led by him, Rev. vii, 16. MEDITATION XVI. In whom we have redemption through his blood. Hin and Satan, and prifoners to the juftice of God, being fentenced to die, doomed to wrath, and referved to public judgment and execution. In this miferable condition were all mankind, until Chrift came to ranfom us! And O how difficult and coftly was our redemption to Chrift! no lefs could be the price of it than his precious blood. The glorious Son of God, who created heaven and earth, muft become a creature, be born of a woman, and pour out his blood on an ignominious crofs, before we could be redeemed from fin and wrath. O how valuable muft the blood of this infinite perfon be! What is the blood of earthly kings and princes to this blood? Surely one drop of it is of more value, than an ocean of theirs! and yet every drop of this blood was poured out upon the ground for our redemption.-In this blood I fee fundry things: 1. The amazing love of Chrift, in fhedding his blood for the redemption of fuch creatures as I am; creatures moft ugly, that had loft the image of God, and got Satan's image pictured in its room, and were thereby became black as hell.-Creatures loathfome as dead carcacfes, being dead in trespaffes; and yet thefe he loved |