fome refpects, it is infinitely worfe, than if Chrift had never died at all. Thus have Mercy and Truth met together; and Righteousness and Peace have kiffed each

Pfal. lxxxv. 10.

other, in the wonderful Contrivance of Man's Redemption. And This Signification of thefe Words pronounced by our Saviour here, correfponds exactly with those at the 17th Chap. Ver. 4, 5. I have glorified thee on the Earth, I have finished the Work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf. For fo likewife here, when he had run through all the bitter Stages of his Paffion, endured every Pain, fuftained every Conflict that was neceffary, and acquitted himself as became him in them all; having now no longer bufinefs for Life, he immediately refigned it. Which brings me to the

Luke xxiii. 46.

II. Second Thing obfervable in the Text, The particular manner of our Saviour's expiring upon the Crofs, as it is expreffed in the laft Claufe of the 30th Verse, And he bowed his Head, and gave up the Ghost. The original Phrafe may denote a delivering up, or as himself expreffed it, a committing his Spirit into the Hands of God, as a facred Trust, to be reftored again and united to his Body, at the time prefixed by his own Infinite Wisdom: and plainly implies fuch a Diffolution, and actual Separation of Soul and Body, as every common Man undergoes, when he dies. But herein is a remarkable Difference; that what is in Other Men the Effect of Neceffity, was in Jefus a voluntary Act, and the Effect of his own free Choice. Hence the generality of Interpreters have thought, that St. John takes notice, that Chrift bowed his Head before be gave up the Ghost; whereas, in common Cafes, the falling of the Head follows after the Breath's going out of the Body. Hence alfo St. Mark obferves, that Jefus crying out with fo loud and strong a Voice, immediately before his expiring, was one Reason, that moved the Centurion to think him an extraordinary Perfon. For

Nn 4

this

this fhewed, that Nature was not quite spent in him; and that his Death did not come on, by fuch gradual and unavoidable Decays, as it ufually does, when the Voice is stopped and loft, and all the Powers faulter and languish, fome time before the Soul's Departure from its fleshly Tabernacle. Accordingly we find, that when the Soldiers came to take down the Bodies from the Cross, they found him dead, before those two others, that were crucified with him; And that, when Jofeph came to beg the Body of Jefus, Pilate wondred to hear that he was dead fo foon; and would not grant that Request, till he had firft fatisfied himself of the Truth of it, by enquiring of the Officer, who attended the Execution.

John x. 18.

Of all which a very probable Account may be, Not only, that the Excels of his Pain and Sorrow had tired out Nature, and haften'd his Death; But that He, who, as himfelf profeffes, had Power to lay down bis Life, and could not have it taken from him without his own Permiffion and Confent; did lay it down at fuch a time, as himself faw convenient. Every step in this last Act of his Life, was taken regularly, and with deliberation. He bore a conftant regard to all the Mysterious Purposes of this important Death. He would not die till they were all fulfilled; And, when they were fo, he would not, because there was no Occafion that required he fhould, live any longer. Never was there, never can there be, fuch a Death in any Inftance; fo perfectly free, fo entirely at the Perfon's own Difpofal. For He, who ftruck his Enemies down to the Ground with his Majestick Prefence, and afterwards gave them leave to apprehend him; could likewife, if he had fo pleafed, have come down from the Crofs. He could have continued infenfible to all the Pains of it. He could have furvived the fharpeft Anguish. And, had he not fufpended his Divine Power, Death it felf could not have taken hold on

him,

him, nor have bound this ftrong Man, this infinitely more than Man, in thofe Chains, which, he therefore fubmitted to, that he might break and burst them afunder fhortly after, in a more glorious and triumphant Manner. Such was the Difeafe of our Bleffed Redeemer; So voluntary and entirely his own; So wife and wonderful in every Circumftance; So victorious, even in that part of it, which his Enemies thought him. vanquished by So full of Matter, fo full of Comfort, is that dying Word of the Bleffed Jefus, treated of under my first Head. So juftly might he then, fojoyfully may every Chriftian now, cry out, It is finished.

The Remainder of my Difcourfe fhall now be employed, in fome few Reflections arifing from thefe Confiderations. Such as, we do by no means remember this Death like Chriftians indeed, if we do not feel. our felves very fenfibly affected with.

Here then we may perceive, how it came to pafs, that this Death was an Act fo noble, and generous in it felf, and fo exceeding beneficial to Us. For, therefore is it a Meritorious, becaufe not only an Invaluable, but a Willing, Sacrifice. Therefore was this Act of Obedience fo well pleafing to His Father; because, even in the most difficult and painful Inftances, it proceeded not from Constraint, but from full Confent and free Choice. Upon this account his Love to wretched Man is fo unspeakably tender and great; because it was in his Power to have refus'd the giving Us fuch coftly Proofs of his Kindnefs. But, tho' Thefe are Subjects, upon which I might very feasonably and pathetically enlarge; Yet, having been upon them lately, That, which I rather chufe to fay at prefent, is; That, by fuch a chofen and cheerful Submiffion to die for Our fakes, our Lord hath fet us a Pattern, how we ought to behave our felves to Him, in return for fuch marvellous Compaffion and Love. That We should think nothing too much to do, nothing too grievous to fuffer,

for

2 Cor. v. 14.

Matth. v. 46.

for a Saviour, who, of his own accord and mere Grace, hath done and fuffered fo much for Us. To all Perfons, who retain any fpark of Ingenuity, and have not finned away all the Principles of Natural Religion, Nothing can be more clear and self-evident, than that they are bound to fhew themfelves fenfible of, and make what requital they can for, Kindneffes received. This is the Ground of that Significant Expression, used by St. Paul, The Love of Christ constraineth us to Obedience. And Our Bleffed Saviour takes notice, that neither the Darkness of the Heathens, nor the vicious Lives of the Publicans, had extinguished that Principle of loving thofe that loved them. Shall Chriftians then be wanting in fo plain a Duty? Chriftians, who have the brightest Light to walk by, and are under the influence of the most powerful, moft engaging Example? For, What Religion ever carried the Points of Love and Gratitude to fo noble a Height? What ever prefented Mankind with a Pattern, that can pretend to bear any manner of Proportion, to the great, the unfpeakable things, Our Mafter and Benefactor hath done for Us? If we obferve the Kindness it Self, the Perfon who did it, and the Perfons for whom it was done, every Circumftance is full of Wonder and Amazement. That God, who is by Nature incapable of Suffering and Death, fhould condefcend to become mortal Man, to qualify himself for enduring the bittereft Afflictions; That he fhould do this, for Enemies and Rebels; (for fuch are wretched Sinners) That the Miseries of thofe, who had most obftinately provoked and injured him, and merited his utmoft Indignation and Wrath, fhould move his Compaffion to fave their Souls at the Expence of his own Life; That, in the midft of Sorrows and Agonies, of Pains and Torture, he fhould ftill perfevere in this moft gracious Purpose, and not accept a Deliverance, till he had finifhed this laborious Undertaking; That

he

he fhould embrace Poverty and Hardship, Reproach and Ignominy, Bodily Anguish and Death, with a ready and chearful Mind, when all the Powers of Hell could not have compell'd him to one fingle Pang; This is such an Inftance of Pity and Friendship, as no Tenderness ever did, or can compare with. And therefore We are certainly of all Creatures the most insenfible, the most inexcufable; if we do not take care to apply this Example very warmly to our Confciences; If we read this Hiftory of our Deareft Redeemer's Paffion, without very moving Impreffions; If we do not urge every Branch of it home, and render it as effectual, as it is defigned and qualified to be, for exciting in us the most irreconcilable Hatred against Sin, and kindling the most vigorous and ardent Affection for our dying Saviour. I fay again, fuch a Hatred of Sin, and fuch Love of God and Chrift, as this Account is well qualified to excite in us. For, What Branch of our Duty is there, which the Sufferings of our Jefus, when carefully confidered, do not furnish the strongest Motives, and most unanswerable Arguments for? He commands us to repent of, that is, to be forry for, our past Faults, and to forfake them for the time to come. And, can we read the doleful Story of this Day, Can we reflect, that they were Our Iniquities, for which he was bruised, Our Tranfgreffions, for which he was wounded, in the Day of God's fierce Anger, without a deep and hearty Remorfe? Can we think, that we contributed to his Agonies and Griefs, that the malicious Jews and barbarous Soldiers were only the Inftruments of Cruelty, but every finful Man in part the Caufe, of all he fuffered; and think it, without aking Hearts, and overflowing Eyes, without Confufion of Face, and a multitude of felf-condemning Roproaches? Can we behold our dear Lord's Temples pierced with Thorns, his Holy Face befmeared with Blood, his Body torn with Scourges, nailed to the Crofs, hanging there in Convul