cing his head, hands, and feet. He fuffered in the most tender and finewy parts of his body by the tormenting nails, especially being violently stretched out, and probably disjointed, to make them reach to the holes; therefore he faith, Pfal. xxii. 16. 17. They have digged my hands and my feet, I may tell all my bones, they look and ftare upon me. He fuffered most of all in his foul, and its noble faculties: How great was the agony and travail of his foul, when he fwate blood in the garden through all the pores of his body! O how great was the anguish of his mind upon his heavenly Father's deferting him, which made him fend forth a dreadful cry to heaven for relief, My God, my God, why hast thou forfaken me? Then it was he cried and groaned under his preffure, but no relief appeared; there was none to anfwer, every door was shut against him: For at this time his own fun, his own heaven, his own Father, his own Godhead, did all hide their faces and confolations from him! O the many things he fuffered for us, they cannot be numbered!

3. I am to confider from whom the Son of Man fuffered. He fuffered from all hands, from earth, from 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 cruelly ufed and profeute 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 these he had done much good unto.-He fuffered from thefe whom he came to fave and wash by his blood; for there were three thousand of thefe 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 rest 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 Bafban were all let loose to tear and gore him in his laft fufferings; for this (he faid) was their hour and power of darkness. But, which was worst of all, he fuffered alfo from heaven; for he being fubftituted in the room of finners, a juft and holy God acted as an inexorable Judge towards him, he frowned terribly upon him, fmote him with the fword of juftice, and withdrew all the feeling of his loving kindness from him, and all thefe 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 fuch 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 Righteoufnefs upon the crofs! A ftrange and marvellous fight! What meant the heat of this great anger? Muft even the Creator himself suffer for the creature's fins? Muft he fuffer fuch a load of wrath, as make him cry out to the aftonishment of angels and men?

4. I am to confider the High Prieft, and for whom it was he fuffered these great and many things. He fuffered not for himself, for he never offended either against God or man, and deserved no punishment, He fuffered none for fallen angels; they must all suffer for themselve. It was only for men of Adam's race, that were debtors to juftice and prifoners of wrath; he fuffered for creatures moft undeferving, for rebels, and for many that were his greatest enemies; and even for those 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 suffered all those things for us. It was his ardent love to perish

ing 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 I ftraitned 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, Ifa. liji. Why would he be fo liberal? that with him their 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 sheep to the flaughter, dumb, not opening his mouth :-With great humility and felf-denial, content to be as a quorns and no man, to bring glory to his Father :-With a thirfty 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 matchless love of Chrift, that made him willing to fuffer so 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 am come. But faith God to him, If you will engage in this work, you must underly my wrath, and be handled as if you were the finner in law: Well, faith Chrift, I come to do thy quill, O God; I am fatisfied with the terms: Let the cup be never so bitter, I'll drink it, ere these miserable 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 agony here; I had for ever been fcorched there, if thou hadft not fwate here; yea, not only I, but all the pofterity of Adam had perished if thou hadst not fuffered thefe many things for them: furely the weight of wrath which made thee heavy, and caused thee fall to the ground, fweat, groan, and cry, would have funk

all mankind into hell for ever. O what ingratitude muft it be to refuse Christ's offers and terms of falvation, after what he has suffered to purchase it! Was he at fo much pains to obtain redemption for us, and will we be at no pains to get an interest in it? Did he shed blood, and will not I drop tears? Lord pity this heart of mine!

MEDITATION XXI.
From John xviii. 4.

Fefus knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth &c.

C

HRIST 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 himself from them, John vi. 15. But when they would force him to a crofs, he offered himself to then, knowing that his hour was come to fulfil his furetyfhip for us, and complete our redemption. Upon this account he made his ufferings 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 fmartly for diffuading him from fuffering, as he would have done Satan himfelf, Matth. xvi. 23. And though all his difciples would have diffuaded him, John xi. 8. he marched with great forwardness 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 fast to it, that his disciples were amazed at it, and afraid to follow him, Mat. xx, 18. Mark x. 32. They were behind him, and would have fallen behind altogether, it had not been for fhame, and let him go alone; they were amazed to see a man hasten so fast 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 rescue 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 accufed him of blafphemy against God, and of enmity to Cæfar and Mofes's 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 reason 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 rescued himself when justice drew the fword, by faying, Father, thefe 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 sheep. O love unspeakable!

The reasons of my Saviour's willingness to fuffer are obvious: he knew it was his Father's will he should 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 myself, freely, without compulfion: It was neceffary to make his facrifice acceptable and well-pleasing unto God. The heathens would not offer a facrifice to their gods that came ftruggling to the alter; fo every facrifice offered to the true God must be a free-will offering, as we would have it of a sweet smelling favour unto him. This Christ 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 pleased.

O, was Chrift's willingness to fuffer for finners fo well