3. This was necessary to magnify and commend the love of Jesus Christ to us, for whom he gave himself That he came into the world to die for us, is a mercy of the first magnitude, but that he came in love to our souls, and underwent all his sufferings with such willing- ness for our sakes, this heightens it above all apprehension. O, this is the most taking, the most ravishing, the most astonishing consider- ation of all : ' He loved me, and gave himself for me,' Gal. ii. 20. ' He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,' Rev. i. 5. Here love is in its highest exaltation.
4. It was necessary to be so, for the regulating of all our obedience to God according to this pattern, that seeing and setting this great example of obedience before us, we might never grudge nor grumble at any duty or suffering that God should call us to: ' You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; how, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor,' saith the apostle, when he would press the Corinthians to their duty, 2 Cor. viii. 9. And when he "would effectually urge the Philippians to their duty, this is the ar- gument, ' Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus,' Phil, il 5. So that it became and behoved Christ thus to undertake this great service.
Secondly, Next let us consider and examine whence it came to be so pleasant and acceptable to Jesus Christ, to come into the world and die for poor sinners.
And we shall find although the sufferings of Christ were exceed- ing sharp, and the cup of God's wrath unspeakably bitter, yet that which made it pleasant and desirable to Jesus Christ was the prospect he had of the sweet results and issues of his sufferings, Isa. liii. 10, 11.
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* He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied,' (i. e.) he shall have great content and pleasure from the issues and fruits of his sufferings, as Psal. cxxviii. 2. ' Thou shalt eat the labour of thy hands," (i. e.) the fruit of thy labours. So here, ' He shall see the travail of his soul,' (i. e.) the fruit and effects of his travail ; and to see this shall be to him the reward and recompence of all his suf- ferings. Now, among the sweet results of the sufferings of Christ there are especially these three, which he foresaw with singular con- tent and delectation.
Firsts That in his sufferings there would be made a glorious dis- play and manifestation of the divine attributes ; yea, such a glorious display of them, as was never made before to angels or to men, nor ever shall be any more in this world. For though,
1. The wisdom of God had made itself visible to men in the crea- tion of the world, yet there it shone but in a faint and languishing beam, compared with this. Here divine wisdom put itself as it were into a visible form, and represented itself to the life. See 1 Cor. i. ^4. and Eph. iii. 10. Behold, in the death of Christ, the wisdom of God in its highest exaltation and glory : O the manifold wisdom of God ! O the depth of his unsearchable wisdom ! which I touched in some particulars before.
Behold here the wisdom of God, raising more glory to himself by occasion of the breach of the lav/, than could ever have risen to him from the most punctual observation of its commands, or the most rigorous execution of its threatenings ; from the occasion of the faU, which was our undoing, raising us to a far better estate, and with a much better security to enjoy it, than that from which we fell. Yea, behold and wonder, God by the death of Christ recovering his elect from all the danger and mischief of sin, and yet making the way and manner, of their recovery the fairest glass to represent the hor- ror and evil of sin to them, that ever was shewn them in this world. Oh, the triumph of divine wisdom.
2. Though the love of God had appeared before in our creation, protection, and provision, yet nothing to what it doth in our redemp- tion by the death of Christ. Lo, here is the love of God in its strength and glory, 1 John iv. 10. 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to ba the propitia- tion for our sins."* Herein is love, i. e. Here is the highest expres- sion of God's love to the creature ; not only that ever was, but that ever can be made ; for in love only God acted to the uttermost ; whatever his power hath done, it can do more; but for his love, it can go no higher, he hath no greater thing to give than his Christ. It is true, in giving us a being, and that in the noblest rank and order of creatures on earth, herein was love. In feeding us all our life long by his assiduous tender providence, herein is love. In protecting us under his wings from innumerable dangers and mischiefs, herein is love : much love ; and yet set all this by his redeeming love in Christ,
488 SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS.
and it seems nothing. When we have said all, ' herein is the love of God, that he sent his Son,' &c. This was free love to unde- serving, to ill-deserving sinners: preventing love; not that we loved him, but that he loved us. Just as an image in the glass, saith Facinus, that is imprinted there by the face looking into it ; the image does not look back upon the face, except the face look forward upon the image ; and in that the image doth seem to see the face, it is nothing else but that the face does see the image. O the inexpres- sible glory of the love of God in Christ !
3. Though God had given several sad marksof his justice before, both upon the angels that fell, clapping upon them the chains of darkness ; in the overthrow of Sodom and the neighbouring cities, turning them to ashes, as you may read in Jude, ver. 6, 7. yet never was the exactness and severity of justice so manifested before, nor ever shall be any more, as it was at the death of Christ. Christ did not only satisfy it fully, but he also honoured it highly, making that attribute which was once a bar, now to be a bottom of our peace, Rom. iii. 25. Never did such a person as Christ stand at the bar of justice before : the blood of God was poured out to appease and satisfy it. When Christ suffered, he did both give and take satis- faction ; he gave it to the justice of God in dying; he took it, in seeing justice so honoured in his death.
Secondly^ Another delightful prospect Christ had of the fruit of his sufferings, was the recovery and salvation of all the elect by his death ; and though his sufferings were exceeding bitter, yet such fi'uit of them as this was exceeding sweet : upon this account he as- sumed his name Jesus, Mat. i. 21. yea, and his human nature also. Gal. iv. 4, 5. Souls are of great value in his eyes: one soul is of more worth in his account than all the world, Mark viii. 36. What a pleasure then must it be to him, to save so many souls from the everlasting wrath of the great and terrible God ! Add to this.