(1.) Consider his love, which is one of the principal things to be regarded in this obedience of Christ; — the love wherewith it was
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principled. Gal. ii. 20, " He loved me," saith the apostle, " and gave himself for me." 1 John iii. 16, " Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." It was his love did it. Eev. i. 5, " Who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." This gives life to the whole sufferings of Christ, and to our faith too. It was a high act of obedience to God, that he laid down his life ; but that obedience was principled with love to us.
And now I pray God to enable me to consider this with my own soul, what that love would stick at, that did not stick at this kind of death we have been speaking of. If Jesus Christ had reserved the greatest thing he was to do for us unto the last, we had not known but his love might have stuck when it came to that, — I mean, when it came to the curse of the law, — though he had done other things. But having done this, he that would not withdraw, nor take off from that, because he loved us, what will he stick at for the future? Our hearts are apt to be full of unkind and unthankful thoughts towards him ; as though, upon every dark and black temptation and trial, he would desert us, whose love was such as he would not do it when himself was to be deserted and made a curse. Call over, then, the love of Christ in this obedience. "Yes; but love prevails sometimes," you will say, " with many, to do things that they have no great mind to: we come very difficultly to do some things, when yet, out of love, we will not deny them." But it was not so with Christ; his love was such that he had, —
(2.) An eternal readiness unto his ivork. There are two texts of Scripture inform us of it: Prov. viii. 30, 31, where the Holy Ghost describes the prospect that the Wisdom of God — that is, the Son of God — took of the world and the children of men, in reference to the time he was to come among them. " I was," saith he, " daily his de- light, rejoicing always before him ; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men." He consi- dered what work he had to do for the sons of men, and delighted in it. The 40th Psalm expounds this, verses 6-8, " Sacrifice and offer- ing thou didst not desire ; mine ears hast thou opened : burnt-offer- ing and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come : in the volume of the book it is written of me," etc. " Sacrifice and burnt-offering will not take away sin," saith he ; " then, lo, I come." But doth he come willingly? Yes; " I delight," saith he, " to do thy will, O my God : yea, thy law is within my heart." What part of the will of God was it? The apostle tells you, Heb. x. 10, " Offering the body of Jesus Christ once for all ; by the which will we are sanctified." He came not only willingly, but with de- light. The baptism he was to be baptized with, he was straitened till it was accomplished. The love he had unto the souls of men,
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that great design and project he had for the glory of God, gave him delight in his undertaking, notwithstanding all the difficulties he was to meet with.
(3.) We are to remember his submission to the great work he was called unto. This he expresses, Isa. 1. 5, 6, " The Lord God," saith he, " hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spit- ting." The Lord God cal]ed him to it, and he was not rebellious, but submitted unto it.
There is one objection arises against this submission; and that is the prayer of Christ in the garden : " Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me."
I answer, That was an expression of the horror which was upon the human nature, which we mentioned before. But there were two things that Christ immediately closed upon, which gave evidence to this submission, — that he did not draw back, nor rebel, nor hide himself, nor turn away his face from shame and spitting; — one was this, " Father, thy will be done," saith he ; and the other was this, that he refused that aid to deliver him which he might have had : " Know ye not that I could pray the Father, and he would give me more than twelve legions of angels?" He then suffered under the Roman power, and their power was reduced to twelve legions. Saith he, " I could have more than these;" which argues his full submission unto the will of God.