516 AN EXPOSITION OF THE - [CHAP. V:
Hence where there is mention made of his “giving himself for us,” which was in the sacrifice of himself, commonly the cause of it is expressed to have been his love: ‘The Son of God “ loved me, and gave himself for me,”’ Gal. ii. 20; “ Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it,” Eph. v. 25, 26; “ He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” Rev. i. 5. With this love his soul now travailed, and laboured to bring forth the blessed fruits of it. The workings of this love in the heart of Christ, during the trial in- sisted on, whereby he balanced the sorrow and distress of his suffer- ings, no heart can conceive nor tongue express. (8.) Zeal for the glory of God. Zeal is the height of careful, solicitous love. The love of Christ was great to the souls of men; but the life of it lay in his love to God, and zeal for his glory. This he now laboured in, namely, that God might be glorified in the salvation of the elect. This was committed unto him, and concerning this he took care that it might not miscarry. (4.) He was now in the highest exercise of obedience unto God, and that in such a peculiar manner as before he had no occasion for. It is observed as the height of his conde- scension, that he was “obedient unto death, the death of the cross,” Phil. i. 8. This was the highest instance of obedience that God ever had from a creature, because performed by him who was God also. And if the obedience of Abraham was so acceptable to God, and was so celebrated, when he was ready to offer up his son, how glorious was that of the Son of God, who actually offered up himself, and that in such a way and manner as Isaac was not capable of being offered! And there was an eminent specialty in this part of his obe- dience; hence, Heb. v. 8, it is said that “he learned obedience by the things which he suffered ;” which we shall speak to afterwards. And in the exercise of this obedience, that it might be full, acceptable, meritorious, every way answering the terms of the covenant between God and him about the redemption of mankind, he laboured and travailed in soul. And by this his obedience was a compensation made for the disobedience of Adam, Rom. v. 19. So did he travail in the exercise of grace. 3. He did so also with respect unto that confluence of calamities, distresses, pains, and miseries, which was upon his whole nature. And that in these consisted no small part - of his trials, wherein he underwent and suffered the utmost which human nature is capable to undergo, is evident from the description given of his dolorous sufferings both in prophecy, Ps. xxii. Isa. liii., and in the story of what befell him in the evangelists. In that death of the body which he underwent, in the means and manner of it, much of the curse of the law was executed. Hence our apostle proves that he was “ made a curse for us,” from that of Moses, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree,” Gal. iii. 138, Deut. xxi. 22, 23. For that ignominy of being hanged on a tree was peculiarly appointed
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to represent the execution of the curse of the law on Jesus Christ, “who his own self bare our sins on the tree,’ 1 Pet. i, 24, And herein lies no small mystery of the wisdom of God. He would have a resemblance, among them who suffered under the sentence of the law, of the suffering of Christ; but in the whole law there was no appointment that any one should be put to death by being hanged; but whereas God foreknew that at the time of the suffering of Christ the nation would be under the power of the Romans, and that the sentence of death would be inflicted after their manner,—which was by being nailed unto and hanged on a cross,—he ordered, for a prefi- guration thereof, that some great transgressors, as blasphemers and open idolaters, after they were stoned, should be hanged upon a tree, to make a declaration of the curse of the law inflicted on them, Hence it is peculiarly said of such a one, “ He that is hanged on the tree is the curse of God;” because God did therein represent the suffering of Him who underwent the whole curse of the law for us, And in this manner of his death there were sundry things concur- ring:—(1.) A natural sign of his readiness to embrace all sinners that should come unto him, his arms being, as it were, stretched out to receive them, Isa. xlv. 22, lxv.1. (2.) A moral token of his condition, being left as one rejected of all between heaven and earth for a season ; but in himself interposing between heaven and earth, the justice of God and sins of men, to make reconciliation and peace, Eph. ii. 16, 17. (3.) The accomplishment of sundry types; as,—[1.] Of that of him who was hanged on a tree, as cursed of the Lord, Deut. xxi. 22. [2.] Of the brazen serpent which was lifted up in the wilderness, John iii. 14; with respect whereunto he says, that when he is “lifted up” he would “draw all men unto him,” John. xii. 32. [3.] Of the wave- offering, which was moved, shaken, and turned several ways; to de- clare that the Lord Christ, in his offering of himself, should have respect unto all parts of the world, and all sorts of men, Exod. xxix. 26. And in all the concerns of this death, all the means of it, espe- cially as it was an effect of the curse of the law, or penal, immediately from God himself, (for “he that is hanged” on a tree “is accursed of God,”) did he labour and travail in the work that lay before him. 4, The conflict he had with Satan and all the powers of darkness was another part of his travail. This was the hour of men, and power of darkness, Luke xxii. 53,—the time when the prince of this world came, John xiv., to try the utmost of his skill, interest, horror, rage, and power, for his destruction. Then were all infernal principalities and powers engaged in a conflict with him, Col. ii. 14, 15. Whatever malice, poison, darkness, dread, may be infused into diabolical suggestions, or be mixed with external representations of things to the sight, or imagination, he was now contending with. And herein he laboured for that victory and success which, in the