I. To the Son himself —
To enter fully into this subject, would occupy far too long a time for one discourse: I must content myself, therefore, with stating, under each head of my discourse, only the more prominent points, for the elucidation of it.
The Lord Jesus Christ was now glorified, in that he was about,
1. To complete his engagements with the Father —
[From all eternity had a council of peace been held be- tween the Father, and the Sona; the Father agreeing to give to his Son a chosen people ; and the Son agreeing, on his part, to assume our nature, and in that nature to offer himself as the substitute and surety of sinful man. The Lord Jesus was first " to make his soul an offering for sin, and then was to see a seed who should prolong their days ; and the pleasure of the Lord was to prosper in his handV The agreement is thus stated by the Psalmist ; and thus recorded also by an inspired Apostle, as in part already fulfilled : " When he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not ; but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O Godc." But now the time was arrived for its completion. He was now about to endure the whole load of suffering which he had engaged to bear ; and he was ready to drink to the very dregs the cup which had been put into his hands. Of the extent of its bitterness no finite imagination could conceive : but, " bloody as the baptism was, wherewith he was to be baptized, he was quite straitened till it should be accomplished*1." And in this unshaken fortitude and fidelity he was greatly glorified.]
2. To redeem from death a ruined world —
[This was the end of all his sufferings. They were alto- gether an atonement made for sin. Without such an atonement no human being could be saved. By it, a way was opened for the salvation of every living man. It was for this that he had become a man : it was for this that he had fulfilled all right- eousness : it was for this that he had endured his agony in the garden of Gethsemane : it was for this that he was about to expire upon the cross : and, if only he might " see of the travail
a Zech. vi. 13. b Isai. liii. 10.
c Ps. xl. C— 8. with Heb. x. 5—7. a Luke xii. 50.