people, and he was prepared to pay the price, even though it were his own life. Accordingly he took our nature for the express purpose of offering it up a sacrifice for sin. In that nature he made a full atonement for all our transgressions, and satisfied the utmost demands of law and justice. In short, he so gave himself to be an offering and sacrifice to God, that God smelled a sweet savour, and became instantly reconciled to his offending creatures0.
What manner of love was this! Who can ever explore " its heights and depths, its length and breadth ? " Well may " God commend his love to us" by this particular instance d; for it is, and ever must be, without a parallel: it as far exceeds our conceptions as it does our deserts.]
To assign any adequate reasons for such love is impossible : but the riches of it will appear in a striking point of view, if we consider,
II. The ends for which it. has been so demonstrated — The design of Jesus in the whole of his mediatory work has been, to bring back our fallen race to the enjoyment of all that they had lost by sin. He gave himself for us, that we might enjoy,
1. A restoration to his image —
[It was not merely a salvation from misery that Christ came to impart, but a salvation from sin, which is the cause of misery. He came to set us apart for God as a holy and peculiar people ; and to cleanse us not only in " the laver of regeneration in baptism, but by the renewing of the Holy Ghost." The washing of water in baptism was only the external sign of that spiritual grace which it is the delight of his soul to bestow. " He will sprinkle clean water upon us, and cleanse us from all our filthiness, and from all our idols e." Without this spiritual renovation, all his other mercies would be in vain. Man could not be happy, if he were not first made holy.
The instrument by which this grace is conveyed to the soul, is the word of God. The word, both written and preached, is that whereby we are begotten of himf ; by which also, as new- born babes, we are nourished &; and by which the whole work of sanctification is carried onh. The Holy Spirit indeed is the agent, who renders the word effectual : but the Gospel is " the rod of his strength," and it is by that he renovates and saves the world.]
c
Rom. v. 8. d ver. 2. « Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26.
f Jam. i. 18. s \ Pet. ii. 2. h John xv. 3.