ness which it required, but his obedience to it as much transcended in value that which could have been ren

dered by the whole human race, (supposing they had never sinned,) as the glorious perfections of the Creator transcend the endowments which he originally bestowed on the creature; and standing in no need of that obedience to justify himself, he treasured it all up, that it might be imputed to those who, being convinced of their own demerit and destitution in the sight of God, are persuaded and enabled to embrace him as "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." His righteousness," though the righteousness of "one," is sufficient to "justify" not only one but "many,"—even as many as the Father hath given him, and as shall believe on his name.-' -The same remarks apply to his sufferings. "He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us ;" and in this capacity he was subjected to what was fully equivalent to all the pains and agonies which justice could have demanded to be inflicted on the guilty. In extending pardon, therefore, to the ungodly who believe in Jesus, God is exhibited as taking the most awful vengeance on sin, and as requiring the most exalted species, and the highest degree of righteousness as the foundation of a sinner's acceptance.

These considerations are sufficient to remind us of Christ's infinite ability, and worthiness, to be the Saviour of sinners. But this has been practically demonstrated by his resurrection from the dead. He could not, consistently with the glorious purposes for which he had come into the world, accept the insulting challenge by which his enemies sought to embitter his dying agonies, "If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." "Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him." No: he would not, to silence the taunts of his enemies, abandon the cause of those whom the Father had given to him to redeem. He would not demonstrate his Godhead by coming down from the cross, because a more glorious demonstration of it was soon to be afforded by his coming

forth from the tomb. He did not do that which they challenged him to do, but he performed a still greater miracle, which they did not expect, and yet one against which they were at the utmost pains to guard. Remembering his saying, "After three days I will rise again," and anxious to prevent, as they said, any of his disciples from coming by night and stealing his body away, they rolled a great stone, and laid it on the mouth of the sepulchre, got Pilate to seal it with his own seal, and set a band of soldiers to guard it. But, in spite of all their precautions, Jesus came forth as he had foretold; and though their unbelief remained, thus did he signally triumph over death and the grave. By this event he has triumphed over all the penalties which he had to encounter, as the Substitute and Redeemer of the guilty, and has been "declared to be the Son of God with power." His sacrifice for sin has been accepted. In recompense of his mysterious humiliation, God hath highly exalted him." He has "raised him up from the dead, and given him glory," (1 Pet. i. 21.) The confidence of victory which our Lord evinced, by instituting the Supper previously to his death, and appointing it to be observed by his disciples for ever after, in commemoration of that event, has thus been both amply explained and justified; and the most glorious proof has been afforded, that "he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," (Heb. vii. 25.) All this, then, is necessarily suggested to the contemplative worshipper when engaged in the service of communion; and how can it be remembered without being devoutly and gratefully celebrated!

4. We have now to observe, that the Lord's Supper is naturally fitted to stir us up to the remembrance of the motives, so to speak, by which he was actuated in coming into the world to lay down his life for sinners. From this observation, as compared with the second one which has been made under this branch of the sub

ject, it will be perceived that a distinction is carefully to be made between the objects, or purposes, with a view to the accomplishment of which the Son of God came into the world, and the motives, or feelings, by which he was influenced to undertake them. Of the former we have already spoken, and it is now with the latter only that we have to do. With respect, then, to these motives or feelings, it will be recollected, that he himself has very strikingly referred to what must, in one point of view, be regarded as the grand and paramount principle by which he was actuated in undertaking the glorious work of man's redemption, where he says, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me," (John vi. 38.) Here, it is obvious, that he alludes to the eternal counsel or purpose of the Godhead, to which he himself was a party, and in which the plan which he came to execute had its origin. That plan was the plan of Him "who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." With God the highest of all motives must ever be the execution of such counsels, including, as this must of necessity include, the manifestation of his own glorious perfections, in proof of which we find that the practical and blessed fruits of the work of redemption are expressly declared to "be to the praise of his glory," (Eph. i. 12.)

But while there can be no doubt that the manifestation of the divine glory, by the fulfilment of the divine eternal purposes, constituted the primary motive of the Saviour's interposition for the redemption of a lost world, let us never forget that among these purposes was comprehended one of mercy and love to the souls of men. The Father and the Son are one in all their attributes and purposes; and in nothing is this fundamental truth more conspicuously demonstrated in Scripture, than in regard to the everlasting love which the Godhead has entertained towards immortal souls. The Father "hath chosen us," says one apostle, "chosen

us in Christ before the foundation of the world," (Eph. i. 4.) "God so loved the world," says another, "that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," (John iii. 16.) And again, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins," (1 John iv. 10.) Nor was this feeling towards us, less spontaneous, less intense, or less unbounded on the part of the Son himself. Of him it is declared, that his "delights" have ever been "with the sons of men." Of him, too, it is said, that, "having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end," (Joh xiii. 1.)" Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it." "Christ hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a

sweet-smelling savour." And that we might be persuaded of the special love which he felt toward every individual of all those whom the Father had given him to redeem, the Apostle Paul, when proclaiming his obligations to the Son of God, seems to delight in saying, "And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," (Gal. ii. 20.)

In showing, then, and celebrating the death of Christ, can we fail in a special manner to remember and celebrate that ineffable love for our souls, which prompted him to lay down his life for our sakes! We are aware of the high value which he put on the immortal souls of men, as well as of the deep concern which he felt for the avenging of sin, for the upholding and magnifying of the divine law, and for the maintaining and promoting of righteousness and true holiness. But the value which belongs to the souls of men, has been derived, in an eminent degree, from the very circumstance that he has thus graciously interposed in their behalf. The spirits of the fallen angels must have been, in themselves, at any rate as precious as the souls of

men; and certainly they were originally possessed of far higher endowments. Yet these spirits have not, since their fall, participated in his love. "For verily," says the Apostle, "He took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham," (Heb. ii. 16.) In the state and character of the sinful children of men, there was enough to be found which would have fully vindicated the divine procedure, though they had been left to perish-as shall, in reality, still be the case with respect to all who finally reject him ;-but, in that state and character,—in what is purely inherent in themselves —there is nothing to be found which could at all entitle them to his favourable regard, or which can in anywise account for the distinguished loving-kindness of which he has made them the objects. Nor is it merely compassion and love, in their ordinary manifestations, that he has exercised toward us. He has not only pitied us in our low and lost estate, and acted on the benevolent desire to promote the welfare and happiness of our souls he has graciously interposed, not only in behalf of those who were helpless and miserable, but in behalf of those whose helplessness and misery had been entailed on them by their sins, and whose sins had been so many acts of disobedience, rebellion, and ingratitude against himself. Hence the exclamation of the Psalmist, "Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them," (Psal. lxviii. 18.) God has loved us when we were, in a moral point of view, altogether unlovely, and therefore undeserving of his love; when we were "living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another," (Titus iii. 3.) Nay, he has "commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners," and consequently "enemies," "Christ died for us," (Rom. v. 8.) There is thus displayed, on the part both of the Father and of the Son, not only a love toward us, but a generosity-a "breadth, and length, and depth, and height"of love," which passeth knowledge."