fell upon him? But how ftrange is the answer! No, in him there was no fin, for, he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth. The holy Jefus was pure and undefiled in his nature, being that holy thing that was born of Mary, nor was there blame or blemish in his pious, holy, and felf-denied life; yet he fuffered; but fays Peter, "It was the juft for the unjuft, that he might bring us to God." I Pet. iii. 18. "We efteem"ed him ftricken and fmitten of God and afflict"ed; but he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, " he was bruised for our iniquity, we like fheep "had gone aftray, and the Lord did lay upon him "the iniquity of us all." If. liii. 5. 6. This was one great end of our Lord's coming into the world; he came to fave his people from their fins, but this could not be accomplished, but by carrying their forrows; man had finned and man muft fuffer; Jefus therefore the God, became man, that for the finner, he might fuffer, and become his Saviour; hence faith bleffed Paul, 2 Cor. v. 21. "He hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin;" and, "We have redemption through "his blood, even the forgivenefs of fin." Eph. i. 14.

Thus we have seen our Saviour fuffer, and by that fuffering ftilling all the threats and menaces of the injured and violated law, so that in refpect of the purchase of his blood, that fcripture is fulfilled, Job xxxiii. 24. "Deliver him from "going down to the pit, I have found a ransom :" Let us next attend to the obedience of his life, in which we shall find the utmost requirements of the righteous law fo compleatly and perfectly anfwered, that even according to the juftice and righte

righteousness thereof, it shall be added, he shall fee his face with joy; for he will render unto man bis righteousness, ver. 26.

The obedience the law of God required, and to which the promise of life was made, may agreeable to our Lord's own explication thereof, be reduced to these two principal heads, the love of God, and the love of our neighbour. In respect to the love of God, our Saviour's conduct in his words and actions, and the divine pleasure fignified concerning these, shall be the touch-ftone of the perfection of his obedience.

Pf. xl. contains a precious prediction of the Mediator, and fets forth his great willingness in undertaking man's redemption, agreeable to the firft gofpel promife; in the volume of the book it is written of me, that I fhould in the fullness of time be fent forth, made of a woman, to bruife the ferpent's head, by dying for fin, and by an obedient life, in exact conformity to thy holy law fhould bring in an everlasting righteousness for all the chofen race; and lo, I come, with willing and obedient mind I come, to execute thy everlafting purposes, O Father, and reftore the loft. Behold me ready to do, whatever thy most righteous law requires, for I delight to do thy will O my God, yea thy law, which manifefts it, is written in my heart.

These words and declarations indicate the ftrongeft affection to God and his ways, and agreeable to this profeffion, the bleffed fpirit reprefents him as entering upon the ftage of the world, and the work of his miniftry, faying, "Behold my fer

..

vant, he shall deal prudently, and fhall bring "forth judgment to the Gentiles, he fhall not

• fail

"fail nor be difcouraged, 'till he hath fet "judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait "for his law. If. lii. 13. and xlii. 1. 4. Our bleffed Lord began very early to manifeft his love to God, when twelve years old, and he had tarried behind his parents at Jerufalém, wist ye not (faid he) that I must be about my father's business? This was his great work, this he accounted his meat and his drink; his difciples little understood what he had upon his hands, or what was nearest to his heart, when they reasoned among themselves, faying, hath any man brought him ought to eat? To which the dear Jefus faid, my meat is to do the will of him that fent me, and to finish his work. When the jews in the temple carped at our Lord's doctrine, and contradicted his words, he justified himself, from their calumny and flander by infifting upon the truth of his miffion, the foundness of his doctrine, and the unreproveableness of his conduct; and whatever they might think of him, yet fays he, I do always those things that please him. John viii. 29. hence our Lord fays in David, "I "have preached righteoufnefs in the great con"gregation, I have not refrained my lips O Lord, "and that thou knoweft. Pf. xl. 9. And his obedience was fo highly acceptable to the father, that with an audible voice from heaven it is proclaimed in the hearing of the people, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. So well pleafing and acceptable was the obedience of our Lord, that in the active, as well as the paffive part thereof, it appears to have been a well finished work; and be bath left us an example that we should follow bis fteps, and hath taught us both by words

and works, that without boliness no man shall fee the Lord.

In respect to the duty of the fecond table, none who believes in the dignity of his perfon, and the perfection of that obedience he paid to God, can doubt of any deficiency in this. He who faid, "as ye would that men fhould do to you, fo.do "ye alfo to them," prefcribed not a rule to others which he did not exactly observe and walk by himself, and therefore could boldly appeal to his enemies, which of you convinceth me of fin. John viii. 46. In a word, fuch was the perfection of our Lord's obed ence, fuch was the compleatness of the righteousness he wrought out by his holy life, and fin-atoning death, that the top-ftone of the glorious edifice was erected with a fhout, IT IS FINISHED. Now was fulfilled the glorious work spoken of by Daniel, chap. ix. 24. reconciliation for iniquity, was now made by the blood of Jefus, tranfgreffion was finished by the facrifice of the bleeding lamb of God, and the sins of believers fhould no more abound to their condemnation, fince Jesus had now paid the price of his blood to redeem them. IT IS FINISHED, an eve lasting righteousness is brought in, a righteoufnefs fpotlefs, compleat, and every way perfect, even the righteousness of a redeeming God.

It having been demonftrated that Jefus our Lord in his life and death, did, and suffered, all that was neceffary to deliver the offender from punishment, and give him a rightful title to life; it only remains to fhew, that this righteousness is imputed, reckoned or placed to the account of every believer.

And this will manifeftly appear, by adverting

to

to what has already been advanced, namely, that Jefus fuffered and obeyed, not for himself, or on his own account, but for others. Had he not engaged as a furety, there could not poffibly have been any obligations upon him, to do, or fuffer, feeing that previous to fuch engagement, he was perfectly holy and compleatly happy, being God over all bleffed for ever. This is that precious doctrine both the prophets and apoftles had an eye unto, and so much rejoiced in. This doctrine

was held forth in every bleeding victim, which indicated a typical transfer of guilt from the offerer to the offered; and thefe had always refpect unto the Lord Jefus, in whom these things are realized, and what before exifted but in fhadow, now is exhibited in the glorious fubftance.

The prophet Jeremiah foretelling the glories of his kingdom, and the happiness of his time, faith, in his days, Judah fhall be faved, and "Ifrael fhall dwell fafely, and this is the name "wherewith he fhall be called, the Lord our "righteousness. Jer. xxiii. 6. Our righteousness, how? not by hereditary right, not of debt, that we could make a demand of it, but ours by the free grace of God, bestowed, not on the rich and righteous, but on the poor in fpirit, the unrighteous and finners, that they may thereby be made righteous, and accepted as fuch. Daniel the prophet fays, he fhall bring in an everlasting righteousness, for whom? For what end? For the poor finner that wants a covering, that imputed to him, it may be his acceptable wedding-garment. Our bleffed

Lord wanted no robe to adorn him, he was cloathed with light and majefty from eternity; and the righteoufnefs he wrought out on earth was in