a fitting submission and repentance, to advance him to honour: will not any man in this case allow, that the king's son suffered instead of this malefactor, and smile at any man that shall be so nice as to grant that indeed he suffered for him, but yet to deny that he was punished for him; to allow that he bore the inconvenience of his faults, but yet obstinately to stand it out that the faults of this malefactor were not laid upon him, or in any wise so imputed to him that he can be said to have suffered in his stead? This is just the case, and the difference in reality and in the last result of things is nothing but words.

Thus far have I tried your patience in a contentious argument; in which I take no pleasure, but yet shall be glad if I may be so happy as, by any thing that hath been said, to contribute towards the putting an end to so unhappy a controversy; which hath troubled the world so long, and raised such a dust, that very few have been able to see clearly through it.

However, I cannot dismiss this argument without making some useful but very short reflections upon this great doctrine of our religion; namely, that the Son of God, being made a sacrifice for us, and exposed to such bitter sufferings and so cruel a death for the expiation of our sins, should create in us the greatest dread and detestation of sin, and for ever deter us from all wilful transgression and disobedience. For if the guilt of our sins was done away upon such hard terms, and cost the dearly-beloved Son of God so much sweat and blood, then surely we ought to take great heed how, by our renewed provocations, we renew His passion, and do what in us lies to " crucify to ourselves the Son of God afresh, and to put Him to an open shame."

If God did so terribly afflict the dearly-beloved of His soul for our sakes; if the Son of God was so grievously wounded for our transgressions, and so sorely bruised for our iniquities; if so fearful a storm of vengeance fell upon the most innocent person that ever was for our sins, then we have reason to take that kind and merciful admonition of the Son of God to sinners, to "sin no more," lest a worse thing, if it be possible, come upon ourselves.

In this dispensation of God's grace and mercy to mankind, by the death of His Son, God seems to have gone to the very extremity of things, and almost further than goodness and justice will well admitto afflict innocency itself to save the guilty; and if herein God hath

66

expressed His hatred of sin in such a wonderful way of love and kindness to the sons of men as looks almost like hatred of innocency and His own Son; this ought in all ingenuity, and gratitude to our gracious Redeemer, who was made a curse for us," and loved us to that degree as to "wash us from our sins in His own blood; I say, this ought to beget in us a greater displeasure against sin, and a more perfect detestation of it, than if we had suffered the punishment due to it in our own persons: for in this case, we could only have been displeased at ourselves and our sins as the just cause of our sufferings; but in the other, we ought to hate sin as the unhappy occasion of the saddest misfortune and sorest calamities to the best man that ever was, and to our best friend, for our sins and for our sakes.

Since then the Son of God hath so graciously condescended to be made in all things like unto us, "sin only excepted," let us aspire, as much as is possible, to become like to Him: above all, let us hate and avoid sin as the only thing in which the Son of God would have no part with us, though He was contented to suffer such bitter things to save us from the defilement and dominion of it, from the punishment and all the dismal consequences of it.

"He had no sin," but God was pleased to "lay upon Him the iniquities of us all," and "to make His soul an offering for sin," and to permit all that to be done to Him which was due to us: He was contented to be sacrificed once for all mankind, that men might for ever cease from that inhuman and ineffectual way of sacrificing one another; whereby, instead of expiating their guilt, they did inflame it, and, by thinking to make atonement for their sins, they did in truth add to their number and heinousness of them.

And let us likewise learn from this admirable pattern, to pity those that are in misery, as Christ also hath pitied us; and to "save them that are ready to perish," for His sake "who came to seek and to save us that were lost."

Let us, upon all occasions, be ready to open our bowels of compassion towards the poor; in a thankful imitation of His grace and goodness, who, for our sakes, chose to be a beggar; that we for His sake might not despise the poor, but might have a tender regard and compassion to those whose condition in

this world does so nearly resemble that in which the Son of God thought it fittest for Him to appear when He was pleased to become man.

In a word, let us, in the whole course, and in all the actions of our lives, "show forth the virtues of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light;" and "hath raised up a mighty salvation for us," that, being delivered from all our spiritual enemies, from sin and all the powers of darkness, we might serve Him who hath saved us; walking in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives."

Now, "to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb that was slain: to God even our Father, and to our Lord Jesus Christ, the first-begotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth unto Him, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood; and whilst we were enemies to Him, loved us at such a rate as never any man did his friend to Him, who became man, that He might bring us to God; and assumed our frail and mortal nature, that He might clothe us with immortality and life: to Him, who was pleased to dwell and live amongst us, that He might teach us how to live: to "Him who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, and lives for ever to make intercession for us:" to Him, be glory and dominion, thanksgiving and praise to eternal ages. Amen.

It would be difficult to find in any author a more complete piece of reasoning concerning the sacritice and satisfaction made by Christ for sinners than is contained in this sermon. It is an argument as forcible as it is clear. The pith and marrow of the New Testament doctrine of the sacrifice of Christ are here intelligibly and accurately put before us.

THE PRESENCE OF THE MESSIAS, THE

GLORY OF THE SECOND TEMPLE.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

HAGGAI ii. 6-9.

THE author of this prophecy was the first of the three prophets, which God sent to the people of Israel after the captivity; and this prophecy contains several messages from God, to the princes, and elders, and people of Israel, in which He reproves their slackness and negligence in the building of the temple, and encourageth them thereto, by the promise of His assistance; and tells them, that however in respect of the magnificence of the building, and the rich ornaments of it, it should be incomparably short of Solomon's temple (which some that were then alive had seen in its glory), yet in other respects it should far excel it: for the time would come, that this second temple should be graced with the presence of the Messias, which would be a greater glory to it than all the riches of Solomon's temple.

And this is fully expressed in the words which I have read unto you: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once it is a little

while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts."

Now, that it is some very great thing which is here foretold and promised, for the honour of this second temple, no man can doubt that considers in what a solemn manner it is here expressed; this great and glorious title," the Lord of hosts," being no less than five several times used within the compass of these four verses; the like instance whereto is not, perhaps, in the whole Bible: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth (ver. 6). And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts (ver. 7). The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts" (ver. 8); and twice (ver. 9), “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." So that by the solemn manner of expressing it, we may imagine, that it is some very great thing which is spoken of, and such as the like had never been before; and such was the incarnation and coming of the Messias.

I know that the modern Jews will by no means have this text to be understood of the Messias, and not without cause; for He that is spoken of in the text was to come into the second temple, which hath now been destroyed above one thousand six hundred years ago; and they do not believe the Messias to be yet come; and therefore whatever shift they make, they must interpret this text of some other person than the Messias: but then it is plain for what reason they do so, it being evident from their own Talmud, that the ancient Jews did understand it of the Messias; but being hardened in their unbelief, they pervert all those texts whereby they might be convinced, that Jesus our blessed Saviour was the true Messias.