whose nature is love. The end of the awful threatening and curse of the law, we are to suppose, was discountenancing disobedience, and giving an eternal manifestation of the glorious character of God, as one who infinitely hateth all iniquity. Now, by the vicarious obedience and sufferings of his own incarnate Son, the end of the law, in each of these views, is answered in the fullest manner,

The obedience of our Saviour answers every purpose, in regard to all who belong to him, which would have been obtained by the sinless obedience of the first federal head of mankind. Christ was given for a cov

enant of the people. He was constituted a public re'presentative, as much as Adam was; and might, by his own consent, as justly be so constituted. In this capacity he was made under the law; and, as it behoved him, fulfilled all righteousness. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

It was his meat to

do the will of him that sent him, and finish his work. His obedience was tried to the uttermost. He had all the temptations arising from poverty and the most dependent outward circumstances. The foxes, said he, have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. He had the trial of cruel mockings, and of all the bitterest and most injurious reproaches which the malice of man could invent. Consider him, says the apostle, who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. He encountered the grand adversary that had been too hard for our first parents, and under circumstances the most disadvantageous. He was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, that he might have the trial of his utmost efforts in that solitary situation, without a friend-without a second to afford him any aid. Here

forty days he was without food; and, thus enfeebled and distressed with hunger, he was attacked by the old serpent, the prince of the power of the air, who had permission to try every artifice to carry him from pinacle to mountain, and exhibit all those scenes to his senses, which he judged most likely to seduce him into sin. But this second man was found invincible, and easily vanquished all temptations. Our Saviour's subjection was also tried by the last enemy—an enemy which Adam, in all his probation, had he kept his innocence, never would have seen. He was obedi ent unto death, even the death of the cross. In his agony, from the extremity of which we must conclude he had something far more dismaying in prospect than any other martyr ever endured, when he kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; he added, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

Now by such obedience, of so divine a person-by his patient continuance in well doing, amidst all possible provocations and temptations to the contrary, from earth and hell-by his perfect conformity and ready resignation to the holy will of his heavenly Father, through all the arduous work, and agonizing conflicts to which he was called-an opportunity was given for the Supreme Governor of the world, to encourage virtue, and to glorify himself as the lover and rewarder of righteousness, in the most illustrious manner possible. For here was an instance-a course of obedience and virtue, the most tried-the most perfectthe most exalted, that ever was, or could be exhibited, in the whole creation of God.

And no less fully answered was the end of the threatening and curse of the law, by our Saviour's suf

ferings. It was by the Father's appointment, though by his own most free consent, that he was made a curse in the room of guilty men. He was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was delivered by the determinate counsel, as well as fore-knowledge of God, when he was taken, and by wicked hands, crucified and slain. Both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the rulers and people of the Jews, did against him, only what God's hand and his counsels determined before to be done. The hand of the Supreme Judge of all the earth, was particularly concerned in this surprising event. It was designed to be considered as an act of divine judgment, notwithstanding the wickedness of the instruments, and the innocence of the sufferer. For thus it was written, "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man, that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts: Smite the Shepherd," &c.

Now by laying such amazing sufferings on his dearly beloved Son-by its pleasing the Lord thus to bruise him, and put him to grief, the divine vindictive justice was more awfully, as well as more amiably manifested, than ever it could have been by the punishment of sinners themselves, to all eternity.-It was more awfully manifested. The apostle, Romans i. 17, 18. having spoken of the gospel as the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, assigns the following reason: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:-For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 1 of men. His meaning I conceive is this; that there is a clearer discovery of the holiness and justice of God, to hate and punish all sin, in Christ crucified, than in any former revelation. And undoubtedly this is true. Not all the curses of the law, amidst the thunders and lightenings of mount Sinai-nor even

the execution of those curses in the unquenchable flames of hell, gave, or can ever give, equal evidence of the righteousness or wrath of God, as the amazing scenes exhibted in Gethsemane, and on mount Calvary. Nothing could ever make the law appear so steadfast, or afford such full ground of faith that every transgression shall receive a just recompence of reward, as the bloody sweat-the deserted exclamation-the expiring agonies, of our Divine Saviour.

This exhibition of vindictive justice, it ought particularly to be observed, was finished and compleat. In this way an end was made of sin; that is, of its adequate and threatened punishment. We may naturally understand this as a principal thing implied in those memorable words of Christ, when he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, It is finished.-Had only the letter of the law taken place, never could the execution of divine justice been compleat. The wrath to come

would forever have remained. Nor could it ever have appeared by any thing actually done, that God determined to inflict sufferings for sin, in any respect, absolutely infinite. The death of Christ is the only fact which ascertains this, or could ever ascertain it.

And as the awfulness, so the amiableness of vindictive justice, is in this way most gloriously evinced.— That this attribute of the Supreme Being is at an infinite remove from malevolence-that he doth not punish from unkindness, or from any delight in tormenting, is what we are often taught, and what it is of great importance we should ever firmly believe. But in no instance is this so unquestionably manifest, as when the sufferings deserved by the iniquities of us all, were laid on Christ. Had only rebel creaturesthe personal enemies of God, suffered the dreadful effects of his righteous displeasure, it would not have

been so clear, that in his fierce wrath there was nothing cruel-nothing akin to the sweetness of human revenge. But when the same sword is commanded to awake against the man that is his fellow-when his only begotten Son is the victim of his holy indignation, against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of man, we must needs be convinced that want of benevolence can have no influence. Christ was certainly dear to to the Father-infinitely dear, even when he forsook him, and laid such insupportable sorrows upon him. He was the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person; and he had done nothing to offend him, but was then doing that which infinitely engaged his most endeared affection. Yet when, out of obedi ence to the Father's will, and tenderest feelings for his injured honour, he had undertaken to be answerable for the offences of fallen man, not one drop of the new cessary bitter cup was permitted to pass from him. Judgment was laid to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, in as rigorous and unrelenting a manner, as if he had actually been the most odious criminal in all the universe. By this it appears, with the highest possible evidence, not only that there is no respect of persons with God, but also that his inflicting the severest pains and penalties for sin, argues no want of in finite tenderness towards the sufferers. That it is owing only to a just regard to his own glory, and the general good.

Thus is Christ the end, and more than the end of the law for righteousness. The end of the probationary obedience required of man, is more than answered by his obedience; and the end of the curse denounced on fallen man, is more than answered by his being made a curse. We may now proceed,