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O this unspeakable Depth which we can never think upon, without Aftonishment and Wonder; precious in God's Sight is the Death of his Saints, how much more the Death of his beloved Son! Ah is it nothing to you all ye that pass by, behold and fee if there be any Sorrow like unto my Sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath Afflicted me in the Day of his fierce Anger.

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However many good Men have been exercised with great Sufferings, and feveral kinds of cruel Deaths; fome have been Tortured, and others had Trial of cruel Mockings and Scourgings, yea, Moreover of Bonds and Imprifonments, they were ftoned, they were fawn afunder, were tempted, were flain with the Sword, they wandred about in Sheeps Skins and Goats Skins, being Deftitute, Afflicted and Tormented, yet thefe fuffered only in a private Capacity, or for a great Example of Conftancy in 2 Cor. their Profeffion, and were mightily comforted with the 3. 4, 5. Confolations of God; Therefore fays the Apostle, Bleffed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of Mercies, and the God of all Comfort, who comforted us in all our Tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any Trouble, by the Comfort wherewith we our felves are comforted of God, For as the Sufferings of Chrift abound in us, fo our Confolation alfo aboundeth by Chrift,but our bleffed Saviour fuffering as a publick Perfon in our Stead, and for the Expiation of our Sins, was on that very Account, deftitute of many Confolations and Spiritual Gaieties which fupported the Saints in their Sufferings, and fometimes kept them from all Senfe of Pain; But it was not fo with our bleffed Saviour who fuffered in all the Powers of his Soul, and in all the Senfes of his Body.

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Go forth O Daughter of Zion, behold King Jefus with the Crown wherewith his Mother (the Jewish

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Synagogue) had Crowned him in the Day of his Sufferings, and in the Day that he was Enthroned upon the Crofs. Go forth likewife, O my Soul, and behold thy Saviour ftript of his Raiment, ftretched all along upon this Tree, and heaved up with fuch Violence, that his bleffed Body and Bones were all disjointed, not having where to lay his Head but on this thorny Pillow of the Crofs, as it is written, I am poured out like Water, and Pfalm all my Bones are out of joint: my Heart is like Wax, it is melted in the midst of my Bowels. Behold thy King Crowned with Thorns, his Side pierced with a Spear, and his Hands and Feet bored through with Nails, having the Infcription written over his Head, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

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Ecce Behold the Man, O my Soul, a Man of Sorrows and homo. acquainted with Grief,fuffering as a Guilty Perfon before the World, and numbred among Tranfgreffors, made a publick Spectacle, a Shame and Curfe for our Sins, as it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a Tree.

Behold his fad Countenance, his pale Cheeks and dying Looks, behold his Visage fo marred more than any Man,and his Form more than the Son's of Men,that from the Foot even to the Head, from his Body to his Soul there is no Soundness in him, but Wounds and Bruifes, and unspeakable Sorrows.

And is it poffible if we confider these grievous Sufferings, and fet his Crofs continually before our Eyes, that we can be at any Time Vain or Triffling, Proud of Covetous, Cruel or Luftful, but that we fhould learn of him to be serious and felf denyed, humble and patient, meek and charitable, and to walk mournfully before the Lord all the Days of our Life?

O that my Head were Waters, and my Eyes a Foun tain of Tears,that I might weep Day and Night; for the

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Breath of our Noftrils the Anointed of the Lord whom they have taken in their Pits, and by wicked Hands have crucified and flain; Thus the Meffias was cut off, but not for himself, or his own Guilt, for he did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth; but for our fakes to make Reconciliation for our Iniquities.Therefore in the next Place, let us fadly Remember, that our Sins were the Caufe of all his Sufferings; for the Violation I's Law, and the Contempt of his Authority was 10 great, that to repair the fame, and to reduce Man to his former Obedience, fome exemplary Satisfaction was Neceffary, which could not be well done by all the bloody Sacrifices under the Law, which were of little or no Value without this voluntary Sacrifice and fhedding of Chrift's Blood upon the Crofs for our Sins, having Power to lay down his Life, and take it up again, Wherefore when he cometh intothe World, he faith, Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldeft not, but a Body hast thou prepared me : In burnt Offerings and Sacrifices for Sin thou hast had по Pleafure: Then faid I, Lo, I come in the Volume of the Book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. He was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, and bruised for our Iniquities: All we like loft Sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own Way, and the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquities of us all. Our Iniquities rufhed him like the violent rufhing of many Waters, as it is written, Deep calleth unto Deep, at the noife of many WaterSpouts, all thy Waves and thy Billows are gone over me; And again, He gave his Life a Ransom for many fays one Scripture, and for all fays another. And again, He gave himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling Savour, which was both 2 & 6th, an Attonement for our Sins,and a Type of our Mortification Eph. 5. in crucifying our Sins, and feeling all the Pains and Pangs af the New Birth, until Chrift be formed in us, and we be 6.7.

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Transformed by the renewing of our Minds into all the Paffages of his Life and Death, Refurrection and Afcenfion; Knowing this, That our old Man is crucified with Chrift, that the Body of Sin might be deftroyed, that henceforth we Should not ferve Six, for he that is Dead is freed from Sin, and hath no more Trading with Sin than the Living hath with the Dead. And again, they that are Chrift's have crucified the Flesh with the Paffions and Lufts thereof, which the Apoftle Teftifies of himself, faying, I am crucified with Christ.

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Thus our bleffed Saviour as our Kinfman had Right to Redeem us, and as our Surety to Pay the Value of our Debts, as he hath faid, I have laid Help upon one that is mighty to fave, I have exalted one chofen out of the People, that he might fay again unto the Father in our Behalf, as St. Paul wrote to Philemon concerning Onefimus, If he bath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine Account; For as the fame Apoftle argues elfewhere, If by one Man's Offence Death reigned by one, much more they that receive Abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteousness ball Reign in Life by one fefus Chrift; Therefore as by the Offence of one, Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation, even fo by the Righteoufness of one, the free Gift came upon all Men unto fuftification of Life, for as by one Man's Difobedience many were made Sinners, lo by the Obedience of one who was obedient unto Death,. even the Death of the Cross, shall many be made Righteous. He that knew no Sin was made Sin for us, he was accused, condemned and executed as a Sinner for

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However Chrift's Death,as it was unjustly inflicted by his Cruel Enemies the Jews, was fo far from pleafing God that Wrath is come upon them to the uttermoft for the fame, as they justly deferved and imprecated, faying, His Blood be on us and on our Children, there

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fore they are Rooted out of their own Land from being a Nation, fcattered Abroad all the World over, and made publick Monuments of the Divine Vengeance and Pfal. Juftice, to perpetuate the Memory of Chrift's Death, 59. 11. whom their Fathers had flain and crucified. Yet when the Father beheld his well-beloved Son fuffering fo willingly to Redeem Mankind, and to Seal thefe Truths (which he had Taught) with his Blood, he would not, he could not but grant him whatfoever he fhould ask in. Our Behalf, as he faid, Thou art my Son, ask of me, and I fball give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance, and the outermoft Parts of the Earth for thy Poffeffion.

He is the Propitiation for our Sins, and not for ours only, but alfo for the Sins of the whole World, as the Light of the Sun is fufficient to enlighten all the Men in the World, that will but open their Eyes and behold the fame; So are the Sufferings of Chrift fufficient to

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fave all penitent Sinners that believe in his Name : Jo. 1o. Therefore doth my Father Love me, because I lay down my Life, that I might take it again. No Man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my felf: I have Power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This Command. ment have I received of my Father. Now the Lord is Gracious to all penitent Sinners, and delivers them from going down to the Pit, because he hath found a Ranfom for them, a Ranfom that was freely offered by Chrift without our deferving, and as freely accepted of the Father, who of his abundant Grace was pleased to of another's Punishment in our Stead; Therefore we are faid to be juftified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jefus Chrift.

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O matchless Love whereat Saints and Angels ftand amazed to fee the Son of God fuffer for the Sons of Men; Suppose our deareft Friend, one of unspotted Innocency and Goodnefs, who had a paffionate Kind

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