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liness never had such a trial as it bad then; and therefore never had so great a manifestation. When it was tried in this furnace, it came forth as gold, or as silver purified seven times. His boliness then above all appeared in his steadfast pursuit of the honor of God, and his obedience to him; for his yielding himself unto death was transcendently the greatest act of obedience that ever was paid to God by any one since the foundation of the world.
And yet then Christ was in the greatest degree treated as a wicked person. He was apprehended and bound as a malefactor. His accusers represented him as a most wicked wretch. In his sufferings before his crucifixion, he was treated as if he had been the worst and vilest of mankind; and then be was put to a kind of death, that none but the worst sort of malefactors were wont to suffer, those that were met abject in their persons, and guilty of the blackest crimes. And he suffered as though guilty from God himself, by reason of our guilt imputed to him; for he was made sin for us, who knew no sin; he was made subject to wrath, as if he had been sinful himself: he was made a curse for us.
Christ never so greatly manifested his hatred of sin, as against God, as in his dying to take away the dishonor that sin had done to God; and yet never was he to such a degree subject to the terrible effects of God's hatred to sin, and wrath against it, as he was then. In this appears those diverse excellencies meeting in Christ, viz., love to God, and grace to sinners.
5. He never was so dealt with as unworthy as in his last sufferings, and yet it is chiefly on account of them that he is accounted worthy. He was therein dealt with as if he had not been worthy to live: they cry out, "Away with him Away with him! Crucify him," John xiv. 15. And they prefer Barabbas before him. And he suffered from the Father, as one whose demerits were infinite, by reason of our demerits that were laid upon him. And yet it was especially by that act of his, subjecting himself to those sufferings, that he merited, and on the account of which chiefly he was accounted worthy of his exaltation: Philip. ii. 8, 9, "He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death; wherefore God hath highly exalted him." And we see that it is on this account chiefly that he is extolled as worthy by saints and angels in the context: Worthy," say they, "is the Lamb that was slain." This shows an admirable conjunction in him of infinite dignity, and infinite condescension and love to the infinitely unworthy.
6. Christ in his last sufferings suffered most extremely from those that he was then in his greatest act of love to. He never suffered so much from his Father (though not from any hatred to him, but from hatred to our sins), for he then forsook him (as Christ on the cross expresses it), or took away the comforts of his presence; and then " it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and put him to grief," as Isaiah liii. 10; yet he never gave so great a manifestation of love to God as then, as has been already observed. So Christ never suffered so much from the hands of men as he did then; yet never was so high an exercise of love to men He never was so ill treated by his disciples; who were so unconcerned about his sufferings, that they would not watch with him one hour, in his agony; and when he was apprehended, all forsook him and fled, except Peter, who denied him with oaths and curses. And yet then he was suffering, shedding his blood, and pouring out his soul unto death for them. Yea, he probably was then shed- ding his blood for some of them that shed his blood: he was dying for some that killed him; whom he prayed for while they were crucifying him; and were probably afterwards brought home to Christ by Peter's preaching. Compare Luke xxiii. 34, Acts ii. 23, 36, 37, 41, and chapter iii. 17, and chapter iv. 4, This shows an admirable meeting of justice and grace in the redemption of Christ.