whom the earth and its fulness belong, yet deftitute of house and hold: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nefis, &c. 2d Mystery wrapt up in this engagement, is, that here we may fee the glorious lawgiver, whofe will is a law to men and angels, fubjecting himself to his own law, and that in the ftead of rebels, that hath violated his law, and contemned his authority; for he was made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. 3d Mystery here to be seen is, that which might make us fall afwoon with wonder and amazement, that the bleffed God fhould in a manner become a curfed finner, that curfed finners might be bleffed in him: Behold the ever bleffed God becoming a curfe, Gal. iii. 13. And to be made a curfe, is a ftronger word yet than curfed. Behold the ever holy God becoming fin, 2 Cor. v. laft; and to be made fin, is a stronger word yet, than to be a finner. He became a finner by imputation, even he who knew no fin, that we might be the righteousness of God in him. He put his name in our blood, and wrote down himfelf the finner, that our names might be put in his bond, and we might be righteous through his righteousness. But for the bleffed God to become a curfe, and the holy God to become fin, is more than if all the angels in heaven fhould become devils. Is there not fomewhat fingular here? 4th Mystery wrapt up in this engagement, is, that here we fee the creditor becoming furety for the debtor, and paying the debt that was owing to himself. The eternal Son of God was as much injured by our fin as the Father was, and yet he engaged to come and fatisfy his own juftice. 5th Mystery here involved, is, in this engagement we may fee the judge judge of all the earth brought under condemnation; condemned by his own Father, whom he never offended; condemned by the law, which he never broke; condemned by finners whom he came to fave from condemnation; condemned to death, tho' he be the Lord of life, and hath the keys of hell and death in his hand, and at his girdle, 6th Mystery to be feen in this engagement, is, that here we may obferve justice raging against the innocent, and abfolving the guilty, and yet without any iniquity or injuftice: a God of love, and a compaffionate Father, forgetting as it were, his bowels towards his only Son, and taking pleasure in his death; for it pleased the Lord to bruise him; and yet receiving these into his arms and bofom, who had violated his law, and contemned his authority, and grieved his fpirit. And by this means, here we fee the righteoufnefs of the law fulfilled in these that had broken the law, and never obeyed one of its precepts. Here we may fee the poor guilty finner, that stands condemned by the law, condemned by justice, condemned by confcience, yet put in cafe to challenge the whole world to lay any thing to his charge, Rom. viii. 33. By this means alfo we see the debt paid and yet pardoned, the guilt of the finner punished and yet forgiven. In a word, there was this fingular in it, that he engaged to bring the greatest good out of the greateft evil. Sin is the greatest of all evils, and that whereby, of any thing in all the world, God is most difhonoured ; and yet there is nothing by which God brings greater glory to himfelf than by the fall of man: Upon these ruins mercy fhall be built up for ever, fays God and mercy magnified to the highest in a way wherein justice is fatisfied to the utmost utmoft: Sin being condemned by a facrifice, life bought by a death, and the gates of heaven opened by a crofs. The myfteries contained in this engagement fhew it to be fingular: And thus the matter of the engagement difcovers the fingularity of the fact. 2. Confider the manner of it, and here the fingularity thereof will further appear: How did he engage? (1.) He engaged alone; there was none that would or could engage to do this, but he. Ifa. Ixiii. 3. I have trod the wine-prefs ALONE, and of the people there was none with me; among all the creatures of God, there was none to take part with him in treading the wine-prefs of the Father's wrath. He faw that there was no man, and wondred that there was no interceffor; therefore his own arm brought falvation, and his righteousness it fuftained him, Ifa. lix. 16. (2.) He engaged fully, to do all, to fuffer all, to purchafe all, to apply all, and to be all in all; he engaged not only to do, but to fuffer, 1 Pet. iii. 18. Chrift hath once fuffered for fin, the juft for the unjust, that he might bring us to God; not only to fuffer, but to die, and to die for enemies, rebels, and traitors, fuch as were given him of the Father; and not only to die, but to continue for a time under the power of death, tho' he was life itself, and could in an inftant of time have rifen up from the grave that he was laid into. (3.) He engaged freely; his Father's caufing him to approach, did not hinder the freedom of his engagement; for, as God, be and his Father are one, and have but one divine will; and, as man, his will is fweetly fubject to the divine will. He engaged fo freely, that there was nothing in us that could move him but mifery; there was none of us that could defire him to do it; he go he engaged before we had a being: There was none in heaven or earth that could compel him to it: it and there was nothing that he had to expect from us for his pains, we could never reward him for his work: And all that we fhould do to eternity, is only, thro' his grace, to blefs him for what he hath done. (4.) He engaged firmly, and that both in point of conftancy and courage. In point of courage, he engaged in the work couragioufly, tho' he had juftice, and wrath, and hell, and heaven, and all against him, yea, and poor man alfo, for whom he engaged; yet how couragiously did he thro' with his work, fo firmly, as not to be moved with difcouragements? He went and fet his face. up to Jerufalem, where he was to be crucified; and you fee wherewith he encouraged himself, Pfal. xvi. 8. compared with Acts ii. 25. Because the Lord is at my right hand, I fhall not be moved; God's band was upon the man of his right hand; upon the Son of man whom he made ftrong for himfelf; and therefore the right hand of the Lord did valiantly, the right hand of the Lord was exalted, the right hand of the Lord did valiantly. He engaged firmly as in point of courage, fo in point of conftancy; he never took his word again, but ftood to the bargain: Neither fear of the wrath of his Father, nor fenfe of the unworthiness of the finner, nor yet the frequent falls and relapfes of his people, could make him alter; he forefaw all their relapfes into fin, and into the fame fins, yet could it not move him to break the bargain; therefore, Return ye backfliding children, I will heal your backflidings, Jer. iii. 22. yea, I will heal your backfliding, and love you freely, Hof. xiv. 4. Your inconftancy, might he fay, fhall not make me inconftant too; he he hates putting away, and continues in his love. (5.) He engaged timeoufly and fpeedily; he did not linger, for the matter could not admit of a delay: When our neck was on the block, and the ax of divine judgment coming down, as it were, to give the fatal stroke, he cries fpeedily, Hold, hold thy hand. What, might God fay, will you come and be a facrifice in their ftead? No fooner is the motion made to him, than presently he was on fire of love to be thus employed and substituted in our stead as a facrifice, Lo I come; he speaks like one ready to run. When the plague was begun, Mofes commands Aaron to go quickly into the congregation to make an atonement, Num, xvi. 46. The fentence of divine wrath, which is a terrible plague, was gone out; and therefore Chrift does speedily engage to make the atonement. And fo, (6.) He engaged beartily, he engaged his heart to approach unto God. This being the main particular, with refpect to the manner of the fact, or that branch of the fingularity of it, exprefly mentioned in the text; therefore let us efpecially take notice of this, He engaged his heart to approach. He engaged his heart, that is, not only did he engage for his foul, as fome understand it, that his foul fhould be an offering for fin, but also, be engaged his heart, that is, he engaged willingly; and fo it was with the greatest franknefs: Lo I come, Father; thy will is my will. He engaged his heart, that is, he engaged cordially, cheerfully and affectionately; I delight to do thy will, O my God! We never read that Chrift had a fad heart to quit for a while that joy and pleasure that he had in heaven; Why, what was the matter? You fee it, Prov. viii. 31. he had fo much pleasure and fatisfaction in the work he had |