miliation; his coming many miles on foot, from Galilee to Jordan, to John to be baptized of him, is a proof of it.

II. Immediately after his baptism, Christ was harrassed with the temptations of Satan; which was another branch of his humiliation and low estate he came into; for he suffered being tempted; and he was tempted in all points like as we are, Heb. ii. 18. and iv. 15. The first temptation was by putting an if upon the Sonship of Christ; If thou be the Son of God; though there could be no doubt made of this, since a testimony of it from heaven had just been given; and the devils themselves have acknowledged it, Luke, iv. 41. Thus the children of God are sometimes tempted to call in question their sonship, because of inward corruptions and outward affictions. The second temptation was, after he suffered him to take him to the city of Jerusalem, and place him on the pinnacle of the temple, to cast himself down from thence; in order to give proof of his divine Sonship, in a public manner, before the inhabitants of Jerusalem; by which he might suggest it would gain him great credit and esteem. In like manner the children of God are often tempted by Satan to destroy .. themselves; which shews the similarity between Christ's temptations and theirs. The third temptation was, after the devil had taken Christ by his permission, to an exceeding high mountain, and had shewed him, by a diabolical and false representation of things to the sight, all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; alluring him with a promise of these to fall down and worship him: but yet he got the victory over them all. v. Christ's humiliation ap peared in the reproaches, indignities, and persecutions he endured from men. Sometimes his enemies upbraided him with the meanness of his decent; with his illiberal education, and the illiterateness of his followers: sometimes they attacked his moral character, and affirmed they knew him to be a sinner. They not only rejected him as the Messiah; but sought to take away his life; sometimes by having him to the brow of an hill, to cast him down headlong; and at other

times they took up stones to stone him. VI. There was a very great degree of meanness and poverty which appeared throughout the whole life of Christ, both private and public, 2 Cor. viii. 9. He, who was Lord of all became poor, to make us beggars rich; the foxes, and the birds of the air, enjoyed more than he did, Matt. viii. 20. He lived upon the contributions of some good women, Luke, viii. 2, 3. When the collectors of the tribute came to him for the tribute-money, he had none to pay them, but ordered Peter to take up a fish, and out of that a piece of money, Matt. xviii. 24-27. At his death he had nothing to leave to his mother for her support. Nor had he any tomb of his own, but was laid in one belonging to another. VII. Upon the whole, it clearly appears that Christ indeed bumbled himself, and made himself of no reputa tion, as in Phil. ii. 7, 8. or emptied himself.

OF THE ACTIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST IN HIS STATE OF HUMILIATION.

THE humiliation of Christ may be seen in his obedience to God, through the whole course of his life, even unto death; in order to which,

I. He took upon him the form of a servant, and really became one; he appeared very diligent and constant ; nor did he leave working till he had completed the whole, justly did he obtain the character of God's righteous Servant, Isai. xi. 5.

II. When Christ took upon him the form of a Servant, he was subject to the law of God: hence these two things are joined together, as having a close connection with each other; Made of a woman ; made under the law, Gal. iv. 4. 1. Christ was made under the judicial, or civil law of the Jews; he was by birth a Jew, and is called one, Zech. viii. 23. to this law he submitted,-1. That it might appear he was of the nation of the Jews. 2. That it might be manifest that he came before the Jewish polity was at en end; as it was foretold he should, 3. To teach his followers subjection to civil magistrates. 11. Christ was made under the ceremonial law, he was cir

cumcised when eight days old, it was his custom constantly to attend synagogue-worship; and it was one of the last actions of his life, to keep the passover with his disciples. Now he became subject to this law. 1. Because it looked to him, and centred in him. 2. He was made under this law, in order to fulfil it. 3. He was made under it, that by fulfilling it he might abolish it. III. Christ was made under the moral law; under this he was as a man; thy law is within my heart, Psal. xl. 7, 8. 1. He was made under it, in order to fulfil the precepts of it; and which he perfectly obeyed. 2. He submit. ted to the penal part of the law; Christ therefore as the substitute of his people, became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. 3. All this he became and did, to fulfil the law in their room.

III. Christ taking upon him the form of a servant, was obedient throughout the whole course of his life. 1. There is the obedience of Christ to men: to his earthly parents; particularly to his mother; to civil magistrates, he is called, the Servant of rulers, Isai. xlix. 7. 11. There is the obedience of Christ to God; there are many things in which Christ was obedient to God, which do not come into the account of his obedience for the justification of men; as, 1. The miraculous actions which were performed by him: these were done to prove his proper Deity, and his being the true Messiah; yet are no part of that obedience by which men are made righteous. 2. His obedience in the ministration of the gospel. 3. His obedience to the ceremonial law, which he was under, as has been shewn; and to which he yielded obedience; of which many instances have been given, but this is no part of our justifying righteousness; for the greater number of those that are made righteous by Christ's obedience, were never under this law; and so under no obligation to yield obedience to it. But, 4. It is Christ's obedience to the moral law, and is what all men are subject to, and for lack of which obedience, Christ has yielded a perfect one, concerning which may be observed. 1. The qualifications and capacity of Christ to yield

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perfect obedience to the law.-1. His assumption of human nature. 2. He was made under the law, for this purpose. 3. He had a pure and holy nature, quite conformable to the holy law of God. 4. Was possessed of a power of free-will to that which is holy, just, and good, agreeable to the law of God. 5. He had a natural love to righteousness, and an hatred of sin, Psal. xlv. 7. 11. His actual performance of it; the moral law con sists of two tables, and both have been exactly observed and obeyed by Christ. 1. The first table of the law; which includes -1. Love to God. 2. Faith and trust in God. 3. The whole worship of God. 4. Honour and reverence of the name of God. 5. Sanctification of the sabbath. 11. The second table of the law; which includes,-1. Honouring of parents, 2. Love to our neighbour as one's self. 3. Doing all good to men 4. As all malice, impurity, and evil concupiscence, are forbid in this table of the law; none of these appeared in Christ; no, not the least shadow of them so that the law, in both its tables, was precisely obeyed by him. III. The obedience which Christ yielded to the law, has these peculiar excellencies in it.1. It was voluntary, Heb. x. 7. 2. It is perfect, 3. It excels the obedience of men and angels. 4. It was wrought out in the room of his people. 5. It is the measure and matter of the justification of them that believe in him, Rom. v. 19. 6. It is an obedience well-pleasing in the sight

of God.

OF THE PASSIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST.

As Christ had received a commandment from his Father to lay down his life, as well as to take it up again; he readily and voluntarily obeyed that commandment; and this is what is sometimes called his passive obedience.

I. I shall observe what the sufferings of Christ were which he endured. They were foretold by the prophets; and the apostles said no other things than what Moses and the prophets say, that Christ should suffer, &c. Acts xxvi. 22, 23. The twenty-second Psalm, and fifty-third of Isaiah, and ninth of

did

Daniel, are illustrious prophecies of his sufferings, and which have had their exact accomplishment. 1. The things preparatory to his death, and which led on to it, and issued in it were, 1. The conspiracy of the chief priests and elders to take away his life, Matt. xxvi. 3, 4. 2. The offer of Judas Iscariot to them, to betray him into their hands. 3. After Christ had eat his last passover with his disciples, he went into a garden, and prayed that, if possible, the cup might pass from him; and the agony he was in was so great, and the pressure on his mind so heavy, and so much affected his body, that his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling to the ground, Matt. xxvi. 38, 39. 4. Judas knowing the place where Christ resorted to, and where he now was, came with a band of soldiers, and with a kiss he betrayed him to them; who laid hold on him, bound him as a malefactor, and had him to Caiaphas the high priest. 5. In whose palace he endured much: some spat in his face, and buffetted him, and others smote him with the palms of their hands. 6. Still more he endured in the hall of Pilate the Roman governor. He was accused of sedition, he was scourged, and was delivered to the Roman soldiers, who used him extremely ill; who platted a crown of thorns, and put it upon his head, put a reed in his right hand, and on him a soldier's coat, as fit apparel for a king; and then when they had sated themselves with sport, led him forth to be crucified which leads me to consider, 11. The death itself he died. He was obedient to the death of the cross. This kind of death was a shameful one, a servile one, and a painful and cruel one, as the thing itself speaks; to have the whole body stretched to the uttermost; the hands and feet, those sensible parts of it, pierced; and to have the weight of the body depending on them! it was so cruel, that the most humane among the Romans, wished to have it disused, even to servants; and the more mild and gentle of the emperors would order persons to be strangled before they were nailed to the cross: it was also reckoned an accursed death.

There were several circumstances which attended the death of Christ, which made it more ignominious and distressing ;