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actually gone through as great bodily sufferings, as Christ endured from the hands of men, not merely without amazement, terror or distress of mind, but with unshaken fortitude, exul

evident, then, that Christ did suffer those evils, which are the effect, which proceeded from and were expressive of the wrath of God. And in this sense it may, with propriety, be said, that he suffered the wrath of God.tation and triumph. But in the Again,

3. It appears difficult, if not impossible, to account for the manner in which Christ was affected, without admitting that he had an enlarged view, and an extremely painful sense of the wrath of God against the sins of men, for which he suffered.

passages now recited, we find words made use of, relative to the state of Christ's human soul in the near prospect of his sufferings, naturally expressive of great amazement and astonishment, and the most extreme anguish. From his own declaration we learn, that his soul was pressed with sorrow unto death

a mortal, a deadly sorrow, which would issue in his death. We find, that although an angel was sent from heaven to strengthen him, yet the agony

to force his blood through the pores of his body in such large quantities, that in great drops, it fell down to the ground. We find that these things took place, before his bodily sufferings from the hands of men began, and even before he was appre

In the near prospect of his sufferings, we are told, "He began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy"-ixtaubetudas & adviv.-to be greatly astonished or afrighted, as one that is thunderstruck, and extremely dis-of his mind was so extreme, as tressed. He therefore said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death"-Hegionos èws Davaloõ. The distress and anguish of his soul was like the agonies of death, and such as would issue in it, such as would kill him. Mark xiv. 33, 34. After thus declaring his mortal sorrow, he with-hended and taken into custody drew a small distance from his by his enemies. Now is it posdisciples, and prayed his Father, sible to account for the unparthough with perfect resignation, alleled sufferings and agony to remove that cup from him. of Christ's soul, without admitWhereupon, as we are inform-ting the influence of some exed by Luke, "There appeared traordinary and peculiarly pow an angel unto him from heaven, erful cause? The view and prosstrengthening him. And being pect of the bodily pains and in an agony, he prayed more ear-death, which he was about to nestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." So great was the agony, the distress and anguish of his soul, that his blood was pressed through the pores of his body.

undergo, do not appear to be a cause sufficient for the production of such amazement and extreme distress and anguish of soul: because mere men have endured not only the near prospect, but even the reality, of as Many Christian martyrs have great corporeal or bodily suffernot only expected, but, so far asings, without any such-like concould be visible to men, have sternation and distress of mind

-without such sorrow in their bare thought, or certain prossouls. How then, can we ac- pect, of being mocked and count for the manner in which scourged and spit upon and cruChrist's soul was affected, and cified by men, could produce that even before his bodily suf- such unparalleled distress and ferings began, without admitting agony, and mortal sorrow, in that God did, in some way or the perfectly holy soul of the other, excite in his human soul Son of God, whilst conscious of a most distressing and overbear- and sensibly enjoying the aping sensation of his great dis- probation and complacency of pleasure and dreadful wrath his Father and his God?-espeagainst sin? If nothing of this cially when it is remembered kind took place, the unparallel- that as great corporeal sufferings ed distress and agony of his have produced no such-like efsoul must be supposed to have fects in the souls of mere men? been the effect of a view of the Such a supposition seems irrareproach and pains and bodily tional.-I am constrained to death, which he was soon to un- think that the unparalleled agony dergo. If he had no distressing of Christ's human soul was sensation of God's wrath against caused by the wrath of Godsin, it seems as though his suf- by such an overbearing sense ferings must have consisted of his dreadful wrath, as по merely in the reproach and mere man ever experienced. bodily pains which he endured, Nor do I see that this is incontogether with such distress of sistent with his being at the mind as these might occasion same instant the object of his or produce. Father's approbation and deTo say, that the dreadful ago-fight, and believing himself to ny of Christ's soul, consisted in be so. For he knew that the or proceeded from his great divine wrath, of which he had anxiety and concern about the such a dreadful sensation, was success and issue of his under-caused, not by any thing which taking, is by no means satisfac- he had done, but, by the sins of tory; as it does not appear men, for whom he gave himself agreeable to the plain account, an offering and a sacrifice. given by the evangelist, of the object of his prayer at that time. His prayer was, that if it were possible, if it were consistent with the will of his Father, that cup might be removed from him. It is evident then, that the cup which the Father had given him to drink, the sufferings to which he delivered him up, were the things which filled his soul with sorrow unto death, and threw him into such an agony as produced that surprising bloody sweat. But can it be reasonably supposed, that the

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To the chief priests, captains and elders, who came to apprehend him, Christ said, "Be ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness"-plainly intimating, that he had not appeared like one afraid of being apprehended and punished for any crime-that he had appeared openly in the temple from day to day, and thereby given them sufficient oppor

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and left him in their power, to mock, to scourge, and to crucify him. He now neglected to interpose and rescue him, though he had forsaken and abandoned him. Nor do I see any inconsistency in the supposition, that God at the same time withheld from his human soul the comfortable and cheering discoveries and manifestations of his special delight in him. Though the Father was with

tunity to have taken him if they had been disposed for it, or had not been restrained by some invisible influence-that the set time for his sufferings had not before come, and therefore they were not permitted to seize upon him; but that the time was now come, and therefore God no longer restrained them, but withheld the restraints they had before been under, and permitted them with the power of darkness, or under the influ-him to help him, so that he ence of that power, to proceed to execute their wicked and cruel designs-that God now left him in their hands.

might successfully finish what he had undertaken; yet he was not with him as a deliverer, to rescue him from his enemies All the preceding part of and prevent his death. In this Christ's life, his enemies had respect he forsook him, accordbeen prevented from executing ing to the import of those words their cruel designs upon him.-long before spoken by David his His heavenly Father had con-type and in his name," My stantly guarded and defended God, my God, why hast thou him. Even when his life was forsaken me? why art thou so sought by Herod in his early far from helping me, and from childhood, by the express order the words of my roaring?" of God, he was carried into Psalm xxii. 1. Egypt. But now the set time for his becoming an offering and a sacrifice being come, instead of being preserved, as before, from the will and power of his enemies, he was by God's determinate counsel delivered into their hands, and left in their power, to mock, to scourge, and to crucify to do what God's hand and counsel had determined before to be done. In this respect he was now forsaken by his God, and continued to be thus forsaken by him, till he expired on the cross. Though his Father was with him, to supported in his human soul such an his human soul under his dread- awful view, such an overbearing ful sufferings, and to enable him and excruciating sensation of to become perfectly obedient the dreadful wrath of God, as even unto death; yet, as a right- no mere creature ever experieous Judge, he delivered him enced. into the hands of his enemies,

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Now since Christ was a divine person, of greater dignity and worth than the whole creation; and since all that he suffered he suffered for the sins of men; it is plain that God by treating him and forsaking him, in the manner above described, manifested and expressed great displeasure and wrath against the sins of mankind. And since these terrible sufferings, which proceeded from, and were expressions and effects of God's wrath, fell upon Christ, it is natural to conclude, that thereby was excit

Some seem to think there is

an inconsistency in supposing, that Christ had any distressing sensation of the wrath of God, since it is certain, that God was always well-pleased with him, and he himself knew, that he was doing the will of God by

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IR, do the scriptures af

dying on the cross. But I do ford any just ground for

the opinion, that Christ is more friendly to the salvation of sin. ners, than God the Father?

R. Rightly viewed, they do not. Yet an idea or feeling of this kind, may probably have been sometimes occasioned, by

not see, that God's impressing on the human soul of Christ a most distressing sense of his dreadful wrath against the sins of men, is any more inconsistent with his perfect love to and delight in him, than his delivering up his body to the excruciating pains of the cross is incon-partial views of what the scrip sistent therewith. But the latter we know he has done, and that too, to manifest his displeasure against sin why then should we make any difficulty in believing the former, especially as it appears otherwise impossible to account for the manner in which he was affected, and the words and expressions which he himself uttered?

tures exhibit, of the different characters or offices which the Father and the Son sustain, and the different parts which they have to act, for the consistent accomplishment of the great bu siness of man's redemption and salvation.

Q. Will you be more explicit, and more particularly explain what you have now suggested?

R. To effect the great and im.

4. If Christ suffered the wrath of God, as explained un-portant object of man's salvation, der the foregoing particulars, in a way consistent with the honthen, if we do not lose sight of or of God and the best good of the infinite dignity, worth and his moral kingdom, the scripimportance of the person of the tures exhibit God in the person sufferer, I think there will be of the Father, as sustaining the no difficulty in conceiving, that character and acting in the propGod's infinite displeasure against er form of God, to assert and sin, and other things in connec- stand for the rights of the Godtion therewith, are as fully man-head-to see to it, that the auifested and rendered as unex-thority of the divine law, and the ceptionably evident, as the punishment of sinners would have made them, in case there had been no atonement. And consequently, the purposes design-condemned, and the divine dised to have been answered by the punishment of sinners, are as effectually answered by the sufferings of Christ; to be sure, in regard to all those who cordi-purposes, as the execution of ally believe in him. the curse on the transgressors

(To be continued.)

honor and energy of the divine government, are properly maintained and fully supported, and sin properly discountenanced and

pleasure against it clearly expressed by some substitute for the penalty of the law, which will as effectually answer these

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though the Father was their enemy, whilst the Son had the most friendly and compassionate feelings towards them, and interposed, by his obedience and sufferings in their stead, to soften the severity of his Father's disposition towards them, to appease his wrath, and procure for them pardon, peace and happiness. And hence, again, some probably think that they are pleased with the character of Christ, and really love him, whilst they feel no delight or satisfaction in God, or are even conscious, that they have no real love to him; but that their hearts are rather inclined to rise against him.

Q. Are not these and suchlike ideas, thoughts and feelings, not only erroneous, but also of hurtful or dangerous tendency?

themselves. The Father is ex-| Son were originally very differhibited as requiring and accept-ently affected towards them-as ing satisfaction or an atonement for sin, made by the sufferings of Christ, and a righteousness wrought by his perfect obedience in our behalf. And God, in the person of the Son, is exhibited as interposing as a Mediator between God and sinful men, to bring about a reconciliation; and for this purpose, as assuming the human nature, taking on him the form of a servant, and appearing in the likeness of men, and obeying and suffering, to make an atonement for our sins, and bring in everlasting righteousness for our justification; and in consequence of his every way sufficient and perfectly acceptable obedience and sacrifice, as exalted in heaven, and appearing in the presence of God as an advocate with the Father, and vested with full powers to complete the redemption and salvation of men, for which he laid a foundation by his obedience unto death. He is therefore pre-wards men with God the Son. sented to view, in the endearing character of a Mediator, Redeemer and Saviour, and of an advocate and intercessor for us, who hath so loved us, as to shed his blood, to lay down his life, for us to give himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. And the Father, as being so well pleased and satisfied with his obedience and sufferings, that in consideration thereof, he freely forgives and saves all those who believe in him. Hence, it is probable, that sinful men, sometimes at least, not duly regarding the whole representation contained in the scriptures, take up an idea, and indulge a feeling, as though the Father and the

R. To me it appears clear that they are so. God the Father has the same good will to

Those, in some sense, different views, which the scriptures exhibit, of the Father and the Son, are owing to the different offices they respectively hold, and the different parts they have to act, in the great affair of man's salvation; and not to any difference of disposition, feeling, or affection, originally, in the Father and the Son, towards sin and sinners. And whilst the Father is exhibited, as supporting the rights of the Godhead, and the honor and authority of the divine law and government, and hating and punishing sin; and the Son, as the compassionate Redeemer and Saviour of sinners, at the amazing expense of his own obedience and blood;

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