NOW this will always bear some proportion to the sense you have of the evil He has delivered you from, and the blessing He has by His death procured for you.

Consider, therefore, yourself as a poor, sinful, lost, undone creature, without a Redeemer. Consider what the Redeemer has done for you: what He did, and what He suffered, when He took upon Himself to answer for the sins of men.

Consider that He was the Son of God; that He had done no wrong, neither was guile found in His mouth; notwithstanding this, being to answer for sinners, He was treated and punished as a sinner deserves to be: He was despised! [359] set at nought! persecuted and rejected by His own people, whom He came to redeem!

He was betrayed by His own disciple; falsely accused; unrighteously condemned; unmercifully scourged; had a murdered preferred before Him; was crucified as a malefactor: and in the very midst of His torments, was most inhumanely reviled!

Consider the reason of all this. It was not only to satisfy the justice of God for the sins of men, and procure their pardon upon their repentance and future obedience; but also to shew mankind what treatment sin and sinners, who have rebelled against their maker, do deserve; and to teach us, when God orders or permits us sinners to undergo such indignations and afflictions in this our state of trial, that we ought to take up our cross patiently as our Redeemer did; and be content, and even pleased to fulfil the will of God, in following His example in His sufferings in this life, that we may be partakers of His glory in the next.

In the next place, consider the blessing which Jesus Christ hath by His death obtained for us. He hath delivered us from the great power which the devil had over mankind, by procuring us grace to resist and overcome him. He hath prevailed with Gid to overlook the untowardness of our nature; to pardon our great offences, upon our true repentance; and being by His death reconciled to God, we have, for His sake, free liberty to apply to Him, as children to a father, for what we stand in need of.

He has also obtained for us the assistance of an Almighty Spirit, to enable us to know, and to do, what is necessary to fit us for Heaven and happiness; and He has prevailed with God, that these shall be our certain portion, if we are not wanting to ourselves. In one word; Jesus Christ has entirely freed us from all fears of what may come hereafter, if it is not purely our own fault. The most unlearned Christian may know what is required of him; the greatest sinner may depend upon pardon on his repentance; the weakest Christian may depend [h] upon necessary assistance: and the meanest Christian is sure not to be overlooked.

By all which you may perceive what thanks you owe to [360] God for your great and good Redeemer, and for what He has done and suffered for you; which you will do well to express in some such manner as this:

GIVE me leave, O God, to mention before Thee the death of Thy Son, and the infinite blessing I have received thereby: add this to all Thy favours, I beseech Thee, that I may never forget these mercies; never forget to be thankful for them; but that I may preserve the remembrance of them in the manner which He hath ordained. I thank Thee, O God, for that word, in which Thou hast caused these Thy mercies, and His example, to be recorded. Make me truly sensible of that love which brought Him down from Heaven; and how sad our condition was, which required such a sacrifice. May I learn by His patience, humility, self-denial, and resignation, what virtues are most acceptable to Thy Divine Majesty! And may I take Him for my Lord and Master, and Teacher, and Example; and dedicate myself to Thee, and to Thy service, for His sake! Amen.

[g] this is

[h] rely upon all

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