of that mass

root of that

And as he

He did not, therefore, suffer for men, as an individual standing out of them, and doing something in their stead, but as one in them, as the head of which they were all partakers, as the tree of which they were all branches. glorified God by his sufferings, and as sin was condemned in His flesh, so it became a righteous thing with God to declare the nature which had undergone this penalty, by which so great glory had been given to him, forgiven. Jesus was the Lamb of God that came into the world to take away the sin of the world; and as he poured out his soul unto death, he said, “it is finished," thereby testifying that sin was taken away. He had "finished transgression, and had made an end of sin, and brought in an everlasting righteousness."

The crucified head was the head of the whole body -the whole flesh; so he was in every part of it, just as the natural head is by its nerves in every part of the body. And thus in every part of the flesh there was that recorded sentence and execution which justified the forgiveness of God.

The divine person of Jesus, pervading the whole of this work, gives it an infinite glory. Not as giving a weight to suffering, but as giving its only true and equal declaration to the love and holiness of God, and to the sinfulness of sin. So that in fact God is only giving its proper glory to love and holiness, when He, through this transaction, proclaims Himself as having reconciled the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. And the sinner who has confidence before God, through the knowledge of this transaction, even in the fullest sense of absolute unworthi

ness, is giving to God a glory that is dear to His heart, because, in that confidence, he avows that the manifestation of love in the gift of Christ, and of holiness in the sufferings of Christ, is enough for the gracious purpose for which God set it forth; because, in that confidence, he gives a demonstration, that man needs only to know God, in order to rejoice in Him, and that he needs only to know God's holiness in order to give thanks at the remembrance of it; and because, in that confidence, he recognises the value of the work of Christ in which God is well pleased, and in which He has revealed His own character as an ever present ground of confidence, and an everflowing fountain of life to the very chiefest sinner of Adam's

race.

There is something very wonderful, to see the same flesh suffering in Jesus, according to the will of God, and sinning in the Jews against the will of God, and to see that the sin should be the direct cause of the suffering, and the suffering the divinely inflicted penalty on the sin by the endurance of which the sin is expiated;—and yet that the sufferer should be without sin, and that his sufferings should be most glorifying to God, whilst the inflictors of the punishment were dishonouring God, and sinning exceedingly against Him. We must see the absolute oneness of the whole flesh before we can rightly enter into this thing.*

We also see in this that the will of God is quite distinct from the purposes which may be accomplished by his controlling power, through the means of human actions. It was against the will of God, that the Jews should murder Jesus; but he accomplished the purposes of His own love through that murder, for it was according to His will that Christ should die "a ransom for all."

There were three things that took place in connexion with the death of Christ, which are recorded, to the end we might believe that sin was indeed forgiven in consequence of this sacrifice. First, the rending of the veil of the temple; indicating that the way into the presence of God, which sin had barred, was now opened. Second, the opening of the graves, and the saints rising; indicating that the prison of the grave was broken, and that death was overcome, and could not keep his hold, which could not have been, unless sin were forgiven-for death was the sentence on sin. The third thing which I mention along with these, occurred before them, but is evidently one with them in meaning. Jesus died that men might have life. Well, was there any man whose life was actually saved by the death of Jesus? Yes, there was one man, and that man was an insurgent, and a murderer, and a robber-that man was Barabbas. He was a prisoner

waiting for execution in Jerusalem at that time, along with many others who had made insurrection with him; his life was saved by Pilate setting Jesus and him up together as the two, out of whom the customary selection for liberation granted to the people as a privilege at the time of the feast, was to be made. Now, why was it that Pilate set up this man as the single alternative of Jesus? It was just because Pilate "sought to release Jesus," knowing his innocence, and knowing that the jealousy of the priests was the true reason of the charge brought against him, and, therefore, he did not give the people a choice of all the prisoners, for so they might have fixed on some less offensive or some less known criminal, but he put Barabbas, a notable leading malefactor, as the single alternative of Jesus, ("whether of

the twain shall I release unto you?") that he might thus shut them in to save Jesus, conceiving doubtless that it was impossible that their feelings or consciences should be so poisoned and deadened as to prefer a man "notable" as a seditious murderous plunderer, to one whose whole life had been a continued action of benevolence, and against whom they could procure no witnesses whose witness agreed. But the people were themselves filled with the spirit of murder, and so they desired the murderer to be released, and they killed the Prince of Life,-murderers themselves, they had pleasure in him who murdered. Thus the life of Barabbas was saved. Had there been a general selection allowed, he never could have been chosen. But he was set up by Pilate as the alternative of Jesus, in order to ensure the release of Jesus. "Whether of the twain shall I release unto you ?" He was the man supposed by Pilate to be the most hated, and the most justly hated individual of the nation. And for this reason he was set up along with Jesus-and thus he was saved. He, the chief of sinners, was saved from death by the death of Jesus. Surely this history has a solemn and important meaning in it, filling out the measure of the sin of the flesh, and, at the same time, typically shadowing forth the all inclusiveness of the forgiveness declared through the Saviour's death. The holiest, it may be said, was laid open for those who would walk into it by the new and living way. The rising of the saints proves nothing with regard to sinners. But here is something for sinners, yea for the chief of sinners. Let this sign be connected with the conversion of the thief on the cross, and they will together illustrate that word, "God is the Saviour of all men, specially of those who believe."

Thus we have in these three things, shadows of the effects produced by the sacrifice of Christ. In the rending of the veil, we have the shadow of the removal of all barriers between God and man. In the rising of the saints, we have the proof that the gripe of death was relaxed, and the shadow of the first resurrection in the coming dispensation. And in the release of Barabbas, we have the shadow of the nonimputation of sin to the chief of sinners, during this present dispensation. By these signs, testimony was borne to the character and completeness of the work of Christ, by Him whose mind, that work declared-even by God," who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth; for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man-the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 1 Tim. ii. 4. "And his

blood cleanseth from all sin." 1 John i. 7. "And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new covenant, that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Heb. ix. 15.

But the great proof that Christ's death has indeed put away sin, is his own resurrection. The grave is God's prison. Into that prison he was put as our Head and representative.

We pass a prison and see a man put in by an officer. I ask you, why is he put in? You directly answer me, Because he is an offender. We pass the prison again on another day, and we see this same prisoner liberated by the officer. I ask you, Why is he let out? You as directly answer me, Because he has suffered his sentence. That is the only reason why an offender is let out of prison. The offences for