Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

5. Let us believe in Jesus, carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us, during his Sufferings and Death. Every one looks upon this as an easy duty; only the humble Soul, the scrupulous Conscience cries out, What! Is it possible that Christ should die, suffer, shed his blood for me? His incarnation was wonderful, his life on earth was to astonishment; but that the Son of God should become man, live amongst men, and die such a death, even the death of the Cross, for such a one as I am, I cannot believe it; it is an abyss past fathoming; the more I consider it, the more I am amazed at it: suppose I had an enemy in my power, man or Devil, one that provokes me every day, ¹one that hunts my soul to take it away; should I not say with Saul, if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? It may be an ingenuous spirit (such as David) would do thus much; but would David, or any breathing soul, not only spare his enemy, but spill himself to save his enemy? would a man become a Devil, to save Devils? would a man endure hell pains to free all the Devils in hell from their eternal pains? and yet what were this in comparison of what Christ hath done or suffered for us? It is not so much for us to suffer for Devils (for we are fellow-creatures) as it is for Christ, God-man, man-God to suffer for us: Oh what an hard thing is it, considering my enmity against Christ, to believe that Christ died for me, that he gave himself to the death, even to the death of the Cross for my soul!

5. LEt us believe in Jesus, carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us, during his Sufferings and Death. Every one looks upon this as an easie duty; only the humble Soul, the scrupulous Conscience cries out, What! Is it possible that Christ should die, suffer, shed his blood for me? His incarnation was wonderful, his life on earth was to astonishment; but that the Son of God should become man, live amongst men, and die such a death, even the death of the Cross, for such a one as I am, I cannot believe it; it is an abys• past fadoming; the more I consider it, the more I am amazed at it: suppose I had an enemy in my power, man or Devil, one that provokes me every day, ¹one that hunts my soul to take it away; should I not say with Saul, if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? It may be an ingenuous spirit (such as David) would do thus much; but would David, or any breathing soul, not only spare his enemy, but spill himself to save his enemy? would a man become a Devil, to save Devils? would a man endure hell pains to free all the Devils in hell from their eternal pains? and yet what were this in comparison of what Christ hath done or suffered for us? It is not so much for us to suffer for Devils (for we are fellow-creatures) as it is for Christ, God-man, man-God to suffer for us: Oh what an hard thing is it, considering my enmity against Christ, to believe that Christ died for me, that he gave himself to the death, even to the death of the Cross for my soul!