A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

The Father's Love doth not lessen Christ's, but commend it, that he hath the same good-will to us as the Father had. Jesus Christ as Mediator, is the Servant of God's Decrees. Many times the Servant hath not the same Affection to the Work as the Master hath. But it is otherwise here, God's Heart and Christ's Heart, is set upon the Work; God sets him a-part to be a Mediator, and Christ sets himself a-part to see what he can do to save Creatures. O bless the Lord. Thus for the Giver.

2. The Gift, He gave himself, not an Angel. Among all the Treasures of Heaven and Earth, there was nothing more excellent and precious than the Lord Christ: He doth not give Gold and Silver, but himself to die for us; 1 Pet. 1.18, 19. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as Silver and Gold, ⟨p. 160⟩&c. but with the precious Blood of Christ. And how doth he give himself? Certainly his whole Self, Body and Soul; his Godhead was engaged in this Work, tho that could not suffer: He shall make his Soul an Offering for Sin, Isa. 53.10. Christ's Soul was to stand in our Souls stead. His Soul was heavy to the Death, as well as his Body abused, mangled with Whips, and exposed to Sufferings. And the Godhead it self assisted, all was interested in it: So that look as when the Sun shines upon a Tree, tho you cut the Tree, you do not cut the Sun; so the Godhead stood by, but suffered nothing. Christ suffered not only Death, but Desertion. The Soul's forsaking of the Body at Death, was nothing so heavy as God's forsaking of the Soul, when he cries out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mat. 27.46. Many forsook him, his Disciples left him; they all fled, but Christ complains not of this: but there was the suspension of the wonted Joys of the Godhead, and that troubled him: This was the Passion of his Passion. The Moon loseth no Brightness when it suffereth an Eclipse by the Interposition of the Earth, but shines as bright as ever: so the Lord Christ lost nothing, but only there was an Eclipse of God's Countenance, and this was the Terror and Anguish of his Soul.