Of Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

4. He stays not here, but for the consummation of all that §. 6 went before: for their sakes he becomes obedient to death, the death of the Cross, so he professeth to his Father Joh. 17. 19. For their sakes I sanctify my self; I dedicate my self as an Offering, as a Sacrifice to be killed & slain. This was his aim in all the former, that he might dye. He was borne & l lived that he might dye. He valued them above his life. And if we might stay to consider a little what was in this death, that he underwent for them, we should perceive what a price indeed he put upon them. The ^mcurse of the Law was in it, the ⁿwrath of God was in it, ^othe loss of Gods presence was in it. It was a ^pfearful cup that he tasted of, & drank of, ⟨p. 153⟩that they might never taste of it. A man would not for ten thousand worlds be willing to undergo, that which Christ underwent for us in that one thing of desertion from God, were it attended with no more distress, but what a mere Creature might possibly emerge from under. And what thoughts we should have of this, himself tells us, Joh. 15. 13. Greater love hath none then this, that one lay down his life for his friends. It is impossible there should be any greater demonstration or evidence of love then this; what can any one do more? And yet he tells us in another place, that it hath another aggravation and heightening Rom. 5. 8. God commendeth his love to us in that whilst we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us. When he did this for us we were sinners, and enemies whom he might justly have destroyed. What can more be done? to dye for us when we were sinners? such a death, in such a manner, with such attendances of wrath and curse; a death accompanied with the worst that God had ever threatened to sinners, argues as high a valuation of us, as the heart of Christ himself was capable of.