"crowned with glory and honour," when he rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven to resume that glory which He had with his Father before the world began.

And here, brethren, let us pause awhile to consider the exaltation which our nature has received through the condescension of our blessed Lord.

We often hear much of the "dignity of human nature;" and, when properly understood, the subject is one which we may contemplate with the greatest profit. But let us understand clearly in what the dignity of our nature really consists;-not alas! in that we are naturally prone to every thing that is good and excellent. This dignity was lost at our "Fall" in Adam. By disobedience our nature became corrupt; and our natural proneness now is not to good but evil. Look not here, then, for the true dignity of men: look not to yourselves; for in us, "that is, in our flesh," in the condition which we naturally inherit from our parents, "is no good thing1." Even our superiority to the brute creation is continually in danger of being forfeited by the indulgence of worse than brutal appetites and passions. Let us look, then, beyond ourselves for the true dignity of our nature: let us look to Christ, in whom we see the human nature united to the divine, and exalted, above all angelic natures, to the universal dominion on the throne of "the world to come.' This is the true dignity of our nature; and it is that, observe, in which we have each a personal interest. Christ became a mortal, to give us immortality; he became human, to make us "partakers

of the divine nature';" he took upon him our flesh, that we might receive of his Spirit; he humbled himself below the angels, that he might make us heirs with himself of "the glory of God." Our true dignity, then, consists in being made by Christ heirs of immortality; redeemed from the death incurred by our first parents; yea, made capable again of holiness on earth, and eternal happiness in heaven. Oh! let us strive to walk worthily of the honour which the Son of God has done to our nature, and, by his Spirit, to become partakers of that dignity and glory which he has placed in our power! Let us remember, that, to be like him in glory hereafter, we must be like him now in holiness; we must cultivate closer communion with Him by penitence and prayer, by faith and obedience; must imitate his blessed example, and especially his great humility. Consider how he humbled himself before he was "crowned with glory and honour;" and "he that humbleth himself," as Christ did, "shall in due time be exalted," as He hath been.

One express reason indeed of our Lord's humiliation was, that he might become thereby not only a propitiation for our sins, but a more complete pattern to suffering man, a more perfect guide unto salvation. He could not, otherwise, have left us an example of patience, nor gone before us through suffering unto bliss. We were to be brought unto glory as adopted sons of God; and it pleased God to bring us by his own Son, even by Him, for

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they

1 2 Pet. i. 4.

who are sanctified are all of one for which cause he is not ashamed

to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given

66 cause, perfect through me. Forasmuch then as

the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like

whom, as the Heir of God, all things were designed, and by whom, as the Word of God, all things were made. Since, then, we were to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God," it became Him" to make himself, as Captain of our Salvation, as our Leader in this blessed sufferings." What wonderful condescension of Almighty Love, that "He, for whom and by whom are all things," should consider it a thing becoming him to stoop so low as to share not only our nature, but our sufferings also, and to be made in all things, sin only excepted, like unto his brethren! For "brethren" he is pleased to call us, inasmuch as both He himself who consecrates us to God by cleansing us from our sins, and we who are thus sanctified by Him, are all of one nature; and therefore He is not ashamed, in prophecy, to call us brethren, to identify himself with the Church of God, to speak with us in the language of human sufferers, and to make himself one with the children whom God has given him to be of that family of which He is the first-born. As, then, they were partakers of flesh and blood, "He also himself likewise took part of the same;" and that not only,

unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful highpriest in things pertain

ing to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. ver. 10-18.

as we have observed already, that he might be our pattern, but still more that he might be our sacrifice for sin, and through his death "might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who, through fear of death, were all their life-time subject to bondage."

For from the Old Testament it is clear, that the Messiah was to come not to save angels or to assume their nature, but to bless "the nations of the earth'," according to the promise made to Abraham, and to "take upon him," as a descendant of that distinguished patriarch, that nature in which he could both suffer for human sins, and feel for human sorrows; to become, in short, a High-Priest to whom we might commit our cause with God, in the fullest dependence on his compassion and sympathy.

Many are the practical considerations, my brethren, which crowd upon the mind in contemplating such a subject as the sufferings of the Son of God in his humiliation upon earth as the Son of Man. But we must of necessity confine ourselves to a few; and let them be the three which follow:-For we may consider the sufferings of Christ with reference, in the first place, to what he did for us in his life here below; secondly, to what he hath done for us in his death; and thirdly, to what he does now for us in heaven.

In his life, then, here below, our gracious Lord set us an example; and in the sufferings of his holy life he set us more especially an example of patience. We cannot keep in mind too strongly, that this world is, of necessity, more or less, a scene of trial and of

1 Gen. xxii. 18.

trouble; and that suffering upon earth seems to be a necessary preparation for glory in heaven. Our Lord has, as it were, established the precedent by his own experience and example. We are His followers; He is our Guide: and his

course lay, as we well know, along the pathway of affliction. If we would accompany Him to glory, we must first learn to tread with him, in faith and patience, the way of suffering. It was thus that the patriarchs in old time inherited the promises1: it is thus that Christians must now pursue them. "For even hereunto," saith the Apostle St. Peter, "were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." Wherefore “beloved," to adopt still the language of the same Apostle, "think it not strange concerning the trials (even should they be fiery trials) which are to try you" in this present world, "as though some strange thing happened unto you," quite contrary to all Christian expectation; "but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy "."

In the next place, consider the sufferings of Christ in reference to what he hath done for us at his death. The Son of God took part, as we have seen, of flesh and blood, in order, by his death, to destroy the great enemy of our souls, and deliver us from the bondage in which, by the fear of death, we were held. It was foretold from the first, that the enemy of mankind should bruise the heel of our Deliverer;

1 Ch. vi. 12, 13.

21 Pet. ii. 21.

1 Pet. iv. 12, &c.