VER.  14.]  SERMONS  UPON  TITUS  n.  n-14.  247

4.  Consider  for  what  end  it  was  :  Eph.  i.  2,  '  He  gave  jiimself  for
us  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God,  for  a  sweet-smelling  savour.'
The  sacrifice  that  was  offered  for  the  whole  congregation  was  to  be
killed  without  the  camp,  and  the  blood  to  be  brought  with  sweet  per
fume  to  the  mercy-seat ;  so  the  Lord  Christ  comes  out  of  heaven  to  be
killed  on  earth,  and  then  is  gone  to  heaven  to  present  his  sacrifice  to
God  as  a  sweet  perfume.     He  gave  himself  to  be  a  ransom  for  us,  to
die  a  shameful  and  accursed  death  on  the  cross ;  he  gave  himself  to  be
substituted  in  our  room  and  stead.     The  sadness  of  every  loss  is  accord
ing  to  the  measure  of  enjoyment.     Life  died,  righteousness  was  made
sin  ;  oh,  blessed  exchange !

5.  Consider  for  whom  he  doth  it.     The  apostle  saith  it  was  for  us,
not  for  angels.     Though  they  did  far  exceed  man  in  excellency  of
nature^  yet  God  would  not  treat  with  the  lost  angels ;  they  were  never
recovered ;  but  he  gave  himself  for  us  men.    Nay,  not  only  for  us  that
were  his  creatures,  but  that  were  his  enemies,  vile  and  unworthy
sinners :  Kom.  v.  8,  '  God  commendeth  his  love  towards  us,  in  that
while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us/    A  man  would  even  die
for  a  good  man,  though  there  be  but  a  few  such  persons  in  the  world  ;
but  here  the  just  dies  for  the  unjust :  1  Peter  iii.  18,  '  For  Christ
also  hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he  might
bring  us  to  God/     Now  this  commends  his  love  indeed,  in  that  it  was
for  us  vile  miscreants,  dust  and  ashes.      Adam  sold  us  for  a  thing  of
nought,  an  apple,  and  so  the  Lord  might  have  condemned  us,  cast  us
off/  and  created  another  world  of  nobler  creatures  than  the  present
race  of  men,  or  might  have  redeemed  us  at  a  cheaper  rate.   Let  all  this
quicken  us  to  thanksgiving.
