September 3

"The death of the cross."—Philippians 2:8.

ONE powerful objection among Jews and infidels against the Christian religion is, that its founder was treated with the greatest contempt while he lived, and was put to the most ig- nominious death; but this fact, so far from being an argu- ment against the truth and excellence of Christianity, is a strong evidence in favor of it. Had our Saviour died as a prince in his palace, or had he expired as a famous general in the field of battle, at the head of a gallant army, the Christ- ian religion would have wanted one of its leading character- istics; and the wisdom and power of God would have been

23* less visible in gathering the nations to the blessed Shiloh. Let us view

THE RESULTS OF OUR SAVIOUR'S CRUCIFIXION. By the death of the cross,

He achieved a complete victory over Satan. The old dragon and his agents, who were precipitated from the lofty heights of heaven's battlements to the lowest hell, had obtained an almost universal dominion over our lost and ruined world: this evil angel had heard that the Lord of glory was about to invade his dominions, and overthrow his kingdom. Alarmed at the signs of his approach, they made all necessary prepa- rations to repel the attack and maintain their ground. It was a wondrous spectacle to see the despised Galilean turn all the artillery of hell against itself, and through death destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.

He accomplished a perfect salvation for man. A salvation the blessings of which are divine in their origin, inestimable in their sweetness, countless in their number, immutable in their character, free in their bestowment, and holy in their tendency.

He secured the highest glory to God. All the perfections of the Divine character shine with glory and grandeur around the cross. "The light of the sun," says an old divine, "is always the same, but it shines brightest to us at noon: the cross of Christ was the noon-tide of everlasting love, the me- ridian splendor of eternal mercy; there were many bright manifestations of the same love before, but they were like the light of the morning, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, and that perfect day was when the Lord of glory hung upon the cross." How happy are those that are inter- ested in the death of Christ!