But, it will perhaps be said that, although none of these things could avail _without_ the death of Christ, yet they must be added to it. For what? To make that peerless death--that precious blood--that priceless sacrifice of full avail? Is that it? Shall the rubbish of human doings, human righteousness, be flung into the scale to make the sacrifice of Christ of full avail in the judgment of God? The bare thought is positive and absolute blasphemy. But are there not to be good works? Yes, verily; but what are they? Are they the pious doings, the religious efforts, the moral activities of unregenerate, unconverted, unbelieving nature? Nay. What then? What are the Christian's good works? They are _life-works_, not dead works. They are the precious fruits of life possessed--the life of Christ in the true believer. There is not anything beneath the canopy of heaven which God can accept as a good work save the fruit of the grace of Christ in the believer. The very feeblest expression of the life of Christ, in the daily history of a Christian, is fragrant and precious to God. But the most splendid and gigantic labors of an unbeliever are, in God's account, but "dead works." All this, however, is a digression from our main line, to which we must now return. We have said that, for our present purpose, we shall merely refer to one special point in the death of Christ, and that is the fact that it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him. Herein lies the striking and soul-subduing proof that God is for us. "He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." He not merely _gave_ Him but _bruised_ Him, and that for us. That spotless, holy, perfect One--the only perfect Man that ever trod this earth--the One who ever did the things which pleased His Father--whose whole life from the manger to the tree was one continued sweet odor ascending to the throne and to the heart of God--whose every movement, every word, every look, every thought was well-pleasing to God--whose one grand object, from first to last, was to glorify God and finish His work--this blessed One was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God--was nailed to the cursed tree, and there endured the righteous wrath of a sin-hating God; and all this because God was for us--even _us_. What marvellous and matchless grace is here! The Just One bruised for the unjust--the sinless, spotless, holy Jesus, bruised by the hand of Infinite Justice in order that guilty rebels might be saved; and not only saved but brought into the position and relationship of sons--sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty--heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.