First Epistle of John Applied Part 2, Sermon 21
SERM. 21.THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. IOHN.
CHAP. II. Ver. 2.
And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours onelyonly, but also for the sins of the whole world.
IT is one of those excellencies which are common both to Law and Gospel, that they require purity of heart, and holinesse of life; sin not, is the voyce both of Moses and Christ, Prophets and Apostles: Indeed since they were holy men who wrote, and that as moved by the Holy Ghost it was impossible but that all their writings should tend to the advancing of holinesse.
It is one of those excellencies which are peculiar to the Gospel, that it provideth an Anchor in case of a storme, a rock of succour in shipwrack, a refuge whether to flye when we are in danger; indeed the Law doometh the transgressour to the curse, and there leaveth him hopelesse, helplesse, remedilesse; Accursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them, Galath. 3.10.so runs the comminatory sentence in which the sinner being involved, hath no way left (by the Law) of escaping, but must inevitably perish; whence it is, that the legal ministration is called by the Apostle the ministration of death, 2 Co…. 3.7.but by the Gospel cometh glad tidings of pardon, and propitiation to disconsolate sinners, and whilest we are sitting in the darknesse of despaire by reason of our sin, breaketh in upon us with beams of comfort from the Sun of righteousnesse; thus as it saith, sin not, so withall, if we fall into sin, it saith, despair not; a careful endeavour against sin it requireth, yet when we have sinned, it leaveth us not without hope, but directeth us to Christ as an intercessor and reconciler, for so we find St. John here in those words, which may therefore be truly called the Epitome and summe of the Gospel, My little children, these things I write unto you, &c,
We are now come to the second Ingredient in this Remedy, to wit, the reconciliation wrought by Christ, and this in the second verse, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world, concerning which choice, and amiable benefit, we have two things set before us.
The nature of it, wherein it consists in those words, and he is the propitiation for our sins.
The extent of it, how far it reacheth in those words, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world; each of which may well take up an whole discourse.
At this time only of the former, Gen. 1.expressed in those words, and he is the propitiation for our sins.
Before I enter upon the matter, it will be needful to take a little notice of the connexion of the clause implied in the particle And. A word which may be considered either meerly as conjunctive, or as causal.
1. If we read it only as a conjunctive particle, it lets us see that Christ being an advocate becometh a propitiation, indeed the work of reconciliation according to a different notion belongs both to Christs sacrifice and his intercession, the meritorious purchase of our peace belongs to his sacrifice, the effectual application of it to us belongs to his intercession, the shedding of his blood upon the crosse, was that which wrought reconciliation for all that should beleeve in him, the presenting his blood in heaven, is that which obtaineth the actual collation of this benefit, upon them who do beleeve in him. This was excellently tipified under the Law by the blood, Levit. 16.17.and the incense which the Priest made use of in the attonement, the former prefiguring Christs suffering, and the latter his advocateship by both which the propitiation is made. It is that which we have reason to take notice of for our comfort, that Christ is such an advocate, as hath not only affectum, but effectum; a desire to do us good, but accomplisheth it, as doth not only satagere but efficere, undertake, but perform; as he intercedeth for us when we sin, so he finds acceptance and he propitiat…th God for our sins: oh let it be our wisdom to addresse our selves to him as our advocate when we have offended, & let us not doubt of being reconciled.
2. We may yet further look upon this and as a causal particle, signifying after the Hebrew use for, and so it lets us see what giveth the efficacy to Christs intercession (to wit) his propitiation; this will the better appear, if we consider that
1. This propitiation for our sins was merited by Christs blood, and therefore God is said to set him forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, and Christ is said to make peace through the blood of his crosse;Rom. 3.25. Colos. 1.20. Nititur haec foreign unicâ sacrificii vi &…. Bez. in loc. indeed there can be no propitiation of wrath without satisfaction of justice, and there can be no satisfaction of justice without shedding of blood, whereby the punishment was suffered, which justice required.
2. Christ maketh intercession in the vertue of his blood, our salvation is obtained; first pretio, and then prece, by laying down a price, and then plead…ng the payment before God, so that what was once offered, is continually presented.
3. Christ being a propitiation, and so our advocate must needs speed; whilest a man is angry, it is in vain to move him for a favour, but his anger being appeased, there is hopes of successe, especially when he pleads who was the means to pacifie him; thus stands the case between God and Christ and us, God being …ncensed against us. Christ taketh the chastisement of our peace upon himself, whereby Gods wrath was pacified, and he who wrought this reconciliation on earth it is that appeareth for us in heaven, and therefore let us not doubt of the power of this advocate, who cannot but effectually prevaile, because he was the prop…tiation for our sins.
Having viewed the context, let us look upon the clause it self, wherein there is a double truth, the one implic…te, the other explicite; to wit, sins provocation, and Christs pacification.
Our sins incense the wrath of God against us, that is implied Jesus Christ the righteous is the propitiation for our sins, that is expressed
Of the former briefly, because it is but intimated of the latter more largely and fully.
1. Sins provocation is manifestly couched in this clause, and accordingly taken notice of by Interpreters, Innuit nos nostris pec…atis Deum nobis infensum reddidisse. Zanch. foreign, Chrys. hom. 3, in Colos.since there were no need of a propitiation for, if there were no provocation by our sins, it is the note of St. Chrisostome upon the phrases of reconciling and making peace, in the Colossians, that the one implyeth an enmity, the other a war; & the same may be made here, the propitiation supposeth wrath. And as it is here intimated, so it is elsewhere asserted by S. Paul to the Romans, when he saith, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men, and consequently, against men for all their unrighteousnes and ungodlines; in this respect it is, that he calleth all men by nature children of wrath, and why this?Rom. 1.18. Eph…s. 2.3. because they are born in sin. Indeed God made man (as Solomons phrase is) upright, and so long as he stood in that integrity, there was pax amicitiae, a peace of amity and friendship between God and man, Eccles. 7. ult.but they sought out many inventions, by which God was most justly provoked to anger. Thus at first, and ever since sin hath proved the make-bate, the k…ndle-coale, that incendiary between the Creatour and his creature.
And how can it be otherwise? since there cannot but be enmity where there is contrariety, and there is nothing more contrary to God then sin, nay, there is nothing contrary to him but sin, it is opposite to him in his pure nature, it robbeth and spoyleth him of his glory, it transgesseth and rebelleth against his Law, and therefore must needs incurre his displeasure. It is observable in Scripture. that as members, so senses are after the manner of men attributed to God, and sin is represented as offensive to every one of them. It grateth his eares, and therefore he complaineth of the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah, it disrelisheth his taste, Gen. 18.20. Gal. 4.6. Amos 2▪ 13.in which respect it is compared to leaven, and that especially for its sowernesse; it oppresseth his feeling, according to his own expression. I am pressed under you, as a Cart is under sheaves, it disgusteth his smell; for which cause sinners are said to be corrupt, where the metaphor is borrowed from a rotten carcase, which stinketh in the nostrils of a man.Psal. 14.1. Finally it offendeth his sight, and therefore he is said to be of purer eyes then to behold iniquity, Hab. 2.13.to wit, without fury.
It is a meditation that should convince us of
1 The odious nature of sin, Are any persons more abominable then the contentious Solomon, justly declameth against him that soweth discord among brethren;Prov. 6.19. that beatitude of our Saviour, carryeth in it according to the rule of contraries a curse, Cursed are the peace breakers, for they shall be called the children of the Devil. But (oh my breathren;) how accursed, Matth…w▪ 5.6.and hatefull a thing is sin, which hath broke the peace; not between man and man onelyonly, but God and man, and hath sowne discord between, not onelyonly brother and brother, but father and sonne, Oh that this thought might stirre up in us a zealous indignation against sin, God forbid, that that which is his hate, should be our love, that that should find favour with us, which provoketh his wrath against us, nay rather since sin displeaseth God, let it displease us, and let our anger wax hot against that which causeth his wrath to wax hot against us.
2 The miserable estate of a sinner, because he is under the wrath of God, coelestis ira quos premit miseros facit, Divine anger is an unsupportable burthen, Sen. Trag. Herc.the sinning Angels are not able to stand under it, but fall immediately from heaven, the great men, the mighty men cannot abide it, but cry to the mountains fall on us, and to the hils couver us, no wonder if the Psalmist put the question, Who may stand in thy sight, when once thou art angry? Iude v. 6 Revel. 6.15.16. P…almes, 76.7.And now tell me sinners, have not we most justly incurred this sore displeasure, hath not God both by the sin of our nature & transgressions of our life been provoked against us from our mothers wombe to this day, If one sin be sufficient fuel for this fire, what a flame of wrath burneth against us, whose sins have been numerous, or rather innumerous? All which being serously pondered; me thinketh greif, and anguish, trembling and astonishment, horrour and amazement should take hold of us. David feeling some drops or sparks of this anger, Psalmes 38.3.saith there was no rest in his bones by reason of it, truly if we doe not feele, we have cause continually to be in feare, not onelyonly of drops, but flouds, sparks, but flakes of this vengeance, how can we be secure and quiet? And if there be any awakened conscience, wounded soule which cryeth out, what shall I do? I answer, Gods wrath is unsupportable; but not unavoydable, it cannot be indured; but it may be prevented, we are not able to stand under it, we may flye from it. And that by flying to him; whom my text speaketh of, as the propitiation, and so I am fallen on the Explicite ve…ity, which is here plainly and directly laied downe.
2. Christs pacification, He is the propitiation for our sins, It is both assertive, and exclusive, carrying it both an affirmative, and a negative, He is, and none but He, or He onelyonly is the propitiation of both which in order.
1. He is the propitiation, Gods wrath towards man sinning, is pacified by Christ suffering, the Rabbins say of the Messiah, that when he commeth, he shall be foreign a reconciling man, and the Apostles assertion is expresse, We have peace with God, Rom. 5.1.through Jesus Christ our Lord, it is the Testimony which the Father gave concerning Christ at his Baptism, This is my beloved sonne in whome I am well pleased, M…th. 3.17.by which latter clause is (according to Euthymius, In quo hominib…s bona volui. E…thymius.Cajetan and others) expressed that favour which God in Christ beareth towards us, as he is in himselfe beloved, so in him God is with us well pleased. According to that of St. Paul, He hath made us accepted in the beloved, Habeo in eo compla…entiam ad rediviendum et reconciliandum genus humanum. Cajet. Eph…. 1.5.and therefore accepted; because reconciled, wel-pleased in him because his wrath is appeased by him towards us. Among other resemblances by which Christ is set forth in Scripture, that of a stone is one, and very apt to our present purpose. Since as in respect of Satan, He is lapis triumphalis, a stone of victory and triumph dashing that Goliah in the forehead, so in respect of God, 1. Pet. 2.5.he is lapis foedificus, a stone of league and amity, such as that between Laban and Iacob, or rather lapis angularis, Psal. 118.21.a corner stone, for as this uniteth the wal…, which were one seperate from the other, together, so doth he unite, and that not onelyonly Iewes and Gentiles to one another, but both to God.
This is that truth which the Apostle Paul planly asserts in those Scriptures which speak of reconciliation to God, thus he saith, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe, and again,2 Cor. 5.18. Christ is said to reconcile both (to wit Jew and Gentile) unto God in one body by the crosse, and againe, It pleased the Father by him, Ephes. 2.16. Colos. 1.19.…0.having made peace through the bloud of his crosse to roconcile all things to himselfe, It would not be passed by what is by Socinians objected, against these Scriptures that they speake onelyonly of our being reconciled to God, not of Gods being reconciled to us, and so prove not any pacification of divine wrath by Christs death, whence it is that they understand this reconciling of us to God, to be no more then the turning of us from sin to God by true repentance.
But to vindicate this great truth, and that as asserted in those Scriptures be pleased to consider briefly that
Though the phrase onelyonly run in this straine, the reconciling us to God, yet it doth not therefore follow that the reconciliation is onelyonly on our part, and not on Gods, nay rather the one involveth the oth…r, since if we were not sinners, there were no need of reconciling us to God, and being sinners, there is no lesse need of his being reconciled to us, unlesse we will say, that sin doth not provoke him, which is to deny him to be a God, And though this reconciliation being mutuall, doth no lesse imply Gods to us, then ours to him, yet it is very fitly thus expressed, because God is the pars offensa, the party offended, and man is pars offendens, the party offending, he that offendeth another, is more properly said to be reconciled to him whom he hath injured, then he that is offended; in which respect Christ adviseth him who bringeth his gift to the altar, If he remember his brother have ought against him to go and be reconciled to his brother, Mat. 5.23.24.and St. Paul wisheth the woman that departeth to be reconciled to her husband, as having by departing offended him. 1 Cor. 7.11.But as the reconcililing of a woman to her husband, & a trespasser to his brother is the pa…if…ing ▪ the one of her husbands anger, the other of his brothers displeasure, justly conceived against them; so the reconciling us to God is the appeasing of his wrath towards us, which for our sins was incensed against us. And that this is St. Pauls meaning appeareth plainly in one of those forecited places, where the manner how God in Christ reconcileth us to himselfe,2 Cor. 5, 19▪ 21. is expressed to be his not imputing our trespasses, and Christ in whom we are thus reconciled, is said to do it, by being made sin for us, It is not therefore our turning from sin to God, but Christ becomming a sacrifice for our sins, and Gods not imputing our sins to us for his sake which is our reconciltation to God, and inasmuch as it is God who being offended receiveth us againe into favour; therefore it is ascribed to him as his act, and because it is Christ who hath by his death appeased Gods anger, therefore it is attributed to him, and so the cleare meaning of our Apostle, appeareth to be the same with that which here S. Iohn asserts, and intends when he saith of Christ, He is the propitiation for our sins.
And because the Socinians (being resolved to make all Scripture stoop to their reason) endeavour to pervert this text as if it were onelyonly a delivering us from the wrath to come upon impenitents, by turning us from our sins. Give me leave to set before you the genuine sence of this word which our Apostle here useth, and that both in its native, signification, and legall allusion.
1. If we consider this word in its native, signification, we shall find that the verbe foreign (whence foreign in the Text commeth) in all writers both sacred and prophane,Vide Grot. de Satis. Poets, Oratours, Historians, as the learned Grotius hath observed: signifieth to appease, or pacify, or render propitious; and is usually construed with an accusative expressing the person whose anger is pacified. Indeed there is one place in the Hebrewes: where being joyned with foreign the plurall accusative it is rendred to expiate the sins of the people,Hebre. 2.17. but either the use of the word there must be altogether different from its sence of perpetuall signification, or it must signify such an expiation, as tends to a pacification, & so it is all one whether you read it here, He is the expiation, or He is the propitiation, since the one depends on the other, and by expiating our sins, it is that He propitiateth God towards us.
2. If we consider this word in its legall allusion, we shall find a double reference which may be made of it.
1. To the mercy-seat, which covered the arke where the law was, whence God gave answers, and from which he shewed himselfe propitious to the people, whereof we read in the booke of Exodus. Hence the Seventy,Exod. 25.27: and the Auth…r to the Hebrews from thence cal it foreign, a propitiatory, to this the Apostle Paul manifestly alludeth,Hebr. 9.5. where the very same word is used, when he saith, Him hath God set forth a propitiation, Rom. 3.25.and possibly St. John in this word, might have the same reference. Indeed Christ may well be called the propitiatory, or a propitiation in allusion to the mercy-seat, since, there is a fit analogy between them. For as it covered the Law, so Christ the transgressions of the Law; as thence God gave answers, so by Christ his Evangelical Oracles are revealed; and as from thence God shewed himselfe propicious, so is he in Christ well pleased; but in this last analogy (in which respect it was called a propitiatory, and serveth to our present purpose) though there is a fitnesse, yet not a fulness; for whereas the mercy-seat is called the propitiatory, onelyonly because it had vim declarativam, a declarative vertue to signify, Christ is the propitiation, as having vim effectivam, an operative energy to procure divine favour, and therefore was God pleased to manifest himselfe benevolous from the mercy-seat, because it was a type of Christ, in whom he is propitiated towards sinners. In vaine therefore do the Socinians confine the antitype to the type, as if that Christ must be in no other sense a propitiation, then the mercy-seat was; since it is sufficient to make a type that there be in some things a similitude, though not in all things an aequality, nor is it any wonder if there be more energy in the body, then in the shadow, since the shadow is but a resemblance of the body.
2 Besides this allusion, which no doubt is most congruous, to S. Pauls phrase, there is another more suitable to this of S. John, and that is in reference to the Sacrifices of expiation, & attonement. Almighty God in the Law appointed both the burnt-offering for sin in generall, and trespasse-offerings for particular sins, by which being offered up, he became appeased towards the sinner. Now all those Sacrifices did look at Christ, and the attonement which was made by them, was not as considered in themselves, but as they did typify Christs death, and the propitiation to be wrought by it.
That those sacrifices did all of them typify Christ, seemeth to me an undoubted truth, and that among others for this reason, because by Christs death, they were abolished, and became mortua dead, yea soon after, mortifera; not onelyonly dead, but deadly, upon this account, that to continue those Sacrifices, was to deny Christ.
That whatsoever efficacy those Sacrifices had towards attonement, was onelyonly in reference to Christ, must needs follow upon the former, since as when the antitype is accomplished, the type ceaseth, so the vigour of the type, whilest inbeing, is from its relation to the antitype; in this respect it is that under the legall administrations, the people offering Sacrifices, were minded of Christ, and beleeving in him, and God was propitiated by those Sacrifices, as they did prefigure, and so as it were mind him of Christ to be offerred up a reall, and effectuall propitiation.
To close up this, it would not be passed by, how emphaticall our Apostles expression is, in that he doth not onelyonly say of Christ he is foreign, but foreign, a propitiatour, but the propitiation it selfe, that is, victima foreign, the propitiatory Sacrifice. Indeed he is both the Priest, and the Sacrifice, rhe propitiator, and the propitiation; according to which is that of Origen, Orig. in Rom.God hath set him forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, that by the Sacrifice of his body, he might render God propitious to men. In one word, (to speak after the Schooles) inasmuch as Christ by his death did removere peccatum, take away the guilt of sin, which causeth the enmity,Aquin summ. Pars. 3. q. 49. art. 4. and offerre sacrificium Deo acceptissimum, offer up a sacrifice most grateful to God, he might be truly said to be the propitiation.
There is only one objection which carrieth in it a shew of reason, and therefore calls for a solution; It is drawn from those Scriptures, Ioh. 3 16. 1 Ioh. 4.9.in which Gods love to mankind is set down as the cause of sending Christ into the world, whereas if Christs coming into the world to dye, did propitiate God for our sins, this love of his towards man should be the effect, not the cause; and those Scriptures should have run thus, not, God so loved the world that he sent, but, God sent his Son into the world that he might love it, and not in this was the love of God manifested, but by this was the love of God procured, to wit, the sending his only begotten Son.
To untye this knot, you may please to know that these two assertions are not irreconcileable; Gods love to us moved him to send Christ to dye, Christs dying moveth him to love us: Indeed the love of God to man is in one respect the cause, and in another the effect of Christs death, and that thus it appeared to St. John is plain, in that he puts these two together in one verse, he loved us, 1 Ioh. 4.10.and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
To clear the truth hereof, briefly observe these distinctions.Aquin. Pars. 3. q. 49. art. 4.
1. Man fallen is to be considered (say the Schooles) two wayes, either quantum ad naturam, or quantum ad culpam, as made by God, or marr'd by sin; he loved us as the work of his hands, and that love was the cause of sending Christ, he hated us as transgressours of his Law, and Christ by making satisfaction removeth that hatred, and obtaineth his favour,
2. There is a twofold love of God towards man. The one of commiseration and benevolence;Affectus …m miserationis sive benefaciendi voluntas, affectus conjunctionis & amicitiae. Cal…v. Socin. proflig. Amor benevolentiae & ordinativus. Amor complacentiae & collativus Arnold. Iob 41.7.8. whereby he was reconcileable, yea, himself appointed the way of reconciliation, and this love was the cause of Christs death. The other of friendship or complacency, whereby he becomes actually reconciled, and so conferreth all good upon us, and this love is the effect of Christs death: It is observable concerning the friends of Job, that God said to them, My wrath is kindled against you, therefore take seven bullocks, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for your selves a burnt-offering, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept; wherein it appeareth, God so far tendred them as to acquaint them with his wrath, and the meanes of pacifying it, but his wrath was not removed till those meanes were used. An enemy may so far love as to propose and offer conditions of peace to his adversary, but till those conditions be accomplished and performed, there is no amity between them: so is it in this case, though God loved us so as to propose, nay, indeed to perfect the meanes of reconciliation, yet still he is not actually reconciled to us, but only in and by those means, the chief whereof is Christs passion. The summe of all then amounts to this; God considered without respect to Christ, was though iratus, yet placabilis, actually angry, yet so as that there was a possibility of appeasing it, he was not so far provoked with men, as with the Angels, for whom he would not appoint nor accept a ransom, but still it is only in and through Christ, that he becometh placatus, actually appeased toward sinners.
2. He only is the propitiation for our sins, only Moses must go up to God in the mount, none but the High Priest must enter with the blood into the holy of holies; Christ alone must mediate with God for man: Indeed there was not, could not be found in heaven or earth, any one fit, or able to undertake this work. This will the better appear, if we consider, that whosoever would become a propitiation for our sins, must both be free himself from all sin, and be both capable and able to undergoe the punishment of our sins.
1. He must be free from sin, and therefore we could not propitiate God for our selves; can it be imagined a Reb…ll should pacify the King towards himself, or fellow-rebels? whatever we could do, whilest in our sins, were but evaginato gladio pacem peter…, seeking for peace with a drawne sword in our hand against our Soveraign; indeed the good works of them that are in Christ, do placere, but not pacare; please, not appease, and that only as dyed in Christs blood; but as we are in a state of sin, nothing we do can please, much lesse pacify he Almighty. The truth is,Fer. in loc. (to use Ferus his similitude) All the works we do are in themselves but as a ring of iron, and could not so much as gain acceptance, were it not for faith, which sets into them as it were the precious gemme of Christs merits.
2. He must be capable and able to bear the punishment of our sins. There can be no propitiation for, without expiation of sin, the expiation of sin is by suffering the punishment; and the sin being committed against an infinite Majesty, the suffering by which it is expiated, must be of infinite value; in these respects it is impossible that any or all the Angels, though holy and just, should propitiate God for out sins: since as Angels, they were not capable of the punishment; and though they should have assumed humane nature, yet being but finite creatures, the worth of their sufferings could not be infinite, only Christ in himself being altogether pure, and therefore called Iesus Christ the righteous; in the end of the former verse, and being both God and man, and so able as God, and capable as man of undergoing such a penalty as should by reason of the infiniteness of his person, be of infinite merit, is the propitiation for our sins.
To end this, The propitiation here spoken of may be considered several wayes, and accordingly it may have several causes, as decreed, published, applyed, purchased. The decree and intention of this propitiation, is the work of the whole Trinity, though especially attributed to the Father. The declaring and publication of it is the work of Christs Ministers, to whom is committed the word of reconciliation. The effectual application of it to every one in particular, is done principally by the Spirit, and instrumentally by faith. But still the purchase and procuration of it, is only by the blood of Christ: nemo praeter illum, nemo cum illo, there was none besides him, there was none to joyn… with him, he alone did undertake and accomplish the work of reconciliation.
Having briefly, and I trust in some measure clearly explicated the explicite truth of this clause, give me leave in a few words to apply it.
Scelesti in animum inducunt suum. J…vem posse placari omnibus hostiis. Plaut.1. In the sense of Gods wrath for our sins, whither should we go but to Christ for reconciliation; far be it from us to think we can pacify God for our sins by our prayers, or teares, or almes; in all which, Gods severe eye of justice would find matter of provocation; far be it from us to place our hopes of Gods favour towards us in the merits and mediation of Saints or Angels, who themselves are beholding to this Mediatour; the truth is, Propter filii meritum mater invenit gratiam, The Mothers peace was made by the Sonnes blood, and therefore to him, and him alone let us have recourse, as our only Peace-maker.
And would you know how to go to him? I answer, by faith; accedit qui credit, he cometh to, who beleeveth on Christ; and as there is no propitiation but through him, so there is no propitiation through him to us, but by laying hold on him, in which respect the Apostle doth not only say, God hath set forth Christ a propitiation through his blood, but through faith in his blood, and therefore being sensible of divine pleasure, let us embrace Christ in the armes of our faith, that God for his sake may be propitious to us.
2. In the confidence of this propitiation wrought for us by Christ, how infinitely should we account our selves obliged to our blessed Jesus? the more to imprint this meditation upon us, consider
1. What the benefit is which Christ hath procured, propitiation for our sins, a benefit which hath many blessings to attend upon it, such as are acceptation of our persons and performances, nearnesse of union, and fulnesse of communion with God, boldnesse of accesse to the throne of Grace, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Christ saith to every beleeving soul that hath an interest in his propitiation, in words much like those to his disciples, Be of good cheer, Ioh. 16.33▪I have pacified the Fathers wrath towards thee. God saith to every such person for whom he hath accepted Christs propitiation, in words much like those to Ephraim: It is my dear Son, it is my pleasant child, Ier. 31.20.though I spake against thee, I do earnestly remember thee, I will surely have mercy on thee; and
2. Who are we for whom Christ vouchsafed to become a propitiation? Jonathan stood between Sauls fury and David, a good reason, Sauls rage was causelesse, David was innocent, but Gods anger was just, and we were offenders: the people mediated between Saul and Ionathan, when he tasted of the honey, but Ionathan had offended ignorantly; we have been wilful presumptuous Rebels. Abigail pacified Davids wrath against Nabal, but he was her husband, Hester diverteth Ahasucrus his rage from the Iewes, but they were her countreymen; but loe Christ becometh a propitiation for our sinnes who were strangers, not allies, enemies, not friends, enemies to him as well as the Father, and yet for our sins he propitiateth.
3. When there was no other way left of propitiation, he undertaketh it, I looked (saith Christ) and there was none to help, I wondred that there was none to uphold, therefore mine own arm brought salvation. Is. 63.5.If all those glorious Angels had with united endeavours, sought to reconcile God to man, it could not have been accomplished. As God faith in another case, Though these three men, Noah Daniel and Iob, Ezek. 14.14.20.were in the land, they should deliver but their own soules, they shall deliver neither sonnes nor daughters: so he seemed to say in this, Though Gabriel, Michael, yea, all the Myriads of Angels, had not only intreated, but in assumed bodies suffered, they should not have propitiated my wrath towards one man for the least sin. And as Elishah said to Ahab, Were it not that I regard the presence of Iehoshaphat, I would not look towards thee, nor see thee;2 King. 3.14. so God saith to us, Were it not that I regard the passion and intercession of my Son, I would not vouchsafe the least look of grace or favour towards you.
4. That Christ might be the propitiation for our sinnes, he was pleased to offer himself a sacrifice;Ioh. 20.19.20 our blessed Saviour appearing to his disciples after his resurrection. Said, Peace be to you, and shewed them his hands and his feet, as if he would say? See how dear your peace cost me. Thus the case stood, we had offended, God was provoked, wrath was ready to strike us, Christ steps in and taketh the blow upon himself, and so by his suffering God is pacified towards us.
And now putting all these together, that when none could, Christ would, and that undertake so great a work as the reconciling offended justice; and when no other means would prevaile, but blood and death, Christ should be willing to lay down his own life; and this for our sinnes, who were so unworthy of the least regard: oh tell me, i… each of these severally, much more all joyntly be not strong obligations of love, and thankefulnesse? How should every beleeving sinner in the apprehension hereof, break forth into these or the like ejaculations! Dearest Iesus, didst thou procure thy Fathers love to me, and shall it not engage my love to thee? didst thou snatch me as a brand out of the fire of Gods wrath, and shall not I be inflamed with affection towards thee? the propitiation which thou hast wrought for me was undeserved, nay, undesired; shall it be altogether unrequited: It is true, I cannot recompence, but surely, I will acknowledge it; I will love, and blesse, and praise thee for it; saying, in words much like those of the Angels, Worthy is the lamb that was slain a sacrifice, and so a propitiation for my sins, to receive power, and riches, and wisdome, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.