Right Thoughts, Part 2 · Section 34
Sect. XXXIV.
1 Tim. 3.16. Miſtake to think one drop of Chriſt's blood ſufficient. Acts 20.28. The Death of Chriſt neceſſary. Heb. 9.15. Verſe 16. As Teſtatour.BUt though I dare not but Think with Scripture that the blood of Chriſt (that is, the Death of Chriſt, for ſo the Scripture is to be underſtood when it ſpeaks of his blood) is of Infinite value and vertue, being Gods own blood, yet dare I not think with thoſe who (without Scripture) affirm that One drop of Chriſts blood was ſufficient to ſave the world, for the Apoſtle ſaith expreſly, that He is Mediatour of the New Teſtament through DEATH, foreign, to Redemption (no Redemption without Death) for where a Teſtament is (ſaith he) there Muſt be the Death of Him that made the Teſtament. And He proves it by the killing of the Sacrifices in the Law,Verſe 22.23. That without ſhedding of blood (he means dying) there is no Remiſſion; And that it was Neceſſary Chriſt ſhould enter by his own Blood, that is, (for ſo he explains it) by the Sacrifice (not of a drop or few drops but) of Himſelf, and that no otherwiſe than by Death; Verſe 26. Verſe 27, 28. Surety. Gen. 2.17. Heb. 7.22. Rom. 5.21. Chriſt ſuffered in our ſtead. Gen. 22.13. Iſ…. 53.5, 10.for as it was appointed unto Men once to die, So Chriſt muſt be Once offered. For the Debt that We owe to the Covenant of Works is Death, In the day that thou eateſt thereof thou ſhalt Die: This Debt muſt Our Surety under the New-Covenant pay, though a Covenant of Grace, for GRACE muſt reign by Righteouſneſs; for Chriſt was not onelyonly for Our Good, but in our ſtead, (like the Ram in the ſtead or room of Iſaac) for the Chaſtiſement of our Peace was upon him. And therefore (not one drop of his Blood onelyonly but) his Soul muſt be made the Offering for Sin, and he muſt powre out his Soul to the Death, Verſe 1…. Verſe 4.for He was to bear Our Sorrows, which were the ſorrows of Death, as you have ſeen: which Text,Grot. in loc. though a learned man, who ſometimes had written worthily for Chriſts ſatisfaction, falling afterwards off by Temptation, would fain diſtort, by expounding it of the Prophet Jeremiah, yet two great Apoſtles, Philip and Peter, Acts 8.34, 35. 1 Pet. 2.24.do underſtand and expound it of Chriſt, and no other, by whoſe alone ſtripes we are healed. So Chriſt himſelf alſo, who knew what would ſerve the turn, tells his Diſciples plainly, that there was no way but one, he muſt go away, he muſt depart, John 16.7.yet he had long before this even at eight dayes old, loſt more than a drop of blood for them in his Circumciſion, Luke 2.21. Mat. 16.21.but ſtill for all that, the Son of Man muſt go to Jeruſalem, and muſt ſuffer many things, and be killed: and it was his Life, Chap. 20.21.and no leſs that He muſt give for a Ranſom for many.
'Tis true indeed,The preciouſneſs of Chriſts Death. Acts 2.24. 2 Sam. 18.3. Chriſt fully Satisfied, was lawfully diſcharged. this One Life of His was worth Thouſands of Ours, as Davids Men ſaid of David, and his Suffering Death (though it were not poſſible he ſhould be held of it,) gave Infinite Juſtice that Satisfaction and full Payment, becauſe he that Suffered was an Infinite Perſon, that Millions of Damned ones, (Men and Angels) in Hell cannot give or make in Millions of Ages; but the ſubjects of the Suffering being Finite, the duration or Term of the Suffering muſt be in ſome ſort Infinite, that is to ſay, without End; But now God ſends his Angel, Mat. 28.2.as a publick Miniſter, to roul away the Stone from Chriſts Sepulchre (not that Chriſt needed an Angels help to further his Reſurrection,John 10.18. for He that had power to take up his life again, could not want ſtrength like another Sampſon, Jud. 16.9, 12.to ſhake off thoſe ſorry ſhackles of his Sepulchre, but) I ſay, the Key muſt be turned by Gods own Officer, and the Priſon door ſet open, to declare to All the World that Our Debt, by his Death, was fully paid, in that Our Surety did not Break Priſon, but was ſet at Liberty, which the damned ſhall never be, becauſe they can never pay the uttermoſt farthing.
We muſt not pretend high Thoughts of Chriſt, to harbour hard thoughts of God. 1 Pet. 1.18. Verſe 19.But ſtill We muſt take heed while We pretend high Thoughts of Chriſt, that we harbour not hard thoughts of God, as if he would exact of Our Surety more than was due, or were indeed profuſe or prodigal of the Blood of his Son; No, no, God counted it as precious ſure as thou canſt do for thine heart, and if Men be loath to be laviſh of corruptible things, ſuch as Silver and Gold, ſure God would never have been ſo of the precious blood of Chriſt, as a… Lamb without ſpot; for if a drop would have done it, Circumciſion might have excuſed the Paſsion, and the Propathia, or Bloody Sweat in the Garden, the Bloody Death upon the CROSS:Gal. 2.21. and ſo Chriſt have dyed in vain, a thought which the Apoſtle ſo much abhors; for as he there reaſons concerning the Law, I may argue in this preſent caſe, if Righteouſneſs could have been by a drop of his Blood, then …hri… dyed foreign, as one would ſay, Gratis, in a complement, and for a meer flouriſh of his kindneſs, which the Apoſtle will by no means admit,Joh 2.19, 21. No, no, The Temple of his Body muſt be de…troyed, which the loſs of a Drop of his blood would not do;Rom. 6.23. He muſt be made SIN for Us; now the wages of Sin (for he knew no ſin, as to the work of Sin, but he muſt be made Sin, as to the wages of Sin which) is Death; Cor. 5.21.That we might be made the righteouſneſs of God in him. And that he might Redeem us from the Curſe of the Law, he muſt be made a Curſe for Us; that is, He muſt hang upon the Tree till he be dead, Deut. 21 22, 23. Scripture-thoughts of Chriſt, our onelyonly right and high Thoughts. Luke 24.25, 26.for in that ſence it is, that the Apoſtle quotes, that in the Law of Moſes, where it is written, Curſed is he that hangeth upon a Tree.
And the truth is, as our Scriptural Thoughts of Chriſt are our onelyonly Right Thoughts, (O fools and ſlow of heart, ought not Chriſt to have ſuffered theſe things? &c. ſo are they alſo our high Thoughts; for herein God comme…ded his Love to us (not that Chriſt was Circumciſed for us, though that were Love,Rom. 5.8. Not Chriſt bleeding, but his dying the grand commendation of his Love. to looſe a few drops of his precious Blood for Us, but this is the high commendation of his Love) that he dyed for, … for many there are that would willingly enough …oſe a little Blood for a Friend, that would not die for their Friend, but this was Love, that though We were Enemies, He not onelyonly Bled for Us, but Dyed for Us. For ſuppoſe you had been ear-witneſſes … the great Councel of Peace between the Father and the Son,Heb. 10.3, 4, 5. (whereof we have ſuch plain Intimations in Scripture) ſaith God, Lo yonder are a multitude of Sinne…, and a multitude of Sacrifices, but I have no pleaſure in the One or the Other, but if Thou, my Son, wilt but come in the Room of both, I ſhall be ſatisfied, in whom, Mat. 3.17.as well as with whom, I ſhall be well pleaſed; But know then, that there muſt be Dying, or there can be no Doing;Hebr. 9.12. for the Sinners ſhould Die; and the Sacrifices they do Die, and thou muſt Die, or elſe my Wrath can not be appeaſed, the Sinner can not be acquitted; and then that you had heard Chriſt thus making anſwer, If it muſt be ſo, Lo I come, Lord, Hebr. 10.9.7. Verſe 5. Iſaiah 50.5, 6.in the Volume of thy Book it is written of me, even to do this thy Will O God; if this be the way, Let it be ſo; a Body haſt thou prepared me, and mine Ears ha…t thou opened, and I was not Rebellious, neither turned I away back; Lo here is my Back to the Smiters, and my Cheeks for them that pull off the hair, and my Face for ſhame and ſpitting: And if all this be not ſufficient, here is my Soul too for a Sacrifice, for an Offering for Sin, Iſa…ah 53 1….and if Thou be but ſatisfied, I am Satisfied, for as never had Mother ſorrow in her Birth-pains for a Son, like my Sorrow, ſo never was Mother ſatisfied in a Son as I am in my Seed.Iſaiah 53.10. When thou ſhalt make his Soul an Offering for Sin, He ſhall ſee his Seed, and the Pleaſure of the Lord proſper in his hand: Verſe 11.He ſhall ſee of the Travail of his Soul, and be Satisfied. And therefore well mayeſt Thou be ſatisfied, O my Soul, as with Marrow and with Fatneſs, to think of all this.Verſe 1…. If it pleaſed the Lord to bruiſe him, that He might ſpare thee, and if the Son were ſatisfied to be ſo ſerved to juſtify thee,Verſe 11. and to bear thine Iniquities; ſhall this Thought not be pleaſing to thee? That He ſhould not onelyonly be Cut (as in his Circumciſion) but Cut off out of the Land of the Living (as in his Paſſion) even Meſsiah the Prince, Verſe 8. Dan. 5.24, 25.be cut off for thee, to finiſh thy Tranſgreſsion, to make an end of Sin, to make Reconciliation for the Tranſgreſsion, and to bring in Everlaſting Righteouſneſs; That He ſhould be delivered for thine Offences, Rom. 4.25.and raiſed again for thy Juſtification, without thy deſert or deſire, or thy care or thy Thought before all this was done for thee; doth it not deſerve now thy Love,Jer. 23.6. and thy Joy, and thy Care, and thy Thoughts, to be laid out upon it? nay to be taken up with it? That The Lord ſhould be Thy Righteouſneſs; Iſaiah 32.2.and this Man thine hiding place, and thy Peace, and that by Blood onelyonly, Eph. 2.13, 15. Eph. 1.6, 7.ſo making Peace; That thine Acceptation ſhould be in Him, and thy Redemption through his Blood, and neither the One nor the other by Doing, nor by thy Dying, Rom. 5.10.but thy Rec…nciliation by His Death, and thy Salvation by His Life; Oh how dear ſhould the Thought of this Dying-Riſing Lord be to thee,1 Pet. 3.1…. who once ſuffered for Sins, the JUST for the Unjuſt, that he might bring us to God, put to Death in the Fleſh, or Manhood, but quickened in, or through the Spirit, that is, the Godhead?