The Morning Exercise Methodized, Sermon 16
THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST DISCUSSED.
COL. 1.20.
And (having made peace through the blood of his Croſſe) by him to reconcile all things unto himſelf, by him; I ſay, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
THE Apoſtle having congratulated the Coloſſians, their faith, and love, and other graces, and poured forth a prayer for them; in the 14. verſe he enters upon a Declaration of the Goſpel-myſtery, the Perſon, and Offices, and work of Chriſt. His perſon, ver. 15, 16, 17. he is God, &c. his Office, ver. 18. he is the Head of the body, the Church, &c. His work in the 20. verſe. Having in the 19. verſe, aſſerted Chriſts fitneſs for that work, it pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſs dwell, &c. Beſides that infinite fulneſs which he had as God, by natural and neceſſary generation, there was another unmeaſured fulneſs depending upon Gods foreign and good pleaſure, and thereby imparted unto Chriſt. Now he comes to ſhew his work deſcribed
Firſt, By its nature, To reconcile to himſelf, to make peace.
Secondly, By its inſtrument, that is, the blood of the Croſs by him.
Thirdly, The object of it, which are, All things, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven: By which learned Davenant underſtands the Angels ſpoken of as the things in heaven; and ſo many others, ſuppoſing that the Elect Angels wer… confirmed in their eſtate by Chriſt: But with ſubmiſſion to better judgements, I conceive
1. that there is not ſufficient evidence in Scripture, to ſhew that the holy Angels had their confirmation from Chriſt; nor doth it ſeem to be neceſſary; foraſmuch as it is commonly acknowledged, that Adam (who was under the ſame Covenant with the Angels) if he had continued in the obſervation of Gods precepts; for ſo long time as God judged meet, he ſhould have been confirmed by vertue of the Covenant of Works ſome other way. And therefore it was rather to be thought, that the Angels have their confirmatiom from Chriſt, as God and Head over all things, than as Mediatour (The actions of Chriſt as Mediatour, ſuppoſing a breach, according to that place, Gal. 3.20. A M… diatour is not a Mediatour of one; i. e. of two parties which are one politically; i. e. which are agreed in one, but of parties at variance.)
2. Howſoever if the Angels had been confirmed by Chriſt, yet ſurely they were not reconciled by Chriſt; for Reconciliation implies a former enmity, as theſe things in heaven are ſaid to be. And therefore I rather underſtand it of departed Saints, Patriarchs, Prophets, &c. who, as they went to Heaven, not to any Limbus; ſo this expreſſion is uſed to inſinuate, that they were ſaved by the grace of Jeſus Chriſt, even as we, as it is, Acts 15.11. and that the blood of Jeſus Chriſt did expiate not only thoſe ſins which were committed after his death, but thoſe alſo which were long ſince paſt; Rom. 3.25. as Sol nondum conspictus illuminat orbem, The light and influence of the Sun is diſperſed among us, before the body of the Sun doth appear above our Horizon.
So then here you have mans Reconciliation, Juſtification, and Salvation deſcribed, together with the procuring cauſe of it, ſet forth
1. More generally, By him.
2. More ſpecially, By the blood of his Croſs, by the ſhedding of his blood for us, by his death and paſſion compleated on the Croſs.
The doctrine I intend to handle, is this,
That the death of Jeſus Christ is the procuring cauſe of mans juſtification and ſalvation.
Amongſt all thoſe hereſies which God hath ſuffered to ſpring among us (that they that are approved, may be manifeſt) none are more dangerous than thoſe which concern the perſon and office of Chriſt; of thoſe many ſtreams of errour which run into the dead Sea of Socinianiſm, theſe are two; They deny the Godhead, and the ſatisfaction of Chriſt, and ſo indeed ſubvert the whole Fabrick of the Goſpel. This latter I ſhall here endeavour to diſcuſs, and ſhall proceed in this Method.
1. I ſhall explain it. 2. Aſſert. 3. Defend. 4. Apply it.
1. For the Explication of this great Goſpel-myſtery, (which truly if it fall, we are without hope, and ſo of all creatures moſt miſerable) I ſhall lay down theſe ſteps.
Firſt, God made the world and man in it for his own ſervice and glory: And this end he cannot be diſappointed in, but muſt have it one way or other.
Secondly, Man by ſin thwharted Gods end, and caſt dirt upon his glory, and ſo doth every ſinner: Every ſin is a reflection upon Gods Name, a blot in Gods Government of the world; ſo that ſome make it a pretence for their Atheiſm, ſaying, That if there were a God, he would not ſuffer ſin to be in the world.
Thirdly, God is inclined by his Nature, and obliged by his intereſt, to hate ſin, and puniſh the ſinner, and ſo to recover his glory.
1. I ſay God is inclined by his nature, to hate and puniſh ſin; I do not poſitively conclude, that he is abſolutely obliged; I ſhall not here meddle with that nice queſtion, Whether God was ſo far obliged to puniſh it by his nature, that he could not pardon ſin without ſatisfaction; but this is manifeſt: look upon man as a ſinner, and ſo Gods Nature muſt needs be oppoſite unto him; The Scripture deſcribes God in ſuch manner, not only in regard of his Will, but alſo in reſpect of his Nature, Hab. 1.13. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canſt not look on iniquity, &c. Exod. 34.6. where the nature of the Divine Majeſty is repreſented; among other parts of the deſcription this is one, He will by no meanes clear the guilty. Pſalme 11.5. The wicked—his ſoul hateth; —and the reaſon is added from Gods Nature, ver. 7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteouſneſſe, his countenance doth behold the upright. And it may further appear, that here puniſhment of ſin is not an act of Gods Will, but of his Nature. Becauſe the Actions of Gods Will are only known by Revelation, not by reaſon, or the light of Nature; but that God ſhould and would puniſh ſin, this was known by natures light, to ſuch as were unacquainted with Revelation-light. Hence came the Concluſion, Acts 28.4. (This man is a Murderer, whom though he hath eſcaped the Sea, yet Ʋengeance ſuffereth him not to live.) Vengeance, foreign, a ſuppoſed Goddeſſe, but indeed nothing elſe but Divine Juſtice.
2. God is obliged by his intereſt to puniſh him, as he is the Ruler of the world. By ſin there comes a double miſchief.
1. God is wronged.
2. The world is wronged by a bad example, and hardned in ſin; ſo that if God might pardon ſin as it is a wrong to himſelf, yet he is in a manner obliged to puniſh it to right the wronged world, and to make ſuch ſinners patterns of ſeverity, that the world may not make them examples of ungodlineſſe; even as King James might pardon the Powder-Traytors, ſo far forth as his Perſon was concerned; but if you look on it as a wrong to the whole Nation, to the Proteſtant Religion, ſo he was obliged to puniſh them, to make them warnings to others in the like caſes; ſo that you ſee mans puniſhment was neceſſary for Gods glory, and the Worlds good.
Fourthly, The puniſhment to be inflicted, muſt be ſutable to ſins Nature, and Gods Majeſty; and therefore an infinite puniſhment for this is juſtice to obſerve an exact proportion between ſin and puniſhment.
Fifthly, The only way whereby this puniſhment might be ſuffered, and yet man ſaved, was by the incarnation and paſſion of God-man. Man being every other way finite, muſt have ſuffered infinitely in regard of duration, even to eternity. And none but Chriſt who was infinite in regard of the ſubject, and dignity of his perſon, as he was God, could have ſo ſpeedily and effectually delivered us from this puniſhment, by ſuffering it himſelf, whereby Gods juſtice was ſatisfied, his hatred againſt the ſinner removed, and his mercy at liberty to act in the pardon of the ſinner.
Sixthly, This paſſion of Jeſus Chriſt, God was graciouſly pleaſed to accept for us, and impute to us, as if we had ſuffered in our perſons, and ſo he receives us into mercy. And this is the ſubſtance of the Doctrine of the Goſpel about mans ſalvation. So much for the firſt thing, the Explication of the point.
2. I now come to the Aſſertion or Demonſtration of it, that you may receive this Doctrine as a Truth, not built upon the traditions of men, but revealed in the Word of God. Now to prove this point; viz. That the death of Jeſus Chriſt is the procuring cauſe of mans Justification and Salvation, I may uſe two ſorts of Arguments.
Firſt, Some from the conſideration of Chriſts death.
Secondly, Some from the conſideration of mans Juſtification and Salvation.
1. From the conſideration of Chriſts death I ſhall offer ſix Arguments.
1. Its Poſſibility.
2. Neceſſity.
3. Nature.
4. Cauſe.
5. Vicegerency.
6. Peculiarity.
Firſt, From the poſſibility: Let me be bold to aſſert; had it not been for this purpoſe, it had not been poſſible for Chriſt to dye; as it was not poſſible for Chriſt to be holden of death, Acts 2.24. the price being paid, and ſo the Priſoner of courſe to be releaſed; ſo it had not been poſſible, becauſe not juſt (Id tantum poſsumus, quod jure poſſumus) to put him into a priſon, if it had not been to pay a debt. And a debt of his own he had none, he was a Lamb without blemiſh, and without ſpot, 1 Pet. 1.19. Holy, blameleſs, undefiled, ſeparate from ſinners, Hebr. 7.26. He knew no ſin, 2 Cor. 5.21. which I the rather mention, becauſe S…cinus hath the impudence to lay down this blaſphemous Aſſertion, That Chriſt, like the Jewiſh High Prieſt, did offer for himſelf as well as for the people. You have ſeen he had no debt, no ſin of his own, (he profeſſeth of himſelf that he did alwayes thoſe things which pleaſed his Father, John 8.29.) and therefore he muſt needs dye for our debts; it is plain that Adam, had he continued in integrity, ſhould not have dyed; death is not the effect of nature; (then the Saints in glory muſt dye again; for they have the ſame nature) but the fruit of ſin; death entred into the world by ſin; Rom. 5.12. And the Apoſtle proves the ſin of Infants (expreſſed by that Periphraſis, ſuch as have not ſinned after the ſimilitude of Adams tranſgreſſion) from the death of Infants; and in Adam all dyed; i. e. by his ſin, 1 Cor. 15.22. Therefore Jeſus Chriſt being purified from the guilt of Adams ſin, by his holy birth, and no leſſe perfect than Adam ſhould have been, could never have dyed, if not for our ſakes.
Secondly, From the neceſſity of Chriſts death; it was neceſſary for our Salvation and Juſtification, without which end it had been in vain. The Socinians mention two other reaſons and ends of Chriſts death; the one to be an example of obedience; but ſuch we have many others upon far leſs charge; the other to be a ground of hope for the remiſſion of ſin, and the fulfilling of Gods promiſes; but properly it is not the death, but reſurrection of Chriſt, which is the ground of our hope, 1 Cor. 15.14. If Chriſt be not riſen, your faith is vain; ſo that thoſe ends are improper and inſufficient: And to ſtrike it dead, I urge but one place, Gal. 2.21. — If righteouſneſſe come by the Law, Chriſt is dead in vain. What can be more plain, if righteouſneſſe be not by Chriſt, that the death of Chriſt be not the procuring cauſe of our Juſtification, Chriſt is dead in vain, to no end, or (as Grotius, and others rather underſtand) without any meritorious cauſe; i. e. our ſins; however all comes to one.
Thirdly, From the nature of Chriſts death, it is a Sacrifice; this conſiſts of two Branches.
1. Sacrifices did expiate ſin.
2. Chriſts death is a Sacrifice, and a ſin-expiating Sacrifice.
1. I ſay Sacrifices did expiate ſin, Levit. 1.4. He ſhall put his hands upon the head of the burnt-offering, and it ſhall be accepted for him; and many ſuch places. And this they did typically, (which ſtrengthens the cauſe we have in hand) as repreſenting and fore-ſignifying Chriſt, without which it was not poſſible for the blood of Buls and Goats to take away ſins, Hebr. 10.4. And the ſins pardoned under the Old Teſtament, were pardoned thorough Chriſt, and not through any vertue of their Sacrifices, Chriſt being a Mediatour for the Redemption of the Tranſgreſſions that were under the firſt Teſtament, Hebrewes 9.15.
2. And this brings in the ſecond Head, that Chriſts death is a Sacrifice, and a ſin-expiating Sacrifice, if either the names or nature of it may be regarded; for the names and titles proper to Sacrifices, they are attributed to it; (and God doth not give flattering titles, nor falſe names, but ſuch as diſcover the nature of things) it is called foreign, an Oblation, or offering up of himſelf, Epheſ. 5.2. foreign, 1 John 2.2. foreign, Rom. 3.25. to omit others; and for the nature, by vertue hereof ſin is atoned; he is our High Prieſt for this end, to make reconciliation for the ſins of the people, Heb. 2.17. foreign, being by an Enallage put for foreign, to pacifie God, reconcile God, turn away his wrath. You meet with all things in Chriſt, which concurre to the making of a Sacrifice. The Prieſt, he is our High Prieſt; the Sacrifice himſelf, Chriſt was once offered; the ſhedding of blood, and deſtroying of it, foreign being the eſſential part of a Sacrifice. Add to theſe, 1 Cor. 5.7.—Chriſt our Paſſeover is Sacrificed for us; where is a double Argument; 1. That Chriſt is expreſly ſaid to be Sacrificed. 2. That he is called a Paſſeover, which at the beſt ſeems to have been both a Sacrifice and a Sacrament: Now then Chriſts death being a Sacrifice, it appeares that it appeaſed Gods wrath, procured his favour.
Fourthly, From the cauſe of Chriſts death I might urge a double cauſe.
1. The inflicting cauſe it was Gods diſpleaſure: Nothing more plaine than that he had a very deep ſenſe of, and ſharp conflict with Gods wrath, from thoſe dreadful horrours in the Garden (where his ſoul was exceeding ſorrowful unto death; not certainly at the approach of an ordinary death, which many Martyrs have undergone with undaunted courage; but at the apprehenſion of his Fathers anger) and upon the Croſs, where he roared out that direful complaint, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken me? Now then, ſeeing God being naturally gracious, and perfectly righteous, cannot, will not be diſpleaſed with any without cauſe; and Chriſt had in himſelf no cauſe, There was nothing in him, Joh. 14.30. and (as you read) he alwayes did thoſe things which pleaſed him: It remains therefore that the cauſe of this diſpleaſure, and of Chrſts death, was, our ſins laid upon him, and our peace to be procured by him: And that brings in the
2. Head, which is the procuring or meritorious cauſe of Chriſts death; the guilt of our ſins laid on him, brought death upon him, as the juſt puniſhment of them. And this is written with ſo much clearneſs, that he that runs may read it. It is obſerved of the Ancient Writers of the Church, That thoſe of them which lived before the Pelagian hereſie was raiſed, ſpoke more darkly, and doubtfully, and careleſly in thoſe things, not being ob iged to ſtand much upon their Guard when they had no enemy in view, and having to do with enemies of a contrary make, while they avoided one extream, foreign, as it often happened, they ran too near the other: But in this point, the Apoſtles who Writ ſo long before Socinus had a being, have Written with as much perſpicuity againſt that hereſie, as if they had lived to ſee the accompliſhment of that Monſter, the conception whereof ſome of them ſaw in thoſe. Primitive Hereticks. Two things are written with a Sunbeam.
1. That Chriſt died for our good as the final cauſe. Dan. 9.26. —The Meſſiah ſhall be cut off, but not for himſelf.
2. That he died for our ſins as the deſerving cauſe; Rom. 4.25. Who was delivered (viz. unto death) for our offences; not only upon the occaſion of our ſins (as the Socinians gloſs it) but for the merit of our ſins. To ſuffer for ſin, alwayes implies ſin to be the meritorious cauſe of it. 1 Kings 14.16. He ſhall give up Iſrael becauſe of the ſins of Jeroboam. Deut. 24.16. The Father ſhall not be put to death for the children; —but every man ſhall be put to death for his own ſin. And many other places there are to the ſame purpoſe: And it is ſufficient to confirm any judicious man in this Truth, to read the miſerable evaſions which the Socinians uſe to ſhift off the force of this Argument, which as time will not give me leave to mention, ſo they are neither fit for this, nor worthy of any Aſſembly: This is plain, that Chriſt died for our ſinnes; and to ſtop all holes, the holy Ghoſt uſeth various prepoſitions; if one be more emphatical than another, all ſhall concur to aſſert this truth, foreign, Rom. 4.25. foreign, 1 Cor. 15.3. foreign, 1 Pet. 3.18. And that all theſe ſhould ſignifie the final cauſe, or occaſion only, and never the meritorious cauſe, when a man hath put out his eyes, or God hath taken away the Scripture, and other Greek Authours too, he may believe it, but very hardly before.
I ſhall ſtrengthen this Argument with this conſideration, That Chriſt is ſaid to bear our ſinnes; which is ſo evident, that Crellius that Maſter-builder of the Socinian Fabrick, confeſſeth, That for the moſt part to beare ſins, is to endure the puniſhments due to ſin: And he ſaid no more than he was forced to by the invincible clearneſs of Scripture-expreſſions; Lev. 5.1. & 7.18. & 20.17. Notorious Offenders, it is ſaid of them, They ſhall beare their iniquity. It is ſaid of Chriſt, not only foreign, which the Socinians ſay, may ſignifie to take away iniquity; albeit a Learned man layeth down this aſſertion, That it never ſignifies to take away ſin, as Socinus would have it; but alſo foreign, which is to beare upon his ſhoulders, as a Porter beares a Burden, but never to take away. Iſaiah 53.4. He hath borne our griefs, and car…yed our ſorrows.
Object. (Which is one of the moſt plauſible Arguments they have in this cauſe) But Mat. 8.16, 17. where Chriſt took away diſeaſes which he did not bear, it is ſaid the ſaying of Eſaias was fulfilled therein.
Anſw. (To omit thoſe many Anſwers given by others, of which ſee Brinſleys one only Mediatour, and Calovius his excellent diſcourſe De ſatisfactione Chriſti, in his Sociniſmus proſtigatus) A Scripture is ſaid to be fulfilled, either wholly, or in part: Now then you muſt know, that although it be a truth, which we conclude againſt the Papiſts, That there are no more than one of literal and co-ordinate ſenſes of every place of Scripture, yet there may be divers of ſeveral kindes, one ſubordinate to another, and one typified by another, and one accommodated to another; And when any one of theſe ſenſes are accompliſhed, that Scripture is ſaid to be fulfilled, though indeed but one piece and parcel of it be fulfilled. Thus the fulfilling of the ſame Scripture, is applied to the ſpiritual preſervation of the Apoſtles, John 17.12. and to the temporal preſervation of them, John 18.9. And as it were falſe and fallacious reaſoning for any man to infer, that Chriſts keeping of his Apoſtles, cannot be underſtood ſpiritually of keeping them in his Name, and keeping them from Apostacy, as it is ſaid John 17.12. becauſe John 18.9. it is ſaid to be fulfilled in a reſcue of them from a temporal deſtruction; but rather it muſt be ſaid, it was fulfilled both wayes, and the one was ſubordinate to the other, and typified in the other; So is it in this caſe: This place in Iſaiah, (that it may appeare to be exactly a parallel caſe) was fulfilled two wayes; The one expreſſed, 1 Pet. 2.24. Who his own ſelf bare our ſins in his own body upon the Tree. The other in this, Matth. 8.17. In the former is expreſſed the cauſe, Chriſts bearing the burden of our ſinnes upon his ſhoulders. In the latter, the eff…ct, Chriſts taking off the Burden, or part of that Burden of ſin from our ſhoulders, or from the ſhoulders of thoſe diſeaſed perſons; for it was laid upon his ſhoulders, that it might be taken off from us. So that Matthew rightly tells us that Iſaiah was fulfilled, and that the cauſe did appeare by the effect; as by the dawning of the day, we ſee the approach of the Sun. And this may ſerve for the untying of that hard knot, which I had almoſt ſaid, is the only thing of moment the Socinians have in this Controverſie. But to return, Iſa. 53.5. He was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, he was bruiſed for our iniquities; the chastiſement of our peace was upon him, and with his ſtripes we are healed. If it were lawful for the higheſt Antiſocinian in the world to coyne a Scripture for his purpoſe, he could not deviſe a place of a more favourable aſpect to his cauſe than this. And Ver. 6. The Lord hath plac'd on him the iniquity of us all. But indeed the Arguments which might be drawn out of this one Chapter, Iſa. 53. might afford matter for a whole Sermon.
Fifthly, From the Vicegerency of Chriſts death; Chriſt dyed
1. For our good.
2. For ou… ſins, (of both thoſe you have heard.)
3. In our place; of this I now come to Treat Briefly (for I have been wonderfully prevented) 1 Pet. 3.18. Chriſt ſuffered for ſins, the juſt for the unjust. 2 Cor. 5.14. If one died for all, then were we … …d; i. e. juridically, we were all as dead, condemned per…, becauſe he died in our ſtead. He is ſaid to die foreign, and foreign. Now the word foreign alwayes ſignifies a commutation, ſaith the then famous, but afterwards Apoſtate Grotius, eye for eye, foreign, Matth. 5.38. that is, one inſtead of the other, Matth. 2.22. Archelaus reigned foreign in the room of his Father Herod. So 2 Sam. 18.33. Would God I had died for thee O Abſalom; i. e. in thy ſtead, ſo that thou hadſt lived. Thus Chriſt died for us; ſo John 11.50. Caiaphas ſaid, It is expedient fo… us, that one man ſhould die for the people; i. e. in their ſtead, to ſave their lives, as a publick foreign. The Gentiles being uſed in caſe of ſome great and common calamities, threatning deſtruction to all, to offer up ſome one man in the name and ſtead of all, which was a ſhadow of that great truth of Chriſts dying for all. And Socinus himſelf being put to it, cannot deny this; Even in Heathen Authours, it is a common phraſe, To do a thing for another; i. e. in his place. Ego pro te molam, I will grinde for you, and you ſhall be free. Chriſt is called foreign, a Ranſome, or Price, a foreign; (there is one Argument, that his Blood was the price of our Redemption) and a Ranſome in our ſtead. 1 Tim. 2.6. Who gave himſelf foreign a Ranſome for all. Gal. 3.13. Chriſt hath Redeemed us from the cu…ſe of the Law, himſelf being made a curſe for us; i. e. he underwent that Curſe due to us, that Curſe from which we are freed, that Curſe which others who receive not Jeſus Chriſt, ſhall undergo. What a cluſter of Arguments might be gathered here? It is prodigious boldneſs in Socinians to turn this Article of Faith into a ſtreame of Rhetorick, Paulus amavit in voce execrationis argutus eſſe: But Manum de tabula.
S…xthly, And laſtly, From the peculiarity of Chriſts death. It is undeniable that Chriſt died for us, ſo as no man in the world ever did, nor can do. Therefore not in the Socinian ſenſe, not barely for the confirmation of our faith, or excitation of our obedience, or ſtrengthning of our hope, or encouragement of us in our ſufferings; for in this ſenſe, thouſands have died for you. Paul tells the Co … he ſuffered for them, i. i. for their good; Col. 1.24. and yet …lls the Corinthians, he did not ſuffer for them. 1 Cor. 1.13. Was Paul crucified for you? i. e. in your ſtead, or for your ſinnes?
And this for the firſt Head of Arguments, where I ſee I muſt take up, though I thought to have urged divers other Arguments from the Nature of mans juſtification and ſalvation. But I will not be too tedious. What hath been ſaid may be enough to convince any indifferent man; and others will not be convinced, though they are convinced.
Thus much for the ſecond particular, the aſſertion of this truth. The third ſhould have been the vindication of it from the cavils of Socinians; but I am cut off, and it is not wholly neceſſary; for if once a truth be evident from plain Scriptures, we ought not to be moved with the cavils of wanton wits, or the difficulty of comprehending thoſe great myſteries by our reaſon; when the Socinians can ſolve all the Phaenomena of nature, (which are the proper Object of mans Reaſon) then, and not till then, we will hearken to their rational Objections. And Aristotle ſomewhere lays down this Concluſion, That when once man is well ſetled in any truth, he ought not to be moved from it by ſome ſubtle Objection, which he cannot well anſwer. All this I ſpeak, not as that there were any inſolubilia, any inſuperable Objections againſt this truth that I ever met with; for though there are many things here which are hard to be underſtood, yet nothing which cannot be anſwered.
As when they tell you he did not ſuffer eternal death which was due to us. It is true, he did not; but a moment of his ſufferings was equal in worth to our eternal ſufferings, the dignity of the perſon being always conſiderable in the eſtimation of the action, or the ſuffering.
So when they ſay one man cannot dye for another, it is falſe; you heard David wiſh he had dyed for Abſalom; and Jehu threatens thoſe who ſhould let any of them eſcape, That his life ſhall go for his life, 2 Kings 10.24. and Hiſtories tell us of one man dying for another.
So when they ſay it is unrighteous that God ſhould puniſh the juſt for the unjuſt.
Anſw. It is not unjuſt, if any will voluntarily undertake it; volenti non ſit injuria. Beſides that, God gives Laws to us, Deut. 24.16. but not to himſelf.
The fourth and laſt Head was by way of Application.
Is it ſo, That the death of Jeſus Christ is the procuring cauſe of our Juſtification and Salvation?
Ʋſe 1. Hence ſee the excellency of Chriſtian Religion, which ſhews the true way to life, and ſettles doubting conſciences. Heathens were miſerably plunged; they ſaw their ſins, their guilt, and had terrors of conſcience, an expectation of wrath; this foreign was written in their hearts, that they which do ſuch things are worthy of death; — They ſaw the need of atoning God, reconciling God; they ſaw the inſufficiency of all their Rites and Sacrifices.
Ah nimium faciles qui tristia Funera caedis
Tolli flumineâ poſſe putatis aquâ!
Some of them ſaw the neceſſity of a mans death, and that ſine humano cruore, without mans blood the work could not be done; but then that ſeemed an act of cruelty, and the addition of a ſin inſtead of the expiation of it; and here they ſtuck; they could go no further. Now bleſſed be God who hath diſcovered thoſe things to us which were hid from others; who hath removed difficulties, and made our way plain before us; who hath given us a Sacrifice, and accepted it, and imputed it to us, and thereby reconciled us, and given us peace, a ſolid peace, as the fruit of that Reconciliation.
Ʋſe 2. See the dreadfulneſſe of Gods juſtice, how fearful it is to fall into the hands of the Living God; Chriſt himſelf muſt ſuffer, if he be a ſinner though but by imputation.
Uſe 3. It ſhews us, the malignity of ſin that could be expiated only by ſuch blood.
Uſe 4. It ſhews us the ſtability and certainty of our Juſtification and Salvation. It is procured, purchaſed, the price paid, received, God cannot now recall it.
Uſe 5. Study the death of Chriſt, and eye it as the great pillar of your faith, in troubles of conſcience, and ſettle your ſelves upon it.