Christ Crucified, Sermon 31
SERMON XXXI.
ISAIAH LIII. VIII.
Verſ. 8. He was taken from priſon and from judgement, and who ſhall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the tranſgreſſion of my people was he ſtricken.
THE Prophet hath been long in deſcribing Chriſts Sufferings, and hath ſhowen what height they came to, even to priſon and to judgment, and to death it ſelf, He was cut off out of the land of the living; now he caſts in a word to ſhew wherefore all this was, or what was the procuring cauſe that brought all this ſuffering and ſorrow on Chriſt, which alſo was the end that he had before him in it, in theſe words, for the tranſgreſſion of my people was he ſtricken; we ſhew that by my people here, was not meant all men and women in the world, nay, not all men who are externally called in the viſible Church, but his Elect only, theſe whom he hath choſen to be his People, and ſeparated from others by an eternal decree of Election; we ſhew alſo that theſe words, for the tranſgreſſion of my people was he ſtricken, do not contain only a reaſon of Chriſt's extream ſuffering, even of his being brought to priſon and to judgment before men, but alſo and mainly of his being brought ſo before God, and of his being cut-off; for the ſins of Gods People are not laid to his charge before men, but before God they are; and ſo it does imply an influence that the ſins of the Elect had upon Chriſts Sufferings, and a reſpect that his Sufferings had to their ſins; the Elects ſins procured theſe Sufferings to him, and his Sufferings were undergone by him for the ſatisfying of Juſtice for their ſins, and for the removing of them.
I ſhall not inſiſt further in the expoſition of the words, having opened them up the laſt day, but ſhall hint at a few Doctrines from them; and becauſe they are general and more doctrinal, I ſhall be the ſhorter in ſpeaking to them; though it may be ye think not ſo much of them, yet they are not a little for your edification; and if ye were ſuitably ſenſible of ſin, and of your hazard, there is no Doctrine concerning the Covenant of Redemption but it would be uſeful and refreſhing to you.
There are ſeveral things implyed here concerning the efficacy of the price of Chriſt's death, and concerning the extent of it, as it's laid down as a price for the ſins of the Elect, which I ſhall firſt paſſingly touch upon, and then come to theſe Doctrines that are more directly held forth in the words.
1. Then, it is implyed, that there is a people of God ſeparated from others, and choſen by him, on whom he intended and purpoſed before the World was, to glorifie his grace; The very deſignation that they get here clears this; It's my people, not only of the Jews, nor my people only of the Gentiles, but my people both of Jews and Gentiles; as Chriſt ſayes, John 10. Other ſheep have I which are not of this fold, them I muſt bring i….
2. It is implyed that this Decree of Election is antecedanius to, and goes before the Covenant of Redemption in order of Nature, it flows not from Chriſts death as the effect of it, but is prior to it; for if Chriſts death be the mean, or price (as indeed it is) Whereby the ſins of God's Elect people are ſatisfied for, then the Decree of Election muſt preceed it; Only we would beware to aſcribe to God any priority or poſteriority in his Decrees in order of time, for he is infinite in wiſdom and foreſight, and able to look on all things with one blink of beholding, and to decree things infinite in number at once, which we cannot conceive of, nor comprehend; But this we ſay, that conſidering the order of things, the Decree of Election is not a fruit or effect of Chriſts death, but prior to it, and Chriſt's death follows as a mean to make it effectual; He is appointed to ſave the Elect from their ſins, and from that which their ſins deſerved. For the tranſgreſſion of my people was he ſtricken; They were God's people by Election before Chriſt's ingagement to ſuffer and ſatisfie for them, much more before his actual ſuffering, and ſo their Election cannot be a fruit and effect of his ſuffering.
Uſe. It ſerves to vindicate this truth from an error and miſtake of the Arminians, who, as they overthrow the deſign of grace in the ſalvation of ſinners in other ſteps thereof; So do they in this, in making Chriſt's death to preceed Election, and Election to follow it; But, as we hinted before, the Decree of Election is Soveraign, being an Act of Grace abſolutely free, the Lord in it having deſigned ſome for manifeſting the glory of his grace upon them as the end, he hath taken in Chriſts death and other midſes for the promoving of it.
3. It is implyed here, that even the Elect or God's People are conſidered as ſinful in the Covenant of Redemption, For the tranſgreſſion of my people was he ſtricken; They were conſidered as ſinful as well as others when they were bargained for: We need not here diſpute whether they were conſidered as ſinful in the Decree of Election, it not being neceſſary in this place, nor profitable for you, but ſure in Chriſt's undertaking for them they are conſidered as ſinful; for God ſent not Chriſt, neither came he into the world to purchaſe life and ſalvation to righteous folks, but he was ſent and came to lay down his life a ranſome for many, to wit ſinners, and therefore it is given as the reaſon of his Name, Matth. 1.21. Thou ſhalt call his Name Jeſus, for he ſhall ſave his people from their ſins.
Uſe 1. It ſerves to humble the Elect greatly, who, when ever they come to get grace, they get it moſt freely, for they were no better by nature than others whom God paſt by, as is clear, Eph. 2.1. We were dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, and were by nature children of wrath even as others; Peter and Paul were by nature children of wrath as well as Judas; And David was a child of wrath by nature as well as Saul, when this tranſaction concerning the work of Redemption was agreed upon and concluded betwixt theſe moſt reſponſal Parties.
2. It ſerves alſo much for the encouragement of a Believer who is ſenſible of ſin, and afraid of wrath, and in that poſture betakes himſelf to Chriſt for refuge; though his misbelief ſhould make him ſay with Peter, Depart from me, for I am a ſinful man, O Lord, yet this conſideration may hearten him to draw near, that Chriſt was ſtricken for ſinners, for the tranſgreſſions of his Elect people; yea, if t…ere had not been ſin, and if the Covenant of Works had hold…n foot, there needed not to have been a Saviour, and therefore ſinners have here a ſolid ground to lay hold upon for life and ſalvation.
And therefore as a 3d. Uſe of it, it is an unſafe aſſertion, beſide the curioſity of it, that Antinomians maintain, which is, that though man had never fallen, yet Chriſt would have become Man; For we ſee here, that Chriſts becoming Man, and his being ſtricken, flowed from his being Surety for Elect ſinners; and his being Surety flowed from the Covenant of Redemption concerning Elect ſinners: To be wiſe without, or beſide and above what is written in the Scriptures, it's vanity, pride and folly.
4. It is implyed here, that ſin whereever it is deſerves ſtroaks, even the ſin of the Elect; Yea we may add this to it, that not only do the ſins of the Elect deſerve ſtroaks in themſelves, being breaches of God's Law, but that there is an actual curſe ſtanding againſt them till it be removed; And God's threatning, The day thou eats thou ſhalt ſurely die, infers a neceſſity of ſtroaks; This we ſay is clearly implyed here, becauſe the Mediator entering himſelf Surety for the Elects debt behoved to be ſmitten, and when he was ſo ſmitten, ſure ſin muſt deſerve much; We ſpeak not of an abſolute neceſſity, but God having revealed to man his duty, and added a threatning, that in the day he ſhould eat he ſhould die, there is a neceſſity in reſpect of God's truth, faithfulneſs, and unchangeableneſs who had ſpoken the word, that ſtroaks ſhould follow ſin, for ſin cannot be removed till the threatning be ſatisfied.
Uſe. This may point out to us that ſin is no little nor light thing, neither is the obtaining of pardon any eaſie buſineſs whatever men generally think of them; There are many ſad ſtroaks that follow ſin, which will hotly purſue ſinners who are not in Chriſt; O! do not then think lightly of ſin which is the Fountain of ſo much miſery and woe to the ſinner; If ye knew how exceedingly bitter wrath and the curſe is that fo…lows ſin, ye would as ſoon put your head in the fire as ye would meddle with it; If ye believed that word to be true which is in Exod. 34 He will by no means clear the guilty; And if ye believed God's faithfulneſs that is ingaged to make good his threatnings, challenges for ſin would be more ſtrong and ſtinging.
5. It is implyed here, that though the Elects ſins deſerve wrath, and that there muſt be a ſatisfaction ere they can be removed, that yet the Elect cannot ſatisfie for themſelves, For the tranſgreſſions of my people was he ſtricken; Chriſt behoved to be ſmitten ere their ſin could be removed; If the Elect could have done their own buſineſs they needed not to have been ſo much in Chriſts common and debt, nor to have given him thanks for his undertaking; But this is brought in to hold forth the condeſcendency of his love, that when no other thing could do it, he interpoſed as Surety; The abominableneſs of ſin was ſo great, that the Majeſty of God his infinite Holineſs and his ſpotleſs Juſtice being wronged, and the finite Creature not being able to make amends for the wrong done, did require this; For all mankind, yea all the Holy Angels could not ſatisfie for the wrong done by one man to the infinite God, therefore he ſayes, I am the Saviour, and there is none elſe; He gives defiance to all Saviours beſide himſelf, None can redeem his brothers ſoul from death, nor give a price ſufficient for it, the redemption of it ceaſeth for ever among the Creatures.
Uſe. Study then to be ſuitably ſenſible of this; ye may poſſibly think it to be but a common Doctrine, but alaee ye walk not under the due and deep conviction and ſenſe of it, hence it comes to paſs that ſo few think themſelves in Chriſts common, and that ſo few make their addreſs to him: Ask the moſt part how they think they will win to Heaven? They will readily name many things and wayes ere they light on Chriſt and Faith in him; If they have done a fault they ſay they will make a-mends, or they will pray for pardon, and they think that will do the turn: Such have this language in effect, that either there is no need of ſatisfaction for ſin, or that they can ſatisfie for themſelves.
6. It is implyed here, that though the Elect have ſinned, and cannot ſatisfie for themſelves, yet it is neceſſary that a ſatiſfaction be provided for them; I do not ſay ſimply that whoever hath ſinned muſt have a ſatisfaction made for them; For the Lord hath left Legions of Angels and many thouſands of reprobat Men and Women without hope of a Saviour, or of a ſatisfaction; But conſidering God's purpoſe to bring many Sons to Glory, and his Decree of Election which muſt needs ſtand, and that the Elects names are written in the Book of life; It is impoſſible that they can ly ſtill under the curſe, but muſt be ſatisfied for, and redeemed from it; For the tranſgreſſion of my people was he stricken; My people have ſinned, and muſt be redeemed; On ſuppoſition of the Decree of Election our Lord undertook that great work, the Elect cannot periſh, ſin cannot draw them utterly away from God; Not only ſhall no externals ſuch as Devils or Men, Perſecution, Tribulation, &c. be able to come betwixt them and life, but not ſin it ſelf that is within them; His Decree being peremptory muſt ſtand, as he ſayes, John 10. I have other ſheep which are not of this fold, them alſo I must bring in; God's purpoſe cannot be fruſtrated nor altered, therefore of neceſſity their ſins muſt be ſatisfied for.
7. It's implyed here, that for this end, to wit, that the Elect might be ſaved from ſin, and that Gods Decree of Election might ſtand ſure, Chriſt Jeſus became Surety, and did undertake to ſatisfie for their ſins; otherwiſe he could not have been lyable to be ſtricken for them, if he had not become Surety for them; That he was for the tranſgreſſion of God's people ſtricken, ſayes plainly that he was ingaged for them, as it is, Heb. 7.22. He was made Surety of a better Teſtament; And Pſal. 40.7. Then ſaid I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me: I delight to do thy will, O my God: Theſe things being ſpoken after the manner of, and borrowed from, the bargainings or tranſactions that uſe to be amongſt men, we may conceive the buſineſs thus, (hinted before) there is the Fathers refuſing of ſomewhat, Sacrifice and offering thou didſt not deſ…re, and his propoſing of another thing, and that is, that the Mediator would engage for the Elect; And upon the other ſide, there is the Mediators offer to undertake, and his actual undertaking and accepting of the Fathers propoſal, when Sacrifices and Offerings, when thouſands of Rams, and ten thouſand Rivers of Oyl will not do it, Lo, I come, ſaith he; And then for a concluſion of the Bargain and Tranſaction, there is the Fathers accepting of his undertaking, he is content to take his ſufferings as the price for the Elects debt; Hence John 17. he ſaith, Thine they were, and thou gaveſt them me, that is, thine they were by Election, and thou gaveſt them me to be redeemed by me; And Heb. 10.10. it's ſaid, that it is by this will that we are ſanctified, that is, by the will of the Father, that the Son ſhould be Surety.
Uſe. Look upon the work of Redemption as a great, gracious, and glorious work; about the deſigning and contriving whereof the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt were occupied (to ſpeak ſo with reverence) before the World was; He might have made Worlds of Angels and of ſinleſs Men and Women at a word, and yet he hath graciouſly condeſcended to this way for redeeming of the poor Elect. We are alace ſinfully diſpoſed to think little of the Salvation and Redemption of a Soul, but it is a great matter in God's account, the deepeſt of whoſe conſultation (to ſay ſo) is taken up about it, and in the contrivance whereof the manifold wiſdom of God conſpicuouſly ſhineth forth; and as in other things therein, ſo in this, that there was an ancient undertaking and ingaging by Jeſus Chriſt in the room of the Elect as their Surety.
8. While it is ſaid, For the tranſgreſſion of my people was he cut off and stricken, it imply…s that Chriſt in his undertaking for the Elect did oblidge himſelf to undergo all theſe ſufferings that were due to them, and even the ſuffering of a curſed death, which was the curſe threatned againſt man for ſin, The day thou eats thou ſhalt ſurely die; And though Chriſt becoming Surety and Cautioner, the Party is altered, yet the price is ſtill continued to be the ſame, as is clear, Gal. 3.13. He was made a curſe for us, that the bleſſing of Abraham might come on us Gentiles; Whereby the Juſtice of God is vindicat, and he hath acceſs to ſhew mercy to the Elect without any the leaſt imputation to it; Nay, this way is more for the vindicating of God's Juſtice, and for the making of his faithfulneſs to ſhine, that Chriſt became Man, and died for the Elect, than if the curſe had lighted and lyen on all the Elect themſelves, and it is a greater aw-band on ſinners againſt ſin: I ſay again, that hereby the pure and ſpotleſs Juſtice of God is more vindicated, and hIs faithfulneſs more demonſtrated, when he will needs ſo ſeverely, and with ſo much holy rigidity exact of the Cautioner the Elects debt to the leaſt farthing, then if they had ſuffered themſelves eternally; It ſhews forth alſo, both the manifold wiſdome and the riches of the free grace of God, there being a Decree of Election for ſaving ſo many, and for bringing them to Glory; And they being under ſin, there is another decree and threatning that goes forth for curſing the ſinner, and theſe two ſeeming to be altogether irreconciliable, the Queſtion comes in on the one hand, how is it poſſible that a ſinner under the curſe can be ſaved? And upon the other hand, how is it poſſible that an Elect of God can be damned? The wiſdome of God looſeth the knot; Spotleſs Juſtice is ſatisfied by taking hold of, and falling on the Cautioner: Wonderful Grace and Love vent themſelves in pardoning the ſinner, and in accepting of a ranſome for him; And manifold wiſdome manifeſts it ſelf in knitting theſe two together, ſo as none of them can want its effect; But all returns to the manifeſtation of the Glory of Grace in the up-ſhot; It cannot be that the Elect ſhall be damned; Yet here ſtands the threatning of a juſt God, and his curſe ready to be execute, but here is the reconciliation; The curſe is execute on the Mediator; whereby God ſhews himſelf to be a hater of ſin, and an avenger of the wrong done to his Juſtice; And the Elect ſinner is pardoned, whereby God manifeſteth the freedome of his grace, and his wonderfully condeſcending love.
But now we come to a 9th Doctrine, which is more directly held forth in the words, and it hath two Branches, that our Lord Jeſus his death and ſufferings is a proportionable price and ſatisfaction laid down for the ſins of the Elect, and for them only; This is in the expreſs words of the Prophet; If the Queſtion be aſked, Wherefore ſuffered Chriſt all this? He anſwers, he ſuffered it as a price for tranſgreſſion; If it be aſked again for whom, or for whoſe tranſgreſſion did he ſuffer? He anſwers, not for all Men and Women in the World, but for the tranſgreſſion of my people was he stricken, or the ſtroak was on him for their tranſgreſſions; The firſt Branch of the Doctrine is to this purpoſe, that Chriſts ſuffering is intended to ſatisfie for the tranſgreſſion of Gods elected people, and with reſpect to ſatisfying for their ſins did he ſuffer: And if we take theſe to be truths that we marked before, as implyed in the words, this will natively and neceſſarily follow; If he engaged to be Cautioner and Surety for the Elects debt, then his laying down his life muſt be on the ſame account, and for the ſame end; Now, when we ſpeak of Chriſts laying down a price to ſatisfie for the tranſgreſſions of the Elect, we mean not only this, that his ſufferings and death have a value in themſelves to ſatisfie for their ſins, but that they are ſo intended by him in undergoing of them, and that they are ſo accepted of God according to his purpoſe, and according to the tranſaction that paſt betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator: They are not only (as Socinians ſay) to be a confirmation of the Doctrine which he preached, and to be a rule and example to us of patient ſuffering, and of giving obedience to the death, as he did; But it's alſo and mainly to ſatisfie the Juſtice of God for our debt; So then this wicked Tenet of the Socinians is exceeding derogatory to the ſufferings of Chriſt, and to the matchleſs love that ſhined in them, yea, and even to the whole deſign of Redemption; For if Chriſts ſufferings be not a ſatiſfaction to Juſtice, we are left without all juſt plea and apology for our ſelves at Gods Bar, and if we have none, then that curſe looks the wakened ſinner full in the face, The day thou eats thou ſhalt ſurely die; And however men in their ſecurity may pleaſe themſelves with ſuch dreams, and think that a ſatisfaction to Juſtice is not needful, yet if the conſcience be once wakened, it will not be quieted without one; And if mens Faith give not credit to Gods threatnings, they can have but little, or rather no comfort at all in his promiſes; There is therefore a neceſſity of a ſatisfaction, and if Chriſts ſufferings be not the ſatisfaction, there is not another, and ſo the whole work of Redemption is overturned; So then, though Chriſt in his ſufferings hath left us a Copy how we ſhould ſuffer, yet that is not the only nor the principal end of them; but it is contrived in the Covenant of Redemption, and intended by the Medi tor, and withall accepted by Jehovah, that they ſhould be the meritorious cauſe of procuring pardon to the Elect, and the price of their Redemption.
This may be further cleared and confirmed, 1. From the phraſe that is ordinarily made uſe of in Scripture, He ſuffered for the ſins of his people; And in the Text, For the tranſgreſſion of my people was he stricken; Their ſins had a peculiar influence in bringing the ſtroak on him; And what influence I pray could they have but as they procured the ſtroak to him? And if his ſtroaks were procured by our ſins, then the deſert of them was laid on him, and his ſufferings behoved to be the curſe that we elect ſinners ſhould have ſuffered; So when he is called their Cautioner, it tells that he undertook their debt, and his laying down of his life is the performance and fulfilling of his undertaken Suretyſhip and Cautionry; And conſidering that their debt was exacted of him, and that he was arraigned before Gods Tribunal as their Surety in their room, and that this could be for nothing elſe but to anſwer for them as being their Cautioner; His ſufferings behoved to be intended as a ſatisfaction for their ſins; For the Elects ſins were not the cauſe why Pilate, the people of the Jews, and the Scribes and Phariſees purſued him to death, but for our ſins he was ſiſted before God's Tribunal, and being our Cautioner he was called to reckon for them, and they were put upon his account or ſcore. 2. It's clear alſo from the names that his ſufferings get in the Scripture, where they are called the price of our Redemption, a buying of us, a propitiation for our ſins that pacified God, Rom. 3.25. and 1 John 2.2. A Sacrifice often and Ranſome, Matth. 20.28. The Son of man came to give his life a ranſome for many, that is, for all his Elect people, to relieve them from the bondage they were under; which plainly ſhews the reſp…ct that his ſufferings had to our ſins, that they were a propitiation for them to God. 3. It's clear, if we conſider that Chriſts death as to its object is for the tranſgreſſions of all Gods people, of all the E…ect that lived before he ſuffered, whether they died in their infancy or at age, and for all that lived or ſhall live and die after his ſuffering, to the end of the world; Now, what benefite could redound to them that died ere Chriſt came in the fleſh by his ſufferings, if it were as Socinians ſay? for his death could not ſure be a pattern of patience and obedience to them: But the efficacy of his death was from the beginning of the world; He was ſtill in that ſenſe the Lamb ſlain before his Incarnation, as well as ſince: And if it be not meritorious in procuring Salvation to Elect Infants, what influence or advantage can it have as to them? Either they are not taken to Heaven at all; or they are taken to Heaven and yet not in the leaſt obliged to Chriſt for their being brought thither; or if they be obliged to him, it is certainly by vertue of the merit of his ſufferings for expiating the ſins of his people. 4. It's clear from this, that in this ſame Chapter and throughout the Goſpel, all the benefits that come to Gods people, as namely Juſtification and pardon of ſin, they are attributed to this as the cauſe of them, as verſ. 11. By his knowledge ſhall my righteous ſervant justifie many; And if all the ſpiritual benefits that come to us were procured by his death, there muſt neceſſarily be vertue in it that procured them, and it muſt be a price and ſatisfaction in reference to the procuring and purchaſing thereof, that he laid down in his dying. 5. It is clear from the end that God had before him in the work of Redemption, and in Chriſt's Sufferings; which was to glorify his Juſtice as well as his Mercy, and that neither of them might be clouded or reflected upon; now, by Chriſt's death God's Juſtice is glorified, and he is ſeen to be juſt in executing his threatning againſt ſin, even in the perſon of his own dearly beloved Son when he became Surety for ſinners; but if his ſufferings had not a ſatisfaction in them to Divine Juſtice, though there might be ſome ſhew of ſhewing Mercy, yet none at all of a ſatisfaction to Juſtice; but ſaith the Apoſtle Rom. 3.25, 26. God hath ſet him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteouſneſs, and that he might be juſt and the justifier of them which believe in Jeſus? by this, God hath made it manifeſt that he is a juſt God, that none may prepoſterouſly preſume upon Mercy, nor dare to bourd with ſin when it is purſued in the Surety with ſuch ſeverity:
For Uſe and Application, 1. Do not think theſe truths to be of little concernment to you, as alace they and ſuch like truths of the Goſpel are often thought of by many, and therefore they are taſteleſs to them, and it's a wearineſs to people to hear them ſpoken of; and yet notwithſtanding, this ſame truth that we are now upon, is a great ground of our faith; for if we believe not this, that Chriſt was a propitiation for ſin, we can have no ground of lippening to him, or believing on him; but knowing and being confirmed in the faith of this truth, we have (cordially cloſing with him) ground from it to expect God's favour and to be fred from the curſe; becauſe Chriſt as our Surety undertook and accordingly ſatisfied for us; which is the thing that makes his death to be ſweet; that Chriſt in his death ſhould demit himſelf to leave us an example, is much, yet if we had no more by it, it would be but cold comfort, except we had it as a ſatisfaction to Divine Juſtice to reſt upon: Though this may be looked upon as doctrinal only, yet it comes nearer to our practice then we are aware of; and though we have not Socinians in opinion and profeſſion to deal with; yet we have two ſorts that are Socinians in heart amongſt us. 1. Theſe that ſecurely ſin on ſtill, and yet hope to get mercy, and who will confeſs that they are ſinners, but that for making an amends they will pray and mend their life, and they will ſpeak of a number of things, but it may be, not one word of Chriſt or of his purchaſe, or of their natural inclination to preſume and to ſlight Chriſt, as if they had nothing yet to look to but a Covenant of works without a Saviour, or as if God had removed or would remove the curſe threatned without a ſatisfaction; ſo that Chriſts ſatisfaction is not known nor reſted on by the multitude of Hypocrites that live in the viſible Church; and this is eaſily proven from this, that there are but very few who make uſe of him or ſtand in awe to ſin; if it were believed that Juſtice required and will have ſatisfaction either of the ſinner himſelf or of a ſurety in his room, and that Chriſt is the only Surety, Folks would either quite their hopes of Heaven, or be more in Chriſts common; and that ſo many mantain the hope of Heaven without a due conſideration of a ſatisfaction to Juſtice by Chriſt, and without employing of him, it declares plainly that they are drunken with this error. A 2d. ſort are theſe who being wakened in Conſcience and ſenſible of ſin, yet are as heartleſs, heſitating and hopeleſs to get peace through him, as if he had not ſatisfied; what elſe does the doubting and deſpondency of ſuch ſay, but that there is not a compleat ſatisfaction in Chriſt's death? and that therefore they dare not truſt to it, otherwiſe they would wonder that God hath provided ſuch a remedy, and yet adventure to reſt upon it, ſeing God is as well pleaſed with it as if they had not provocked him at all, or had ſatisfied his Juſtice themſelves.
2ly. It ſerves to let us ſee what we are in God's common and debt, and how much we are obliged to the Mediator; when there was a neceſſity that either he ſhould ſuffer or that we ſhould periſh; and that though his ſufferings drew ſo deep as to bring him to priſon and to judgment, and to put him to a holy ſinleſs anxiety and perplexity, that yet he yielded to it and underwent all for our ſakes; this is our great ground of confidence, and the ſtrong ſtay of the mind of a wakened Believer: And ſhould make us wonder at the Fathers love that gave the ſon, and at the Sons love that was ſo condeſcending, and ſhould make our ſouls warm towards him, who, when we deſerved nothing but to be hurried away to the Pit, was content to enter himſelf as our Surety, and to pay our Debt: It ſhould alſo be a motive to chaſe ſouls in to him, knowing that where ſin is, there a ſatisfaction muſt be, and that there is therefore a neceſſity to fly to him and to be in him, becauſe there is no other way to get Juſtice ſatisfied; the through conviction whereof is that which through grace not only chaſeth the ſoul to, but engageth it to cloſe with Chriſt and to reſt upon him, and to give him the credit of its thorow-bearing when it is ready otherwiſe to ſink: Now the Lord himſelf teach you to make this uſe of this Doctrine.