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the sacredness of his truth in the esteem of men. So that the law and lawgiver would be exposed to contempt. By all which it appears, that the honour of God was infinitely concerned in his requiring satisfaction for the breach of his laws.

Temporal magistrates are bound to execute wise and equal laws, for the preservation of public order, and civil societies. It is true, there be some cases wherein the lawgiver may be forced to dispense with the law, as when the sparing of an offender is more advantage to the state than his punishment : besides, there is a superior tribunal to which great offenders are obnoxious, and good magistrates, when through weakness they are fain to spare the guilty, refer them to God's judgment. But it is otherwise in the divine government: for God is infinitely free from any necessity of compliance. There is no exigency of government that requires, that any offenders should escape his severity. Neither is there any justice above his, which might exact satisfaction of them. Besides, the majesty of his laws is more sacred than of those which preserve earthly states, and ought to be more inviolable. The sum is this, to declare God's hatred of sin which is essential to his nature, to preserve the honour of the law, which otherwise would be securely despised, and lose its effect, to prevent sin, by keeping up in men an holy fear to offend God, an eternal respect in the rational creature to him; it was most fit that the presumptuous breach of God's command should not be unpunished. Now when the Son of God was made a sacrifice for sin, and by a bloody death made expiation of it, the world is convinced how infinitely hateful sin is to him, the dignity of the law is maintained, and sin is most effectually discouraged. There is the same terror, though not the same rigour, as if all mankind had been finally condemned. Thus it appears how becoming God it was, to accomplish our salvation in such a manner, that justice and mercy are revealed in their most noble and eminent effects and operations.

II. The reality of the satisfaction made to divine justice is next to be proved. This is the centre, and heart of the christian religion, from whence all vital and comforting influences are derived: and for the opening of it, I will first consider the requi- . sites in order to it: which are,

1. The appointment of God, whose power and will are to be considered in this transaction.

(1.) His power: for it is an act of supremacy to admit, that the suffering of another should be effectual to redeem the offender. God doth not in this affair sustain the person of a judge, that is the minister of the law, and cannot free the guilty by transferring the punishment on another ; but is to be considered as governor, who may by pure jurisdiction dispense in the execution of the law, upon those considerations which fully answer the ends of government.

The law is not executed according to the letter of it, for then no sinner can be saved: but repenting believers are free from condemnation. Nor is it abrogated, for then no obligation remains as to the duty, or penalty of it: but men are still bound to obey it, and impenitent infidels are still under the curse : 66 the wrath of God abides

upon

them.But it is relaxed as to the punishment, by the merciful condescension of the Lawgiver.

Some laws are not capable of relaxation in their own nature: because there is included moral iniquity in the relaxation. As the commands to love God and obey conscience, can never lose their binding force. It is an universal rule that suffers no exception, God cannot deny himself; therefore he can never allow sin, that directly opposes the perfections of his nature. Besides, some laws cannot be relaxed ex hypothesi, upon the account of the divine decree which makes them irrevocable, as that all who die in their impenitency shall be damned. Now there was no express sign annexed to the sanction of the original law, to intimate, that it should be unalterable as to the letter of it. The threatening declared the desert of sin in the offender, and the right of punishing in the superior ; but it is so to be understood, as not to frustrate the power of the lawgiver, to relax the punishment upon

wise and just reasons. The law did neither propound, nor exclude this expedient: for judging without passion against the sinner, it is satisfied with the punishment of the crime. For it is not the evil of the offender that is primarily designed by the law, but the preservation of public order, for the honour of the Lawgiver, and the benefit of those that are subjects. So that the relaxing the punishment, as to the person of the sinner, by compensation, fully answers the intent of the law.

(2.) As by the right of jurisdiction God might relax the law,

and appoint a Mediator to interpose by way of ransom, so he hath declared his will to accept of him. The law in strictness obliged the sinning person' to suffer, so that he might have refused any other satisfaction. Therefore the whole work of our redemption is referred to his will as the primary cause. Our Saviour was sent into the world” by the order of God. John 3. 17. “ He was sealed," that is, authorized for that great work by commission from him. He was called to his office, by the “ voice of his Father from heaven, thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Mat. 3. 17. God “ anointed him with the Holy Ghost, and with power,” Acts 10. 38. which signifies as the enduing of him with the graces of the Spirit, so the investing him in the dignity of Mediator, as kings, priests, and prophets were. And both were necessary: for his graces without his office are unprofitable to us, and his office without his capacity, of no advantage. In short, the apostle observes this as the peculiar excellency of the new covenant, and the foundation of our hopes, that the Mediator was constituted by a solemn oath, “ the Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Heb. 7.21.

2. The consent of our Redeemer was necessary, that he might by sufferings satisfy for us. For being the “ Lord from heaven," there was no superior authority to command, or power to compel him. It is true, having become our surety, it was necessary he should be accountable to the law: but the first undertaking was most free. When one hath entered into bonds to pay the debt of an insolvent person, he must give satisfaction; but it is an act of liberty and choice to make himself liable. Our Saviour tells us, Luke 24. 46. “it behoved Christ to suffer;" he doth not say that the Son of God should suffer, but Christ. This title signifies the same person in substance, but not in the same respect and consideration. Christ is the second person clothed with our nature. There was no necessity that obliged God to appoint his Son, or the Son to accept the office of Mediator; but when the eternal Son had undertook that charge, and was made Christ, that is assumed our nature in order to redeem us, it was necessary that he should suffer.

Besides, his consent was necessary upon another account. For the satisfaction doth not arise merely from the dignity of his person, but from the law of substitution, whereby he put himself in our stead, and voluntarily obliged himself to suffer the punishment due to us. The efficacy of his death, is by virtue of the contract between the Father and him, of which there could be no cause but puré mercy, and his voluntary condescension.

Now the scripture declares the willingness of Christ, particularly at his entrance into the world, and at his death. Upon his coming into the world, he begins his life by the internal oblation of himself to his father, Heb. 10.6, 7. “ sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened :” that is, he entirely resigned himself to be God's servant ; “ burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, lo, I come, in the volume of thy book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart.” He saw the divine decree, and embraced it; the law was in his heart, and fully possessed all his thoughts and affections, and had a commanding influence upon his life. And his willingness was fully expressed by him, when he approached to his last sufferings. For although he declined death as man, having natural and innocent desires of self-preservation, yet as Mediator he readily submitted to it; “not my will, but thine be done,” was his voice

: in the garden. And this argued the completeness 'and, fixedness of his will, that notwithstanding his aversion to death abso+ lutely considered, yet with an unabated election he still chose it as the means of our salvation. No involuntary constraint did force him to that submission ; but the sole causes of it were his free compliance with his Father's will, and his tender compası sion towards men. : He saith, John 10, 18. “ I have power to lay down my life, and power to take it up : this command I received of my Father.” In his death, obedience and sacrifice were united. The typical sacrifices were led to the altar, but the Lamb of God presented himself: Gal. 1. 4. It is said, “ he gave himself for us," Tit. 2. 14. to signify his willingness in dying. Now the freeness of our Redeemer in dying for us, qualified his sufferings to be meritorious. The apastle tells us, Rom. 5. 19. that “ by the obedience of one many are made righteous;" that is, by his voluntary, sufferings we are justified: for without his consent, his death could not have the respect of a punishment for our sins. No man can be compelled to pay another's debt, unless he make himself surety for it. Briefly, the appointment of God, and the undertaking of Christ, to redeem us from

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the curse of the law by his suffering it, are the foundation of the New Testament.

3. He that interposed as Mediator, must be perfectly holy, otherwise he had been liable to justice for his own sin. And guilty blood is impure and corrupt, apter to stain by its effusion and sprinkling, than to purge away sin. The apostle joins these two as inseparable, 1 John 3. 5. “ He appeared to take away sin, and in him is no sin.” The priesthood under the law was imperfect; as for other reasons, so for the sins of the priests. Aaron the first and chief of the levitical order, was guilty of gross idolatry, so that reconciliation could not be obtained by their ministry: for how can one captive ransom another, or sin expiate sin ? But our Mediator was absolutely innocent, without the least tincture of sin original, or actual. He was conceived in a miraculous manner, infinitely distant from all the impurities of the earth. That which is produced in an ordinary way, receives its propriety from second causes, and contracts the defilement that cleaves to the whole species : whatever “ is born of blood, and the will of the flesh," that is formed of the substance of the flesh, and by the sensual appetite, is defiled ; but though he was formed of the substance of the virgin, yet by virtue of an heavenly principle, according to the words of the angel to her, Luke 1. 35. “ The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.” He came in the appearance “ only of sinful flesh.” ” Rom. 8. 3. As the brazen serpent had the figure, and not the poison of the fiery serpent. He was without actual sin ; he foiled the tempter in all his arts and methods wherewith he tried him. He resisted the lust of the flesh, by refusing to make the stones bread to assuage his hunger; and the lust of the eyes, in despising the kingdoms of the world with all their treasures; and the pride of life when he would not throw himself down, that by the interposing of angels for his rescue, there might be a visible proof that he was the Son of God. The accuser himself confessed him to be the “ Holy One of God," Mark 1. 24. he found no corruption within him, and could draw nothing out of him. Judas that betrayed him, and Pilate that condemned him, acknowledged his innocence. He perfectly fulfilled the law, and did always 6 what pleased his father.” In the midst of his suf

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