a rock of offence,” Luke 2. 34. not a just cause, but an occasion of offence to the corrupt hearts of men, and principally for his sufferings. The Jews were pleased with the titles of honour given to the Messiah, that he should be a king, powerful and glorious : but that poverty, disgrace and the suffering death should be his character, they could not endure: therefore they endeavoured to pervert the sense of the prophets. His disciples who attended him in his mean state, expected those sad appearances would terminate in visible glory and greatness : but when they saw him arrested by his enemies, condemned and crucified, this was so opposite to their expectation, that they fainted under the disappointment; and when Christ was preached to the Gentile world, they rejected him with scorn. His death seemed so contrary to the dignity of his person, and design of his office, that they could not relish the doctrine of the gospel. They judged it absurd, to expect life from one that was subjected to death, and blessedness from him that was made a curse.

To those who look on the death of Christ with the eyes of carnal wisdom, and according to the laws of corrupt reason, it appears folly and weakness, and most unworthy of God: * but if we consider it in its principles and ends, all the prejudices vanish, and we clearly discover it to be the most noble and eminent effect of the wisdom, power, goodness and justice of God. Accordingly the apostle tells the Jews, “him being delivered by the determinate counsel, and foreknowledge of God they have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” The instruments were deeply guilty in shedding that immaculate blood; yet we must not terminate our thoughts on them, but ascend to the supreme Disposer, by whose wise and holy decree that event came to pass.

To the

eye of sense it was a spectacle of horror, that a perfect innocent should be cruelly tormented; but to the eye of faith, under that sad and ignominious appearance, there was a divine mystery, able to raise our wonder, and ravish our affections. For he that was nailed to the cross, was really the Son of God, and the Saviour of men: his death, with all the penal circumstances of dishonour and pain, is the only expiation of sin, and satisfaction to justice. He by offering up his blood,

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appeased the wrath of God, quenched the flaming sword that made paradise inaccessible to us; he took away sin, the true dishonour of our natures, and purchased for us the graces of the spirit, the richest ornaments of the reasonable creature. The doctrine of the cross is the only foundation of the gospel, that unites all its parts, and supports the whole building. It is the cause of our righteousness and peace, of our redemption and reconciliation. How blessed an exchange have the merits of his sufferings made with those of our sins ? Life instead of death, glory for shame, and happiness for misery. For this reason the apostle with vehemence declares, Gal. 6. 14. that to be the sole ground of his boasting and triumph, which others esteemed a cause of blushing; or God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Christ.' He rejects with extreme detestation the mention of

any other thing, as the cause of his happiness, and matter of his glory. The cross was a tree of death to Christ, and of life to us.

The supreme wisdom is justified of its children. Fourthly. The satisfaction of divine justice by the sufferings of Christ, affords the strongest assurance to man, who is a guilty and suspicious creature, that God is most ready to pardon sin. There is in the natural conscience, when opened by a piercing conviction of sin, such a quick sense of guilt and God's justice, that it can never have an entire confidence in his mercy till justice be atoned. From hence the convinced sinner is restlessly inquisitive, how to find out the way of reconciliation with a righteous God. Thus he is represented inquiring by the prophet, Mic. 6. 6, 7. “ Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the most high God ?

Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” The scripture tells us, that some consumed their children to render their idols favourable to them. But all these means were ineffectual; their most costly sacrifices were only food for the fire. Nay, instead of expiating their old, they committed new sins; and were so far from appeasing, that they inflamed the wrath of God by their cruel oblations. But in the gospel there is the most rational and easy way propounded for the satisfaction of God and the justification of man.

“ The righteousness of faith speaketh on this

wise, say not in thy heart, who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring down Christ from above :) or who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead :) but if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10. 6, 7, 9. The apostle sets forth the anxiety of an awakened sinner, he is at a loss to find out a way to escape judgment: for things that are on the surface of the earth, or floating on the waters, are within our view, and may be obtained; but those which are above our understanding to discover, or power to obtain, are proverbially said to be in the heavens above, or in the deeps. And it is applied here to the different ways of justification, by the law, and by the gospel. The law propounds life upon an impossible condition; but the gospel clearly reveals to us, that Christ hath performed what is necessary for our justification, and that by a lively and practical faith we shall have an interest in it. The Lord Jesus being ascended, hath given us a convincing proof, that the propitiation for our sins is perfect: for otherwise he had not been received into God's sanctuary. Therefore to be under perplexities how we may be justified, is to deny the value of his righteousness, and the truth of his ascension. And " say not, who shall descend into the deep," to bear the torments of hell, and expiate sin? This is to deny the virtue of his death, whereby he appeased God, and redeemed us from the wrath to come. In the law, the condemning righteousness of God is made visible, in the gospel, his justifying righteousness is revealed, "from faith to faith." Rom. 1. 17. And this is an infallible proof of its divine descent. For whereas all other religions either stupify conscience, and harden it in carnal security, or terrify it by continual alarms of vengeance; the gospel alone hath discovered how God may show mercy to repenting sinners without injury to his justice. The heathens robbed one attribute to enrich another. Either they conceived God to be indulgent to their sins, and easy to pardon, to the prejudice of his justice; or cruel and revengeful, to the dishonour of his goodness: but christians are instructed how these are wonderfully reconciled and magnified in our redemption. From hence there is a divine calm in the conscience, and that "peace which passeth understanding." The soul is not only freed from the fear of God's anger, but hath a

lively hope of his favour and love. This is expressed by the apostle, Heb. 12. 23. when he reckons among the privileges of believers, that they "are come to God the judge of all, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than the blood of Abel." The apprehension of God as the judge of the world, strikes the guilty with fear and terror; but as he is sweetened by the Mediator, we may approach to him with confidence. For what sins are there which so entire a satisfaction doth not expiate? What torments can they deserve, which his wounds and stripes have not removed? God is just as well as merciful in justifying those who believe in Jesus. It is not the quality of sins, but of sinners, that excepts them from pardon. Christ is the "golden altar in heaven" for penitent believers to fly to, from whence God will never pluck any one to destroy him.

Fifthly. From hence we may learn, how absolute a necessity there is for our coming to Christ for justification.

There are but two ways of appearing before the righteous and supreme Judge:

1. In innocence and sinless obedience: or, 2. by the righteousness of Christ. The one is by the law, the other by grace. And these two can never be compounded; for he that pleads innocence, in that disclaims favour; and he that sues for favour, acknowledges guilt. Now the first cannot be performed by us. For entire obedience to the law supposes the integrity of our natures, there being a moral impossibility that the faculties once corrupted should act regularly: but man is stained with original sin, from his conception. And the form of the law runs univer¬ sally, "cursed is every one that obeys not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 3. 10. In these scales one evil work preponderates a thousand good. If a man were guilty but of one single error, his entire obedience afterwards could not save him; for that being always due to the law, the payment of it cannot discount for the former debt. So that we cannot in any degree be justified by the law; for there is no middle between transgressing, and not transgressing it. He that breaks one article in a covenant, cuts off his claim to any benefit by it.

Briefly, the law justifies only the perfect, and condemns without distinction all that are guilty. So that to pretend justifica

tion by the works of it is as unreasonable, as for a man to produce in court the bond which obliges him to his creditor, in testimony that he owes him nothing. Whoever presumes to appear before God's judgment-seat in his own righteousness shall be covered with confusion.

2. By the righteousness of Christ. This alone absolves from the guilt of sin, saves from hell, and can endure the trial of God's tribunal. This the apostle prized as his invaluable treasure, Phil. 3. 9. in comparison of which“ all other things are but dross and dung : that I may be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” That which he ordained, and rewarded in the person of our Redeemer, he cannot but accept. Now this righteousness is meritoriously imputed only to believers : for depending solely upon the will of God as to its being and effects, it cannot possibly be reckoned to any for their benefit and advantage, but in that way which he hath appointed. The Lord Christ, who made satisfaction, tells us, that the benefit of it is communicated only through our believing. “ God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, shall not perish.” John 3. 16. As all sins are mortal in respect of their guilt, but death is not actually inflicted for them, upon the account of the grace of the new covenant: so all sins are venial in respect of the satisfaction made by Christ, but they are not actually pardoned, till the performing of the condition to which pardon is annexed. Faith transfers the guilt from the sinner to the sacrifice. And this is not an act restrained to the 'understanding, but principally respects the will, by which we accept or refuse salvation. The nature of it is best expressed by the scripture phrase, John 1. 12. “ the receiving Christ,” which respects the terms upon which God offers him in the gospel, Acts 5. 31. 6 to be our Prince and Saviour.” The state of favour begins upon our consent to the new covenant. And how reasonable is the condition it requires ? How impossible is it to be otherwise ? God is reconcileable by the death of Christ, so that he may exercise mercy without injury to his justice and holiness : he is willing and desirous to be upon terms of amity with men, but cannot be actually reconciled till they accept of them : for reconcilement is between two. Though God upon