acceptance through the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ After we have betaken our selves to the Satisfaction of Christ and made use of it in a due manner we ought to hope for pardon and acceptance in the virtue of it To take hold of pardon before we have betaken our selves to the remedy and before we have made use of the means which God hath appointed for obtaining pardon this were presumption therefore for any person to run away with this doctrine Christ hath made full satisfaction to the Justice of God for the sins of men Christ hath suffered as much as we deserve therefore we need not trouble our selves our sins shall never condemn us this is but presumption for any man to reason after this manner until there be a serious application of the soul by faith to the Satisfaction of Christ for the pardon of sin For although there be an infinite treasure of merit and virtue in the death and sufferings of Christ to all that come to him yet this treasure and store house of merit that is in the death and satisfaction of Christ is opened unto none but unto such who by humble faith apply themselves to Christ for the virtue of his death Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled Mat. 5.6 There must be then hungering and thirsting after Christs righteousness before we shall be satisfied and there must be faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 Him hath God ordained to be a propitiation through faith in his blood therefore it is but presumption for any man to say Christ hath dyed and satisfied Gods Justice therefore my sins shall never condemn me without any more ado without troubling himself with any more than saying so for what is presumption Presumption is to expect the end without using the means Though there be an alsufficiency in the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ to save as many as come to him yet the satisfaction and sufferings of Christ are available and effectual to none but to such as by humble saith do apply themselves to him He is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him Heb. 7.25 There must be a coming then otherwise there is no salvation to be expected We must first see the necessity of the Mediation and Satiffaction of Christ and in an humble manner address our selves to God by faith before we can expect benefit by his satisfaction therefore unless thou have seen thy perishing condition without Christ unless thou art sensible of the infinite need of his satisfaction to make thy peace with God and dost in an humble manner with holy desire apply thy self to Christ for the virtue and benefit of his satisfaction thou canst expect no benefit by him It is the hungring thirsting humble soul which seeth his perishing condition without the satisfaction of Christ and thereupon applies himself to it that only can expect benefit by it But now on the other hand after a person in due manner hath applied himself to the satisfaction of Christ and made use of it by faith as the remedy which God hath appointed it is so far from being presumption in such a person to lay hold of pardon as that it is his duty to take hold of pardon and acceptance and with humble confidence to expect it There is an express Text for this Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith The Apostle is here speaking of the Priesthood of Christ and of the use we should make of his eternal Sacrifice Now saith he having pitcht our faith upon Christ as our Priest and upon the merit and virtue of his Sacrifice Let us draw near in full assurance of faith or with full certainty of faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the meaning is having made use of Christ as our Priest having pitcht our faith upon his Sacrifice let us not doubt of pardon and acceptance let us bear up our selves with a full confidence upon the merit of Christs Satisfaction This full assurance of faith is says a Judicious Divine a setled and full perswasion to be accepted through Jesus Christ When we have laid the stress of our faith upon the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ we ought to bear up our selves with an humble confidence that we shall be pardoned and accepted upon the account of the virtue and merit of Christs Satisfaction and not to do this not to have a humble confidence of pardon and acceptance after we have applied our selves to the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ would be greatly derogatory to the honour of Christs Satisfaction and also derogatory to the honour of many of Gods Attributes 1. If we might not have an humble confidence of pardon and acceptance through the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ after we have applied our selves to it this would be greatly derogatory to the honour of Christs Satisfaction Heb. 9.13 14. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flosh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead work to serve the living God That which the Apostle asserts here is That the blood of Christ is able to purge tho conscience from dead works so as to serve the living God To perge the conscience from dead works is to purge the conscience from the guilt of sin to clear the conscience to absolve the guilt of sin in the eye of conscience so that the conscience shall have no more fear of guilt Now consider the Apostles argument If the blood of bulls and goats and the like were able to cleanse as to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God The force of the Apostles argument comes to this If the Levitical Rites if those Purifications that were used under the Law were sufficient to cleanse a person after a legal manner much more is the blood of Christ which is the blood of that person who is God as well as man be able to cleanse their conscience who do apply themselves by saith to him The Apostle argues thus They that lived under the Law had some purifying and cleansing yea some help as to their consciences by the Sacrifices that were then offered therefore much more they that apply themselves to the blood of Christ shall have benefit by virtue of his Sacrifice which was the true Sacrifice Under the Law when a person had committed a sin and brought his Offering to the Priest and had laid his hand on the head of the Sacrifice and when the beast that was brought to be sacrificed was slain and the blood was put upon the Altar there was atonement made for him and he might
know that his sin was forgiven him Lev. 4.31 The Priest shall make an atonement for him and it shall be forgiven him Now the Faithful having such an express promise in the time of the Law that if they came and brought their Sacrifice to the Priest after the due order and did exercise faith on Christ in that Sacrifice that their sins should be pardoned in this way they might conclude that when they had offered their Sacrifice according to the due order that their sins were pardoned and forgiven to them for they had the promise and the Word of God to shew for it All saith is grounded upon the World Now having a promise that when they had brought their Sacrifice according to Gods appointment they had the Word of God for it that their sins should be pardoned Now when Christ the true Sacrifice and the end of all the other Sacrifices hath come and offered himself a Sacrifice for sin if Believers applying themselves to the virtue of his Sacrifice should not have pardon and might not know that they are pardoned then it would follow that the priviledges of Believers under the Gospel were less than the priviledges of the Faithful under the Law for they might know when they had brought their Sacrifice that their sins were pardoned and if we may not know when we apply our selves to the Sacrifice of Christ that our sins are pardoned our priviledges would be less than theirs were If the blood of bulls and goats have such efficacy if the legal Sacrifices be able to cleanse the conscience how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God cleanse our consciences from dead works The Apostle doth here oppose the blood of Christ to the blood of bulls and goats The blood of bulls and goats and those Sacrifices that were offered under the Law had their effect as to cleansing persons in a typical way much more shall the blood of Christ who was the true Sacrifice and unto whom all the other Sacrifices were referred have this effect to cleanse mens consciences really the legal Sacrifices have their effect in a typical way therefore the blood of Christ shall purge our consciences really Christ was God as well as man therefore his Sacrifice doth excel all their Sacrifices therefore doth the Apostle add this How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God cleanse our consciences from dead works As much as if he should say Christ offered himself up to God in the virtue of his Deity in the virtue and power of his Divinity the Godhead was conjunct with his flesh in suffering not that the Godhead suffered but the Godhead was united to the humane nature when he suffered therefore he that had the virtue of his Divinity to sanctifie his Sacrifice his sufferings must needs be effectual to take away sin therefore not to expect pardon and atonement in the virtue of Christs Sacrifice and Satisfaction when we have in an humble manner applied our selves to it is to forget the dignity of the person who offered the Sacrifice who was God as well as man and did contribute the virtue of his Deity to make his Sacrifice meritorious The Apostle puts a mighty weight upon this If the Sacrifices under the Law were effectual to take away sin much more shall the blood of Christ who was God as well as man be able to purge away the guilt of sin from the consciences of those that apply themselves to him 2. Not to have an humble confidence of pardon and acceptance after we have applied our selves to the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ is derogatory to many of the Attributes of God 1. It is derogatory to the Wisdom of God as if he had not appointed a sufficient Sacrifice 2. To the Goodness of God as if God had not mercy and goodness enough in him to receive and pardon sinners after he had received a sull satisfaction for their sins 3. It is derogatory to the Truth and Faithfulness of God as if God would not be true and faithful to his own word and to the provision which he hath made The Sacrifice of Christ is the provision which God hath made for the taking away of sin Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world Joh. 1.29 The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 This also is his own word Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 There is a Divine sanction and appointment upon it that the blood of Jesus Christ should be the means of atonement therefore if we should not have atonement when we fly for refuge to the grace that is set before us the appointment and ordination of God would be in vain we should make God not to be true to his own word Therefore after we have applied our selves by humble faith to the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ for pardon and acceptance it is our duty to expect in an humble manner pardon and acceptance by virtue of it I come now to another Use of the Doctrine Vse 4 Learn from what hath been opened concerning the Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction the dignity and excellency of Christs Satisfaction Christs Satisfaction is the most excellent satisfaction yea there is no other satisfaction besides it Many inventions have been in the hearts of men to make satisfaction to God man would fain make God some amends when he hath sinned if he knew how there is an impress upon every mans heart by nature when he hath sinned to make God amends it is natural to man to think of some such thing but all the projects and contrivances of men in this kind and to this end have been in vain and frustrate whatever men have invented thinking by it to pacifie God and make fatisfaction to him for the sins they have committed hath been to no purpose There are many ways which the sons of men have thought upon to make satisfaction to God by 1. Sometimes by afflicting the body exercising severities upon it the Papists think to make satisfaction to God this way by macerating the body punishing the flesh injoyning Penances Pilgrimages and Tortures upon themselves thinking to satisfie God hereby 2. Sometimes men think to satisfie God by costly Sacrifices thus the Heathens thought to satisfie their Gods by their Hecatombs the multitude of their Sacrifices and those most pompous costly rich magnificent Sacrifices 3. Men have thought to make satisfaction to God by some reformation of their conversations by living a more strict and austere life than they did formerly A strict life is good in it self and none can be saved without it but yet it is too short to satisfie God However this is the course some have taken when conscience hath been awakened and they see the hainousness of their sins they think to satisfie
himself up by the eternal Spirit that we now have liberty of access to God Having therefore liberty by the blood of Jesus saith the Apostle let us draw near that is let us draw near unto God in confidence of this Sacrifice in the virtue of this Sacrifice Whenever we draw near to God we must have respect to the great and eternal Sacrifice of Christ and why so because sin separates between us and God and till sin be removed and taken out of the way there is no access for us to God Now it is by having recourse to the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ that the guilt of sin is removed and so we have access to God therefore doth the Apostle add Having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience We must draw near to God having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience we must first dip our consciences in the blood of Christ as Luthers expression is that is get the blood of Christ upon our consciences look after the pardon of our sins by the blood of Christ before we can expect to have access to God or acceptance with him This is one great part of the life of faith to have a constant recourse to the Satisfaction of Christ and to make use of that great and eternal Sacrifice of the Son of God in order to the pardon of our sins and our acceptance with God The Scriptures teach us That the just must live by faith Rom. 1.16 Now our living by faith notes a continued course living by faith is more than a single act it notes a constant course Now wherein doth this life of faith consist Certainly one main part of the life of faith consists in this In having a constant recourse to the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ and making use of that for the pardon of our sins and our acceptance with God This is very clear and evident from that of the Apostle Paul Gal. 2.20 I live by the faith of the Son of God Paul here speaks of his living by faith The just shall live by faith and Paul lived by faith and how was it that he lived by faith I live by the faith of the Son of God who hath loved me and given himself for me Pauls living by faith consisted in this In having respect to Christ as giving himself for him Now how was it that Christ gave himself for Paul Certainly it was in the virtue of that great and eternal Sacrifice of his compare this with Eph. 6.2 Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice unto God So that Christ giving himself for Paul was his giving himself an Offering and Sacrifice for him Now Paul lived by the faith of the Son of God who loved him and gave himself for him that is he lived by saith on the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ he had continual recourse to the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ this was his living by faith Now here it may be said 1. Why ought we thus to live by faith on the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ And 2. How ought we to make use of the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ so as to draw down the virtue and benefit of Christs Satisfaction to our selves 1. Why ought we to make use of the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ and live by faith upon it The first reason is Because the Satisfaction of Christ is the only means of our Reconciliation with God Hence is it said That Christ hath made peace through the blood of his cross Col. 1.20 And We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5.10 When-ever we would treat with God about terms of peace and reconciliation with him we must be sure to have recourse to the death sufferings and satisfaction of Christ all our peace with God is founded in the blood of Christ Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins c. Here are two means of our reconciliation with God set down the principal and the instrumental The principal means of our reconciliation with God is the blood of Christ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood The instrumental means of our reconciliation is our faith Faith in his blood That expression his blood comprehends the whole work of Christs Satisfaction Christs laying down his life was the compleating or consummating act of his sufferings and therefore all his sufferings in the whole work of his Satisfaction are comprehended under that expression of his blood Christs Satisfaction then is the principal means of our reconciliation with God Now that which must make this Satisfaction of Christ profitable and available unto us must be our faith Whom God hath ordained to be a propitiation through faith in his blood there must be the acting of our faith to make Christs Satisfaction profitable unto us I call it our faith not as if so be faith were a work of our own either wrought at first or exerted afterwards by any power and strength of our own but I call it our faith because it is such an act as is wrought in us and by us faith it self is the gift of God so the Apostle tells us Eph. 2.8 It is not of our selves it is the gift of God Yet it is an act in us and put forth by us though God works it yet it is such a work as God works in us not without us we make use of our faculties Faith I say is an act in us and put forth by us and there must be something done in us and by us in order to our receiving benefit by Christs Satisfaction Christs Satisfaction is a work wrought without us wrought by Christ himself in our nature for us without us yet there must be an act put forth in us by the help and assistance of the Spirit of God whereby we may reach forth unto and take hold of the Satisfaction of Christ that is wrought without us and without this acting of faith we cannot expect the benefit of Christs Satisfaction to our selves The Lord expects it at our hands that we should apply and betake our selves to the Satisfaction of his Son before ever we be admitted into favour and reconciliation with him This is confirmed to us by another Scripture Joh. 3.14 15. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life The lifting up of the Serpent in the Wilderness was a Type of Christs being lifted up upon the Cross Now saith our Saviour whoever will have benefit by me and would be delivered from perishing and condemnation he must direct the eye of his faith to me as crucified he must behold me in my Satisfaction there is no other means of reconciliation or peace with God but this he
that believes on me as crucified he that looks upon me as lifted up on the Cross to make satisfaction for the sins of men he it is that shall not perish but have eternal life Therefore it is that Paul said He determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.3 Paul knew that the foundation of our happiness lay in Christs crucifixion and sufferings and in the satisfaction that was made to God by them therefore this was the fundamental Doctrine that he insisted upon and in another place where he tells what the substance of the Gospel is he says That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing to them their trespasses but imputing to them the righteousness of his Son 2 Cor. 5.19 20 c. So that the substance of the Gospel consists in this That God offers reconciliation unto men by the death sufferings and satisfaction of his Son If therefore the death of Christ and his satisfaction be the only foundation of our peace with God and the alone means of our reconciliation with him it concerns us to make much of Christs satisfaction and to apply our selves by faith unto it 2. Christs sufferings and satisfaction are the food and nourishment of our souls Christs sufferings and satisfaction are the means to continue us in the love and favour of God as well as to bring us into the love and favour of God at first This is notably set forth by our Saviour in that mysterious Sermon of his in the sixth of John which many of his Hearers were not able to bear because it was so spiritual In that Sermon our Saviour calls himself the bread of life and he tells us The bread which he will give is his flesh which he will give for the life of the world vers 51. This Text doth plainly point out to us the work of Christs Satisfaction Christ gives his flesh for the life of the world that is to say he gives himself to suffer that in a part of our flesh which he assumed which we ought to have suffered and in this respect it is that he saith He gives his flesh for the life of the world this is a plain intimation of his satisfaction Now what is it that our Saviour saith of this work of his satisfaction vers 55. My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed It is as much as if he had said My sufferings and my satisfaction are the true food and nourishment of souls Here it is that souls must repair for spiritual food and nourishment When-ever guilt lies upon the conscience when the load and burden of sin oppresseth the soul there is no remedy but by flying to the flesh of Christ who was crucified and to his blood which was shed to make atonement for sin My flesh is meat indeed Look as natural life is maintained by the constant use of our food and taking of it in omit the use of food but for a few days and the body is starved natural life ceaseth so the life of our souls is maintained by a daily living upon Christ crucified by living upon his sufferings and satisfaction and the reason is plainly this The life of the soul consists in the favour of God In thy favour there is life saith the Psalmist and thy loving-kindness is better than life Without the favour of God there is no life there can be no life to the soul for God to frown upon the soul to manifest himself as an enemy this is the death of the soul Now it is a constant recourse to the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ that is the only means to keep us in the favour of God for it is sin that separates between God and us Now the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ are the means to take away the guilt of sin The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 Therefore as we would have the life of our souls maintained which consists in the favour of God and in the sense of his love we must have a constant recourse to the Satisfaction of Christ for we cannot expect one smile from God out of Christ This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Sin doth in its own nature tend to alienate the heart of God from us Now it is the respect that God hath to the Satisfaction of his Son Christ having born that displeasure that punishment which we deserved that is the only means to turn away Gods displeasure from us Therefore is it said We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins 2 Joh. 1.1 It is as much as if the Apostle had said Sin doth in its own nature incline God to anger and displeasure towards us but God respects the satisfaction of his Son he respects what Christ hath done and suffered and so he turns away his anger and becomes propitious kind and savourable upon the account of what Christ hath done and suffered for us therefore it becomes us to keep the satisfaction of Christ much in our eye because this is the means of preserving us in the favour of God as well as of bringing us into it at first Hence are we said to be preserved in Christ Jesus Jude 1. The merit of Christs obedience and sufferings is a means to preserve us in the love of God We might soon fall from the love of God did not Christ preserve us and continue us in his love by the merit of his satisfaction Hence also are we said to be saved by his life Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Saved by his life that is continued in the love and favour of God brought to the perfection of salvation The Apostle supposeth that we are brought into the love and favour of God when he tells us We were reconciled when we were enemies therefore this expression of being saved implies our being kept and continued in the favour of God and our being brought to the consummation and perfection of salvation We are saved by his life that is Christs living to make Intercession for us and pleading by his Intercession the virtue and merit of his sufferings this is the means to keep us in the favour of God till we be brought to salvation therefore we ought to have a constant recourse to the death sufferings and satisfaction of Christ because it is the means of continuing us in the love and favour of God all along as it was to bring us into the favour of God at first Hence is that expression in Jude 21. Keep your selves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life It is that grace and mercy which is given to us in Christ through his merit and satisfaction that carries us along
them Now in the serious exercises of faith we ought to attend this we ought to consider how that all the great things of our salvation were transacted by our Head in a part of our nature for us what Christ suffered our nature suffered in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanas It is a good speech of Athanasius It was not our Lord himself so much as we that suffered in him The third Direction is We should behold our nature in Christ suffering and undergoing the same things which we deserved and do lye under the fear of As it is a great relief to faith to behold our nature suffering in Christ so that which makes this relief compleat is to see our nature in Christ suffering the very same things which we deserved and are under the fear of The Apostle tells us Rom. 4.5 The law worketh wrath The Law works the fear of wrath in the conscience the Law begets the sense of Gods wrath in the conscience How so The reason is Because by the law is the knowledge of sin sin is the transgression of the law by the Law I know my self to be a sinner because I see I have transgressed such a Law now the breach of this Law worketh wrath that is it works the fear of wrath as that which is due for sin Hence also is that expression of conscience of sin Heb. 10.2 The worshippers once purged should have no more conscience of sin By conscience of sin here in this place I take it that we must understand a conscience burdened and laden with the guilt of sin The meaning is not certainly that those who are once purged by the virtue of Christs Sacrifice should make no more conscience of sin that would be an impious opinion nay the contrary thereunto is most true a conscience purged from the guilt of sin by the Blood and Sacrifice of Christ such a person makes more conscience of sin that is of committing sin Shall we sin because grace abounds God forbid The grace of God teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts But the meaning of the place is that those who have their consciences once purged and cleansed by the blood of Christ they ought to have no more conscience of sin as to guilt that is they ought to look upon their consciences exonerated and discharged from guilt by the Sacrifice of Christ But that which I quoted this Text for was to shew that sin brings a conscience of guilt When sin lyeth upon the conscience it fills the conscience with the fear and horrour of Gods wrath now the great relief to conscience in this case must be for a man to turn his eyes upon Christ and to see Christ in our nature suffer that which we deserve and that which we are afraid of We are afraid of Gods wrath and Christ that was true man our Head and Surety felt and suffered the wrath of God we fear lest God should forsake us lest God should cast us off for ever now we ought to turn our eyes upon Christ and see our nature forsaken and deserted in Christ My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Do you fear the torments of Hell Christ hath born these very pains and torments This is certain there is no such relief or remedy to an afflicted conscience as for a man to turn his eyes upon Christ and to see Christ who was most innocent in himself suffering all that for us which we deserve and fear Deseritur cum desertis pro natura quam assumpserat tributum solvit Christ was deserted with them who were deserted and paid the tribute for that nature which he assumed as we heard heretofore And another of the Ancients expresseth himself to the same purpose God saith he in his righteous judgment exacted all those things from us which are written in the Law which when we our selves were not able to pay our Lord hath paid them for us Christ hath assumed and volunt arily taken upon himself the curse and condemnation which we were obnoxious unto Quae pati debueramus illa ipse pertulit those things which we ought to have suffered he himself hath born for us This is a great support to faith to consider that the things we deserved and feared those are the things which Christ hath suffered and born for us The fourth Direction is this Let us behold our nature in Christ voluntarily suffering what we deserved to suffer this also is a great relief to faith As it is a relief to faith to behold our nature suffering and suffering the same things that we ought to have suffered so this is another great relief to faith to behold our nature in Christ voluntarily suffering what we deserved to suffer As we who are the sinful sons of men have sinned voluntarily so one of our kin one of our stock and linage one that was true man hath voluntarily offered himself to suffer for us poor sinful men So that satisfaction is voluntarily tendered up to God in our room and stead by one who was true man and in all points like unto us sin only excepted Our sin and disobedience was not more voluntary than Christs obedience and offering himself to suffer for us was free and voluntary Christ our Head and Surety when the Justice of God was coming forth armed against us hath most voluntarily run to meet it and to expose himself to those strokes which should have lighted on us Lo I come to do thy will thy law is in my heart Heb. 10. The Justice of God was not more desirous of satisfaction to be made to it than Christ our Head and Surety was willing to tender it Now if a Creditor hath never so great a sum of money owing to him and the Surety undertake the payment of the whole debt and be most free and ready as to the payment of it as free to pay the debt as the Creditor is to demand it what can he desire more Christ our Surety undertook the payment of our debt and was as ready to tender the satisfaction as God was to require it The fifth Direction is Let us direct the eye of our faith to the person of the Son of God acting in our nature and sanctifying all his sufferings by the dignity of his own person To illustrate this let us consider that Scripture Heb. 7.26 Such an High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners made higher than the heavens and then it follows in vers 28. The Law maketh High Priests which have infirmity but the word of the oath which was since the Law maketh the Son who is consecrated for evermore The scope of the Apostle in this place is to shew that he who is our High Priest is more than a man he is the Son of God The word of the oath makes the Son which is consecrated for evermore He opposeth the Son of God to the Priests under the Law Now
by the eye of faith see and behold what it was that the Son of God suffered in our nature for us There may we see him suffering dereliction undergoing the deprivation of the sense and comfort of Gods love there may we see him bear the whole Curse suffering the wrath of God yea the very pains and torments of Hell for us We ought to contemplate these things and by faith to realize the sufferings of Christ and the greatness of his love to us in his sufferings We ought not to look upon the sufferings of Christ as a story but to see what he suffered was for our sakes and out of love to us and the desire of our salvation Now the more we meditate upon the sufferings of Christ there are two things that will follow thereupon 1. The more we meditate upon the sufferings of Christ the more shall we understand what those heights and depths and lengths and breadths of the love of Christ are which the Apostle speaks of The Apostle speaks of infinite dimensions in the love of Christ and the more we study the sufferings of Christ the more shall we see what those heights and depths and lengths and breadths of Christs love are O what immense love was this that the Son of God should come from Heaven to Earth to suffer and dye for men God might have glorified himself although man had never been saved A manifest proof of this we have in the Angels the Angels that fell were never recovered out of their sin and misery and yet God is glorified upon them and if fallen man had never been recovered God might have glorified himself upon men in their condemnation and destruction as he is now glorifying himself upon the fallen Angels Now this was the abundant love of God to man that God did not only will mans salvation but that so great a person as the Son of God and God should come from Heaven to Earth to save and dye for man O let us stand and wonder at this love the more we soak our hearts in the meditation of these things that the Son of God and God should come into the nature of man for this very end to suffer such things for man that man might be saved the more shall we be taken up in the admiration of this love 2. The more we meditate on Christs sufferings and of the end which Christ had in his sufferings that he suffered such and such things for us the more shall we be confirmed in the belief and assurance of our own salvation Christ did not suffer in vain he did not shed his blood in vain If Christ did indeed suffer the pains of Hell that is a certain sign that God hath no mind that such as believe in Christ shall suffer those pains The sufferings of Christ are a clear miroir to shew us what we are delivered from What Christ hath suffered we shall not suffer for God will not punish sin twice If God hath inflicted the full punishment of our sins upon the person of our Head he will not lay the punishment of sin upon us too God indeed may correct his children in a way of fatherly discipline but he will not lay the punishment of sin upon them in a way of vindictive Justice and the reason is because God hath already punished their sins in the person of their Head Christ their Head and Surety hath born the full punishment of their sins for them This is the force of the Apostles argument Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed As much as if he had said If Christ hath dyed we shall not dey if we be Believers who shall condemn It is Christ that dyed that is if Christ hath dyed we shall not dye eternally if the Law hath had its full power and strength upon Christ if the Law hath put Christ to death if it hath executed the Curse upon Christ to the uttermost then it hath no more to execute upon a Believer as a part of the Curse for Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 Therefore the consideration of what Christ hath suffered for us may be as food to our faith Hath Christ indeed suffered such things as we have heard of in the Doctrine of Satisfaction then we shall never suffer them Hath Christ suffered dereliction hath he been forsaken of God and that as our Surety then will God never forsake us for ever God may hide his face from us for a moment but he will not forsake us for ever Hath Christ born the wrath of God then shall we never bear it O when-ever the sense of guilt and the fear of Gods wrath oppress our consciences and lye heavy upon us the best course we can take is to dip our consciences in the wounds and blood of Christ as Luther's expression is and the realizing by faith what Christ hath suffered will be the best balm to cure a wounded conscience for if the sufferings of Christ were real then first there is real satisfaction made and if there was real satisfaction made then is God really pacified and really atoned and if God be really satisfied why then should we doubt and call in question his love any more Only our great concernment is to secure our part in Christ and to secure our interest in his sufferings till Christ himself be ours we can lay no claim to the benefits of his sufferings 1 Joh. 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life We must first have the Son himself before we can have life by the Son Our first work therefore is to make sure our interest in the Son himself Let me now in a few words close up the whole Doctrine concerning the Sufferings of Christ and the work of his Satisfaction We have heard much concerning the preciousness of Christs sufferings and that ample and full satisfaction that he hath made by his sufferings All that we have heard concerning the sufferings of Christ and the work of his satisfaction will signifie nothing to us will nothing at all avail us as to our salvation unless we get an interest in that great and blessed Person who hath done and suffered all these things That which must make the sufferings of Christ and his satisfaction available unto us is to know that Christ hath suffered as our Head that he hath suffered in our room and in our stead Now we cannot know that Christ hath suffered as our Head and as our Representative unless we first chuse him for our Head and pitch our faith upon his Person It is the Person of the Son of God who hath done and suffered all that in our nature which is necessary to be done and suffered for our salvation therefore as ever we expect benefit by what Christ hath done and suffered in our nature we must first direct the eye of our faith to that great person who hath taken up our nature and done and suffered such things in it Joh. 6.40 This is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life We must first by the eye of faith see that great Person the Son of God come down into our nature and doing and suffering such things in it for the accomplishment of our salvation and then we must close with this Person and embrace him with both the arms of our faith It is the Election of Christs Person that gives us union with him Now we having chosen Christ to be our Head we ought to contemplate what was done by him in our nature and to have all our expectation of salvation from what was wrought by him in it thus shall we have communion in the obedience death sufferings and satisfaction of Christ and what Christ our Head hath done and suffered in our nature he dwelling in our hearts by faith shall be accounted as if we had done it The end of the twentieth Sermon FINIS