People that it was an established Principle among them that without shedding of blood there was no remission of Sins God was pleased to comply so far with these Notions and Apprehensions of theirs as to make his own Son both a Priest and a Sacrifice to do that once for all which their own High-Priest pretended to do year by year And from hence the same Apostle takes occasion to recommend to them the new Covenant and Dispensation of the Gospel as having a greater and more perfect High-Priest and a more excellent Sacrifice than were the High-Priests and the Sacrifices under the Law the Son of God having by one Sacrifice of himself obtained eternal Redemption for us and perfected for ever them that are sanctified And this Apprehension prevailed no less in the Heathen World and proceeded to the Sacrifices of Men even of their first born And with this Apprehension not to countenance but to abolish it God was pleased to comply so far as to make a general Atonement for the Sins of Mankind by the Death of his Son appearing in our Nature to become a voluntary Sacrifice for us God permitting him to be unjustly put to death and his blood to be shed by the malice of men in appearance as a Malefactor but in truth as a Martyr and accepting of his Death as a meritorious Sacrifice and propitiation for the Sins of the whole World That by this wise counsel and permission of his Providence he might for ever put an end to that barbarous and inhuman way of serving God which had been so long in use and practice among them The Son of God by the voluntary Sacrifice of himself having effected all that at once and for ever which Mankind from the beginning of the World had in vain been endeavouring to accomplish by innumerable and continual Sacrifices namely the pardon of their Sins and perfect peace and reconciliation with God For these Ends and Reasons and perhaps for many more as great and considerable as these which our shallow understandings are not able to fathom the Wisdom of God hath pitched upon this way and method of delivering Mankind from the guilt and dominion of Sin by the Sacrifice of his Son And to this end it was requisite that he should appear in our Nature and dwell amongst us for some considerable time that by a long course of the greatest Innocency and of the greatest Sufferings in our Nature he might be capable of making a perfect expiation of Sin So that two things were requisite to qualify him for this purpose perfect Innocency and Obedience and great Sufferings in our Nature even to the suffering of Death Both these the Scripture declares to be necessary qualifications of a Person capable to make expiation of Sin and both these were found in the Person of our B. Saviour First unspotted Innocency and perfect Obedience This the Scripture testifies concerning Him and the whole course of his Life and actions He was in all points tempted like as we are yet without Sin saith the Apostle to the Hebrews He always did the things which pleased God as He testifies concerning himself and we are sure that his witness is true He did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth as St. Peter tells us of Him And this was necessary to qualify him for the perfect expiation of Sin whether we consider Him as a Priest or as a Sacrifice As a Priest he could not have been fit to make expiation for the Sins of others had he not been without sin himself And this the Apostle tells us is one great Advantage of our High-Priest under the Gospel above the High-Priest under the Law who being a Sinner himself as well as those for whom he offer'd had need to offer for himself before he could make so much as a Legal expiation for the Sins of others But a perfect and effectual expiation of Sin so as to purge the conscience from the guilt of it cannot be made but by an High Priest who is holy and innocent himself For such an High-Priest saith the Apostle became us that is now under the Dispensation of the Gospel when a perfect expiation of Sins is to be made such an High-Priest is necessary as is holy harmless undefiled separate from Sinners who needs not as those High-Priests that is as the High-Priests under the Law to offer up sacrifice first for his own Sins and then for the People The plain force of which Argument is this that he who will be qualified to make atonement for the Sins of others must be without sin himself And then if we consider Christ as a Sacrifice for Sin perfect holiness is necessary to make a Sacrifice acceptable and available for the expiation of Sin The necessity of this was typified by the quality of the expiatory Sacrifices under the Law the Beasts that were to be offered were to be without spot and blemish To which the Apostle alludes speaking of the quality and efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ How much more says he 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 And to the same purpose St. Peter For asmuch as ye know ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot hereby intimating that nothing less than the perfect innocency and holiness of him who was to be a Sacrifice for us could have expiated the guilt of our sins and purchased eternal Redemption for us Secondly great Sufferings likewise in our Nature even to the suffering of Death were requisite to the perfect expiation of Sin I say even to the suffering of Death For the Sacrifices which were to make expiation were to be slain And it was a constant Maxime and Principle among the Jews and the Apostle more than once in this Epistle seems to allow and confirm it that without shedding of blood there was no remission of Sins Not that God could not have pardoned Sin without satisfaction made to his Justice either by the suffering of the Sinner himself or of a Sacrifice in his stead But according to the method and Dispensation which the Wisdom of God had pitched upon he was resolved not to dispense Forgiveness in any other way For which reason he seems either to have possess'd Mankind with this Principle or to have permitted them to be so perswaded that Sin was not to be expiated but by Blood that is either by the Death of the Sinner or of the Sacrifice Now the Life of our B. Saviour as well as his Death was made up of Sufferings of one kind or other Continual Sufferings from his Cradle to his Cross from the time he drew his first breath to his giving up of the ghost And not only continual Sufferings but the greatest that ever were considering
compliance with this Apprehension of Mankind and in condescention to it as well as for other weighty Reasons best known to the Divine Wisdom God was pleased to find out such a Sacrifice as should really and effectually procure for them that great Blessing of the Forgiveness of Sins which they had so long hoped for from the multitude of their own Sacrifices And the Apostle to the Hebrews doth in a large Discourse shew the great vertue and efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ to the purpose of Remission of Sins above that of the Sacrifices under the Law And that the Death of Christ is really and effectually to our advantage all that which the Sacrifices under the Law were supposed to be to the Sinner But now once saith the Apostle here in the Text in the end of the World hath he appeared to take away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself This is the great vertue and efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ that what ever was expected from any other Sacrifices either by Jews or Heathens was really effected by this This was plainly signified by the Jewish Passover wherein the Lamb was slain and the Sinner did escape and was pass'd by In allusion whereto St. Paul makes no scruple to call Christ our Passover or Paschal Lamb who was slain that we might escape Christ our Passover says he is slain or offer'd for us that is He by the gracious appointment of God was substituted to suffer all that in our stead which the Paschal Lamb was supposed to suffer for the Sinner And this was likewise signified by the Sinners laying his hand upon the Sacrifice that was to be slain thereby as it were transferring the punishment which was due to himself upon the Sacrifice that was to be slain and offered up For so God tells Moses that the Sinner who came to offer an Expiatory Sacrifice should do He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering and it shall be accepted for him to make an Atonement for him And the Apostle tells us that it was an established Principle in the Jewish Religion that without shedding of blood there was no Remission of Sins Which plainly shews that they expected this Benefit of the Remission of Sins from the Blood of their Sacrifices And then he tells us that we are really made partakers of this Benefit by the Blood of Christ and by the vertue of his Sacrifice And again Christ says he was once offered to bear the Sins of many plainly alluding to the Sacrifices under the Law which did as it were bear the faults of the Sinner And that this expression of Christ's being offered to bear our Sins cannot be meant of his taking away our Sins by his holy Doctrine which was confirmed by his Death but of his bearing our Sins by way of imputation and by his suffering for them in our stead as the Sacrifice was supposed to do for the Sinner This I say is evident beyond all denial from the opposition which follows after the Text between his first Appearance and his second Christ says our Apostle was once offered to bear our Sins but unto them that look for him he shall appear a second time without Sin unto Salvation Why Did he not appear the first time without Sin Yes certainly as to any inherent guilt for the Scripture tells us he had no Sin What then is the meaning of the opposition That at his first Coming he bore our Sins but at his second Coming he shall appear without Sin unto Salvation These words can have no other imaginable sense but this that at his first Coming he sustain'd the Person of a Sinner and suffered instead of us but his second Coming shall be upon another account and he shall appear without Sin unto Salvation that is not as a Sacrifice but as a Judge to confer the Reward of Eternal Life upon those who are partakers of the benefit of that Sacrifice which he offered to God for us in the days of his Flesh I proceed to the III d. Thing I proposed and which yet remains to be spoken to namely to vindicate this Method and Dispensation of the Divine Wisdom from the Objections which are brought against it and to shew that there is nothing in it that is unreasonable or any wise unworthy of God I shall mention four Objections which are commonly urged in this matter and I think they are all that are considerable Obj. 1 st First That this Method of the Expiation of Sin by the Sufferings of Christ seems to argue some defect and want of Goodness in God as if he needed some external Motive and were not of himself disposed to forgive Sinners To which I think the Answer is not difficult namely that God did not want Goodness to have forgiven Sin freely and without any Satisfaction but his Wisdom did not think it meet to give encouragement to Sin by too easy a forgiveness and without some remarkable testimony of his severe displeasure against it And therefore his greater Goodness and Compassion to Mankind devised this way to save the Sinner without giving the least countenance and encouragement to Sin For God to think of saving us any way was excessive Goodness and Mercy but to think of doing it in this way by substituting his dearly beloved Son to suffer in our stead is a Condescention so very amazing that if God had not been pleased of his own Goodness to stoop to it it had almost been Blasphemy in Man to have thought of it or desired it Obj. 2 d. Secondly How can our Sins be said to have been forgiven freely if the Pardon of them was purchased at so dear a rate and so mighty a Price was paid for it In Answer to this I desire these two things may be considered 1 st That it is a wonderful grace and favour of God to admit of this translation of the Punishment which was due to us and to accept of the Sufferings of another in our stead and for our benefit when he might justly have exacted it of us in our own Persons So that even in this respect we are as St. Paul says justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ And freely too in respect of any necessity that lay upon God to forgive us in this or any other way It was a free act of his Goodness to save us even by the Satisfaction and Sufferings of his own Son 2 ly It was in effect freely too notwithstanding the mighty Price which was paid for our Redemption Because this Price was not of our own procuring but of God's providing He found out this Ransome for us And will any man say that a Prince who prevails with his Son to intercede for the Pardon of a Rebel yea and to suffer some punishment or to pay a Fine for the obtaining of it does not in effect and in all equitable and grateful construction forgive him freely Obj. 3
A SERMON Concerning the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ. Preached before the QUEEN At WHITEHALL April 9. 1693. A SERMON Concerning the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ c. HEB. IX 26. But now once hath he appeared in the end of the world to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself AMong many other great ends and reasons for which God was pleased to send his Son into the World to dwell amongst us this was one of the chief that by a long course of the greatest innocency and the greatest sufferings in our Nature he might be capable to make a perfect Expiation of Sin But now once in the end of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the conclusion of the Ages that is in the last Age of the World which is the Gospel Age hath he appeared to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself The general design of God in sending his Son into the World was to save mankind from eternal death and misery and to purchase for us eternal life and happiness So the Author of our Salvation himself tells us That God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Now in order to the procuring of this Salvation for us the impediments and hindrances of it were to be removed these were the guilt and the dominion of Sin By the guilt of Sin we were become obnoxious to the wrath of God and to eternal condemnation and by the defilement and dominion of it we were incapable of the happiness of Heaven and the reward of eternal Life To remove these two great hindrances two things were necessary the Forgiveness of sins past in order to our deliverance from the wrath of God and the eternal torments of the next Life and the Reformation of our hearts and lives to make us capable of eternal Life and happiness in another World And both these if God had so pleased might for any thing we certainly know to the contrary have been effected by the abundant mercy and powerful grace of God without this wonderful method and dispensation of sending his Son in our Nature to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself But it seems the wisdom of God thought fit to pitch upon this way and method of our Salvation and no doubt for very good Reasons amongst which these three seem to be very obvious and very considerable First to vindicate the honour of his Laws which if Sin had gone altogether unpunish'd would have been in great danger of falling into contempt For if God had proclaimed a general Pardon of Sin to all mankind without any testimony of his wrath and displeasure against it who would have had any great veneration for his Laws or have believed in good earnest that the violation of them had been either so extremely offensive to Him or so very dangerous to the Sinner Therefore to maintain the honour of his Laws rather than Sin should pass unpunish'd God would lay the punishment of it upon his only begotten Son the dearest Person to him in the World Which is a greater testimony of his high displeasure against Sin and of his tender regard and concernment for the honour of his Laws than if the Sinner had suffered the punishment due to it in his own person Secondly another Reason of this Dispensation and that likewise very considerable was that God might forgive Sin in such a way as yet effectually to discountenance and discourage it and to create in us the greatest horror and hatred of it Which could not have been by an absolute Pardon without any punishment inflicted or satisfaction made to the honour of his Justice For had Sin been so easily forgiven who would have been sensible of the great evil of it or afraid to offend for the future But when God makes his own Son a Sacrifice and lays upon him the punishment due for the iniquities of us all this is a demonstration that God hates Sin as much if it be possible as he loved his own Son For this plainly shews what Sin deserves and what the Sinner may justly expect if after this severity of God against it he will venture to commit it And if this Sacrifice for Sin and the Pardon purchased by it be not effectual to reclaim us from Sin and to beget in us an eternal dread and detestation of it If we sin wilfully after so clear a revelation of the wrath of God from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men there remains no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation to consume the adversaries For what could God do more to testify his displeasure against sin and to discountenance the practice of it than to make his only Son an offering for Sin and to give him up to be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities In what clearer Glass can we at once behold the great evil and demerit of Sin and the infinite goodness and mercy of God to Sinners than in the sorrows and sufferings of the Son of God for our Sins and for our sakes Thirdly another Reason of this Dispensation seems to have been a gracious condescension and compliance of Almighty God with a certain apprehension and persuasion which had very early and universally obtained among Mankind concerning the expiation of Sin and appeasing the offended Deity by Sacrifices by the Sacrifices of living Creatures of Birds and Beasts and afterwards by Human Sacrifices and the blood of their sons and daughters by offering to God as the expression is in the Prophet their first-born for their transgression and the fruit of their body for the sin of their souls And this Notion of the expiation of sin by Sacrifice whether it had its first Rise from Divine Revelation and was afterwards propagated from Age to Age by Tradition I say from whence soever this Notion came it hath of all other Notions concerning Religion excepting those of the Being of God and his Providence and of the Recompences of another Life found the most universal reception and the thing hath been the most generally practised in all Ages and Nations not only in the old but in the new discovered parts of the World And indeed a very great part of the Jewish Religion which was instituted by God himself seems to have been a plain condescension to the general Apprehension of Mankind concerning this way of appeasing the offended Deity by Sacrifices As it was also a Figure of that great and efficacious Sacrifice which should in due time be offer'd to God to make atonement once for all for the Sins of all Mankind And the Apostle to the Hebrews doth very particularly insist upon this condescension of God to them in the Dispensation of the Gospel and whereas they apprehended so great a necessity of an High-Priest and of Sacrifices to make expiation for the sins of the