: (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God." Isa. liii. 2, 3, "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not." 2 Cor. v. 21, "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." The holiness then of his nature, and the righteousness of his life, were parts of the price of our redemption, as well as his sufferings: Gal. iv. 4, 5, "God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law." And his sufferings through his whole life, lesser and greater, were parts of the price, as well as his sufferings on the cross, and his lying in the grave: 1 Pet. ii. 21, “Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." Christ offered himself a sacrifice but once, because by that once offering, the price of our redemption was fully paid out: Heb. x. 14, "By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." And thereby he redeemed or ransomed us from guilt, and all evils following it: Heb. ix. 14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" The end wherefore Christ offered up himself a sacrifice, was "to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God: Heb. ix. 28, "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Chap. ii. 17, "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren; that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." There was need of reconciling us to God, because by sin we were at enmity with God: Isa. lix. 2, "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." God had a legal enmity against us, such as a just judge hath against a malefactor, whose person he may love notwithstanding: Matth. v. 25, “ Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him: lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison." We have naturally a real enmity against God, inconsistent with love to him: Col. i. 21, "You were some time alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works." And there could be no reconciliation between God and us, without a satisfaction to divine justice for our sin: Heb. ix. 22, 23, " And VOL. VII. D almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." We ourselves could in no wise make that satisfaction: Rom. v. 6, "We were without strength." For we could neither make ourselves holy, nor bear the infinite punishment due to our sin. But Jesus Christ did, by offering up himself a sacrifice, make that satisfaction truly and really, Matth. xx. 28, "The Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many." Heb. ix. 14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" and that fully and completly: Heb. ix. 14, forecited. For though Christ's sufferings were not infinite in continuance, yet they were infinite in value. What made them so, was the infinite dignity of his person, he being God, the Most High, Acts xx 28, "Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8, "Christ Jesus being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." The sufferings then of believers in Christ, are not laid on them, to satisfy God's justice for their sins in whole or in part: Psalm ii. ult. "Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but for a little Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." : But they are led on them for their trial and correction: 1 Pet. i. 6, 7, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season (if need be) ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Heb. xii. 5, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him." Now the state of the business of our reconciliation with God, as soon as Christ's offering up himself was over, was, that then it was purchased, the price of it fully paid: John xix. 30, "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. Col. i. 20, "And (having made peace through the blood of his cross) by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things on earth, or things in heaven." Actual reconciliation between God and us, is made as soon as we are justified by faith: Rom. v. 1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." And we are not actually reconciled to God, until we believe in Christ, because till then we do not receive the atonement: Rom. v. 11, "We joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Compared with John i. 12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Now, our Lord Jesus Christ cannot fall short of his design and end in offering up himself a sacrifice: Isa. liii. 11, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: for he shall bear their iniquities." John vi. 37, "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me." Wherefore Christ hath not redeemed any by price who are not, sooner or later, actually reconciled to God: Rev. v. 9, 10, "And they sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests." John xvii. 12, "Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost." And these are all the elect, and they only: Acts xiii. 48, "As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." John x. 15, I lay down my life for the sheep." Vers. 26, 27, 28, "But ye believe not; because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand." The second part of Christ's priestly office, is his intercession: Rom. viii. 34, "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." By his making intercession for us, is meant his pleading our cause in the court of heaven. And none make intercession for us there, but Christ only: John xiv. 6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Rom. viii. 34, forecited. The Spirit makes intercession for us in our own hearts; and that, by helping us to pray for ourselves: Rom. viii. 26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered." The difference then between Christ's intercession and the Spirit's intercession, is such as is between one that draws a poor man's petition, and another that presents it to the king, and gets it granted to him. The first of these the Spirit does for us; the last is done by Christ only. Now, Christ intercedes for us, not as a supplicant on mere mercy, but as an advocate pleading law and right: 1 John ii. 1, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." John xvii. 24, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." The ground in law upon which he pleads for us, is the fulfilling the condition of the covenant of grace, by offering up himself a sacrifice for us: John xvii. 4, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." Therefore he intercedes for those only for whom he offered up himself a sacrifice: John xvii. 9, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine." Ver. 20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Ver. 24, forecited. His intercession is always effectual: John xi. 43, "I knew that thou hearest me always." And he will continue it for ever: Heb. vii. 25, "He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Accordingly, he is called a priest after the order of Melchizedec, because he will be a priest for ever: Psal. cx. 4, "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec." Not a sacrificing priest for ever, but an interceding priest for ever: Heb. x. 14, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Chap. vii. 25, forecited. He will be an interceding priest even after the resurrection, for ever, eternally willing the continuance of the perfect happiness of the saints, on the ground of the eternal redemption obtained for them by the sacrifice of himself: Heb. xi. 12, "Christ by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." John xvii. 24, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of "Then we which are the world." Compared with 1 Thess. iv. 17, alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we be ever with the Lord." We are to receive Christ as our priest, renouncing our own righteousness, and wholly trusting in him, to be saved by his sacrifice of himself, and intercession: Phil. iii. 3, "For we are the circumcision, which rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Heb. x. 21, 22, "And having an high priest over the house of God: let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." And we are to make use of him as our priest, daily applying to him, and trusting in his alone merit and intercession, for the removal of our guilt, and the supply of all our needs spiritual and temporal: 1 Cor. i. 30, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, righteousness, and redemption." Gal. ii. 20, “I am crucified with Christ: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." QUEST. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a King? ANSW. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. EXPLICATION. Christ hath a twofold kingdom; namely, an essential kingdom, as he is God; and a mediatory kingdom, as he is our Redeemer. His essential kingdom is the whole creation: Col. i. 15, 16, "Who (the Son) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature for by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him." His mediatory kingdom is the church: Col. i. 11, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning the first-born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence." Zech. ix. 9, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee." Now, it is his mediatory kingdom that his kingly office relates to. The office of kings, whom God anointed and set over his ancient people, was, to save them by strength of hand from their enemies, and to rule them as their head: 2 Sam. iii. 17, 18, " And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you. Now then do it; for the Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies." 1 Chron. xi. 1, 2, "Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, In time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord thy God said unto |
