go free. So he said for all believers to his Father, his wrath then seizing on him, "If on me you will lay hold, then let these go free." And thus the agreement was', He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So then, there is an union betwixt believers and Jesus Christ, by which this interchange is made: He is charged with their sins, and they are cloathed with his satisfaction and righteousness; and that union is founded, 1st, In God's decree of election, running this way, that they should live in Christ, and so chusing the head and the whole mystical body as one, and reckoning their debt as his, in his purpose, that he might receive satisfaction, and they salvation in their head Christ. The execution of that purpose and union begun in Christ's incarnation, being for them, though the nature be more common, he is said not to take the nature of Angels, but the seed of Abraham", the company of believers; he became man for their sakes, because they are men. That he is of the same nature with unbelieving men that perish, is but by accident, as it were, there is no good to them in that, but the great evil of deeper condemnation, if they hear of him, and believe not; but he was made man to be like, yea, to be one with the elect, and he is not ashamed to call them brethren, as the Apostle there says*. 2dly, The union is also founded in the actual intention of the Son so made man; he presenting himself to the Father in all he did, and suffered as for them, having them, and them only in his eye and thoughts in all, For their sakes do 1 sanctify myself. Again, 3dly, The union is applied and performed in them, when they are converted and ingrafted into Jesus Christ by faith; and this doth actually discharge them of their own sins, and entitle them to his righteousness, and so justifies them in the sight of God. 4thly, The consummat 2 Cor. v. ult. u Heb. ii. 16, y John xvii, 1. 9. John xviii. 8. tion of this union is in glory, which is the result and fruit of all the former. As it began in Heaven, it is completed there; but betwixt these two in Heaven, the intervention of those other two degrees of it on earth was necessary, being intended in the first, as tending to the attainment of the last. These four steps of it are all distinctly expressed in his own prayer', 1st, God's purpose that the Son should give eternal life to those that he hath given him, ver. 2. 2dly, The Son's undertaking and accomplishing their redemption, in ver. 4, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 3dly, The application of this union, and its performance in them, by their faith, their believing, and keeping his word, ver. 6. 8. and in several of the subsequent verses. And then lastly, We have the consummation of this union, ver. 24, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. There meets the first donation and the last. But Now to obtain this life for them, he died in their stead, appeared as the high-priest, being perfectly and truly what the name was on their plate of gold, Holiness to the Lord', and so bearing their iniquity, as it is added there of the priest, ver. 38. because that priest was not the Redeemer, but an imperfect figure of him, he did not himself suffer for the people's sin, but turned it over upon the beasts that he sacrificed; signifying that translation of sin, by laying his hand upon the head of the beast; but Jesus Christ is both the great highpriest and the great sacrifice in one. And this seems to be here implied in these words, Himself bare our sins in his own body; which the legal priest did not: So he made his soul an offering for sin". He offered up himself, his whole self. In the history of the Gospel, it is said, his soul was heavy, and chiefly suffered; but the bearing in his body, and offering it, that is oftenest mentioned as the z John xvii. visible part of the sacrifice, and in his way of offering it, not excluding the other. Thus, we are exhorted to give our bodies, in opposition to the bodies of beasts, and they are therefore called a living sacrifice, which they are not without the soul: Thus his bearing in his body imports the bearing it in his soul too. 3. His bearing, that hints that he was active and willing in his suffering for us; not a constrained offering. He laid down his life, as he tells us, and this here, He bare, is, he took willingly off, lifted from us that burden to bear it himself. It was counted an ill sign amongst the heathens, when the beasts went unwillingly to be sacrificed, and drew back; and a good omen when they went willingly: But never was sacrifice so willing as our great sacrifice; and we may be assured he hath appeased his Father's wrath, and wrought atonement for us. Isaac was in this his type; we hear of no reluctance, but he submitted quietly to be bound when he was to be offered up. There be two words in Isaiah, liii. 4. the one bearing, the other taking away; this is also that taking away the sins of the world in St. John, i. 29. which answers to both; and so he to both the goats, the victim, the sin-offering, and the scape-goat. He did bear our sins on his cross, and from thence to his grave, and there they are buried; and they whose sins he did so bear, and take away, and bury, shall hear no more of them as theirs to bear. Is he not then worthy to be viewed in that notion that John, in the fore-mentioned text, took him and designed him by. Behold the Lamb of God that beareth and takes away the sins of the world. You then that are gazing on vanity, be persuaded to turn your eyes this way, and behold this lasting wonder, this Lord of life dying! But the most, alas! want a due eye for this object: It is the eye of faith alone that looks aright on him, and is daily discovering new worlds of excellency and delight c Rom. xii. 1. d John x. 18. e Lev. xvi. in this crucified Saviour; that can view him daily, as hanging on the cross, without the childish gawdy help of a crucifix, and grow in the knowledge of that love that passeth knowledge, and rejoice itself in frequent thinking and speaking of him, instead of these idle and vain thoughts at the best, and empty discourses, wherein the most delight, and wear out the day. What is all knowledge but painted folly in comparison of this? Though thou hadst Solomon's faculty to discourse of all plants, and have not the right knowledge of this root of Jesse: If thou wert singular in the knowledge of the stars, and course of the Heavens, and couldst walk through the spheres with a Jacob's staff, but ignorant of this star of Jacob: If thou knewest the histories of all time, and the life and death of all the most famous princes, and could rehearse them all, but dost not spiritually know and apply to thyself the death of Jesus as thy life, thou art still a wretched fool for them, and all thy knowledge with thee shall quickly perish. On the other side, if thy capacity or breeding hath denied thee the knowledge of all these things wherein men glory so much; yet do but learn Christ crucified, and what wouldst thou have more? That shall make thee happy for ever; for this is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent'. Here St. Paul sets up his rest, I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. "Whatsoever I knew besides, I resolved to be as if "I knew nothing besides this, the only knowledge "wherein I will rejoice myself, and which I will "labour to impart to others. I have tried and compared the rest, and find them all unworthy of their "room beside this, and my whole soul too little for this, and have past this judgment and sen"tence on all. I have adjudged myself to deny all "other knowledge, and confined myself within this "circle, and I am not straitened. No, there is room enough in it; it is larger than Heaven and 66 66 "earth, Christ and him crucified, the most despised and ignominious part, yet the sweetest and most comfortable part of all; the root, whence "all our hopes of life and spiritual joys do spring.' But the most part of mankind hear this subject as a story; some are a little moved with the present sound of it, but they draw it not home into their hearts, to make it theirs, and to find salvation in it, but still cleave to sin, and love sin better than him. that suffered for it. But you whose hearts the Lord hath deeply humbled in the sense of sin, come to this depth of consolation and try it, that you may have experience of the sweetness and riches of it. Study this point thoroughly, and you will find it answer all, and quiet your consciences. Apply this bearing of sin by the Lord Jesus for you, for it is published and made known to you for this purpose. This is the genuine and true use of it, as of the brazen serpent, not emptily to gaze on the fabric of it, but to cure those that looked on it. When all that can be said is said against you, it is true, may you say, but it is satisfied for; he on whom I rest made it his, and did bear it for me. The person of Christ is of more worth than all men, yea, than all the creatures, and therefore his life was a full ransom for the greatest offender. And for outward troubles and sufferings, which were the occasion of this doctrine in this place, they are all made exceeding light by the removal of this great pressure. "Let the Lord lay on me what he will, seeing he hath taken off my sin, and laid that on his own Son in my stead. I may suffer many things, but he hath born that for me which alone "was able to make me miserable. And you that have this persuasion, how will your hearts be taken up with his love, Who thus loved you, as to give himself for you, who interposed himself to bear off from you the stroke of everlasting death, and encountered all the wrath due to us, and - went through with that great work, by reason of his |