were the offenders and yet the punishment was laid upon Christ who was an innocent person Therefore it is a good expression of one of the Ancients Non ille maledictus sed in te maledictus Christ was not accursed in himself but he was accursed in thee It was we that deserved the curse the curse was due to us but the curse lighted upon Christ that so it might not fall upon us Therefore it is wisely observed by another of the Ancients That no one ought to be offended at this that Christ is said to be made a curse who himself was without sin Because saith he Christ was made a curse Factus est ille maledictus non natus he was not born a curse Christ was most free from the curse in himself but he most voluntarily took the curse upon him Therefore another of the Ancients observes Christ was made a curse Non per necessitatem sed per obedientiam not out of necessity but in a way of obedience He was made under the Law and therefore he subjected himself to the curse of the Law he that would be made under the Law must undergo all that the Law required of him now the Law required obedience and the Law requires suffering therefore Christ being made under the Law must not only do but suffer what the Law requires Divines observe That Christ was born and dyed after a special Law different from other men Christ was born not for himself but for others and he dyed not for himself but for others Manifestum est Christum potuisse non mori sed voluisse ut mors sua nobis prodesset Ambros Christ is to be considered as a common person Hence it follows Christs bearing the curse was not for himself but for others Christ suffered and underwent the wrath of God which we should have born Hence is that of one of the Ancients It is manifest that Christ might have chosen whether he would have dyed but he therefore chose to dye that his death might become profitable Learn from what hath been opened Vse 1 what an infinite evil sin is that he who was most blessed in himself should yet be made a curse for us that the fountain of blessing should become a curse O how great a venom is there in sin that Christ having no sin of his own but being a sinner only by imputation should be made a curse that sin should cause him that was the Author of all blessing to become a curse Learn from hence the severity of Gods Justice Vse 2 that when Christ had no sin of his own but only took upon him the guilt of our sins that yet Divine Justice should fall so foul upon so innocent a person He spared not saith the Apostle his own Son Rom. 8. Christ taking upon him the guilt and punishment of our sins God did not spare him but executed upon him the severity of his Justice Now if Divine Justice did not spare him who was but a Surety how shall it spare us if we be found under the guilt of our sins Certainly every impenitent sinner may read his own destiny in the sufferings of Christ If Christ suffered such things who was meerly a Surety and bare the guilt of other mens sins not his own what is like to become of us that must bear the guilt and punishment of our own sins as certainly we must if we continue in unbelief and impenitency He that believes not on the Son the wrath of God abides upon him Joh. 3. ult O it is of infinite concernment to us all to secure our part and interest in the sufferings and satisfaction of the Lord Jesus for if the Justice of God arrested Christ seized upon him and proceeded so severely against him as we have heard if the curse did cut off him we cannot expect but Divine Justice will seize on us and cut us off unless we be hid in the clefts of this Rock Oh let us endeavour to get a part in him that was made a curse that we may be delivered from the curse The end of the tenth Sermon SERMON XI Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends THere is one thing more to be answered to that inquiry to make the answer full and compleat over and above what was said in the last Discourse How was it possible for Christ to suffer the wrath of God that was always beloved of him The third thing therefore that is to be said is this It was possible for Christ by faith to know that he was beloved of God and he did know that he was beloved of God when yet as to sense and feeling he tasted of Gods wrath Faith and the want of sense are not inconsistent there may be no present sense of Gods love nay there may be a present sense of his wrath and yet there may be faith at the same time This is manifest from that description of faith which the Apostle gives Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Faith makes those things evident which are not evident and apparent unto sense This also is manifest from the experience of several of the Saints It is said of Abraham That he believed in hope against hope Rom. 4.18 Abraham had the hope of faith against the dictates of sense his faith prevailed against sense he believed when all things in sense made against him Thus was it with Job in one place he saith That God hunted him as a fierce lyon and that he shewed himself amrvellous upon him And yet in another place he saith Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Here was faith against sense In like manner in another place he saith That God counted him for his enemy in his sense and feeling God seemed as an enemy to him And yet in another place he saith I know that my Redeemer liveth Here was an opposition to sense Thus was it with Heman he complains Psal 88.7 That Gods wrath lay hard upon him that God had afflicted him with all his waves and in the sixteenth verse of that Psalm he saith Thy fierce wrath goeth over me and yet in the beginning of the Psalm he calls God the God of his salvation O Lord God of my salvation vers 1. here was faith contradicting sense Thus was it with our Saviour Christus licèt se in anima derelictum sentiret ut in nobis fuit tamen in anima intellexit in sese semper deamatum fuisse our Saviour had a present sense and feeling of Gods wrath and yet by faith he might know he was beloved of God Hence is that of a Learned man Christ although he felt himself forsaken as he was in us yet he understood that he was always beloved considered as in himself Thus have I spoken that which I think may be sufficient for the clearing of that objection
imputation in us It is Davenants observation When I am called to account and the whole debt of obedience the law requires is exacted from me a Believer must then shew his Surety and say Behold here is my Surety which hath paid my debt and therefore I am free and the hand-writing that was against me is blotted out Col. 2.14 This is the great and only relief to the people of God in reference to their infirmities We ought to aspire and breathe after the most perfect yea if it were possible the most Angelical obedience but when we have done all we shall find we are still unprofitable servants and come infinitely short of what was our duty and of what the law requires but here is our relief that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness he hath so answered that end of the law as to bring in that righteousness which must justifie us God in Justification imputes righteousness without works Rom. 4.6 God hath no consideration of our works and obedience in the matter of Justification but he respects the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ purely and singly Therefore though we find our selves sinners and ungodly yet we may believe in him that justifies the ungodly as Abraham did Rom. 4.5 When we are so far from having any sense of a righteousness that we nay appear before God withal as that we have a great deal of guilt which troubleth our conscience yet we may look to a righteousness without us and see the law fulfilled and satisfied for us in Christ our Head But here let me give this caution Take heed of abusing this Doctrine The end of this Doctrine is not to make men loose and licentious as that men should reason thus with themselves Christ hath fulfilled the law for us and therefore it is no matter how we live Christ hath done all and therefore it matters not what we do this is to turn the grace of God into wantonness And the Doctrine of free Grace doth not in it self teach any such thing but the corruption of man makes this ill use of this Doctrine The Doctrine of the Gospel teaches another thing The grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil world Tit. 2.11 12. The end of this Doctrine is not to be an incouragement to security but to relieve afflicted consciences Christ came to heal the broken in heart and if there be any such who are conscious to themselves of their daily infirmities and seeing the many failings they are guilty of in all they do go mourning under their failings and imperfections this Doctrine concerns them Christ hath undertaken to answer the Law as a Covenant of Works though the law be still a rule of obedience yet Christ hath performed it as a Covenant of Works That perfect exact compleat obedience the law requires Christ hath performed it in our name and stead 3. If Christ was made under the Law let us learn to admire and adore the height depth breadth and length of the love of God in Christ God in Christ is become the sole Author of mans Salvation God in Christ hath done that for us which we never did do nor could do for our selves Christ hath fulfilled the Law for us and wrought out that righteousness for us which we could never work out for our selves Quid ex se agere poterat ut semel amissam justitiam recuperaret homo servus peccati vinctus Diaboli Assignata est ei proinde aliena qui caruit suâ Bernard It is an excellent passage of Bernard What could man do of himself who was the servant of sin the bond-slave of the Devil to recover that righteousness which once he had lost Therefore there was another righteousness assigned and given to him who wanted a righteousness of his own There was another righteousness given to man who had none of his own What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us Rom. 8.3 Well therefore may we take up the Church her Song Isa 12.2 Behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song he also is become my salvation God in Christ hath done all for us Christ was made under the Law he hath fulfilled the Law for us which we could never have fulfilled and so our righteousness is of him as the expression is Isa 54.17 This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord. The end of the third Sermon SERMON I. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends OUR Saviour having exhorted his Disciples to love one another and having propounded his own love as a motive and as a pattern to them to induce them to love one another This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you He comes in this verse to shew us what that love of his to his people was and wherein the greatness of that love did manifest it self Therefore it is well observed by Grotius upon this Text That our Saviour doth here explain what it is that he means by that expression in the former verse As I have loved you This is my commandment that ye should love one another as I have loved you The pattern of your love each to other ought to be my love to you as I have loved you Now if you desire to know how it is that I have loved you I will plainly declare it to you I am ready to offer up my life a Sacrifice for you This certainly is the highest demonstration of love that can be on my part my love to you is such as that I am ready to lay down my life for you such ought your love to be one towards another 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren This I take to be the plain coherence of these words In the words themselves we have two Assertions 1. The first Assertion is this That Christ hath laid down his life for his people or for his friends This is clearly implied Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends But I intend to lay down my life for you or I am ready to lay down my life for you this is the Minor Proposition as we call it that is necessarily implied The Major Proposition is expresly laid down Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends But I have laid down my life for you or I am
for another 2. To shew how it was that Christ hath laid down his life for us 3. To shew how it is said here in the Text that Christ hath laid down his life for his friends whereas else where it is said that Christ dyed for us whilst we were enemies And 4. I propounded to speak something from hence concerning the great Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction Having already spoken something to the three first of these Particulars it remains now that I should treat of the Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction The Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction is a Doctrine much impugned The Socinians deny it altogether and the Papists do in a manner enervate this Doctrine by bringing in other Satisfactions besides that of Christ This Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction is a Doctrine of great moment it is the great Pillar upon which our Saivation stands and the main Hinge upon which our comfort turns for if Christ have not satisfied for us then are we liable to make satisfaction to God in our own persons That I may therefore speak something to this great Doctrine I shall 1. Explain the name or word a little 2. I shall come to speak to the thing it self 1. To explain the name some are offended at the name it self As they are offended at the word Trinity and at the word Person and at the word Sacrament because they are not Scripture-words so some have been offended at the word Satisfaction because it is not a Scripture-word But our Answer to this is very plain Names are but expressive of things and necessity compels us to think of the most proper names or words to express things by If therefore the things themselves be to be found in Scripture there seems very little reason why any should reject the names and words that are used to express those things by Therefore to touch briefly upon those words that some have been offended at Although the word Trinity be not found in Scripture yet the thing it self is certainly found there There are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one 1 Joh. 5.7 If there be three then there must needs be a Trinity so for the word Person although we have not the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Scripture in that sense that we commonly apply it to a person in the Trinity yet we have another word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 1.3 where it is said Christ is the Character of his Fathers Person so we render it and indeed the word in the Original is equivalent with the former word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phavor and is so explained by the ancient Criticks in the Greek Tongue So also for the third Word mentioned which was Sacrament Though the word Sacrament be not found in Scripture yet we have such Representations and Symbols as Baptism and the Lords Supper are to signifie and set forth some spiritual Mysteries unto us and this is what we understand by the word Sacrament Invisibilis gratiae visibile signum A Sacrament is a visible sign of some invisible grace as Austin expresseth it We must have some word or other to express things by So now for this very word that we are here treating of although we have not the word Satisfaction mentioned in Scripture yet we have the thing it self frequently and copiously set before us what else is the meaning of those expressions that God hath laid on him the iniquity of us all and that he hath born the chastisement of our peace Isa 53.5 6. If the punishment that should have been laid on us was laid on Christ this is properly Satisfaction what else shall we call Satisfaction Now this is clear from that expression when it is said The chastifement of our peace was upon him Hence also it is said That Christ was made sin for us That he made his Soul an offering for sin That he gave his life a ransom for many And there are other places which I may urge in their proper place but these are enough to shew that the thing it self is in Scripture and the thing it self being there there is little reason why any should quarrel at the name or word Now for the import and signification of this word the Latine word satisfacere to satisfie the Criticks tell us Satisfacere sacere quod satis alicui sit quo ille acquiescat contentus sit Satisfacere est tantum facere quantum sit irato ad vindictam That it is to do that which may be accounted enough by the person unto whom it is done so that he may be content with it and acquiesce in it This is the notion of Satisfaction and in matters of offence they tell us That to satisfie is to do so much as is necessary to pacifie the offended person in reference to the wrong or injury which he hath sustained And thus Christ is said to have satisfied God who was angry and offended by reason of our sins for as much as the punishment that we had deserved was transferred upon Christ our Surety and he bearing the punishment for us God is hereby pacified and appeased I come now to the consideration of the thing it self and here 1. I shall give a description of the nature of Christs Satisfaction and open the parts of that description And then 2. I shall lay down several Propositions for the clearing of the whole Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction 1. For a description of the nature of Christs Satisfaction we may take a description of it thus The Satisfaction of Christ is one of Christs Mediatorial actions A description of Christs Satisfaction particularly an act of his Priesthood whereby Christ offering up himself a facrifice for our sins hath made a full compensation to the Justice of God for the sins of his people and thereby pacified or turned away Gods wrath and hath procured pardon of sin and eternal life for us This description will take in the whole nature of Christs Satisfaction Here we have the several parts of this description to unfold and here 1. We must shew how the Satisfaction of Christ is one of Christs Mediatorial actions 2. We must shew how it is an Act of his Priesthood 3. We must shew what the matter of this Satisfaction is Christ offers himself a sacrifice for our sins so we have it in the Scriptures 4. What the form of this Satisfaction was Christ made a-full compensation to the Justice of God for the sins of his people 5. What the effects of this Satisfaction are and they principally three 1. The turning away of Gods wrath 2. The obtaining pardon of sin 3. The procuring eternal life for us These things explained will give us some light into the nature of Christs Satisfaction 1. We say That the Satisfaction of Christ is one of Christs Mediatorial actions To understand this we must take in two things 1. Consider
of the Ancients I think it is Ambrose's observation Therefore saith he it was said to Adam In dying thou shalt dye or as it is rendred Thou shalt dye the death and not simply Thou shalt dye because the death here spoken of concerns both soul and body Now then as Adam and we in him became subject to a double death one of the body the other of the soul So our Saviour being pleased to be our Surety subjected himself to a double death for our sakes to a natural death and to a supernatural death 1. To a natural death the separation of his humane soul from his body 2. To a supernatural and spiritual death the separation of his soul for a time from the comfort of Gods presence Hence is it that we read that our Saviour did not only suffer death in the Singular number but he underwent deaths in the Plural number as if it were intimated that there was a double death that he suffered Isa 53.9 He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death in the Hebrew it is in his deaths in the Plural number and this was not without some special Mystery in it as some Learned men conceive yea there is a judicious Divine that saith expresly he is perswaded that both kind of deaths natural and supernatural are intimated by that expression when it is said He made his grave with the rich in his deaths Our Saviour underwent therefore a double death a natural death and a supernatural death That our Saviour suffered the first death a natural death a separation of his humane soul from his body that we do all know and believe Now that he tasted of the second death or supernatural death the separation of his soul from God taken in a right sense that I must speak unto To understand this we must know that the soul may be said to be separated from God two ways 1. By a voluntary aversion from God by sin this was not in our Saviour and could not be in him his will did always firmly and inseparably adhere to God even in the midst of his greatest sufferings It is true this is part of the punishment of sin in us namely that our wills are turned aside from God Adam voluntarily deserting of God this is now part of the punishment that is come upon him that he is now left to himself and thereupon there is an aversion of his will from God and this is that which we call spiritual Death when the will declines and turns from God the chief Good But this kind of death could not be in our Saviour and the reason is because he that was to bear the punishment of all other mens sins must necessarily be supposed to be without all sin himself Christ could not have been a Surety for our sins born the punishment of them if he had not been without all sin himself This aversion of the soul from God as it is the punishment of sin so it is in it self a sin Now Christ so bears the punishment of our sins as that he himself is still without all sin in a way of inhesion Christ hath the guilt of our sins laid upon him by way of imputation but he hath no sin in him by way of inhesion 2. The soul may be said to be separated from God in a way of deprivation namely when the soul is deprived of the comfort of Gods love and presence Now this our Saviour did undergo he was deprived of the comfort of his Fathers love and presence for a time as we shall shew more hereafter Psal 88.14 Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me This is spoken in the letter in the person of Heman but Learned men conceive that Christs sufferings are here represented to us under these expressions Lord why hidest thou thy face from me Gods face was hid from Christ for a time that so it might not be hid from us for ever And this was the spiritual death that our Saviour underwent not a death in sin which we are all subject to not any aversion of his will from God but desertion of God in point of comfort to be deserted and forsaken of God as our Saviour was is in some sense the spiritual death of the soul It is a good speech of one of the Ancients That is not death so properly that separates the soul from the body but that is most properly death which separates the soul from God God is life life it self he therefore that is separated from God must needs be dead as the body lives from the soul so the soul ut beatè vivat that it may live happily must live from God Hence are those expressions of Austin The life of the body is the soul but the life of the soul is God the body dyes when the soul recedes from it and the soul dyes when God recedes from it Therefore when our Saviour was so far forsaken and deserted of God for our sakes as to have no sensible taste of his love and favour for a time in this sense he underwent spiritual and supernatural death for us 6. The sixth Particular which follows upon this is That our Saviour tasting of supernatural death for us he did in so doing undergo the very pains of Hell for us Hence are those expressions Psal 116.3 The sorrows of death compassed me the pains of hell got hold of me I found trouble and sorrow So likewise My soul is heavy to the death Mat. 26.38 It is a great expression which we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 2.24 Having loosed the pains of death or the sorrows of death The Greek word properly signifies the sorrows of a travailing woman and what were these sorrows Those which he had in the Garden when he was in his Agony and when he sweat drops of blood and those which he had upon the Cross when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me These are called the sorrows or pains of death but indeed they were the sorrows or pains of Hell and therefore the vulgar Latin renders it the pains of hell because in these sorrows our Saviour did not only taste of the sorrows of natural death but he also tasted of the sorrows of supernatural death that is of the pains of Hell Hence is it as Learned men have observed That the sufferings of Christ and those great sorrows that he underwent are set forth in such a variety and multitude of expressions in the Scripture that sometimes they are set forth by the grave by darkness sometimes by the land of oblivion sometimes they are called wounding killing sometimes they are set forth by his being forsaken forsaken of his friends of his kindred yea of God himself sometimes they are called debts afflictions tempests solitude prison cuting off abjection treading under foot all which and many more which the Scripture is full of sets forth those most perfect
obedience had not been perfect and compleat it had not been such an obedience as the Law requires and accepts for the Law accepts of nothing but perfect obedience and that consummate to the end of a mans life Cursed is he that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them There must not be the doing of some things only which the Law requires but there must be the doing of all things and that to the end of a mans life if a man gives that obedience which the Law will accept and therefore we must suppose that there was not the least interruption in any one act of obedience in our Saviour no he was obedient unto the death as the Apostle expresses it Phil. 2.8 He was obedient unto the death even the death of the cross his obedience ran throughout his whole life and it extended it self to the very end and last period of his life He was obedient unto the death 3. It was not desertion in point of support Christ was not so deserted in his sufferings as not to be supported under them Hence is that of one of the Ancients Derilictus fuit non per miseriam â—ed per misericordiam nec amissione auxilii sed definitione moriendi Leo. Christ was forsaken not in respect of misery as to himself but out of mercy towards us Christ was forsaken not by the loss of Divine help but in his being left to dye unto which he was determined by the forcknowledge of God Christ had supportation in his sufferings otherwise he had sunk under them It is true our Saviour was not so sensible of that support which he had many of the Saints are supported under great tryals sore afflictions and temptations that they meet with and yet they are not always so sensible of that support that is given to them So was it with our Saviour he had support and yet he was not so sensible of his support and therefore is it that he complains Psal 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and mark what follows Why art thou so far from helping me He was holpen of God but yet he had little sense of help the sense of support was much taken from him Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring I cry in the day time and thou hearest not Though our Saviour had indeed support yet he complains as one that had no sense and feeling of it there may be support under great tryals and afflictions and yet there may be little feeling of that support and therefore is it that some of the Saints have complained of being overwhelmed Consider the title of Psal 102. A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed the Saints may be overwhelmed Then is a person said to be overwhelmed when he is under great sorrows and sufferings and hath little or no sense of comfort and support given in to him Thus hath it been with the Saints and thus was it with the Head of the Saints the Lord Jesus he had support but yet he had little sense of support the support he had for it was the Divinity that strengthened and corroborated him to bear all his sufferings therefore is it said That by the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God Heb. 9.14 It was by the power of the Deity that he was corroborated to suffer what he did suffer and yet he complains of the want of the sense of support in the place formerly mentioned Thus we have seen what this dereliction was not It was not a dissolution of the Vnion of the two Natures not a desertion in point of grace not desertion in point of support What then was it I answer It was desertion in point of comfort dereliction in point of manifestation To understand this we must know That in the death of Christs body when his body dyed the soul was separated from the body but how not personally Non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in respect of place only the humane soul of Christ and his body were separated one from the other but yet neither the soul nor the body were separated from his person Divines have an apt similitude to illustrate this A man that hath his sword in his scabbard holds it in his hand for a time then draws his sword out of his scabbard the sword and the sheath are separated one from the other but neither is separated from the man the man holds both in his hands In like manner in the death of Christ Christs humane soul was separated from his body but neither was separated from the Divinity the Divinity held both so that in the death of Christs body the soul was separated from the body not personally but in respect of place So in this of his dereliction which was as it were the supernatural death of his soul the Deity was separated from Christs soul but how not personally the personal Vnion remained still how then was it separated only in respect of operation there was not that operation of the Divinity in the humane soul of our Saviour in a way of comfort in a way of manifestation as before the separation was in point of comfort and manifestation Quaedam ibi derelictio suit ubi nulla suit in tanta necessitate virtutis exhibitio nulla majestatis ostensio Bern. not otherwise This is elegantly expressed by one of the Ancients after this manner Christ saith he was after a sort forsaken when there was no visible tendring of help to him in so great necessity when there was no beaming forth of the Majesty of God upon him but the face of God and his favour was turned away from him because of the wrath of God that was due to us because of our sins This then was that dereliction that our Saviour underwent the beams of the Divinity contained themselves as it were from shining forth upon the humane soul of our Saviour the Divinity that was wont to shine upon his humane soul before withdrew its rays The Ancients and some other modern Learned men have many elegant expressions to set forth this dereliction of our Saviour Some of the Ancients call the sufferings of Christ the Sleep as it were of the Divinity had the Divinity or Godhead exerted it self in Christ as it might have done it could easily have prevented all suffering and death therefore the Divinity suspending its operations is said by the Ancients to sleep and rest as it were that so the humane nature might be capable of suffering Passio Christi fuit dulcis Divinitatis somnus Aug. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Compressissa se Deitatem Subduxit se ad tempus Divinitas Sequestratâ delectatione Divinitatis aeternae Hence is that expression of Austin The Passion of our Saviour was as it were a sweet sleep of the Divinity Other of the Ancients have this expression That the Divinity did rest that is