his rebel-creature man, that liad by his revolt incurred his just wrath and ven- geance : this was a woi-k that became God himself so well to engage in, that he thought none high and worthy enough to be trusted with transacting it beneath his only Son, who stayed here but while he had brought his negotiation to a happy period, and then carried the joyfid tidings of its being finished back with him to heaven, which made his return infinitely welcome to his Father, and all the glorious inhabitants of heaven his attendants.
CHAPTER IV.
A MORE PARTICULAR ACCOUNT WHY GOD RECONCILED SINNERS TO HIMSELF
BY CHRIST.
But I shall proceed to give some more particular answer to the question propounded.
Section I. — First, God takes this method of reconciling sinners to himself by Christ, that he might give the deepest testimony of his perfect hatred to sin in that very act wherein he expresseth the highest love and mercy to sinner?. No act of mercy and love, like that of pardoning sin. To receive a reconciled sinner into heaven is not so great an advance, as to take a rebel into a state of favour and reconciliation. The terms here are infinitely wider; there is reason to expect the one, none to look for the other. It is pure mercy to pardon, but truth, being pardoned, to save. When God puts forth this very act, he will have the creature see his hatred to sin, written upon the face of that love he shews to the sinner. And truly this was but needful, if we consider how hard it is for our corrupt hearts to conceive of God's mercy, without some dishonourable re- flection upon his holiness. ' I kept silence,' saith God, Psa. 1. And what infer- ence doth the wicked draw from thence ? ' Thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thyself;' that is, Thou thoughtest I loved sin as well as thyself. Now, if so plain and easy a text as God's forbearing mercy be wrested, and a false gloss so repugnant, not only to the end of God therein, but to the holy nature of God, be put upon it — how much more subject is forgiving mercy, that is so far superlative to that, and infinitely more luscious to the sinner's palate, to be abused! Some men gaze so long on this pleasing object, that they are unwilling to look oif, and see any other attribute in God. Now, in this way of reconciling himself to sinners by Christ, he hath given such an argument to convince sinners, that he is an implacable hater of sin, as hath not its fellow. It is true, every threat in the Bible tells us, that sin finds no favour in God's heart ; the guilty consciences of men, that haunt them home, and follow them into their own bosoms, continually yelling and crying damnation in their ears ; the remarkable judgments, which now and then take hold of sinners in this world, and much more the furnace which is heating for them in another world, shew abundantly how hot and burning God's wrath is against sin. But when we see him run upon his Son, and lay the envenomed knife of his wrath to his throat, yea, thrust it into his very heart, and there leave it for all the supplications and prayers, which, in his bitter agonies, he oftered up to his Father with strong crying and tears, without the least sparing of him, till he had forced his life, in a throng of sad groans and sighs, out of his body, and thereby paid justice the full debt, which he had as man's surety un- dertook to discharge : this, this, I say, doth give us a greater advantage to conceive of God's hatred to sin, than if we could stand in a place, to see what entertainment the damned find in hell, and at once behold all the torments they endure. Alas ! their backs are not broad enough to bear the whole weight of God's wrath at once, it being infinite, and they finite ; which, if they could, we should not find them lying in that prison for non-payment. But behold one here, who had the whole curse of sin at once upon his back. Indeed, their suf- ferings are infinite, extensive, because everlasting : but his were infinite, inten- sive ; he paid in one sum, what they shall be ever paying, and yet never come to the last farthing. ' The chastisement of our peace was upon him,' Isa. liii. 5 : J He hath laid on him the iniquity of us all,' ver. 6: or. He hath made the iniquity of us all to meet in him ; the whole curse met in him, as all streams do in the sea. A virtual collection of all the threatenings denounced against sin, and all laid on him. And now, take but one step more, and consider in
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