and that eternally. In all the sacrifices, from Adam to Christ, this was still preached to the world, that there was a fearful breach betwixt God and man ; and even so, that justice required our blood should be shed. And the fire flaming on the altar, which wrholly burnt up the sacrifice, was a lively emblem of that fiery indignation that should devour the adversaries. But above all, when Christ, that true and great Sacrifice, was offered up to God, then was the fairest glass that ever was in the world, set before us, therein to see our sin and misery by the fall.
2. His priesthood supposes the unalterable purpose of God to take vengeance for sin * ,• he will not let it pass. I will not determine what God could do in this case, by his absolute power ; but I think it is generally yielded, that, by his ordinate power, he could do no less than punish it in the person of the sinner, or of his surety.
Those that contend for such a forgiveness, as is an act of charity, like that whereby private persons forgive one another, must at once suppose God to part with his right, cedendo dejure suo *(-, and also render the satisfaction of Christ altogether useless, as to the pro- curement of forgiveness ; yea, rather an obstacle, than a means to it. Surely, the nature and truth of God oblige him to punish sin j. " He is of purer eyes than to look upon iniquity ," Heb. i. 13. And beside, the word is gone out of his mouth, that the sinner shall die.
3. The priesthood of Christ pre-supposeth the utter impotency of men to appease God, and recover his favour by any thing he could do or suffer. Surely God would not come down to assume a body to die, and be offered up for us, if at any cheaper rate it could have been accomplished ; there was no other way to recover man and satisfy God. Those that deny the satisfaction of Christ, and talk of his dying to confirm the truth, and give us art example of meekness, patience, and self-denial, affirming these to be the sole ends of his death, do not only therein root up the foundations of their own comfort, peace and pardon, but most boldly impeach and tax the
* The reader may find this case learnedly and solidly handled by Dr. Twissey Vindic. gratia, digres. 8.
f By betraying the cause of justice, in departing from his own eternal and neces- sary rights.
| In no other way can God's hatred of sin be made to appear, than by inflicting th« deserved punishment, Brad, on Justific. p. 01.
14(5 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 8ERM. XI.
infinite wisdom. God could have done all this at a cheaper rate : the sufferings of a mere creature are able to attain these ends : the deaths of the martyrs did it. But who by dying can satisfy and re- concile God ? what creature can bring him an adequate and pro- portionable value for sin ? yea, for all the sin that ever was, or shall be transmitted to the natures, or committed by the persons, of all God's elect, from Adam, to the last that shall be found alive at the Lord's coming ? surely, none but Christ can do this.
4. Chrisfs priesthood implies the necessity of his being" God- man *. It was necessary he should be a man, in order to his pas- sion, compassion, and derivation of his righteousness and holiness to men. Had he not been a man, he had had no sacrifice to offer, no soul or body to suffer in. The Godhead is impatible, immortal, and above all those sufferings and miseries Christ felt for us. Be- sides, his being man, fills him with bowels of compassion, and tender sense of our miseries : this makes him a merciful and faithful High- priest, Heb. iv. 15. and not only fits him to pity, but to sanctify us also ; for " he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are " both of one," Heb. ii. 11, 14, 17. And as necessary it was our High-priest should be God, since the value and efficacy of our sa- crifice results from thence.
5. The priesthood of Christ implies the extremity of his sufferings. In sacrifices, you know, there was a destruction, a kind of annihi- lation of the creature to the glory of God. The shedding of the creature's blood, and burning its flesh with fire, was but an um- brage, or faint resemblance of what Christ endured, when he made his soul an offering for sin.
And lastly, It implies the gracious design of God to reconcile us at a dear rate to himself in that he called and confirmed Christ in his priesthood by an oath, and thereby laid out a sacrifice, of infinite value, for the world. Sins, for which no sacrifice is allowed, are desperate sins ; and the case of such sinners is helpless : But if God allow, yea, and provide a sacrifice himself, how plainly doth it speak his intentions of peace and mercy ? These things are manifestly pre-supposed, or implied in Christ's priesthood.
" -f- This priesthood of Christ is that function, wherein he " comes before God, in our name and place, to fulfil the law,
* Hence, therefore, it appears, how necessary it was that Christ the Mediator should be both God and Man : had he not been Man, he would not have been a fit sacrifice : and had he not been God, that sacrifice would not have been of sufficient efficacy. Ames. Med. p. 92.
■f- SaccrdoUum Christi estfunctio qua coram Deo apparet, ut legem ab ipso acceptam nostra nomine observet, seipsum victimam reconciliationis pro nostris peccatis ipsi ojf'erat, suaque apud Deum intercessione opem ijysius pcrennem, ac donationem Sjriritus Sancti nobis inv pelret, at que ejficaciter appiicet. Synopsis purioris Theol. p. 518.
fERM. XT. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 147
" and offer up himself to him a sacrifice of reconciliation for our " sins ; and by his intercession to continue and apply the purchase " of his blood to them for whom he shed it :" All this is contain* ed in that famous scripture, Heb. x. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, IS, 14. Or, more briefly, the priesthood of Christ is that whereby he ex* piated the sins of men, and obtained the favour of God for them, Col. i. 20, 22. Rom. v. 10. But because I shall insist more largely upon the several parts and fruits of this office, it shall here suffice to speak this much as to its general nature ; which was the first thing proposed for explication.
Secondly, The necessity of Chrisfs priesthood comes next to be opened. Touching which, I affirm, according to the scriptures, it was necessary, in order to. our salvation, that such a Priest should, by such a sacrifice, appear before God for us.
The truth of this assertion will be cleared by these two principles, which are evident in the scripture, viz. That God stood upon full satisfaction, and would not remit one sin without it : and that fallen man is totally incapable of tendering him any such satisfaction; therefore Christ, who only can, must do it, or we perish.
1. God stood upon full satisfaction, and would not remit one sin without it. This will be cleared from the nature of sin ; and from the veracity and wisdom of God.