^ Eccles. xi. 9, and xii. 14 ; Mat. xii. 36, and xviii. 23 ; Luke xvi. 2 ; Rom. xiv. 10, 12 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Heb. ix. 27, and xiii. 17 ; 1 Pet. iv. 5.
76 OF THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST.
with, him, and our ingrafting into him.'l God hath condemned sin in the flesh of his Son, that all that which the law by right could require of us might be performed by him for us, so as if we ourselves had in our own persons performed the same. The law must have its right before a sinner can be saved ; we cannot of ourselves fulfil the right of it. But here is the comfort, Christ our surety hath fulfilled it in us, and we have fulfilled it in him. Certainly, whatsoever Christ did concerning the law is ours by imputation so fully, as if ourselves had done it. Does the law require obedience ? saith Christ, * I will give it,' Mat. iii. 15. Does the law threaten curses ? says Christ, ' They shall be borne,' Mat. v. 17, 18. The precept of the law, saith Christ, shall be kept, and the promises received, and the punishments endured, that poor sinners may be saved. Our righteousness' and title to eternal life do indispensably depend upon the imputation of Christ's active obedience to us. There must be a perfect obeying of the law, as the condition of life, either by the sinner himself or by his surety, or else no life ; which doth sufficiently evince the absolute necessity of the im- putation of Christ's active obedience to us. The sinner himself being altogether unable to fulfil the law, that he may stand righteous before the great and glorious God, Christ's fulfilling of it must necessarily be imputed to him in order to righteousness. There are two great things which Jesus Christ did undertake for his redeemed ones ; the one was to make full satisfaction to divine justice for all their sins. Now this he did by his blood and death. The other was to yield most absolute conformity to the law of God, both in nature and life. By the one he has freed all his redeemed ones from hell, and by the other he has qualified all the redeemed ones for heaven. This is my plea, 0 Lord, and by this plea I shall stand. ' Well,' saith the Lord, ' I accept of this plea as honourable, just, and righteous; Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.'
(2.) Secondly, As Jesus Christ did for us perform all that active obedience which the law of God required ; so he did also suffer all those punishments which we had deserved by the transgression of the law of God, in which respect he is said, 2 Cor. ii. 22, ' To be made sin for us ; ' 1 Pet. ii. 24, ' Himself to bear our sins in his own body on the tree ;' 1 Pet. iii. 18, ' For Christ also hath once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God ; ' Phil. ii. 8, ' To humble himself and to become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross;' Gal. iii. 13, 'To be made a curse, an execration for us;' Eph. V. 2, ' To give himself for us an offering and sacrifice unto God ;' Heb. ix. 15, ' And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testa- ment, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgres- sions that were under the first testament, they which were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.' Now concerning the passive obedience, or suff'ering of Christ, I would present imto you these conclusions.
[1.] First, That the sufferings of Jesus Christ were free and
voluntary, and not constrained or forced. Austin saith, that Christ
' did suffer quia voluit, et quando voluit, et quomodo voluit : John x. 17,
'•' ^ SiKaM/jM, which Beza well renders, Ut jut legis, that the right of the law might be fulfilled in us.
OF THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 77
' I lay down my life ;' ver. 18, ' No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself ; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again ;' Gal. ii. 20, ' Who gave himself for me.' Christ's suf- ferings did rise out of obedience to his Father : John x. 18, ' This commandment have I received of my Father;' and John xviii. 11, ' The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? ' And Christ's sufferings did spring and rise out of his love to us, ' who loved me, and gave himself for me,' Gal. ii. 20 ; so Eph. v. 25, ' As Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.' And indeed, had Christ's sufferings been involuntary, they could not have been a part of his obedience, much less could they have mounted to anything of merit for us. Christ was very free and willing to undertake the work of man's redemption. When he cometh into the world, he saith, ' Sacri- fice and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me ; then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, 0 God,' Heb. x. 5. It is the expression of one overjoyed to do the will of God. So Luke xii. 60, ' I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished.' There was no power, no force to compel Christ to lay down his life, therefore it is called the offering of the body of Jesus, Heb. x. 10. Nothing could fasten Christ to the cross, but the golden link of his free love. Christ was big of love, and therefore he freely opens all the pores of his body, that his blood may flow out from every part, as a precious balsam to cure our wounds. The heart of Christ was so full of love that it could not hold, but must needs burst out through every part and member of his body into a bloody sweat, Luke xxii. 44. At this time it is most certain that there was no manner of violence offered to the body of Christ ; no man touched him, or came near him with whips, or thorns, or spears, or lances. Though the night was cold, and the air cold, and the earth on which he kneeled cold, yet such a burning love he had in his breasts to his people as cast him into a bloody sweat. It is certain that Christ never repented of his sufferings: Isa. liii. 11, 'He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied,' It is a metaphor that alludes to a mother, who though she hath had hard labour, yet doth not repent of it, when she sees a child brought forth. So though Christ had hard travail upon the cross, yet he doth not repent of it, but thinks all his sweat and blood well bestowed, because he sees the man- child of redemption is brought forth into the world. He shall be satisfied : the Hebrew word, y2U}^, signifies such a satiating as a man hath at some sweet repast or banquet. And what does this speak out, but his freeness in suffering ?
Obj. But here some may object, and say, ihat the Lord Jesus, when the hour of his sufferings drew nigh, did repent of his suretyship ; and in a deep passion prayed to his Father to be released from his suffer- ings : ' Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me ;' and that three times over. Mat. xxvi. 39, 42, 44.
Ans. Now to this objection I shall answer, first more generally, and secondly more particularly.