there is no God, or at least not a God of that exact, precise, and im- partial judgment, as some men say and as others teach. i But now when God lets sinners see that he will not pardon sin without exact- ing the penalty of the law, either of the sinner or of his surety, then the sinner cries out, ' 0 the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! ' Rom. xi. 33. God stood so much upon the complete satisfaction and accomplishment of his law, that he was willing that Christ should be a sacrifice, that the law might be satisfied in its penalty, and that Christ in his own person should fulfil the righteousness of the law, that it might be satisfied in its commands, Rom. viii. 3-5. Now in this plenary satisfaction made to the law, the wisdom of God does gloriously shine. The heart of God was so set upon a full satisfaction to his law, that rather than it should not be done, his own Son must come from heaven and put on flesh, and be himself made under the law, Gal. iv. 4,5; he must live a holy life, and die a cursed death, and all to satisfy the law, and to keep up the authority of it. But,
5. Fifthly, God doth stand upon full satisfaction, and will not for- give one sin without it, that he might hereby cut off all occasions^ which the devil, his arch-enemy, might take to calumniate and tra- duce him ; for if God did not stand upon full satisfaction, the devil might accuse him (1.) of inconstancy and changeableness, that having threatened death to transgressors, he did quite forget himself, in waiv- ing the threatening, and dispensing wholly with his law, by granting them free remission ; yea, (2.) of partiality and respect of persons, that he should be so easy and forbearing, as to let them pass without any punishment at all ; having been formerly so severe and rigid against himself, in casting him and his angels down to hell, and keeping them in everlasting flames and chains of darkness, without the least hope of recovery, 2 Pet. ii. 4 ; Jude 6. Satan might say. Lord, thou mightest have spared me as well as man. But the Lord can now answer, Man hath made satisfaction, he hath borne the curse, and thereby fully dis- charged all the demands of the law ; if he had not, I would no more have spared him than thee. Ambrose brings in the devil boasting against Christ, and challenging Judas as his own ; he is not thine, Lord Jesus, he is mine, his thoughts beat for me ; he eats with thee, but is fed by me ; he takes bread from thee, but money from me ; he drinks with thee, but sells thy blood to me. Had God pardoned sin without satisfaction, ah how would Satan have boasted and triumphed over God himself ! But,
6. Sixthly, God's standing upon full satisfaction, and his not for- giving one sin without it, bears a visible character of his goodness and loving-kindness, as well as it sounds out aloud the glory of divine jus- tice. ' The great and the holy God, whose name is holy,' Exod. xv. 1, 11, might have rigorously exacte.d the penalty of the law on the persons of sinners themselves ; but he hath so far dispensed with his own law, as to admit of a surety, by whom the end of the law, that is, the manifestation of his justice and hatred of sin, might })e fulfilled, and yet a considerable part of mankind might be preserved from the jaws of the second death, which otherwise must unavoidably have
^ Such an emphasis there is in the HebreTv, as Corn. Ji Lapide observes.
"228 OF THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST,
perished to all eternity, Eev. xx. 6. God seems to speak at such a rate as this ; I may not, I will not, suffer this high affront of Adam and his posterity against my ' holy and righteous law,' Kom. vii. 12, 14, whereby the honour both of my justice and truth. is in danger to be trampled underfoot ; and yet if I should let out all my wrath upon them, they were never able to stand under it, but ' their spirits would fail before me, and the souls that I have made,' Ps. Ixxviii. 38 ; Isa. Ivii. 16. I will therefore let out all my wrath upon their surety, and he shall bear it for them, that they may be delivered ; and thus the Lord ' in wrath remembers mercy,' Hab. iii. 2. But,
7. Seventhly, We can receive no benefit by the righteousness of Christ for justification in the sight of Grod, nor can we be pardoned and accepted thereupon, until that righteousness become ours, and he made over unto us. How can we plead this righteoushess before God, except we have an interest in this righteousness ? Isa. xlv. 24, 25. How can we rejoice and triumph in this righteousness, if this right- eousness be not made ours ? How can we have peace with God, and boldness at the throne of grace, through this righteousness, except we can lay claim to this righteousness ? How can we conclude that we are happy and blessed upon the account of this righteousness, except it be made over to us ? i There is none of us that have such an in- herent righteousness in ourselves that we dare plead before the bar of God ; and though God hath provided such a glorious robe of right- eousness for poor sinners, as is the wonder and amazement of angels, yet what would all this avail the poor sinner, if this righteousness be not made over to him ? 0 sirs ! remember this, Christ's righteous- ness must be yours, it must be made over to you, or else it will never stand you in stead: Kom. v. 17, ' For if by one man's offence, death reigned by one ; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in glory by one, Jesus Christ.' Except they receive the righteousness of Christ, it is nothing to them. Christ's righteousness is in itself white raiment, and beauti- ful and glorious apparel ; but it will never cover our nakedness, except it be put on, and we are clothed with it. It must be made over to us, or we can never be justified by it : 1 Cor. i. SO, ' He of God is made to us righteousness;' if he be not made to us righteousness, we shall never be righteous. Though man hath lost a righteousness to be justi- fied by, yet there is an absolute necessity of having one. God cannot love nor delight in anything but righteousness. God is a holy God, a righteous God, and therefore can only love and take pleasure in those that are' righteous, both by a righteousness imputed, and a righteous- ness imparted : Isa. xlv. 24, ' Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength ;' ver. 25, * In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory :' Isa. liv. 17, ' Their right- eousness is of me, saith the Lord;' Ps. Ixxi. 16, ' I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.' Look, as no man can be made rich by another man's riches, except they are made his ; so no man