(6.) The sixth scripture is that, Isa. lix. 20, 21, 'And the Ee- deemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgres- sion in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord ; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth, and for ever.' Out of this blessed scripture you may observe these following things : First, The parties covenanting and agreeing, and they are God the Father and Jesus Christ: God the Father in those words, ' Saith the Lord ;' and Jesus Christ in those words, ' The Redeemer shall come to Zion.' Secondly, You have God the Father, first covenanting with Jesus Chi-ist, and then with his seed, as is evident in the 21st verse. Thirdly, You have the pei-sons described, that shall be sharers in re- demption mercies, and they are the Zionites, the people of Gt)d, the citizens of Zion. But lest any should think that all Zion should be saved, it is added by way of explication, that only such of Zion ' as turn from transgression in Jacob,' shall have benefit by the Redeemer. The true citizens of Zion, the right Jacobs, the sincere Israelites, in whom there is no guile, Eom. xi. 26, are they and only they that turn from their sins. None have interest in Christ, none have redemption by Christ, but converts, but such as cast away their transgressions, as Ephraim did his idols, saying, ' What have I any more to do with you?' Hosea xiv. 8. Fourthly, You have the way and manner of the elect's delivery, and that is, not only by paying down upon the nail, the price agreed on, but also by a strong and powerful hand, as the original imports in the scriptures cited in the margin.! The Greek word that is used by Paul, and the Hebrew word that is used by Isaiah, do both signify delivering ' by strong hand,' to rescue by force, as David de- livered the lamb out of the lion's paw. Fifthly, You have the special blessings that are to be conferred upon the elect — viz., redemption, conversion, faith, repentance, reconciliation, turning from their ini- quity ; all comprehended under that term ' the redeemed.' Sixthly, You have the Lord Jesus Christ considered as the head of the church, from whom all spiritual gifts — sanctification, salvation, and perseverance do flow and run, as a precious balsam, upon the members of his body : ' My Spirit that is in me,' saith GiDd the Father, to Christ the Redeemer, ' and my word which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth ; nor out of the mouth of thy seed,' <fec. In these words, God the Father engages, that his Spirit and word should continue with his church to direct and instruct it, and the children of it, in all necessaries, throughout all ages successively, even unto the world's end. But,
^ Rom. xi. 26; Isa. lix. 20.
VERY CLEARLY AND LARGELY OPENED. 343
(7.) The seventh scripture is that, Zech. vi. 12, 13, ' And speak unto him, saying. Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying. Behold the man whose name is the Branch ; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord : even he shall build the temple of the Lord ; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne ; and he shall be a priest upon his throne : and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.' Now that the business of man's redemption was transacted betwixt the Father and the Son, is very clear from this text, * And the counsel of peace shall be between them both,' that is, the two persons spoken of — viz., the Lord Jehovah, who speaks, and the man, whose name is the Branch, Jesus Christ. This counsel was primarily about the reconciliation of the riches of God's grace, and the glory of his justice. The design and counsel, both of the Father and the Son, was our peace.i The counsel of recon- ciliation, how man, that is now an enemy to Grod, may be reconciled to God, and God to him ; this counsel or consultation shall be ' betwixt them both,' that is Jehovah and the Branch. There were blessed transactions between the Father and the Son, in order to the making of peace between an angry God and sinful men. I know several learned men interpret it of Christ's offices — viz., of his kingly and priestly office ; for both conspire to make peace betwixt God and man. Now if you will thus understand the text, yet it will roundly follow, that there was a consultation at the council-board in heaven, con- cerning the reconciliation of fallen man to God ; which reconciliation Christ, as king and priest, was to bring about. Look, as there was a counsel taken, touching the creation of mankind, between the persons in the blesspd Trinity, ' Let us make man after our image,' Gen. i. 26 ; Col. iii. 19 ; Eph. iv. 24 ; so there was a consultation held con- cerning the restoration of mankind out of their lapsed condition: ' The counsel of peace shall be between them both.' Certainly there was a covenant of redemption made with Christ; upon the terms whereof he is constituted to be a reconciler and a redeemer, to say to the prisoners, ' Go forth, to bring deliverance to the captives, and to proclaim the year of release or jubilee, the acceptable year of the Lord,' as it is, Isa. Ixi. 1 , 2. But,
(8.) The eighth scripture is that, Ps. xl. 6-8, ' Sacrifice and offer- ing thou didst not desire ; mine ears hast thou opened : burnt-oflFering and sin-ofiering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come : in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, 0 my God ; yea, thy law is within my heart' — Heb., ' in the midst of my bowels/ Compared with that, Heb. x. 5-7, ' Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me : in burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure : then said I, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, 0 God.' In these two scriptures, two things are concluded : — (1.) The impo- tency of legal sacrifices, ver. .5, 6 ; (2.) The all-sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, ver. 7. There is some difference in words and phrases be- twixt the apostle and the prophet, but both agree in sense, as we shall
^ Whatever Socinians say, it is most certain that reconciliation is not only on the sin- ner's part, but on God's also.
344 THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION