Now as the Father of old hath rested and relied on the promise and engagement of Christ, so Jesus Christ doth, to this very day, rest and stay himself upon the promise of his Father, that he shall, in due time, * see all his seed,' Isa. liii. 10, and reap the full benefit of that full ransom that he has paid down upon the nail for all that have believed on him, that do believe on him, and that shall believe on him. Christ knew God's infinite love, his tender compassions, and his matchless bowels, to all those for whom he died ; and he knew very well the covenant, the compact, the agreement that passed between the Father and him- self ; and so trusted the Father fully in the great business of their everlasting happiness and blessedness, relying upon the love and faith- , fulness of God, his love to the elect, and his faithfulness to keep cove- nant with him. As the elect are committed to Christ's charge, to give an account of them, so also is the Father engaged for their conversion, and for their preservation, being converted ; as being not only his own, given to Christ out of his love to them, but as being engaged to Christ, that he shall not be frustrate of the reward of his sufferings, but have a seed to glorify him for ever, John vi. 37 ; Isa. liii. 11. Therefore doth Christ not only constantly preserve them by his Spirit, but doth leave also that burden on the Father : ' Father, keep those whom thou hast given me,' John xvii. 11. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Jesus Christ promises and engages liimself to his Father that he would hear all and suffer all that should he laid upon him, and that he would ransom poor sinners, and fully satisfy divine justice hy his Mood and death, as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together.^ The work of redemption could never have been effected by ' silver or gold,' or by prayers or tears, or by the ' blood of bulls or goats,' but by the second Adam's obedience, even to the death of the cross. Eemission of sin, the favour of God, the heavenly inheritance, could never have been obtained but by the precious blood of the Son of God. The innocent Lamb of God was slain in typical prefigurations from the beginning of the world, and slain in real performance in the fulness of time, or else fallen man had lain under guilt and wrath for ever. The heart of Jesus Christ was strongly set upon all those that his Father had given him, and he was fully resolved to secure them from hell and the curse, what- ever it cost him ; and seeing no price would satisfy his Father's jus- tice below his blood, he lays down his life at his Father's feet, according to the covenant and agreement of old that had passed between his Father and himself. But,
[5.] Fifthly, The Lord Jesus Christ was very free, ready, willing, and careful to make good all the articles of the covenant on his side, and to discharge all the works agreed on for the redemption and sal- vation of the elect : John xvii. 4, ' I have finished the work that thou gavest me to do,' John xii. 49, 50, and xvii. 6. There was nothing committed to Christ by the Father to be done on earth, for the pur- chasing of our redemption, but he did finish it ; so that the debt is paid, justice satisfied, and sin, Satan, and death spoiled of all their
1 Isa. 1. 6, 6 ; John x. 17, 18, and xv. 10; Luke ixiv, 46; Heb. x. 5-7, 10. I hare opened these scriptures already.
394 THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION
hurting and destroying power, Col. ii. 14, 15, and Heb. ii. 14, By the covenant of redemption Christ was under an obligation to die, to satisfy to divine justice, to pay our debts, to bring in an everlasting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24, to purchase our pardon, and to obtain eternal redemption for us, Heb. ix, 12 ; all which he completed and finished before he ascended up to glory : and, without a peradventure, had not Jesus Christ kept touch with his Father, had not he made good the covenant, the compact, the agreement on his part, his Father would never have given him such a welcome to heaven as he did, nor he would never have admitted him to have ' sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high,' as he did,i Acts i. 9-11. The right hand is a place of the greatest honour, dignity, and safety that any can be advanced to. But had not Jesus Christ ' first purged away our sins,' he had never ' sat down on the right hand of his Father.' Christ's advancement is properly of his human nature. That nature wherein Christ was crucified was exalted ; for God, being the Most High, needs not be exalted; yet the human nature in this exalta- tion, is not singly and simply considered in itself, but as united to the deity ; so that it is the person, consisting of two natures, even God-man, which is thus dignified, Mat. xxvi. 64 ; Acts vii. 56. For as the human nature of Christ is inferior to God, and is capable of advancement, so also is the person consisting of a divine and human nature. Christ, as the Son of God, the second person of the sacred Trinity, is, in regard of his deity, no whit inferior to his Father, but every way equal ; yet he assumed our nature, and became a mediator betwixt God and man ; he humbled himself, and made himself in- ferior to his Father ; liis Father therefore hath highly exalted him, and set him down on his right hand, Phil. ii. 8, 9 ; Eph, i. 20. If Christ had not expiated our sins, and completed the work of our redemption, he could never have sat down on the right hand of God : Heb. x. 12, ' But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God.' This verse is added in opposition to the former, as is evident by the first particle, Si. But in the former verse it was proved that the sacrifices which were off'ered under the law could not take away sins. This verse proveth that there is a sacrifice which hath done that that they could not do. The argument is taken from that priest's ceasing to offer any more sacrifices after he had offered one ; whereby is implied that there needed no other, because that one had done it to the full. Sin was taken away by Christ's sacrifice, for thereby a ransom was paid, and satisfaction made to the justice of God for man's sin, and thereupon sin taken away. Now sin being taken away, Chi'ist ' sits down on the right hand of his Father.' Look, as the humiliation of Christ was manifested in offering a sacrifice, so his exaltation, in sitting at God's right hand, was manifested after that he had offered that sacrifice. This phrase, ' set down,' is a note of dignity and authority ; and this dignity and authority is amplified by the place where he is said to sit down — viz., on ' the right hand of God ;' and this honour and dignity is much illustrated by the continuance thereof, which is without date, ' For ever sat down on the right hand of God.' It
1 Heb. i. 3; Rom. viii. 34; Col. iii. 1 ; Heb. viii. 1, and x. 12; 1 Pet. iii. 22.
VERY CLEARLY AND LARGELY OPENED. 395