of the covenant of redemption, he could never have saved us, nor have satisfied divine justice, nor have been admitted into heaven. That Jesus Christ might make full satisfaction for all our sins, ' he was made a curse for us, whereby he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,' Gal. iii. 13. All his sufferings were for us. All that can be desired of God by man is mercy and truth ; mercy in regard of our misery, truth in reference to God's promises. That which moved Christ to engage himself as a surety for us was his respect to God and man : to God, for the honour of his name. Neither the mercy nor the truth nor the justice of God had been so conspicuously manifested, if Jesus Christ had not been our surety, to man, and that to help us in our succourless and desperate estate. No creature either would or could discharge that debt, wherein man stood obliged to the justice of God. This is a mighty evidence of the endless love of Christ, this is an evidence of the endless and matchless love of Christ. We count it a great evidence of love for a friend to be surety for us when we intend no damage to him thereupon ; but if a man be surety for that which he knoweth the principal debtor is not able to pay, and there- upon purposeth to pay it himself, this we look upon as an extraordi- nary evidence of love. But what amazing love, what matchless love is this, for a man to engage his person and life for his friend ! whenas ' skin for skin, and all that a man hath, will he give for his life,' Job ii. 4 ; and yet, according to the covenant of redemption, Jesus Christ has done all this and much more for us, as is evident, if you will but cast your eye back upon the articles of the covenant, or consult the scriptures in the margin. ^ If a friend, to free a captive, or one con- demned to death, should put himself into the state and condition of him whom he freeth, that would be an evidence of love beyond all com- parison. But now, if the dignity of Christ's person and our unworthi- ness, if the greatness of the debt and kind of payment, and if the benefit which we reap thereby, be duly weighed, we shall find these evidences of love to come as much behind the love of Christ, as the light of a candle cometh short of the light of the sun. Christ's surety- ship, according to the covenant of redemption, is and ought to be a prop of props to our faith. It is as sure a ground of confidence that all is well, and shall be for ever well between God and us, as any the Scriptures does afford. By virtue hereof we have a right to appeal to God's justice, for this surety hath made full satisfaction ; and to exact a debt which is fully satisfied is a point of injustice. Christ knew very well what the redemption of fallen man would cost him, Solus amor nescit dijfficultates ; he knew that his life and blood must go for it ; he knew that he must lay by his robes of majesty, and be clothed with flesh ; he knew that he must encounter men and devils ; he knew that he must tread the wine-press of his Father's wrath, bear the curse, and make himself an offering for our sins, for our sakes, for our salvation ; yet, for all this, he is very ready and willing to bind himself by covenant, that he will redeem us, whatever it cost him. Oh, what tongue can express, what heart can conceive, what soul can comprehend, * the heights, depths, breadths, and lengths of this love' ?
1 John X. 11, 15, 17, 18, 28; Rom. v. 6, &c. ; Eph. i. 5-7, &c. ; Col. ii. 13-15; Heb. ii. 13-15.
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Eph. iii. 18, 19.^ 0 blessed Jesus, what manner of love is this ! that thou shouldst wash away my scarlet sins in thine own blood ! that thou shouldst die that I may live ! that thou shouldst be cursed that I might be blessed ! that thou shouldst undergo the pains of hell that I might enjoy the joys of heaven ! that the face of God should be clouded from thee, that his everlasting favour might rest upon me ! that thou shouldst be an everlasting screen betwixt the wrath of God and my immortal soul ! that thou shouldst do for me beyond all expression, and suffer for me beyond all conception, and gloriously provide for me beyond all expectation ! and all this according to the covenant of redemption ! What shall I say, what can I say to all this, but fall down before thy grace, and spend my days in wonder- ing at that matchless, bottomless love, that can never be fathomed by angels or men ! 0 Lord Jesus, saith one, plusquam mea, pliisquara meos, plusquam me ; I love thee more than all my goods, and I love thee more than all my friends, yea, I love thee more than my very self, [Bernard.] It is good to write after this copy. But,
XI. The eleventh and last plea that a believer may form up as to the ten scriptures that are in the margin,'-^ that refer to the great day of account, or to a man's particular account, may be drawn up from the consideration of the hook of life, out of which all the saints slmll he judged in the great day of our Lord: Rev. xx. 11, 'And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ; and there was found no place for them :' ver. 12, ' And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God : and the books were opened ; and another book was opened, which is the book of life : and the dead were judged out of those things which were "written in the books, according to their works :' ver. 13, ' And the sea gave up the dead which were in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them : and they were judged every man according to their works:' ver. 14, 'And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.' In the 11th verse John describes the judge with his pre- paration ; in the 12th verse he describes the persons that should be judged ; and then he describes the process and sentence ; and lastly, he describes the execution of the sentence, viz., the casting of the reprobates into the lake of fire, and the placing and fixing of the elect in the heavenly Jerusalem, ver. 13-15.
In the five last verses cited you have a clear and full description of the last general judgment, as is evident by the native ^ context and series of this chapter, Rev. xx. 1-3. For having spoken of the devil's last judgment, which, by Jude, is called ' The judgment of the great day,' Jude 6 ; it is consentaneous, therefore, to understand this of such a judgment whereby he is judged. And, indeed, the expressions are so full, and the matter and circumstances so satisfying and convinc- ing, that they leave no place for fears, doubts, or disputes. This
^ Look where thou wilt, thou art surrounded with flames of his love; and it were strange if thou shouldst not be set on fire ; if not, sure thou must needs be a diabolical salamander, says Cusanus.