2. How it was obtained — by the blood of his cross he made peace. This implieth death, and such a death as in appearance was accursed ; for the death of the cross is the vilest and most cruel death : Gal. iii. 13, ' Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made accursed for us : for it is written. Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.' Now we must see the reasons of this course or way of recon- ciling the world, that we may not mistake God's design, nor be possessed with any imaginations which are derogatory to God's honour — as, sup- pose, if we should hence conceit that God is all wrath and justice, unwill- ing of himself to be reconciled to man, or that he delighteth in blood, and is hardly drawn to give out grace. Oh, no ! these[are false misprisions and misrepresentations of God. Therefore let us a little inquire into the reasons why God took this way to reconcile all things to himself, and ordained Christ to bear the chastisement of our peace. I answer : That the justice of God might be eminently demonstrated, the law- giver vindicated, and the breach that was made in the frame of govern- ment repaired ; and God manifested to be a hater of sin, and yet the sinner saved from destruction ; and that the love of God might be eminently and conspicuously discerned ; and our peace the better secured. As let us a little see these things more particularl}'. I begin —
[1.] With the holiness of God's nature, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, Hab. i. 13, — that is, so as to approve of it, or alto- gether connive at it, so as to let it go without punishment or mark of his displeasure ; therefore some way must be found out to signify his purest holiness, and his hatred and detestation of sin, and that it should not be pardoned without some testimony of his displeasure against it. AVe are told God hateth the workers of iniquity, Ps. v. 5, and the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, Ps. xi. 7 ; and, therefore, when God was to grant his universal pardon he would not do it without this propitiatory atonement.
[2.] The honour of his governing justice was to be secured, and freed from any blemish, that the awe of God might be kept up in the world. In the mystery of our redemption we must not look upon God only as j^a^'s lo:sa, the wronged party ; but as rector mundi. God was to carry himself as the governor of the world. Now there is a differ- ence between a private person and a governor — private persons may
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pass by offences as they please, but a governor must do right, and what conduces to the public good. There is a twofold notion that we have of public right, justum est quod fieri debet, and j'ustum est quod fieri potest. That which ought to be done, or we are unjust ; as for instance, to punish the righteous equally with the wicked, that Abraham pleadeth, Gen. xviii. 25, ' That be far from thee, to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right ? ' Not that Abraham mindeth God of his office, but he was confidently assured of the nature of God that ht could not do otherwise. But now there is Justum quod fieri potest, which if it be done, or if it be not done, the party is not unjust. The first part of justice is paying of debts ; the second, exacting or re- quiring of debts. Now the Judge of the world doth all things wisely and righteously. The question is, therefore, whether God, passing by the offences of the world without any satisfaction required, doth deal justly ? As a free Lord he may make what laws he pleases ; but as a just Judge, with respect to the ends of government, he doth that which is for public good. The right of passing by a wrong, and the right of releasing a punishment, are different things ; because punish- ment is a common interest, and is referred to a common good to pre- serve order and government, and for example to the future. The government of the world required it that God should stand on the satisfaction of Christ, and the submission of the sinner, that he may be owned and reverenced as the just and holy governor of the world. A valuable compensation is insisted on for this end : Kom. ii. 25, 26, ' Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, To declare, 1 say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.'
[3.] To keep up the authority of his law. God had made a former covenant, which was not to be quitted and wholly made void but upon valuable consideration ; therefore if it be broken, and no more ado made about it, all respect and obedience to God would fall to the ground. The law may be considered either as to the precept or sanction. The authority of the precept is kept up by Christ's submission to the law, and living by the same rules we are bound to live by, and performing all manner of obedience to God ; for it behoved him to fulfil all righteousness, Mat. iii. 15, being set up as a pattern of holiness in our nature, to which we are to be conformed. But that which is most con- siderable in this case is the sanction or penalty. If this should be relaxed, and no satisfaction required, it might leave upon God the blemish of levity, mutability, and inconstancy. The law was not given in jest, but in the greatest earnest that ever law was given ; and so solemn a transaction was not constituted to no purpose, therefore God will not part Avith the law upon light terms : Gal. iv. 4, 5, ' When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.' That men may know that it is a dangerous thing to transgress his law, and that they may fear and do no more presumptuously ; partly that it