[2.] To magnify his justice and displeasure against sin : Eom. iii. 25, ' God set out Christ to declare his righteousness in the remission of sin.' God would have us be reconciled, not only by way of entrea- ties, but satisfaction. You can as well stand before the seat of judg- ment as the throne of grace, if God forgives sinners. God's justice is more glorified in punishing sin in Christ, than if all the world had been lost for sin. This a})pears by the impartialness of it, that God should not spare his own Son ; but the merit of it is full, here is room for acceptation through the worth of his person that did all. If men had been damned, God would be glorifying his justice, but never be said to be glorified. It is more to the creditor to have his debt paid at once, than always a-paying. Ten thousand pounds is a long time a-paying by a poor man in shillings, but a rich man layeth it down in a little time, and pays all.
Usel. Then disclaim other satisflictions, your tears, your duties, your repentance ; do not think to please God with these. Alas ! you will never know when the work is done fully. Men make their way to God easy through these. Naturally we trust in our works and duties ; these are ratlier fruits than causes. Look higher than your prayers and tears, to Jesus Christ.
I now come to the third reason why the death and sufferings of Christ are not ignominious to liim ; and it is drawn from the fruits of his sufferings, which are three : —
The first is a propagation of his spiritual seed : ' He shall see his seed.' By seed, usually the scripture meaneth posterity ; he shall see his holy posterity ; that is, those that are begotten to Christ by the word. Observe here two things : —
1. That believers are the seed of Christ.
2. That Christ shall live to see his seed. JJocf. That believers are Christ's seed.
By purchase and covenant he hath obtained it of the Father, that you should be his generation and his posterity. The whole world in some senfie is God's offspring, Acts xvii. 28. The ai)ostle quoteth it out of
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a poet — Tou jap Kol yevo<; icrfjbev; but the special seed, the sph-itual seed, that is appointed to God the Son. Eph. iii. 15, it is said of the Lord Jesus, ' Of whom the whole family of heaven and earth is named.' Saints militant and triumphant are named from him. As the parents give the name to their posterity — as Jacob to Joseph's sons, and Zacharias to John the Baptist— so Christ to believers. It is just here as it was with Abraham : Gen. xxi. 12, ' In Isaac shall thy seed be called.' Abraham had another son, but that should not be counted his race; not in Ishmael, but in Isaac. So here; every son of Adam is the son of God, Luke iii. 38, but in Christ shall thy seed be called. Men cannot be God's sons, but by being Christ's seed. You have no spiritual right to God's fatherhood out of him.
Object. I3ut you will say, How are believers Christ's seed, since it is said everywhere that we are born of God, and especially it is said, 1 John iii. 1, ' Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God ' ? And in other j)laces it seemeth we are the Spirit's seed : John iii. 5, ' Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' And we are said to be ' born of the Spirit :' 1 Cor. iv. 15, ' Yet have ye not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel.' My answer shall be in these reasons: —
1. By reason of the gift of the Father, who made over all dispensa- tions and all relations to the Son : John v. 22, ' He hath committed all judgment to the Son.' So ' All things are delivered to me of my Father,' Mat. xi. 25. So that quickening, life, and all cometh from the Son ; and God the Father worketh nothing in us but in reference to the Lord Christ ; and he hath given over all his interest and rela- tions to Christ : John xvii. 6, ' Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.' They were God's sons, but he made them over to Christ, so that all the relation that we have to God the Father is through the Son ; he is our Father, as he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and we come to have interest in the love of the Father by the love of the Son : for it is said, John i. 12, ' As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.' It is Christ gave us that power and prerogative. So Gal. iv. 5, ' That we that were under the law might receive the adoption of sons.' So that you see, through the gift of the Father, we are Christ's seed. He worketh nothing in us, and doth own us no further than we belong to the Son : for, as he is Christ's Father, so he is our Father ; and as his seed, we are God's sons born to him.