5. God is a sufficient surety. Here we may consider two things — the satisfaction of Christ, and the power of God's providence ; in re-
250 SERMONS uroN PSALM cxix. [Ser. CXXXIIT.
spect of both which he is a pledge and surety every way sufficient for our comfort, safety, and deliverance.
[1.] I would not leave out Christ's satisfaction, though it lie not so full ill this text ; for as God hath a hand in all our sufferings, and all our affairs are determined in a higher court, this satisfaction is neces- sary to answer the controversy and quarrel of God's justice against us. Thus Christ the second person is e/A^ar/Tcw?, our surety : Heh. vii. 22, ' Christ is the surety of a better testament.' There is a double sort of surety — by way of caution and satisfaction, as sureties in case of debt and sureties for good behaviour ; the one for what is past, the other for what is to come. The example of the one we have in Paul for Onesimus, Philem. 18, 'If he hath wronged or owed thee ought, put it upon my account ; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, and I will repay it.' An example of the other we have in Judali for Ben- jamin : Gen. xliii. 9, ' I will be surety for him ; at mine hand shalt thou require him : if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever.' In both these respects Christ is a surety ; he is our surety as a surety undertaketh for another to pay his debt ; and he is our surety as he hath undertaken that his redeemed ones shall keep God's laws, be carried safe to heaven. Of his suretiship by way of caution we speak now. Thougli Theodoret understand that in the text. Undertake for me that I shall keep thy laws ; but it is more ju'oper to consider the speech as it referreth to the payment of our debt by virtue of this suretyship. Solomon hath assured us, Prov. xi. 15, that he that is surety for another shall smart for it, or be broken and bruised. The same word is used concerning Christ, Isa. liii. 10. He was our surety, and was bruised and broken, suffered what we should have suffered. We have a right to appear to God's justice, buti our surety having made a full satisfaction for us, God will not exact the debt twice — of the surety and the principal. When the ram was taken Isaac was let go : Job xxxiii. 24, ' Deliver him from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom.' Well, then, as our punishment is a due debt to God's justice, the Lord Christ undertaketh or is become a surety for us ; not only our advocate to plead our cause, but our surety to pay our debt ; from a judge become a party, and bound to pay what we owe : Isa. liii. 4, ' Surely he hath borne our griefs.'
[2.] The power of God's providence. If God undertake for us, his bail is sufficient ; none of our enemies can resist his almighty power, surely he is able to deal with our enemies : Isa. xxiii. 4, ' Who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle ? ' They are matter to feed the fire, not to quench it. He rescueth us just as going to prison. If he put himself a pledge between us and our enemies, he will defeat all their oppositions and machinations against us, and stand between us and danger, as an able bail or surety doth between the creditor and poor debtor. Well, then, suretyship, as it noteth our necessity, so God's engagement, and his ability and faithfulness to do what he undertaketh. We must set God against the enemies: Isa. li. 13, ' And forgettest the Lord thy maker, who hath stretclied forth the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth ; and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy ; and where
' Qu. 'to appeal to God'.-s jiifstice, that' 1 — Ed.
VeR. 122.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 251
is the fury of the oppressor ?' Dan. iii. 17, ' Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.' We have the Almighty to be our saviour and protector, wdiy are you afraid of a man ? God against man is great odds, if we had faith to see it : man is mortal, God is immortal ; man is a poor weak creature, but God is almighty ; what is he not able to do for us ? Surely he will not leave his friends in the lurch ; his power is such that he is able to keep us safe and sound.
Secondly, The reasons why we have leave and encouragement to desire God to interpose.
1. From God's covenant, where in the general there is a mutual engaging to be each other's. In our several capacities we engage to stand by God and own his cause, and God is engaged to stand by us. We make over ourselves, bodies, souls, interests, all to God. God, quantus quantus est, as great as he is, is all ours ; tlierefore, if he be ours, we may pray him to appear for us, and own us in our distress and trouble. Our friend is a friend in distress. A gracious heart, by virtue of this mutual and interchangeable indenture, appears for God, and taketh his cause, though never so hated, as its own : ' The re- proaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me,' Ps. vi. 9. We are his witnesses, Isa. xliii. 10. Surely it is too high a word for the creature ; but God taketh our cause as his, is surety lor us ; by virtue of the general tenor of the covenant he is our God, jure venit in auxilium nostrum, his covenant engageth him to undertake for us. More particularly God undertaketh to defend and maintain his people ; as to be a rewarder, so to be a defender : Gen. xv. 1, 'I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.' And Ps. Ixxxiv. 11, ' For the Lord is a sun and a shield.' This defence is sometimes expressed, with respect to the violence of assaults in the world, by the notion of a shield. So, with respect to the process of the law, by the notion of a surety ; Isa. Hi. 3, we have the term of a redeemer. So that we have leave to pray him to fulfil his covenant engagement.