166 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. [SeR. II.
3. The sacraments do chiefly relate to our communion with Christ's death, as appeareth —
[1.] By the interpretation of both in scripture. Baptism is explained in the text ; tlie chief thing represented is his death ; and by what is said, 1 Cor. i. 13, ' Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you ? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul ? ' Whence I gather, that for any to have been crucified (made a curse and a sacrifice to God) for us, would draw an obligation upon us to be baptized into his name. And that one peculiar reason of our being baptized into the name of Christ was his having been so crucified for us. The Lord's supper is explained, 1 Cor. xi. 26, ' As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.' The use of the Lord's supper is a solemn commemoration and annunciation of the Lord's death. We annunciate and show it forth with respect to ourselves, that we may anew believe and exercise our faith ; with respect to others, that we may solemnly profess this faith in the crucified Saviour with a kind of glorying and rejoicing ; with respect to Grod, that we may plead the merits of the sacrifice of his own Son with affiance, expecting the benefits thereof, which are pardon and the sanctifying Spirit. Thus you see Christ hath instituted two sacra- ments which represent him dead, not one to represent him glorified. This signification may be confirmed by the types of the old law. The sin-offering was uot to be eaten by the people at all, and the sacrifice of thanksgiving was not to be eaten the third day after it was offered, Lev. vii. 16-18 ; the eating of the peace-offerings, wherein they rejoiced before the Lord, and gave him thanks, was a solemn feast like the Lord's supper ; now they might eat it the same day in which it was offered with acceptation, but not on the third day, then it was unlawful. The eating it the same day taught them to hasten, and not delay, but with speed, while it is called to-day, to be made partakers of Christ, to eat his flesh in faith, and to be thankful for his grace. The longest time was the second day ; the third it could not be eaten, not only upon a natural reason, that the flesh might be eaten while it was pure and sweet, for by the third day it might easily putrify in those hot countries ; but upon a mystical reason, to foreshadow the time of Christ's resurrection, whose rising from the dead was on the third day : ' And the third day I shall be perfected,' Luke xiii. 32. So our feast on the flesh and blood of Christ representeth his death rather than his resurrection. Well, then, Christ hath appointed two sacraments which represent him dead, but none that represent him glorified ; for sacra- ments were instituted in favour of 'man, and for the benefit of man, more directly and immediately than for the honour of Christ exalted. Therefore in these ordinances he representeth himself rather as he procured the glory of others than as possessed of his own glory, and would have us consider rather his death past than his present glory. His death is wholly for us, but his glory for himself and us too. For understanding this, we must distinguish between what is primarily represented in the sacraments, and what is secondarily and conse- quentially. It is true the consideration of his humiliation excludeth not that of his exaltation, but leadeth us to it. Primarily and properly Christ's death is represented in the sacraments, and consequentially
VeR. 3.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. 167
his resurrection and exaltation, as those other acts receive their value from his death as to our comfort and benefit, as his resurrection and intercession. We remember his death as the meritorious cause of our justification and sanctification, but his resurrection as the public evi- dence of the value of his merit ; according to that of the apostle ; Rom. iv. 25, ' He died for our offences, and rose again for our justification ;' therefore primarily and directly ' we are baptized into his death/ and in the Lord's supper ' we show forth his death,' by which he satisfied divine justice for us ; but secondarily and consequentially we remember his resurrection, which showeth that his satisfaction is perfect, and Ood, who is the judge and avenger of sin, could require no more of Christ for the atonement of the world. While the punishment remaineth in the guilty person or his surety, the debt is not fully paid; but the taking our surety from prison and judgment showeth that provoked justice is contented. So in baptism, the immersion or plunging in water signified his death, and the coming out of the water his resurrection ; and in the Lord's supper we annunciate his death ; but because we keep up this ordinance till he come, we imply his resurrection and life of glory, therefore we do but consequentially remember it. So it is for Christ's intercession ; it is but a representa- tion of the merit of his sacrifice, and receiveth its value from his death : Heb. ix. 12, ' By his own blood he entered into the holy place, having •obtained eternal redemption for us.' Our high priest now appearing before God, and representing the value of his sacrifice for all penitent believers, the foundation was in his death. As this is true of the cause, so it is true of the benefits procured by that cause ; the great benefit which we have by Christ is salvation, which consists in the destruction of sin, and a fruition of those things which by God's appointment are consequent upon the destruction of sin, namely, eternal life and happiness. Now as these things are consequent upon the destruction of sin, so baptism and the Lord's supper signifieth and sealeth them ; but consequentially its primary use is to signify the destruction and abolition of sin by the death of Christ ; as for instance, * We are bapti?:ed for the remission of sins,' Acts ii. 38, and Acts xxii. 16, ' Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins ;' and in the Lord's supper, Mat. xxvi. 28, ' This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.' So that you see these benefits are more expressly signified in baptism and the Lord's supper, the resurrection of the body and eternal life more remotely and conse- quentially. The death of Christ first purchased for us justification and sanctification, therefore they are first represented directly and primarily, baptism and the Lord's supper represent these especially ; 80 now you see why the apostle saith, ' Ye are baptized into his death/' [2.] 13y the rites used in both these ordinances. Baptism signifieth the death and burial of Christ ; for immersion under the water is a kind of figure of death and burial, as our apostle cxplaineth it, ver. 4, ' Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death ;' and the trine immersion, the threefold dipping used by the ancients, is expounded by them, not only with reference to the Trinity, Father, Bon, and Holy Ghost, in whose names they were baptized, Mat. xxviii. 19, but the three several days, wherein Christ lay buried in the grave,