SERMON XX.
That Tie might redeem us from all iniquity, &c. — Titus ii. 14.
I COME to handle the second encouragement, namely, that which is taken from the merit of Christ's death. And therein —
1. Here is Chritit's act, ' He gave himself for us,' to be an expiatory sacrifice and ransom for souls.
2. I come to the second branch, and that is Christ's aim, * He gave himself ; ' but why ? ' To redeem us from all iniquity,' &c. Here is the privative and positive part of this deliverance ; first redemption, then sanctification.
The privative part we must first take notice of, and that is redemp- tion, a phrase which the apostle useth here to enforce us to a denial of ungodliness and worldly lusts.
VeE. 14.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 251
Here I shall first handle the nature of redemption in general, and then particularly show how we are redeemed from iniquity.
I. For the nature of redemption ; it is the great gospel privilege, and therefore needs to be explained.
To redeem another, it signifies to free them from any distress, espe- cially from captivity and bondage. The word will be best explained with respect to the customs and the figures of the law of Moses, for cer- tainly from thence it was taken. Now under the law there was a two- fold redemption — such as was immediately made to God, or else to man.
1. To God. I observe that there was a kind of ransom that every man was to give for his soul : Exod. xxx. 12-15, ' When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, after their number, then they shall give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them ; that there be no plague amongst them, when thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give an offering to the Lord. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.' Whenever they were numbered by head and by poll, that the plague might not break out among them, they were to give a ransom for their souls, which showed that all our souls were forfeited by sin to God, and it was in God's power to take them when he pleased ; therefore every man was to give this acknow- ledgment. And some conceive the plague which fell out in David's time for numbering the people was for want of giving this ransom to God. Now the poor and rich were both to give equally the same ransom, the poor to give no less, and the rich no more, viz., half a shekel, to show that all souls before God are equal ; the debt was equal, and that the price of Christ's blood was equal. We were all forfeited to God, but all the elect have an interest in the same redeemer. This will some- what explain the mystery.
2. In that law there was another redemption that was to be made to man, and so there was a twofold redemption figured in the legal dispensation.
[1.] There was a redemption of the inheritance, or of the person of the brother that was waxen poor, and so through poverty had sold him- self or sold his land : Lev. xxv. 25, ' If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold ; ' and vers. 47, 48, ' And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by thee wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family, after that he is sold he may be redeemed again, one of his brethren may redeem him.' The Goel, or the next of kin, was to redeem both the land and person so sold. All this noteth our state by nature. We forfeited our inheritance, and sold ourselves to work iniquity ; there was a voluntary forfeiture on our part, and we could not redeem ourselves, for we were waxen poor ; and when we had sold ourselves, all of the kindred were altogether waxen poor, and could not redeem us : Ps.
252 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeR.
xlix. 7, 8, ' None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him ; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever.' Therefore Jesus Christ comes from heaven, and takes flesh, that he might be of our blood and kin, and so jure propinquitatis, as being next of blood, he had a right to redeem and help us, when we had forfeited ourselves, and were become slaves and vassals of sin and Satan.
[2.] There was the redemption of captives. I confess I do not find express mention in the law of this kind of redemption, though some types of this captivity there were, and therefore here we must allude to the customs of all nations. Therefore I shall show — (1.) To whom we were captives ; (2.) The manner of redeeming captives both among the Jews and all nations.