358 THE GLORY OF CHRIST
of them for attaining the ends of the covenant. So did the Lord Christ undertake to be surety of the new covenant in behalf of the church, Heb. vii. 22, and thereon tendered himself unto God, to do and suffer for them, in their stead, and on their behalf, whatever was required, that they might be sanctified and saved. These things I have treated of at large elsewhere, as containing a great part of the mystery of the wisdom of God in the salvation of the church. Here, therefore, I do only observe, that this is that whereby the mystical conjunction that was between Christ and the chvirch, whereon it was meet, just, and equal in the sight of God, that what he did and suf- fered should be imputed unto us, is completed.
These are some of the foundations of that mystery of transmitting the sins of the church, as to the guilt and punishment of them, from the sinners themselves unto another, every way innocent, pure, and righteous in himself, — which is the life, soul, and centre of all Scrip- ture revelations. And herein is he exceedingly glorious and precious unto them that believe. No heart can conceive, no tongue can ex- press the glory of Christ herein. Now, because his infinite conde- scension and love herein have been spoken to before, I shall here only instance its greatness in some of its effects.
1. It shines forth in the exaltation of the righteousness of God in the forgiveness of sins. There is no more adequate conception of the divine nature, than that of justice in rule and government. Hereunto it belongs to punish sin according unto its desert; and herein con- sisted the first actings of God as the governor of the rational creation. They did so in the eternal punishment of the angels that sinned, and the casting of Adam out of Paradise, — an emblem also of everlasting ruin. Now, all the church, all the elect of God, are sinners; — they were so in Adam, — they have been and are so in themselves. What doth become the justice of God to do thereon ? Shall it dismiss them all unpunished ? Where, then, is that justice which spared not the angels who sinned, nor Adam at the first ? Would this procedure have any consonancy thereunto, — be reconcilable unto it ? Wherefore the establishment of the righteousness of God on the one hand, and the forgiveness of sin on the other, seem so contradictory, as that many stumble and fall at it eternally. See Rom. x. 3, 4.
But in this interposition of Christ, in this translation of punish- ment from the church unto him, by virtue of his conjunction there- with, there is a blessed harmony between the righteousness of God and the forgiveness of sins ; — the exemplification whereof is his eter- nal glory. " 0 blessed change ! 0 sweet permutation ! " as Justin Martyr speaks.
By virtue of his union with the church, which of his own accord he entered into, and his undertaking therein to answer for it in the
IN HIS CONJUNCTION WITH THE CHURCH. 359
sight of God, it was a righteous thing with God to lay the punish- ment of all our sins upon him, so as that he might freely and gxa- ciously pardon them all, to the honour and exaltation of his justice, as well as of his grace and mercy, Rom. iii. 24-26.
Herein is he glorious in the sight of God, angels, and men. In him there is at the same time, in the same divine actings, a glorious resplendency of justice and mercy; — of the one in punishing, of the other in pardoning. The appearing inconsistency between the right- eousness of God and the salvation of sinners, wherewith the consciences of convinced persons are exercised and terrified, and which is the rock on which most of them split themselves into eternal ruin, is herein removed and taken away. In his cross were divine holiness and vindictive justice exercised and manifested ; and through his triumph, grace and mercy are exerted to the utmost. This is that glory which ravisheth the hearts and satiates the souls of them that believe. For what can they desire more, what is farther needful unto the rest and composure of their souls, than at one view to behold God eternally well pleased in the declaration of his righteousness and the exercise of his mercy, ui order unto their salvation ? In due appre- hensions hereof let my soul live ; — in the faith hereof let me die, and let present admiration of this glory make way for the eternal enjoy- ment of it in its beauty and fulness.
2. He is glorious in that the law of God in its preceptive part, or as to the obedience which it required, was perfectly fulfilled and accomplished. That it should be so, was absolutely necessary, from the wisdom, holiness, and righteousness of him by whom it was given. For what could be more remote from those divine perfections, than to give a law which never was to be fulfilled in them unto whom it was given, and who were to have the advantages of it ? This could not be done by us; but through the obedience of Christ, by virtue of this his mystical conjunction with the church, the law was so fulfilled in us by being fulfilled for us, as that the glory of God in the giving of it, and annexing eternal rewards unto it, is exceedingly exalted. See Rom. viii. 3, 4.