Moreover, God is not at all delighted with, nor desirous of, the })lood, the tears, the cries, the inexpressible torments and sufferings, of the Son of his love (for he delights not in the anguish of any, — " he doth not* afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men," much less the Son of his bosom) ; only he required that his law be fulfilled, his jiistice satisfied, his wrath atoned for sin ; and nothing less than all this would bring it about. If the debt of sin might have been compounded for at a cheaper rate, it had never been held up at the price of the blood of Christ. Here, then, soul, take a view of the desert of sin; behold it far more evident than in all the threat- enings and curses of the law. " I thought, indeed," mayest thou say from thence, "that sin, being foimd on such a poor worm as I am, ' 2 Cor. V. 21. ' Zech. xiii. 7. ' Heb. x. 7: Isa. liii. 6. « Lam. iii. 33.
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was worthy of death; but that it should have this effect if diarged on the Son of God, — that I never once imagined."
[2.] Consider also, farther, loliat he suffered. For though he was so excellent a one, yet perhaps it was but a light affliction and trial that he underwent, especially considering the strength he had to bear it. Why, whatever it were, it made this^ " fellow of the Lord of hosts," this^ " lion of the tribe of Judah," this^ " migl^ty one," " the'' wisdom and power of God," to tremble,^ sweat, cry, pray, wrestle, and that with strong supplications. Some of the popish devotionists tell us that one drop, the least, of the blood of Christ, was abundantly enough to redeem all the world; but they err, not knowing the desert of sin, nor the severity of the justice of God. If one drop less than was shed, one pang less than was laid on, would have done it, those other drops had not been shed, nor those other pangs laid on. God did not cruciate the dearly-beloved of his soul for nought. But there is more than all this : —
It pleased God to ^ bruise him, to put him to giief, to make his soul an offering for sin, and to pour out his life unto death. He '' hid himself from liim, — was far from the voice of his ciy, until he cried out, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He made him ^sin and a ''curse for us; executed on him the sentence of the law ; brought him into an agony, wherein he sweat thick drops of blood, was grievously troubled, and his soul was heavy vmto death. He that was the power of God, and the wisdom of God, went stooping under the burden, until the whole frame of nature seemed astonished at it. Now this, as I said before that it discovered the indignation of God against sin, so it clearly holds out the desert of it. Would you, then, see the true demerit of sin? — take the measure of it from the mediation of Christ, especially his cross. It brought him who was the Son of God, equal unto God, God blessed for ever, into the form of a ^"servant, who had not where to lay his head. It pursued him all his life with afflictions and persecutions; and lastly brought him under the rod of God; there bruised him and brake him, — "slew the Lord of life. Hence is deej:) humiliation for it, upon tlie account of him whom we ^^ have pierced. And this is the first spiritual view of sin Ave have in Christ.
(2.) The wdsdom of understanding our impotency, by reason of sin, is wrapped up in him. By our impotency, I understand two things: — [1.] Our disability to make any atonement with God for sin. [2.] Our disability to answer his mind and will, in all or any of the obedience that he requireth, by reason of sin.
' Zech. xiii. 7. ^ Rev. v. 5. 3 Ps. Ixxxix. 19 * Prov. viii. 22; 1 Cor. i. 24. « Matt. xxvi. 37, 38; Mark xiv. 33, 34; Luke xxii. 44; Heb. v. 7. 8 Lsa. liii. 5, G. ? Ps. xxii. 1. ^ 2 Cor. v. 21. » Gal. iii. 13.
" Phil. ii. 8. " 1 Cor. ii. 7. '= Zech. xii. 10.
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98 OF COMMUNION WITH THE SON JESUS CHRIST.
[1.] For the first, that alone is discovered in Christ. Many in- quiries have the sons of men made after an atonement, — many ways have they entered into to accomphsh it. After this they inquire, Mic. vi. 6, 7, " Will any manner of sacrifices, though appointed of God, as burnt-offerings, and calves of a year old ; though veiy costly, thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil ; thougli dreadfid and tremendous, offering violence to nature, as to give my children to the fire;" — will any of these things make an atonement? David doth positively, indeed, determine this business, Ps. xlix. 7, 8, " None of them" (of the best or richest of men) " 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." It cannot be done, — no atonement can be made; yet men would still be doing, still at- tempting: hence did they heap up^ sacrifices, some costly, some bloody and inhuman. The Jews, to this day, think that God was atoned for sin by the sacrifices of bulls and goats, and the like. And the Socinians acknowledge no atonement, but what consists in men's repentance and new obedience. In the cross of Christ are the mouths of all stopped as to this thing. For, —