Let me now ask any of those poor souls who ever have been wandering and tossed with the fear of the wrath to come, whether ever they found a resting-place until they came to this : — God spared not his only Son, but gave him up to death for us all ; that he made him to be sin for us; that he put all the sins of all the elect into that cup which he was to drink of; that the wrath and flood which they feared did fall upon Jesus Christ (though now, as the ark, he be above it, so that if they could get into him they should be safe). The storm hath been his, and the safety shall be theirs. As all the waters which wovdd have fallen upon them that were in the ark fell upon the ark, they being dry and safe, so all the wrath that should have fallen upon them fell on Christ ; which alone causeth their souls to dwell in safety? Hath not, I say, this been your bottom, your foundation, your resting-place? If not (for the substance of it), I fear you have but rotten bottoms. Now, what would you say if a man should come and pull this ark from under you, and give you an old rotten post to swim upon in the flood of wrath? It is too late to tell you no wrath is due unto you; the word of truth and your own consciences have given you other information. You know the "wages of sin is death," in whomsoever it be; he must die in whom- soever it is found. So that truly the soul may Avell say, "Bereave me of the satisfaction of Christ, and I am bereaved. If he fulfilled not justice, I must; if he underwent not wrath, I must to eternity. O rob me not of my only pearl ! " Denying the satisfaction of Christ destroys the foundation of faith and comfort.
VI. Another argimient we may take from some few particular places of Scripture, which, instead of many, I shall produce: —
As, first, 2 Cor. v. 21, "He made him to be sin for us, who knew
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no sin." " He made him to be sin for us ;" how could that be ? are not the next words, " He knew no sin?" was he not a Lamb without blemish, and without spot ? Doubtless; " he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." What then is this, "God made him to be sin?" It cannot be that God made him sinful, or a sinner by any inherent sin ; that will not stand with the justice of God, nor with the holiness of the person of our Redeemer. What is it, then ? "He made him to be sin who knew no sin?" Why, clearly, by dis- pensation and consent, he laid that to his charge whereof he was not guilty. He charged upon him and imjDuted unto him all the sins of all the elect, and proceeded against him accordingly. He stood as our surety, really charged with the whole debt, and was to pay the utmost farthing, as a surety is to do if it be required of him ; though he borrow not the money, nor have one penny of that which is in the obligation, yet if he be sued to an execution, he must pay all. The Lord Christ (if I may so say) was sued by his Father's justice unto an execution, in answer whereunto he under- went all that was due to sin; which we proved before to be death, wrath, and curse.
If it be excepted (as it is) " That God was always well pleased with his Son, — he testified it again and again from heaven, — how, then, could he lay his wrath upon him?" Ans. It is true he was always well pleased with him ; yet it "pleased him to bruise him and put him to grief." He was always well pleased with the holiness of his person, the excellency and perfectness of his righteousness, and the sweetness of his obedience ; but he was displeased with the sins that were charged on him : and therefore it pleased him to bruise and put him to grief with whom he was always well pleased.
Nor is that other exception of any more value, " That Christ under- went no more than the elect lay under; but they lay not under wrath and the punishment due to sin." Ans. The proposition is most false, neither is there any more truth in the assumption ; for, — First, Christ underwent not only that wrath (taking it passively) which the elect were under, but that also which they should have undergone had not he borne it for them: he "delivered them from the wrath to come." Secondly, The elect do, in their several generations, lie under all the wrath of God in respect of merit and procurement, though not in re- spect of actual endurance, — in respect of guilt, not present punish- ment. So that, notwithstanding these exceptions, it stands firm that "he was made sin for us, who knew no sin."
Isa. lui. 5, " He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed." Of this place something was said before; I shall add some small enlargements that conduce to discover the meaning of the Avords. "The chastisement of our peace was upon