(2.) There were promises in this compact that concerned the wo7'k itself that Christ undertook, namely, that if he did what was re- quired of him, not only he should be preserved in it, but also that the work itself should thrive and prosper in his hand. So Isa. liii. 10, 11, "When thou sbalt make," etc. Whatever he aimed at is here promised to be accomplished, " The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper ;" — the design of Father and Son for the accomplishment of our salvation shall prosper. " He shall see his seed," — a seed of believers shall be raised up, that shall " prolong their days ;" that is, the seed shall prolong or continue whilst the sun and moon en- dure; all the elect shall be justified and saved. Satan shall be con- quered, and the spoil delivered from him. And this our Saviour comforts himself withal in his greatest distress, Ps. xxii. 80, 81. And for this "joy that was set before him," the joy of " bringing many sons unto glory" that was promised to him, " he endured the cross, and despised the shame," Heb. xii. 2. So also Isa. xlii. 1-4.
OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 505
And this is the third thing in this compact, He who prescribes the hard conditions of incarnation, obedience, and death, doth also make the glorious promises of preservation, protection, and success. And to make these promises the more eminent, God confirms them so- lemnly by an oath. He is consecrated a high priest for evermore by the " word of the oath," Heb. vii, 28. " The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever," etc., verse 21.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ accepts of the condition and the pro- mise, and voluntarily undertakes the work : Ps. xl. 7, 8, " Then said I, Lo, I come : I delight to do thy will, O my God : yea, thy law is within my heart." He freely, willingly, cheerfully, undertakes to do and suffer whatever it was the will of his Father that he should do or suffer for the bringing about the common end aimed at. He undertakes to be the Father's servant in this work, and says to the Lord, "Thou art my Lord," Ps. xvi. 2; — "Thou art he to whom I am to yield obedience, to submit to in this work." " Mine ears hast thou bored, and I am thy servant;" — " I am not rebellious, I do not withdraw from it," Isa. 1. 5. Hence the apostle tells us that this mind was in him, that whereas he was " in the form of God, he humbled himself to the death of the cross," Phil, ii. 6-8. And so, by his own voluntary consent, he came under the law of the mediator; which afterward, as he would not, so he could not decline. He made himself surety of the covenant, and so was to pay what he never took. He voluntarily engaged himself into this sponsion; but when he had so done, he was legally subject to all that attended it, — when he had put his name into the obligation, he became responsible for the whole debt. And all that he did or suf- fered comes to be called " obedience;" which relates to the law that he was subject to, having engaged himself to his Father, and said to the Lord, " Thou art my Lord ; lo, I come to do thy will."
5. The fifth and last thing is, that on the one side the promiser do approve and accept of the performance of the condition prescribed, and the undertaker demand and lay claim to the promises made, and thereupon the common end designed be accomplished and ful- filled. All this also is fully manifest in this compact or convention.
(L) God the Father accepts of the performance of what was to the Son prescribed. This God fully declares, Isa. xlix. 5, 6, " And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said. It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel : I Avill also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." And eminently, verses 8, 9, " Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I
506 VINDICI/E EVANGELIC^.
heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee : and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages ; that thou may- est say to the prisoners, Go forth; to thera that are in darkness, Show yourselves,'' etc. ; — " Now, I have been with thee, and helped thee in thy work, and thou hast performed it ; now thou shalt do all that thy heart desires, according to my promise." Hence that which Avas originally spoken of the eternal generation of the Son, Ps. ii. 7, " Tliou art my Son, this day have 1 begotten thee," is applied by the apostle to his resurrection from the dead : Acts xiii. 33, " God hath fulfilled his word unto us, in that he hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." That is, God by the resurrection from the dead gloriously manifested him to be his Son, whom he loved, in whom he was well pleased, and who did all his pleasure. So Kom. i. 4, " He was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead." Then was he declared to be the Son of God. God, approving and accepting the work he had done, loosed the pains of death, and raised him again, manifesting to all the world his approbation and acceptation of him and his work; whence he immediately says to him, Ps. ii. 8, " Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance ; " — " Now ask what thou wilt, whatever I have promised, whatever thou didst or couldst expect upon thy undertaking this work; it shall be done, it shall be granted thee." And, —