(2.) Christ, accordingly, makes his demand solemnly on earth and in heaven. On earth : John xvii., throughout the whole chapter is the demand of Christ for the accomplishment of the whole compact and all the promises that were made to him when he undertook to be a Saviour, which concerned both himself and his church; see verses 1, 4-6, 9, 12-16, etc. And in heaven also: he is gone into "the presence of God," there " to appear for us," Heb. ix. 24, and is "able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," chap. vii. 25; not as in the days of his flesh, with strong cries and supplications, but by virtue of his oblation, laying claim to the promised inheritance in our behalf. And, —
(3.) The whole work is accomplished, and the end intended brought about: for in the death of Christ he " finished the trans- gression, and made an end of sins, and made reconciliation for ini- quity, and brought in everlasting righteousness," Dan. ix. 24; and of sinful man God says, " Deliver him, for I have found a ransom," Job xxxiii. 24. Hence our reconciliation, justification, yea, our sal- vation, are in the Scripture spoken of as things actually done and accomplished in the death and blood-shedding of Jesus Christ. Not
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as though we were all then actually justified and saved, but upon the account of the certainty of the performance and accomplishment of those things in their due time towards us and upon us are these things so delivered : for in reference to the undertaking of Christ in this covenant is he called " The second Adam," becoming a common head to his people (with this difference, that Atlam was a common head to all that came of him necessarily, and, as I may so say, natu- rally, and whether he would or no ; Christ is so to his voluntarily, and by his own consent and undertaking, as hath been demonstrated) ; now, as we all die in Adam federally and meritoriously, yet the several individuals are not in their persons actually dead in sin and obnoxi- ous to eternal death before they are by natural generation united to Adam, their first head ; so, though all the elect be made alive and saved federally and meritoriously in the death of Christ, wlierein also a certain foundation is laid of that efficacy which works all these things in us and for us, yet we are not viritim made partakers ot the good things mentioned before we are united to Christ by the commu- nication of his Spirit to us.
And this, I say, is the covenant and compact that was between Father and Son, which is the great foundation of what hath been said and shall farther be spoken about the merit and satisfaction of Christ. Here lies the ground of the righteousness of the dispensation treated of, that Christ should undergo the punishment due to us : It was done voluntarily, of himself, and he did nothing but what he had power to do, and command from his Father to do. " I have power," saith he, "to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again; this commandment have I received of my Father;" whereby the glory both of the love and justice of God is exceedingly exalted. And, —
1. This stops the mouth of the Socinian clamour concerning the unrighteousness of one man's suffering personally for another man's sin. It is true, it is so if these men be not in such relation to one another that what one doth or suffereth, the other may be accounted to do or suffer; but it is no unrighteousness, if the hand offend, that the head be smitten. But Christ is our head; we are his members. It is true, if he that suffereth hath not. power over that wherein he suffers; but Christ had power to lay down his life and take it again. It is true, if he that is to suffer and he that is to punish be not will- ing or agreed to the commutation; but here Father and Son, as hath been manifested, were fully agreed upon the whole matter. It may be true, if he who suffers cannot possibly be made partaker of any good afterward that shall balance and overweigh all his suffer- ing ; not where the cross is endured and the shame despised for the glory proposed or set before him that suffers, — not where he is made low for a season, that he may be crowned with dignity and honour. And, —
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2. This is tlie foundation of the merit of Christ. The apostle tells us, Kom. iv. 4, what merit is: it is such an adjunct of obedience as whereby " the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt." God having proposed unto Christ a law for obedience, with promises of such and such rewards upon condition of fulfilling the obedience re- quired, he performing that obedience, the reward is reckoned to him of debt, or he righteously merited whatever was so promised to him. Though the compact was of grace, yet the reward is of debt. Look, then, whatever God promised Christ upon his undertaking to be a Saviour, that, upon the fulfilling of his will, he merited. That himself should be exalted, that he should be the head of his church, that he should see his seed, that he should justify and save them, sanctify and glorify them, were all promised to him, all merited by him. But of this more afterward.