3. It was so on the part of God also; for herein principally had he designed to manifest his righteousness, grace, love, and wis- dom, wherein he will be glorified: Rom. ii. 25, “ He set him forth to be a propitiation, to declare his righteousness.” The righteousness of God was most eminently glorified in the reconciliation wrought by Christ, when he was a propitiation for us, or made atonement for us in his blood. And herein also “God commendeth his love toward us,” Rom. v. 8; John iii. 16; 1 John iv. 9. And what greater de- monstration of it could possibly be made, than to send his Son to die for us when we were enemies, that we might be reconciled unto him? All after-actings of God towards us, indeed, are full of love, but they are all streams from this fountain, or rivers from this ocean. And the apostle sums up all the grace of the gospel in this, that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,” and that bythis way of atonement, “ making him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” 2 Cor. v. 19, 21. And so also he declares that this was “the mystery of his will, wherein he abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence,” Eph. i. 8-10. So that in all things the great glory which God designed in the media-
“VER, 17, 18.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 483
tion of Christ is founded alone in that act of his priesthood whereby he made reconciliation for the sins of his people. And therefore,—
(1.) They who weaken, oppose, or take away this reconciliation, are enemies to the salvation of men, the honour of Christ, and the glory of God. From men they take their hopes and happiness; from Christ, his office and honour; from God, his grace and glory.. I know they will allow of a reconciliation in words, but it is of men to God, not of God unto men. They would have us reconcile ourselves unto God, by faith and obedience; but for the reconciliation of God unto us, by sacrifice, satisfaction, and atonement, that they deny. What would they have poor sinners to do in this case? they are enemies unto God. ‘Go,’ say they, ‘and be reconciled unto him; lay aside your enmity, and be no more his adversaries.’ ‘But, alas! he is our enemy also; we are “children of wrath,’ obnoxious to the curse as transgressors of his law, and how shall we be delivered from the wrath to come?’ ‘Take no care of that; there is no such justice in God, no such indignation against sin and sinners, as you imagine.’ ‘But our consciences tell us otherwise, the law of God tells us other- wise, the whole Scripture testifies to the contrary, and all the creation is filled with tokens and evidences of this justice and indignation of God against sin, which you deny. And would you have us to give credit unto you, contrary to the constant dictates of our own con- sciences, the sentence of the law, the testimony of the word, the voice of the whole creation, and that in a matter of such importance and everlasting concernment unto us? What if all these should prove true, and you should prove liars—should we not perish for ever by relying on your testimony? Is it reasonable we should attend unto you in this matter? Go with your sophisms unto men who were never burdened with a sense of the guilt of sin, whose spirits never took in a sense of God’s displeasure against it, who never were brought under bondage by the sentence of the law, who never were forced to cry out, in the bitterness and anguish of their souls, ‘‘ What shall we do to be saved? Wherewith shall we come before the LorD, or bow ourselves before the high God?” and it may be they will be entangled and seduced by you; but for those who have thus in any measure known the terror of the Lord, they will be secured from you by his grace.’ Besides, what ground do such men leave unto the Lord Christ to stand upon, as it were, in his in- tercession for us in heaven? Do they not take that blood out of his hand which he is carrying into the holy place? And how do they despoil him of his honour in taking off from his work! A miserable employment! when men shall study and take pains to persuade them- selves and others that Christ hath not done that for them which he hath done for all that are his, and which if he hath not done for them they must perish for evermore. Is it worth the while for them
484 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IL.
to weaken faith, love, and thankfulness unto Christ? From whom can such men look for their reward? Can right reason, or a light within, be no otherwise adored but by sacrificing the blood of Christ unto it,—no otherwise be enthroned but by deposing him from his office, and taking his work out of his hand; and, by a horrible ingratitude, because they know no other could do that work, to con- clude that it is needless? Are men so resolved not to be beholden unto Jesus Christ, that rather than grant that he hath made recon- ciliation for us by his blood, they will deny that there was any need that any such reconciliation should be made? O the depths of Satan! Othe stupidity and blindness of men, that are “taken alive by him, and led captive at his pleasure!”