I. The necessity of Christ's sufferings unto death — There was no necessity for Christ to undertake the redemption of man ; but, supposing him to have under- taken it, then there was a necessity for his sufferings unto death ;
1. To fulfil the Scriptures —
[The death of Christ had been exhibited in types from the very beginning : all the sacrifices offered by Adam, Abel, Noah, and the Jews themselves, marked out a suffering Messiah. The same also was declared in many express prophecies. Not to mention the intimation of it given in the first prophecy3, nothing could be more plain than the declarations of Isaiah on this subject1*: it seems perfectly astonishing to us, that people professing to regard his writings as prophecies of the Messiah, should ever make the crucifixion of Christ a stumbling- block, or account the doctrine of his cross foolishness. How decisive too is the testimony of Daniel0 ; as is that also of Zechariahd ! But besides these general testimonies, there are particular intimations respecting all the most minute circum- stances of his death ; the collective view of which forms a body of evidence that is altogether irresistible.
But how could these be fulfilled if Jesus should not suffer ? they must all be rendered null and void, and the veracity of the inspired writers, yea, of Him also who inspired them, must be for ever impeached.]
2. To answer the ends of his mission —
[For what did Jesus come into the world ? Was it not to bear the sins of men in his own body, and, by rendering satisfaction to God, to make the exercise of mercy compatible with the rights of truth and justice? But how were these ends to be attained ? The obedience of Jesus, however per- fect, could not answer these ends. The law denounced death against the transgressor: and death must be inflicted on him, or on his surety. If therefore Jesus was to be a surety for man, he must undergo death ; he must bear that which man should have borne : nothing but this could satisfy the demands of the law : and if man were saved without the death of his Surety, the whole authority of the law must be cancelled, and the Law-giver himself be dishonoured in the sight of all his creatures. We grant, for argument's sake, that the mercy of God would be magnified in such a way of pardoning trans- gression : but then what regard would he shew for the rights
a Gen. iii. 15. b Isai. lii. 14. and liii. 3 — 5.
c Dan. ix. 2(5. a Zech. xiii. 7.