nothing that should have a tendency to diminish his suffer- ings6: but when, in his last moments, he said, " I thirst," the cruel soldiers, wishing only to mock him, and augment his anguish f, dipped a spunge in vinegar, and gave him that to drink; and thus fulfilled that prophecy of David, "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink s. This done, no other prophecy remained to be fulfilled ; and therefore our Lord instantly said, " It is finished."]
2. The work of Redemption —
[Two things were undertaken by our Lord, and were to be done by him in order to man's redemption ; the penalties of the law were to be endured by him, in order that Divine justice might be satisfied for our sins ; and the demands of the law were to be obeyed by him, in order that sinners, who could have no righteousness of their own, might be made righteous in him. Both these things were now completed. Our blessed Lord had obeyed the law in its fullest extent : not the smallest defect could be found in him : man could find none ; Satan could find none ; God himself could find none : for " he did always the things that pleased the Father;" and "in him was no sin." By his obedience, the law, which we had violated, was " magnified and made honourable :" and " a righteousness was brought in," a righteousness which shall be unto all and upon all them that believe, and which is amply sufficient for the justification of all who trust in it. Moreover all was now endured that was necessary to make an atonement for our sins. Did we deserve shame, and condemnation, and misery ? did we deserve to have the face of God hid from us, and the vials of his wrath poured out upon us, and to be consigned over to everlasting death? All this he suffered, as far as was compatible with his nature, and as far as was necessary for the satisfaction of Divine justice. He was not indeed actually dead ; but the moment was arrived for his surrender- ing up his life ; and therefore he could properly say, " It is finished."]
3. The salvation of man —
[All that was necessary for man's salvation was now effected. Nothing remained to be done, in order to the per- fecting of his work on earth, or to the forming of a perfect ground for man's acceptance with God. It is true, that man must repent : but he need not to repent in order to make satis- faction for his sins : no repentance of man can add to the value of Christ's sacrifice. Men must repent, in order to justify God in the denunciations of his wrath, and to evince
e Mark xv. 23. ' Luke xxiii. 36. e Ps. lxix, 21.
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their abhorrence of their past ways, and to bring their souls to a fit state for the enjoyment of God's mercy : but to atone for sin, he needs not to repent-: the offering of the body of Jesus Christ upon the cross is a sufficient propitiation for the sins of the whole world. It is true also, that man must obey : but he need not to obey in order to form for himself a justifying righteousness before God : he can never add to the perfection of Christ's righteousness ; and any attempt to add to it will defeat, instead of furthering, his acceptance through it. What- ever obedience men may render for the honouring of God, and the adorning of their profession, they must renounce it utterly in point of dependence, and must look for salvation solely through the righteousness of Christ11. Nothing remains for man but to accept the salvation which Christ has purchased : and if he be enabled in his last hour (like the dying thief) to rely on the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus, he shall as assuredly be saved, as if he had repented and obeyed a thou- sand years. We do not say this to lessen the importance of repentance and obedience (for in their proper place they are of infinite importance) ; but only to explain and vindicate our Lord's assertion in the text.]