Ifrael, whom they should bearken to'; and David says of the Meffiah, that he was by the conftitution and oath of God, a prieft after the order of Melchizedek'; and other prophets fignify that he should make his foul an offering for fin, and make interceffion for tranfgreffors; which are the two parts of his priestly office: and there is no need to say, that he is often promised and prophefied of as a king that should come, it is fo notorious; Rejoice, O daughter of Zion,-thy king cometh unto thee". 3. The feveral peculiar doctrines of special and diftinguishing grace are to be observed in the writings of the Old Teftament, as well as of the New. As for instance, the doctrine of eternal, perfonal election: is it a truth of the New Teftament, that fome men are chofen in Chrift their head before the foundation of the world, to be holy and happy? It is fuggefted in the Old, that Chrift is God's first and chief elect, in whom his foul delighteth, and is chosen by him out of the people; and has a people chosen by the Lord for his peculiar treasure and inheritance; for himself, or his glory, to enjoy everlasting communion with him. Know that the Lord bath fet apart, in a most wonderful and gracious manner, him that is godly; him to whom God is good and gracious, and who is the object of his free grace and favour, as the word fignifies; for himself, his service and honour. The fame writings declare, that God has made with Chrift, with David, his chofen, an everlasting covenant; that Chrift is fet up from everlasting as mediator of it; that bis goings forth in it were of old, from everlasting; that he is the messenger of it, yea the covenant itself; that all the bleffings and promises of it belong to him, and are therefore called the fure mercies of David; which are all abfolute and unconditional, and are all confirmed and established by the blood of Chrift, faid to be the blood of the covenant2, in one Teftament, as in the other. The doctrine of particular redemption is held forth in both, and appears alike, the perfon of the redeemer is the fame, that should come to, and out of Zion; the redeemed are the spiritual and myftical Jacob and Ifrael; the things they are redeemed from, are all their fins, Satan that is stronger than they, and death and hell they deferve. juftification, our apoftle fo much infifted upon in his miniftry and writings, is clearly expreffed by the prophets; from whence it appears that it is God that juftifies Chrift the head, and all his people in him; that it is in, and by him, that all the feed of Ifrael are justified and glorified; and it is in him they have their VOL. I. S . Pfal. cx. 4. The doctrine of justifying Ifai. liii 10, 12. • Deut. xviii. 15. Zech. ix. 9. Pfal. lxxxix. 19. and cxxxv. 4. TON eft is, quem Deus gratia ac mifericordia fua in Chrifto complectitur, &c. Joh Henr. Michael. not. in Pfal. iv. 3. ▾ Pfal.lxxxix.3. 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 2 Zech. ix. 11. See Heb. xiii, 20. Prov. viii. 22. Micah v. 2. Mal. iii. 1. Ifai. xlii. 6. and lv. 3. • Ifai. lix. 20. and xliii. 1. Pfal, cxxx. 7. Jer. xxxi.11. juftifying righteousness, which is called an everlasting one; and hence he is called the Lord their righteousness. The doctrine of pardon of fin, which is an evanlical one, and of pure revelation, is spoken of by Mofes and the prophets, as by Chrift; for to him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of fins; and by them it appears that there is forgiveness with God; and that it is of all fins, and is an act of God's free grace and mercy, and peculiarly his; and who, before the face of Mofes, proclaimed his name, a God gracious and merciful, pardoning iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin. And the agreement of other doctrines of the New Teftament with the Old, may eafily be observed, as being no other than what is there afferted; as that conversion is not by might or power of man, but by the Spirit of the Lord; and that they that have the true grace of God shall perfevere to the end; shall go from strength to strength, grow stronger and stronger, and hold on their way; and that the fear of God being put into their hearts, they fhall never depart from him1; and that there will be a refurrection of the dead, and a future judgment; that those that fleep in the duft of the earth shall awake, fome to everlasting life, and fome to everlasting fhame and contempt; and that God will judge the righteous and the wicked, and bring every work into judgment, good or evil, open or fecret ". II. The particular things here obferved, in the miniftration of which the apostle agreed with Mofes and the prophets, are such as respect the sufferings and resurrection of Christ, and his being a light to Jews and Gentiles; that Chrift fhould fuffer, and that he should be the first that should rife from the dead, and shew light to the people and to the Gentiles. ft, That Chrift should fuffer; a fuffering Chrift is the principal fubject of the gospel-ministry. The apoftles preached Christ crucified, as having suffered the death of the crofs in the room and ftead of, and for the fake of men; and the apostle Paul determined to know, that is, to make known none but Christ, and bim crucified, as the only Saviour of men. This was the firft and principal thing of all which he delivered wherever he came, that Chrift died for our fins according to the fcriptures. The perfon faid to fuffer, is Chrift; not the Father, as fome, called Patri-paffians from thence, are faid to hold; they, as the Sabellians, afferting there is but one person in the Godhead; but of the Father our Lord fays, ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor feen his shape. He never affumed a nature capable of suffering; nor the holy Spirit neither; he formed, prepared, and adorned the human nature of Chrift, and Chrift through the eter nal Spirit offered himself to God', but the Spirit fuffered not; it was the Son of God that became incarnate, and appeared in the likeness of finful flesh; and whom God fpared not, but delivered up into the hands of juftice and death for us all": it was not indeed in his divine nature, as the Son of God, he suffered, for that is impaffible; but in the human nature he affumed, which he took on purpose, that he might have fomething to offer; as it was neceffary he fhould, that he might be put to death in the flesh, and be crucified through weakness": and yet his sufferings are afcribed to his whole person, and even as that is denominated from his divine nature; just as what belongs to his divine nature is predicated of his person, as denominated from his human nature; for instance, his omniprefence, which is an attribute of Deity, is afcribed to Chrift, denominated the Son of man; and no man bath afcended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven: and fo, on the other hand, the fufferings of Chrift, which are peculiar to his human nature, are spoken of his perfon, as described from his divine nature; as when it is faid, they would not. have crucified the Lord of glory, and God purchased the church with his own blood": this is owing to that strict, close, hypoftatical, or personal union there is of the two natures in the Son of God; and hence is the efficacy of the blood, righteoufness and facrifice of Chrift: bis blood cleanfeth from all fin, because it is the blood of him who is the Son of God; and his righteoufnefs juftifies from all fin, because it is the righteoufnefs of God, of him who is God as well as man; and his facrifice expiates all fin, and is a fufficient atonement for it, because it is the facrifice of himself. Should it be afked, what it was that Chrift fuffered? The answer is, That he suffered in his name, credit, and reputation, which he willingly fubmitted to, and therefore is faid to have made himself of no reputation he was content to be reckoned a worm, and no man'; he was traduced as a finful man, as a feditious perfon, as having a devil, and doing his miracles by his help and affiftance. He fuffered' in his body, being beat and bruised, buffeted and scourged, pierced in his hands and feet with nails, in his fide with a fpear, and in his head with thorns; he fuffered the painful, fhameful and accurfed death of the cross: he suffered in his foul, partly by the temptations of Satan, for he suffered being tempted'; and partly by enduring the wrath of God in the room and stead of his people; in the garden, when his foul became exceeding forrowful even unto death"; and upon the cross, when his God and Father forfook him, and he cried out in the agony of his spirit, My God, my God, why baft thou forfaken me? His foul, as well as his body, was offered, and became a facrifice for fin. And all this he endured, not on his own account; he was cut off in a judicial way, by the hand of divine justice, but not for himself *, not for any fin of his; he knew none, nor did any; but, he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, and bruifed for our iniquities; it was for the tranfgreffion of his people that he was ftricken", fmitten and afflicted of God; not for angels, and any fins of theirs, whofe nature he did not affume, nor are they spared and faved; but for men, finful men, the worst of men, the chief of finners; be Juffered, the just for the unjuft"; not for all the individuals of mankind; for his redeemed ones are redeemed from among men, and out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation; they are a peculiar people Chrift fuffered for, his sheep he laid down his life for, the church he gave himself an offering and a facrifice for unto God, of a fweet-fmelling favour: and his ends in all his sufferings were to make peace with God for them, which is done by the blood of his crofs; to procure the pardon of all their fins, which is obtained the fame way; and to redeem them from all iniquity; which redemption is also through his blood; and to deliver them out of the hands of all their enemies, and particularly from him who had the power of death, the devil; and to bring many fons to glory, for which it was necessary the captain of their falvation fhould be made perfect through fufferings. For there was an abfolute neceffity of them; Ought not Christ to have fuffered thefe things? He muft; partly on the account of God, his counfels and decrees, his promises and prophecies. God refolved on faving finners by Chrift; he appointed him to be his falvation; he determined he fhould fuffer and die; and he was given up to men, by the determinate counsel of God, who did to him "none "other things than what his hand and counfel determined before fhould be "done;" and to fulfil the decrees of God, it was necessary Christ should suffer for his counfel fball ftand; as well as to make good the many promises and prophecies concerning this matter, delivered out by the mouth of his holy prophets; and had he not fuffered, how then could the fcriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be? And partly on account of Chrift himself, his covenant-engagements, to do this part of his Father's will, and the feveral predictions he himself gave out, that he should suffer many things of the fcribes and Pharifees, and die and rife again. As alfo on the account of the Lord's people, who otherwife could not be faved; for here was a law broken, which must be fulfiled; not only its precepts obeyed, but its penalty, which was death, must be endured; injured and affronted juftice to be fatisfied, which could only be done by the finner, or furety for him, fuffering the demerit of fin: there was no other way of faving finners but by the fufferings of Chrift; confiftent with the purposes of God, his counfel and covenant; with the engagements of Christ, and the happiness of the Lord's people, thefe x Dan, ix. 26. y Ifai. liii. 6, 8. Titus ii. 14. z 1 Peter iii. 18. thefe fufferings could not be avoided: it was not poffible the cup fhould pass from him; could any other way have been found out, or thefe fufferings excused, that prayer of our Lord would have procured it. Now all these fufferings of Chrift were no other than what were foretold by Mofes and the prophets. The first promise or hint of a Meffiah, suggests, that he would be a fuffering one, Thou shalt bruife his heel; and all the prophets fpeak of him as fubject to reproach and trouble, to pains and forrows, to distress of every kind, and death itself. Read over the xxii Pfalm, and the liiia chapter of Ifaiah, and it will be abundantly evident from thence, and other paffages, how the prophets teftified beforehand the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that fbould follow these fhew that he would be a man of forrows and acquainted with griefs; that he would be wounded, bruifed, give his back to the fmiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; that he would be brought to the duft of death, and his foul be poured out unto death; and that he should be buried, and make bis grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death. Yea, the feveral. circumstances of his fufferings and death are most minutely and exactly foretold in the writings of the prophets; as that he should be betrayed by one of his difciples, one that eat bread with him should lift up his heel against him; that he fhould be fold for thirty pieces of filver, the price of a fervant; the goodly price he was prized at by them; that he should be deferted by all the difciples, when he fhould be feized andsmitten; that he should be crucified between two thieves, or numbered among the tranfgreffors; that the foldiers fhould part bis garments, and caft lots on his vefture; that they should give him gall for his meat, and vinegar for his drink, and that his fide should be pierced with a spear 1. 2dly, Another particular in which the apostle agreed with Mofes and the prophets, is, that Chrift should be the first of the refurrection of the dead, or should rife first from thence: that he is rifen is certain, not only from the teftimony of the women who first came to his fepulchre, and to whom he first appeared;. but from the teftimony of his difciples and others: of thefe, he was first seen of Cephas or Peter, then of the twelve, after that of above five hundred brethren at once; next of James, then of all the apoftles; and even after his afcenfion he was feen by Stephen standing on the right hand of God; and laft of all by our apostle, as here declared in the context, as one born out of due time'. Now the apostles of our Lord were chofen witneДles of God for this purpose", and weremen of unquestionable characters; they were thoroughly acquainted with Christ,. and could not be impofed upon; nor were they over-credulous; nay they were incredulous to a fault, and in this very cafe; they believed not the firft report f Matt. xxvi. 39. + Pfal. xli. 9. Zech. xii. 10. n Acts x. 41. g Gen. iii. 15. h 1 Peter i. 11. Zech. xi. 12, 13. and xiii. 7. Ifai, liii. 12. Pfal. xxii. 18. and lxix. 21. of |