is inferior to the nature of angels; but what the apoftle has refpect unto in particular, is Chrift's suffering death in human nature; in, and during which, he was made a little, or as it may be rendered, and as it is in the margin of fome Bibles, a little while lower than the angels; that is, whilft he was fuffering death, and lay under the power and dominion of it; feeing angels die not: but he tafted death for every man, or rather for every one; that is, for every one of the fons, that he was to bring to glory; for every one of the brethren he was not afhamed to own as fuch; for every member of the church, in the midst of which he fung praife; and for every one of the children God gave unto him, and for whofe fake he partook of flesh and blood, as the context fhews. Now, in the words read, a reafon is given why Chrift was made thus low; and the neceffity of his fuffering and tafting death for his people is observed, for it became him, &c. It was fitting and neceffary that if God would fave finners, and bring them to glory, that the Saviour of them, fhould fuffer in their room and stead all that the law and justice of God could require. Hence we read, that Chrift muft fuffer many things, and be killed: and ought not Chrift to have fuffered thefe things? Matt. xvi. 21. Luke xxiv. 26. There was a neceffity for it, by the decree of God, by which it was determined; by the covenant-engagements between the Father and the Son, in which it was agreed to and fettled; and by the prophecies of the Old Teftament, which spoke of the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that should follow, and therefore must be endured; or otherwife, how then shall the fcriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Matt. xxvi. 54, and the falvation of finners made his fufferings neceffary, as without which it could not be obtained.

In the words there is a periphrafis of the divine Being, by which he is described; and such a like defcriptive circumlocution of him is in Romans xi. 36. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. Here he is described as the final cause or laft end of all things, for whom are all things; for he has made all things for himself, for his own glory, for the glorifying of all his perfections; and as the efficient caufe of all things; by whom are all things, that is, by whom all things are made; all things in nature, for he has made the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and all that in them are; and all things in providence are done and overruled by him; my father worketh hitherto, fays Chrift, that is, all things in providence, and I work conjunctly with him, John v. 17. and all things in grace for they all take their rife from him, and are begun by him, being planned by him; All things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. v. 18. An intimation is likewife given of a gracious defign of his to fave and bring fome perfons to glory, who are said to be fons, and thefe many. Sons by divine predeftination, whom God predeftinated to the adoption of children by Chrift; for whom this bleffing is provided and fecured in covenant, which 292

runs

runs thus, I will be their father, and they shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty. Whom Chrift has redeemed from under the law, that they might receive the adoption of children; and to whom, believing in Chrift, he gives the power and privilege to become the fons of God; and fo they are openly and manifeftatively the children of God, by faith in Chrift; and to these it is their heavenly Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom and fince they are many, even the many that are chofen of God; the many that Chrift gave his life a ranfom for; the many, for the remiffion of whofe fins his blood was fhed; the many that are made righteous by his obedience; hence many mansions of glory are prepared for them in Chrift's Father's houfe: and there is a way in which they are brought thither. God has chofen them through fan&tification of the fpirit, and the belief of the truth, to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jefus Chrift. Chrift has died for them, and by means of his death, they receive the promife of the eternal inheritance, and the inheritance itself. God calls them by his grace to eternal glory, and makes them meet to be partakers of the inhe ritance with the faints in light: the perfon by whom they are brought thither is Christ, here called the captain of their falvation; that is, the author of it, as he is said to be in a following chapter, chap. v. 9. whom God appointed to be the Saviour of men, and who has with his own arm wrought out falvation for them; in whom it is, and in no other: and the way and means by which he has procured it, is by his perfect fufferings and death; for though he was a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he fuffered; and being made perfect, that is, in fuffering, he became the author of eternal falvation, as in the place before referred and it was neceffary, that he, the furety and Saviour, should fuffer, the juft for the unjust, in their room and stead, to bring them unto God, into his presence here, and unto eternal glory hereafter. This was neceffary for the glorifying of his divine perfections; not only those of grace and mercy, but of justice and holiness. The plain fenfe of the words is this; that fince it was the design and pleasure of the all-wife and all-powerful former, and maker of all things, to bring fome of the fons of men, and who are made the fons of God, to eternal glory and happiness, by Chrift the captain and author of their falvation; it was becoming and fitting, and fo neceffary, that he fhould completely and perfectly suffer in their room and stead, all that the law and justice of God could require to make fatisfaction for their fins; and fo be brought to glory in a way confiftent with the divine perfections.

to;

I fhall not infift on the various doctrines contained in thefe words: I fhall take no farther notice of those which relate to the being, nature, perfections, ways, and works of God; nor to the adoption of his people, nor to the glory they are brought unto; nor to their falvation, and to Chrift, the author of it;

nor

nor to the fufferings of Chrift, and the completeness of them; only to the fatisfaction of Chrift by them, and the neceffity of that.

The word fatisfaction is not fyllabically expreffed in fcripture, as ufed of that which is made by Chrift; but the thing itself is frequently spoken of. What Chrift has done and fuffered, in the room and ftead of finners, with content, well-pleafednefs, and acceptance to God, is what we call fatisfaction; and this is plentifully declared in the word of God; as when God is faid to be well-pleafed for Chrift's righteousness fake, and with it; becaufe it anfwers all the demands of law and juftice; and by it the law is magnified and made honourable: and when the facrifice of Chrift, and fuch his fufferings be, is faid to be of a sweetSmelling favour to God, because it has expiated and made atonement for fin; that is, made fatisfaction for it, and taken it away, which the facrifices under the law could not do; hence there was a remembrance of fin every year; but by the facrifice of Chrift it is put away for ever, Ifai. xlii. 21. Eph. v.2. Heb. ix.26. and chap. x. 3, 4, 14. and there are alfo terms and phrases used of Christ and his work, which are equivalent and fynonymous to fatisfaction for fin, and expreffive of it; fuch as propitiation, reconciliation, atonement, &c.

The doctrine of Chrift's fatisfaction for fin, is the glory of the Chriftian religion; what diftinguishes it from all other religions, and gives it the preference to them; and without which, that itself would be of little worth. It is a doctrine of the utmost importance, for without fatisfaction for fin, there can be no falvation from it. The Socinians take a great deal of pains to damn themselves, and every body elfe, as much as in them lies, by denying and attempting to destroy this doctrine, which only fecures falvation: if there are fuch things as damnable herefies, as the fcripture affures us there be, the denial of Christ's fatisfaction is certainly one; firce without this, fin cannot be pardoned, nor a finner faved, nor a fon brought to glory. Thofe that fet themselves to oppose it, are in dangerous circunftances; and if they do it wilfully, obftinately, and knowingly, which is what the apoftle means, when he fays, if we fin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, of this truth, the atoning facrifice of Chrift, by denying that; fuch are inevitably loft and undone; there is no help nor hope for them in heaven or in earth, from angels or men, or from any quarter whatever; for there remaineth no more facrifice for fins; there never. will be another atoning facrifice offered up, another Saviour provided, another Jefus fent to fave men from their fins, by making fatisfaction for them: there. will be nothing else but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adverfaries of this truth, or who are contrary, and oppose themselves to it; for if he who defpifed Mofes's law, neglected and broke

the

• της υπεναντίας.

the moral law, and the precepts of it, died without mercy, under two or three witnoffes; of how much forer punishment, fuppofe ye, shall be be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the fon of God? denied and rejected the eternal fonship of Christ, as the Socinians do, and bath counted the blood of the covenant an unholy or common thing; no other than the blood of a mere creature, as the fame perfons affirm, and of no more efficacy to take away fin than that? fee Heb. x. 26-28. how much does it concern us then to receive and embrace this truth, and earnestly contend for it, which is of fo much importance in the great affair of our falvation.

I propose not to treat of the doctrine of fatisfaction, at large, in all the parts of it, which cannot be comprized in a fingle difcourfe. I fhall not confider the ground and foundation of it, and on which it proceeds, which are the council and covenant of peace, and the furetyfhip-engagements of Chrift therein; nor the caufes of it, the efficient and procuring, the impulfive and moving caufes of it; nor the matter of it, the fulfilling of the whole law, as to precept and penalty; or Chrift's doing and fuffering all that the law and juftice of God could require; nor the form and manner in which it was made, through Chrift's bearing the fins of his people imputed to him; for this doctrine includes the imputation of their fins to Chrift; and through his dying for their fins, thereby making atonement for them; and through his dying for finners, in their room and stead, as their furety and substitute; nor the ends which were to be answered, and are answered by it: I fhall only very briefly treat of the neceffity of it; shewing that without it fin cannot be pardoned, nor a finner faved, nor a fon brought to glory. And there are two things I defire may be granted, and which I think may be easily granted, and then fatisfaction for fin will appear neceffary; and they are, the one, that men are finners; and the other, that it is the will of God to fave finners, at least fome finners; but if neither of these are facts, a fatisfaction is unneceffary, and it is in vain to talk about it.

First, Let it be granted that men are finners; and, one would think, this would be allowed at once, unless any can work themselves up into such a fancy, that they are an innocent fort of beings, whofe natures are not depraved, nor their actions wrong, neither offenfive to God, nor injurious to their fellowcreatures; and one would imagine the oppofers of Chrift's fatisfaction have entertained fuch a conceit of themselves, or they would never fet themselves against a doctrine so suitable and falutary to them; but if this is the cafe with them, fcripture, experience, confcience when awakened, and daily facts are against them. The fcriptures declare that all men have finned in Adam, are made, conftituted and accounted finners by his difobedience; yea, that they are actual finners, have all finned, and come short of the glory of God; that they are all under fin, involved in the guilt and pollution of fin, under the power and dominion

dominion of it, and liable to punishment for it; and that this is the cafe of all, not one excepted. Now as men are finners, they are tranfgreffors of the law of God; for fin is a tranfgreffion of the law; and every tranfgreffion of that, and disobedience to it, has received, does receive, or will receive a just recompence of reward; that is, righteous punishment: there never was a fin, nor will be one, but what is punifhed either in the finner, or in the furety for him, 1 John iii. 4. Heb. ii. 2. the law being broken, it accufes of fin, pronounces guilty for it, proceeds to curfe and condemn, paffes the fentence of condemnation and death; which, without a fatisfaction, must be executed; the fanction of the law is death the law is never abrogated, nor the fanction of it changed, altered, nor abated; God never relaxes that; though he puts a favourable construction on his law, by admitting a furety in the room of the delinquent, yet punishment is always inflicted.

Men by fin are alienated from the life of God, are eftranged from him, are fet at a distance from him, and are in a state of feparation from him, as to communion; and without reconciliation and fatisfaction made for fin, can never be admitted to it. An irreconcileable finner can never enjoy nearness to God and fellowship with him; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? a righteous God with unrighteous men? and whenever it is had, it is the fruit of Christ's sufferings and death; he suffered, the just for the unjust, to bring them unto God, who were at a distance from him with refpect to communion, though not with respect to union; to bring them into his gracious prefence, into an open. ftate of favour with him; it is through his blood, making peace for them, that they who were afar off from God, and fellowship with him, are made nigh, and favoured with it, 1 Peter iii. 18. Ephes. ii. 13, 14. I do not fay that the fatisfaction of Chrift procures the love of God, it is the fruit and effect of it; but this I fay, it opens the way into the embraces of his arms, ftopped up by fin, which must be removed, in order to enjoy them.

And here let me obferve to you something relating to experience, which you would do well to lay up in your minds; it may be of use to you hereafter, when you may be tempted to doubt of your intereft in Chrift's fatisfaction. Have you any reason to believe that you have, at any time, had communion with God, in private or in public, in your clofet, or in the family, or in the houfe of God, under any ordinance, either the ministry of the word, or prayer, or the fupper of the Lord? Then you may be affured Christ has made fatisfaction for you; or you would never have enjoyed fuch communion.

Again; Men by fin are become enemies unto God, and therefore a reconciliation, or fatisfaction for fin is become neceffary: they are enemies in their minds, by wicked works; there is an inward enmity in their hearts, which is out

wardly