Authority, Dignity, Wisdom, Sanctity, and Deity of Christ. In the Sufferings of a world, every fufferer would have been but a meer Creature; but in his Sufferings, the fufferer was no less than God himself. Here therefore Juftice appears more fignally, than if all the world had fuffered, and that for ever. His Sufferings, though but Temporary, did more than counterpoife the eternal Sufferings of a world. Should we fuppofe, which is impoffible, that all men had paid and paffed through eternal Sufferings, thofe would have delivered them from the Curfe of the Law; the Sufferings of Chrift (which fhews their Equivalency, and more) produce the fame effect, and over and above merit life eternal. There is a double order in punishing: The order of Justice would have a punishment infinite in Magnitude; but because a finite Creature cannot bear it, the order of Wifdom will have it infinite in Duration. But as the French Divines have obferved, Chrift being fubfti- Thef. Salm. de tuted in our room, the order of Justice returns again. neceff. Sat. Our Saviours Sufferings were of an infinite value, the fum of Sufferings was paid down all at once. In thefe therefore Juftice is more Illuftrious, than it could have been in eternal Ones; wherein mere finite Creatures would have been ever a paying a little, and a little, but could never have fatisfied Divine Juftice.

Thus the Sufferings of Chrift in themselves, do by their excellent proportionableness manifeft the Juftice of God; but befides, the confequents and fruits of them, fhew the fulness of his Satisfaction to that Juftice. And these may be confidered with respect to Christ himself, or else with respect to us.

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Chap. 4.

As to Chrift himself, What were the confequents of his Sufferings? The pains of death were loofed, as not able to hold fuch a Satisfier as he was; He was taken from prison, Ifa. 53. 8. as having discharged all: He had an acquittance in his Refurrection, as a fure proof, that he had made full payment in his death: The God of peace brought him again from the dead, Heb. 13. 20. Observe, it was the God of Peace. First, the Divine Juftice was appeased, and then the Divine Power raifed him up. He had all the Power in Heaven, and in Earth, Matth. 28. 18, as an infallible witnefs, that he had by his Blood reconciled all things there. He afcended, and entred into the true Sanctuary, into Heaven it felf; and this tells us, that the expiatory and fatisfactory blood was shed before in his Death: He appears in the prefence of God for us, Heb. 9. 24; and that affures us, that the Divine Anger is over: having by himself purged our fins, he fate down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Heb. 1. 3. His fatisfactory-work was perfectly done, and then he rested in state. All these glorious Confequents make it appear, that his Satisfaction was a plenary one.

As to us, the fulness of his Satisfaction appears, in that Juftice hath nothing at all to demand from fuch as are in him, and by Faith become mystical parts and pieces of him; the atoning Blood is upon them, and the damning Law paffes over them. Thus the Apoftle faith, There is no condemnation to those which are in Chrift Jefus, Rom. 8. 1. The Apostle faith not, that there is nihil condemnabile, for the reliques of fin are in them: but he faith, there is nulla condemnatio,

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demnatio, no condemnation to them; for the Satif- Chap. 4. faction applied, cleanses away fin, and delivers from Wrath. It's true, Believers may have afflictions; but what are they? They are only Caftigatory, and for their good; not Vindictive, or for the Satisfaction of Juftice. Again, the fulness of his Satisfaction appears, in that his Sufferings were not meerly fatiffactory, but redundantly meritorious. Thefe have opened Heaven, as well to let down those influences of Grace to us, which, unless Juftice had been appeased, would never have fallen upon us, as to introduce us into that life and blessed Immortality which we guilty and defiled Creatures, while fuch, could not be capable of. We fee here, that the Satisfaction of our Saviour was not a poor, fhort, or fcanty thing; but good measure, preffed down, and running over in the purchase of all good things for us.

It was a good faying, Vulnera Chrifti funt biblia practica, the Sufferings of Chrift, in which Justice fo eminently appears, are a ftrong Motive to Repentance; enough, if duly confidered, to fet all men a weeping over their iniquities: What, did the Crea tor fuffer? Was the Lord of Glory crucified? Was the blessed One made a Curfe? Did the Son of God, very God, so dear, fo great a person, sweat, bleed, cry out, and expire upon a tormenting Crofs, and all this to take away fin? What a spectacle is this? Who can look upon it with dry eyes, or an unmelting heart? When the Son of God was broken, fhould our hearts be untouched? May we fpare our tears, when he parted with his blood? To look upon his wounds, and not mourn over our fins, can be K..

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no less than unnatural hardness. Oh! what a thing is fin? how horrible, how infinite an evil, that it could not be expiated at an eafier rate, than the blood of God himfelf? What Plea can be made, or colour given for fo vile a thing, that it should have a Being in the world, or fo much as a refidence in an humane Thought? Should that be indulged which coft Jefus Chrift so dear? or that go free, which nailed him to the Cross? Canft thou love that which ftabbed him at the heart? or live in that for which he dyed? May that be light, which pressed him into an agony and bloody-fweat? or that fweet, which put fo much Gall and Vinegar into his Cup? Canft thou bless thy felf in that which made him a Curfe? or follow after that which made him cry out of forfaking? Think, and again think, if thy blind eyes and hard heart will let thee, what, and how dreadful a thing it is for thee to go on in thine iniquities. In fo doing, thou doft not meerly run upon the Authority and Soveraignty of the Almighty, but upon the wounds and blood of thy dear Saviour, impioufly trampling them under thy impure feet and how grievous a thing is this? If thou art fearless, and ftoppeft not here, what hope canft thou have? It becomes thee to fit down and lament that hellish impetus in thy own heart, which moves fwiftly towards Hell, without admitting any remora. A few words from God gave check to Abimelech, Gen. 20. And fhall not the wounds and blood of thy dear Lord do as much to thee? The fword of an Angel put a stop to Balaam in his perverfe way, Numb. 22. And wilt thou go on, who haft feen the fword of God drawn against the Man,his fellow, for thine iniquities? If the

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groans of the Creatures, all round about, founding Chap. 4. in thine ears, did not startle thee, yet fhouldeft thou be deaf and fenflefs to the Sufferings of thy Saviour, bleeding and dying upon a Crofs, in comparison of which the dashing down of a world is a poor nothing? If the breaches of the Sacred Law, dearer to God than Heaven and Earth, do not move thee, yet wilt thou not be moved, when thou feeft that amazing fight, God for our fins bruifing and breaking his Son, his effential Image, in our affumed Nature? If thou doft not blush at the blots and turpitudes which fin hath made in thy own foul, yet methinks it fhould deeply affect thee, that the Son of God was made fin and a Curse for thee. Should God let thee down to Hell, and after fome fcorches from the fire unquenchable, take thee up again, wouldeft thou yet go on in fin? no furely; and why wilt thou do it now,after thou haft seen such a spectacle of Justice in the Lord Jefus, as more than countervails the Sufferings of a world? When a Temptation approaches, How is it that thou feeft not the price of blood writ upon it? Which way doft thou forget the nails and bloody Crofs of thy Redeemer? Thou feeft plainly, that God is a juft, a righteous One; and for a full proof of it, he hath written Justice in red Letters, in the Paffion of his own Son; if thou run on in thy fins, how, which way canft thou escape? God fpared not his own Son, standing in our room, and will he spare thee in thy impenitent finning? Wrath fell very feverely upon the Holy, Innocent, meek Lamb of God: and willi it pafs over thee, wallowing in thy filthy lufts and corruptions? What, did God exact fo great a Satisfaction a

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