394 Book IV. rLoolltng unto jjrf~ _ Chap. 3 . sea;, ----------~-~~~~~. 3. Another delign of Chrill:'; death was to mortiiie our members which are upon th~ earth. Nor only would he remrr Jln, but he would defrroy it, kill it, crucifie it. he wo~ld not have it re~~n in ollr mortal bodieJ, that wejhould obey it in the lufts theYeof, This Del!gn the Apoftle fets out m thefe words, he bare our fins in hi; own body upon ther, thAt we being de~d unto fin, Jhould live Unto righttoll[nefs : Chrifl: by his death had ~~; only a delign to deliver us trom the guilt of Jin, but alfo from the power of fin : God forbid that I jhou!dglory, fave m the Crofs of .,, Lord {ejiu Chrift, by whow the world zi cr~t<ifted muo me, and !unto the world. Pani was l mortified man, dead to rhe world, and dead ro fm: But how -came he fo to be? why this he attributes to the Crofs of Chrifl, to the death of Chrill:; the death of Jefus was the caufe of this death in Pal!/ : Rom t. 1·. 1 l'er. 2.q. Heb. 9· 14· l\orr..6, 5; Hotv much more fha/1 the b/ou4 ~f Chrijt·--pz~rg.e our Confcicnces from dead workJ to fervc theltvmg G?d? . There IS tn th~death o_f Chrrfl firft a value, and fecondly, a virrue , the former Is avatlable to our JUlbficanon, the latter to our fanctification . now ~an;'lification bath two parts, mortifica~ion and vivification : Chrifi's death, ~r paL ·frve obedrencc rs more properly conduCib]e to the one. his life, or active obedience to the other. Hence Believers are faid to be entraffe/with _Chrifl in the li!unefs ~~his death; there ts a kmd of lrkenefs betwixt Chrrfl and Chrifttans: Chrifl died, and the Chril!ian dies; Chr!Lt died anatural death, and aChriflian dies a fpiritual death. Chrifl died for lin, and the Chriftian dies for !in ; this was another end of the death of Chrilt. there ilfuesfrom his death ~mortifying virtue, cauling the death of lin in a Believer'~ foul ; one main pan of our fanctification, 0 my foul, look to this; herein lies the pith and marrow of the deathof Chrii!. and if now thou wilt but act and exercife thy faith in this refpeC!, how mightcfl thou draw the virtue and and effic~cy of his death into thy foul? But here is the queftion, ho\V flwuld I manage my Fatth? or how flwuld I act my fatth, to draw down the virtue of . Chrifl s death, and fo to feel the virtue of Chrift's death in my foul , mortifying, cruci– fying, and killing fin? Ianfwer, 1 . In prayer, meditation, felf.eXJlmination, receiving of the Lord's Sup~ per, &c. I muft propound ro my lelf and foul the Lord Jefus Chritt, as having underta– ken and performed tlm bitter and painful work of fulfering even unro death ; yea, that of the Crofs, as it is held out in the Hill:ory and Narrative of the Gofpel. 2. I mull: really and fleadfar.ly believe, and firmly affent that thofe fulferings of Chrifl fo reveal– ed and difcovered, were real and true, uctloubted, and every way unqueflionable as in themfelves. 3. I mull: look upon thofe grievous, bitter, cruel, painful, and with all opprobrious, execrable, f!Jameful fufferings of Chrill:, as very ftrange and wonderful; but efpecially conlidering the fpiritual part of his fufferings, '11i2'... the fenfe and apprehen– fion of Gpd' s forfaking and afflicting him in the day of his fierce anger, I lhould even be afloni!lred and amazed thereat : what! that the Son of G0d lhould lay his head on the block, under the blow of divine Juflice? that he fl10uld put himfelfunderthe wrath of his heavenly Father? that he lhould enter into the combat of Gods heavydifpleafure, and be deprived of the fenfe and feeling of his love, and mercy, and wonted comfort ? how flJOuld I but !land agaft at thefe fo wonderful fulferings of JefusChrift? 4· I mu!l: weigh and confider what it was that occalioned and caufed all this, viz., Sin, yea, my Sin, yea, this and that Sin particularly. This comes nearer home, and from this I mull: now: gather in thefe feveral Conclufions : As,-- 1. It was the Defign of Chrifl by his fufferings to give fatisfa<'lion to the infinite Ju– frice of God forfin. z, It was intended and meant (at leafl: in a fecond place) to give our to the world a moll notable and eminent inllance and demonflration of the horridnefs; odioufnefs, and execrablenefs of fin; lith no lefs rhan all this, yea, nothing elfebur this would ferve themrn to expiate it, and atone for it. 3· It holds forth again, as fin is horrid in its felf, fo it cmnot bur be exceeding grievou; and olfenlive to Lhrifl: Oh it cofl him dear it put him to all this pain and tOrture; it made him cry out, My God, my God, t~hy' haft thot• forfaksn me ? how then fii?uld it but offend hi~ above all, above any thing in the world? 4· I[ therefore there be ~n me any fpark oflo_ve rotvards Chrtfl:, orany likenefs to Chrifl; or rfi•would have Chrt!l to bear any affectton, love, regard, or refpe<'l unto me, it will abfolutely behoove me by all '!leans to loath pn, and call It away from me; to root it up, to quit my hands, .and to rrd my heart of Ir. !he truth is, I cannot pollibly give forth a more pregnant proof of my _fincere love, enure affecti– on, refpect, conformity, refemblance, fympathy to, and wtth Chufl, than by offering all violence, uling all holy feverity againft fin for his very fak~. Now
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