in Contriving _Man's Redemption. 18i Will :· as its mofl :"atural and neceffary Effect. So that in h ying t~e pun}fument on~ Chrifl, under wh1ch Mankmd mufl have funk for ever, there IS nothmg agamfl J~lr !ce . ...,..$._j 2 . The Death of Chrifl is the Price which redeems us frdtn our woful CapuvJty. Mankind was fall en under the Dominion of Satan and Death, and could not obtain freet~i~~~r,;:c~e;h~; t~~~~oili:~up;.~ebJuT;e~;1:~s~~d~~~~r~ ~~~en~~i~~~~~~~t~~~ the Lord Chrifl hath procured our deliverance by his Dea th, :iccording to the T eflimony of the Apoflle, Co!. r. 14. We have RcdcmptiOit through hi/ Blood, even the forgivenefl of Si m . His Blood is congruoufly called a Pi'ice,becaufe in conGderarion of it our Freedom is purchafed. He is our Redeemer by Ranfom; He gave hit;ifelf • . Ranfom for aU; 1 Tim. 2 . 6. and that fi9nifies the Price paid for the freeing of a Captive.. The .word ufed by the Apoflle, dvniUJ11!_9>, harh a fpecial Emphafs, it Ggnifies an exchange ot conditions with us, the redeeming us from Death, by dying for us. As the dvz{-1"""'• who devoted rhemfelves to Death, for the refcuing of others. Our Saviour told his Di fc iples, that the Son of Man came to give his Life a Ranfomfor nutny: ~ dvti fignifies a ~ommura~ "'Mat. 2o. ::~;3 . ~~o~~~eeE~~~~~:,E;:~r~. ~e~~~ iffa 1~~"a~~~~f;~r~a~h;r ;~~:v::kl~~~;~~~~:dlc~;e:;~~:; ;~:~e"·~:.( 2 a Fijh? When 'ris ufed in refpe/J: of Perfons, it impures a fubflitution in anothers place.Ar- ; ,; '•"®- chelalts reigned inflead of his Father Herod * : and Peter paid Trib~ttc for Chrifl~ that is, ~'~;"' ·1l.•O:t . reprefenting Him. The effect therefore of our Saviour's words, that He gave hii Life a Mat. 17· 2 7· Ranfom for many, is evidently 1his, that be died in their fiead:, and his Life asaPrice intervened to obtain their Redemption. 'Tis for this Reafon the glorified Saints fung an Hymn of Praife to the Divine Lamb, faying, Thou art worthy, for tholt wtifl jlain, iwd .haft redeemed us to God by thy Blood, Rev. 5· 9· The lingular and blelfed Effect of Chrifl's Death, diflinguifhes it from the Death of the mofl excellent Martyrs. If he had · d ied ~e~:y~~~,'~~r<;~~~::';~~~~i~: a~~ ~x~;~~~d~a~~ ~~h~~~~~a~: ~~~r~.~~tS~t'J ~~~; he was crucified for us alone? For the Martyrs fealed the Truth with their Blood ,(! Cor. I.q.) and left admirable Examples of Love to God, of Zeal for his Glory, of Patience under Torments, and of Compaffion to their Perfecutors : Yet it were intolerabl e Blafphemy to fay that they redeem'd us by their Death. And 'tis obfervable, when the Death of Chrifl is propounded in Scripture as a Pattern of Patience, 'tis with a ·rpecial Circumflance that diflinguifhes it from all others. Chrifl fuffered for '"• leaving 11s an ~~;.n:pt t!h:;jt;;;;t!:~ 7,;:f,:( ~ ~~;:~;~~:If ~~;;;u~~":s:''i~;;h":rof;to:J 1~f Chri!\'s Death were to induce Men to believe his Promifes, and to imitate his Graces, there had been no fuch necetlity of it : For the Miracles he did, had been fufliciept to confirmrheGofpel, yerRemiffion ofSinsisneverattributed to thet!J: And the Miferies he fuffered during the courfe of his Life, had been fuflicient to inflru/J: us how to behave our felves under Indignities and Perfecutions: And at the lafl he might have given as full a Teflimony to the Tmth of his Dotlrine, by his defcenr from the Crofs, as by dying for us. But no lower price than his Bl<>od could make Compenfation to the Law, and Satisfa/J:ion to God; and to deny this, is to rob him of the Glory of his Death, and to deflroy all our Comfort. _ 'Tis obje/J:ed by thofe who nullify the Myflery of the Crofs of the Lord Jefqs ; how could God receive this Price, lince he gave up his Son to that Oeath which redeems us? And how can our Redeemer, fuppoGng hlm God, make fatisfatlion tp him[elf ? To this I anfwer, · I. The infinite Goodne[s of God in giving our Redeemer, dorh not devefl him e f the Office of su-preme Judge, norprejudi(l: his examining of the Cauf~ according to his ~veraign Jurifdi~ion, and hi s receiving a Ranfomto preferve the Rights of Juflice in- ~:~~~:n a -r~~~et;a:~~~~~~~r~ ~~~?~el~{e :::~~h~;IE;;;; ~~:,~~~~ ~i:~~n~::~~~: ' '' il:rd of that Cnme, the People who refpe/J:ed him for his excellent Vertue1, out of pi· ry to hnn! mte rceded for the Offender. Zaleucus (Vid.lEiian Var, Hijlor . l. 13. c. o4.) ~ ~a Confl1/J: bet'we~n Zeal for Juflice, and Affe/J:ion to hi~ Son, took bm one Eye from hnn, and parted w11h one of his own to [atisfie the Law. And thus he paid and rece l\ed the Punifhment: He paid it as a Father, and received it as rhk Confervator of Bnbhck )uf\ice. Thus when gnilry Marikind in its Poverty could not pay the Forfeiture to the L1w, .God the Father of Merci es ·~as pleafed to give it from the Treafures of his L6ve; that "• the Blood of his Son for our Ranfom. And this he receives from the Hand of ChrHl , offer'd npon the Cro[s, as the Supreme Judge an3· declares it fully val uabk, and the Rights of Juf\ice to be truly performed. ' 2. lt
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