. D/ the Covenilnt. 59 doubts but the debt becomes the Surety's, when once he bath' firikeo hands for it. And how elfe could, tho law have jufily proceeded againfi Chrifi ? How could our puniihment have been, injufii~e, inflill:ed on him, if he had not had fuch a relation to our fin ? lf the law could 110t charge our fin on him, in virtue of his o\vn voluntary undertaking, i 1 t could have no ground in jufiice to irifliCl: our punifument on him. Secondly, He became Surety for their debt of duty or obedience, the which alfo is a debt according to the . fiile of the .holy Scripture, Gal. v. 3· ' A debtor to do the whole law.' The law, as a -covenant of works, tho' it was broken by them, and they had incurr'd the _penalty thereof, yet, had' neither loft its right, nor ceafed to exaCt: of them the obedience, which at fidl: it required of man, as the condition of life. They · were fiill bound to ;'erfeCl: obedience, and on no low– er terms could have eternal life, as our Lord taught 'the lawyer for his humiliation, Luke x. 28. ' Thou haft anfwered right:: This do, and .thou !halt live.' The paying of the debt of punilhment, might fatisfy as to the penalty of the bond : but there is yet more behind, for 1lim who will meddle in the affairs of the broken company. How 1ha11 the' principal fum, there– in contained, be paid ; namely, the· debt of obedi– ence to the law, for life and falvation? The honour of God could not aHow the quitti9g of it: and they were abfolutely unable to pay one mite of it, that would ,have been current in heaven ; forafinuch as they were ' without firength,' Rom. v. 6. and ' dead . in trefpaffes and fins~' Eph. ii. I· · qui\e as unfit for the doing part as for the fuffering part. · But Cht~ifi became Surety for ~his debt oftheirs too, namely, the debt .ofobedien~e to the law as_a covenant, which was, an~ IS the only obedience to it for' life ; obliging him.. , felf t~ dear it, by obeying in their room and fiead, and fulfillmg what the law could demand of them in this ., kind, Pfalln x,l. 7, 8 . ' The~ faia 1,. Lo I come– I
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