268 Of COMMUNION 'with done it ; thofe other drops had not been flied, nor thofe other pangs laid on. God did not cruciate the dearly beloved of his foul for nought. But there is more than all this. It pleafed God to (a) bruife him, to put him to grief, to make his foul an offering for fin, and to pour out his life unto death. lie (b) hid him- felf from him, was far from the voice of his cry, until he cried out, My God, my God, why baff thou forfaken me ? He made him (e) fin, and a (d) curfe for us, executed on him the fentence of the law, brought him into an agony, wherein he fweat thick drops of blood, was grievoufly troubled, and his foul was heavy unto death he that was the power of God, and the wifdom of God went (looping under the burthen, until the whole frame of nature feemed aftonifhed at it. Now this, as I faid before, as it difco- vered the indignation of God againfi fin, fo it clearly holds out the defers of it. Would you then fee the true demerit of fin, take the meafure of it, from the mediation of Chrifi, efpecially his crofs. It brought him who was the fon of God, . equal unto God, God bleffed for ever, into the form of a (e) Servant, who had not where to lay hishead, it purfued him all his life, with aftliflions and perfecutions, and laftly brought him under the rod of God, there bruifed him, and brake him, (f) flew the Lord of life. Hence is a deep humiliation for it upon the account of him whom we (g) have pierced. And this is the firft fpiritual view of fin we have in Chrifi. a.) The wifdom of underftanding our impotency by reafon of fin, is wrapped up in hint. By our impotency I underftand two things. (t. Our difability tomake any attonement with God for fin. (a. Our difability to anfwer his mind and will, in all or any of the obe- dience, that he requireth by reafon of fin. (t. For the firfl, that alone is difcovered in Chrift. Many enquiries have the fons of men made after an attonement, many ways have they en- tered into, to accomplifh it. After this they enquire, Mich. vi. 6, 7. will any manner of facrifices, tho' appointed of God, as burnt-offerings and calves of a year old ; tho' very coftly, thoufands of rams, and ten thou- fands rivers of óyl; tho' dreadful and tremendous, offering violence to na- ture, as to give my children to the fire; will any of thefe things make an attonement? David loth pofitively indeed determine this bufinefs, Pfal.xlix. 7, 8. none of them, of the heft or richeft of men, can by any means re- deem his brother, nor give to Goda ranfom for him, for the redemption of their fouls is precious, and it ceafeth for ever. It cannot be done, no at- tonement can be made. Yet men would (till be doing, !till attempting ; hence did they heap up (h) facrifices, force coftly, force bloody and in- human. TheYews to this day, think that God was atton'd for fin, by the facrifices of bulls and goats, and the like, and theSocinianr acknowledge no attonement, but what confifis in men's repentance and new obedience. In the crofs of Chrifi, are the mouths of all flopped as to this thing. For, t.) God hath there difcovered that no facrifices for fin, tho' of his own appointments could ever make them perfeft that offered them, Heb. x. at. Thofe facrifices could never take away fin, (i) thofe fervices could never make them perfe t that performed them, as to the confcience, Heb. ix. 9. as the apoftle proves, chap. acv. t. and thence the Lord rejells all facrifices and offerings whatever, as to any fuck end and purpofe, v. 6.7, 8. Chrifi in (a) !fa. liü.5, 6. (b) Pki. xxii. ,. (c ) u Cor. V. ar. (d) Gal. i, ,3. (e) Phil. ii. B. (f) r Cor. ii. B. (g) Zech. no.'o. (5) Vid. Di,,,. Juft. Divi,. up. 3. (i) Pf. zl. 6, a. their
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