Yet, John iii. 16, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, &c. Rom. v. 8, But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 John iii. 16, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us. By all these we may perceive that the end of God was diverse, however towards that world he reconciled to himself, it was his love that sent out his own Son. Who then can judge that God was at en

mity

his soul unto death, and he bore the sins of many. This hath the Apostle confirmed, Heb. ix. 28, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. And how glaring is the evidence given by the prophet Isaiah 'lii. 6, And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.

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The foundation of Christ's bearing our sins, was his suretyship engagements for us, therefore he is called the surety of a better covenant. Now a surety is one that engageth for the safety and security of another; thus Judah became a surety to his father, for his brother Benjamin; I will be. a surety for him, of my hand shalt thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever, Gen. xliii. 9.

Christ în his suretyship engagements for us, saith in our behalf, if they have wronged thee, or

Owe

mity with this world, signified in the text, and so loved them that he sent the darling of his soul for them? No; the doctrine is this,―that God never had any anger against this world, signified in the text, but it was an effect of his love to this world, which was his elect.

First. It will appear, if we consider their relation to him, I mean before the fall, for the fall was the consequence of his love to his Son Jesus Christ. I need not prove it farther, for there

are

owe thee ought, put that to my account, I will repay it. A surety is one that engageth by bond or promise, in behalf of an insolvent to pay his creditor, upon which engagement the creditor has a right in law to charge the whole debt upon the surety, in order to receive full satisfaction for the same. And we being by nature insolvent debtors, owing more than ten thousand talents, and having nothing to pay, our treasure (the covenant of works) being broke, Christ therefore undertook to become the surety of a better covenant, to pay all our debts to law, and thereby to free us from condemnation, which engagement laid a proper foundation for his having all our debts imputed to him, and charged upon him, as saith the prophet Isaiah liii. 6, All we like sheep are gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The

are so many universal affirmatives, that I am easy in it, for nothing can be denied of all these, but it must derogate from the glory of Christ, so that if none can deny the doctrine without robbing of Christ, I shall be content to be robbed of mine, till that time that my Lord will recover my honor in recovering his own glory. Rom. xi. 36, 1 Cor. viii. 6, Col. i. 15, 16, 17, 18, 2 Cor. v. 8, John i. 3, Eph. i. 9. 11. I say, the fall was a consequence of his love to his Son; there

I

fore

The intrinsic motive and impulsive cause of Christ's bearing our sins, and enduring such dolorous sufferings for them, was his own distinguishing love; it is true sin was the meritorious cause of his sufferings, but the foundation-cause of his bearing our sins and suffering for them was his lovel

Sin being laid upon Christ, of necessity the guilt and punishment was, as there is such a close connection between guilt and punisment. Yes, sin with all its guilt and horrid contamination, with all its vileness and dreadful apostacy from God, with all its aggravated guilt and breach of Jehovah's law, with all that depth of evil which is contained in the heart of man, was imputed to and charged upon the Son of God: that fountain of iniquity which dwells in our hearts, and resides in the carnal mind, that sea of transgres

fore not likely to enkindle an enmity in him, for without it the vessels could not have held that. mercy to which they were predestinated, neither can this love be by virtue of a covenant; the covenant might bind God's faithfulness, but it could not be the cause of his love, for it looks to me rather the effect of his love, than the cause of it. I am bold in the Lord to say, that there was something beyond the covenant, and that was the relation of his Son to him, of whom they were

flesh

sions which is contained between the banks of our corruptions, together with all the abominable filthiness of our corrupt nature from the womb till our final departure, were all by a judicial act of the Father transferred to Christ. 2 Cor. v. 21,

For he made him to be sin for us, whe knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Though Christ as man was holy, harmless, undefiled, seperate from sinners, as he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, yet by his own suretyship engagements, and the Father's imputation of sin unto him, he became, (says Dr. CRISP) the greatest sinner in the world! How? Not that he had any moral taint of sin, but because he had all the sins of the elect, in all their aggravation, filth, and vilėness, imputed to him and charged upon him at one time; for, saith the prophet, The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities ‹

of

flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. Eph. v. 30, 31, For we are members of his body, flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. So that we see plainly, that the covenant is an effect of his love of relation in Christ, and so in God; for if the love that God bears to his Son, be the same love to his body, then the fall could never anger God so; but all his dealings with

of us all and saith Daniel, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself: and Peter saith, Who his own self bore our sins, in his own body, on the tree. This description of Christ bearing sin, is directly applicable to the type alluded to; for Aaron was to confess over the head of the live goat, all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins. Mark, in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat; which was a lively adumbration of the imputation of all our sins, in all their number and aggravating nature, as one round sum, upon the Son of God; which appears,

First. If we consider the seat of his sorrow, which was his soul, (as he himself saith,) John xii. 27, Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? The word which we render troubled, is very significant and expressive of terror and consternation,