ftate," have not believed God, yet now have obtained mercy," &c. 1 Pet. "Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

ii. 10,

144. Hence alfo we may conclude; that all the privileges and bleffings of the gofpel, even the whole of our redemption and falvation, are the effect of God's pure, free, original love and grace; to which he was inclined of his own motion, without any other motive befides, his own goodness, (that is, without being perfuaded, induced, or prevailed with to grant it by any other being or perfon) in mere kindness and goodwill to a finful perishing world. These are " the things that are freely given to us of God," 1 Cor. ii. 12.

CHA P. VIII.

All the Grace of the Gospel difpenfed to us in, by or through the Son of God. How this is to be underflood, &c.

145. EVERTHELESS, all the fore-mentioned Love, Grace and Mercy, is difpenfed, or conveyed to us in, by or through the Son of God, Jefus Chrift, our Lord. To quote all the places to this purpose would be to transcribe a great part of the New Teftament. But it may fuffice, at prefent, to review the texts under the numbers [139, 141]: from which texts it is evident; that "the grace," or favour, "of God is given unto us by Jefus Chrift :"that he "has fhewn the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness to us, through Jesus Christ:" that he has fent his Son into the world that we might live through him;-to be the propitiation [or mercy-feat] for our fins:" that "he died for us that we who were afar off are made nigh by his blood: that God has made us accepted in the Beloved, [in his beloved Son] in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins." that" we are his workmanship created in Chrift Jefus :" that "before the world began the purpofe and grace of God," relating to our calling and falvation," was given us in Christ Jefus: before the foundation of the world God chofe us in Chrift," Eph. i. 4. "We have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom alfo we have accefs into this grace wherein we stand," Rom. v. 1, 2. “God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son," 1 John v. 11.-Nothing is clearer from the whole current of Scripture, than that all the mercy and love of God, and all the bleffings of the gospel, from first to laft, from the original purpose and grace of God, to our final falvation in the poffeffion of eternal life, is in, by or through Chrift; and particularly, by his Blood, by the redemption which is in him, as "he is the propitiation," or atonement, "for the fins of the whole world," 1 John ii. 2. This can bear no difpute among Chriftians. The only difference that

can

can be, must relate to the manner how thefe bleffings are conveyed to us in, by or through Chrift. Doubtlefs they are conveyed through his hands, as he is the minifter, or agent, appointed of God to put us in poffeffion of them. But his blood, death, crofs, could be no miniftring caufe of bleflings affigned to his blood, &c. before we were put in pof feffion of them. See Rom. v. 6, 8, 10, 19. Eph. ii. 13, 16. Col. i. 20, 21, 22. Nor truly can his blood be poffibly confidered as a miniftring, or inftrumental caufe in any fenfe at all; for it is not an agent, object; and therefore, though it may be a moving caufe, or a reafon for bestowing bleffings, yet it can be no active, or inftrumental caufe in conferring them. His blood and death is indeed to us an affurance of pardon but it is evidently fomething more; for it is alfo confidered as an offering and facrifice to God, highly pleafing to him, to put away our fin, and to obtain eternal redemption, Heb. ix. 12, 14, 26. Eph. v. 2.

but an

146: How then is this to be understood? Anf. The blood of Chrift is the perfect obedience and goodness of Chrift. For his blood is not to be confidered only with regard to the matter of it.

For fo it is a mere corporeal fubftance, of no more value in the fight of God, than any other thing of the fame kiud. Nor is the blood of Chrift to be confidered only in relation to our Lord's death and sufferings; as if mere death or fuffer ing were in itfelf of fuch a nature, as to be pleafing and acceptable to God. But his blood implies a character; and it is his blood, as he is a "Lamb without fpot and blemish," (1 Pet.i. 19.) that is, as he is perfectly holy, which is of fo great value in the fight of God. His blocd is the fame as his"offering himself without fpot to God," Heb. ix. 14. Theend of his coming into the world was "to do the will of God," Heb. x. 7. (John v. 30. vi. 38.) not to offer figurative, ceremonial facrifices, but to perform folid and fubftantial obedience, in all acts of usefulness and beneficence to mankind, by which he became a high-prieft after the order of Melchizedek, the "King of Righteoufnefs, and the King of Peace," or Happiness, Heb. vii. 2. And he abode in his Father's love, or continued to be the object of his complacency and delight, because he kept his commandments. And the reafon of his eminence and high diftinction is affigned to the perfection and excellence of his moral character, Heb. i. 9, "Thou haft loved righteoufnefs, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath ancinted thee with the oil of gladnefs above thy fellows." Heb. v. 8, 9, " Though he were a Son, yet learned he, [yet he was difciplined in] obedience by the things which he fuffered: and, being thus made perfect, he became the author of eternal falvation to all them that obey him." Ifai.liii. 5, "The chaftifement," or difcipline, "of our peace," which procured our happiness," was upon him." Caftigatio, Eruditio.] And the apostle, in another place, (Phil. ii. 7, 8, 9.) thews us the true ground of our Lord's being exalted and made head over all things, as our Redeemer; namely, becaufe "he emptied himfelf and took upon him the form of a Ser vant," that he might ferve mankind in their most important inte refts; and because in this way, in ferving us, he "became che dient to death, even the death of the crofs;" which was the higheft inftance of cbedience, love and goodness he could poflibly

exhibit.

exhibit. For, as he himself juftly obferves, (John xv. 13.) "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for [or to ferve] his friends." And upon this account it was, that the Father loved, and highly exalted him, and bleffed us with all the grace of the gofper. Thus "Chrift gave his life a ranfom," or atonement," for many." Or, inother words, (Eph. v. 2,) "Christ hath loved us," to fuch a degree, that he "hath given himself for us, an offering and a facrifice to God, for a sweet fmelling favour." And to put the matter out of all doubt, the apostle (Rom. v.) expressly affirms, that the grace of God, and his gift to a finful world, Ver. 15; even that free gift, which relates to justification, not only from the confequence of Adam's one offence, but to the many offences which men have committed, Ver. 16; that grace and gift, which has reference to our reigning in eternal life, Ver. 17; he affirms, I fay, that this gift and grace is in, by or through the grace of one man, Jefus Chrift, [exagili în т8 :C ailewa Inoa Xeirs, Ver. 15.] that is to fay, through his goodness, love and benevolence to mankind. And he directs us to conceive, that, as Adam's offence and difobedience was the reafon or foundation of death's paffing upon all mankind: fo Chrift's rightecufnefs and obedience is the reafon, or foundation, not only of the general restoration to life, but of all other gospel bleffings. He confiders the offence of the one, and righteoufnefs of the other, as moral caufes of different and oppofite effects. For, faith he, Ver., 18, 19, "As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even fo by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came upon all men unto juftification of life. For as by one man's difobedience the many were made finners; fo by the obedience of one fhall the many be made righteous." 2 Cor. viii. 9, "Ye know the grace,[the goodnefs and love] of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that though he was rich, yet for your fakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

147. From all this it appears; that the blood of Christ, or that by which he has bought, or redeemed us, is his love and goodness to men, and his obedience to God; exercifed indeed through the whole of his ftate of humiliation in this world, but moft eminently exhibited in his death. His blood is precious, (1. Pet. i. 19.); and it is precious not in the fenfe in which filver and gold, or any other-material thing, is precious, but as it is the "blood of a lamb without spot and blemith" that is to fay, it is his compleat and fpotlefs righteoufnefs, his humility, goodnefs and obedience unto death, which makes his blood precious, in the beft and highest fenfe, and gives his cross all its worth and efficacy.

148. This being rightly understood, our redemption by Christ, I conceive, will ftand in a very clear and rational light. For thus obedience, or "doing the will of God," (Heb. x. 6, 7, 10, 11, 12.) was the facrifice of sweet smelling favour which he offered unto God for us. It was his righteoufnefs, or righteous, kind and benevo lent action, his obedient death, or the facrifice of his love and obedience, which made atonement for the fin of the world; fo far, and in this fenfe, that God on account of his goodness and perfect obedience, fo highly pleafing to him, thought fit to grant unto mankind, whom he

might

might in ftrict juftice have destroyed for their general corruption and wickednefs, (John iii. 17,) the forgiveness of fin, not "imputing unto them their trefpaffes," (2 Cor. v. 19.) or those "fins which were paft," or which they had already committed, (Rom. iii. 25.) and for which they deferved to fall under the dreadful effects of God's wrath. And not only did he forgive former trefpaffes (to all the living, and to all the penitent and obedient dead;) but further, he erected a glorious and perfect difpenfation of grace, exceeding any which had gone before it in means, promifes, and profpects; at the head of which he fet his Son, our Lord, Jefus Chrift, invefted with universal power in heavenand in earth, conftituting him King and Governour over the new body, which he defigned to form, the Captain of our falvation, the High-prieft of our profeffion, the Mediator and Surety of the new covenant, to negocitate and manage all affairs relating to our prefent instruction and fanctification, to raise all the dead out of their graves, and to put the obedient and faithful into poffeffion of eternal life. In this new conftitution the Redeemer was commiffioned to enlarge the bounds of the kingdom of God, before limited to the Jews, and to take into it the idolatrous Gentiles alfo, upon their profeffion of faith in Christ, and of fubjection to his government; accounting them his children and chofen people, and conferring upon them all the pri vileges and bleffings of the gofpel. Accordingly, he sent forth his Apostles and other fubordinate minifters, to reconcile or change the heathen world unto God (2 Cor. v. 18, 19.) by the preaching of the gofpel, having poured out his Spirit upon them, and furnished them with various gifts and powers, to qualify them for their work, and to make them fuccessful in it. Thus the whole of gofpel-grace is in, by or through Chrift. Thus we are redeemed, or bought with his blood. [95] (*)

149. But how are the bleflings of the gofpel the refult of pure grace and mercy, if they have refpect to the obedience and worthiness of Chrift? Anfw. The bleffings of the gofpel are the gift of God to the obedience of Chrift. And though the gift is by the obedience of Chrift, yet it is a free gift, Rom. v. 16, 18. See [67]. Indeed, if we are redeemed by fatisfying law or juftice, then our redemption could not be of grace, becaufe it would be of law, or juftice; or rather, it would then be impracticable. For law and juftice allow no equivalent or fubftitution, nor can be fatisfied any other way than by the legal punishment of the offender. But the fcripture faith nothing of Christ's fatisfying justice: nor is it any ways neceffary to fuppofe it. For it is the prerogative of every lawgiver to foften the rigour of law, and to extend mercy, to the penitent or impenitent, as he fees fit (+). And God was of himself inclined to mercy and kindness, out of his own pure goodness. Therefore what Chrift did, was neither to incline God to be gracious, nor to difengage him from any counter-obligations

arifing

(*) See the connection between Chrift's worthiness, and our redemption further established and explained, Scrip. Doc. of Orig. Sin. Part I. in the Appendix.

(+) See the Note on Rom. v. 20, at the paragraph beginning with these words," Law never doth, nor can pardon."

I

arifing from law, or juftice, or what the finner's cafe might deferve. But (1.) What Chrift did and fuffered was a proper and wife expedient, a fit ground and method of granting mercy to the world. Rom. iii. 24, We are "juftified freely by the grace of God; through the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift." We are justified freely by grace. But truth requires that grace be difpenfed in a manner the moft proper and probable to produce reformation and holinefs. Otherwife, the chief defign of it will be defeated. Now this is what our Lord has done. He has bought us by his blood, and procured the remiffion of fins, as what he did and fuffered was a proper reafon for granting, and a fit way of conveying, and rendering effectual the grace of God; which, according to the rules of wifdom and goodnefs, could not have been communicated, but in a way proper to fecure the end and intention of it. The end and intention of it was to "redeem us from a vain," heathenish "converfation," 1 Pet. i. 18, 19; "to deliver us from all iniquity, and to purify us into a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Tit. ii. 14. Now this could be done no otherwife than by means of a moral kind, or fuch as are apt to influence our minds, and engage us to forfake what is evil, and to choose that which is good and holy and pleafing to God. And what means of this fort could be more effectual, than the heavenly and moft illuftrious example of the fon of God, fhewing us the most perfect obedience to God, and the most generous goodness and love to men, recommended to our imitation by all poffible endearing and engaging confiderations? God, of his effential goodness, will do every thing that is fit and right; but it appears from all his conftitutions, as well as this, that he will do it in a way that is fit and right. Accordingly we read Heb. ii. 10, that "it became him [it was agreeable to his wifdom and goodness] for whom [for the difplay of whofe glorious perfections] are all things, and by whom are all things [who is the end and author of all difpenfations] in bringing many fons to glory, to make the captain of their falvation perfect through fufferings." His honour and glory, or righteousnefs, goodness and truth, required that his grace fhould be planted upon fuch a ground, and exhibited and conferred in fuch a manner as this. Thus grace and redemption are not only perfectly reconciled; but thus the grace of God is greatly magnified, as he has vouchfafed his mercy in a method the moft conducive to promote our trueft happiness and excellency. (2.) All that Chrift did, or fuffered, was by the will and appointment of God: and was conducive to our redemption only in virtue of his will and appointment. Heb. 1. 7, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." Chrift executed what God ordered and commanded. Therefore all that Chrift did and fuffered must be affigned to the grace of God, as its original cause. And thus grace and redemption are not only confiftent; but thus by redemption grace is multiplied; as the grace of our Lord concurred with the love of God for our falvation.

150. But why fhould God choose to communicate his grace in this me diate way, by the interpofition, obedience and agency of his fon; who again employs fubordinate agents and inftruments under him? I anfwer; For the difplay of the glory of his nature and perfections. The fove

reign