Matt. xxvi. 28. 26, 28. vii. 27. (Heb. x. 4, 1 SERM. nishment: and, In whom, faith St. Paul again clearly, we XXVII. have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins, Ephef. i. 7. according to the riches of his grace: and, My blood, faith Col. i. 14. our Lord, is the blood of the new teftament, which was Shed for many for the remiffion of fins: and, Christ, saith Heb. ix. 27, the Apoftle to the Hebrews, was once offered to bear the fin of many, (or of the many, the multitude of men.) Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, eis ádéTηow dμaptias, for the abolition of fin by the facrifice of John i. 29. himself: and, Behold, faid St. John the Baptift, the Lamb 11.) of God, that taketh away the fins of the world: and, 1 John i. 7. The blood of Chrift dcth, faith St. John, cleanse us from all fin: He loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood: He is a propitiation for our fins; and not for our fins only, but for the fins of the whole world: and, Heb. xiii. Jefus, that by his blood he might fanctify the people, did Eph. v. 25, Juffer out of the gate: He delivered himself up for the Church, that he might fanctify it—that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having Spot, or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Rev. i. 5. 1 John ii. 2. iv. 10. 12. 27. Our Lord alfo by his death procured our falvation, as having thereby purchased for us means fufficient to free us from the power and dominion of fin, to purify our Tit. ii. 14. hearts, and fanctify our lives; for, He gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works: and, He gave himself for our fins, that he might redeem us from this 1 Pet. i. 18, prefent evil world: and, We were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with filver, or with gold; but with the precious blood of Chrift, as of a lamb without blemish and without fpot, from our vain conversation, delivered from our 1 Pet.ii. 24. fathers: and, He by his own felf bare our fins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to fin should live unto Ram. vi. 2, righteoufnefs: We are with him dead to fin; our old man is crucified with him, that the body of fin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not ferve fin. 19. 6, 8, 11. In fubordination to, coincidence or concurrence with, the principal defigns and effects, our Lord alfo died for the reparation of God's honour, which we by contempt of SERM. his authority and violation of his law had impaired, but XXVII. our Saviour by fo fignal an obedience thereto did repair; for the recovery of God's right, which was infringed by withdrawing fo great and noble a part of his creation from its due allegiance and fervice; the which he recovered and restored to him; for the fatisfaction to God's juftice, provoked by so heinous impieties and iniquities; the which was abundantly performed by fo infinitely valuable a compenfation and facrifice offered thereto. Matt. xxvi. 28. Alfo for ratification of the new covenant between God and us; whence his blood is called, the blood of the cove- Heb. x. 29. nant, the blood of the new teftament. For the pacifying and reconciling all things in heaven 1 Cor. xi. 25. and earth; removing all caufes of diffenfion and distance; Eph. ii. 25. inducing obligations to concord and charity. Col. i. 20. 55. For pulling out the fting, and removing the terrors of 1 Cor. xv. death; destroying (or defeating) him that had the power Heb. ii. 14, of death, and delivering them who through the fear of 15. death are all their life-time fubject to death. Καταργήσ σας. For the fuppreffing, vanquishing, and triumphing over Col. ii. 15. the powers of hell and darkness, the which he did, as St. Paul telleth us, achieve upon his crofs: and by his death John xii. he telleth us, that the prince of this world was condemned, 31. xvi. 11. and caft out. 1, 2. For engaging us to the practice of all righteousness and obedience, (especially to the most excellent, high, and hard parts thereof, charity, humility, meekness, patience, felf-denial, utmost conftancy and perfeverance,) both from our obligation in regard to what he fuffered for us, and in imitation of his example; for, We fhould run with pa- Heb. xii. tience the race that is fet before us, looking unto Jefus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was fet before him endured the cross, defpifing the fhame: and, Chrift having fuffered for us in the flesh, we should, faith 1 Pet. iv. 1, St. Peter, arm ourselves with the fame mind,-fo as no longer to live the rest of our time in the flesh to the luft of men, but to the will of God. Laftly, for atteftation unto and confirmation of divine 12. 13. Jolin xviii. 37. SERM. truth; fealing by his blood that heavenly doctrine which XXVII. he taught, and witnessing before Pontius Pilate a good 1 Tim. vi. confeffion: he was the Prince of martyrs; who, as he for this end, as he told Pilate, was born, and for this end came into the world, that he might bear witness to the truth, so he especially did accomplish that glorious design by his Heb. xii. death; enduring the contradiction of finners against himfelf, refifting unto blood in combating against fin; by his Rev. xii. 11. blood indeed all other witnesses of truth did, as it is faid in the Revelation, accomplish their warfare, and obtain victory his blood purchased for them their refolution and strength; his promises fupported them, his example did animate them, to the profeffion and maintenance of truth, in the greatest dangers and most violent affaults. 3, 4. Such ends did the death of our Lord regard, fuch fruits did grow from it, which the time permitteth us but thus curforily to touch. 5. Now for the practical influences the confideration of this point fhould have upon us, they are many and great; but we now can only name, or infinuate them. 1. It should beget in us highest degrees of love and gratitude toward God and toward our Saviour, in regard to this highest expreffion of love and inftance of beneficence toward us. Greater love God could not have shewed, than in thus deftinating and offering up his only dearest Son to death (a most painful and shameful death) for our fake; John xv.13. and, Greater love, he told us himself, than this hath no man, than that one should lay down his life for his friends; no man hath greater, except himself, who even laid his life down for his enemies and perfecutors and love fo incomparably, fo extremely great, doth furely require correfpondent degrees of love and thankfulness. : 2. It should raise in us great faith and hope in God, excluding all distrust and despair, that God will not beftow upon us whatever is needfully or conveniently good Rom. v. 10. for us; for, He, as St. Paul argueth, who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all things ? 3. Particularly, it should comfort us, and fatisfy our conscience in regard to the guilt of our fins, however con- SERM. . tracted, fuppofing that we do heartily repent of them; XXVII. for that there is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Rom. viii. Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit ; 1. v. 1. and, that being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift; by virtue of his death we fincerely repenting are freed from all condemnation, we truly believing have a firm and fure peace with God: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Rom. viii. Who is he that condemneth, seeing it is Chrift that hath 34. died? We are very blameably incredulous, if, having fuch an affurance from God, and fuch an engagement upon him, we diftruft his mercy. 4. It discovereth unto us the heinousness of our fins, and thence fhould breed in us a vehement detestation, together with a great dread of them; a deteftation of them, as having provoked God to fuch a pitch of difpleasure, caufing him to deal thus feverely with his own beloved Son; as having brought so heavy fuffering upon a Person so infinitely high in dignity, excellent in worth, kind and gracious to us; a dread of them, as expofing us, if we do not avoid and forfake them, to the most grievous pains and miseries; for, if these things were done to a green tree, Luke xxiii. (if fuch punishments were inflicted upon one fo innocent, fo worthy, fo little obnoxious to the fire of divine wrath and vengeance,) what shall be done to the dry? that is, what will become of us, who are fo guilty, fo combustible by that fire, if we by prefumptuous commiffion of fin, and impenitent continuance therein, do incenfe God against us? 5. It should work in us a kindly contrition and remorse for our fins, which were indeed the murderers of fo good a friend and loving a Saviour: others were but inftruments; they were the principal authors of his death; they most truly betrayed him, they accused him, they condemned him, they lifted him up to the accurfed tree; they moved God, and enabled men to inflict this horrible punishment on him. 6. It should deter us from them, and engage us moft 31. SERM. carefully to avoid them, as those which in a fort do exact XXVII. another death from him; crucifying him afresh, as the. Heb. vi. 9. Apostle to the Hebrews telleth us, vilifying and defiling X. 29. the precious blood of the covenant, (as he likewife teacheth:) 7 It should engage us to a patient fubmiffion and refignation of ourselves to the will and providence of God; forafmuch as Chrift hath fuffered for us in the flesh, we Should, as St. Peter adviseth, arm ourselves likewise with the fame mind: and, Let, exhorteth St. Paul, the fame mind be in us that was in Chrift Jefus; who being in the form of God humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross: we fhould not disdain, nor upon any account be displeased or unwilling in bearing any cross or affliction, to follow the pattern of our Heb. xii. 1. great Mafter; looking unto Jefus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was Jet before him endured the cross. ii. 20. 8. It doth alfo oblige us to the deepest mortification in Phil. iii. 20. conformity to his death: we should be with him (or after Gal. v. 24. him) crucified to the lufts and affections of the flesh, to 1 Pet. iv. 2. the fashions, glories, defires, and delights of the world; Col. iii. 3, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him; that Rom. vi. 5, the body of fin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should 5. 1 John iv. 11. iii. 16. not ferve fin. 9. It is also a strong engagement to the fulleft measure of charity toward our brethren; for, If, faith St. John, God so loved us, (as to give his own Son to die for us,) then ought we to love one another, in a degree answerable to fuch an obligation and pattern: If, addeth the fame Apoftle, he laid down his life for us, then ought we alfo to lay down our lives for the brethren. 10. In fine, we hence appear obliged to yield up ourfelves wholly to the fervice of our Saviour; to the promoting of his interest and glory: fince we, as St. Paul 1 Cor. vi. admonisheth us, are not our own, being bought with a 20. vii. 23. price; and must therefore glorify God in our body, and in our fpirit, which are God's, by a purchase fo dear and Cor. v. 15. precious; fince, as that Apostle again mindeth us, Chrift |