Inference 6. Laftly; Did Chrift in the extremity of his fufferings cry, I thirst? Then how great, beyond all compare, is the love of God to finners, who for their fakes expofed the Son of his love to fuch extreme fufferings?

Three confiderations marvellously heighten that love of the Father.

Firft, His putting the Lord Jefus into fuch a condition. There is none of us would endure to fee a child of our own lye panting, and thirsting in the extremity of torments, for the faireft inheritance on earth; much lefs, to have the foul of a chil conflicting with the wrath of God, and making fuch heartrending complaints as Chrift made upon the cross, if we might have the largest empire in the world for it: yet, fuch was the ftrength of the love of God to us, that he willingly gave Jefus Chrift to all this mifery and torture for us. What shall we call this love? O the height, length, depth and breadth of that love which paffeth knowledge! The love of God to Jefus Christ was infinitely beyond all the love we have for our children, as the fea is more than a spoonful of water: and yet, as dearly as he loved him, he was content to expofe him to all this, rather than we fhould perifh eternally.

Secondly, As God the Father was content to expose Chrift to this extremity, fo in that extremity to hear his bitter cries, and dolorous complaints, and yet not relieve him with the leaft refreshment 'till he fainted, and died under it. He heard the cries of his Son: that voice, I thirst, pierced heaven, and reached the Father's ear; but yet he will not refresh him in his agonies, nor abate him any thing of the debt he was now paying, and all this for the love he had to poor finners. Had Chrift been relieved in his fufferings, and fpared, then God could not have pitied or fpared us. The extremity of Christ's fufferings was an act of juftice to him; and the greatest mercy to us that ever could be manifested. Nor indeed (though Christ fo bitterly complains of his thirst) was he willing to be relieved, 'till he had finished his work. O love unfpeakable! He doth not complain, that he might be relieved, but to manifeft how great that forrow was which his foul now felt upon our ac

count.

Thirdly, And it should never be forgotten, that Jefus Chrift was expofed to thefe extremities of forrow for finners, the greatest of finners, who deferved not one drop of mercy from God. This commends the love of God fingularly to us, in that "whilft we were yet finners, Chrift died for us," Rom. v. 8. Thus the love of God in Jefus Chrift till rifes higher

and higher in every difcovery of it. Admire, adore, and be ravished with the thoughts of this love!

Thanks be to God for his unfpeakable gift.

Opens the fixth excellent Saying of CHRIST upon the Crofs.

JOHN xix. 30. When Jefus therefore had received the vinegar, he faid, [It is finished]; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoft.

Tis finifhed. This is the fixth remarkable word of our Lord Jefus Chrift upon the crofs, uttered as a triumphant shout when he faw the glorious iffe of all his fufferings now at hand.

It is but one word in the original; but in that one word is contained the fum of alljoy; the very fpirits of all divine confolation. The ancient Greeks reckoned it their excellency to fpeak much in a little; to* give a fea of matter in a drop of language." What they only fought, is here found. I find fome variety, (and indeed variety rather than contrariety), among expofitors about the relation of thefe words. Some are of opinion, that the antecedent is the legal types and ceremonies; and fo make this to be the meaning t; It is finished: that is, all the types and prefigurations that fhadowed forth the redemption of fouls, by the blood of Chrift, are now fulfilled, and accomplished. And, doubtlefs, as this is itfelf a truth, fo it is fuch a truth as may not be excluded, as foreign to the true fcope and fenfe of this place. And though it be objected, that many types and prefigurations remained at this time unfatisfied, even all that looked to the actual death of Chrift, his continuance in the state of the dead, and his refurrection; yet it is eafily removed, "by confidering that they are faid to be finifh"ed, because they were just finishing, or ready to be finished: " and it is as if Christ had said, I am now putting the last hand to it," a few moments of time more will compleat and fi

* Πελαγον πραγμάτων, εν ςαλαγματι ρημάτων. Cypr. Sed. 568. He teaches us that the full accomplishment of our falvation, and every part thereof, was contained in his death the cancelling all the legal ceremonies is connected with this doctrine. Calvin.

Fatum dicit, quod jam in eo fuit, et pene factum effet. Cam.

nish it; I have the fum now in my hand, which will fully fatisfy and pay God the whole debt.

It is now, but bow the head, and the work is done, and all the types therein fulfilled. therein fulfilled. So that this cannot exclude the fulfilling of the types, in the death of Christ, from their just claim to the sense of this place. But yet, though we cannot here exclude this fenfe, we cannot allow it to be the whole, or principal fenfe for lo! a far greater truth is contained herein, even the finishing, or compleating of the whole defign and project of our redemption, and therein of all the types that prefigured it. Both thefe judicious Calvin conjoins, making the compleating of redemption the principal; and the fulfilling of all the types, the collateral and lefs principal fenfe of it.

Yet it must be obferved, when we fay, Chrift finished redemption-work by his death, the meaning is not that his death alone did finish it; for his abode in the grave, refurrection, and afcenfion, had all of them their joint influence therein; but these being shortly to follow, are all included in the fcope of this place. According then to the principal scope of the place, we obferve,

Doct. That Jefus Christ hath perfected, and completely finifbed the great work of redemption, committed to him by God

X. 14.

the Father.

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To this great truth the apoftle gives a full teftimony, Heb. By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified." And to the fame purpose speaks Chrift, John xvii. 4. "I have glorified thee on earth! I have finished the "work thou gavest me to do." Concerning this work, and the finishing thereof by Jefus Christ upon the cross, we shall enquire what this work was, how Christ finished it, and what evidence can be produced for the finishing of it.

First, What was the work which Christ finished by his death? It was the fulfilling the whole law of God in our room, and for our redemption, as a fponfor or furety for us. The law is a glorious thing; the holinefs of God, that fiery attribute, is engraven or ftamped upon every part of it; Deut. xxxiii. 2. "From his right hand went a fiery law." The jealoufy of the Lord watched over every point and title of it, for his dreadful and glorious name was upon it; it curfed every one that continued not in all things contained therein, Gal. iii. 10. Two things, therefore, were neceffarily required in him that should VOL. I. Nag

SERM. XXXV. perfectly fulfil it, and both found in our furety, and in him only, viz. a fubjective, and effective perfection.

First, A fubjective perfection. He that wanted this, could never fay, It is finifhed. Perfect working always follows a perfect Being. That he might therefore finish this great work of obedience, and therein the glorious defign of our redemption; lo! in what shining and perfect holinefs was he produced! Luke i. 35. That holy thing that fhall be born of thee, "fhall be called the Son of God." And indeed, "fuch an "high-prieft became us, who is holy, harmlefs, undefiled, fe66 parate from finners,' "Heb. vii. 26. So that the law could, have no exception against his perfon; nay, it was never fo honoured fince its firft promulgation, as it was by having fuch a perfect and excellent perfon, as Chrift, to ftand at its bar, and give it due reparation.

Secondly, There must be alfo an effective perfection, or a perfection of working, and obeying, before it could be said, It is finished. This Chrift had; for he continued in all things written in the law, to do them: He fulfilled all righteousness, as it behoved him to do, Matth. iii. 15. He did all that was *required to be done; and fuffered all that was requifite to be fuffered; he did and fuffered all that was commanded, or threatned, in fuch perfection of obedience, both active and paffive, that the pure eye of divine justice could not find a flaw in it; and fo finished the work his Father gave him to do : And this work finished by our Lord Jefus Chrift, was both a neceffary, difficult, and precious work.

Firft, It was a neceffary work which Chrift finished upon the crofs: neceffary, upon a threefold account.

Opus neceffarium ex parte Patris; It was neceffary on the Father's account: I do not mean that God was under any ne ceffity, from his nature, of redeeming us this, or any other way; for our redemption is opus liberi concilii, an act of the free counsel of God: but when God had once decreed and determined to redeem and fave poor finners by Jefus Chrift, then it became neceffary that the counfel of God fhould be fulfilled; Acts iv. 28. To do whatfoever thy hand and counsel had be"fore determined to be done."

Secondly, Ex parte Filii; It was neceffary with refpect to Christ, upon the account of that previous compact that was betwixt the Father and him about it. Therefore it is faid by Chrift himself, Luke xxii. 22. "Truly the Son of man goeth as it was "determined," i. e. as it was fore-agreed, and covenanted; under the neceffity of fulfilling his engagement to the Father, he

467 came into the world; and being come, he still minds his engage ment, John ix. 3. "I must work the works of him that fent me."

Thirdly, Ex parte noftri. Yea, and it was no lefs neceffary upon our account that this work fhould be finished: for, had not Christ finished this work, fin had quickly finished all our lives, comforts, and hopes. Without the finishing this work, not a fon, or daughter of Adam could ever have feen the face of God. Therefore it is faid, John iii. 14, 15. "As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness, fo [muft] the Son of man be "lifted up; that whofoever believeth in him should not perish, "but have everlasting life." On all these accounts the finishing of this work was necessary.

Secondly, As it was neceffary this work fhould be finished, fo the finishing of it was exceeding difficult: It coft many a cry, many a groan, and many a tear, before Christ could fay, It is finished. All the angels in heaven were not able, by their united ftrength, to lift that burden one inch from the ground, which Chrift bare upon his fhoulders, yea, and bare it away. But how heavy a burden this was, may in part appear by his agony in the garden, and the bitter outcries he made upon the Crofs, which in their proper places have been opened.

Thirdly, and laftly, It was a moft precious work which Christ finished by his death: That work was difpatched and finished in few hours, which will be the matter of everlasting fongs and triumphs to the angels and faints to all eternity. O it was a precious work! The mercies that now flow out of this fountain, viz. juftification, fanctification, adoption, &c. are not to be valued; befides the endless happiness and glory of the world to come, which cannot enter into the heart of man to conceive. If the angels fang when the foundation-stone was laid, what fhouts, what triumphs fhould there be among the faints, when this voice is heard, It is finifbed!

Secondly, Let us next inform ourselves how, and in what manner Jefus Chrift finished this glorious work and if you fearch the scriptures upon that account, you will find that he finished it obediently, freely, diligently, and fully.

First, This bleffed work was finished by Jefus Chrift most obediently, Phil. ii. 8. "He became obedient to death, even the "death of the crofs :" "His obedience was the obedience of a "fervant, though not fervile obedience ." So it was foretold of him, before he touched this work, Ifa. 1. 5. "The Lord God Non 2

Obedientia fervi, non fervilis.