phrases occurring in Scripture (which might be paralleled SERM. out of vulgar speech, and out of learned difcourfes) defcrib- XXVII. ing either the entrance into, or the abiding in the state of that death, to which all men are obnoxious, might eafily be fhewed applicable to the death of our Saviour. His refurrection doth imply the reality of his death; for otherwife it had not been miraculous, it had not been a pledge of our refurrection. But I will not farther needlessly infift upon explicating or confirming a point fo clear, and never misunderstood, or questioned, except by fome wild and prefumptuous heretics.

Our Saviour's death then was a true, real, and proper death, fuitable to that frail, paffible, and mortal nature, which he vouchfafed to undergo for us; to the condition of finful flesh, in the likeness whereof he did appear; fever- Rom.viii. 3. ing his foul and body, and remitting them to their original fources; his paffion was indeed ultimum fupplicium, an extreme capital punishment, the highest, in the last refult, which in this world either the fierceft injustice or the fevereft juftice could inflict: for, to kill the body is, as Matt. x. 28. our Lord himself taught, the utmost limit of all human Luke xii. 4. power and malice; the most and worst that man can do ; they have not Teρiσóτepóv TI, any thing beyond that which they can attempt upon us; and fo far did they proceed with our Lord. Such was the nature of his death; fuch indeed as was requifite for the accomplishment of the ends and effects defigned thereby.

2. Let us now confider those peculiar adjuncts and respects of our Lord's death, (together with his whole paffion, whereof his death was the chief part and final completion,) the which do commend it to our regard, and amplify the worth thereof: fuch are, 1. Its being a refult of God's eternal refolution and decree. 2. Its being a matter of free consent and compact between God the Father and his only Son. 3. Its being anciently prefigured and predicted. 4. Its being executed by God's hand and providence guiding and governing it; and by man's action concurring. 5. Its being the death of a perfon fo holy

SERM. and innocent, fo high and excellent, of God's Son, of God XXVII. the Son.

11.

I.

It was a result of God's eternal counsel and decree; it was no cafual event, no expedient fuddenly devised, or flipt from providence, but a well-laid defign, from all eternity contrived by divine wisdom, refolved upon by divine goodness. As God did (by the incomprehenfible perfection of his nature) from thence foresee our lapse and misery, so he did as foon determine our remedy and means of falvation. As the whole of that mysterious difpenfation concerning Chrift, fo efpecially did this main Epher. iii. part thereof proceed κατὰ πρόθεσιν τῶν αἰώνων, according to an eternal purpose, as St. Paul fpeaketh; for our Saviour Rev. xiii. 8. was a Lamb flain (in designation irrevocable slain) from the foundation of the world; as it is faid in the Revela1 Pet. i. 19. tion: and, We, faith St. Peter, were redeemed by the precious blood of Chrift, as of a lamb without blemish, and without fpot, προεγνωσμένο μὲν, foreordained indeed before Luke xxii. the foundation of the world: and our Saviour went, as he telleth us himself, to suffer, xarà τò úpιoμévov, according to Acts ii. 23. what was determined: and, It was by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, faith St. Peter, that he was delivered up into those wicked hands that flew him nor did the confpiracy of Herod and Pilate, with the nation and people of the Jews, effect any thing about it, beAds iv. 28. yond ὅσα ἡ χεὶρ, καὶ ἡ βελὴ Θεό προώρισε γενέθαι, whatever the hand and counsel of God (or God's effectual purpose) had predetermined to come to pass. Such an especial care and providence of God, concerning this matter, so exprefsly and fo frequently recommended to our obfervation, do argue the very great moment and high worth thereof. What God declareth himself to have had fo early and earnest a care of, must be matter of highest confideration and importance.

22.

2. It was a matter of free confent and compact between God and his Son. God did freely and graciously (out of merciful regard to our welfare) proffer, that if he would please to undertake to redeem his (lost and enslaved) crea

10.

29.

ture, an honourable and comfortable fuccefs to his enter- SERM. prise; that he would accept his performances, and that XXVII. the defign fhould profper in his hand: he did willingly embrace the proposal, and applied himself to the performance: When thou shalt make thy foul an offering for fin, Ifa. liii. 9, thou shalt fee thy feed, and prolong thy days, and the pleafure of the Lord shall profper in thy hand: thou shalt fee of the travail of thy foul, and fhalt be fatisfied; that, in the Prophet's language, was God's propofition: and, Lo, I Heb. x. 7,8. come to do thy will, O God; that was our Saviour's reply in correspondence and confent thereto. God, in confideration of what our Lord would obediently fuffer, did, as our Saviour telleth us, diariedai Baσihelav, covenant to Luke xxii. him a kingdom; committing a sovereign authority, affigning an univerfal dominion to him; in virtue of which tranfaction it was that Jefus, for the fuffering of death, Heb. ii. 9. was crowned with glory and honour; that because he poured Ifa. liii. 12. out his foul unto death, God divided him a portion with the great; that he being obedient to the death, God exalted Phil. ii. 8, 9. him, and him gave a name above all names. In this regard are God's elect and faithful people faid to be given unto him as a retribution to him, who gave himself for them; (Thine they were, faith our Lord to his Father, John xvii.6. and thou gavest them me ;) hence are we said to be bought with a price; hence is the Church purchased by his blood: Gal. iii. 13. there was therefore a covenant and bargain driven be- 1 Cor. vi. tween God and his Son concerning this affair; and of 1 Pet. i. 19. huge confideration furely muft that affair be, wherein fuch perfons do fo deeply intereft themselves, trafficking, and, as it were, ftanding upon terms with one another.

Rom. xiv.9.

20.

.

Acts xx. 28.

3. That the great excellency and efficacy of our Saviour's death and paffion might appear, it was by manifold types foreshadowed, and in divers prophecies foretold. Indeed most of the famous paffages of providence (especially the fignal afflictions of eminent perfons reprefenting our Saviour) do feem to have been prefigurations of, or preludes to, his paffion. The blood of the righteous protomartyr Abel, fhed by an envious brother, for Gen. iv. 10.

Luke xi. 51,

Heb.xii. 24. xi. 4.

19.

26.

SERM. acceptable obedience performed by him to God's will, XXVII. and crying to heaven, might prefigure that blood, which cried alfo, although with another voice, Speaking better things than the blood of Abel; not fad complaints, and fuits for vengeance, but fweet entreaties and interceffions Heb. xi. 7, for mercy. Ifaac, the only fon, the fon of promife, his oblation in purpose, or death in parable, as the Apostle to the Hebrews fpeaketh, did plainly reprefent our Saviour, the promised feed, his being really offered, and afterward miraculously restored to life. Jofeph's being fold, and put into slavery by his envious brethren, being flanderPfal. cv. 18. Oufly accused, and shut in prifon, (whofe feet they hurt with fetters; the iron entered into his foul;) and this by God's difpofal, in order to his exaltation; and that he Gen. xlv. 5. might be a means of preserving life, and preparing a convenient habitation for the children of Ifrael, doth well reLuke xxiv. semble him, who by suffering entered into his glory; who Heb. v. 9. thereby being perfected, became author of falvation to his John xiv. 2. brethren, all true Ifraelites; who went to prepare manfions of reft and light, a heavenly Goshen, for them. David's perfecutions foregoing his royal dignity and prosperous Pfal. xviii. ftate; which he expreffeth in such strains as thefe; The forrows of death compaffed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; the forrows of hell compassed me about, and the fnares of death prevented me; how they may adumbrate the more real extremities of our Lord's afflictions, previous to his glorious exaltation, I leave you to confider; as also the rest of such paffages, having a mysterious importance accommodable to this purpose, However, all the facrifices of old, instituted by God, we may with fuller confidence affirm to have been chiefly preparatory unto and prefigurative of this most true and Heb. ix. 23. perfect facrifice; by virtue whereof indeed those úrodelypara, and oxiai, umbratic representations (or infinuations) did obtain their fubftance, validity, and effect: if they did not fignify this in defign, they could fignify nothing in Heb. ix. 22. effect; for as without Shedding of blood there was no remiffion, (God's anger would not be appeased, nor his Levit. xvii. juftice fatisfied without it; it being blood, which, accord

4.

viii. 5.

11.

ing to God's prescription, did make atonement for the SERM. foul,) as the appointment of thofe facrifices did speak and XXVII. fignify; fo it was impoffible that the blood of bulls and Heb. x. 4. goats should take away fin; that thofe legal gifts and fa- ix. 9, 15. x. crifices should perfect the conscience of him that did the fervice; that is, fhould entirely affure him of pardon and impunity, or raise in him a strong and clear hope of God's favour the lives of beafts were not in value answerable, nor could fitly be fubrogated inftead of men's fouls, which had offended, and thence were liable to death; the effufion of their blood could not reasonably fatisfy a man's confcience, fenfible of guilt and fearful of God's displeasure, that by it God was fully appealed; they must therefore refer unto a xpɛiτTwv dvoía, a more ex- Heb. ix. 23. cellent facrifice; one more fufficient in itself, and more acceptable to God; in virtue of which, and in regard thereto, fin might be thoroughly expiated, God's wrath might be propitiated, divine vengeance might be removed, the mind of man therefore might be comforted and contented. The high priest's entrance once a year into the holy of holies, not without blood to atone for his own and Heb. ix. 7. the people's ignorances, (or mifcarriages,) did imply, that' our great High Prieft fhould make one bloody atonement for the offences of mankind, and, paffing through the veil of mortal flesh, should enter into the true fanctum fanctorum of heaven, there to appear in the prefence of God for us; exhibiting the virtue of his meritorious paffion, together with his effectual interceffion for mercy toward us. Especially the paschal lamb, in its substance, (as a lamb, meek and gentle,) in its quality, (as without blemish and spot, pure and innocent,) in its manner of preparation and dreffing, (being killed by all the affembly, having its blood sprinkled upon the doors of every house, being roasted with fire, having bitter herbs for its fauce,) with other obfervable circumftances about it, was a moft appofite emblem of Christ our paffover; who not only by 1.Cor. v. 7. his death did fignify, and mind us of, but did really achieve our deliverance from the mystical. Egypt, our ftate of fpiritual bondage. So did ancient types exhibit