The meritorious price of mans redemption, or, Christs satisfaction discussed and explained ... by William Pynchon ...

But saith Mr. Norton in p. 83.

The Scripture mentioneth no other death than what is inflicted justly for sin, &c.

Reply 28. I cannot but wonder that Mr. Norton should detract so much from the perfection of Christs Priestly action in ma∣king his death to be a sacrifice, as to make it to be nothing else but a co-acted death according to Gods sentence denounced on fallen Adam, as the punishment of his original sin in Gen. 3. 19. For as Lupset saith well, In our death, the body doth in a man∣ner leave the soul, before the soul leaveth the body, For (saith he) it is the body by it self, forsaking life, that causeth the soul to depart. Hence I infer, What perfection of Christs Priestly active obedience can there be in such a kind of forced death, as this is?

But on the other hand, look upon the death of Christ as it was to be made a sacrifice in the formality of it by his own Priestly power, and then we may see it to be a death of Cove∣nant onely, and so consequently to be an active mediatorial death and sacrifice, because hee must bee our Mediator in his death. But in Reply 16. I have spoken more fully to this ob∣jection.

Therefore for a conclusion, I will yet once more distinguish upon the death of Christ.

1 The long action of his bloody combate with Satan and his Instruments gave the name to his being killed and slain.

2 His last short act in breathing our, sending out, or pu∣ting out his immortal spirit, when he cried with a loud voyce, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, gave the name of for∣mality to his death and sacrifice by his own Priestly power.

When Christ said, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, he did not breath out his soul through the decay of his natural spirits, as the Saints do, when they say the same words, as in Psal. 31. 5. Nor as Stephen did, when he said Lord Jesus re∣ceive my spirit, Act. 7. 59. For their death is co-acted by Gods Justice on original sin, Gen. 3. 19. But Christ made it evident that his death was not co-acted by weakness of Nature, by his crying out with a loud voyce, when he said, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, and at that instant gave up the Ghost; by which loud out-cry he made it evident that he was in full strength of nature when he died, as it is noted before by Mr. White of Dorchester, and by Mr. Trap and others, and this last act gave the formality,

• 1 To his Obedience.
• 2 To his Death and Sacrifice.
• 3 To the price of full satisfaction. For as I have formerly shewed from Exod. 30. 12. It was Gods voluntary Covenant that made the half shekels to be the full price, for the redemption of the lives of the Israelites; and this price was imployed (or part of it at least) to buy publick Sacrifices, which were or∣dained to make an Attonement for their lives (as I have open∣ed it in the Dialogue p. 86.) namely, this price was accounted by God to be in the place, and in the stead of their lives, as vers. 15, and 16. doth declare: And thus their lives were redee∣med with a price, and yet materially it was not the full price of their lives, but formally it was the full price of their lives, by vertue of Gods free Covenant.

In like sort Gods voluntary Covenant and Decree, made the obedience of Christ in his Combate of sufferings, and in the formality of his death and sacrifice, to be the full price of the redemption of all the elect Israel of God, namely, in their place and stead.

Notes

• Luk. 23. 46.
• Psa 31. 5.
• Exod. 30. 12, 15, 16. The death of Christ as it was made a sacri∣fice of reconci∣liation by the voluntary Co∣venant between the Trinity, was the full price of mans redemption.