Sect. 2. Proof from Scripture-reason.

FOr the latter, this main truth concerning the redemption of sinners by Christ, now made a curse for them, may receive further confirmation from grounds of Scripture-reason, whether we consider the fitness of the person, to undertake such an enterprise, or the efficaciousness of his sufferings.

1 The person was every way fit to redeem us, being both God and man.

1 He is true God, 1 Joh. 5.20. blessed for ever, Rom. 9.5. the only begotten of the Fa∣ther, Joh. 1.14. the onely begotten Son, which is in the bosome of the Father, vers. 18. and therefore very gracious with him; which the Father himself did solemnly testi∣fie by a voice from heaven, Matth. 3.17. He is the mighty God, Isa. 9.6. therefore the Fa∣ther hath laid help on him, Ps. 89.20. the Horn of David, Psal. 132.17. and the Horn of sal∣vation, Luke 1.69. mighty to save, Isa. 63.1. he was infinite lyable to break through all difficulties, and with an holy scorn to sleight an whole host of the most terrible enemies, to march through them without danger, and in despite of them all, to fetch waters of life for us out of the Well of Bethlehem. He is the Lord;* Is there any thing too hard for him? Jer. 32.27.

2 He is true man also, in one and the same person, flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, next a kin to us, therefore he is not Page  115 ashamed to call us brethren, Heb. 2.11. It was a Levitical Ordinance, that if an Israelite were fallen into decay, and had sold himself to a stranger, any of his brethren, or nigh of kin unto him, might redeem him, Lev. 25.47, 48, 49 and the same might be done, if he had sold any part of his possession, vers. 25. therefore these two phrases are used in∣differently to note the same thing, a near kinsman, and one that hath right to redeem, Ruth 2.20. & 3.9. Of this we have an instance in Hanameel, Cosen-german to the Prophet Jeremy, Chap. 32.7, 8. &c. This doubtless had some reference to Christ. We had sold our selves to a stranger, even to Satan, to serve him; Christ is a near kinsman, one of the same stock and blood with us, therefore the right of redemption is his. It was also a statute, and a custome in Israel, That if a man dyed, having no childe to inherit after him, then his brother, or next kinsman should take his wife, and raise up seed to his deceased bro∣ther, Deut. 25.5. &c. and withall, if the inhe∣ritance were alienated, or set to sale, he was to buy it out, or redeem it, for the use of the first-born, that so it might continue settled upon the Family of the dead man. Wee have a clear instantial Gospel-truth lys hid (as I conceive) Old Adam dyed, and left no seed behinde him, that might inherit heaven, and moreover the inheritance was quite ex∣tinct, and lost, as to him, and all his; and therefore the Lord thrust him out of Para∣dise, Gen. 3.24. Onely Jesus Christ is found Page  116 the next kinsman, who begetting sons and daughters by the word of Truth, doth therby raise up a seed of God, & redeem the forfeited inheritance, and so settle it upon the first-born of Adams family for ever; yet with this difference, that this seed shall not be called after the name, nor inherit in the right of the first Adam, but they shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name, Isa. 62.2. And they shall inherit in the right of the second Adam onely, Act. 26.18. Eph. 1.11.

2 The sufferings of Christ were fully effi∣cacious to redeem us; for thereby,

1 He hath given abundant satisfaction to the justice of God, and so hath weakned, yea nullified,* and taken away sin in the guilt and condemning power of it. God sent his Son in the similitude of sinful flesh, and for sin, that is, upon the sad, and woful occasion of sins being in the world, or that he might a∣bolish and destroy it. And what is the fruit of this glorious designe? Why, he hath con∣demned sin in the flesh, that is, by laying the curse, which the Law threatned against sin∣ners, upon that very flesh, or nature, which had sinned, he hath cast sin in its own plea. A mans work may be said to plead for his pay; the crime of a Malefactor cryes for the execution of the Law upon him; so sin pleads against the sinner, and calls for death, its wages to be inflicted upon him. Sin, al∣though as an act it be transient, yet in the guilt of it lyes in the Lords high Court of Page  117 Justice, filed upon record against the sinner, and calling aloud for deserved punishment, saying, Man hath sinned, and man must suf∣fer for his sin. But now Christ having suffered for sin, that plea is taken off; Lo here, saith the Lord, the same nature that sinned, suffer∣eth, mine own Son being made flesh, hath suffered death for sin in the flesh, the thing is done, the Law is satisfied; and so he non∣suits the action, and casts it out of the Court, as unjust. Thus whereas sin would have con∣demned us, he hath condemned sin, and there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, Rom. 8.1, 3. The blood of the Mediator out-cryes the clamor of sin. We read Lev. 16.7. &c. of two Goats which were to be presented before the Lord; the one to be offered for a sin-offering, the other to be kept alive, for a Scape-goat, that Aaron having laid his hands on his head, and con∣fessed over him all the iniquities of the chil∣dren of Israel, might afterwards send him away, bearing their iniquities into a Land not inhabited. All this is fulfilled in Christ; he hath both given himself to be a sin-offer∣ing for us, and thereby removed guilt so far, that when it is sought, it cannot be found, Jer. 50.20. So much is implied in that ex∣pression, Heb. 9.26. He hath put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, therefore redemption and propitiation are put together, as the ef∣fect and cause.

First,* he is a propitiation pacifying Gods wrath, and rendring him propitious to sin∣ners, Page  118 and thence follows Redemption, Rom. 3.24, 25. When the debt is discharged, then the Law with the arrests and executions of it, are void, and of no force: So Christ having paid our debt, hath thereby both removed sin and guilt, and voyded the curse of the Law, so that now it hath nothing against us.

2 He hath broken the Serpents head, ac∣cording to the ancient Prophesie given out in Paradise, Gen. 3.15. by taking part of flesh and blood with us, he hath through death destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and so wrought our deliverance, Heb. 2.14, 15. The Son of God was manifested, that he might loose [or dis∣solve] the works of the Devil, 1 Joh. 3.8. he hath (as it were) shattered them all to peeces,* and will still be shattering them, hee will not spare, so that there shall not be left so much as a shred. Now this was one of his works, to hold poor sinners fast bound, and shut up under the brazen bolts of the curse of the Law unto condemnation; but he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder, Psal. 107.16. He hath met those terrible enemies, the Philistims of hell, and grappled with them hand to hand, he hath discomfited them, and brought them under, and he will not cease, till he hath beaten them small, as the dust before the wind, nor turn again till they be consumed. That which David spoke of himself as the Type,* is eminently fufilled in Jesus Christ onely, Psal. 18.37, 38-42. He is that little Page  119 David, that prevailed over the great Cham∣pion Goliah of Gath, with a sling and with a stone, and smote him, and slew him, 1 Sam. 17.50, 51. He is that strong invincible Sampson, that rent in peeces that infernal roaring Lion, as easily as if he had been a Kid, Judg. 14.5, 6. that slew the Philistims hip, and thigh, with a great slaughter, Chap. 15.8. and when they had him fast bound with new cords, they became as flax upon his armes, and with the jaw-bone of an Ass, laid heaps upon heaps, vers. 14, 15, 16. that carried away the door of the gates of Hell, to set the pri∣soners at liberty, Chap. 16.3. and made the noblest conquest, when he seemed to be wholly conquered, and no hope was left, that ever he could look up again, slaying at his death far more than hee had slain in his life, vers. 21-30. He hath spoyled Principalities and powers, and triumphed over them on the Cross, Col. 2.15. When the High commis∣sion Court, and Star-chamber were cast down, then all fell with them, that appertain∣ed to them; as there are no more informa∣tions, pleadings, censures, punishments: So there are no Serjeants, Bayliffs, Apparitors, Pursevants; even so this Lord Jesus, having thrown down the Court of sin by his death, and thereby disabled the Law, he hath also judged the great Catch-pole of hell, and put him out of office, so that he cannot now ex∣ecute the curse, and wrath of God upon poor sinners, as gladly hee would; and al∣though for the present, he can reach to Page  120 bruise their heel, and doth often work them wo, yet the Redeemer will tread him under their feet shortly, Romans 16. ver. 20.