USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Springfield > The first century of the history of Springfield; the official records from 1636 to 1736, with an historical review and biographical mention of the founders, Volume I > Part 8
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I hold it necessary often to remember this distinction, namely, that Christ suffered both as a malefactor and as a Mediator at one and the same time.
He bare our sins in his body upon the tree. I Peter, 2.24. Peter means he bare the punishment of sin (inflicted according to the sentence of Pi- Itae) in his body on the tree: sin is often put for the punishment of sin.
I will show you how Christ did bear our sins divers ways, in several senses.
I. When he bare our sins as I have expounded, Isa. 53.4.
2. As our Priest and sacrifice, as I have expounded. Isa. 53.5.
3. As a Porter bears a burden, as I have expounded. 1 Peter 2.24.
4. When he patiently bear our sinful imputations, and false accusations and imputations of the malignant Jews. Psa. 40.12. Psa. 69.5. In these words Christ doth not complain or grudge against his Father for his im-
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puting of our sins unto him as the common doctrine of Imputation doth speak.
The Vindication of Isaiah, 53.6 .- All we like sheep gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The Lord laid not the sin of the Elect upon Christ by imputation. The true manner how the Lord laid all our iniquities upon Christ, was the very same manner as the Lord laid the sins of Israel upon the Priest and sacrifice and no other.
The Priest bare the iniquity of the holy things by his Priestly appearing before Jehovah with his priestly apparel, especially with the golden plate. Exo. 28.30, he bare the iniquity of the Congregation by eating the peo- ple's sin-offering in the holy place to make atonement. Lev. 10.17. The Lord laid all our sins upon Christ as upon our sacrifice, Isa. 53.12, where dying, sin intercession, are Synonimas. He bare the sins of men, namely, by his Mediatorial sacrifice. God laid all our sins upon Christ as our sacrifice of atonement. In this sense Paul explaineth the Levitical bear- ing of sin. Hb. 9.26, 28.
If you will build the common doctrine of imputation upon this phrase, The Lord laid all our iniquities upon Christ, then by the same phrase you must affirm that the Father laid all our sins upon himself, for the Father is said to bear our sins as well as Christ, Paul 25.18 & 32.1, and elsewhere.
Those three terms, Blessed is the man whose transgression is born, whose sin is covered, whose iniquity is not imputed, are Synonimas and they do sweetly expound each other, and they do also set out the true manner how sinners are made just and blessed, namely, where their sins are born away, covered, and not imputated by the Father's merciful atone- ment, pardon, and forgiveness.
The word [in Hebrew] which is translated in verse 6, hath laid upon, is translated in the 12 verse of this 25 chapter hath made intercession and therefore the Verb signifying both incurrere fecit and intercessit, is to make a foundation for the doctrine of imputation, and of Christ's suffer- ing God's wrath.
The Vindication of Exo. 20.10, Lev. 1.4, & 4.29, Lev. 8.14 & 16.20,21.
Every owner must impose both his hands upon the head of the sin- offering, this imposition of hands did (as the asserters of the doctrine of imputation say) typifie the Lord's laying our sin upon Christ by imputa- tion : and so godly expositors do understand it. See Exo. 20.10, Lev. 1.14, and 4.29, 8.14, 16.20, 21.
A private man's imposition cannot represent God's act, the imposition of the hands of the Elders cannot. for the Elders' actions represent the Churches action: neither can the imposition of the Priests and High Priests, they were types of Christ's Priestly nature, and not of the Father.
Imposition of hands with confession of sins upon the head of the sin- offering, signified the owner's faith of dependance.
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If you make the act of laying on of hands on the sin-offering, to sig- nifie God's laying our sins upon Christ by imputation, then the same act of laying on of hands with confession of sins upon the Scape-goat must also signifie that God did impute our sins to Christ as well after he was escaped from death by his resurrection, as when he made his oblation here upon earth, and then by this doctrine Christ is gone as a guilty sinner into heaven.
But the Hebrew Doctors did not understand this imposition of hands with confession of sins of God's imputation: but they understood it to be a typical sign of the faith of dependance upon Christ's sacrifice of Atonement; and so much the prayer of the High Priest imports. See Ainsworth, Lev. 16.21 ..
If God's imputing of the sins of the Elect to Christ was the cause of God's extreme wrath upon him, then by the same reason Christ doth still bear the wrath of God, for Christ doth still bear our sins in heaven as much as ever he bare them upon earth.
The Vindication of 2 Cor. 5.21 .- God made him to be sin for us which Knew no sin.
The meaning of these words is not that he was made of sin for God's imputation, but that he was made sin for us, that is to say, a sacrifice for our sin; sin is often used for sin-offering, sacrifices for sin are often called sin: the word Made is a word of Election and Ordination.
The Apostle doth explain the word Sin, Psal. 40.6, thus for sin, Heb. 10.6, therefore seeing the Apostle doth explain in the word Sin by the particle for, I may well conclude that Christ was not made sin by Impu- tation.
The water of purification from sin is called sin, Numb.19.9. The money employed to buy the publique sacrifice for sin, is called trespass-money, 2 King 16, and in this sense God made Christ to be sin.
The Vindication of Mat. 26.37, Mark 14.33, Luke 2.53.
Mathew saith that Christ was sorrowful and grievously troubled, Chap. 26.37. Mark saith, that he was sore afraid and amazed. Chap. 14.33. Luke saith that Christ was in agony, Chap. 22.53. Christ made all this adoe about a bodily death only.
Only do but consider what a horrid thing to human nature the death of the body is, then consider that Christ had a true human nature, and therefore why should he not be troubled with the fear of death as much as human nature could be without sin?
All mankind ought to desire and endeavor to preserve their natural lives as much as lies in them in the use of means, and therefore seeing Christ as he was true man, could not prevent his death by the use of means: he was bound to be troubled for the sense of death as much as any other man.
These were the true causes why Christ was so much pained in his mind with the fear of death not only that night before his death, but at other times also long before.
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But Mathew and Mark in the place cited speak only of these sorrows which fell upon him in the night before his death: Mathew saith, he began grievously to be troubled, i.e. he began afresh to be troubled with a nearer apprehension of his death than formerly: M. Calvin in his Harmony upon those words, speaks to this effect: We have seen (saith he) our Lord wrestling with the fear of death before: but now (saith he) he buckleth his hands with the temptation. Mathew calls it the beginning of sorrow.
By these sentences of M. Calvin, we may see, that Christ was deeply touchd with the fear of death, for he wept and groaned in spirit, and troubled himself for the death of Lazarus.
I cannot apprehend that he was afraid of the wrath of God for our sin in the night before his death; for then he could not have said as he did. I have set the Lord alwaies before my sons, he's at my right hand, Psa. 16.8, therefore I shall not be moved. I cannot apprehend that his troubled fear exceeded the bounds of natural fear.
These sentences of M. Calvin may advise us how we do attribute such a kind of fear to Christ as might disorder his pure, natural affections, which doubtless would have fallen upon him, if he had undergone the pain of the loss for our sins, such as the damned do feel in hell, as the common Doc- trine of Imputation doth teach.
And if he had died without manifesting fear of death, it would have occasioned wofull heresie; yea, notwithstanding the evident proof given of his human nature, sundry hereticks have denied the truth of his human nature; it was necessary therefore that he should be pinched with the fear of death as much as his trne human nature could bear without sin, as Cal- vin well observeth.
If fear of death which he expressed to his Disciples in the night before his death, had risen on the sense of his Father's wrath inflicted upon him for our sin, then you must say that he suffered his Father's wrath for our sins six days before this, for six days before this he spake those words, Luke 12.50, where our Saviour doth express as much distress of mind as here: yet 1 know no expositor that ever gathered so much from this place of Luke.
Our Saviour tells the two sons of Zebedee they must drink of his cup and be baptised with his baptism, by these two expressions which are Synoniams or equivalent, our Saviour doth inform the two sons of Zeb- edee what the true nature of his sacrifice should be, viz: no other but such only as they should one day suffer from the hands of tyrants.
His son was not touched with any suffering from God's wrath at all, except by way of sympathy from his bodily sufferings only.
If the circumstances of his agony be well weighed, it will appear that it did not proceed from his Father's wrath but from his natural fear of death only: because he must be stricken with the fear of death as much as his true nature could bear; he must be touched with the fear of death in a great measure (as the Prophets did foretell.) Add to these pains of his mind, his earnest prayers to be delivered from his natural fear of death: the fear of death doth often cause men to sweat and earnestly pray; as he
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was man he must be touched with the fear of death, as he was Mediator he must fully and wholly overcome his natural fear of death by prayers: therefore there was no necessity for him to pray, and to strive in prayer until he overcome it, as I shall further explain the matter by and by, in Hebrews 5.7.
We must observe the due time of every action, the manner, the place and all other circumstances to fulfill every circumstance just as the Prophets had foretold nothing must fail; if he had failed in the least circumstance he had failed in all; and his human nature could not be exact in these circum- stances without the concurrence of the divine nature: in all these respects his natural fear of death could not chuse, but be very often in mind, and as often to put him unto pain till he had overcome it.
Scanderberg was in such agony when he was fighting against the Turks, that the blood hath been seen to burst out of his lips with very eagerness of spirit only. I have heard also from credible persons, that Alexander the Great did sweat blood in the courageous defence of himself and others. The sweating sickness caused many to sweat out of their bodies a bloody humour, and yet many did recover and live many years after, but if their sweating blood had been a sign of God's wrath upon their souls (as you say it was in Christ) then I think they could not have lived any longer by the strength of nature.
Do but consider a little more seriously what a horrid thing to nature the approach of death is; see in how many horrid expressions David doth describe it, Psa. 116.3, & 18.4, & 55.4,5.
Suppose Adam in his innocency had grappled with the fear of death: like enough it would have caused a violent sweat all over his body.
It's no strange new doctrine to make the natural fear of death to be the cause of Christ's agony, seeing other learned men do affirm it. Chris- topher Carlisle in his treaties of Christ's descent into hell, p. 46, saith thus, Was not Christ extremely afflicted when he for fear of death sweat drops in quantity as thick as drops of blood? John Fryh a godly Martyr saith thus in his answer to Sir Thomas Moor, B. 2: Christ did not only weep but he feared so sore that he sweat drops like drops of blood running down upon the earth, which was more than to weep. Now (saith he) if I should ask you why Christ feared, and sweat so sore? what would you answer me? was it for fear of the pains of purgatory? he that shall so answer is worthy to be laughed to scorn, wherefore then was it? Verily even for the fear of death, as it appeareth plainly by his prayer, for he prayed to his Father, saying, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
It passeth my understanding to find out how an Angel could support our Saviour under the sense of his Father's wrath. Can Angels appease God's wrath? or can Angels support a man's soul to bear it? It's absurd to think so. God will not afford the least drop of water to cool any man's tongue that is tormented in the flames of his wrath: therefore that cannot be the reason.
But on the contrary it's evident that God doth often use to comfort his people against the fear of death, by Ministry of Angels.
The Father's sending of an Angel to comfort his son in his agony, was
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not an evidence that the Father was angry with him for our sin, but it was a sure evidence to him that his Father was highly well-pleased with him even in the time of his agony.
Good reasons there were why Christ should be more afraid of death than many Martyrs have been, namely, for the clear manifestation of his human nature, and also for the accomplishment of the predictions that went before him touching his sufferings, if he would he could have suffered less fear of death, and showed more true valour than ever any Martyrs have done, but then his death, which for fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage.
The Vindication of Hebrews 5.7.
Hebrews 5.7 .- Christ in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and he was heard in that which he feared.
I reverence your Authors who expound the word Fear to mean Fear of Astonishment at the feeling of God's wrath for our sin, but I must tell you, that there are other Learned and Godly Divines that are contrary to them in their interpretation of the word Fear. King James his Transla- tors do read it thus in the margent, He was heard for his reverence. And the Geneva in other places translate the same Greek word Godly fear, as in Luke 2.25, Acts 8.2, Heb. 12.8, and in this very sense must this Greek word be translated in Heb. 5.7.
The Greek word doth properly signifie such as makes a man exceedingly wary, and heedful how he touch any thing that may hurt him.
I come now to explain the very thing it felt from which Christ prayed to be saved, which was that he might be delivered from death, and this petition was the masterpiece of all his prayers.
But for the better understanding the very thing itself that he did so often and so earnestly pray to be delivered from, we must consider him with a twofold respect.
I. As he was true man, so he prayed to be saved from death condition- ally. Mathew 6.39.
2. We must consider him in this Text as he was our Mediator, and so he prayed to be saved from death absolutely, namely, to be saved from his natural fear of death when he came to make his oblation; for he knew well enough that if there had remained in him but the least natural unwillingness to die, when he came to make his oblation, it would have spoiled the mediatorial efficacy of his oblation.
For he had from eternity covenanted with his Father to give his soul (by his own active obedience) as a mediatorial sacrifice of atonement for our sins. John 10.17, 18, therefore he must die a positive death by the power of man, but he must die as a Mediator by the actual and joynt concurrence of both divine and human nature; no man could force his soul out of his body by all the torments they could devise, but he must separate his own soul from his body by the joint concurrence of both his natures.
Christ made his oblation an exact obedience unto God's will, both for matter, manner, and time, and this mediatorial action of his was the high-
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est degree of obedience that the Father required, or that the son could perform for man's atonement and redemption.
His obedience in his death was not Legal but mediatorial.
2. He prayed also to be delivered from the domination of death after he had made his oblation, and God heard him and delivered by his resur- rection on the third day. Acts 2.24, 27.
Neither doth the word Fear in this Text signifie such an amazed natural fear of death as the other word Fear doth signifie, Mar. 14.33, which word I have expounded to signifie our Saviour's troubled death, and no more.
And therefore it caused him in the days of his flesh to offer up many prayers and supplications with strong cries and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, namely, from his natural fear of death, and he was heard because of his godly fear.
The Vindication of Psalms 22.1 .- My God, My God, why hast thou for- saken me?
Many Divines conclude from this Text that God did forsake his son - in his anger, because he had imputed to him all our sins; but yet other Divines differ from them. M. Broughton saith, My God, My God, show- eth that Christ was not forsaken of God, but that God was his hope. 2. Saith he, The word forsaken is not the Text, but Why dost thou (leave) me? namely, why dost thou leave me to the griefs following from the malice of the Jews? as they are expressed in the body of the Psalm 3. Saith he, None ever expounded one matter, and made his amplification of another; but Psalm 22 hath amplification of griefs caused by men, and not from God's anger. Therefore the Proposition in the first verse is not a complaint to God that he forsook his soul in anger for our sins. M. Robert Wilmot, showeth at large that the term forsaken is not so proper to this place as the term leave, and he doth parallel it with the word leave, in Psalm 16.10. M. Ainsworth saith the Hebrew word which we translate forsaken may be translated, why leavest thou me? And he saith in a Letter to myself that there is no material difference between leaving and forsaking, so as the meaning be kept sound. Therefore it followeth by good consequence that Christ doth not complain, Psa. 22, that God had forsaken him in anger for our sins.
Our Saviour's complaint must run thus, Why hast thou left me into the hands of my malignant adversaries, to be used as a notorious malefactor? It's not so fit a place to say, Why hast thou forsaken me into the hands of my malignant adversaries, as to say, Why hast thou left me into the hands of my malignant adversaries:
God forsakes the damned totally and finally, because there is no place of repentance left open to them, but he did not so forsake his son, neither did he forsake his son by any inward desertion, as he does some- times forsake his own people for the trial of their grace; but he left his son only outwardly when he left him into the hands of Tyrants to be punished as a malefactor without any due trial of his cause.
Therefore the complaint of Christ lies far and round thus, Why hast
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thou left me in my righteous cause unto the will of my malignant adver- saries, to be condemned and put to death as a wicked Malefactor?
John Hus appealed to Jesus Christ for justice, saying, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Ammond de la Roy, Martyr, in the time of his torments said, Lord, Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?
Christopher Carlisle upon the Article of Christ's descent into hell, saith not a word of the suffering of his Father's wrath, yet he makes use of Psa. 22.I, and of M. Calvin's judgment in other points, though he differ from him in his exposition of Ps.22.I. The Holy Ghost hath indited this Psalm by the Prophet David in the Person of Christ. If so, then all the words of this Psalm must have relation to the person of Christ. The Psalm itself hath two principal parts, the first is ver. I to 21, in all which Christ doth complain to his Father of his unjust usage by his malignant Adversaries; the 2d part of the Psalm is from the 22 verse to the end. Therefore seeing Christ in this place doth double the term of his affiance in God, saying, My God, My God: it proves evidently that God had not forsaken his Son in anger for our sins, but that God was still his hope; and that he would at last turn all his sufferings but not unto the tryal of his perfect obedience.
Why art thou then so far from my help, and from the words of my roaring? Why dost thou leave me unto the will of my malignant adver- saries, notwithstanding my prayers, and my righteous cause?
My heart is melted in the midst of my bowels, that is to say, the evil spirit that is in my malignant Adversaries, and their doctors, do make my human affections to melt in the midst of my bowels.
Thou hast brought me unto the dust of death, ver. 15. God doth not so bring Christ unto the dust of death, as he doth other men, namely, not so as death is laid upon man for sin. Gen. 3.19.
But for the better understanding of the true difference, I will distinguish upon the death of Christ; for God appointed him to die a double death. I. As a Malefactor, and 2. As a Mediator, and all this at one and at the same time.
I. He died as a Malefactor by God's determinate counsel and decree; he gave the devil leave to enter into Judas to betray him, and into the Scribes and Pharisees, and Pontius Pilate to condemn him, and to do what they could to put him to death, and in that respect God may be truly said to bring him into the dust of death. Gen. 3.10.
2. Notwithstanding all this, Christ died as a Mediator, and therefore his death was not really finished by those torments which he suffered as a Malefactor, for as he was our Mediator he separated his own soul from his body by the power of his God-liead. All the Tyrants in the world could not separate his soul from his body, John 19.11; no, not by all the tor- ments they could devise, till himself pleased to actuate his own death by the joint concurrence of both his natures. John 10.18.
Thus have I showed unto you the dependance of the first part of this Psalm; by which you may see how the scope of this Psalm doth set the sufferings of Christ to proceed not from God's wrath but from man's only. Neither do I find anything of God's wrath either in this or in any other
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Psalm, and yet Christ doth make as dolefull complaint to God of his suf- ferings both in this Psalm and in Psalın 69, as any can be found in all the Bible.
The Vindication of Galatians 3.13.
Gal. 3.13 .- Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, as is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.
In this Text the Apostle speaks of a twofold curse. I. He speaks of the eternal curse in ver. 10.2, of an outward temporary curse, in ver. 14, such as all men do suffer, who are hanged upon a tree; the Apostle brings in this latter curse in a Rhetorical manner only, saying thus, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, namely, from the eternal curse at the very self-same time, when he was made, not that curse, but a curse for us according to Deuter. 21.25.
I confess that D. Luther was a rare instrument in the Church of God in his days, and he hath expounded the Epistle to the Galatians better than many others; but yet I believe he is far from the Apostles' meaning in this matter, and it seemeth to me he had some doubt also about his Exposition. But he thinketh that the latter curse may well be expounded of his sacri- fice for the Curse (and yet that Exposition is not right neither) for this latter Curse is no other than an outward temporary curse. For the Text in Deuter. runs thus, If there be in a man a sin worthy of death, and thou hang him upon a tree, &c., then he that is hanged is the curse of God.
This latter curse is no other than an outward temporary curse; for the text in Deut. 21.22, runs thus, If there be in a man a sin worthy of death, and thou hang him on a tree, &c., then he that is hanged is the curse of God. What curse of God is it, that is meant? I answer, that may be discerned by taking notice of what kind of persons, and for what kind of sin this curse of God doth fall upon any, The persons, the Text describes them thus, namely, he that is put to death as a Malefactor, by the Mag- istrate. The kind of sin that are said to deserve this curse of hanging upon a tree, are described by this general term, a sin worthy of death, naniely, of this death; hence it is evident, that not every sinner that de- served death is here meant, but as such as deserved a double death, namely, I. Stoning to death . 2. Hanging up of their bodies upon a tree, after they were stoned to death.
M. Calvin in Deut. 21.23, saith, That the hanging of Christ upon a tree was not after the manner that is here spoken of; for such as were stoned to death among the Jews, were also hanged upon a gibbet after they were dead.
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