Mark xv. fuch as was before defcribed; St. Mark tells us, that 37. 50. 30. 46. X. 15, 18, 1 John iii. 16. Μετ' ἐμὴν ΐξοδον. 2 Pet. i. 15. TVEUGE, (animam efflavit, he breathed out his foul, or Matt.xxvii. breathed out his laft breath; he expired :) St. Matthew, à‡ñxe tò πveūμa; (he let go his fpirit, or gave up the ghost, John xix. animam egit :) St. John, wagédwxe rò wveũμa; (he delivered up his spirit into God's hands :) St. Luke mentions Luke xxiii. it done with a formal and exprefs refignation; Father, into thy hands I commend (or depofe, rapaτideμo) my fpiJohn xv.13. rit. Himself alfo frequently expreffes his dying by laying down his life; by beflowing his life a ranfom; which fhews him really to have parted with it. His death likewife (as ours commonly by excedere e vivis, and like phrases) is termed odos, a going out of life, a leaving the fociety of men, Luke ix. 31. Mofes and Elias are faid to tell rodov autou, his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerufalem; and μerábaσis, a paffing over from John xiii. 1. this world; When, faith St. John, Jefus knew that his time was come, Iva μeraby, that he should depart from this world. His death alfo by himself is enigmatically described by the destruction (or demolishment) of his bodily temple, answerable to those circumlocutions concerning 2 Cor. v. 1. our common death; in St. Paul, the diffolution of our earthly house or tabernacle, (or tranfitory abode ;) in St. 2 Pet. i. 14. Peter, ¿ñódeois toũ oxyvúparos, the laying down, or putting off, our tabernacle. ἄφιξιν. Acts xx. 29. It were also not hard to fhew, how all other phrases and circumlocutions by which human death is expreffed either in the Scripture, or in ufual language, or indeed among philofophers and more accurate speakers, are either exprefsly applied, or by confequence from what is expreffed appear applicable, to our Saviour: fuch, for in2 Tim. iv.6. ftance, as thefe in Scripture; dváλvos, being refolved into our principles, or the returning of them thither, 2 Cor. v. 8. whence they came; dwóλvos, a being freed, licensed, or Aas xiii. difmiffed hence; ixdquía ex rỡ cóμatos, a going abroad, or abiding abroad; a peregrination, or absenting from the 8. xlix. 33, body; an enduris, putting off, or being divested of the body; an åçavioμòs, disappearing, ceafing (in appearance) ult. &c. to be; going hence, and not being feen; a falling on sleep; Phil. i. 23. Luke ii. 29. 4. 36. Gen. xxv. &c. Pf. xxxi. Pf. lii. 5. refting from labours; to fleep with his fathers; a being Jer. xi. 19. added unto our fathers, gathered to our people; being xxviii. 1. taken or cut out of the land of the living; going down cxliii. 7. into the pit; lying down, refting, fleeping in the dust, Ifa. xxxviii. &c. making our bed in darkness. lxxxviii. 4. 18. Ezek. xxvi. xvii. 16.xx. Dan. xii. 2. Ifa. xxvi. Thefe and fuch like phrafes occurring in Scripture, 20, &c. (which might be paralleled out of common fpeech and Job vii. 21. more learned difcourfes,) defcribing either the entrance 11. xxi. 26. into, or the abiding in, the state of that death, to which all men are obnoxious, might easily be shewed applicable 19. to the death of our Saviour. But I will not farther infift upon confirmation of a point fo clear, and never queftioned but by the wild and prefumptuous fancies of some heretics. Our Saviour's death then was a true, real, and proper death, fuitable to that frail, paffible, mortal nature, which he vouchfafed to undertake for us; to the condition of Rom. viii.5. finful flesh, in the likeness of which he did appear; feparating his foul and body, and remitting them to their original fources. His paffion was indeed ultimum supplicium, an extreme capital punishment, the highest in the laft refult which either the fierceft injuftice or the feverest justice could in this world inflict; for to kill the Matt. x. 26. body is, as our Saviour teaches us, the extreme limit of all human power and malice; the most and worst man can do; they have not wepicσóregóv TI, any thing beyond Luke xii, 4. that, which they can attempt upon us: and so far they proceeded with our Saviour: [the willing undergoing of which alfo is the highest expreffion of kindness, (if it be done upon that account;) for, Greater love than this hath John xv.13. no man, than that one lay down his life for his friends: the greatest atteftation to the truth; the perfecteft inftance of obedience, fubmiffion, and patience respectively; to affert truth, to follow righteousness, to adhere to confcience, to refift fin, μéxpis aïparos, as far as to blood, (as it Heb. xii. 4. is in the 12th to the Hebrews,) not to love our life, axgi Rev.xii. 11. Savárou, (unto the death, when death is threatened,) is the utmost that man can do.] But, II. We may confider thofe peculiar adjuncts and re 20. fpects of our Saviour's death, (annexing thereto hereafter in our discourse, for avoiding repetition, his whole paffion generally taken, whereof his death was the chief part and final completion;) thofe adjuncts, I fay, and those refpects which commend it to our regard, and amplify the worth thereof; its being a refult of God's eternal deliberation and decree; a matter of free consent and compact between God the Father and his only Son; its being anciently prefigured and predicted; its being executed by God's hand and providence guiding, by man's action concurring; its being the death of a person so holy and innocent, fo high and excellent; of the Son of God, yea, of God himself. 1. It was a result of God's eternal counsel and decree; no cafual event, no expedient fuddenly devised; but a defign from all eternity, contrived by divine wisdom, refolved upon by divine goodness: as God did then foresee our lapse and misery, so he did as foon determine our remedy; as the whole of that myfterious difpenfation concerning Chrift, fo did especially this main part thereof, Eph. iii. 11. proceed xarà @gódeσiv räv alúvwv, according to an eternal Rev. xiii. 8. purpose: for our Saviour was a Lamb flain from the foun1 Pet. i. 19, dation of the world: We were redeemed by the precious blood of Chrift, as a lamb without blemish and without Spot; @goeyvwoμévon pèv, foreordained indeed before the foundation of the world: our Saviour went (he tells us) to fuffer κατὰ τὸ ὡρισμένον, according to what was deterActs ii. 23. mined; it was by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, that he was delivered up to those wicked hands that flew him: nor did the confpiracy of Herod and Pilate with the nations and people of the Jews effect Afis iv. 28. any thing therein beyond ὅσα ἡ χεὶρ, καὶ ἡ βουλὴ Θεοῦ προώ give yéver Jay, whatever the hand and the counfel of God had predeftinated to be performed. God's fo great care and providence, fo exprefsly commended to our obfervation, do argue the high worth and confequence of this death. 2. It was a matter of free confent and compact between God and our Saviour. God freely proffered, if he 11. would undertake to redeem his creature, a comfortable and honourable fuccefs thereto; he willingly embraced the condition; When thou shalt make thy foul an offering, Ifa. liii. 10, 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 be fatisfied; that was God's propofition: Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, was our Heb. x. 7, Saviour's answer in correfpondence and confent thereto.. God, in confideration of his fufferings, did diaries Day Baσ- Luke xxii, Asíav, covenant to him a kingdom; commit to him a fo- 29. vereign authority, affign him an universal dominion: in virtue of which tranfaction it was, that Jefus, for the fuf- Heb. ii. 9. fering of death, was crowned with glory and honour; that Ifa. liii. 12. he pouring out his foul unto death, God divided him a por Gal. iii. 13. tion with the great; that he being obedient to the death, Phil. ii. 8,9. God exalted him, and gave him a name above all names. In this regard are God's elect and faithful people faid to be given to him, as a retribution to him who gave himself for them; that we are faid to be bought by him, and the Rom. i. 4. Church purchased by his blood. There was therefore a 1 Cor. vi. covenant between God and his Son concerning this af- 20. fair and of great confideration surely must that affair be, As xx. 28. wherein such Perfons (if I may so speak) fo intereft themfelves, do traffic, as it were, and ftand upon terms with each other. 1 Pet. i. 19. 3. Farther; that the excellency and efficacy of this death and paffion might appear, it was by manifold types foreshadowed, and in divers prophecies foretold. Indeed most famous paffages of providence (especially the fignal afflictions of eminent perfons representing our Saviour) seem to have been preludes unto and prefigurations of his paffion: the blood of the righteous protomartyr Abel, Lukexi. 51. shed by envy, for acceptable obedience to God's will, Gen. iv. 10, and crying for vengeance, feems to have prefigured that blood, which cried alfo, though with another voice, and Spake better things than the blood of Abel; not complaints Heb. xii. and fuits for vengeance, but entreaties and interceffions 24. xi. 4. for mercy. Ifaac, (the only fon, the fon of promife,) his oblation in purpose, and death in parable, (as the Apostle 19. Heb. xi. 17, to the Hebrews fpeaks,) did plainly represent our Saviour, ἐν παραβολῇ, the promised feed, his being really offered, and afterward reftored to life. Jofeph's being fold and put into flavery by his envious brethren; being flanderously accufed and Pf. cv. 18. fhut in prison, (whofe feet they hurt with fetters; the iron entered into his foul ;) and this by God's disposal, in order Gen. xlv. 5. to his exaltation, that he might be a means to preserve life, and prepare convenient habitation for the children of Luke xxiv. Israel, doth resemble him, who by fuffering entered into Heb. v. 9. glory; who being thereby perfected, became author of John xiv. 2. falvation to his brethren, all true Ifraelites; who went to 26. 5. prepare manfions of reft and light, a heavenly Goshen, for them. David's perfecutions preceding his royal dignity and profperous ftate, (which he expreffes in no lower Ps. xviii. 4, strain than by faying, The forrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid: the forrows of hell compassed me about; the fnares of death prevented me,) how they may adumbrate the more real extremities of our Saviour's affliction, previous to his glorious exaltation, I leave you to confider; as alfo the rest of fuch paffages, of a like mysterious importance: however all the facrifices of old, inftituted by God, we may more confidently affirm to have been chiefly preparatory unto and prefigurative of this most true and perfect facrifice; Heb. ix. 23. by virtue indeed of which those úrodsiyμara and σniaì, those umbratic representations obtained any validity or effect: if they did not fignify this in defign, they could fignify nothing Heb. ix. 22. in effect: for as without fhedding of blood there was no remif fron, (God's anger could not be appeased, his juftice could not be fatisfied without it; it being blood that maketh atonement for the foul, God fo requiring, as it is in the Law, Levit. xvii. 11.) which the inftitution of thofe facrifices Heb. x. 4. did fpeak and fignify; fo it was impoffible, that the blood ix. 9, 15. of bulls and goats fhould take away fin; that thofe legal gifts and facrifices fhould perfect the confcience of him that did the service; that is, entirely affure him of pardon and impunity. The fouls of beafts were not in value fuitable, could not fitly be furrogated in the ftead of men's fouls, which had offended, and were therefore liable to viii. 5. |