This Should Be a Distinct Sermon

Every expression that the Prophet uses to set forth the grace of God in Jesus Christ to sinners by, is more wonderful than another, because indeed every thing that he expresses is more wonderful than another. And there is so much grace and infinite love in the way of the Gospel, that it's hard to know where there is most of it, whether in its rise, or in its execution; whether in the decree of God, or in Christ's satisfaction; whether in the benefits that we enjoy, or in the way by which we are brought to enjoy them. Sure all together make a wonder passing-great, a most wonderful wonder, even a world of wonders. It is a wonder that (as it is, (verse 5)) he should be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, that the chastisement of our peace should be on him, and that by his stripes we should be healed. And when here he comes to explain this, and to show how it came to pass that Jesus Christ suffered so much, he holds out another new wonder, All we like sheep have gone astray, etc. As if he had said, would you know how it came to pass that the Mediator had to suffer, and suffer so much? All we, the elect people of God had gone astray like so many wandering sheep, as well as others, not one excepted. And there was not another way to recover and reclaim us but this: The Lord Jehovah laid on him the iniquity of us all. To recover us when we were lost, Jesus Christ was substituted in our room by the eternal decree of God, and the iniquities of all of us who are his elect people as to their punishment were laid upon him. This then is the scope, to show the rise of Christ's sufferings, and how it came to pass that our Lord suffered, and suffered so much — the occasion of it was the elect's sin, and the fountain cause, the Father's laying of their sin on him by an eternal decree, and making him to answer for it according to that decree, with his undertaking, which was the Covenant of Redemption of which Christ's suffering was the execution. Thus we have the fountain from where our Lord's sufferings flowed. He is in the Covenant of Redemption substitute and judicially enacted the elect's cautioner, and takes on their debt, and being substitute in their room, justice pursues the claim, and sentence passes against him for making him answerable and liable to the debt of their sins. Which sets out as it were a judge on the throne — Jehovah — and two parties at the bar, we and him. We the principal debtors, and him the cautioner, Jesus Christ, in our room and place. The law by which the judge proceeds is the Covenant of Redemption. And we the principal debtors not being [reconstructed: law-abiding], he is made liable to the debt, and on this ground the sentence passes against him for satisfying what we were owing, and hereupon followed his sufferings. So then the rise of his sufferings is, that it was so transacted by the wise, just, and gracious God, and thus this verse comes well in to explain and further to clear what he asserted in the former verse. Though the words be few, yet they are a great compendium and sum of the Gospel. How therefore to speak of them so as to unfold them aright, is not easy. And because the Devil who seeks by all means to mar the beauty of the Gospel, does more fiercely assault where most of its beauty shines, and has therefore stirred up several sorts of enemies to wrest these words, and to obscure the beauty of grace that may be clearly seen in them — we shall a little open the few words that are in this last part of the verse, And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all, having spoken to the former part of it the last day.

In these few words then, we have, 1. something spoken of iniquity which three parties have some acts about, to wit, 1. the Elect, us all; 2. Him, to wit the Mediator; 3. the Lord, to wit Jehovah; then we have the express act of the Lord, to wit, his laying on Him the Mediator, the iniquity of us all. 1. As for this word iniquity, by it is meant sometimes 1. sin formally taken as it has a disconformity to the Law of God, and supposes a spot and defect, and so it is commonly taken when we pray for pardon of sin; and when David says (Psalm 51), "My sin is ever before me"; and (Psalm 38), "My iniquity is gone over my head"; and so it is the transgression of the Law of God. 2. It is sometimes taken for the effect that sin produces, and so it is in effect the punishment of sin, as (Leviticus 7:18 and 7:20) being compared together; verse 18, it is said, He shall bear his iniquity, which verse 20 is, He shall be cut off, and so it is clearly meant of the punishment of iniquity; for to bear his iniquity, and to be cut off, are the same thing there; and that word of Cain (Genesis 4:14), "My iniquity or punishment is greater than I can bear," has a manifest respect to God's curse inflicted on him for his sin, and is, as if he had said, I will not get to live under the punishment that is inflicted upon me, for every one that finds me will cut my throat; and sometimes it is translated punishment, as in that of (Genesis 4:13). The question then is, which of these two is understood here in this text, whether iniquity or sin formally taken, or iniquity taken for the punishment thereof? Those who are called Antinomians plead that it is to be understood of sin formally taken: but though it be hard so much as to mention this, it being so blasphemous-like to assert that our blessed Lord Jesus should be formally a sinner, and have the spots and defilement of sin on him, which we wonder that any Christian should dare to assert, or presume to maintain; yet because this Scripture is alleged for it, we shall clear that iniquity is not here to be taken for sin formally, but for sin in the punishment of it. And the first reason that we give shall be drawn from the plain scope of the words, the Prophet having in verse 5 said that he was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; the scope of this verse is to show how it came to [reconstructed: pass] that Christ suffered, and suffered so much; which he does by declaring that it could not be otherwise, because the punishment of all the sins of the Elect was laid upon him; and that which was called wounding and bruising in the former verse is here called on the matter a bearing of their iniquities (for if they were laid on him he did certainly bear them), the sins of all the Elect assigned to him as to their punishment; and this shows how that Christ needed not only to suffer, but to suffer all that he suffered. So in verse 8 it is said, He was cut off out of the land of the living, and for the transgression of my people was he stricken; that which is here called the bearing of iniquity, is there called being cut off and stricken for the transgression of his people; and this may be the second reason of the exposition, as we have given it; because when iniquities are spoken of they are not called Christ's, as inherent in him, but they are called his people's iniquities, they being formally theirs, but his judicially and legally only; even as the debt is formally the bankrupt's, but legally the cautioner's. A third reason is drawn from comparing this text with other parallel places of Scripture, that which is called bearing of iniquity here, is called (Galatians 3:13) his being made a curse for us, so that his bearing of our iniquity, is his being made a curse for our iniquity, and his bearing the wrath of God due to us for our sin. I shall illustrate it by a [reconstructed: comparison], from which the fourth reason will clearly result, our iniquities become Christ's as his righteousness becomes ours, for these two are parallel (2 Corinthians 5, last verse): He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in, or through him; where 1. it is clear that Jesus Christ is so the sinner in our room, as we are righteous in his room; and contrarily we are righteous in his room as he was the sinner in our room. 2. That righteousness is not [reconstructed: so] derived to us that it is formally made ours, and to be inherently in us, but is ours only by imputation itself, or the virtue of it being imputed to us; and it is upon this ground that (Romans 4) imputed righteousness is often mentioned, that is, when God accounts a man to be righteous though he be yet a sinner in himself; even so our sin is imputed to Christ, and reckoned his because he became our Surety. And though Antinomians have a vain notion to elude this, yet the Scripture is very clear, as holding forth a legal procedure; the debt is accounted his, because of his obligation to be answerable for it, and in [reconstructed: Justice] and Law he is liable to it: and there is no other way that we can rationally imagine how our blessed [reconstructed: Lord] can bear our iniquities. For 1. it cannot stand with his absolute purity to have any spot of sin, or to be formally the sinner. Neither 2. is it necessary that he should be the sinner, but only that he should pay the penalty due by us, it being the nature of contracts among men, that where the principal debtor succumbs, the cautioner comes in his room, so is it here. Indeed, 3. if Jesus Christ were the sinner formally, it would incapacitate him to be our cautioner, to pay the penalty, or to satisfy justice the debt of our sins. We would not have spoken so much to this, were it not that this same place is pressed in a most fastidious manner by the abusers of the grace of God to maintain their error. So then we take this in short to be the meaning of this part of the verse, that Jesus Christ did bear the punishment due to us for our sins.

3. The three parties that have some acts about iniquity are: 1. Us all. 2. Him. 3. The Lord Jehovah. 1. Us all, and here we meet with the Arminians, another party that abuses and perverts this place, as if it were to be extended to all men and women that ever sinned or went astray; for, say they, it's the iniquity of all them that went wrong that is laid on Christ, and that is the iniquity of all men and women in the world. But (as we showed before) the scope of the words is not so much to show the universality of all men and women's sinning, as to show that all the Elect as well as others went astray, and turned every one of them to their own way, therefore it's restricted, All we; and the word All is no broader than the word We. Now the We that is here meant is the We who in the former words are healed by his stripes; and that surely is not all men and women that sin, but the Elect only. And verse 11 it's they that by his knowledge, that is, by faith in him are justified; it's these All whose iniquities he bore, and no more. So that in short, Us all is not all men simply considered, but Us all that are Elect, and thus it is necessarily to be restricted to the Prophet's scope.

The meaning of both parts of the verse together then is this: We all, even the Elect as well as others went astray, and turned every one of us to our own sinful way, and the Lord Jehovah made him to bear the punishment of all our sins, and it could not be but a mighty great punishment, and a most huge and horrible suffering, when the Lord made the iniquities of Us all, his Elect, to meet upon Christ.

There is not much debate about the other two parts. The first of which is Him, that is the Mediator Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the eternal Father, the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person, who remaining God, became man, to perform and bring about the work of our redemption according to his undertaking.

The other party is the Lord Jehovah, the Judge and the party offended; as we are the party offending, and Jesus Christ the satisfier; and the Lord is here considered essentially as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, having one common essence and justice, and who being all three one God, are to be satisfied. He is Jehovah.

But how is this punishment of our iniquities laid on Jesus Christ? And here Socinians make as great abuse and business, the Devil intending (if he could effect it) to blow up the very foundation of the Gospel, bends all his forces against such places as do most lively hold it forth. But the words are clear and most significant as they are rendered according to the Hebrew on the margin, thus: The Lord has made the iniquity of us all to meet on him. The iniquities of the Elect are as so many brooks and rivers, any one of which is hard and difficult for them to pass over; but O! when Christ comes to satisfy for them, they are brought and gathered into a great lake, or rather into a vast sea or ocean together, they all collected and combined met on him, and he did meet with them in a mighty shock, and surely they could not but be great sufferings that he endured when he had such a sea to pass through. Or the sins of the Elect were like so many companies or regiments of men, any one of which they could never have overcome, but when Christ came to satisfy divine justice for them, all the companies and regiments of sins (so to speak) rendezvoused and brought into one formidable army together, met on Christ. The word is well rendered here were laid on him, being the same word in the root that Saul used when he commanded Doeg to fall upon the Lord's priests (1 Samuel 22:18). The word is, Lay upon them, or lay at them; as when one is angry with another, he will cry, Lay upon him; and this shows the exceeding greatness of Christ's sufferings, when all the sins of all the Elect met together as a huge and heavy host, did fall and do terrible execution upon our blessed Lord Jesus. This then being the meaning of the words, the question is whether the Lord Jehovah did lay this punishment really upon Christ, or whether, as Socinians fondly imagine, he only interceded for them. But for answer: 1. What sort of meaning of the words would that be, I pray? The Lord made the iniquities of us all to intercede on him, when the text says plainly that they were laid on him, and on the matter that he bore them, and expressly so, verse 11. For he shall bear their iniquities. Indeed, 2. consider the scope, and it comes in as a reason why Christ suffered so much, and would that (can any think) be a good reason for so great and grievous sufferings undergone by Christ, that God made him to intercede for all the sins of the Elect? But if you look upon the words in their true meaning, they are a clear reason why he was wounded, exceedingly bruised and chastened, and why he endured so many stripes, even because all the sins of all his Elect met on him, because he was made to bear the punishment of them all. Also the words following make it clear: He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people was he stricken; and Galatians 3, He was made a curse for us. He suffered, the just for the unjust; he actually and really suffered that which we should have suffered. If it be asked, What is this, to lay iniquity on Christ? Or how is it said that the iniquity of the Elect was laid on him? Or in what respect? I answer: 1. In respect of God's eternal covenant; the punishment due for our sins is laid upon him by an eternal deliberate counsel or consultation of the persons of the Godhead; in which (as we showed before) Christ enters surety for us, accepts of, and engages to pay our debt. 2. In respect of God's actual pursuing of Christ, having thus engaged himself, putting in his hand the cup, and making him drink, and the bill of our account, and making him accountable. 3. In respect of God's acceptation of that satisfaction which Christ performed and paid down for them.

This being the meaning of the words, we come to point at some things from them, and the very opening of them may give us some insight in the way of the Gospel, and of a notable ground of footing to our faith. If we could rightly apprehend God making this transaction with the Mediator, we might not only have a ground to our faith, but a great encouragement to come to Christ, and to rest on him who has thus [reconstructed: placed himself] in our room before the tribunal of Divine Justice, and it would waken and warm faith and love towards him.

But observe here more particularly, 1. That all the elect people of God are lying under iniquity even as others; this we spoke to the last day, and shall not repeat what was then said; it's with respect to iniquity in the elect that all the business of redemption is transacted, and from hence as the occasion, it has its rise, even from God's being offended, and from the necessity of a Mediator; for this does presuppose our debt, and a standing sentence against us, till Christ interposed for the removing of it.

2. From its being said before, that every one turned to his own way, and here, that the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all, observe, that every one of the elect beside the common state of sin wherein all are, has his own particular guilt that is in his own way; this is clearly held out here, while it is said, that not only like sheep we have gone astray, but that every one has turned to his own way; which as it holds forth a way in them all different from God's way, so also a way in every one of them somewhat different from another's way; and this is called a walking in the counsel of our own heart (Psalm 81), and a man's own sore (2 Chronicles 6:29), and a man's own iniquity (Psalm 18:23), because it's in a special manner his. To clear it a little, consider that sin is peculiar to a believer, or may be called his own way, in these respects; 1. In respect of his being more addicted to one sin than another, which is usually called a man's predominant; two men may both be covetous and passionate, but the one of them may be called a covetous man, because he is especially given to that sin of covetousness, and the other may be called a passionate man, because he is especially given to passion. 2. In respect of some peculiar aggravating circumstances; though we will not dare particularly to determine as to persons, yet if we look through all men and women, it will be readily found that there is some sin which in respect of some or several aggravations, is in some a greater sin than it is in others; and hereby God has given ground of humiliation to all; there is not a man (as we just now hinted) but readily he has an evil which is at a greater height in him than in another; as for instance, one may be given more to the sin of drunkenness, another more to hypocrisy, another more to uncleanness, etc. I do not speak so much here of the diverse kinds of sin, as of the several aggravations of this or that sin that they are given to; such and such a man may have aggravations that will aggravate such a predominant evil in him far beyond what it is in others: and it is from this ground that a believer not in a complimenting way, but most really and sincerely, does call and account himself the chief of sinners, because there are some aggravations that elevate his sin above the sins of others, or above that same sin in others; as a weak believer may have some one good thing in him more commendable than it is in a stronger believer, so the stronger believer may have some one sin that in respect of its aggravations, may give him ground to look on himself as beyond others in sin.

Use 1. It serves much for our humiliation, in as far as this adds to our sinfulness; there are none of us, but beside the common way of sinning incident to all, we have something that is peculiar to ourselves, we have our own way with which we are chargeable above and beyond others; we will readily all grant that we are sinners, but who of us will take with our particular and peculiar guilt that does more easily beset us? Who, among many are as doves of the valleys on the mountains, every one mourning for his own iniquity, for his own plague and sore, that by several circumstances may be aggravated as to its sinfulness beyond the sin of others?

Use 2. The second use which is the scope, serves to show the exceeding greatness of Christ's sufferings; O! what a shock he was in when he had not only all the common sins of the elect to satisfy for, but when all their peculiar sins with their respective aggravations, [reconstructed: converged and were shifted] on him? It serves likewise to exalt the free grace of God, and the condescension of our blessed Lord Jesus who took in altogether in his making satisfaction for them when there were several sorts of them, as if every one of the elect had been set to invent a new sin; what great and sore suffering was here when he condescended to drink the cup that had the wonderful effects of all the sins of the elect wrung into it? When not only in gross he takes on the sins of the elect, but this and that man's particular sins, which were all reckoned and summed on Christ's account, and for which he was made to satisfy; and wherein justice proceeded equally and equivalently; this notably confirmed the reality of Christ's satisfaction, by suffering what all the elect should have suffered eternally, or the equivalent of it; for if there had not been a proportional satisfaction in his sufferings, why serves such an enumeration of his sufferings.

Use 3. The third Use serves to lead us in to know how much we are in Christ's debt, and what a great encouragement we have to believe, and withal, what notable ground of consolation believers have. I say, 1. It shows how much we are in Christ's debt, when we take a view of all our sins, and consider that there was a particular view taken of them in the Covenant of Redemption, not only all our common sins, but even all the particular and peculiar sins of believers were reckoned to Christ the cautioner, and put on his account, and he engaged to satisfy for all, and pay the whole reckoning; does it not lay a great obligation on us to him who counted for the least farthing of our debt? We like a pack of bankrupt debtors did take on the debt, and the account was put in his hand, not only (as I just now said) of all our common sins, but of this and that particular sin, with all their several aggravations, and the sinful circumstances that did heighten them; and he satisfied for them all. And of this we would take special notice, for it may readily wrong us to look upon the Covenant of Redemption as a bargain in gross; there is a particularity in it, to show not only the sovereignty but the exactness of justice, and also the riches of God's grace, and of the great condescension of Christ's love to elect sinners. 2. It's a great encouragement to believe; for even these sins that would frighten and scare serious and exercised souls from coming forward to Christ, were all counted on Christ's score, and were all satisfied for by him. 3. It's a notable ground of consolation to believers when they are disposed and ready to think that their particular sins are insuperable and unpardonable; they think that course might be taken with all their common evils, but as for this most sinful and shameful unthankfulness, this despising of his grace, this woeful unbelief, etc. it stares them in the face, and they know not well how that will be gotten done away. But believers in Christ who are sorrowful and sadly perplexed on this account, is that your own way? It's transacted on Christ's score with the rest; every one of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. O! impregnable ground of strong consolation, which is as good news from a far country, a nonpareil cordial to a fainting soul.

3. Observe here, that a believing elect, or an elect believer, will not only be sensible of sin in the general, but of his own particular and peculiar sinful way; or thus, it's a good token when folk look not only on sin in common, but on their own peculiar sinful way; or thus, that folk should consider their sinfulness not only in common but in particular with its several aggravations. The Scriptures which we cited before do confirm this, as Psalm 18:23. I kept myself from my iniquity; and 2 Chronicles 6:29. where Solomon says, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief; or as it is 1 Kings 8:38. The plague of his own heart. This implies these two things, 1. A distinct aggravating of sin, when a man not only looks on himself as a sinner, but looks on his sin by reason of several aggravating circumstances as being above and beyond the sin of others, and abhors and loathes himself as the chief of sinners, as David does, when he says Psalm 51. Against you, you only have I sinned; he is not there extenuating his sin as if it were done only against God, but aggravating his sin, as the words following show, and I have done this evil in your sight, as if he had said, your concern in the matter does most affect and afflict me, You love truth or sincerity in the inward parts; but I have been (alas) all this time juggling and greatly playing the hypocrite, which makes it to be a wonderful great evil; and Psalm 65:3. Iniquities prevail against me; and as Paul does, who calls himself the chief of sinners, 1 Timothy 1:15. So that believers before conversion, yes and in respect of their natural inclination even after their conversion, are woefully inclined each of them to a sinful way of their own, called in Ecclesiastes 11 the way of a man's own heart. And of this believers would be sensible, not only of their sinfulness in general, and of their particular acts of sin, but of their peculiar sinful acts, and that for these ends or uses.

1. It serves deeply to humble, and to press forth (to speak so) repentance; when we consider our own way to be sinful beyond others, and that such and such a man has sinned, but his sin has not such aggravations as mine, this makes the soul to blush, and to say as it is Psalm 40:12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up, they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me. He wonders at himself how a man can be so given to sin, and every day to add one new sinful step to another, and never to weary and give over; this makes him to blush and to be ashamed, as it is Ezekiel 16:63. The remembering of common sins and of this and that particular act of sin, will not so affect this; but when a sinner remembers that such a sin has been his own way, that humbles and stops his mouth exceedingly.

2. This adds a particularity to the grace of God in the believer's esteem, and makes it so much the more amiable and admirable to him, as it is with Paul when he says 1 Timothy 1:13. I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious, nevertheless I obtained mercy, and the grace of God was exceeding abundant towards me. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came in the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief, yet for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me he might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him. I was, as if he had said, singular in sinning, but grace was eminent and singular in showing mercy, and has cast a copy thereof in me that is singularly eminent. The particularity of believers' sin, as it makes them know the aggravations of it beyond others, so it makes them exalt grace the more.

3. It serves somewhat to discriminate a sound believer from a hypocrite, and a right sight of sin from that which is not so: It is not so much to know that we are sinners, for the light of a natural conscience will tell men that, especially when their lives are so bad; but it is more to know, and rightly to take up the peculiarness that is in our own way of sinning, to take up the many windings and turnings of the deceitful heart in following of such a sin that it is addicted to; This makes a believer think that there is no body's heart like his. We see ordinarily that but very few, if any natural men, will take kindly with the peculiarness of their way of sinning, and even when they will take with this that they are sinners in general, yet they shun to take with it that they are given to such a sinful way of their own; and with the particular turnings, windings, and traversings of their own hearts to that way; But few will grant that they are given to despising or slighting of Christ, to hypocrisy, self-seeking, lying, etc. I will not be peremptory here, to say that every body must know what is their own one peculiar sinful way; For some see so many predominant sins in themselves, that hardly can they pitch upon one by another: nor upon the other side will I positively say that they are all gracious that see one sin by another to carry sway in them; But this I say, that this contributes much for the humbling of the sinner, and for the exalting of free grace; And that the believer will see many windings and turnings in and to their own way, that others who are not believers will not see, and will see one predominant after another; Whereas a natural man, though he complementingly call himself the chief of sinners, yet he does not really think himself to be such; But rather if he be given to drunkenness, to filthiness, or the like, he will readily cast up David and Lot, or some others of the saints to excuse or extenuate it, but the believer can get none to compare himself with in the point of sinfulness. Iniquities prevail over me, says David in the singular number, but when he speaks of the pardoning and purging away of sin, he speaks in the plural, associating others with himself, As for our transgressions you shall purge them away (Psalm 65:3).

4. Considering our sinful way as the occasion of this transaction, and of the laying of our iniquities upon Christ, as the result of it, we have this sweet observation, that the elect are considered in the covenant of redemption as foully and vilely sinful, and with all the aggravations of their sins and sinful ways; so that they cannot be fouler and more vile in time than they were considered to be when they were given to Christ to be satisfied for by him; How were they then considered? The text tells us even as straying sheep; But that is not all, they are considered as such who have had their own peculiar way of straying from God, and have turned aside to, and run on in their own sinful way; Thus the Lord considered the elect in the covenant of redemption, thus Jesus Christ considered them in the undertaking for them, even with all the several aggravations of their sinfulness, so that they are not, nor cannot be worse in time than they were considered to be before time: This is so ordered by the Lord for these ends, 1. That justice might be distinctly, exactly, and fully satisfied, and that it might be known that it is so, he would needs be restored to his honor, to his declarative, or manifested honor and glory, which suffered by man's fall, and by the many great and variously aggravated sins of the elect, and would have his justice, as I said, fully satisfied: And therefore as there is a volume of a book, wherein all the elect are written for whom Christ should satisfy, so there is a volume of what, and for what he should satisfy that there may be a proportional satisfaction and price told down to justice. 2. Believers may have a more full view of the way of grace, and of Christ's undertaking for them; When Jesus Christ undertook our debt, he had a full view of the sum he was to pay, he knew what he had to pay to the least farthing, and what his people's sins would cost him, and yet he [reconstructed: shrank] not to engage to satisfy, but did satisfy according to his engagement to the full. 3. It is also ordered so for this end, even to confirm the believer's faith when he comes to take hold of Christ, and of the covenant, and when this objection mutters within him, dare such a sinful wretch as I take hold of Christ, who have been thus and thus polluted with sin? Yes, says the text, for these sins so and so aggravated, were not unknown to the Father, nor to the Mediator when you were bargained about; In fact, these sins with their aggravations were expressly considered in the covenant of redemption, and there is no sin already committed; or to be committed by you in time, that was not considered before time: What was your posture, believers, when God passed by, and cast the lap or skirt of his love over you? Were you not cast out in the open field, wallowing in your own blood, with your navels uncut, having no eye to pity you, etc. As it is (Ezekiel 16). And why I pray is this set down? But as to let you know that you are no worse in time than you were considered to be before you had a being; So, to aggravate the love and grace of God in Christ, and to draw you in to him, that since God and Christ the Mediator in the transaction about your redemption, stood not on your sinfulness, you may not stand on it when seriously taken with, but may submit to his righteousness, and say, Be it so Lord, I am content to take what you freely offer; And the more sinful and lost you be in yourselves when suitably affected therewith, the more wonderful is the grace of God in the plot of your redemption, the more strong is your consolation, and the greater ground of believing have you; Your sins do not surprise God nor the Mediator, the bargain was made before your sins were committed, and therefore the price must reach them even when they are all summed up together; He was content to accept of them so as to satisfy for them, and blessed be he for evermore that accepted of the bargain, and paid the price according to his undertaking.