Sermon 36

Isaiah 53:10, Verse 10. When you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Christ and his sufferings have been a most delightsome subject to be spoken and heard of, before ever he suffered; and they would be to us now no less, but much more so; even very glad tidings to hear, that ever the Son of God was made an offering for sin.

This verse, as we hinted the last day, does set forth Christ's sufferings, and in these three, that the design of God in bruising the innocent Lamb of God might be the better taken up. 1. They are held forth in the rise where they bred, or in the fountain from where they flowed, the good pleasure of God. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, to put him to grief. Which the prophet marks, 1. To show that all the good that comes by Christ to sinners, is bred in the Lord's own bosom: It was concluded, and contrived there, and that with delight; there being no constraint, or necessity on the Lord to give his Son, or to provide him to be a guarantor for debtor sinners, but it was his own good pleasure to do so. 2. To show the concurrence of all the persons of the Trinity, in promoting the work of redemption of sinners; which was executed by the Son the Mediator, to show, that the love of the Son in giving his life, is no greater than the love of the Father, in contriving and accepting of it for a ransom; there being naturally in the hearers of the gospel this prejudice; that the Father is more rigid, and less loving than the Son, but considering, that it was the Father, Son, and Spirit that contrived Christ's sufferings; that the Son's sufferings were the product, and consequent of this contrivance, it removes this corrupt imagination and prejudice, and shows, that there is no place for it; It does also contribute notably to our engagement to God, to be thoroughly persuaded of the Lord's good pleasure, in the sufferings of the Mediator, as well as in the willingness of the Mediator to suffer; he having performed the will of the Father in the lowest steps of his humiliation. 2. They are expressed, and held forth in their nature and end, they were to be an offering for sin; and this follows well on the former verse, because it might be said, How could he that had no violence in his hands, nor guile in his mouth, be brought so low? He has answered in part, by saying, it pleased the Father to bruise him, and to put him to grief: but because that does not so fully obviate, and answer the objection; he answers further, that there was a notably good end for it: though he had no sin in himself, nor are we to look on his sufferings, as for any sin in him, yet we are to look upon them as a satisfaction to justice, for the sins of others; even as the bulls, lambs, and rams, and the scapegoat, were not slain for their own sins, for they were not capable of sin, yet they were some way typical offerings, and satisfactions for sin, in the room of others for whom they were offered; so our Lord Jesus is the proper offering, and sacrifice for the sins of his elect people; and his sufferings are so to be looked on by us, and this is the scope. But to clear the words a little more fully, there are different readings of them, as they are set down here in the text, and on the margin. Here it is when his soul shall make an offering for sin (on the margin it is, when his soul shall make an offering for sin). The reason of the diversity is, because the same word in the original, which signifies the second person masculine, you, meaning the Father; signifies the third person feminine: his soul shall make itself; but on the matter, whether we apply it to the Father, or to Christ, both come to one thing; it seems to do as well to apply it to Christ; the former words having set out God's concurrence, and good pleasure to the work; these set out the Mediator's willingness; as in the last verse, it is said, that he poured out his soul to death; and properly Christ is the priest that offered up himself; yet we say, there is no difference on the matter now, as to the scope, the will of the Father, and of the Mediator, in this work of redemption being both one; though (as we said) we incline to look on them, as relating to Christ. 2. Offering for sin; in the original signifies sin; so that the words are, when you shall make his soul sin; the words being ordinarily used in the Old Testament, and from there borrowed in the New Testament, to signify a sin offering, as (Exodus 29:14) and (Leviticus 4:5) and 16 chapters, where the sin offering is appointed, it is the same word that is here, intimating that, that sin-offering was designed to bear their sin. They shall lay their hands on the sin, or sin-offering; because the sacrificed beast was typically to have the people's sins imputed to it, though properly, no man's sin is imputed to any, but to Christ. This is also clear, if we compare (Psalm 40:6) with (Hebrews 10:5-6). That which in the Psalm is rendered sin-offering, in the original is sin, but the Apostle, Hebrews 10, has it sacrifice for sin; and it is the same word which he has, (2 Corinthians 5, last verse) he was made sin for us, that is an offering for sin; by which we may see the unwarrantableness of some men's accounting Christ to be formally a sinner, because he is called sin; and because our sin is said to be laid on him; which in Scripture phrase, is as much as his being a sacrifice for sin, in the room of sinners.

3. His soul may be taken either simply; for, he shall be an offering for sin, the soul being often taken for the whole person; or it may be taken more properly, to relate to his sufferings, called the travail of his soul, verse 11. However it is the person, the man Christ, soul and body, that is the sacrifice, and more especially his soul as the wrath of God was on it; and when he suffered, his soul did undergo that wrath, as well as his back was given to the smiter, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.

4. There are two words further, which we would hint at, in the exposition, for clearing of Christ's being called an offering for sin. 1. We would put a difference between the offerings and sacrifices which were for sin under the law; and this offering which is applied to Christ. The Apostle says (Hebrews 10) that it was impossible that the blood of bullocks, and of goats could take away sin; they were not properly sin-offerings, but as they were types of that offering which was to come; and so when Christ is called an offering, He is differenced from all the offerings that were offered before Him, by priests on earth; in this, that His offering, or sacrifice takes away sin, by virtue of itself, according to the covenant. But these offerings of those priests that were under the law, (as is clear, Hebrews 9:13) took not away sin by themselves, but only in so far as Christ who was typified by them was made use of; and from this we may see it clear. 1. That it was by the blood of Christ, that the fathers under the law had their sin pardoned; and that the pardon of sin was to them an effect of this offering, as well as to us. 2. That all these sacrifices and offerings under the law, were types of this one offering, and not that one anniversary sacrifice only which was offered once a year, by the high priest; which we the rather hint at, because both these are by Socinus, that enemy of Christ's satisfaction, controverted; he aiming thereby to draw souls from leaning to this offering. 2. What we speak of Christ's sacrifice, relates to that which He performed on earth, though He be yet a priest, and lives for ever to make intercession for us; yet this offering respects that which He offered while He was here in the world, and especially that which He offered on the cross, as it is said (Ephesians 5:2), He has loved us, and given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. And (Hebrews 10:12), this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God; and by His sacrifice once offered up before, He went into the most holy; He has perfected for ever them that are sanctified: which is also a truth controverted by that same enemy Socinus; the clearing of it serves not only to open up the meaning of this place, but to let us see the efficacy of Christ's sufferings, and the nature of them, that in them especially, His offering, as it brings pardon of sin, and peace with God does consist; so then the meaning of the place is in short, that though our Lord Jesus had no sin, yet it pleased God in His counsel, to appoint Him to suffer, and that His sufferings should be an offering for the sin of others.

More particularly, if it be asked, what is meant by this, an offering for sin, we shall clear it from the type; and 1. It is here supposed, that there is sin on the person, and that wrath due for sin is to be removed. 2. It is supposed, that there is an inability in the person to remove the sin, and yet a necessity to have it removed, or else he must suffer. 3. There is supposed the intervening, or coming of something in the place of that person that is guilty of sin, and liable to wrath. 4. There is supposed the acceptation of that which intervenes by God, the party offended; and so it presupposes a covenant, whereby the Lord has condescended to accept of that offering. Take it in the sin-offering goat, the scapegoat (Leviticus 16), a living type of Christ, when He is brought into the congregation. 1. The priest must put his hands upon him; and confess the sins and transgressions of the people over him, which signified their acknowledgement of their sins, and a liability to suffering, because of them. 2. It supposed their proposing of that goat, as a sacrifice to bear their sins, and to take them on him; therefore it was said, the priest shall put the iniquities of the people upon him. 3. The one of these goats was to be sent away into the wilderness, and the other was to be killed; and generally all the sin-offerings were to be killed: so that no remission of sins was without blood, and they came in the room of the sinners, bearing, as it were their sin, and their punishment. And 4. It is to be an atonement, to wit, a typical atonement; by this means the people were to have access to ecclesiastical privileges; but they could not purify the conscience, except Christ were made use of; who was the true atonement then, as He is now, still for sin; and by virtue of His sacrifice according to the covenant, they were to deal for the pardon of the sins born by Him.

We come now to observe some things from the words, and first, it is assumed here, that even the elect, and consequently all others, are by their sin liable to God's judgment, and obnoxious to His wrath; there were no need of a sin-offering, if this were not. The name that Christ gets here, supposes that there was sin, and that there was wrath for sin lying at the door of all men; since man fell, and broke God's command; all men are before God like Isaac, lying before his father, ready to be killed, his father having his hand stretched out with the knife, ready to take away his life: And our Lord Jesus is as the Ram that was caught in the thicket of thorns, whereby elect sinners are freed, and Himself made the sacrifice that was provided in their room and place. Thus in the name that our Lord Jesus gets, we have held out to us, the posture that all of us are in by nature, if Christ intervene not to take the stroke off us, on Himself; laying Himself open to the stroke of justice for sin. To clear it, consider these three things, which will hold out, what this state and posture of ours is. First, the natural sinfulness, and guilt that men are lying under, which makes them naked, and to be as that wretched infant (spoken of, Ezekiel 16) lying in their blood, cast forth into the open field, to the loathing of their persons. This makes God and them to be at [reconstructed: feud], and lays them open to the stroke of justice. Second, consider the intervening of the law of God, that threatens the curse on sin wherever it is, and pronounces this sentence, that the wages of sin is death, and says to the sinner, as it is said to Cain, If you sin, death lies at the door; and in this sense, sinners are not only like malefactors, taken and apprehended, but like to such when sentenced to death; therefore (John 3:18) it is said, He that believes not, is condemned already. Third, consider that men in their natural state, who have broken the Covenant of Works, have justice some way pursuing them, to the executing of the sentence, which God in His law has pronounced against them; and they are as these shedders of blood, before they betook themselves into the City of Refuge, having the avenger of blood following hard at their heels; in which sense (John 3:36) it is said, He that believes not, the wrath of God abides on him. There is an actual appointment, or ordination of the curse added to the law's sentence, till by Christ it be removed, and this is in some sort gripping him, and taking him as it were by the throat. By the first of these man is found guilty, and liable to judgment; by the second, he is sentenced; but by the third, the sentence stands over his head, ready to be executed, and bespeaks him thus, therefore you are cursed, therefore you are a dead man.

Soberly think upon this, and make these uses of it. First, see here the condition of all men by nature, and your own in particular, a very terrible and dreadful condition; wherein they are like men lying bound to be a sacrifice to the wrath of God, the Lord's hand being stretched out, to lay on the stroke, and the wrath of God abiding on them. Do you indeed believe this to be your state and posture; till application be made of Christ's sacrifice, and till there be a laying of your sin over on Him by faith, that ever till then you are liable to the law's sentence, and that the curse and wrath of God abides on you? And yet this is the state and posture of all the children of Adam, that have not got Jesus Christ put in their room. It was typical, if the people did not bring an offering, as was prescribed, their sin remained in them; but it is real here, sin and wrath remain, where Christ is not made use of by faith.

The second use is, for expostulation with many of you, that are still in nature (and I wish there were fewer of you in this case to be spoken to). How does it come to pass, when this is your condition by nature, that you are so secure, and that you have few, or no apprehensions at all of the wrath of God; and of the hazard of your immortal souls? Ah! are there none such here, that apprehend their hazard? Were you ever under it? And if so, how have you been delivered out of it? Or who is come in your room? Do you think it nothing to be under sin, and the curse of God, to have wrath abiding in you, indeed abiding on you? There are many of you who are sleeping sound now, and that disdain to notice challenges, but as Solomon speaks of the man that was sleeping on the top of a mast, and complaining of that, and of them that deceived him; so shall it be with you, that can lie still securely sleeping in sin, and that put by one day after another, and do not make use of this sacrifice. All that the Gospel aims at is this, that you would seek to change rooms with Christ, that the feud may be removed, and that the quarrel that is between God and you may not be continued and kept up; especially, seeing there is a way laid down how to get your debt satisfied for; which if you neglect, what will you do, when your day is gone? Are there not many dying daily, and is there not a day of reckoning coming, when the stroke that is hanging, and hovering over your head will fall? And seeing it is so, why do you lie still, and slight Jesus Christ? If it were believed what dreadful wrath is abiding many (whereof your senselessness, and senseless security is a part) and what a terror it will waken in your consciences one day, you would certainly think it good news to have the sufferings of Christ spoken of, and the benefit of them offered to you now.

The third use is to stir up sinners to thankfulness, especially such of you as are blessed with effectual counsel, to make the right use of this sacrifice. O! Consider how much you are obliged to God, and to Christ the Mediator; the preaching of the Gospel is now thought little of, and is tasteless to many; but did you know what is your state and posture by nature, how near you are to hell, and how near the curse and wrath are to you, even ready to grasp at you, to tear and devour you, the Mediator's interposing to satisfy for you, would make him more lovely to you; and you that have gotten interest in him secured, would think yourselves much, unspeakably much [reconstructed: in his debt, to put it plainly,] and in the debt of his grace. This was the posture that grace found you in, even liable to the stroke of God's drawn sword of justice; and our Lord Jesus on the one side stepped in, and said hold, Lord; let that be on me, and let them go free, and upon the other side, there was God's good pleasure, condescending to accept of his offer; and saying, Awake O sword, and smite the shepherd, and spare the sheep. What obligation should this lay upon you, to love and be thankful to God, and to the Mediator, who interposed to keep the stroke off you; I say upon you who are sinners, and apprehensive of wrath? This is Christ's offer, and if you be fled to him for refuge, he has changed rooms with you; you are much (as I said) in his debt, he has freed you of your debt, and purchased an absolution to you, and there is no condemnation to you, as it is, (Romans 8:1). Whereas before you were in a manner condemned already; but the truth is, our Lord Jesus is undervalued, not only by them that apprehend not their hazard, and so make not use of him, but also in a great measure by them that do apprehend it; in so far as they give way to unbelief, and dare scarcely trust to his sacrifice.

The second and next thing implied here is that, though men be naturally under sin, and obnoxious to the wrath and curse of God by reason of sin, yet there is nothing that can take away that sin and free them from wrath but Christ Jesus — his offering up of himself a sacrifice for sin; therefore he is so made the offering for sin here, as it is exclusive of all other things; no other thing could do it; as it is (Hebrews 10:14), he by one offering has perfected forever those who are sanctified. The blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin, neither is, as it is (Acts 4:12), there any other name under heaven given to sinners whereby they can be saved, but the name of Jesus. I shall not speak here of the nature of Christ's offering and sacrifice; but sure, though all men be under sin and wrath by nature, there is no other way to remove it, except by this sacrifice; thousands of rams (as it is Micah 6:7), and ten thousand rivers of oil, the firstborn of the body, will not take away the sin of the soul; Christ's offering up of himself, in God's account, is only the sin-offering for the removing of sin and wrath from sinners. Is it needful to prove this? We wish it were not, but the truth is, it is hardly believed by men and women; consider therefore shortly these three things, and you will find it true. First, the certainty and peremptoriness of the curse that follows sin, as we may see (Galatians 3:10): cursed is everyone that continues not in all things written in the book of the law to do them; whatever may be said of God's absolute sovereignty, of which we will not now speak — God has so ordered his covenant, and revealed his will in his word, that the soul that sins shall die, if a sacrifice be not put in his room. Second, consider the ineffectualness of all other things to satisfy justice, though we would multiply offerings — what cares God for these? All the beasts on the mountains are his, he delights not in the blood of bulls and goats, as it is (Psalm 50). Thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil are rejected; whether we look to penances (of which some foolishly talk), what can these do to God? Or whether we look to men's external performances of holy duties, or to their inward convictions, challenges, and mournings for sin, there is no suitable value in these things to interpose between them and God's wrath; suppose that man after the fall could perform duties without sin; therefore the Apostle (Hebrews 10) says that it was impossible that the blood of bullocks and of goats could take away sin; there is no suitableness nor proportionateness between the blood of a beast and the soul of a sinner; far less between it and the majesty of God that is wronged by sin; therefore, when the sufferings of a sinner are lengthened to twenty thousand millions of years in hell, the justice of God is never satisfied, nor ever will be to the full; what then can other things do. Third, there is no other thing that has a promise made or annexed to it, nor is there any other means laid down for the removal of sin and wrath, but Christ offering himself up a sin-offering. I know some are ready to think that, though there be no worth in the thing or duty, yet God of his free grace will accept of it; but is there a promise of God's accepting any other thing for a satisfaction for sin, or for the removal of wrath, but Christ's sacrifice alone? And will, or can, folks expect that for which they have no promise? The Scripture is plain and peremptory in this, as namely (Acts 4:12), there is no other name under heaven whereby a sinner can be saved, but by the name of Jesus; he is the door (John 10), the way, the truth, and the life (John 14); the promises are indeed, and amen in him (2 Corinthians 1). There is greater necessity to be thorough in this, though a common truth, than folks think of; and for use, it aims at these two. First, upon the one side, to cry down all besides that pretend to satisfy God, or to make a sinner acceptable to him; prayer is no sin-offering; repentance, convictions, a blameless life, etc. are no sin-offerings; these things are empty and insignificant as to the justification of a sinner, or the obtaining of his pardon. Second, upon the other side, it points out the absolute necessity of making use of Christ's sacrifice, and of the betaking of ourselves to it for the satisfying of God's justice; if there be a necessity of the pardon of sin and of the removing of wrath, there is then sure a necessity of closing with Christ and his sacrifice.

The first of these uses speaks to two sorts of persons, with whom the Word of God has no weight, and who, in effect, think to satisfy God with nothing. First, a profane, graceless, secure company, who, because God keeps silence, are disposed to think that He is like themselves, and that He will never pursue a quarrel against them — much like that man spoken of (Deuteronomy 29:18-19), who says in his heart he shall have peace though he walk in the imagination of his own heart, adding drunkenness to thirst. We have a generation of this sort among us, who tush at all threats — (alas for them, O! that God would be graciously pleased to make a change on them, or if that may not be, that He would rid us of them) — who will needs live sensually, and as they list, who will needs speak and do as they please, and will not be controlled; and yet at the first hand, will boldly and confidently assert their hope of heaven, as if they had never been sinners. From where comes this? Even from their supposing, that there is another way to heaven than God has chalked out; they think they may be saved, though they never betake themselves to Christ for union with Him. But whether shall their sentence or God's stand? There is a day coming, when you shall know; you say you shall have peace, but God says, No. Why so? Because you never knew what it was to make use of Christ; you had never so much as a form, nor any the least gust of religion, but were, and are still as senseless as the stones in the wall: what do you think will become of this? God urges, as it were, the offers of Christ upon you, and you still slight Him; He tells you, that there is a necessity of union with Him; else you shall never see heaven; and you lie still at a distance from Him, and yet will needs hope for heaven; but alas! it will not be so with you. Either think on the right way, which is by putting Christ in your place, and laying religion to the heart in sad earnest; or dream not of coming to heaven. A second sort are they, who are not altogether so profane as the others, but will condemn them — (as indeed the practice of many is loathsome) — they will, it may be, pray in their families, and will not be drunk, neither will they swear nor lie, and they will walk blamelessly; and upon these grounds, they promise heaven to themselves, very confidently; and yet they come not through the sense of their sinful and cursed state, by nature, to close with Christ by faith, and to make use of His sacrifice. Such err on the other hand. Oh! when shall we be at this, not to neglect the study of holiness, and yet not to rest on it, to the prejudice of this one offering. This were a practice suitable to, and worthy of professors of the gospel; to be seriously aiming at all duties of holiness that are called for; and yet to be building all their expectation of any good from God, on the sacrifice of Christ alone; never coming to God without bringing it along with them, and looking through it to be accepted before Him. There needs no more, and no other thing that we can bring will do our turn, nor be taken off our hand, if this be neglected. The Lord Himself teach us this way.