Sermon 54

Isaiah 53:11. Verse 11. — By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;

This blessed death, and soul-travel of our Lord Jesus, has been good news to many: and it is the ground of all the hope of life that arises from the Word to a sinner. It should never be tasteless, nor disrelishing to us, in mentioning, reading, or thinking of it, but it should in reason make sinners glad, that ever there was such a subject to be spoken of and to be considered. It certainly had to be a great business, that brought the Son of God to die. The salvation of sinners is a great work, though many of us think but very little of it.

The sum and scope of Christ's sufferings and death are briefly held forth in these words, By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. Where we have, 1. The great benefit that comes by his death; which is justification, or the absolving of sinners from the guilt of sin, and from the curse of God, due to them for sin; by Christ's interposing himself to become a sin-suffering, there is a way laid down, how sinners may be relieved. 2. The parties made partakers of this benefit, and they are called many. 3. The way how it is derived to these many, it is by his knowledge; that is by, or through faith in him.

We have spoken somewhat of the benefit itself, justification; which is the thing aimed at, for the most part in preaching, and in all other ordinances, that God may by the righteousness of his Son in the Gospel, carry on the justification of sinners, through their knowledge of him, or by causing them to rest upon his righteousness by faith, in order to their salvation. It is sad, that in this point, which is of so great concern, so many should go so far wrong, and mistake so grossly; that it is no great matter in some respect, whether they be called Christians, or not. This being the advantage of a Christian; that he has a way to justification, and absolution from sin, and wrath before God, revealed to him, which others have not; who, if he comes short of this, or falls in gross errors about it, he has little or no advantage beyond heathens; who may have more of the fat of the earth, and of the things of the world, than those who are within the visible church have. But in this, in a special manner, the Christian excels, and goes beyond the pagan, or heathen; that he has a way laid down to him, how he may come to be reconciled to God, and freed from wrath, and from his curse due for sin; which we have shown to be by fleeing to Christ, and by faith resting on his righteousness, and satisfaction. For Christ the cautioner having paid the debt, by laying down a price fully satisfactory to divine justice; and this satisfaction being offered in the Gospel, upon the condition of receiving him; a sinner giving his consent to God's offer, and closing with it, may confidently expect, according to that offer to be justified; and no other ways.

We show you one particular great and gross error, with which those who are under the darkness of Popery are woefully carried away, which we did the rather touch upon, because, though it be a doctrinal error in respect of them, and disputed for by them; yet in respect of the practice of many Protestant Christians, it's very rife and ordinary; that is, to mistake, err, and go wrong in the way of making their peace with God. And there are three sorts especially who do exceedingly mistake, err, and go wrong here. Those of whom I mean, and am now speaking, are not such as are maintaining, disputing, or writing for such errors; but such as commit themselves to be sound Protestant Christians, and haters of the gross Popish error; that we spoke somewhat to the last day. The first sort are those who, to this hour, never laid down any solid reckoning how to make their peace with God, or what way to come at absolution before Him. These persons do in practice deny, whatever may be their professions, that there is any such thing as a reckoning to be made between God and them; or that there is a necessity of justification, for preventing of their eternal ruin and destruction. They live from their birth with a hope of coming to Heaven, without looking how they may pass this great step of justification before God; they never saw, nor laid to heart, their need of it. Are there not many hearing me today that are of this number? Who will needs keep up confidently their fancied hope of Heaven; and yet never knew what it was to answer a challenge for sin, or a threatening of the curse, for the breach of God's law, from Christ's righteousness, nor did they ever set and arraign themselves before God's tribunal as guilty, nor did they ever think seriously of their charge, nor of their summons, nor of the way of making their peace with God, by taking hold of Christ's righteousness. A second sort are the generality of legal professors; I do not say that they are legal in their practices; that is, that they make it their business to keep the law, for they are as little concerned or careful in that as any; but they are legal in this respect, that when it comes to the making of their peace with God, they know nothing but the law to deal with, as that man spoken of, Matthew 25, that got the one talent, and was utterly careless to improve it; yet when it comes to a reckoning, he stands and sticks to a rigor of the law, Master, says he, Lo here you have that which is yours. Just so, such will be ready to say, we have no more grace than God has given us, we have a good heart to God; we are doing what we do or can. Here come in profane men, mere civil men, and hypocrites, and more especially the mere civil men; who do much in the duties of the second table of the law, and they will profess that they do mind judgment and a reckoning, but as if they had been bred and brought up in a Popish school, they foist in a legal righteousness instead of Christ's, as the ground of their justification before the tribunal of God. You may take in these instances of this sort of persons, which are very common; and who, in their practice, almost in everything agree with the Popish doctrine. The first instance is of such persons that know nothing of the imputation of Christ's righteousness, yet if we speak of it, they will fall out in such expressions as these: we can do nothing of ourselves, there is no goodness in us, it's God's grace that must do our turn; yet in the meantime it is not Christ's righteousness they lay down to themselves as the ground of their justification, but the good which they have done, as they suppose in Christ's strength, and the grace which is given them to work and do that good by; which is the same thing with the Popish way of justification; as if Christ had procured an ability to us to keep the law ourselves, in order to our being justified thereby. Hence they will believe, pray, hear the Word, praise, and go about other duties, and will profess that they acknowledge Christ in these; and that they have the grace from Him to perform them; He furnishes the stock, and they trade with it, and so for the attaining of life, they are obliged to their own trading; which is in words to pretend grace, but really to put our own works and righteousness in the room of Christ's righteousness, as the ground, or meritorious cause of justification. For the grace given to us, enabling us to work, is not Christ's righteousness but our own, because given to us and working in us; and so it is always ourselves, and our own righteousness, not Christ and His righteousness, that we rest upon. A second instance of some people that speak of Christ, and of attaining life through Him; yet it is not in respect of His merit, but in respect of His strength; for such will say, we hope through Christ's strength to come to Heaven; their meaning in which is, that He will help them so to repent and believe, so to be holy and resist temptations, as they shall come to Heaven thereby, as the deserving cause of their coming there. It's true, there is something right here, when in its own place, if whole Christ were rested upon, justification being put in the first place, and His merit rested upon for that; it were good that His strength were leaned to and made use of, for performing the duties of sanctification. But when His strength is rested upon as the alone thing; and when we look not to Christ's purchase and merit as the ground of our acceptance; but to Christ as enabling us to do duties to the end that we may give God a recompense thereby; at the best it is but He and we together, this certainly is wrong; for nothing is proposed as a satisfaction to God's justice here, but what is immediately our own. A third sort are somewhat wiser, who, it may be, think that anything that is in themselves is not worth the naming; but partly through Christ's merit, and partly through what they have and can do themselves; or by these joined together, they hope to be saved. This was the doctrinal error of the Galatians, who attributed justification to Christ and to the works of the law jointly. This way ascribes to Christ's righteousness this much, that it makes our own righteousness to be accepted as the ground of our justification before God; which in some respect is worse than the covenant of works; for the covenant of works sought a perfect righteousness, but this way offers an imperfect righteousness, and to mend and to eke out our imperfect righteousness, it takes in the righteousness of Christ. But there is no such covenant, or way of justification in Scripture: for God made but two covenants for men to attain life by, one of works, which is now impossible; the other of grace, by which only it is possible to attain justification and life. This makes a third covenant, or contrivance by a mixture partly of some works in us, and partly of some grace in Christ, to make up what is lacking in our works. And yet this way is very pleasing to our nature, and that to which we are much inclined for justification; for men are naturally disposed to think that they give Christ enough, when they allow His righteousness to make up what is defective in their own. It's true indeed, that Christ's merits do wash our duties, but our duties come never up to be the ground of our justification in whole or in part; which is evident from this, that before Christ makes our duties or performances acceptable, He makes our persons first to be accepted; and that once being so, then anything performed by us, in Christ's strength according to the will of God, is acceptable also.

But now we proceed further in the words of the text; and before we come to the causes of our justification, we shall briefly observe two or three things, that lie obviously in our way; the first of which is this, that the absolving of a sinner, through the imputation of Christ's righteousness, is the proper, and native result of Christ's purchase; and the great intention of it; His sufferings, and soul-travail were undergone, to procure justification to many; So that if we would know what is the fruit of Christ's soul-travail? here it is; By his knowledge shall many be justified; Therefore (Romans 5:9), it is attributed to his blood, Being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath, and (2 Corinthians 5, last verse), He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him; That which I mean is this, that Christ's intention in His dying, was to redeem, and, really, and actually to procure absolution, and justification before the throne of God to so many as should believe on Him: Or we may take the doctrine these two ways, which yet come both to the same account, 1. Thus, that the things which Christ intended in His death, was not a mere possibility, that sinners might be justified; nor to lay down a conditional way of their justification, whereby they might come, or not come to it, and so to make it possible; but that which He intended was that their justification might follow absolutely; I do not mean instantly, and without the intervening of a condition; For here His knowledge comes in, as the condition, but that which I mean is, that He died, that their justification might actually, and certainly follow as a fruit of His purchase; In a word, His death and sufferings were, not to make justification possible to all, but that so many as He bargained for might be absolutely justified; or that many that is, all the elect might be actually justified; because He shall bear their iniquities, therefore by His knowledge they shall be justified.

We observe it for these ends, or uses, 1. To give an answer to that question, What is the native result of Christ's death to His people? We say, it is their absolute, and actual justification: Those that would extend the grace of God, and the death of Christ so broad and wide, as to leave out none, say in effect, that the design thereof was to lay down such a way, as makes it possible to all to be justified; and yet such a way as makes it possible that none at all shall be justified; for it hinges justification on the free will of the creature; and so in striving to make grace broader than God allows, they come to make it none at all, by leaving it on man's free will, whether it shall be effectual or not, But blessed be God, the covenant of God was not on these terms, for it is said here, That by his knowledge he shall justify many. 2. It gives us these two practical uses. 1. It shows, what should be our intention, in our use-making of Christ's death, and that is, that we may be justified, and absolved by it, even to make use of it, for attaining to pardon of sin, and peace with God; If this be overlooked, and neglected, all other fruits of it were useless; it will avail but little to be a member of the visible church, to be baptized, and to be admitted to the Lord's Supper, to have literal knowledge, of the principles of religion, to have a gift of preaching, or of prayer, etc., these will not justify; The peculiar thing aimed at in Christ's death, and that which His people aim at, and have to rejoice in, is justification through his knowledge, which is always to be understood without prejudice to the study of holiness.

2. It gives us this use, whoever would have absolution before God, would know that this was the very thing engaged for to Christ, and His intention in His death; That sinners believing on Him, might be absolutely, and actually justified by Him; it was not simply to propose justification to them; but that absolutely they might be absolved from the curse of God due to them for sin: And now may I not ask, whether this is more encouraging to sinners, to have Christ procuring justification only conditionally to them; or to have the thing absolutely conferred upon them? This is a ground on which believing sinners lift up their heads confidently, and expect justification through His righteousness: It is this that was promised to Christ, and it is this that is the native fruit of His death, without which it will be fruitless; And this may remove the great obstruction that readily a sinner, when he is serious, sees lying in his way, to wit, the want of righteousness, and the fear of not being absolved, the want of inherent righteousness in himself, which makes him liable to the curse of the law; when he sees upon what terms Christ died, First, To procure a righteousness to them that wanted righteousness. And 2. Upon these terms, that sinners through faith in Him might be justified, and freed from the guilt of sin, as if they never had sin themselves; Considering this to be his intention, according to the terms of the covenant of grace, what have they, or what can they have to scare or frighten them from expecting the fulfilling of this promise? Because the contrivance of the covenant of redemption, is to buy justification absolutely, and not the possibility of it only, nor to buy grace to us, whereby to justify ourselves, but justification itself, so as we may be beholden to Him alone for it.

Again, second, when we say that the justification of a sinner is the proper result of Christ's death, it may be thus understood: that the righteousness whereby a sinner is justified is immediately Christ's death and purchase, as to the meritorious cause thereof. So that if we look to what justifies a sinner, as to the meritorious cause of it, the knitting of these two together — "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied" and "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many" — does hold it forth to be Christ's death and purchase. The travail of His soul is, and must be, the ground on which a lost sinner is justified before the throne of God. This both confirms what we formerly proposed concerning this doctrine, and also shows that the justification of a sinner is not by inherent holiness. From where comes it, I pray, that makes a sinner acceptable before God? It is not from habitual, nor actual inherent grace, but from Christ's righteousness, laid hold on by faith, that grips and adheres to it. But from the latter part of the words, we will have more particular occasion to speak to this, where these two are knit together: "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquity" — therefore we do now pass it.

The object of this benefit is many — "many" ordinarily in Scripture implies these two things. First, a great number, and so it shows the extent of the object; that is, that Christ shall purchase and redeem many, or by His death procure justification to many. Second, a restriction, and thus "many" is opposed to "all," and so the meaning is: there shall many be justified by Christ's death, but not all. And therefore, as none can from these words plead for a universality in justification, so neither can they in redemption, for He only bore their iniquities whom by His knowledge He justifies.

Looking on these many in these twofold considerations, we may take these observations from it. First, taking it extensively: Observe, first, that the righteousness of Christ is of itself able to justify many — it is a righteousness that can satisfy for the sins of many; or thus, that in the covenant of redemption, there is an intended application of Christ's righteousness and purchase to many. Second, that there are many who shall indeed partake of Christ's righteousness and be justified by it — it is not one, or two, or a thousand, but as it was intended to justify many, so it shall be actually applied to many for their justification. Third, comparing the former words, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied," with these words, "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many" — observe that Christ is not satisfied for the travail of His soul except many be justified. Or thus: it is Christ's satisfaction, how many there be that make use of Him, and that by making use of Him come to be justified by Him. As afterward we will see, these many are all these that believe, all these that have this true and saving knowledge of Him, and do rightly acknowledge Him.

The making out of one of these doctrines will make them all out: that Christ's Righteousness is able to justify many, that many shall be justified by it; and that it is His Satisfaction, and Delight that many be justified, and get this good of it. It's said, Matthew 20:28, that he came to lay down his life a ransom for many, and Romans 5:15, that the gift of grace which is by one man Jesus Christ has abounded to many. And verse 19: As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Let but these four things be put together, and considered, and it will be found, that there is no just ground to quarrel these doctrines. 1. The native worth, and intrinsic value that is in the Satisfaction of Christ — it's the blood of God, of the person that is God; it's an offering that flows from a willing and cheerful giver; which makes it the more acceptable. He was content with delight to pay the price, there cannot be a limiting, or bounding of this worth and value; because there cannot be any bounding, or limiting of the person that gives the value to it, if it be considered in itself. 2. Consider the freeness of the offer, which takes in many — our Lord communicates very freely, what He has bought very dear: and it's done with respect to His taking in of many, to take away all exceptions from the poor and needy, and from them that want money. 3. As the terms are free, so the offer is very broad; and comprehensive, as we see, Isaiah 55:1, Ho everyone that thirsts come to the waters; and Revelation 22, Whoever will let him come, and take of the water of life freely. And we find these expressions, all that believe, and, whoever believes, to be frequently used in the Scriptures; which takes in all that will yield themselves to Him on the terms of the Covenant, to close the bargain with Him. 4. Consider God's end in the justification of sinners; which is to make His grace to shine, and to triumph, and to make its victory over man's sin conspicuous, and glorious, by being beyond it; not in respect of the number of persons, but in this respect: that as Adam's one sin brought death on many; so the death of Christ has brought justification to many. As it is, Romans 5: The judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses to justification. Whereas Adam's one offense brought death on many; here the relieving of one sinner is the procuring of freedom to many, because, in that respect Christ is a Satisfaction for many offenses. But it may be objected here: is it not said, that the way to Heaven is narrow, and few there be that enter in there at? They are thin sown, to say so, that are heirs of this Inheritance. I answer, by a distinction: though they be comparatively few, yet considered in themselves absolutely they are many; or they are simply many, though comparatively but few. Consider, and compare them with the multitude of reprobates that are even in the visible Church, they are few, yet if you will consider them in themselves, they are many. And it's most true that is spoken, Revelation 7:9, I saw a number which no man could number. If we look since the beginning of the world, how some are taken in this age, and some in that, some of this nation, and some of another; they will be found to be but few, when all of all nations are put together, yet in themselves they are many. There are these three uses of it, which may be reasons why it is put in here. The first is, to let us see the largeness of the extent of the worth of Christ, and of the allowance of grace, in reference to the justification of sinners through Him; which should make us stand, pause, and wonder. It had been much, if grace had saved but one, more if it had saved a thousand, or twenty thousand: but O! what ground of admiration is it, when many are saved by it. This is the native end, why it is put in here; even to show, that it is not for nothing that Christ died, it shall be a blessing to many. I mark it, because, though the presumptuous thoughts of many lead them to extend the merits of Christ to all in the visible Church; yet it may be that in others there are too narrow, and limiting thoughts of the extent of His merits, and of the allowance of grace, as to the number of the elect, that shall be saved. It being certain, that as we are in hazard and ready to abuse anything, so this: if it be said that they are many that are justified, we are ready to exclude none, and if it be said that they are few, we are ready to make grace as it were a niggard and a churl, and to contract, and narrow too much the application of it.

The second use of it (which is a second reason why this word "many" is put in here) may serve for encouragement to sinners: and to hearten them to attempt to get this benefit of justification made their own: many believe (and in some respect it is a truth) that it's a singular and odd thing to come by justification; and hence they conclude, that they will never get it; and indeed if the thought of its singularity and rareness made them careful to attain the thing, it were a profitable use of it; but when it makes them heartless, to attain the thing; it's a wrong, and prejudicial use of it. But sinners, there is here ground of encouragement, provocation, and upstirring to you, to seek after justification through Jesus Christ; because there are many, that are the objects of it; the righteousness of Christ, is a righteousness that will save many; it's an article of the covenant of redemption, that Christ shall get many; the promise will give title and right to many, He will not be content, if He get not many; now putting these together, it cannot but be very great encouragement to seek, and a strong ground to expect justification on this account, because, 1. That which a believing sinner gets, is justification, pardon of sin both original and actual; and it's complete actual justification, not only the procuring the offer of it, but the application of it, justification from all things, from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses; and justification never to be reversed. 2. This justification is designed for, and allowed to many, the stepping in of some before others does not wrong them; and there needs not be disputes about election; for the text says, that the allowance of grace is to many. 3. It is Christ's satisfaction that He get many to be justified; and the more that step to, to lay hold on this benefit; He has as it were the more satisfaction: and if the sinner should say, I know not if I be included in that number; the terms of the covenant run to all that believe; if there be a fleeing to Christ, by faith for refuge, there needs not be anxious disputing whether the sinner will come speed; but there should be a stepping forward, many have gotten good, and many will get good, and there is room sufficient for as many as will yield themselves up to Christ, and rest upon His righteousness, it's a large mantle that covers thousands; and the Lord will have thousands to be hidden under it, and justified by it.

Thirdly, it serves to be a most terrible ground of inexcusableness to these, to whom Christ's righteousness is spoken of, and offered in the Gospel; who yet neglect to make use of it; that He was content to lay down His life, and that as a ransom for many; none needs to say, I knew not if I will be welcome, He said, it was for many, and though He said not it was for all, yet it's for all that will believe in Him; and therefore it is not, nor shall not, because He has confined the benefit to few, that you are, or shall be excluded; but because, though He extended the benefit to many, yet you excluded yourselves; and none of you, who hear this Gospel, shall have it to say, I betook myself to Christ by faith, but He refused to admit of me, and He would have no more than He had. There are many who please themselves with such a word as this, when they hear that many will be saved; but it will be the dearest bought doctrine that ever you heard; it had been in some respect better, that you had heard that it was but two or three that will come to Heaven; because the hearing of many's coming there will greatly aggravate your guilt, who neglect so great a salvation.

Therefore take two or three caveats of this doctrine. And first, beware of being secure, because there are many that shall be justified; there are many more that will perish; compare these that perish with these that will be saved; and it will be found that they are but a handful that will be saved, and that swarms and multitudes will go to Hell. Therefore, when you hear that the door is opened to many, let it encourage you to enter in; but remember this, that more will be excluded, and perish, than will enter in and be saved. The Scripture says, Many are called, but few are chosen; even in respect of the called within the visible Church. Second, consider that grace's enlarging of this benefit, to take in many, will be your greatest challenge and aggravation that shall miss, and come short of it. Therefore, let us (as it is, [reconstructed: Hebrews 4:1]) fear, lest having a promise left to us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it. When this door is opened to us, we would by all means fear coming short, or not entering through unbelief; for it will be worse with us than if the door had never been opened. Folk ordinarily think not so much to miss, or come short of a privilege which but one or two have access to, but when it is such a privilege as is made attainable by many, the missing of it galls and torments the more. And when many shall come from the east, west, south and north, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, what weeping and gnashing of teeth will it cause to them, who shall be excluded? And therefore, third, beware of thinking that there is the less diligence, or fear required, because we say, that many will be justified; for though there be many that are redeemed, and many that shall be justified, yet all these come to be justified through Christ's knowledge. And therefore such as are ignorant and profane can but take little, or no comfort from this, while they continue to be such. Though there be many that are justified, yet none but believers are justified; and none can warrantably look on themselves to be believers, but such as are sincere students of holiness. I would not, therefore have you laying weight, either on many, or few's being justified, except by way of motive; but on the way that you take to come by the end. Though a great many more were saved than will be; if you take not the way of faith, and holiness to come to salvation, you will not get yourselves shrouded in the crowd, but though there were never so few damned, you shall make up the number. In a word, it's ground of encouragement to a poor sinner, that would fain be justified in God's own way; it is also ground of shame, and confusion of face to the unbeliever, that restrains the benefit of Christ's purchase, and shuts himself out; when grace does make use of such expressions to bring him in. And it will be ground of conviction to all that have so wide a door opened to them, and do not strive to enter in. It may be many of you think little of this now, but in that day, when many shall be taken into the Kingdom of Heaven, and others shut out, it will be known to be a matter of greatest concern. If once we could be induced to be in earnest in this one thing, there were a great point gained on the hearers of the Gospel, and till it be seriously minded, there is nothing that we can do in religion, that will be to any purpose.