Lastly, this blood that was once spilled upon the cross will be the burden of our song in heaven itself forever and ever (Rev 5:9).
Now, if we are redeemed, washed, purged, made nigh to God, have peace with God; if we stand just before God, are saved, reconciled, sanctified, admitted into the holiest; if we have eternal redemption by his blood, and if his blood will be the burden of our song forever; then hath Christ paid the total price for us by his death, then hath he done more than made satisfaction for our sins.
SEVERAL DEMONSTRATIONS PROVE THE FORMER DOCTRINE.
But before I conclude this answer, I will give you nine or ten more undeniable demonstrations to satisfy you, if God will bless them, in the truth of this great doctrine—to wit, that Jesus Christ, by what he hath done, hath paid the total price to God for the souls of sinners and obtained eternal redemption for them.
THE FIRST DEMONSTRATION.
FIRST. And first, I begin with his resurrection. That God that delivered him up unto death, and that made him a curse for sin, that God raised him up from the dead—' But God raised him from the dead (Acts 3:15, 13:30). Now, considering that at his death he was charged with our sins, and accursed to death for our sins, that justice that delivered him up for them must have amends made to him before he acquits him from them; for there can be no change in justice. Had he found him in our sins in the grave, as he saw him in them upon the tree (for he had them in his body on the tree), he had left him there as he had left him upon the tree; yea, he had as surely rotted in the grave, as ever he died on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). But when he visited Christ in the grave, he found him a holy, harmless, undefiled, and spotless Christ, and therefore he raised him up from the dead—' He raised him up from the dead, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it (Acts 2:24).
Quest. But why is it not possible now to be holden of death?
Answ. Because the cause was removed. Sin was the cause—' He died for our sins.—He gave himself for our sins (1 Cor 15:1-3; Gal 1:4). These sins brought him to death, but when God that had made him a curse for us looked upon him in the grave, he found him there without sin, and therefore loosed the pains of death; for justice saith, this is not possible, because not lawful, that he who lieth sinless before God should be swallowed up of death; therefore he raised him up.
Quest. But what did he do with our sins, for he had them upon his back?
Answ. He said he took them away—'Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the world's sin.' It is said he put them away—' Now once at the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (John 1:29; Heb 9:26). That is, by the merit of his undertaking, he brought into the world, and set before the face of God, such righteousness that outweighed and goes far beyond that sin, and so did hide sin from the sight of God; hence, he that is justified is said to have his sins hid and covered—'Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered' (Psa 32:1). Covered with the righteousness of Christ—' I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness,' thy sins (Eze 16:8). Christ Jesus, therefore, having by the infiniteness of his merit taken away, put away, or hidden our sins from the face of God; consequently he raised him up from the dead.
You find that the sixteenth of Leviticus mentions two goats, one was to be slain for a sin-offering, the other to be left alive; the goat that was killed was a type of Christ in his death, the goat that was not slain was a type of Christ in his merit. Now this living goat, he carried away the sins of the people into the land of forgetfulness—' And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hands of a fit man into the wilderness. The goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited' (Lev 16:21,22). Thus, Jesus Christ bore away by the merit of his death the sins and iniquities of those who believe; wherefore, when God came to him in the grave, he found him holy and undefiled and raised him up from the dead.
And observe it, as his death was for our sin, so his rising again was for our discharge; for both in his death and resurrection he immediately respected our benefits; he died for us, he rose from the dead for us—' He was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification' (Rom 4:25). By his death he carried away our sins, by his rising he brought to us justifying righteousness.
There are five circumstances also attending his resurrection that show us how well pleased God was with his death.
First. It must be solemnized with the company, attendance, and testimony of angels (Matt 28:1-8; Luke 24:3-7; John 20:11,12).
Second. At, or just upon, his resurrection, the graves where many of the saints for whom he died lay asleep did open. They followed their Lord in complete triumph over death—' The graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many' (Matt 27:52,53). These saints coming out of their graves after him, what a testimony is it that he for them had taken away sin, and destroyed him that had the power of death; yea, what a testimony was it that he had made amends to God the Father, who granted him at his resurrection to have presently out of the grave, of the price of his blood, even the bodies of many of the saints which slept! He was declared to be the Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness, and the resurrection from the dead (Rom 1:4). It saith not, by his resurrection, though that be true; but by the resurrection, meaning the resurrection of the bodies of the saints which slept, because they rose by his blood; and by that, he was with power declared to be the Son of God. They, I say, were part of his purchase, some of them for whom Christ died. Now for God to raise them, and that upon and by virtue of his resurrection, what is it but an open declaration from heaven that Christ by his death hath made amends for us, and obtained eternal redemption for us?
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