For whom Christ offered himself a Sacrifice.

    1. It was not for his own sins, for he had none ; but for the sins and transgressions of others, Dan. ix. 26. ' The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.' He could not suffer for any sin of his own ; for he was ' holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.' Though he made his soul an offering for sin, yet he had done no iniquity, neither was guile found in his mouth. As the legal lambs were without blemish, so Christ was a Lamb without spot. His extraordinary and miraculous conception in the womb of a virgin was an effectual bar against original sin, and he had no actual sin in the course of his life. He was infinitely holy as God, and habitually holy as man. Every power and faculty of his soul, and every member of his body, was elevated and raised to the highest pitch of holiness. And he fulfilled all righteousness in his life, and gave complete satisfaction to all the demands of the law ; so that he needed not, as the Levitical priests, first to offer sacrifice for his own sin, and then for the sins of the people.

    2. Christ did not offer up this sacrifice for the sins of fallen angels ; for there was no sacrifice appointed for them. Whenever they rebelled against their Sovereign Lord and Creator, they were immediately expelled from the divine presence, and are kept in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day. Christ took not upon him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham, He offered up the sacrifice of himself to make an atonement for the sins of men.

    3. Christ did not die a sacrifice for every man and woman in the world. It is true, there was virtue and efficacy enough in his oblation to satisfy offended justice for the sins of the whole world, yea, and of millions of worlds more ; for his blood hath infinite value, because of the infinite dignity and excellency of his person. And in this sense some divines understand those places of scripture where he is called the Saviour of the whole world. Yet the efficacy and saving virtue of his sacrifice extendeth not unto all. For,

    1st. It is restricted in scripture to a certain number, called sometimes the church of God, as Acts xx. 28. ` Feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood, ' Eph. v. 25. ' Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.' Sometimes they are called his sheep, as John x. 15. ' I lay down my life for my sheep.' They are also called those that were given to him by the Father, John xvii. 2. ` Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.' See also John x. 26-29. In these, places of scripture, and others that might be named, you see that Christ's death is restricted to a certain number of persons, exclusive of all others,

    2dly, If Christ would not pray for every one in the world, then certainly he did not die for every one in particular. But so it is that he excludes the reprobate world from the benefit of his prayer, John xvii. 9. ' I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me.' Both the parts of Christ's priesthood, his offering sacrifice and his intercession, are of the same latitude and extent. We find them joined together in the scripture by an inseparable connection, Rom. viii. 34. ' It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us, 1 John ii. 1, 2. ' If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins.' So that Christ intercedes for all those for whom he satisfied offended justice : but he intercedes not for the whole world, but only for those whom God hath given him ; and therefore he did not satisfy offended justice for all men.

    3dly, Christ's death is an act of the highest love that ever was or can be manifested to the world.

    Greater love,' says he, ' hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' And, says the apostle, Rom. v. 8. ' God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Now, it is plain, and cannot be denied, that ever one of Adam's posterity is not the object of Christ s dearest love : and therefore he did not lay down his life for every one of them.

    4thly, To affirm that Christ offered up himself a sacrifice with a design and intention to save all mankind, great absurdities would follow. As,

    (1.) That Christ died for many, yea for innumerable multitudes, who never heard of his blessed name, nor of the blessings and benefits which were purchased by his death.--But this runs cross to the strain and current of the scripture, which tells us plainly, that there can be no salvation but by faith in Christ ; and that without hearing of him there can be no faith, Rom. x. 14, 15, 16.

    (2.) If Christ died for all, then this absurdity would follow, that he died for those whom he knew to be children of wrath and sons of perdition, whom God had passed by, and left to perish eternally in that miserable condition into which they had plunged themselves by sin.

    (3.) If Christ died for all men, then he died for those who are now roaring in hell, and scorched and tormented with unquenchable fire, without any hope of redemption ; and so he bare the punishment of their sins, and they are also now bearing and shall bear it for ever themselves.

    (4.) If Christ died with an intention to save all men, then he is an imperfect and incomplete Saviour, who hath satisfied offended justice for their sins, and purchased redemption by his blood, but cannot apply it. He is only a true Saviour of those who are actually saved, and obtain salvation by him.

    (5.) If Christ died for all men, then he died in vain for the most part, and his death and sacrifice had little effect ; for the generality of men and women will perish eternally. There are many nations in the world that never heard of Christ ; and even where the gospel is preached, our Saviour tells us, that wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many go in thereat ; but that strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,' Matt. vii. 12, 13. ` Many are called, but few are chosen.' So that Christ did not offer up the sacrifice of himself' for every one in particular.

    4. Christ died for the elect, and for all the elect, and none else. God designed to save some of the lost posterity of Adam, for the manifestation of the glory of the exceeding riches of his grace ; and Christ died for all these, Eph. i. 4, 5, 6. ` According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love : Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved.' Compare the following scriptures, Acts xiii. 48. ' And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord : and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.' Rom. iv. 25. `Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification ;' and v. 8. ' But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4. ' For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.' 1 Pet. ii. 21. 24. For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps ; who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed.' &c. From which we may be fully convinced that Christ died only for the elect.*

    * The Arminians maintain, that Christ died equally for every individual of the human race, and paid the same price of redemption equally for all men, yet they allow that many shall perish, i. e. that many shall suffer eternally in hell for their own sins, even though Christ suffered for them also to the full. The mere statement of such a doctrine is enough to prove it both false and absurd. It may be observed, also, that all who preach the doctrine of Christ's dying equally for all men, must, of necessity, and for the sake of consistency, preach also the doctrine of free will, or of conditional salvation ; or, in other words, the doctrine of Salvation by the deeds of the law.

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