I. That Christ. has a people which are his purchase
I. That Christ. has a people which are his purchase
Concerning whom may be observed the following things.
1. Who the people are that are Christ’s, and are purchased by him. These are men; for as for angels, they cannot come into the account of purchased ones; the evil angels Christ has nothing to do with as a Saviour, nor they with him; the good angels, though they are the objects of electing, yet not of redeeming grace; though Christ is the head of election to them, yet not the author of the redemption of them: for as they never were in bondage, they cannot he said to be redeemed, or bought again; besides their nature is incapable of dying, or of such a passage as the purchased people of Christ are obliged unto: but the purchased people are men, the sons of men, with whom the delights of Christ were from everlasting; whose person and cause he espoused, and for whom he undertook as a surety to obey, suffer and die in their room and stead; and by so doing to redeem and save them. In order to which he took on him their nature, and not the nature of angels, and in that nature made a purchase of them; ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men; (1 Corinthians 7:23) of whose race they are, and among whom they live, and to whom they are liable to be servants, whom Christ has bought with the price of his blood but then these are not all men, or all the individuals of mankind for they are redeemed from among men, and out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation; (Revelation 14:4 and 5:9) and therefore cannot be all men, or all of every kindred, tongue, people and nation; if Christ had made a purchase of all men, all would be saved, for his purchase cannot he lost: indeed we read of some, that deny the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction; (2 Peter 2:6 but it is not clear that our Lord Jesus Christ is there meant, or the purchase of his blood there spoken of; but rather, that the God of Israel is intended, and his peculiar dealings in providence with that people, on account of which he is said to buy them: but supposing that Christ and his purchase are designed, this may he understood not of his real purchase of those who were eventually destroyed, but of their former profession of him as the Lord that had bought them, which they supposed and claimed, though it was not really so. The people of Christ are a distinct people; distinguished by the love of God to them, by his choice of them to eternal life, and by the covenant of grace into which they are peculiarly taken, and are interested in all the blessings and promises of it: and by the effectual vocation of them: and as they are a distinct people in Christ’s intercession, for whom he prays, and not for the world; so in redemption by his blood, they are a peculiar people, whom he has redeemed from all iniquity; to whom he has a peculiar right, for whom he has a peculiar value; on whom he bestows peculiar blessings; and whom he admits to a peculiar nearness to himself: they were indeed the church of God which he has purchased with his own blood; (Acts 20:28) that church of which he is the head, and for which he has given himself, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, and present it to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; even the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven; that is to say, the elect of God: these and every one of them are bought by Christ, and all of them, their souls and bodies; and though the redemption of them is of their souls principally and chiefly, yet of their bodies also; wherefore being not their own, but bought with a price, they are under obligation to glorify him that bought them, in their body and spirit, which are his: (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) these are they which are called the purchased possession; (Ephesians 1:14) not heaven, as some have thought, to which redemption cannot with any propriety be ascribed; but a people for the Lord’s possession, which he has bought for that purpose; nor are any but persons ever said to be purchased by Christ; which leads me to observe,
2. That Christ, and he alone, is the purchaser of these people. The Son of God was appointed the redeemer of them in eternity, and was sent in the fulness of the to redeem them; and Christ has redeemed his people from sin, law, hell, and death; the Lamb has redeemed them, or bought them again by his blood; being God over all, blessed for ever, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; the only potentate, whose is the earth and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein; he was able to make this purchase, and none but a divine person was equal to it; wherefore God is said to purchase the church with his blood, and as he was able to make this purchase, he was willing to do it; God in his infinite wisdom found him, and pitched upon him to he the ransom- price of his people; upon which he said concerning them, Deliver them from going down to the pit: (Job 33:24) and Christ voluntarily agreed to be that ransom, and said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God; (Psalm 40:7, 8) and accordingly he did come in human nature, in the form of a servant, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many; (Matthew 20:28) and indeed by his becoming man, and so our God or near kinsman, the right of purchase and redemption belonged unto him. If a man, according to the Levitical law, could not redeem himself when sold, his uncle, or his uncle’s son, or any near of kin, might do it; and so the redemption and purchase of inheritances belonged to such, as in the cases of Boaz and Jeremiah. Thus Christ, partaking of the same flesh and blood with his people, and they being sold, and in a state of bondage; the right of redemption or purchase devolved on him, as it was agreed it should in the counsel and covenant of grace and peace; and accordingly he has actually made the purchase: he has purchased the church with his blood; the thing is done; ye are bought with a price; this has been testified in due the; full proof is to be, and has been made of it. But I go on to observe,
3. The price with which these people are purchased by Christ; the purchase-money that was laid down for them, or given as a valuable consideration on their account: and this is sometimes said to be the flesh of Christ, which he gave, for the life of the world; (John 6:5 p for the obtaining and securing the life of his chosen ones, even his whole human nature, which he took in union with his divine person; and so is said to he made flesh; (John 1:14) or a partaker of the same flesh and blood with his people; in which flesh or human nature he was put to death, and so obtained eternal redemption for them. Sometimes his blood is represented as the purchase-price; not corruptible things, as silver and gold, but the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without spot or blemish: (1 Peter 1:18, 19) he is said to purchase the church with his own blood; (Acts 20:28) and to redeem us unto God by his blood; (Revelation 5:9) which was a sufficient price, since it was the same blood with ours; for he partook of the same flesh and blood with ours; it was not the blood of bulls and goats which was given as the purchase-price; but it was the blood of a man, and the blood of an innocent person, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. It was the blood of the harmless and innocent Lamb of God, without spot or blemish, either of original or actual sin, and so fit to be the ransom-price; and besides, what gave it its value, virtue, and efficacy, is, that it is the blood of him that is God as well as man, and both in one person; the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and so as it has a virtue to take away sin, and cleanse from it, has an intrinsic worth and value in it to make a purchase of all God’s elect. Sometimes the life, which is in the blood, the life of Christ, is made to he the ransom-price: he laid down his life for the sheep; (John 10:15) which his father gave him, and made his care and charge; his life went for theirs, and for the redemption of them; he gave his life a ransom for them: (Matthew 20:28) yea, he is said to give himself, αντιλυτρον, “a ransom-price” for all (1 Timothy 2:6) his people, Jews and Gentiles, men of all nations, ranks and classes; and all sorts of sinners, greater and lesser; even his whole human nature, soul and body, as in union with his divine person, which were given, as for a sacrifice and offering for the sins of men, so for the ransom of them. And how great must this be! we sometimes hear of a king’s ransom, given either by a king, or for one; such is the ransom of Christ, it is given by him the King of kings, and is no other than himself; and it is given for his people, who are made kings and priest, to God by him; which must needs be a great one. Now it may he proper to inquire,
4. To whom this price was paid for the purchase of these people. Not into the hands of Satan; for though he is the god of this world, he is so by usurpation; and though he works effectually in the children of disobedience, and even leads captive God’s own people, in a state of unregeneracy; yet he has no rightful claim unto them, nor just possession of them; and therefore, as there was no necessity of making a purchase of them from him, so neither has any been made: they are indeed ransomed from the hand of him who is stronger than they, even the strong man armed, in whose power they were whilst in a state of nature; but then this is done by power; and though in consequence of a price paid, yet not into his hands, but into the hands of another; and so the prey is taken from the mighty, and the lawful captive is delivered. But the price of Redemption is paid into the hands of God, into the hands of divine justice. Christ has redeemed his people unto God (Revelation 5:9) by his blood; by giving himself an offering and a sacrifice unto him; by fulfilling his law, and satisfying his justice. God has a sovereign right unto them, and a sovereign disposal of them, and could give them to whom he will; and he gave them to his Son: thine theywere, and thou gavest them me, (John 17:6) on condition of his making his soul an offering for sin; or giving himself to redeem them from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people. (Titus 2:14) God is he against whom they have sinned, and whose law is broken by sin: for sin is the transgression of the law; (1 John 3:4) and the dishonour done to that must be removed, and the honour of it repaired and restored; and Christ, by his obedience, sufferings and death. has magnified the law, and made it honourable. Justice by sin is injured and offended; and the judge of all the earth will do right and insist upon a full satisfaction to his justice; and therefore Christ is set forth to be the propitiation for sin, to declare the justice and righteousness of God; which is glorified by Christ. being made sin and a curse for his people, and by laying down his life a ransom-price for them. Sins are so many debts, and they are exceeding numerous; more than ten thousand talents are owning, and man has nothing to pay with; he has run into debt with God, and to him must the payment be made, either by himself, or by his surety; and now Christ, the surety of his people, in paying off their debts, has put a valuable consideration for them into the hands of God, to whom he has made the payment; and so he has blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that lay against them. To conclude this head of discourse, let us briefly consider,
5. The nature of this purchase. It is a special purchase; a peculiar people that Christ has redeemed; a special people that he has purchased; a special price which he has laid down for them, and which arises from his special love of them, and from whence flow special blessings and favours to them. It is a proper purchase: there is a purchasing or buying things in an improper sense, which is done without money, and without price; so grace, and the blessings of it, are bought of Christ; that is, by making application to him, they are freely had and enjoyed but this purchase is made with a price; ye arc bought with a price; (1 Corinthians 7:23) though not with the price of gold and silver, and such like corruptible things; yet with the price of Christ’s blood, with his flesh, his life, himself, as has been before observed. It is a legal purchase, good and valid, and against which no objection can he laid; it is a sufficient price that is given, what was agreed to by the parties concerned; by God, to whom it is paid, who is satisfied with it; by Christ, who engaged to give it, and has made payment of it; nor can any thing he alleged to invalidate the purchase either by law or justice; nor can any one, for the future, lay any claim to the persons purchased, but he to whom they of right belong; who has a most clear and indubitate right and title to them; as by his Father’s gift, who gave them to him to he his portion and inheritance, so by his own purchase: wherefore he claims an interest in them on this account, saying, I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine; (Isaiah 43:1) and they are neither their own, nor an other’s, but the Lord’s; and as they are not the vassals of Satan, they ought not to be the servants of men, but serve and glorify the Lord, and him only. As the purchase Jeremiah made of the field of his uncle’s son was firm and valid, when the evidence of the purchase was subscribed and sealed, the witnesses taken, and the money weighed and paid; so the purchase which Christ has made is much more so, being sealed with his blood, and testified in due time the everlasting gospel, the evidence of this purchase; the scriptures are the writings which contain it, shew and prove it, It is a full and complete purchase; it is a purchase of the whole election of grace; of all the children of God scattered about in the world; of all the Lord’s people that ever have been, are, or shall be, in it: these may truly be said to be the pearl of great price, which Christ the merchant-man came into this world to seek for, and found; and finding it, sold all that he had, shed his blood, parted with his life, and gave himself for it, and bought it: and it is the greatest purchase that ever was made, or can he made, and which none else could ever make; such as are possessed of the greatest riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever; (8) it must do so, for any thing that they can give as a redemption-price for it; they are not able with all they have, and had they the whole world, and all that is in it in their possession, they would not be able to purchase one single soul, or give a sufficient ransom-price for it: whereas Christ has purchased the whole church of God, thousands and millions of the souls of men; even a great multitude out of all nations, kindred, people, and tongues, which no man can number. But I proceed to consider,