Great Hope in God’s Purpose

Beloved in our Lord, in the first part of my Golden Key,⁴⁶ I have shewed you seven several pleas⁴⁷ that all sincere Christians may form up, as to those several Scriptures in the Old and New Testament that refer either to the great day of account or to their particular days of account. In this second part,⁴⁸ I shall go on where I left [off], and shew you several other choice pleas that all believers may make in the present case…

The tenth plea that a believer may form up, as to the ten Scriptures that are in the [footnote]⁴⁹ that refer to the great day of account or to a man’s particular account,⁵⁰ may be drawn up from the consideration of that compact,⁵¹ covenant, and agreement that was solemnly made between God and Christ, [concerning] the whole business of man’s salvation or redemption.

We may present it to our understanding in this form: God the Father saith to Christ the Mediator, “I look upon Adam and his posterity as a degenerate seed, ‘a generation of vipers,’ of apostates and backsliders, yea, traitors and rebels, liable to all temporal, spiritual, and eternal judgments. Yet I cannot find in my heart to damn them all: ‘Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger…for I am God, and not man’ (Hos 11:8-9). Therefore, I have determined to shew mercy upon many millions of them, save them from wrath to come, and bring them to glory (Rev 7:9-10). But this I must do with a salvo to⁵² my law, justice, and honor: if, therefore, thou wilt undertake for them and become a curse for their sakes (Gal 3:10, 13) and so make satisfaction to My justice for their sins, I will give them unto Thee (Joh 17:2, 6, 11) to take care of them and to bring them up to My kingdom for the manifestation of the glory of My grace.” “Well,” saith Christ, “I am content: I will do all Thou requirest with all My heart, and so the agreement is made between Thee and Me.”⁵³

This may be gathered from the Scriptures in [Psalm 2:7-9 and 40:6-8]. Christ the Son speaks in both places. In the first, He publisheth the decree or ordinance of heaven [concerning] Himself and bringeth in the Father, [Who installs] Him into the priesthood or office of Mediator. For so the apostle applieth that text, “Thou art my son” (Heb 5:5), and also avoucheth⁵⁴ this covenant and agreement in the two main parts of it…But for a clearer, [more] distinct, and fuller opening of the covenant of redemption, or that blessed compact between God the Father and Jesus Christ, which is a matter of grand importance to all our souls; and considering that it is a point that I have never yet treated of in pulpit or press, I shall therefore take the liberty at this time to open myself as clearly and as fully as I can. And therefore thus…

This Scripture, Isaiah 53, among many others, gives us very clear intimations of a federal transaction⁵⁵ between God the Father and Jesus Christ, in order to [achieve] the recovery and everlasting happiness of poor sinners. The glorious gospel seems to be [summarized] in this chapter. The subject-matter of it is the grievous sufferings and dolorous⁵⁶ death of Christ and the happy and glorious [outcome] thereof. Of all the prophets, Isaiah was the most evangelical prophet, and of all the prophecies of this prophet, that which you have in this chapter is the most evangelical prophecy. In this chapter you have a most plain, lively, and full description and representation of the humiliation, death, and passion of Jesus Christ; which indeed is so exact and so consonant to what hath fallen out since, that Isaiah seems here rather to pen a history than a prophecy…Out of this chapter, which is worth more than all the gold of Ophir, yea, than ten thousand worlds, observe with me these eight things:

First, observe that God and Christ are sweetly agreed and infinitely pleased in the conversion of the elect (53:10). “He shall see his seed,” that is, He shall see them called, converted, changed, and sanctified. “He shall see his seed,” that is, an innumerable company shall be converted to Him by His Word and Spirit, in all countries and nations, through the mighty workings of the Spirit and the incorruptible seed of the Word (Psa 110:3; 1Pe 1:23). Infinite numbers of poor souls should be brought in to Jesus Christ, which He should see to His full content and infinite satisfaction (Rev 7:9; Heb 2:10, 13). “He shall see his seed,” that is, He shall see them increase and multiply; He shall see believers brought in to Him from all corners and quarters, and He shall see them greatly increase and grow by the preaching of the everlasting gospel, especially after His ascension into heaven and a more glorious pouring forth of the Holy Ghost upon His apostles and others (Act 2:37, 41; 4:1-4, 8). No accountants on earth can count or reckon up Christ’s spiritual seed and issue. But,

Secondly, observe with me that in the persons redeemed by Jesus Christ, there was neither weight nor worth, neither portion nor proportion, neither inward nor outward excellences or beauties for which the punishment due to them should be transferred upon dear Jesus (53:4). If you look upon them in their sins, in their guilt, you shall find them despisers and rejecters of Christ: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” Christ took upon Him not our nature alone, but the infirmities also of it, and became liable to such sorrows, afflictions, pains, and griefs, as man’s sinful nature is exposed and subject to. They are called ours because they were procured to Him by our sins, and sustained by Him for the discharge of our sins; unto the guilt whereof, out of love to us undertaken by Him, they were deservedly due (Rom 8:3; Heb 4:15). Christ, for our sakes, hath taken all our spiritual maladies upon Himself, that is, all our sins, to make satisfaction for them; and [hath taken them upon Himself] as our surety to pay the debt that we had run into. Christ, in the quality of a pledge for His elect, hath given full satisfaction for all their sins, bearing all the punishments due for them, in torments and extreme griefs, both of body and soul. The reason why they so much disesteemed Christ was because they made no other account, but that all those afflictions that befell Him were inflicted by God upon Him for His own evil deserts.⁵⁷ They accounted Him to be one out of grace and favor with God, yea, to be one pursued by [God] with all those evils for His sins. When the Jews saw what grievous things Christ suffered, they wickedly and impiously⁵⁸ judged that He was thus handled by God, in way of vengeance for His sins. By all which, you may see, that in the persons redeemed by Christ, there was nothing of worth or honor to be found, for which the punishment, due to them, should be transferred upon our Lord Jesus Christ. But,

Thirdly, observe with me that no sin nor meritorious cause of punishment is found in Jesus Christ, our blessed Redeemer, for which He should be stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God (53:5, 9). “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed…He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Sin had cast God and us at infinite distance. Now Christ is punished that our sins may be pardoned; He is chastised that God and we may be reconciled. Guilt stuck close upon us, but Christ, by the price of His blood, hath discharged that guilt, pacified divine wrath, and made God and us friends. God the Father laid upon dear Jesus all the punishments that were due to the elect, for whom He was a pledge. And by this means, they come to be acquitted and to obtain peace with God. Christ was “holy, harmless, undefiled” (Heb 7:26). No man could [convict] Him of sin; yea, the devil himself could find nothing amiss in Him either as to word or deed. Christ was without original blemish or actual blot. All Christ’s words and works were upright, just, and sincere. Christ’s innocence is sufficiently vindicated. It is true: Christ suffered great and grievous things, but not for His own sins—“He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth” (53:9)—but for ours. Christ had now put Himself in the sinner’s stead and was become his surety. [He was, therefore,] obnoxious⁵⁹ to whatever the sinner had deserved in his own person; and upon this account, and no other, was He wounded, bruised, and chastised. The Lord Jesus had no sin in Him by inhesion,⁶⁰ but He had a great deal of sin upon Him by imputation:⁶¹ “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Co 5:21). It pleased our Lord Jesus Christ to put Himself under our guilt, and therefore it pleased the Father to wound Him, bruise Him, and chastise Him. But,

Fourthly, observe with me that peace and reconciliation with God, the healing of all our sinful maladies, and our deliverance from wrath to come are all such noble favors as are purchased for us by the blood of Christ (53:5). “The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Christ was chastised to procure our peace by removal of our sins that set God and us asunder. The guilt [of our sins was] discharged with the price of His blood, and we [were] reconciled to God by the same price. Christ was punished that by Him we might obtain perfect peace with God, Who was at enmity with us by reason of our sins. By Christ’s stripes, we are freed both from sin and punishment. Now, because some produce this Scripture to justify that corrupt doctrine of universal redemption, give me leave to argue thus from it. The chastisement for sin that was laid upon the person of Jesus Christ procured peace for them for whom He was so chastised (Isa 57:21; Eph 2:14)…But,

Fifthly, observe with me that the great and the grievous sufferings that were inflicted upon Jesus Christ, He did endure freely, willingly, meekly, patiently, according to the covenant and agreement that was made between the Father and Himself (53:7). “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth”…That is, the penalty due to God’s justice for our sins was exacted of Christ, and He sustained the same for us. The prophet doth not speak of one and the same party or parties, both sinning and suffering or sustaining penalties for their own defaults; but as one suffering for the sins of another and sustaining grievous penalties for faults made and faults committed by other persons. The words, rightly read and understood, do sufficiently confirm the doctrine of satisfaction made to God’s justice by Christ’s sufferings for our sins. The penalty due to us was in rigor of justice exacted of Him, and He became a sponsor or surety for us by undertaking in our behalf the discharge of it. Christ did voluntarily undertake and engage Himself unto God His Father in our behalf, as a surety for the payment of all our debts. They were exacted of Him, and He answered for them all; that is, He not only undertook them, but He also discharged us of them. We use the word commonly in our English tongue: to answer a debt [is] to discharge it; and this is most true of our dear Lord Jesus; for He answered our debt and caused our bond to be cancelled that it might never come to be put in suit against us, either in this or that other world (Joh 19:30; Rom 4:25; Col 2:14)... But,

Sixthly, observe with me that the original cause of this compact or covenant between the Father and the Son, by virtue of which God the Father demands a price, and Jesus Christ pays the price according to God’s demands, is only from the free grace and favor of God (53:10). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.” God the Father looks upon Jesus Christ as sustaining our person and cause; He looks upon all our sins as laid upon Him, and to be punished in Him. Sin could not be abolished, the justice of God could not be satisfied, the wrath of God could not be appeased, the terrible curse could not be removed, but by the death of Christ. Therefore, God the Father took pleasure in bruising Him and in putting Him to grief, according to the agreement between Him and His Son. It must be readily granted that God did not incite or instigate the wicked Jews to those vile and cruel courses and carriages⁶² of theirs to Jesus Christ. But yet that His sufferings were by God predetermined for the salvation of mankind is most evident by [Acts 2:23 and 4:28]; and, accordingly, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, and to put Him to grief. The singular pleasure that God the Father takes in the work of our redemption is a wonderful demonstration of His love and affection to us.

Seventhly, observe with me that it is agreed between the Father and the Son that our sins should be imputed unto [the Son], that His righteousness should be imputed unto us, and that all the redeemed should believe in Him and so be justified (53:11). “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge (or faith in Him) shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Some render it, “He shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied,” that is, Jesus Christ shall receive and enjoy the effect and issue of all the great pains that He hath taken and all the grievous things that He hath suffered, as shall give Him full content and satisfaction. When Christ hath accomplished the work of redemption, He shall receive a full reward for all His sufferings. Christ takes a singular pleasure in the work of our redemption and doth herein, as it were, refresh Himself, as with the fruits of His own labors. God the Father engages to Jesus Christ that He should not travail in vain, but that He should survive to see with great joy a numerous issue of faithful souls begotten unto God. You know when women, after sore, sharp, hard labor, are delivered, they are so greatly refreshed, delighted, gladdened, and satisfied that they forget their former pains and sorrow, “or joy that a man is born into the world” (Joh 16:21). God the Father undertakes that Jesus Christ should have such a holy seed, such a blessed issue, as the main fruit and effect of His passion, as should joy Him, please Him, and as He should rest satisfied in. Certainly there could be no [greater] joy and satisfaction to Christ [than] for Him to see poor souls reconciled, justified, and saved by His sufferings and satisfaction; [just] as it is the highest joy of a faithful minister to see souls won over to Christ and to see souls built up in Christ (1Th 2:19-20; Gal 4:19)…But,

Eighthly, observe with me that it is agreed between the Father and the Son that for those persons for whom Jesus Christ should lay down His life, He should stand intercessor for them also, so that they may be brought to the possession of all those noble favors and blessings that He has purchased with His dearest blood (53:12). “He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors,” saying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luk 23:34)… For those very transgressors, by whom He suffered, He does intercede, which intercession continues still and shall do to the end of the world (Heb 7:25).

From “Paradise Opened” in The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol. 5, in the public domain.

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Thomas Brooks (1608-1680): Nonconformist preacher and advocate of the Congregational way; buried in Bunhill Fields, London, England, UK.

One should not be of the opinion that all this is mere intellectual speculation and that, having perceived all this, one can let the matter rest; for it is the foundation for all sure comfort, joy, holy amazement, and the magnification of God.—Wilhelmus à Brakel