These Sections teach us of the effects of Christ's mediatorial work on earth :

1st. That Christ made satisfaction in behalf of those whom he represented (a) by his obedience, (6) by his sacrifice of himself.

2d. That Christ has in strict rigour /ttZ/y satisfied all the demands of divine justice upon those whom he represents.

3d. That thus he has, according to the terms of the eternal covenant, not only secured, in behalf of those whom he represented, remission of sins and propitiation of divine wrath, but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.

4th. That although this perfect satisfaction was rendered in his obedience and suffering only subsequently to his incarnation, yet the full benefits thereof had been applied to each of the elect severally in their successive generations by the Holy Ghost, through the varying forms of truth to them made known.

1st. That Christ made satisfaction for those whom he represented, both by his obedience and by his sacrifice of himself, has been shown above, Chapter vii., § 3, and viii., § 4. This truth is taught in the Confessions of all the churches, Lutheran and Reformed. The Heidelberg Catechism, one of the most generally adopted of all the Reformed Confessions, says, Question 60 : " God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ, ... as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ hath accomplished for me."

The Formula of Concord, a Lutheran Confession, says : " Since Christ was not only man, but God and man in one undivided person, so he was not subject to the law, nor obnoxious lo suffering and death, because he was Lord of the law. On which account his obedience is imputed to us ; so that God on account of that whole obedience (which Christ by his acting and by his suffering, in his life and in his death, for our sake rendered to his Father who is in heaven) remits our sins,

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reputes us as good and just and gives us eternal salva* tion."

2d. Christ thus has, in strict rigour, fully satisfied all the demands of divine justice upon those whom he represents. As we saw (Chapter ii., §§ 1, 2) the essential justice of the divine nature demands the punishment of sin. It demands also that the condition of the original covenant of works should be fulfilled before the reward is granted. The latter, Christ does by his obedience. The former, he suffers in the sorrows of his life and death. Christ suffered as the representative of sinners. Our sins were laid upon him. He redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us. He died the just for the unjust. He is the propitiation (expiation) for our sins. He gave his life a ransom for many. We are bought with a price. Gal. iii. 13; 1 Pet. iii. 18; 1 John ii. 2; Matt. xx. 28; 1 Tim. ii. 6. Christ suffered only in his single human soul and body, and only for a time. Nevertheless, his person was the infinite and transcendently glorious person of the eternal Son of God. Consequently his sufferings were precisely both in kind and degree what the infinite righteous wisdom of God saw to be in strict rigour a full equivalent in respect to the demands of legal justice, for the eternal sufferings of all for whom he suffered. This is the doctrine of the whole Christian Church. The "Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England," say. Art. 31 : " The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual."

The Catechism of the Council of Trent, 2. 5-63:

" Whatever is due by us to God on account of* our sins has been paid aliundantlj, although he should deal with

us according to the strictest rigour of his justice

For it we are indebted to Christ alone, who having paid the price of our sins on the cross, most fully satisfied God."

3d. That thus he has, according to the terms of the everlasting covenant, not only secured in behalf of those whom he represented remission of sins and propitiation of divine wrath, but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of glory. The sufferings of Christ secure the remission of the penalty, and by his active obedience, according to the terms of the covenant made with Adam and assumed by Christ, he purchases a right to life and eternal blessedness. That he has so purchased eternal life for all those in whose stead he rendered obedience, is proved from the fact that the Scriptures habitually set forth the truth that "the adoption of sons" and "eternal life" are given to the believer freely for Christ's sake, as elements of that pu7'chased possession of which the Holy Spirit is the earnest. Eph. i. 11-13; Rom. viii. 15, 17 ; Gal. i. 4 ; iii. 13, 14; iv. 4, 5; Eph. V. 25-27 ; Tit. iii. 5, 6 ; Eev. i. 5, 6 ; v. 9, 10.

This proves therefore (1) that Christ did not die simply to make the salvation of those for whom he died possible — i. e., to remove legal obstructions to their salvation— but he died with the design and effect of actually securing their salvation and of endowing them gratuitously with an inalienable title to heaven. (2.) It proves in the second place that the vicarious sufferings of Christ must have been in design And effect, personal and defii ite as to their object. Salvation must be applied to all those for whom it was purchased. Since not the possibility or opportunity for reconciliation, but actual reconciliation itself was purchased ; since not only reconciliation, but a title to an eternal inheritance was purchased, it follows (a) that "to all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same." Conf. Faith, ch. viii. § 8. And (6) that he who never receives the inheritance, and to whom the purchased grace is never applied, is not one of the persons for whom it was purchased.

4th. That although this satisfaction was rendered by Christ only after his incarnation, yet the full benefits thereof had been applied to each of the elect severally in their successive generations from the beginning, by the Holy Ghost, through the various forms of truth to them made known. This has been at length proved and illustrated. Chapter vii. §§ 5, 6.

This section asserts the efficacy of the death of Christ for the salvation of sinners before, as well as since, he actually laid down his life. Though foiu' thousand years elapsed before he actually appeared in the flesh, and put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, yet he was exhibited from the beginning of the world, in promises, predictions, and types ; and believers under the Old Testament were saved by the merit of his sacrifice, as well as those under the New. Abraham " rejoiced to see his day," and was justified by faith in him. ** His death is not more efficacious now, nor will be to eternity, than it was before ; for he is the same in point of virtue yesterday, in the ages past, as he is to-day, at present, and will be in the ages to come"*" — Heb. xiii. 8. Let us rejoice that his death still possesses the same virtue and efficacy that ever it had ; nothing more is required but the application of faith for the communication to us of its fruits and effects.