33. These things the Saviour endured, and
made peace through the Blood of His Cross, for things in heaven, and
things in earth Col. i. 20.. For we were
enemies of God through sin, and God had appointed the sinner to
die. There must needs therefore have happened one of two things;
either that God, in His truth, should destroy all men, or that in His
loving-kindness He should cancel the sentence. But behold the
wisdom of God; He preserved both the truth of His sentence, and the
exercise of His loving-kindness. Christ took our sins in His
body on the tree, that we by His death might die to sin, and live unto
righteousness 1 Pet. ii. 24.. Of no small
account was He who died for us; He was not a literal sheep; He was not
a mere man; He was more than an Angel; He was God made man. The
transgression of sinners was not so great as the righteousness of Him
who died for them; the sin which we committed was not so great as the
righteousness which He wrought who laid down His life for us,—who
laid it down when He pleased, and took it again when He pleased.
And wouldest thou know that He laid not down His life by violence, nor
yielded up the ghost against His will? He cried to the Father,
saying, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit Luke xxiii. 46.; I commend it, that I may take it
again. And having said these things, He gave up the
ghost Matt. xxvii. 50.; but not for any
long time, for He quickly rose again from the dead.