“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” ~ Isaiah 53:11
“Doctrine: That all the benefits and advantages, that any ever have gotten, or shall get, that lead to life eternal, and which concur to advance the work of their salvation, are the fruits of Christ’s purchase, by his soul-travail. Is a sinner brought to believe? It is the fruit of his suffering. Is a sinner glorified? It is the fruit of the same. And therefore when in the one word it is said He shall see his seed; it is said in the next word He shall see of the fruit of the travail of his soul; to show that a soul’s engaging to Christ by faith, whereby the person becomes one of his seed, flows from his suffering, and is a fruit of the travail of his soul, as it is in Corinthians 5:21, He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him, or in him; where our righteousness, and what conduces to our justification, is derived from his being made sin, or a sin-offering for us. And in Galatians 3:13, it is said that, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come on us Gentiles; whatever is accomplished under that blessing, as taking in both the end and the means by which we come by it, flows from his being a curse for us, and from his being brought under sad suffering, and sore soul-travail for us.”
“1. Then, when we speak of the fruit of Christ’s sufferings, we mean not only that our justification, the pardon of our sins, and our entry into heaven, are fruits of it; but that our believing, repentance, holiness, and everything that leads thereunto, are fruits of it also. Therefore it is promised to Christ (Psalms 110:3) Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. And that these that are given to Christ shall come, is a promise; as well as it is a promise that these that come shall be justified. And the one follows upon Christ’s engaging, and performing of the engagement, as well as the other.”“2.
(1) The nature of the covenant, wherein all the promises concerning sinners’ salvation are comprehended. There being but one covenant of redemption, and that being a promise of this covenant (Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 31:33), to circumcise the heart to love God, and to write the law in it, as well as to pardon sin; and all the promises of the covenant depending on Christ’s stipulation, and these things in the promises flowing from the covenant between God and the Mediator, sinners can have no right to anything that is promised, but by a covenant; neither can they have any access to them, but through Christ’s suffering.
(2) It is clear from the end of the covenant, that whatever sinners stand in need of, they must be in Christ’s debt for it. Now, if we had faith, or repentance, or any other grace, from ourselves, or on our own account, we should not be in debt or common for all that we need, as indeed we are, according to that in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, He is made of God unto us Wisdom, to be our guide and teacher; Righteousness, to be our justifier, and the meritorious cause of it; Sanctification, to be the worker and procurer of it; and in a word, complete Redemption. And this is subjoined as the reason of all, That he that glories, or rejoices, may glory, or rejoice in the Lord; that is, whether there be a looking to faith or repentance, or any other grace, there may be no cause to be vain or proud of it. But that knowing these to be from Christ, and fruits of his purchase, all the praise of them may be to him alone.”
“The use of this is large; it speaks something more generally to them that are strangers to Christ, and who think that they would be at him; and something to them that are in him; and something to both.”“And the first thing that it speaks is this (which we have often heard, but cannot hear of it too often), even the great and glad tidings, and very good news, which we have to speak of through Jesus Christ, that redemption is purchased by him to poor sinners; and that through him there is access to life, and peace and reconciliation with God, from which through sin we had fallen, and run ourselves under a forfeiture of, and from which we had been barred up eternally, except he had suffered. There was a wall of separation and partition standing between God and us; which by his sufferings was demolished and broken down, and thereby a door of access to God struck up, even through the veil of his flesh (Hebrews 10:20). Theses should be refreshing and fresh news to us every day, as indeed they would be, if we rightly knew and believed the benefit of God’s friendship, and what were our hazard in lying still in nature, and what was the price that Christ laid down to purchase for sinners friendship with God, and delivery from this curse; that is behooved to cost him sore soul-travail, ere any special grace could be bestowed on sinners, and that this same gospel that is preached to you, is a fruit of the travail of his soul; and that, in making the covenant of redemption, this same was a part of the indenture (so to speak), that these good news might be published in the same place, and these glad tidings spoken of among you.”
“And therefore, secondly, put a great price on the means that may further your salvation; on repentance, faith, holiness, peace with God, etc; for they are the fruits of a very dear purchase, and the results of a great and sore conflict, which the Mediator had with the justice of God, ere there could be access for a sinner to any of them. There was not so much paid to get the world created, as was to by faith, repentance, access to God, and an entry to heaven, to runaway sinners; nothing was paid for the one, but, a mighty great price for the other.”
“And therefore, thirdly, we would expostulate with many of you, how it comes to pass that you think so little of these things that Christ has purchased, and that you think so little of faith in him; and that so many of you take a counterfeit for it, try not if you have it, trouble not yourselves though you lack it; and that other things of little value are much esteemed of, and over valued by you. Is there anything comparable to that, which Christ has put such a price on, that he gave his own life for it; and that God has put such a price on, that he promised it to Christ, as a part of the satisfaction for the travail of his soul? And yet it is lightly valued by many; yea, by most men and women. The day will come, when you will think faith to be of more value, and will think the pardon of sin, and an interest in Christ’s blood, to be valuable above the whole world, though you had it, when you shall be brought to reckon with God for the slighting thereof.”
“And therefore, fourthly, seeing this is a truth, that everything that leads to life eternal, is a fruit of Christ’s purchase; take the right way to attain it. The exhortation implies these two: 1. That you make a right choice of, and put a just value on these things, that you should choose and value. 2. That you take the right way for attaining of these things.”
1. Then, would you know what is to be valued and chosen? It is certainly these things that God and the Mediator esteem of, and the congregation of the first-born esteem of. The things that Christ has purchased, and which are the fruit of the travail of his soul, are most excellent; and therefore, mind, study, and seek after these things, that they may lead your souls into eternal life; seek after faith and repentance, to have your peace made with God, to have the heart purified, to be of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God are of great price, as the apostle Peter speaks [1 Peter 3:4]; to have pardon of sin, and holiness, for adorning the gospel of God; and to have glory, that you may see God and enjoy him. These things are the best things; this is undoubtedly the better part, which will never be taken from them [Luke 10:42], whose choice through grace it is.
2. What way may folk labor to come to make this choice, and to attain these best and most valuable things? No other way but that the doctrine holds out. If all things that lead to life and salvation be fruits of Christ’s purchase, then surely it is by virtue of Christ’s purchase alone, that you must come by them; pardon of sin comes by the blood of sprinkling; peace with God, grace, and more grace, the exercise of grace, and growth in holiness, faith in all its exercises and advances, and every other grace, comes by his sufferings; as also does glory, because he has purchased these graces of the Spirit, as well as pardon of sin, and heaven. Often Christ is overlooked, and passed by here; many think that they shall obtain pardon of sin, and go to heaven without him; others, though they will not own that, yet fall in the second, and would make use of him for pardon of sin, and for paying of their debt, if they could repent and believe in him; but till they find these in themselves, they are frightened to come unto him. Whereas the sinner that is convinced of sin, and of his hazard, would lay down this as the first step of his way in coming to Christ: Any repentance, and believing, and the making of the heart willing to close with, and to cleave to him, is the fruit of Christ’s purchase, and he must be in his debt for it, for there is no other possible way to get it. The first point (to speak so), that a wakened and sensible sinner should look unto for pardon and peace, for repentance, faith and all things, would be to Christ, and his sufferings, whence all these come. Sinners at first are disposed to take too far a look, and so mistake in the order of things; therefore, when he sense of sin pinches them, and they set out to believe, and find that their hearts are very averse from believing, and can hardly be brought to it, then they are fainted, when they consider, and find, that if it stood but on this, even to consent to take Christ, they cannot do it. But then, and in that case, the Lord minds that they should be much in his debt, for faith, and repentance, and for a soft and tender heart, that they should seek these from him, as well as pardon of sin, considering that all this is Christ’s purchase, and that there is a possibility to come to it this way, when they can come to it no other way; if you would take this way even to eye and look to Christ as the Author and Finisher of faith, and be in his debt for it, through his grace it should go better with you. This is that which the apostle has in Hebrews 12:1-2, where he calls, to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets us, and to run the race with patience that is set before us. And if it should be said, ‘How shall that be done?’ even by looking unto Jesus the Author an Finisher of our faith; and then follows, Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, and despised the shame; thus leading folk unto his sufferings as the solid foundation of their faith.”
Durham, James. Christ Crucified: The Marrow of the Gospel in 72 Sermons on Isaiah 53, Dallas: Naphtali Press, 2007, p458-461
