From
“A View of the Covenant of Grace” by Thomas Boston.
Thomas
Boston
(1676-1732) was a pastor of
God's flock in
Ettrick,
Scotland, whose
preaching God abundantly blessed in the saving of many souls. The son of a
Presbyterian who knew the Lord and was imprisoned for non-conformity,
Boston
was raised in times of murderous persecution. Nevertheless, he lived to see
God’s people flourish and multiply, as “the Lord added to the church daily
such as should be saved” (Acts
2:47). He is perhaps best known for his part in the reprinting of “The Marrow of
Modern Divinity”, a book which distinguishes the Covenant of Works from the
Covenant of Grace.
1.
It was not for his own sins, for he had none; but for the sins and
transgressions of others, Dan.
9:26, “The Messiah
shall be cut off, but not for himself.” He could not suffer for any sin of
his own; for he was “holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from
sinners.” Though he made his soul an offering for sin, yet he had done no
iniquity, neither was guile found in his mouth. As the legal lambs were
without blemish, so Christ was a Lamb without spot. His extraordinary and
miraculous conception in the womb of a virgin was an effectual bar against
original sin, and he has no actual sin in the course of his life. He was
infinitely holy as God, and habitually holy as man. Every power and faculty of
his soul, and every member of his body, was elevated and raised to the highest
pitch of holiness. And he fulfilled all righteousness in his life, and gave
complete satisfaction to all the demands of the law; so that he needed not, as
the Levitical priests, first to offer sacrifice for his own sin, and then for
the sins of the people.
2.
Christ did not offer up this sacrifice for the sins of fallen angels; for
there was no sacrifice appointed for them. Whenever they rebelled against
their Sovereign Lord and Creator, they were immediately expelled from the
divine presence, and are kept in everlasting chains under darkness to the
judgment of the great day. Christ took not upon him the nature of angels, but
the seed of Abraham. He offered up the sacrifice of himself to make an
atonement for the sins of men.
3.
Christ did not die a sacrifice for every man and woman in the world. It is
true, there was virtue and efficacy enough in his oblation to satisfy offended
justice for the sins of the whole world, yea, and of millions of worlds more;
for his blood hath infinite value, because of the infinite dignity and
excellency of his person. And in this sense some divines understand those
places of scripture where he is called the Saviour of the whole world. Yet the
efficacy and saving virtue of his sacrifice extendeth not unto all. For,
1st. It is restricted in scripture to a certain number, called
sometimes the church of God, as Acts 20:28, “Feed the church of God which he
hath purchased with his own blood,” Eph. 5:25, “Christ loved the church,
and gave himself for it.” Sometimes they are called his sheep, as John
10:15, “I lay down my life for my sheep.” They are also called those that
were given to him by the Father, John 17:2, “Thou hast given him power over
all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him.” See also John 10:26-29. In these places of scripture, and others that
might be named, you see that Christ’s death is restricted to a certain
number of persons, exclusive of all others,
2dly, If Christ would not pray for every one in the world, then
certainly he did not die for every one in particular. But so it is that he
excludes the reprobate world from the benefit of his prayer, John 17:9, “I
pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me.” Both the
parts of Christ’s priesthood, his offering sacrifice and his intercession,
are of the same latitude and extent. We find them joined together in the
scripture by an inseparable connexion, Rom. 8:34, “It is Christ that died,
yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intersession for us, 1 John 2:1,2, “If any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the
propitiation for our sins.” So that Christ intercedes for all those for whom
he satisfied offended justice: but he intercedes not for the whole world, but
only for those whom God hath given him; and therefore he did not satisfy
offended justice for all men.
See also Sinners
of Mankind the Object of the Administration of the Covenant
Reference
“A
View of the Covenant of Grace” by Thomas Boston. Focus Christian Ministries
Trust, 1990.
