James Durham On God's Anger Toward His Son On That Cross

James Durham on the anger of God toward His Son on that cross:

Concerning the severity of Divine Justice in punishing sin, whereof its punishment in the Person of the Son of God at such a rate, is one of the greatest, clearest, and most convincing evidences imaginable, to whom he would not abate one farthing of the Elects debt, but did with holy and spotless severity exact the whole of it; And though he was the Fathers Fellow, yet he would needs have him smitten with the awakened Sword of sin-revenging Justice and Wrath: As if all the executions that had heed done in the earth on men for sin, as on the old World of the ungodly drowned by the Deluge. On the miscreant Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and of these other Cities, upon whom he showered down liquid flames of fire and brimstone, even somewhat of Hell in a manner out of Heaven burning them quick, and frying them to death in their own skins: On Core [Korah], Dathan, and Abiram, and their associates, upon whom the earth opened and swallowed them up in a most stupendous manner alive, the rest being consumed by fire sent down from Heaven. On the one hundred eighty five thousand men of Sennacherib's Army, all slain in one night by an Angel: And on the Israelites, who, by many and various plagues were wasted and worn out to the number of six hundred thousand fighting men in the short space of forty years; Reflections on which made Moses, a witness of all, with astonishment to cry out, Who knows the power of thy anger? As if, I say, all these terrible executions of Justice, had been done by a Sword asleep, or in the Scabbard, in comparison of the execution it did on Jesus Christ the Elects Cautioner [A cautioner is one who becomes legally liable for another’s debt if they default, a surety, a guarantor], against whom it awakened was unsheathed, furbished, and made to glitter; So that we may say, had all the Sons and Daughters of Adam, without the exception of so much as one, been eternally destroyed, it would not have been a greater demonstration of the severity of the Justice of God in punishing sin. (47)

In respect of Justice pursuing him for it; When he becometh Cautioner and full Debtor for the Elect, he is put to pay their Debt to the least Farthing; the Lord musters up against him his terrors, and commands his sword to awake and to smite the man that is his fellow. But 3ly. and mainly. In respect of his actual undergoing the Curse and Suffering, that which the Elect should have suffered; for It is not the work of a Court to pass a sentence, but also to see to the execution of the sentence only; not only are orders given to the sword to awake and smite, but the sword falls on and smites him actually; and though from the apprehension of the anger of God, as Man, and without the sensible and comforting manifestation of his Fathers love . . . . (479)

It did consist (as we hinted before) in the God-head's Suspending it's Comfortable Influence for a time from the Human Nature; Though our Lord had no Culpable Anxiety, yet He had a Sinless Fear, considering Him as Man; and that the infinite God was Angry, and Executing Angrily the Sentence of the Law against Him, (Though He was not angry at Him considered as in Himself, but as He stood in the room of the Elect, as their Cautioner, of whom He was to exact the Payment of their Debt) he could not but be in a wonderful amazement . . . . (744)

He had an inexpressible sense of grief; not only from the petty outward Afflictions that He was under; (which may be called petty comparatively, though they were very great in themselves) but also from the Torrent of Wrath flowing in, on His Soul; That Cup behooved to have a most bitter Relish, and an inconceivable Anguish with it, when He was a drinking of it, as appeared in His Agony. O! As He was Pained and Pinched in His Soul? The Soul being especially sensible of the Wrath of God. 3 It consisted in a sort of wonderful Horror, which no question, the marching up (to say so) of so many mighty Squadrons of the highly provoked Wrath of God; and making so Furious and Formidable an Assault on the Innocent Human Nature of Christ (that considered simply in itself, was a finite Creature) behooved necessarily to be attended with; Hence He prays, Father, if it be possible let this cup depart from me; Intimating, that there was a Sinless Loathness, and a holy Abhorrence to middle with it, and to adventure upon it. Though we have not Hearts rightly to conceive, nor Tongues suitable to express those most exquisite Sufferings, yet these things show, that our Lord Jesus was exceedingly put to it in His Holy Human Soul. (745)

All quotations from: Christ Crucified: 72 Sermons on the whole 53rd Chapter of Isaiah

God And The Gospel

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