Christ the universal peace-makerChrist the universall peace-maker

Now further to finish this Branch, let this be added; That Christ was not simply offered up as a sacrifice to confirm a mere or bare league of peace and amity between us: (sometimes such sacrifices afore spoken of were designed only to make and bind new Leagues and Covenants between such parties, as never had been at variance:) But here in this case of ours, as there was a Covenant of amity to be struck, so there were enmities to be abolished and slain, as the text hath it; and that by this sacrifice and slaying of his flesh: which cannot be conceived otherwise to have been transacted, but that as in other sacrifices offered up, the trespasses were laid upon the head of the sacrifice, and so in a significant mystery slain and done away in the death of the thing sacrificed: And that as in that other way of reconciling us to God, The Lord did lay upon him the iniquities of us all, namely, against himself (as Isay speaks in ⟨p. 39⟩allusion unto the rites (and the signification thereof, in those sacrifices:) to which this text similarly speaks when it says, He slew the enmity in himself, v. 16.) So answerably it was in this (which is its parallel:) All the enmities and mutual injuries and feuds between us the people of God, were all laid upon him, and he took them in his flesh, and in slaying thereof slew these also, and abolished them, that so he might reconcile them in one body. And so the same nails that pierced through his hands and feet, did nail all our enmities, and the causes and occasions of them, to the same Cross, as 2 Coloss. insinuates. So as, we are to look upon Jesus Christ hanging on the Cross, as an equal Arbiter between both parties, that takes upon himself whatever either party hath against the other. Lo here I hang (says Christ a dying) and let the reproaches wherewith you reproach each other fall on me: The sting of them all fix it self on my flesh; and in my death dye all together with me; lo I dye to pacific both: Have therefore any of you ought against each other? Quit them, and take me as a sacrifice, in blood between you; only do not kill me, and each other too, for the same offence: for you, and your enmities, have brought me to this altar of the Cross, and I offer my self as your peace, and as your Priest: will you kill me first, and then one another too?

Now further to finish this Branch, let this be added; That Christ was not simply offered up as a sacrifice to confirme a meere or bare league of peace and amity betweene us: (sometimes such sacrifices afore spoken of were designed onely to make and bind new Leagues and Covenants betweene such parties, as never had beene at variance:) But here in this case of ours, as there was a Covenant of amity to be strucke, so there were enmities to be abolisht and slaine, as the text hath it; and that by this sacrifice and slaying of his flesh: which cannot be conceived otherwise to have beene transacted, but that as in other sacrifices offered up, the trespasses were laid upon the head of the sacrifice, and so in a significant mystery slaine and done away in the death of the thing sacrificed: And that as in that other way of reconciling us to God, The Lord did lay upon him the iniquities of us all, namely, against himselfe (as Isay speakes in