selves: how shall we then value the life of David's" Lord, who is "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords?" It was indeed our nature that suffered, but he that suffered in that nature "is over all, God blessed for ever:". and for such a person to have suffered but one hour, was more than if all other persons had suffered ten thousand millions of years. But put case also, that the life of any other singular man might be equivalent to all the lives of whole mankind; yet the laying down of that life would not be sufficient to do the deed, unless he that had power to lay it down had power likewise to take it up again. For, to be detained always in that prison, "from" whence there is no coming out before the payment of the uttermost farthing;" is to lie always under execution, and to quit the plea of that full payment of the debt wherein our surety stood engaged for us. And therefore the apostle upon that ground doth rightly conclude, that "if Christ be not raised, our faith is vain, we are yet in our sins:" and consequently, that as he must be " delivered to death for our offences," so he must be "raised again for our justification." Yea, our Saviour himself knowing full well what he was to undergo for our sakes, told us before-hand, that the Comforter whom he would send unto us, should "convince the world," that is, fully satisfy the consciences of the sons of men, concerning that everlasting righteousness, which was to be brought in by him, upon this very ground: "Because I go to my father and ye see me no more." For if he had broken prison and made an escape, the payment of the debt, which as our surety he took upon himself, being not yet satisfied, he should have been seen here again: heaven would not have held him, more than paradise did Adam, after he had fallen into w Matt. chap. 22. ver. 43, 44. x 1 Tim. chap. 6. ver. 15. Rev. chap. 19. ver. 16. y Rom. chap. 9. ver. 5. a 1 Cor. chap. 15. ver. 17. John, chap. 16. ver. 10. z Matt. chap. 5. ver. 26. b Rom. chap. 4. ver. 25. d Dan. chap. 8. ver. 14. God's debt and danger. But our Saviour raising himself from the dead, presenting himself in heaven before him. unto whom the debt was owing, and maintaining his standing there, hath hereby given good proof, that he is now a free man, and hath fully discharged that debt of ours for which he stood committed. And this is the evidence we have to shew of that righteousness, whereby we stand justified in God's sight: according to that of the apostle, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again; who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Now although an ordinary man may easily part with his life yet doth it not lie in his power to resume it again at his own will and pleasure. But he that must do the turn for us, must be able to say as our JESUS did: "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again ;" and in another place: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up;" saith he unto the Jews, "speaking of the temple of his body." An human nature then he must have had, which might be subject to dissolution: but being once dissolved, he could not by his own strength (which was the thing here necessarily required) raise it up again, unless he had declared himself " to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead." The Manhood could suffer, but not overcome the sharpness of death: the Godhead could suffer nothing, but overcome any thing. He therefore that was to suffer and to overcome death for us, must be partaker of both natures: that "being put to death in the flesh," he might be able also to quicken. himself by his own spirit. Rom. chap. 8. ver. 33, 34. John, chap. 1. ver. 19, 21. i 1 Pet. chap. 3. ver. 18. f John, chap. 10. ver. 17, 18. h Rom. chap. 1. ver. 4. 1 And now are we come to that part of Christ's mediation, which concerneth the conveyance of " the redemption of this purchased possession" unto the sons of men. A dear purchase indeed which was to be redeemed with no less price than the blood of the Son of God: but what should the purchase of a stranger have been to us? or what should we have been the better for all this, if we could not derive our descent from the purchaser, or raise some good title whereby we might estate ourselves in his purchase? Now this was the manner in former time in Israel, concerning redemptions, that unto him who was the next of kin, belonged the right of being Goel', or the Redeemer. And Job had before that left this glorious profession of his faith unto the perpetual memory of all posterity. "I know that my Goel or Redeemer liveth, and at the last shall arise upon the dust (or, stand upon the earth.) And after this my skin is spent; yet in my flesh shall I see God; Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" for me. Whereby we may easily understand, that his and our redeemer was to be the invisible God; and yet in his assumed flesh made visible even to the bodily eyes of those whom he redeemed. For if he had not thus assumed our flesh, how should we have been of his blood, or claimed any kindred to him? and unless the Godhead had by a personal union been unseparably conjoined unto that flesh, how could he therein have been accounted our next of kin? For the better clearing of which last reason, we may call to mind that sentence of the apostle: "The first man is of the earth earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." Where notwithstanding there were many millions of men in the world betwixt these two, yet we see our Redeemer reckoned the second man, and why? but because these two were the only men who could be accounted the prime fountains from whence all the rest of Eph. chap. 1. ver. 14. Ruth, chap. 3. ver. 12. and chap. 4. ver. 1, 3, 4, 7. m Job, chap. 19. ver. 25, 26, 27. 1 Cor. chap. 15. ver. 47. mankind did derive their existence and being. For as all men in the world by mean descents do draw their first original from the first man: so in respect of a more immediate influence of efficiency and operation do they owe their being unto the second man, as he is the Lord from heaven. This is God's own language from Jeremy; "Behold I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee;" and this is David's acknowledgment for his part; "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me;" "thou hast covered me in my mother's womb:" "thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels;" and Job's, for his also; "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews;" and the apostle's for us all; "Int him we live and move and have our being;" who inferreth also thereupon, both that "we are the offspring or generation of God;" and that "he is not far from every one of us;" this being to be admitted for a most certain truth, notwithstanding the opposition. of all gainsayers, that God" doth more immediately concur to the generation and all other motions of the creature, than any natural agent doth or can do. And therefore, if by one man's offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." Considering that this second man is not only as universal a principal of all our beings, as was that first, and so may sustain the common person of us all, as well as he; but is a far more immediate agent in the production thereof: not, as the first, so many generations removed from us, but more near unto us than our very next progenitors; and in that regard justly to be accounted our next of kin, even before them also. • Jer, chap. 1. ver. 5. 1 Psalm 139. ver. 13. Job, chap. 10. ver. 8, 11. P Psalm 119. ver. 73. r Ibid. 71. ver. 6. Acts, chap. 17. ver. 27, 28, 29. u See Bradwardin. de causa Dei. lib. 1. cap. 3, et 4. Rom. chap. 5. ver. 17. Yet is not this sufficient neither: but there is another kind of generation required, for which we must be beholding unto the second man, the Lord from heaven;" before we can have interest in this purchased redemption. For as the guilt of the first man's transgressions is derived unto us by the means of carnal generation: so must the benefit of the second man's obedience be conveyed unto us by spiritual generation. And this must be laid down as a most undoubted verity: that, "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God;" and that every such must be "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Now, as our Mediator in respect of the adoption of sons, which he hath procured for us, is not ashamed to call us brethren: so in respect of this new birth, whereby he getteth us to a spiritual and everlasting life, he disdaineth not to own us as his children. When thou shalt make his seed an offering for sin, he shall see his seed:" saith the prophet Esaias. "Ab seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation:" saith his father David likewise of him. And he himself of himself: "Behold I, and the children which God hath given me." Whence the apostle deduceth this conclusion: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He himself, that is, he was God equal to the Father: for who else was able to make this "newe creature," but the same God' that is the Creator of all things? no less power being requisite to the effecting of this, than was at the first to the producing of all things out of nothing: and these new babes to be "born" of the Spirit;" who could * John, chap. 3. ver. 3. 1 John, chap. 5. ver. 1. y Ibid. chap. 1. ver. 13. Eph. chap. 2. ver. 10. Gal. chap. 6. ver. 15. 8 ápriyévvητa ẞpéon. 1 Peter, chap. 2. ver. 2. with chap. 1. ver. 22. John, chap. 3. ver. 5, 6, 8. |