-----------------------=-=--=------=-----c:-=:----- Ghap. 4 . sea. 3. lLOOltmg unto ']Jcfu.s. Book IV. 201 2 _ The pofitive Rigl;~fsofChrift is twofold, his perfeCt fulfilling of all r!1ings andcd and his perfect fattsfytng of rhe pumfin11enr rhrearned : The forme_r ts rhe ~~~~:r, of Chrifl; rhis alfo is rwof?ld, rhe holinefs of his nature, and rhe holmefs of his life and converfation ; rheformer ts rhar we call lus habttual Rtghteoufnefs, the larrer is that we call hts actual obedience. And rhus much of rhedtfl:inchon of the}\tghreoufnefs of C[ui[l. SECt. m. Of the Holinefs of Chrift's Nature. NOw in the fidt place for the holinefs of his Nature, the Pfalmiil: tells us, 7hoze art fairer than thechddren of men, and grace i; poured into thy lips. Which is all one Pfal. with rhat defcription of Chnft by the Spoufe, My beloved t5 whtte and mddy, the chtef- c 2 n. eft of rcn thonfands. As in rhe iairefl beauty, there is a mixture of rhefe rwo colours, white andrzeddy, [o in Chrifl there is a gracious miXture, and compound of all the graces of rhe Spirit; there is in him a fweer remper of genrlenefs, purity, righreoufnefs, meeknefs, humility; and what nor ?In him are hid all the treafiercs of.wifdom, andfz!!owledge; Col. ,, ~· and I may ~dd, of all other g1frs and graces; nor 2 grace bur tr was 10 Chrtl\, and rhar in an higher way than in any Saint in rhe world; and therefore he is called fairer th~n all the children of men. Obfcrve, There was more habitual grace inChrifi than ever was, oris, or jhall be in all the Eldl, whether -4ngels or mm.. He received the Spirit our of meafure. there was m lum as-much as pofi1bly could be ma creature, and more rh·an in all other 'creatures whatfoever. As the Sun is the Prince of Stars, as the Husband is the head of the Wife, as rbe Lion is the King of rhe Beafls, fo is this Sun of Righreoufnefs, this Head of rhe Chut'cb, this Lion of the Tribe of (11dah, thechiefeft of tenthoHfandsif we look ar any thing in Heaven or Earth, that we obferve as eminently fair, by rhar i; ihe Lord Jefus in refpeCt of his inward beauty fer forth in Scriptures, he is the Sun of Righfeoufne(s, the bright Mrrrning ftar, the L•ght of the world, the Tree of Life,the Lilly t<nd the Rofe; fairer rhan all the Flowers of the field, than all rhe precious Stones of rhe Earth, than all rhe Lights in rhe Firmament, than aH rhe Saints and Angels in Heaven. . You will fay,What's :ll this to us? Certainly much every way; rhe Apo(!Je tells you, That the idW of the Spi_rit of life which is in Jefus Chrift bath freed rne from the law of fin and Rora. 8. 2, of death; !er us enqmre toto rhefe words,the law of the Spmt of life;] the Spirit of life is here pur for life,as elfewhere.After three dtl)es andanhalf,the Spirit oflife coming from God R<v.11.1r. jhallenter into them. Now life.is that whereby a thing aCteth and moverh it felf,andir israe cauf~ and beginnin& ~f a<.'!ion and motio~ : ~nd rhis Sfiri! of life, or life it felf being here applied ro Chnfl:, 1t IS that in CIU"lf! wht.ch IS the begmmng and caufe ofall his holy actions ; and what was that but his Original holinefs, or the holinefs of his humane Narure? But why is the holinefs of Chrifls nature called the Spirit of life? I anfwer, I. Becaufe ir was infufed into his manhood by the Spirit of God, The holy Ghoft jha/1 come upon l k , thee-therefo" al[o that holy thing which jha!l be born of thee jha/1 be ea/led the Son of u "· 3 '' G•d. 2. Becaufe tt lSa rnolt exact, and abfolute, and perfeCt holtnefs. the Scripture phrafe fer:ing omrhings in perfection orfulnefs, ufual_l~adds the word Spirit unro rhem; as rhe fpmt of pnde, rhe Sp1r1t of rrurh, and the fpmr of trrot. fo rhen rhe meanin<> of the Spirit of life is all one wi1h the mofl abfolute and mofl perfed purity, and holinel~ of the nature of Chrifl. lr is briefly as if the Apoflle hadfaid, theidlvof the Spirit of J.ife, or the power of the moft abfolute and perfeCt holinefs of rhe nature of Chrifl:, bath freed me from the Lmvof fin anddeath; bath acquitted me from the power of. my \ \ finful nature, and from the power of death due ro me in refpeCt of IJll' finful and corrupt nature. vVe m1ghr d1·aw from hence rhis conclufion, tbar--The benefit ~f Chrifts habtt~t"l nghteou{r.e(s infll{ed "'his jirjf concepPion, u im_p~eted to believers to_ their j~tjlificatwn. Asrhe obedienceof lusltfe, and rhementof h!Sdearh, fothe holmefs infufedat hts very conceptto~ hath irs influence into our juflification :.it is bythe obedience of lm hfe that we arc accounted actual!y holy, and by rhe punty of Ius conceptiO\l (or habnual grace) rhat we are accounced perfonally holl'. Rut I mull; not flay here. Thus much o~ the Hohn~f, of Chrifls Nature. ' E e z. S!;:CT .
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