in Contriving Man's Redemption. l/5 rhat is atfumed our Nature in order to redeem us, 'twas neceffary that He fi10uld ~ fufier. Chap. " • Befides, His confent was neceffary upon another account. For the Satisfacti'?n cloth ~ not arife meerly from the Dignity of his Perfon, but from the Law of fubfbtutt~>n, whereby he put himfelf in our flead, and voluntarily obliged himfelf to fuffer the pumlhment due to us. The eAicacy of his Dearh, is by virtue of the Contract between the father and him, of which there could be no caufe but pure Mercy, and his voluntary Con~ defcenfion. Now the Scripture declares the willingnefs of Chri!!, particularly at his entrance into the World, and at his Death. Upon His coming into the World, he begins his Life by the internal Oblation of himfelf to his Father, Heb. 10. 6, 7· Sacrifice and Offering thou didfl not defire; mine Ears haft thou opened: that is, He entirely rel!gned himfelf to be God's Servant; Burnt-Offering and Sin-Offering haft thou not required. Then jdid I, Lo, ] come, in the Voltmm of thy Book 'ti.r written of me, 1 delight to do thy l'~i~, 0 m1 God, y ea, tll] law iJ withhzmy Heart. He faw the divine Decree, ~nd embrac d tt; the Law was in his Heart, and fully poffefl: all his Thoughts and Affectwns, and had a commanding influence upon his Life. And his Willingnefs was fully exprefl by him, when he approach'd to his Jafl: Sufferings. for although he declined Death as Man, having . natural and innoce nt del!res ofSelf.prefervation, yet as Mediator he readily fubmi tted to it· 1Vot tJt) 11/ifJ, but thine be done, was his Voice in the Garden. And this argued the c~mpleatnefs and fixednefs of his Will, that nonvithflanding his averfation from Death abfoiutely conl!dered, yet with an unabated election He fl:ill chafe it as the means of our Salvation. No involuntary Conflraint did force him to that fubmiffion; but the foie .caufes of it were his free Compliance with his Father's Will, and his tender Compalllon towards Men. He faith, Joh. 10. 18. I have power to lay down my Lift, and p01ver to tak._e it up: Thi.r Command I received of my Father. In his Death, Obedience and Sacrifice were united. The 1Jpical Sacrifices were led to the Altar, but the Lamb of God prefented Himfelf: Gal. I. 4· Tis faid, He gave himfelf for us, Tit. 2. '4· to tignify his willingnefs in dying. Now the freenefs of our Redeemer in dying for us, qualified his Suflerings to be meritorious. The Apoflle tells us, Rotn. 5· 19. that by the nhedience of one many are nztlde righteo111; that is, By his voluntary Sufferings we are ju.. flified : For without his Confent, his Death could not have the refped: of a puniOunent tor our Sins. No Man can oe compelled to pay anothers Deot, unlet's he make himfelf Surety for it. Briefly, The Appointment of Gad, and the Undertaking of Chrifl, to redeem us from the Curfe of the Law by his fuffering it, are the foundation of the New· Tejlament. 3· He that interpos'd as Mediator, mufl be perfectly Holy, otherwife he had been liable to }uflice for his own Sin. And guilty Blood is impure and corrupt, apter to flain by its efful!on and fprinkling, than to purge away Sin. The Apoflle joins there two as infeparable, 1 Joh. 3· 5· Heappedred tota/zetlwaySilz, tlndinhimisnoSin. ThePrieflhood under the Law was imperfect ? a• for other Reafons, fo for the Sins of the Priefl:s. Aaron the Ji•fl and chief of the Levitical Order, was guilty of grofs Idolatry, fo that Reconci lia tion could not be obtained by their Minifl:ry: For how can one Captive ranfdm another, or Sin expiate Sin? But our Mediator was abfolutely innocent, without the leafl: tincture of Sin Originttl, or Al1ual. He was conceived in a miraculous manner, infinitely difl:an t from all the Impurities of the Earth. That which is produced in an ordinary way, receives its Propriety from fecond Caufes, and contracts the defilement thatcleavestothewholeSpecies: Whatever is bomo(Biood, and the Will of the Flefb, that is form'd of the Subflance of the flefb, and by thefenjital Appetite, is defiled: But though He was form' cl of the Subflance of the Virgin, _yet by virtue of atl Heavenly Principle, according to the words of the Angel to her, Luke 1. 35· The Holy Gboft fba/1 come upon thee, "''d tbe Power of the Higheflfba/1 overfoadow thee; therefore al{u that Holy Thing that fba/1 be born of thee, jhal/ be called the Son of God. He came in the appearance only offinful Flejh, Rom. 8. 3· As the Brazen Ser,pent had the figure, and not the Pmfon of the fiery Serpent. He was without a/Jual Sin; He foil'd the Tempter in all his Arts and Methods wherewith he tried Him. He refifl:ed the Lufl: of the fle!h, by refufing to make the Stones Bread to affwa~e his Hunger; and the Lufl: of the Eyes, in defptfing the Kingdoms of the World with all their Treafures; and the Pride 0f Life when he would not throw himfelf down, that by the interpofing of Angels for his refcue, there might be a vifible proof that he was the Son of God. The Accufer himfelf confefl him to be the Holy One of God, Mar. 1. 24- he found no Corruption withi!1 htm, and could draw nothing our of him. Jndas that betrayed him, and l'ilate that condemned him, acknowledged his Innocence. He perfeCtly fulfill ed the Law, and did always
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