IN THE CONTRIVANCE OF This submission of the Son of God unto an estate of absolute and universal service, isdeclared by the apostle, Heb. x. 5. For those words of thepsalmist, Mine ears hast thou digged or bored, Psal. xl. G. he renders, A body hast thou prepared' me. There is an allusion in the words of the prophecy unto him under the law, who gave up himself in absolute and perpetual service; in sign whereof, his ears were bored with an awl. So the body of Christ was prepared for him, that therein he might be in a state of absolute service unto God. So be became to have nothing of his own, the original state that Adam would have forsaken, no not his life, hewas obedient unto the death. This way did divine wisdom find out and contrive, whereby more glory' did arise unto the holiness and righteousness of God, from his condescension unto uni- versal service and obedience, who was over all God blessed for ever; than dishonour was cast upon them by the self-exaltation of him, who, being in all things a servant, designed to be like unto God. 2. Adam was poor in himself, as a creature must be. What riches he had in his hand or power, they were none of his own, they were only trusted with him for especial service. In this state of poverty he commits the robbery of attempting to be like unto God. Being poor, be would make himself rich by the rapine of an equality with God. This brought on bim and us all, as it was meet it should, the loss of all that wewere intrusted with. Hereby we lost the image of God, lost our right unto the creatures here below, lost ourselves and our souls. This was the issue of his attempt, to be rich when he was poor. In this state infinite wisdom bath provided for our relief unto the glory of God. a For the Lord Jesus Christ being rich in himself, for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich," 2 Coy. viii. 9. He was rich in that riches which Adam designed by robbery. For he was in the form of God, and accounted it no robbery to be equal with God. But he made himself poor for our sakes, withpoverty which Adam would have relinquished; yea, to that degree that he had not where to lay his head, he had nothing. Hereby he made a compensation for what he never made spoil of, or paid what he never took. In this condescensionof his, out of grace and love to mankind, was God more glorified, than he was dishonoured in Ee THE WORK OF REDEMPTION. 109 . the sinful exaltation of Adam, out of pride and self-love; 3. The sin of man consisted formally in disobedience. and it was the disobedience of him, who was every way and in all things obliged unto obedience. For man by all that he was, by all that he had received, by all that be expected or was farther capableof, by the constitution of his own nature, by the nature and authority of God with his relation thereunto, was indispensably obliged unto universal obedience. His sin therefore was the . disobedience of him who was absolutely obliged unto obedience, by the very constitution of his being, and necessary relation unto God. This was that which rendered it so exceeding sinful, and the consequents of it eternally miserable. And from this obligation, his sin in any one instance was a total renunciation of all obedience unto God. The recompense, with respect unto the glory of God for disobedience must be by obedience, as hath been before declared. And if there be not a fall obedience yielded unto the law of God in that nature that sinned, man cannot be saved without an eternal violation of the glory of God therein. But the disobedience of him who was every way obliged unto obedience, could not be compensated but by his obedience, who was no way obliged thereunto. And this could be only the obedi- ence of him that is God, (for all creatures are obliged to obediencefor themselves,) and it could be performed only by him who wasman. Wherefore, for the accom- plishment of this obedience, he, who in his own person, as God, was above the law, was in his human nature, in his own person, as man, made under the law. Had he not been madeunder the law, whathe did could not have been obedience; and had he not been in himself above the law, his obedience could not have been bene- ficial unto us. The sin of Adam (and the same is in the nature of every sin) consisteth in this, that he who was naturally every way under thelaw, and subject unto it, would be every way above the law, and no way obliged by it. Wherefore it was taken away unto the glory of God, by his obedience, who being in himself above the law, no way subject unto it, yet submitted, humbled himself, to be made under the law, to be every way o- bliged by it; see Gal. iii. IS. chap. iv. 4. This is the subject of the discourse of the apostle, Rom. v. from ver. 12. to the end of the chapter. Unto theglory ofGod in all these ends, the person 6
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