of the PERSON Of CHRIST. 133 no relief at all unto us, no more than the affirming ofour nature is of ad- vantage unto the fallen angels; the obedienceand fufferipgs ofChrift there- in, extended not at all unto them, nor was it juft or equal that they fhould be relieved thereby. What then was required unto our deliverance? why faith he Foráfmuch as the children were partakers of fef., and blood, he alfo bimfelf likewife took part o/'the fame, ver. 54. It was humane nature (here expreffed by fefb and blood) that was to be delivered, and there- fore it was humane nature wherein this deliverance was to be wrought. This the fame apoftle difputes at large, Rom. v. ver. 12, 13, 14,15', 16 17, 18, 19. The fumm is, that as by one man's difobedience many were made finners, fo by the obedience of one (of one man Chrift Jefus, ver. 15.) are many made righteous. The fame nature that finned muff work out the re- paration and recovery from fin. So he affirms again, a Cor. xv. 21. For fine by man came death, by man came alfo the refurrefion from the dead. No otherwife could our ruine be retrieved, nor our deliverance from fin with all the confequents of it be effeéted which came by man, which were committed and deferved in and by our nature, but by man, by one ofthe fame nature with us. This therefore in the firft place became the wifdom of God, that the work of deliverance, fhould be wrought in our own nature, in the nature that had finned. 2. That part of humane nature, wherein or whereby this work was to be effefted as unto the effence or fubftance of it was to be de- rived from the common root or flock of the fame nature, in our firft parents. It would not fuffice hereunto, that God fhould create a man out ofthe duff of the earth, or out of nothing of the fame nature in general with our felves. For there would be no cognation or alliance between . him and us; fo as that we should be any way concerned in what he did or fuffered. For this alliance depends folely hereon, That God bath ofone blood madeall nations ofmen, Ads xvii. 26. Hence it is that the genea- logy of Chrift is given us in the gofpel, not only from Abraham, to de- clare the faithfulnefs of God in the promife that he fhould be of his feed, but from Adam alfo, to manifeft his relation unto the common frock of our nature, and unto all mankind therein. The firft difcovery ofthe wif- dom of God herein, was in that primitive revelation, that the deliverer Mould be of the feed ofthe woman, Gen. iii. 15. No other but he who was fo, could break the ferpent's bead, or deflroy the work ofthe devil, fo as that we might be delivered and reftored. He was not only to be partaker of our nature, but he was foto be, by being thefeed of the woman, Gal. iv. 4. Hewas not to becreated out of nothing, nor to be made ofthe duff of the earth, but fo made of a woman, asthat thereby he might receive our na- ture from thecommonroot and fpringof it. Thus hewhofanflifiethand they who are fantlifiedare all ofone, Heb. ii. 11. trç róe, that is,ee uara,, ofthe fame mall, ofone nature and blood; whence he is not afhamed to call themBre- thren. This alfo wasto be broughtforth from the treafuresofinfinite wifdom. 3. This nature of ours, wherein the work of our recovery and falva- tion is to be wrought and performed, was not to be fo derived from the original frock of our kind or race, as to bring along with it the fame taint of fin, and the fame liablenefs unto guilt upon its own account, as accom- pany every other individual perfon in the world. For as the apoftle fpeaks, fach an high priefl became us, (and as an high prier washe to ac- complifh this work) as was holy, harmlefs, undefiled, feparate from finners. For if this nature in him were fo defiled as it is in us; if it were under a deprivation of the image ofGod, as it is in our perfons before our reno- vation, it could do nothing that fhould be acceptable unto him. And if it L I " were
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