of the PERSONOf CHRIST. 1 3 ;muff be God alto. Secondly, we muff enquire into the fuitablenefs or condecency unto divine wifdom, in the redemption and fiilvation of the church byJefus Chriff, who was God and man in one perfon.. Andthere -. on give a defcription of the perfon of Chrift and its conftitution; which fuiteth all the ends of infinite wifdom in this glorious work. The firff of thefe falls under fundry plain demonftrations. t.) That humane nature might be reffored, or any portionof mankind be eternally faved unto the glory of God, it was necellàry, as we proved .before, that an obedience fhould be yielded unto God and his law, which fhould give and bring more glory and honour unto his holinefs, than there was difhonour reffefted on it, by the difobedience of us all. Thofe who are otherwife minded, care not what becomes of the glory of God, fothat wicked finful man may be faved one way or other. But thefe thoughts fpring out of our apofiafy, and belong not unto that eftate where- in we loved God above all, and preferred his glory above all, as it was with us at the firft in theoriginal conftitution ofournature. But fuchan obedience could never beyielded unto God by any meer creature whatever; not by any one who was only a man, however dignified and exalted in Bate and condition above all others. For to fupofe that God fhould be pleated and glorified with the obedience of any one man, more than he was difpleafed and .difhonoured by the difobedience of Ada>,i and all his polterity, is to fancy things that have no gound in reafon or juftice, or any way fuitable nnto divine wifdom and holinefs. He who undertaketh this workmuff have fomewhat that is divine and infinite to put an infinite value on his obedience ; that is, he mutt be God. a.) Ihe obedience of fuch an one, ofa inter man, could have no influ- ence at all on the recovery of mankind, nor the falvation of the church. For whatever it were, it would be all due from him for himfelf, and fo could only profit or benefit himfelf. For what is due from any on his own account, connot redound or be reckoned unto the advantage of another. But there is no sneer creature, nor can therebe any fuch, but he is obliged for himfelf unto all the obedience unto God, that he is capable of the performance of in this world, as we have before declared. Yea univerfal obedience in all poflible inftances is fo abfolutely neceffaryunto him, as a creature made in dependance on God, and for the enjoyment of him, that the voluntaryomiflion ofit in any one inffance, would be a criminal dif- obedience, ruinous unto his own foul. Wherefore no fuch obedience could be accepted as any kind of compenfation for the difobedience of others, or in their Bead. He then that performs thisobedience muff be one who was not originally obliged thereunto on his own account or for'him- felf. And this muff be a divine perfon and none other; for every meer creature is fo obliged. And there is nothing more fundamental in gofpel principies, than that the LordChriff in his divine perfon was above the law, and for himfelf owed no obedience thereunto. But by his own con- defcenfion as he was made of a woman for us, to he was made under the law for us. And therefore thofe by whom the divine perfon of Chrift is denied, do all of themcontend that he yielded obedience unto God for him- felt, andnot for us. But herein they bid defiance unto the principal effe& of divinewifdom, wherein God will be eternally glorified. g.) The people to be freed; redeemed, and brought unto glory, were great and innumerable ; a great multitude which no man can number, Rev. vii. g. The fins which they were to be delivered, ranfomed and juffi, fled from, forwhich a propitiationwas to be made, were next unto abfolutely infinite. They wholly furpafs the comprehenfion of any created s,hdet- Band
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