each PERSON diftisidlÿ. 45 thing that wasborn of the virgin, Luke i. gig. into perfonal union with him- felf. So the mightyGod, If. ix.6. is a child given mows; that holy thing that was born of the virgin, is called the. Son of God, Luke i. 35. That which made the man Chrift Jefus to he a man, was the union of foul and body ; that which made him that man, and without which he.was not that man, was the fubfiftence of both united in the perfon of the Son of God. As to the proof hereof, I have fpoken of it (a) elfewhere at large; I now propofe it only in general, to flew the amiablenefs of Chrift on this account ; here lies, hence arifes, the grace, peace, life, and fecurity of the church, of all believers, as by force few confiderations may be clearly evinced. (P.) Hence was he fit (b) to fuffer, and able to bear, whatever was due unto us; in that very a&ion, wherein the fon of man gave himfelf a ran- fom fur many, Match. xx. 28. God redeemed his church with his own blood, A. xx. 28. and therein was the love of God feen that he gave his life for us, i 'job. iii. 16. on this account was there roomenough in his breaft to receive the points of all the (c) fwords that were iharpned by the law againft us, and ftrength enough in his fhoulders, to bear the burthen of that curie that was due to us. Thencewas lie fo willing to undertake the work of our redemption, Heb. x. 7, 8. Lo 1 come to do thy will, o God ; becaufe he knew his ability to go thro with it. Had he not been man, he could not have fuffered, had he not been God, his fuffering could not have availed either himfelf or us, he had not fatisfied;. the fuffering of a meet man, could not bear any proportion to that which in any refpe& was infi- nite. Had the great and righteous God gathered together all the fins, that had been committed by his ele& from the foundation of the world, and fearched the bofoms of all that were to come to the end of the world, and taken them all, from the fin of their nature, to the leaft deviation from the re&itude of his molt holy law, and the higheft provocation of their regene- rate and unregenerate condition, andlaid them oha meer holy innocent crea- ture, oh ! how would they have overwhelmedhim,and buried luto for ever out of the prcfence ofGod's love ! Therefore doth the apoftle premife that glori- ous defcription of him to the purging of our fin. He bath fpoken to usby his fon, whom he bath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo be made the world; who being the brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, upholdiiig all things by the wordof his power, bath purgedour fins; hieb. i. 2, 3. It washe that purged our fin, who was the fon and heir of all things, by whom the world was made, the brightnefsof his father's glory; and exprefs imageof his perfon he.did it, he alone was able to do it. God was manifefted in the fiefh (t Tim. iii. 16.) for this work ; thefword awak- ed againft him that liras 'the fellow of the Lord of hofis, Zech. xüi. 7.; and by the wounds of that great fhepherd, are the fheephealed, I Pet: ri. 24, 2 5(2.) Hence both he become an endlefs, bottomlefs fountain of grace to all them that believe; The fulnefs, that it pleafed the father to commit to Chrift, to be the great treafury and ftocehoufeof the church, did not, doth not lie in the human nature confidered in it felf; but in the perfon of the mediator, God and man. Confider wherein his. communicationof grace doth.confift, and this will be evident: The foundatión of all is laid in 'his fatisfa&ion, merit and purchafe, thefe are the morally procuring caufe of all (a) Vied. Rean. c. 7. (6) Deus veils, & homo vertu in suiriremDomini remperame, ut quod noftris remedies congruebat onus argue idemDei homintmq; mediator, & mori polfsr ex ono, refurgere poirr Ort aline, Lea obi fop. (e) Zeeh. xiii. 7.. Pfal. láxxm 19. 2qq e
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=