Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .O8 1721

each- PERSON diflinc7ly. 3j5 were a fon, yet learned be obedience, &c. yea he was obedient in his fuffer- jogs, and it was thatwhich gave life to his death, Phil. ii.8. He was obedi- ent to death; for therein, he did make his foul an offeringfor fin, Ifa. lüi. lo. or his foul made an offeringfor fin, as it is interpreted, v. i 2. He poured out his foul to death, or his foul poured out its felf unto death. And he not only fanSified himfelf to be an offering, Yoh. xvii. g. But healto offer- ed up himfelf, Heb. ix. 14. an offering ofa fweet favour to God, Ephef. v. 2. Hence as to the whole of his work, he is called the father's fervent, Ifa. xlii. 1. and v. 19. And he profeffes of himfelf that lie came into theworld, to do the will of God, the will of him that fent him; for which he mani= felts his great readinefs, Heb. x. 7. all which evince his obedience. But I fuppofe I need not infili on the proof of this, that Chrift in the work of mediation, and as mediator, was obedient and did what he did, willingly and cliearfully in obedience to God. Now this obedience of Chrift may be confidered two ways. 1:) As to the habitual root and fountain of it. a.) As to the aftual parts, or duties of it. 1.) The habitual righteoufnefs of Chris as mediator in his humane na- ture, was the abfolute, compleat, exalt conformity of the foul of Chrift, to the will, mind or law of God ; or his perfeft habitual inherent righteouf- nefs. This he had neceffarily from the grace of union, from whence it is, that, that which was horn of the Virgin was an holy thing, Luke i. 35. It was Ifay neceffary confequentially that it fhould be fo ; though the effecting of it were by the free operations of the Spirit, Luk. ii. 52. He had an all-fulnefs of grace on all accounts. This the apoftle defcribes, Heb. vii. 26. Such an high prief¢ became us, holy, harmlefs, umlefiled, fepa- rate from fanners. Every way feparate and diftant from fin, and fanners he was to be. Whence he is called the lamb of God without fpot or blemifb, 1 Pet. i. a9.. This habitual holinefs of Chrift was inconceivably above that of the angels. He who chargeth his angels with folly, Job iv. 18. who puteeth no truff in bis faints, and in whofe fight the heavens (or their inha- bitants) are not clean, chap. xv. 15 (a). always embrwteth him in his bofom, And is always well pleafed with him, Matth. iii. to. And the rea- fon of this is, becaufe every other creature, though never fo holy, hath the fpiritof God by meafure; but he was not given to Chri/f by meafure, Joh. iii. 34. and that becaufe it pleafed him, that in him all fulnefs_Mould dwell, Col. i. 19. This habitual grace of Chrift, though not abfolutely infinite, yet in raped of any other creature, it is as the water of the f a, to the water of a pond or pool. All other creatures are depreffed from perfe&ion by this, that they fubfift in a created, dependent being, and fo have the fountain of what is communicated to them, without them. But the hu- mane nature of Chrift fubfifts in the perfon of the fon of God, and fo hath the bottom and fountain of its holinefs, in the ftrideft unity with it felf. a.) The aftual obedience of Chrift, as was fail, was his willing, chear- ful, obediential performance of every thing, duty, or command, that God by virtue of any law, whereto we were fubje& and obnoxious, did require; and moreover to the peculiar law of the mediator. Hereof then are two parts, (a) De Angelis ioquitue, qui fi cum Deo conferanmr, ant fi ngfeenm Deus conferee, non bairns ra- tionen mumquo in ollis pofui,, & dorms quo in ilio, conmüq & quibus ens exornavie & ie, inveniat eos Solidus. Sanequicquid haben, Angeli, à Deohabear, Slimy. in Ion, t.) That

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