44 cA Declaration ofthe Glorious My STERY whence it is that the afis and duties of this office of Chrift in their exercife and difcharge, lhould have fuck a power andefficacy with refpeft unto their fupernatural and eternal ends. For the things whichdepend upon them, which areeffe&ed by them, areall the principal means of the glory of God, and the only concernmentsof the fouls ofmen. And this I fay is lais holy anyfierious perfon; from thence alone all power and efficacy is derived and transfufed into his Offices, and into all that is due in the difchargeof them. A truth this is of that importance, that the declaration and demonstrati- onof it, is the principal defign of one entire book of the holy fcriptures, namely, of the Epifile ofPaul the apafile unto the Hebrews. That the glo- rious excellencyof the perfon of Chrift doth enable him in the difcharge of lais offices to accomplish thofe ends which none other though vetted with the fame offices, could in the exercife of them attain unto, is the fum and fubflance of the doflrinel part ofthat difcourfe. Here therefore we muff a little fix our meditations; and our intereft calls us thereunto. For if it be fo, it is evident that we can receive no good, no benefit by virtue ofany nice of Chrift, nor any fruits of their exercife, without an actual refpeft of faith unto his perfon, whence all their life and power is derived. God gave ofold bothKings, Priefis, and Prophets unto the church. Heboth anointed them unto their offices, dirk-led them in their difcharge, was pre- fént with them in their work, and accepted of their duties. Yet by none of them, nor by all of them together was the church fupernaturallyy en- lightened, internally ruled, or eternally faxed, nor could it fo be. Some of them, as Mofes in particular, had as much power, and as great a prefence of Godwith him, as any sneer man could be made partaker of. Yet was he not in lais miniftry the Saviour of the church, nor could he be fo any otherwife than typically and temporally. The miniftry of them all was fubfervient unto that end, which by its own power it could not attain. It is evident therefore, that the redemption and falvation of the church do not depend meerly on this, that God bath givenone to be the King, Priefb and Prophet of the church, by the aftings of which offices it is redeemed and faxed; but on the perfon of him whowas fo given unto us, as is ful- ly attefted, Ifa. ix. 6, 7, 8. Thismutt be be declared. Two thingswere required in general unto theperfon of Chrift, that his offices might be effectual unto the falvationof the church, and without them they could not fo have been. And they are fuch as that their contrivance in the conftitution ofone and the fame perfon, no created wifdom could reach unto. Wherefore the infinite wifdom of God is moft glorioufly manifefted therein. I. The firlt of thefe is that he fhryald have a nature providedfor him, which originallywas not his own. For in his divine nature tangly confider- ed, he had no fuch relation unto them for whom he was to difcharge his offices, as wasneceffary to communicate the benefit of them,nor could he dif- charge their principal duties. God couldnot die, nor rife again, nor be exalt- ed tobe a prince and a Saviour in his divine nature. Nor was there that efpe- cial alliance between it and ours, as fhould giveus an efpecial intereft inwhat was done thereby. It was mankind in whofe behalf he was to exercife thefe offices. Hewas not tobearthem immediatelywith refpeâunto theangels, and therefore he tooknot their nature on him, Heb. ü. r6. ú yS hcvrxáyyftmr d n- 7se afiçverrm, He took not thenature ofangels unto him, becaufe he wasnot to be a mediator for them, a faviour unto them. Thofe of them who had finned were left unto everlafting ruin, and thofe who retained their origi- nal righteoufnefs, needed no redemption. But God prepared a bodyfor bim; that
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