QUESTION III. 451 fool repent, thou art a Priestfor everafter the order of Mclehi- sedec. Heb. v. 5. Christ glorifiednot himselfto be madea High. priest, but he that said unto him thou art tray Son. God the Fa- ther promises to makehim a Prophet ; Isa. xlii. 6. Iwill give thee for a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes. And to make him a King; Ps. ii. 6, 7. Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance. Further, the Father promiseth to standby him, assist him, and strengthen him for this work : Is. xlii. 5, 6, 7. 7will hold thyhand, that is, I will underprop and support thy humanity when it is ready to sink under the burden. Ile promiseth to crown his work with success, to accept him in his work, and to reward him for it withgreat exaltation ; Ps. ii. 7. I will declare the decree, theLord hulk said unto me, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. It is spoken of the day of his resurrection when he had just finished his suffer- ing, and so the apostle expounds and applies it; Acts xiii. 33. and in Heb. xii. 2. This was " the joy that was set before him, which encouraged him to endure the cross, and despise the shame." t0 In like manner Jesus Christ re-stipulates and gives his engagement to the Father, that upon these terms he is content to be made flesh, to divest himself as it were of his glory, to come under the obedience and maledictionof the law, andnot to refuse any the hardest sufferings it should please the Father to inflict on him. Ps. xl. 6, 7. Then said.", lo, I come, I delight to do thywill, O God. " 5. These articles were by both parties performed precisely and punctually." " 6. This compact between the Father and the Son bears date from eternity, before this world was made ; while as yet we bad na existence, but only in the infinite mind and purpose of God ; 2 Tim. i. 9. " The grace which was given us in Christ before the world began" was this grace of redemption, which from everlasting was thus contrived and designed for us. Then was the council or consultation of peace between them both, as some take that scripture ; Zech. vi. 13. "Page28. God theFather and God the Sondo mutually rely and trust to one another in the business of our redemption. The Father relies upon the-Son for the performance of his part. The Father so far trusted Christ, that upon the credit of his promise to come into the world and in the fulness of time to become a sacrifice for the elect, he saved all the Old Testament saints. And so cloth Christ in like manner depend upon and trust his Fa- ther for the accomplishment of all this promise, that he shall see his seed ; and that all the elect that are yet behind, yet unrege- ni rated, as well as those already called, shall be preserved to- the heavenly kingdom." aft.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=