178 An Expofition upon Chap.6. filed and freed himftlf from them.For if any one of our fins were not taken away by hinr.either he mutt not rife from the dead,or being rifen,he muff return again to dye : for where fin remains unremo. ved,there of neceffity death hath power, becau'e it is the ffipend of fin. Secondly, that as Ch rift bath freed himfelfe from our fins and death , fo he will tree his members wholly, from them both. For bee Cooke our nature upon hire, to that end, to chafe fin and death ont of it,as it is written, Hee came to defirgy the workeet of the devil, i Iohn 3. Alto in his death and refurre &ion he bare our perlons, and for us and in our behalfe overcame finne and death, as if we out felves had done it. Ti M. `Unto what alit will the knowledge oftheree things ferve Cyr S i L. This knowledge muft ferve us to there ufes.Firft,to provoke ourthank- fulnefí unto Chrift,who bath wrought our liberty from fin and death, the two maine enemies of our falvation. Se- condly, to increafe our hatred of, and our ftrife again(' fin , in a joyfull hope of full and perte& freedom from it by Ch rift. T t M. What other thing le there to he learned out of this ninth verte St L. That Jefus Chrift was once not onely dead,but under the dominion and power of death ; not as one con - ftrained as if hee could not have kept himfelfe from the power of death , but willingly becaufe hee would obey his Fathers deeree,who had appointed that death(for our Iin)filmed feaz upon him and hold him asprifonerin the houfeof death for a time : and this is the lowe(t degree ofChriits humiliation, contain- ing the true meaning of that article of his defcenfion into hell : hell fignifying the grave , according to the ph rare of Scripture;and defcending into the grave, was the putting of his body under the dominion of death for a certain fpace. The life of this is to teach us humility, that the fame minde be in us which was in Chrif,who as he abafed himfelfe to fuch a vile condition for our good , fo ought we in humblenefs of mind to ferve and profit others,though they be our in- feriours,and though we fhould put our (elves to doe very mean or hard things for their fakes. T t )11. What it contained in the tenth verte ? Si L. The end ofChrifisdeath,which was to abolifh and wholly take away fin, both touching the punifhment and the power of it: thereforeit is faid,he dy- ed once to fin, that is, to take away fin from his members , by that one death, which hee once fuffered. Allo it con - taines the end of his life, which he now liveth in heaven ; to wit,tbe glory of his Father : therefore it is written, that bee liver to God,that is; to the praife ofGod, and in his glorious prefence,ormoftglo- ríoutly. Ti ii. What are we to learnfrom Ibis, that Chrifi it fail to dye onee to fen? Si L. Firft,that our fin was the caul; of his death. Secondly,that fin in the ele& (hall be deftroyed and taken away by the merit and vertue of his death : the time will come (to wit,after this life)that the children of God (hall be as free from fin, as Chrift himl if is. Thirdly, that for the dettru&ion offìn,it was fiitficient for Chrift once to dye and therefore the fa- crifice or offering of Chrift in the Popi(h Maffe to take away fin, is abfurd and a- bominable : it is abfurd, becaufe it im- plies a taking away offin,without death, and a facrifice for fin without blood, or elfe an iteration of his death, or often (bedding of his blood,all which is molt abfurd: it is abominable,becaufe it is di- re&ly againft the Scripture,which (peak - eth of Chrift as of one once dead, and once offered. Secondly, becaufe it cloth derogate from the al- fufficiency and per- fe &ion of Chrifts onely facrifice in his death ; for if his facrifice bee fufficient for this purpofe to take away finne, their facrifice of the Ma(fe is fuper- fluous ; if this bee needfull,then Chrifts is weak. T I )4. What other thing learn we from hence,tbat Chrift dyed but once? S I L. That it is fufficient for us, once to be mortified, and once to dye to fin, from whence wemay gather that they are
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