ANSW. Christ, the Son of God, became Man by taking to himself a true
body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the
Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of her substance, and
born of her, yet without sin.
Next to the covenant of grace, and its various administrations, we have,
in some following answers, an account of the Mediator thereof, who is
set forth in the glory of his Person; the offices that he executes, and
the estate in which he either was, or is, together with those accessions
of glory, with which he shall perform the last part of his work in the
close of time. The first thing to be considered, is the constitution of
his Person, as God-man, Mediator; and here,
I. He is set forth as the only Mediator of the covenant of grace. How we
are to understand his being Mediator, has been already considered[113],
and it was observed, that he did not make peace, by intreating, that God
would remit the debt, without giving that satisfaction, which was
necessary to be made, for the securing the glory of the divine justice.
Herein we militate against the Socinians, who suppose him to be styled a
Mediator, only because he made known unto the world those new laws
contained in the gospel, which we are obliged to obey, as a condition of
God’s being reconciled to us; and giving us a pattern of obedience in
his conversation; and, in the close thereof, confirming his doctrine by
his death; and then interceding with God, that, on these terms, he would
accept of us, without any regard to the glory of his justice, which he
is no farther concerned about, than by prevailing that it would desist
from the demands which it might have made, and so pardon sin without
satisfaction; But this is directly contrary to the whole tenor of
scripture, which represents him as _giving his life a ransom for many_,
Matt. xx. 28. upon which account it is said he _made peace through the
blood of his cross_, Col. i. 20. and that _God brought him again from
the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant_, as the _God of
peace_, Heb. xiii. 20. and, at the same time, appeared to be a God of
infinite holiness and justice, and Christ a Mediator of satisfaction:
But this will be farther considered, when we speak concerning his
Priestly office[114].
That which we shall, at present, observe is, that he is styled the
_only_ Mediator: Thus it is said, _There is one Mediator between God and
men, The man Christ Jesus_, 1 Tim. ii. 5. In this we oppose the Papists,
who greatly derogate from the glory of Christ by pretending that the
angels, and glorified saints, are mediators of intercession, and that
they not only offer up supplications to God in the behalf of men here on
earth, but with them they present their own merits, as though Christ’s
redemption and intercession had not been sufficient without them; and
accordingly a great part of their worship consists in desiring that
these good offices may be performed by them, on their behalf, which I
cannot but conclude to be a breach of the _first_, or, at least, let
them put never so fair colours upon it, of the _second commandment_;
which will be farther considered in its proper place.
The scriptures they bring, in defence of this practice, are nothing to
their purpose. For whenever an angel is said to intercede for men, as it
is expressed, _The angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts,
how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of
Judah?_ Zech. i. 12. or to be the object of their prayers, or
supplications, as Jacob says, _The Angel which redeemed me from all
evil, bless the lads_, Gen. xlviii. 16. no other person is intended
hereby but Christ _the angel of the covenant_. Another scripture, which
they bring to the same purpose, is that, in which Moses says, _Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants_, Exod. xxxii. 13. which they
miserably pervert; for Moses does not desire that God would hear the
prayers that these saints made to him in the behalf of his church; but
that he would remember the covenant that he made with them, and so
accomplish the promises thereof, by bestowing the blessings that his
people then stood in need of.
And there are two other scriptures that are often cited by the Papists,
to this purpose, which, they think, can hardly be taken in any other
sense; one is in Rev. v. 8. where it is said, that _the four beasts, and
four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of
them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of
saints_; and the other is in chap. viii. 3. _And another angel came and
stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints,
upon the golden altar, which was before the throne_. It must be allowed,
that there are many passages, in this book, which are hard to be
understood; but there are none contrary to the analogy of faith, or
derogatory to the glory of Christ, as the sense they give of these
scriptures is; and therefore we must enquire, whether they may not be
understood otherwise by us? It is said, indeed, _the four beasts, and
four and twenty elders, had golden vials full of odours, which are the
prayers of saints_; but it is not fully determined whether, by these
_beasts and elders_, are intended the inhabitants of heaven, or men on
earth. If it is only an emblematical representation of those prayers
that are directed to God from the church in this world, it is nothing to
their purpose. But we will suppose that, by _these beasts and elders_,
here spoken of, who _fell down before the Lamb_, are meant the
inhabitants of heaven: nevertheless, we are not to understand, that they
are represented as praying for the saints here on earth; for _the golden
vials full of odours_, are only an emblem of the prayers that are put up
by the saints here on earth, which God accepts of, or smells a sweet
savour in, as perfumed with odours of Christ’s righteousness. This may
be illustrated by those political emblems, that are used in public
solemnities; such as the coronation of kings, in which the regalia are
carried by the prime ministers of state, not to signify that they have
any branch of kingly dignity belonging to them: but the whole ceremony
is expressive of his honours and prerogatives, who is the principal
subject thereof; so when the heavenly inhabitants are represented, in
this vision, in such a way, as they are here described, it only
signifies, that the prayers, which are put up by God’s people here on
earth, through the mediation of Christ, are graciously heard and
answered by him.
As for the other scripture, in which it is said, _Another angel stood at
the altar, and there was given him much incense, that he should offer
it, with the prayers of all saints_, that is generally understood, by
those who do not give into this absurd opinion of the Papists, as spoken
of our Saviour, and then it makes nothing to their purpose, but rather
militates against it. But if it be objected, to this sense of the text,
that our Saviour cannot properly be called _another angel_, and
therefore it must be meant of one of the created angels; the sense but
now given of the foregoing scripture may be accommodated to it, and so
the meaning is, this angel, or one of the angels, _stood at the altar
before the Lamb_, and, in an emblematical way, is set forth, as having
incense put into his hand, which he presents to him; not as offering it
up for himself, but as signifying that it was for the sake of Christ’s
merits, that the prayers of his people, here on earth, ascended with
acceptance in the sight of God. And it is as though he should say to
Christ, “The incense is thine, thou hast a right to the glory thereof;
and therefore let all know, that this is the only foundation of the
church’s hope, that their wants shall be supplied by thee.” So that this
does not give the least countenance to the Popish doctrine, of there
being other mediators between God and man besides our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of the Papists, indeed, are sensible that this opinion tends to
detract from the glory of our great Mediator, and therefore they chuse
rather to assert, that the saints and angels are mediators between
Christ and men, so that we are through their means, to have access to
him, and by him, to the Father: but, since Christ not only condescended
to take our nature upon him, and therein to procure redemption for us;
but invited his people to _come to him_; and since it is said, _through
him we have an access unto the Father_, Eph. ii. 18. and no mention is
made of any, by whom we have access to Christ; and our access to God is
founded only in his blood, we have nothing else to do, but, by faith, in
what he has done and suffered to draw nigh to God, as to a Father,
reconciled to this great and only Mediator.
II. This Mediator is described, as to his Person, as God incarnate, or,
as it is expressed, the eternal Son of God, of one substance, and equal
with the Father, who became Man, and that, in the most proper sense, by
assuming to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, which are the
two constituent parts of man. Here we are to consider,
1. The Person assuming the human nature. He is styled the eternal Son of
God, of one substance with the Father, and, with respect to his
personality, equal with him.[115] This is the same mode of speaking that
was used by the _Nicene fathers_, in defence of our Saviour’s divinity
against the Arians, which we have largely insisted on, in our defence of
the _doctrine of the ever-blessed Trinity_,[116] and having also
explained what we mean by Christ’s Sonship, as referring to his Person
and character, as Mediator,[117] we shall add no more on that subject at
present, but take it for granted, that our Saviour is, in the most
proper sense, a divine Person, and shall consider him as assuming the
human nature; accordingly we may observe,
(1.) That it was the second Person in the Godhead who was incarnate, and
not the Father, nor the Holy Ghost. This we affirm against the
Sabellians, who deny the distinct Personality of the Father, Son, and
Spirit; and assert that the Father, or the Holy Ghost, might as truly be
said to have been incarnate, as the Son, since their Personality,
according to them, is not so distinct, as that what is done by one
divine Person, might not be said to have been done by another.[118]
(2.) It follows, from hence, that the divine nature, which belongs in
common to the Father, Son, and Spirit, cannot be properly said to have
been incarnate. It is true, we read, that _God was manifest in the
flesh_, 1 Tim. iii. 16. and elsewhere, that in him, namely, in the human
nature, _dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead_, Col. ii. 9. from
whence some take occasion to conclude, that the human nature was united
to the Godhead, or that the Godhead of Christ was said to be incarnate:
but if this be asserted, it must be with caution and a distinction. I
cannot therefore suppose, that the Godhead absolutely considered, but as
including in it the idea of its subsisting in the Person of the Son, was
incarnate; which is very well expressed, when we say that the human
nature was united to the second Person in the Godhead, rather than to
the Godhead itself.
(3.) Christ being farther considered, as the eternal Son of God; it
follows from hence, that he existed before his incarnation, which has
been largely insisted on, under a foregoing answer, in defence of
Christ’s proper deity. In this we oppose not only the Socinians, who
deny that he existed before he was conceived in the womb of the blessed
Virgin; but also the Arians, especially those of them who take occasion
to explain, without disguise, or ambiguity of words, what they mean when
they speak of him, as being before time, which comes infinitely short of
what is intended by his being styled God’s eternal Son, and so existing
with him before time. Thus we have an account of the Person assuming the
human nature.
2. We are now to consider the nature assumed, or united to the divine
Person, which was an human nature, consisting of a true body, and a
reasonable soul; so that as Christ is, in one nature, God equal with the
Father, in the other he is Man, made, in all the essential properties of
the human nature, like unto us. Here we may consider,
(1.) That, since this is a matter of pure revelation, we have sufficient
ground, from scripture, to assert, that our Saviour is both God and Man.
Many of the scriptures, that have been before referred to, to prove his
deity, expressly attribute to him an human, as well as a divine nature,
and speak of the same Person as both God and Man; as when God styles
him, _The Man that is my Fellow_, Zech. xiii. 7. or, when he, who is
_Jehovah, our righteousness_, is also described as _a branch raised unto
David_, Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. that is, of the seed of David; or, as the
apostle says, he, _who is over all, God blessed for ever, was of the
fathers concerning the flesh_, or his human nature, Rom. ix. 15.
Moreover, when we read of the same Person, as styled, _The mighty God_,
and yet _a Child born unto us, a Son given_, Isa. ix. 6. or of the same
Person’s being called _Emmanuel, God with us_, and yet _born of a
Virgin_, Isa. vii. 14. compared with Matt. i. 23. or, when we read of
the _Word’s being made flesh, and dwelling among us_: and elsewhere,
being called _the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord_, and yet _made of
the seed of David, according to the flesh_, Rom. i. 3. or, _God manifest
in the flesh_, 1 Tim. iii. 16. These, and many other scriptures, as
plainly prove him to be man, as they do that he is God.[119] And,
indeed, the arguments to prove his humanity, taken from thence, are not
so much contested, as those that respect his proper deity; and
therefore, if these scriptures prove him to be God, they contain as
strong and conclusive arguments to prove him to be Man, so that the bare
mention of them is sufficient, especially when we consider, as it cannot
be denied, that all these scriptures speak of the same Person;
therefore,
(2.) When Christ is said to be both God and Man, it does not imply that
there are two Persons in the Mediator; and accordingly it is said, in
the answer we are explaining, that though these natures are distinct,
yet the Person who has them, is but one. This is to be maintained
against those who entertain favourable thoughts of that ancient heresy,
first broached by Nestorius,[120] whose method of reasoning cannot be
reconciled with the sense of those scriptures, which plainly speak of
the same Person, as both God and Man, and attribute the same actions to
him in different respects, which is inconsistent with asserting, that
the Mediator is both a divine and a human Person; and it cannot be
denied but that it is a contradiction in terms, to say, that two Persons
can be so united, as to become one. However, it must be acknowledged,
that this is one of the incomprehensible mysteries of our religion; and
when divines have attempted to explain some things relating to it, they
have only given farther conviction, that there are some doctrines
contained in scripture, which we are bound to believe, but are at a loss
to determine how they are what they are asserted to be.
If it be objected, that we cannot conceive of an human nature, such an
one as our Saviour’s is that has not its own Personality, since there is
no parallel instance hereof, in any other men, which I take to be the
principal thing that gave occasion to the asserting, that he had a human
Person, as well as a divine;
The answer that I would give to this objection, is, that though, it is
true, every man has a distinct subsistence of his own, without being
united to any other person, yet we have no ground to conclude, that the
human nature of Christ, even in its first formation, had any subsistence
separate from the divine nature. Had it been first formed, and then
united to the divine nature, it would have had a proper subsistence of
its own; but, since it was not, its Personality, considered as united to
the second Person in the Godhead, is contained therein, though its
properties are infinitely distinct from it.
3. These two natures are distinct; united but not confounded. This is
asserted, in opposition to an old exploded heresy, which was maintained
by some, who, to avoid the error of Nestorius, and his followers, went
into the other extreme,[121] and asserted, that the divine and human
nature of Christ were confounded, or blended together, after the
similitude of things that are mixed together in a natural or artificial
way, whereby the composition is of a different nature from the parts of
which it is compounded, by which means they debase his Godhead, and
advance his manhood; or rather, instead of supposing him to be both God
and man, they do, in effect, say, he is neither God nor man. The main
foundation, as I apprehend, of this absurd and blasphemous notion, was,
that they could not conceive how he could have a divine and human
understanding and will, without asserting, with Nestorius, that there
were two persons in the Mediator, whereby they split against one rock,
while endeavouring to avoid another. And to fence against both extremes,
the fathers, in the council of Chalcedon, explained the doctrine in
words to this purpose: That the two natures of Christ were indivisibly
and inseparably united, without supposing that one was changed into the
other, or confounded with it.
Therefore we must consider, that though these two natures are united,
yet each of them retains its respective properties, as much as the soul
and body of man do, though united together, which is the best similitude
by which this can be illustrated, though I do not suppose that, in all
respects, it answers it. Thus, in one nature, Christ had all the fulness
of the Godhead, and in nothing common with us; nothing finite, derived,
or dependent, or any other way defective. In his other nature, he was
made in all things like unto us, sin only excepted: in this nature, he
was born in time, and did not exist from all eternity, and increased in
knowledge, and other endowments, proper thereunto. In one nature, he had
a comprehensive knowledge of all things; in the other, he knew nothing
but by communication, or derivation, and with those other limitations
that finite wisdom is subject to. In one nature he had an infinite
sovereign will; in the other, he had such a will as the creature has,
which though it was not opposite to his divine will, yet its conformity
thereunto was of the same kind with that which is in perfect creatures;
so that though we do not say that his human will was the same with his
divine, as to the essential properties thereof; yet it may be said to be
the same, in a moral sense, as conformed thereunto, in like manner, as
the will of man is said to be subjected to the will of God.
Had this been duly considered, persons would not have been so ready to
give into an error so dangerous and blasphemous, as that which we are
opposing. And we have sufficient ground, from scripture, to distinguish
between his divine and human understanding and will, inasmuch as it is
said, in one place, speaking of his divine understanding, _Lord, thou
knowest all things_, John xxi. 17. and of his human, _Of that day and
hour knoweth no man; no, not the Son_, Mark xiii. 32. and so of his
will, it is sometimes represented as truly divine, in the same sense as
the Father’s, as when it is said, _As the Father raiseth up the dead,
and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will_, John v.
21. and elsewhere, _If we ask any thing according to his will he heareth
us_, 1 John v. 14. and, _Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast
out_, John vi. 37. And, in other places, he is represented as having an
human will, essentially distinct from the will of God; as when he says,
_Not my will, but thine, be done_, Luke xxii. 42.
4. The nature that was assumed by the Son of God, is farther described,
as truly and properly human. It was not an angelic nature; as the
apostle says, _He took not on him the nature of angels_, inasmuch as he
did not design to redeem the angels that fell, but he _took on him_ the
nature _of the seed of Abraham_, Heb. ii. 16. And, this nature is
farther described, as consisting of a true body, and a reasonable soul.
(1.) Christ is described as having a true body. This is maintained
against those who, in an early age of the church,[122] denied that he
had a real human nature. These, it is true, do not deny his deity; but
they suppose, that it was impossible for God to be united to human
flesh, and therefore that he appeared only in the likeness thereof; as
some heathen writers represent their gods, as appearing in human forms,
that they might converse with men. Thus they suppose, that the Godhead
of Christ appeared in an human form, without a real human nature, in
which sense they understand that scripture, _He took upon him the form
of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men_, Phil. ii. 7. as
though, in that place, the similitude of a man were opposed to real
humanity; or, at least, they suppose, that he had no other human nature
when he dwelt on earth, than what he had, when he appeared to the
church, under the Old Testament-dispensation, _viz._ to Abraham, Moses,
Joshua, and several others, in which they conclude, that there was only
the likeness of a human body, or an aerial one, which, according to some
common modes of speaking, is called a spirit. To give countenance to
this, they bring some other scriptures, as when it is said, after his
resurrection, that _he appeared in another form to two disciples, as
they walked into the country_, Mark xvi. 12. so when he appeared to
Mary, it was in such a form, as that _she knew not that it was Jesus,
but supposed him to be the gardener_, John xx. 14, 15. and especially
when it is said, in another scripture, Luke xxiv. 21. when his two
disciples at Emmaus _knew him, he vanished out of their sight_;[123]
which they understand of his vanishing, in the same sense, as, according
to the popular way of speaking, a spectrum is said to do.
But this opinion is so absurd, as well as contrary to scripture, that it
only shews how far the wild and extravagant fancies of men may run, who
are so hardy, as to set aside plain scriptures, and take up with some
few passages thereof, without considering their scope and design, or
their harmony with other scriptures. And, indeed, there is scarce any
thing said concerning him in the New Testament, but what confutes it;
where we have an account of him, as being born, passing through all the
ages of life, conversing familiarly with his people, eating and drinking
with them, and, at last, dying on the cross, which put this matter out
of all manner of dispute; as also when he distinguishes himself from a
spirit, when the disciples were terrified upon his standing unexpectedly
in the midst of them, supposing that he had been a spirit, he satisfies
them that they were mistaken, by saying, _Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and
bones, as ye see me have_, Luke xxiv. 29.
As for those scriptures in the Old Testament, which speak of his
appearing in a human form, assumed for that purpose; whether there was,
in every one of those instances, a real human body that appeared,
though, in some of them, it is beyond dispute that there was, I will not
pretend to determine; yet it must be considered, that this is never
styled his incarnation, or becoming man, but it was only an emblem, or
prelibation thereof; and when it is said, in the scripture before
mentioned, that he was made in the _likeness of men_, it does not from
hence follow, that he was not, after his incarnation, a real man, for
the _likeness of man_ is oftentimes so understood in scripture; as when
it is said, on occasion of the birth of Seth, that _Adam begat a son in
his own likeness_, Gen. v. 3. And as to that other scripture, in which
Christ is said to appear in different forms, it is not to be supposed
that there was a change in his human nature, but only a change in his
countenance, or external mein; or he appeared with other kind of
garments, which rendered him not immediately known by them. And when, in
the other scripture, it is said, he _vanished out of their sight_,
nothing is intended thereby, but an instantaneous withdrawing of himself
from them, which, it may be might contain something miraculous.
(2.) Christ is farther described, as having taken to himself a
reasonable soul, to which his body was united. This is maintained
against the Arians, who deny that he had an human soul, concluding that
the divine nature, such an one as they will allow him to have, was, as
it were, a soul to his body; which is founded partly on their
misunderstanding the sense of those scriptures, in which it is said,
_The Word was made flesh_, John i. 14. and _God was manifest in the
flesh_, 1 Tim. iii. 16. and, _Forasmuch as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same_, Heb.
ii. 14. and, _Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came_, &c. Rom.
ix. 5. But the principal argument, by which this opinion is supported,
is, because they suppose, that, if he had an human soul, distinct from
his divine nature, he must have had two understandings and wills, to
wit, a divine and an human, and then it would have been possible for him
to have had contrary ideas in his mind, and determinations in his will,
as man, to what he had as God, which would infer a sort of confusion of
thought, and irregularity of actions: but to this it may be answered,
_1st_, As to the former, relating to his assuming flesh, it is a very
common thing, in scripture, by a _synecdoche_, of the part for the
whole, for _flesh_ to signify the whole man, consisting of soul and
body, of which we have many instances in scripture; as when it is said,
_All flesh had corrupted his way_, Gen. vi. 12. that is, all men had
corrupted their way; and the prophet speaking concerning the vanity of
man, as mortal, says, _All flesh is grass_, Isa. xl. 6.
_2dly_, As to the other branch of their argument; we allow that Christ,
as Man, had a distinct understanding and will, from what he had as God,
and that his human understanding was not equally perfect with his
divine, neither had his human will the sovereignty and glory of his
divine will. And, if it should be also allowed, that if his human
understanding and will had not always been under the influence and
direction of his divine, he might have had contrary ideas, and
determinations, as man, to what he had as God; yet we cannot allow that
the divine nature would so far suspend its direction and influence, as
that his human understanding should have contradictory ideas to his
divine, so that this inconvenience should ensue, which would occasion a
confusion and disorder in his actions, or methods of human conduct. It
was no disparagement to him, nor hindrance to his work, to suppose that
his human soul was subject to some natural imperfections, which were
inconsistent with the infinite perfection of his deity; however, it is
sufficient to assert, that, as Man, he knew every thing, which he was
obliged to perform, in a way of obedience, and consented to, and
delighted in every thing that was agreeable to his divine will, which
would render his obedience compleat; though we suppose, that the nature,
in which he performed it, was less perfect than that to which it was
united; therefore this method of reasoning is not conclusive, and we
must suppose, that he had a human soul, distinct from his divine nature.
This is evident, because he could not perform obedience in the divine
nature, his human soul being the only subject thereof, and it is proper
to the deity to be dispassionate; therefore those sinless passions which
he was subject to, were seated in his soul, as united to the body; and
that he had such passions, is very plain from scripture; for he says,
_My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death_, Matt. xxvi. 38. And
there are various other passions besides sorrow, which he was subject
to, which, though free from sin, were altogether inconsistent with the
infinite perfection of the divine nature.
9. This human nature is said to have been conceived by the power of the
Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without
sin. Here we may observe,
(1.) That there was something in the formation of Christ’s human nature,
in which he resembled the rest of mankind, in that he was not produced,
and brought into a state of manhood in an instant, or created out of the
dust of the ground, as Adam was, but was born, or as the apostle
expresses it, _made of a woman_, Gal. iv. 4. to denote his being formed
out of her substance; and accordingly he began his state of humiliation
in infancy, that he might, in all respects, be made like unto those whom
he came to redeem. Herein the promise made to our first parents,
relating to his being _the seed of the woman_, Gen. iii. 15. was not
only fulfilled; but another express prediction, by the prophet Isaiah,
who says, _Unto us a Child is born_, Isa. ix. 6.
(2.) There was something peculiar and extraordinary in his formation, as
he was an extraordinary Person, and to be engaged in a work peculiar to
himself; so he is said to have been born of a Virgin, not because, as
some suppose, that that is a state of greater sanctity, than any other
condition of life, but, as was before observed[124], that he might be
exempted from the guilt of Adam’s first sin, which he would have been
liable to, though sanctified from the womb, had his human nature been
formed in an ordinary way. It was certainly necessary that his human
nature, which was, in its first formation, united to his divine Person,
should be perfectly sinless; since it would have been a reproach cast on
the Son of God, to have it said concerning him, that he was, in the
nature which he assumed, estranged to, and separate from God, as all
mankind are, who are born in an ordinary way. And this was also
necessary for his accomplishing the work of our redemption, since as the
apostle says, _Such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, and separate from sinners_, Heb. vii. 26. And, in order to
his being born of a Virgin, there was an extraordinary instance of the
power of God; and therefore it is said, _The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee_, Luke i. 35.
His being born of a Virgin, was an accomplishment of that prediction
which we read of in Isa. vii. 14. _The Lord himself shall give you a
sign; Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call
his name Immanuel_. This text being so convincing a proof of
Christianity, and, as such, referred to in the New Testament, Matt. i.
22, 23. the Jews, and many of the modern Deists, have endeavoured to
weaken the force thereof, which renders it necessary for us to
illustrate and explain it, agreeably to the scope and design of the
prophecy, contained in the context; which we shall endeavour to do, in
the following Paraphrase. Says God to the prophet, “Go to Ahaz, and bid
him not be faint-hearted, by reason of the threatened invasion by the
confederate kings of Israel and Syria; but let him ask a sign for the
confirmation of his faith, that I may hereby assure him, that they shall
not be able to do him any hurt: but I know, before-hand, his unbelief,
and the sullenness of his temper, that he will refuse to ask a sign;
therefore, when thou goest to meet him, take thy young son Shear-jashub
in thine hand, or in thine arms, from whom thou mayest take occasion to
deliver part of the message which I send thee with to him; tell him,
that though he refuse to ask a sign, _nevertheless_[125], _the Lord
shall give thee a sign_, to his people, whom thou shalt command to hear
this message, as well as Ahaz, they being equally concerned herein;
therefore let them know, that, though their obstinate and wicked king
calls a compliance with my command a _tempting_ me, and therefore will
not ask a sign, I will not give him any other sign, than what the whole
house of Israel shall behold, in future ages, which, though it cannot be
properly called a prognostic sign, yet it will be, when it comes to
pass, a _rememorative sign_[126], and that shall be a glorious one; for,
_Behold a Virgin_[127] _shall conceive, and bear a Son, and thou shalt
call his name Immanuel_. When this wonderful thing happens, a thing new
and unheard of, which shall be _created in the earth, that a woman
should compass a man_, as it is said elsewhere, Jer. xxxi. 22. then the
house of David shall understand the reason why I have not suffered these
two kings to destroy Judah, so that it should be _broken, that it be not
a people_, as _Ephraim shall, within threescore and five years_, [ver.
8.] for then the Messiah could not come of the house of David; and what
he shall do for them, when he comes, is the ground and reason of all the
temporal deliverances that I work for them, and particularly of this
from the intended invasion of these two confederate kings. Tell them,
moreover, that as this shall be a _rememorative sign_, so I will give
them to understand, at present, that they shall be delivered in a little
time; for before this Child, which thou hast here brought with thee,
_shall know to refuse the evil, and chuse the good_, or shall know the
difference between moral good and evil, that is, in two or three years
time, _The land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her
kings_; or those two kings, which thou dreadest, shall be driven, by the
king of Assyria, out of their own land. And inasmuch as my people may be
afraid, that, before these two years are expired, they shall be brought
into such straights, through famine, or scarcity of provisions, which
generally attend sieges, that they shall want the necessaries of life;
let them know that this child, meaning Shear-jashub, shall not want
_butter and honey_, that is, the best and most proper food for it, _that
he may know_, or rather, _until_[128] _he know to refuse the evil, and
chuse the good_, that is, till these two kings, Rezin and Pekah, be
utterly destroyed.”
Thus having considered our Saviour’s being born of a Virgin, there is
one thing more that is to be observed under this head, namely, that he
was of her substance, which is particularly mentioned in this answer,
with a design to fence against an ancient heresy, maintained by the
Gnostics in the second century, and hath been defended by others, in
later ages, who supposed, that our Saviour did not derive his human
nature from the Virgin Mary, but that it was formed in heaven, and sent
down from thence; and that the Virgin’s womb is only to be considered as
the first seat of its residence in this lower world, which they found on
those scriptures which speak of _his coming down from heaven_, John iii.
13, 14. which they understand concerning his human nature; whereas,
nothing is intended thereby but the manifestative presence of his divine
nature, in which respect God is, in other scriptures, said to _come
down_ into this lower world, Gen. xi. 5, 7. And another scripture, which
they bring to the same purpose, is that, in which, they suppose, he
denies his relation to his mother, when he says, _Who is my mother? and
who are my brethren? Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is
in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother_, Mat. xi. 48,
50. in which he does not deny his natural relation to them, but designs
to shew, that his regard to persons in the exercise of his public
ministry, was principally founded on their doing the will of his Father.
And whereas they farther suppose, that if his human nature had, in any
respect, been derived from the substance of the Virgin, either she must
be concluded immaculate, as the Papists do, or else he must have been
born a sinner; this hath been already proved to be no just consequence,
inasmuch as the formation of his human nature, though it were of the
substance of the Virgin, was in an extraordinary and miraculous way,
whereby he was exempted from the guilt of original sin.
There is another opinion maintained by some of the school-men, which,
though it be not generally received, seems, to me, not altogether
improbable, namely, that Christ’s human body, though formed in the womb
of the virgin, and a part of her substance, yet, as to the manner of its
formation, it differed from that of all other human bodies, inasmuch as
the matter, of which they consist, receives its form in a gradual way,
and they cannot properly speaking be styled human bodies, till organized
and fitted to have their souls united to them; whereas these suppose
that the body of Christ, in its first formation, was rendered fit to
receive the soul, which was, in an instant united to it; and both soul
and body, at the same time, without having any separate subsistence,
were united to the divine nature. This account of the formation of
Christ’s human body, though I think it most adapted to the union of his
soul and body with the divine nature, in the very instant of its
formation, and therefore cannot but conclude it a more probable
conjecture than what is generally received, yet I do not lay it down as
a necessary article of faith; nor would I, from hence, be supposed to
deny that the body of Christ grew in the womb like other human bodies,
after the soul is united to them; nor would I set aside the account the
scripture gives of the virgin’s _accomplishing_ the full number of
_days, in which she should be delivered_, Luke ii. 6. Gal. iv. 4. Thus
we have considered our Saviour, as having a true body and a reasonable
soul, and both united to the divine nature, whereby he is denominated
God incarnate, in this answer.
6. Our Mediator is farther said to have been incarnate, in the fulness
of time; and it is added, he shall continue to be both God and man for
ever.
(1.) Let us consider what is meant by Christ’s becoming man in the
fulness of time. The human nature could not be united to the divine from
all eternity; since it is inconsistent with its being a created nature,
that it should exist from eternity; notwithstanding he might, had it
been so determined, have, assumed this nature in the beginning of time,
or immediately after the fall of man, who then stood in need of a
Mediator; but God, in his sovereign and wise providence, ordered it
otherwise, namely, that there should be a considerable distance of time
between the fall of man and Christ’s incarnation, in order to his
recovery, which is called, in scripture, the _fulness of time_, Gal. iv.
4. that is, the time foretold by the prophets, and particularly Daniel,
Dan. ix. 24, 25. whose prediction had an additional circumstance of time
annexed to it, which gave occasion to the Jews to expect his coming at
the same time that he was incarnate.
That there was an universal expectation of the Messiah at this time,
appears from the disposition of many among them to adhere to any one,
especially if he pretended himself to be a prophet, or that he would
make some change in their civil affairs; and the Jewish historian[129]
tells us of many tumults and seditions that were in that age. Some of
their ring-leaders he styles magicians; and persons pretending to be
prophets, though, indeed, he does not expressly say that they assume the
character of Messiah, yet he observes, that the time in which this was
done, gave occasion hereunto[130]; by which he means that it being at
that time that the Jews expected that the Messiah, their king, should
come, they thought it a fit opportunity to make these efforts, to shake
off the Roman yoke; and they were so far from concealing the expectation
they had thereof, that it was well known by the heathen, who were not
without jealousies concerning them, with respect to this matter; so that
some celebrated writers among them observe, that it was generally
received throughout the east, according to some ancient predictions,
that, at that time, the Jews should obtain the empire;[131] and there
are several expressions, in scripture, which intimate as much: thus
Gamaliel speaks of one Theudas, who _boasted himself to be somebody_, by
which, it is probable, he means the Messiah, _to whom a number of men,
about four hundred, joined themselves, and were slain_, Acts v. 36, 37.
which some think to be the same person that Josephus mentions, the name
being the same; though others are rather inclined to think that it was
another pretender to this character, from some critical remarks they
make on the circumstance of time referred to by Gamaliel, being
different from that which is mentioned by Josephus.[132] However, this
does not affect our argument; for it is plain, from hence, that, about
that time, the Jews were disposed to join themselves to any one who
endeavoured to persuade them that he was the Messiah.
And this farther appears, from what our Saviour says, _All that ever
came before me, are thieves and robbers_, John x. 8. by which,
doubtless, he means, several that pretended to be the Messiah, in that
age, before he came; and it is said elsewhere, Luke xix. 11. a little
before our Saviour’s crucifixion, that _they_, that is, the Jews,
generally _thought that the kingdom of God_, and consequently the
Messiah, whom they expected, _should immediately appear_; and he also
foretels, that between this and the destruction of Jerusalem, that is,
before that age was at an end, _many false Christs, should arise_, and
warns his followers not to adhere to them, Mat. xxiv. 24-26.
Moreover, had not the Jews expected that the Messiah would appear at
that time, they would never have sent in so formal a manner, as they are
said to have done, to enquire, _Whether John the Baptist_, when he
exercised his public ministry amongst them, _was he_? John i. 19-21.
And, when he had convinced them that he was not the Messiah, but that
our Saviour would soon appear publicly amongst them, who had the only
right to this character, he found it no difficult matter to persuade
them to believe it; and accordingly Jerusalem and all Judea, that is,
the people almost universally attended on his ministry, and were
baptized, making a profession of this faith, and of their expectation
of, and willingness to adhere to him; and it was the report, that the
wise men, who came from the east, had received from the Jews, who were
conversant with them, that this was the time that the Messiah should
appear, that brought them to Jerusalem, from their respective countries,
otherwise that preternatural meteor, or star, which they saw, could not
have given them a sufficient intimation concerning this matter, so as to
induce them to come and pay their homage to him; and when they came, and
enquired of Herod, _Where is he that is born king of the Jews_? how
surprizing soever it might be to that proud tyrant, to think that there
was one born, who, as he supposed, would stand in competition with him
for the crown, yet it was no unexpected thing to the Sanhedrim, whose
opinion in this matter he demanded, in an hypocritical manner; therefore
they say, he was _to be born in Bethlehem_, according to the prediction
of the prophet Micah; whereas, if they had not known that this was the
time in which he was to be born, they would have replied, that it was an
unseasonable question, and a vain thing, to ask where a person was to be
born, whose birth was not expected in that age; and they might easily
have satisfied Herod, and removed the foundation of his jealousy and
trouble, and thereby have prevented that inhuman barbarity committed on
the infants of Bethlehem, if they had told him that the time spoken of
by the prophet Daniel, in which the Messiah was to be born, was not yet
come: but they knew otherwise; and in this respect, Christ might be said
to be born _in the fulness of time_. That which we shall farther
observe, concerning it, is,
_1st_, That it was at that time when God had sufficiently tried the
faith of the Old Testament-church, in waiting for his coming, and
thereby glorified his sovereignty, who hath the times and seasons of his
bestowing all blessings in his own power.
_2dly_, It was at that time when the measure of the iniquity of the
world was abundantly filled, whereby his people might observe the
deplorable state into which sin had brought mankind, and the utter
impossibility of our recovery without a Mediator, and that the light of
nature could not discover any method by which the redemption and
salvation of man might be brought about.
_3dly_, It was at that time that the Jewish church was at the lowest
ebb, and therefore the most seasonable time, and they were laid under
the highest obligations to adore and magnify him: their political state
was broken, the sceptre departed from Judah, and they were brought under
the Roman yoke, which sat very uneasy upon them; neither could they ever
expect to make that figure in the world as they once had done, therefore
now was the time for the Messiah to come, and erect his kingdom. And,
besides this, they were given up to a very great degree of judicial
blindness and hardness, and were disposed to make void the law of God by
their traditions; so that religion, among them, was at a very low ebb;
therefore it was the fittest time for God to display his grace, in
reviving his work, and preventing his cause and interest from wholly
sinking in the world. This was the time in which the Son of God became
Man.
(2.) Christ shall continue to be God and Man for ever, or the union of
these two natures is indissoluble: as to his divine nature, he is
necessarily eternal and unchangeable; and the human nature shall
continue for ever united to it, as the result of the divine purpose, in
which God intends that some ends, glorious to himself, honourable to the
Mediator, and advantageous to his people, should be attained thereby.
For,
_1st_, If he had had a design to lay aside his human nature, he would
have done it when he finished his work of obedience and sufferings
therein, and thereby had so far answered the end of his incarnation,
that nothing more was necessary for the purchase of redemption: but when
he rose from the dead, as a Conqueror over death and hell, and was
declared to have accomplished the work he came into the world about, it
is certain he did not lay it aside, but ascended visibly into heaven,
and shall come again, in a visible manner, in that same nature, to judge
the world at the last day.
_2dly_, The eternity of Christ’s human nature appears from the eternity
of his mediatorial kingdom, of which more under a following answer, when
we come to speak concerning the glory of Christ’s kingly office. It
appears, also, from the eternity of his intercession, which, as the
apostle expresses it, _He ever liveth to make_, Heb. vii. 25. for his
people: thus he does, by appearing in the human nature in the presence
of God, in their behalf; therefore he must for ever have an human
nature.
_3dly_, His saints shall abide for ever in heaven, and, as the apostle
says, _Shall ever be with the Lord_, 1 Thess. iv. 17. and their
happiness shall continue both as to soul and body; and, with respect to
their bodies, it is said, they shall be _fashioned like unto Christ’s
glorious body_, Phil. iii. 21. therefore his glorious body, or his human
nature, shall continue for ever united to his divine Person.
_4thly_, His retaining his human nature for ever, seems necessary, as it
redounds to the glory of God: it is an eternal monument of his love to
mankind, and an external means to draw forth their love to him, who
procured those mansions of glory, which they shall for ever be possessed
of, by what he did and suffered for them therein.
Footnote 113:
_See Page 379._ Vol. I.
Footnote 114:
_See Quest._ xliv.
Footnote 115:
_See Vol. I. Page 243._
Footnote 116:
_See Quest._ ix, x, xi.
Footnote 117:
_Vide the note, Vol. I. Page 279._
Footnote 118:
_For this reason, the Sabellians are often called, by ancient writers,
Patripassians._
Footnote 119:
_See the same scriptures, and others to the like purpose, before
cited, for the proof of Christ’s proper deity, under Quest._ ix. x.
xi. _Vol. I. Page 302, to 319, and also what has been said concerning
his Sonship, as implying him to be God-man Mediator. Vol. I. Page 274,
279, &c._
Footnote 120:
_Nestorius was Bishop of Constantinople, in the reign of Theodosius,
the younger, A. D. 428. who very warmly maintained, that the Virgin
Mary was not the mother of that Person that was God, but of a distinct
human Person, called Christ, which was censured and condemned by the
council at Ephesus, A. D. 431._
Footnote 121:
_These are called Eutychians, from Eutyches, an abbot of
Constantinople, who, when he had gained a great deal of reputation, in
disputing against Nestorius, in the council at Ephesus, a few years
after, viz. A. D. 448. propagated his opinion, which was condemned, as
heretical, in the council at Chalcedon, A. D. 451._
Footnote 122:
_This absurd opinion, subversive of Christianity, was propagated by
several among the Gnosticks, in the second century, who, for this
reason, were called Docetæ._
Footnote 123:
αφαντος εγενετο.
Footnote 124:
_See Page 112 ante._
Footnote 125:
_So the Hebrew word ought to be rendered, rather than_ therefore; _for
so it is understood in other scriptures, particularly in Jer._ xxx.
_16._
Footnote 126:
_This is a just distinction relating to signs mentioned in scripture;
in which, sometimes a sign did not take place till the thing
signified, or brought to remembrance thereby, had been accomplished.
See Exod._ iii. _12. 1 Sam._ ii. _34. Isa._ xxxvii. _30. Jer._ xliv.
_29, 30. as Bishop Kidder well observes. See Demonstrat. of the
Messias, Part II. page 105, in Fol._
Footnote 127:
_The Hebrew word_ עלמה _is truly rendered_ a Virgin, _as it is
translated by the LXX._ [η παρθενος] _who well understand the sense of
it, in this and other places, where we meet with it; as also doth the
Chaldee Paraphrast thus understand it, and the Syriac, Arabic, and
vulgar Latin versions: and this sense agrees with the grammatical
construction of the word, which is derived from_ עלם abscondit, _and
it alludes to the custom used among the Jews of keeping their virgins
concealed till they were married; therefore as a learned writer well
observes_, עלמה Notat statum solitarium domi delitescentium ideoq;
cælebum & virginum; _and in those two places, in which it is objected
by the Jews, that the word does not signify_ a virgin, _but a_ young
woman, _namely, Prov._ xxx. _19 and Cant._ vi. _8. In the former, as
one observes_, Promptissimum est intelligere vincula amoris quibus
virgo incipit adstringi futuro sponso suo; _and therefore it may be
understood of a virgin, in the literal sense of the word. Vid. Cocc.
Lexic. in Voc. The LXX. indeed, render it_, ανδρος εν νεοτητι, _and
the vulgar Latin version_, Viri in adolescentia; _but the Chaldee
Paraphrast renders it_, Viri in virgine. _And as for the later
scripture, in which it is said, there are_ threescore queens, and
fourscore concubines, and virgins without number, _it is plain, the
word_ virgins _is not opposed to_ young women, _for such were many of
them that are called_ queens and concubines, _but to persons
defloured; therefore we may conclude, that the word always signifies a
virgin, and therefore is rightly translated in the text, under our
present consideration_.
Footnote 128:
_So the word is properly rendered by the Chaldee Paraphrast._
Footnote 129:
_See Joseph. Antiq. Lib. XVIII. cap. 1. & Lib. XX. cap. 2. & de Bell.
Jud. Lib. II. cap. 6._
Footnote 130:
Βασιλειαν ο καιρος, ανεπεισθε.
Footnote 131:
_Vid. Sueton in Vespas. Percrebuerat oriente toto, ventus & constans
opinio, esse in fatis; ut eo tempore Judea, profecti, rerum
potirentur; & Tacit. Histor. Lib. V. Pluribus persuasio inerat,
antiquis sacerdotum literis contineri, eo ipso tempore fore ut
valesceret, Oriens, profectiq; Judea rerum potirentur._
Footnote 132:
_See Lightfoot’s works, Vol. I. Pag. 765, 766._
Quest. XXXVIII., XXXIX., XL.
QUEST. XXXVIII. _Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be
God?_
ANSW. It was requisite that the Mediator should be God, that he
might sustain and keep the human nature from sinking under the
infinite wrath of God, and the power of death, give worth and
efficacy to his sufferings, obedience, and intercession; and so
satisfy God’s justice, procure his favour, purchase a peculiar
people, give his Spirit to them, conquer all their enemies, and
bring them to everlasting salvation.
QUEST. XXXIX. _Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be
Man?_
ANSW. It was requisite that the Mediator should be Man, that he
might advance our nature, perform obedience to the law, suffer, and
make intercession for us in our nature, have a fellow-feeling of our
infirmities, that we might receive the adoption of sons, and have
comfort and access with boldness unto the throne of grace.
QUEST. XL. _Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be God and
Man in one Person?_
ANSW. It was requisite that the Mediator, who was to reconcile God
and Man, should himself be both God and Man, and this in one Person,
that the proper works of each nature might be accepted of God for
us, and relied on by us, as the works of the whole Person.
Our Mediator having been considered as God and Man, in one person, we
have a farther account of the necessity of being so. And,
I. It was necessary that he should be a divine Person, for several
reasons here assigned, with others that may be added. As,
1. If he had not been God, he could not have come into the world, or
been incarnate, and have had the guilt of our sins laid on him, with his
own consent; for he could not have been a party in the everlasting
covenant, in which this matter was stipulated between the Father and
him; and, had he not consented to be charged with the guilt of our sin,
he could not have been punished for it, inasmuch as God cannot punish an
innocent person; and, if such an one be charged with this guilt, and
consequently rendered the object of vindictive justice, as our Saviour
is said to have been, in scripture, it must be with his own consent. Now
the human nature could not consent to its own formation, and therefore
it could not consent to bear our iniquities; since to consent supposes
the person to be existent, which Christ, had he been only Man, would not
have been before his incarnation, and therefore he could not have come
into the world as a Surety for us, and so would not have been fit, in
this respect, to have discharged the principal part of the work, which
he engaged in as Mediator.
2. There is another thing, mentioned in this answer, which rendered it
requisite that the Mediator should be God, namely, that he might sustain
and keep the human nature from sinking under the infinite wrath of God,
and the power of death. It must be allowed, that the weight of the wrath
of God, due to our sin, was so great, that no mere creature could, by
his own strength, have subsisted under it. We will not deny, that a mere
creature, supposing him only innocent, but not united to a divine
Person, might have been borne up, under the greatest burthen laid on
him, by the extraordinary assistance of God, with whom all things are
possible; nor that God’s giving a promise that he should not fail, or be
discouraged, is such a security, as would effectually keep it from
sinking; yet when we consider the human nature, as united to the divine,
this is an additional security, that he should not sink under the
infinite weight of the wrath of God, that lay upon him; for then it
would have been said, that he, who is a divine Person, miscarried in an
important work, which he undertook to perform in his human nature, which
would have been a dishonour to him: so far this argument hath its proper
force. But,
3. There is another reason, which more fully proves the necessity of the
Mediator’s being a Divine Person, _viz._ that this might give worth and
efficacy to his sufferings, obedience, and intercession, that so what he
did might have a tendency to answer the valuable ends designed thereby,
namely, the satisfying the justice of God, procuring his favour, and
purchasing a peculiar people to himself. Had he been only man, what he
did and suffered, might indeed have been sinless, and perfect in its
kind; nevertheless, it could not be of infinite value, for a finite
creature, as such, cannot pay an infinite price, and thereby answer the
demands of justice. Had nothing been demanded of him but a debt of
obedience, which he was obliged to perform for himself, as a creature,
it would not, indeed, have been necessary that it should be of infinite
worth and value, any more than that obedience, that was due from our
first parents, while in a state of innocency: But when this is
considered as a price of redemption paid for us, and as designed to
procure a right to the favour of God, and eternal life, this must be of
such a value, that the glory of the justice of God might be secured,
which nothing less than an infinite price could do; and the law of God
must not only be fulfilled, but magnified, and made honourable; and
therefore the obedience, which was required, must not only be sinless,
but have in it an infinite worth and value, that hereby, when in a way
of intercession, it is pleaded before God, it might be effectual to
answer the ends designed thereby; but this it could not have been, had
he not been an infinite Person, namely, God as well as Man.
4. Another reason assigned for this, is, that he might give his Spirit
to his people. It is necessary that redemption should be applied, as
well as purchased; and that the same Person, as a peculiar branch of
glory due to him, should perform the one as well as the other; and, in
the application of redemption, it was necessary that the Spirit should
be glorified, that hereby he might appear to be a divine Person; and, as
he acts herein in subserviency to the Mediator’s glory, as has been
before observed[133], he is said to be sent by him, which he could not
have been, had not Christ had a divine nature, in which respect he was
equal with him; nor could he be said to give that which the Spirit
works, as he promised to do, when he told his disciples, _If I depart, I
will send him unto you_, John xvi. 7.
5. It was necessary that Christ should be God, that he might conquer all
our enemies, and so remove every thing out of the way that tends to
oppose his name, interest, and glory; these are sin, Satan, the world,
and death. Sin, which is opposite to the holiness of God, is that which
spirits, excites, and gives being to all opposition there is against
him, either in earth or hell, and endeavours to eclipse his glory,
controul his sovereignty, and reflect dishonour on all his perfections.
This must be subdued by Christ, so _that it may no longer have dominion_
over his people, Rom. vi. 14. and, in order hereunto, its condemning
power must be taken away, by his making satisfaction for it, as our
great High Priest; and also its enslaving power subdued by the efficacy
of his grace, in the internal work of sanctification.
And, upon his having obtained this victory over sin, Satan is also
conquered when his prisoners are brought from under his power; and he
finds himself for ever disappointed, and not able to detain those, who
were, at first, led captive by him, nor to defeat the purpose of God
relating to the salvation of his elect, or to boast as though he had
wrested the sceptre out of his hand, or robbed him of one branch of his
glory.
Moreover, the world, which is reckoned among the number of God’s
enemies, must be conquered inasmuch as it opposes his name and interest
in an objective way, from whence corrupt nature takes occasion either to
abuse the various gifts and dispensations of providence, or by
contracting an intimacy with those who are enemies to God and religion,
to become more like them, as the apostle says, _The friendship of the
world is enmity with God_, James iv. 4. Now Christ must be God, that he
may discover its snares, and enable his people to improve the good
things of providence to his glory, and over-rule the evil things thereof
for their good.
And as for death, which is reckoned among Christ’s and his people’s
enemies, which the apostle calls, _The last enemy that is to be
destroyed_, 1 Cor. xv. 26. this is suffered to detain the bodies of
believers, as its prisoners, till Christ’s second coming; but it must be
destroyed, that so they may be made partakers of complete redemption;
and this is also a part of the Mediator’s work, as he raises up his
people at the last day. And all these victories over sin, Satan, the
world, and death, as they require infinite power, so it is necessary
that he, who obtains them, should be a divine Person.
6. It is necessary that the Mediator should be God, that he might bring
his people to everlasting salvation, that is, first fit them for, lead
them in the way to Heaven, and then receive them to it at last; for this
reason, he is styled, _The author and Finisher of our Faith_, Heb. xii.
2. and it is said, that as _he began the good work, so he performs it_,
Phil. i. 6. or carries it on to perfection. Grace is Christ’s gift and
work; as he purchased it by his blood, while on earth; it is necessary
that he should apply it by his power; even as Zerubbabel, who was a type
of him, after he had laid the foundation-stone of the temple, at last,
_brought forth the head-stone thereof, with shoutings, crying, Grace,
grace, unto it_, Zech. iv. 7. so Christ works all our works for us, and
in us, till he brings them to perfection, and _presents his people unto
himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish_, Eph. v. 27. and
this is certainly a divine work, and consequently he, who performs it,
must be a divine Person. And to this we may add,
7. It was necessary that our Mediator should be God, inasmuch as the
everlasting happiness of his people consists in the enjoyment of him. He
is not only the Author of their complete blessedness, but, as we may
express it, the matter of it; they are made happy, not only by him, but
in him; accordingly heaven is described as a state, in which they
_behold his glory_, John xvii. 24. and _see him as he is_, 1 John iii.
2. therefore, since he is the Fountain of blessedness, it is requisite
that he should be God, as well as Man.
II. It was requisite that the Mediator should be Man. When we speak of
the necessity of Christ’s incarnation, we are not to understand hereby,
that this was absolutely necessary, without supposing the divine will,
or purpose, to redeem man; for since our redemption was not in itself
necessary, but was only so, as the result of God’s purpose relating
thereunto; so Christ’s incarnation was necessary, as a means to
accomplish it. This is what divines generally call a conditional
necessity[134]; so that since Christ was ordained to be a Mediator
between God and man, it was requisite that he should become Man: The
reason assigned for it is, that he might perform obedience to the law.
That obedience to the law was required, in order to his making
satisfaction for sin, we shall have occasion to consider, when we speak
of his Priestly office; therefore all that need be observed under this
head, is, that this obedience could not be performed by him in the
divine nature, in which respect he cannot be under any obligation to
perform that which belongs only to those who are creatures, and as such
subjects; therefore, if he be made under the law, he must have a nature
fitted and disposed to yield obedience.
Some have enquired, whether it was possible for Christ to have answered
this end, by taking any other nature into union with his divine Person;
or, whether this might have been brought about by his taking on him the
nature of angels? I shall not enter so far into this subject, as to
determine whether God might, had he pleased, have accepted of obedience
in any other nature, fitted for that purpose; but we have ground, from
scripture, to conclude, that this was the only way that God had ordained
for the redemption of man; and therefore, though Christ might have
performed obedience in some other finite nature, or might have taken the
nature of angels, this would not, in all respects, have answered those
many great ends, which were designed by his incarnation. And therefore,
since this was the way in which God ordained that man should be
redeemed, it was necessary that he should take the human nature into
union with his divine; and inasmuch as he was to yield obedience to the
same law, that we had violated, it was necessary that he should be _made
of a woman_, as the apostle expresses it, Gal. iv. 4. God had ordained,
as an expedient most conducive for his own glory, that he, who was to be
our Redeemer, should run the same race with us; and also, that he should
suffer what was due to us, as the consequence of our rebellion against
him, that so, as _the Captain of our salvation, he should be made
perfect through sufferings_, Heb. ii. 10. And inasmuch as sufferings
were due to us in our bodies, it was necessary, God having so ordained
it, that he should suffer in his body, as well as in his soul; and as
death entered into the world by sin, so God ordained it, that we should
be redeemed from the power of the grave, by one, who died for us; in
which respects, it was necessary that he should be man.
There are also other ends mentioned in this answer, which render this
necessary, namely, that he might advance our nature. It was a very great
honour which that particular nature, which he assumed, was advanced
unto, in its being taken into union with his divine Person. Though it
had no intrinsic dignity, or glory, above what other intelligent,
finite, sinless beings are capable of; yet it had a greater relative
glory than any other creature had, or can have, which may be illustrated
by a similitude taken from the body of man, how mean soever it is in
itself, yet, when considered in its relation to the soul, that adds a
degree of excellency to it, in a relative sense, greater than what
belongs to any creature, destitute of understanding; so the human nature
of Christ, though it had not in itself a glory greater than what another
finite creature might have been advanced to; yet, when considered as
united to the divine nature, its glory, in a relative sense may be said
to be infinite.
It follows from hence, that since Christ’s being truly and properly man,
was a particular instance, in him, of the advancement of our nature, to
a greater degree of honour, than what has been conferred on any other
creature, this lays the highest obligation on us to admire and adore
him; and should be an inducement to us, not to debase that nature which
God has, in this respect, delighted to honour, by the commission of
those sins, which are the greatest reproach unto it.
Another consequence of Christ’s incarnation, whereby it farther appears
that it was requisite that he should be man, is that, in our nature, he
might make intercession for us. For the understanding of which, let it
be considered, that the divine nature cannot properly speaking, be said
to make intercession, since this includes in it an act of worship, and
argues the Person, who intercedes, to be dependent, and indigent, which
is inconsistent with the self-sufficiency and independency of the
Godhead; therefore, had he been only God, he could not have made
intercession for us, and consequently this is the necessary result of
his incarnation.
_Object. 1._ It may be objected hereunto, that _the Spirit_ is said to
_make intercession for the Saints, according to the will of God_, Rom.
viii. 27. whereas he has no human nature to make intercession in;
therefore Christ might have made intercession for us, though he had not
been incarnate.
_Answ._ When the Spirit is said to make intercession for us, this is not
to be understood of his appearing in the presence of God, and so
offering prayers, or supplications to him in our behalf; but it only
intends his enabling us to pray for ourselves, which is an effect of his
power, working this grace in us; therefore the apostle, speaking
concerning the same thing, says, elsewhere, _God hath sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father_, Gal. iv. 6. that is,
enabling us to cry, _Abba, Father_: Such an intercession as this, is not
unbecoming a divine Person; and this is what is plainly the sense of
those scriptures, in which the Spirit is said to intercede for us. As
for Christ’s intercession, it consists, indeed, in his praying for
us,[135] rather than enabling us to pray; therefore it was requisite
that he should be Man, in order thereunto.
_Object. 2._ It is generally supposed, that Christ made intercession for
his people before his incarnation: Thus we cannot but conclude, that he
is intended by _the angel of the Lord_, who is represented as pleading
for Israel; _O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on
Jerusalem, and upon the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had
indignation these three-score and ten years?_ Zech. i. 12. and also as
pleading in their behalf against the accusations of Satan, _The Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord, which hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke
thee: Is not this a brand which is plucked out of the fire?_ chap. iii.
2. If therefore he made intercession at that time, when he had no human
nature, his incarnation was not necessary thereunto.
_Answ._ Though we allow that Christ is often represented, in the Old
Testament, as interceding for his people; yet these expressions are
either proleptical, and do not denote, so much, what Christ then did, as
what he would do, after he had assumed our nature; or they imply, that
the salvation of the church, under that dispensation, was owing to the
intercession that Christ would make after his incarnation, as well as to
that satisfaction which he would give to the justice of God in our
nature; so that Christ, in those scriptures, is represented as procuring
those blessings for his people, by what he would, in reality, do after
his incarnation, the virtue whereof is supposed to be extended to them
at that time: He did not therefore _formally_, but _virtually_,
intercede for them; and consequently it does not prove that his
incarnation was not necessary for his making that intercession, which he
ever lives to do in the behalf of his church.
It is farther observed, that it was requisite that our Mediator should
be Man, that he might have a fellow-feeling of our infirmities: Thus the
apostle says, _He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities_,
having been, _in all points_; in his human nature, _tempted like as we
are, yet without sin_, Heb. iv. 15. As God, it is true, he has a
perfect, namely, a divine knowledge of our infirmities, but not an
experimental knowledge thereof; and therefore, in this respect, had he
not been Man, he could not have been said to sympathize with us herein;
and therefore his compassion towards us, has this additional motive,
taken from his incarnation: It was in this respect that he had the
passions of the human nature, and thereby is induced, from what he once
experienced, to help our infirmities, as being such as he himself
condescended to bear.
And to this it may be added, as a farther consequence of his
incarnation, that we are made partakers of the adoption of sons, and
have comfort and access with boldness, to the throne of grace. This the
apostle also gives us occasion to infer, from his being made of a woman,
and made under the law, not only that _he might redeem them that were
under the law_, but _that we might receive the adoption of sons_, Gal.
iv. 5. and encourages us, from hence, to _come boldly to the throne of
grace_, Heb. iv. 16. As Christ’s Sonship, as Mediator, includes his
incarnation, and was the ground and reason of the throne of grace being
erected, to which we are invited to come; so, he being, in the same
respect, constituted Heir of all things, believers who are the sons of
God, in a lower sense, are notwithstanding, styled, _Heirs of God, and
joint heirs with Christ_, Rom. viii. 17. He is the Head and Lord of this
great family, who purchased an inheritance for them, and they the
members thereof, who, in the virtue of his purchase, have a right to it;
therefore his incarnation, which was necessary hereunto, was the great
foundation of our obtaining the privilege of God’s adopted children, and
of our access by him to the Father. We first come by faith to him, who,
if we allude to Elihu’s words, _was formed out of the clay_, and
therefore _his terror shall not make us afraid, neither shall his hand
be heavy upon us_, Job xxxiii. 6. and through him, we come to God, as
our reconciled Father.
III. It was requisite that the Mediator should be God and man, in one
Person. Had his human nature been a distinct human Person, the work of
our redemption would have been brought about by two persons, which would
each of them have had the character of Mediator, unless two persons
could be so united, as to constitute but one, which is no better than a
contradiction. And it is farther observed, in the answer under our
present consideration, that there were works to be performed, proper to
each nature: in the human nature he was to perform every thing that
implied subjection, obedience, or suffering; and though none of these
could be performed by him, in his divine nature, yet an infinite worth,
value, and dignity, was to be added thereunto, which was not so much the
result of any thing done by him in that nature, as of the union of the
human nature with it; upon which account, the obedience he performed,
had, in a relative sense, the same value, as though it had been
performed in his divine nature; and, upon this account, it is said, that
_God purchased the church with his own blood_, Acts xx. 28.
And to this we may add, that as each nature was distinct, and their
properties not in the least confounded, as was before observed; so we
often read, in scripture, of distinct properties attributed to the same
person, which are opposed to each other, namely, mortality and
immortality, weakness and omnipotency, dependence and independence, &c.
which could not be, with any propriety of speaking, applied to him, had
he not been God and man, in the same person. This is generally styled by
divines, _a communication of properties_,[136] concerning which we must
observe, that the properties of one nature are not predicated of the
other; as the Lutherans suppose, when they conclude, that the human
nature of Christ is omnipresent, upon which their doctrine of
_consubstantiation_ is founded; but we assert, that the properties of
one nature are predicated of the same person, to whom the other nature
also belongs; so that when we say the Person, that was God, obeyed and
suffered; or the Person, that was man, paid an infinite price to the
justice of God, we are far from asserting, that the Godhead of Christ
obeyed, or the manhood merited;[137] and this is the necessary result of
his two natures being united in one Person. There are two things
observed, in illustrating this matter.
1. That the works of each nature must be accepted of God for us, as the
works of the whole Person, or of the same Person; therefore, if the
nature that obeyed and suffered had been an human person, his obedience
and sufferings could not have been of infinite value, or accepted by God
as a sufficient price of redemption; for they could not have had this
value reflected on them, had they not been the works of a divine Person:
and those rays of divine glory, that shined forth in his human nature,
could have no immediate relation to it, had it been a distinct Person
from that of his Godhead.
2. It is farther observed, that those works, which were performed by him
in each nature, are to be relied on by us, as the works of the whole
Person: this reliance contains in it an instance of adoration, and
supposes the Person, who performs them, to be God, which he was not in
his human nature; therefore we are to adore our Mediator, and rely on
the works performed by him, in his human nature, as he is God and man in
one Person. As we have sufficient ground, from scripture to conclude,
that the Mediator is the Object of divine adoration; so we are to depend
on him, as a divine Person, for salvation; and our worship herein does
not terminate on his human nature, but on his deity: but, if his human
nature had been a distinct human person we could not be said to adore
him that died for us, and rose again; so that, upon all these accounts,
it is necessary that he should be not only God and man, but that these
two natures should be united in one Person.
Having considered our Mediator as God and man, in one Person, we are now
to speak of him as having those glorious titles and characters
attributed to him, expressive of his mediatorial work and dignity;
accordingly, he is variously denominated as such in scripture: sometimes
he is called, _Lord_, Phil, iv. 5. at other times, _Jesus_, Matt. i. 21.
and elsewhere, _The Lord Jesus_, Acts ix. 17. and also, _The Lord
Christ_, Col. iii. 24. and, in other places, _The Lord Jesus Christ_,
chap. i. 2. He is called _Lord_, to denote the infinite dignity of his
Person, as God equal with the Father; which name is given him in the New
Testament, in the same sense, in which he is called _Jehovah_ in the
Old, as has been observed under a foregoing answer,[138] and to denote
his divine sovereignty, as the Governor of the world, and the church,
and particularly as executing his kingly office as Mediator; and, in the
two following answers, he is described by his mediatorial characters,
_Jesus_, and _Christ_.
Footnote 133:
_See_ Vol. I. _Page 291, 292._
Footnote 134:
_It is otherwise styled_, Necessitas consequentiæ.
Footnote 135:
And in presenting his glorious body with the marks of suffering.
Footnote 136:
_See Vol. I. page 261._
Footnote 137:
_This is generally styled, by divines_, Communicatio idiomatum in
concreto, non in abstracto.
Footnote 138:
_See Vol. I. page 296, 306._
Quest. XLI., XLII.