which Christ would not pray, why should it be interpreted of fpeciall Interceffion, feeing our Saviour (as they confeffe) neither laid down his life, nor made generall Interceffion for such as such, that they might be brought to the faith, or be partakers of the merits of his death? Our Saviour in that his prayer opposeth the world to them that are given unto him of the Father, and as to be given unto him of the Father, notes fomewhat precedent to ef fectuall vocation and lively faith, though every one that is given unto him doth or fhall beleeve, fo the world notes a state antecedent to wilfull contempt, though they that be of this world, if they live under the Gofpell, will prove themfelves contemners, Job.6.37. All that the Father giveth me fall come unto me; and him that commeth unto me, I Will in. no wife caft out, faith Christ. But to come unto Chrift is to beleeve in him by effectuall vocation, Job.1.10. The world knew not Chrift: but they were the world, before they fhut their eyes against the light, and refufed Chrift offering himselfe unto them. Job 3.19. They are the world who are not given unto Chrift, are not his fheep, his people, his brethrer, believe not in him, be disobedient, caft out, though they never itubbornly contemned the Gofpell: because the found ther of never came into their cares, that light never fhined amongst them. And now for conclufion of this argument, let this one thing be added, that if we fearch the Scripture we shall find no mention of this two-fold Interceffion of Chrift properly media tory,one generall,the other fpeciall, which fome of late have de vifed but that he makes Interceffion for all and every of them that are given unto him of the Father, and only for them, and that his Interceffion is ever certain and effectuall; as when he faith to Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith faile not: and to all the Luke 27.33. Apoftles, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comfor- Joh.14.10. ter, that he may abide with you for ever. And when we heare from Chrift himselfe, that according to the proper office of his Mediatorship he makes Interceffion only for them that are given unto him of the Father, we may conclude, that in fpeciall manner he offered up himself a facrifice to the Father for them only. Other arguments are alleadged for confirmation of this truth, which wholift may reade at large in fundry Treatifes of this matter :: but it would be too long to infilt upon each particular, therefore

here

here I will breake off this controverfie, and proceede to that which followeth in this intended difcourfe.

CHAP. III.

How Christ hath fulfilled the office of Mediatour, or how he is the Mediatour of the New Testament.

N the fulaeffe of time, the eternall Sonne of God, took unto him our nature, and became God and Man in one person, that he might be an equall middle perfon between God and man. The neceffity of a Mediatour appeares in this, that man is guilty, and God true and righteous; If man had continued in bis integrity, he had ftood in no need of an expiation: if God had been unrighteous in the paffages of mans finne, there had been due unto him no jast debt of fatisfaction. But feeing man created good but mutable, did willingly and by voluntary choice tranfgreffe that Law, under the precepts whereof he was moft juftly created, and unto the malediction whereof he was as neceffarily and righteoully fubject if he tranfgreffed: and God was purpofed not to fuffer finne to paffe utterly unrevenged, because of his great hatred thereunto, and of his truth and the Law which he had established against it: of neceffity either God muft execute the feverity of his Law, whereby the creature fhould ever laftingly loofe the fruition of him, and he should likewife loose the service and voluntary fubjection of his creature, or fome courfe or other must be found out to tranflate this mans finnes on anothers perfon, who may be able to beare them, and to intereft this mans perfon in that others righteoufneffe, which may be able to cover him. Of neceffity a Mediatour must be found out to stand between God and man, who must have one unto whom, and others for whom and in whose behalfe, and fomewhat wherewith to make fatisfa&tion to offended juftice: In regard of God towards man he must be an officer to declare his righteoufnelle, and in regard of man toward God a furety ready to procure pardon and deliverance, not by favour or requeft, but by way of fatisfaction. He must be one with us in the fellowship of our nature, paffions, infirmities

and

́and temptations, that fo he might the more readily fuffer for us, who in fo many things fuffered with us: and one with God the Father in his divine nature, that fo by the vertue of his fufferings and refurrection he might be able both to fatisfic juftice,to juftifie our perfons, to fanctific our nature, to purific and perfume our fervices, to raise our dead bodies, and to prefent us to his Fa ther a glorious Church without fpot or wrinkle. He must be man pure and undefiled; man; that he might fuffer, it being no way fit that one having no communion with another, should make fatisfaction by futfering for anothers fault: Man pure and undefiled, other wife he could not have fatisfied for himself, much leffe for them that had fo grievoufly offended. He must be man, that he might have compaffion on them that come unto God through him: and pure and undefiled, that his Sacrifice being pure and without fpot, might be acceptable and pleafing to provoked ju ftice. He must be God that he might beare the weight of Gods wrath without finking under it, be the King and Head of the Church,defend his people against the enemies of their Salvation, fend forth his Spirit into the hearts of his redeemed, and receive from them fuch divine worship as was due to fo great and graci ous a Saviour. He must be man, our neere kinfman, that he might have right of redemption, be a mercifull and faithfull high Pricft, in all things like unto his brethren. He must be God, that by his death he might overcome death, and him that had the power of death,that is,the devill, free us from the guilt of finne, and curfe of the Law, and preferve his redeemed unto his everlafting Kingdome. He must be God and man in one perfon, and fo of a middle condition between God and us, in that both the natures of God and man doc concurre and are conjoyned in his person, that he might joyne God and man in a firme and ftable Covenant of friendship and reconciliation: and be the root, fountaine and be ginning of fupernaturall and fpirituall being, in whom the whole nature of mankind should be found in a more eminent fort then it was in Adam. The horrour of finne was fo grievous, the curfe of the Law fo terrible, the price of redemption fo great, that a meer creature could not take away the one, or pay the other: and that man might not fall away as he had done under the former Cove nant, our Mediatour, who was the foundation of this new Covenant,did affume our humane nature unto his divine perfon. There

Mm

forg

Gal.4.4

fore the eternall Sonne of God, being ordained of the Father to this office of Mediatorship, that he might intercede between God and man,and joyne God and man in one,did affume our nature into the unity of his perfon,and was born of a woman,that he might fave and call finners,and redeeme them who were under the Law; and fhut up under the curfe of the Law.

The second perfon in Trinity, the Son of God by nature, the Image of the Father, by whom all things were made, was made man, that he night renew what was difordered by finne, and make us the fonnes of God by grace and adoption, who were by nature the children of wrath, it being fit our redemption (hould be wrought by the Sonne, and fealed by the holy Spirit. For whereas a double miffion was neceffary, the one to reconcile, the other to give gifts to reconciled friends: the Father being of none,fent his Sonne,the first proceeding perfon to take our nature and make fatisfaction: the Father and the Sonne both fend the Spirit, the fecond proceeding perfon, to feale up them that Chrift hath redeemed by his bloud. And who was fitter to become the Sonne of man, then he that was by nature the Sonne of God? who could be fitter to make us the Sonnes of God by grace and adoption, then he that was the Sonne of God by nature? who Atter to repaire the Image of God decayed in us, then he by whom at firft man was made after the Image of God? Thos Chrift was a fit and equall middle perfon, conjoyned by the bands of friendly fociety, and peaceable agreement with both the patties, God and men, that he might be a Mediatour of reconciliation and peace betweene God and man. He tooke unto him the fanctified nature of manj that therein he might draw ndere unto men, and be the root of them that are fanctified; and retained the nature of God, that fo he might not depart from God,

7

Here it is queftioned, according to which nature Chrift is Me diatour, whether as man only, or as God and man. That he is a Mediatour according to the concurrence of both natures in the unity of his perfon, it is confeffed by all; for if he were not both God and man, he could not mediate between God and man: but whether he be a Mediatour according to both natures concurring in the worke of Mediation, there be fome that make question. Our resolution is, that Christ is Mediatour according to both na

tures,

Bellar.deChrift,

Plura principia ad operationepa unam poßunt

concurrere.

tures, the humane nature doing that which pertained to the hu manity, and the divine nature that which pertained to the divini- lib.8.cap.7. ty, but the humane and divine both concurring to produce one S Poreft tamen. act or work of Mediatorship. As the divine and humane nature concurre to make one Chrift, fo the aes of the divine and humane nature, diftinct in vertue and operation, by co-operation concurre to make up the fame work of Mediation. Some of the works of Chrift the Mediatour, were the works of his humanity zun.ibid.cap.7. in refpect of the thing done, and had their efficacy, dignity and not. 1. value from his divinity, in that they were the works of him that had the divinity dwelling bodily in him: and fome the works of his divinity,the humane nature concurring only inftrumentally, as the remitting of fins, the giving of the Spirit, the raising of the dead, and fuch like. The works of Ministery, the Sonne of God performed them in the nature of man. It was the Sonne of God Iun.cont.2.1.5. and Lord of life, that died for us on the Croffe, but it was the snor.ag. nature of man,not of God wherein he died. The works of Authority and power were all performed by the divine nature, yet not without an inftrumentall concurrence of the nature of man. Chrift fuffered as man, but the divine nature did fupport and fuftaine the humane. He died as man, as God he overcame death, conquered,and rofe againe: as man he was made an offering for our fins, the worth and value of the Sacrifice was from the divinity. The two natures in Christ be diftinct in their effence and Iun. Paral. properties, and fo in their operations, that we must not imagine one action of both natures: but as the natures be united in one Hebr. perfon, fo the operations concurre to make up one work of a Mediatour, Many chiefe,neceffary and effentiall acts concerning our reconciliation with God, are from the Deity of Chrift as from the next, proper, immediate and formall beginning. The Incar nation of Chrift is from the Deity, which did affume the humani ty, which when it was not, could not affume it felfe. The manifeftation of God was a work truly divine, from the humanity of -Chrift as an instrument, from the Deity as the true caufe. Chrift as -man teacheth as an inftrument, and Chrift the Word teacheth as Mediatour: for he is not only Mediatour, who fupplyeth the roome of an inftrument: but the Deity did move the humanity as bis inftrument, that is, perfonally united, and not as anothers. To lay down his life paffively belongs to the flesh, to lay down Joh.10.18,

Mm 2

his

lib. 3. in cap.9.

Tun animal. in Bell.contr.a. 4.5.ca.z. mor.gi

Joh. 1.18.

Matt.11.27.