[2.] What influence it hath into the grace whereof we speak.

To the handling of this, I shall only premise this observation; namely, that in the order of procurement, the life of Christ (as was necessary) precedeth his death, and therefore we shall handle it in the first place; but in the order of application, the benefits of his death are bestowed on us, antecedently in the nature of the things themselves, unto those of his life; as will appear, and that necessarily from the state and condition wherein we are.

[1.] By the obedience of the life of Christ, I intend the universal conformity of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he was, or is in his being Mediator, to the whole will of God; and his complete actual fulfilling of the whole of every law of God, or doing of all that God in them required. He might have been perfectly holy by obedience to the law of creation, the moral law, as the angels were; neither could any more as a man walking with God be required of him. But he submitted himself also to every law or ordinance that was introduced upon the occasion of sin, which on his own account he could not be subject to, it becoming him to fulfil all righteousness; Matt. iii. 15. as he spake in reference to a newly instituted ceremony.

That obedience is properly ascribed unto Jesus Christ, as mediator, the Scripture is witness, both as to name and thing. Heb. v. 8. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience, &c.' yea, he was obedient in his sufferings, and it was that which gave life to his death; Phil. ii. 8. He was obedient to death; for therein, 'he did make his soul an offering for sin;' Isa. liii. 10. or his soul made an offering for sin' as it is interpreted, ver. 12. He poured out his soul to death, or his soul poured out itself unto death. And he not only sanctified himself to be an offering, John xvii. 9. but he also offered up himself,' Heb. ix. 14. an offering of a sweet savour to God ;' Eph. v. 2. Hence, as to the whole of his work, he is called the Father's servant;' Isa. xlii. 1. and

* Vox hac δικαιοσύνη, latissime sumitur, ita ut significet non modo τὸ νόμιμον, sed et quicquid ullam æqui atque boni habet rationem ; nam lex Mosis de hoc baptismo nihil præscripserat. Grot.

Per Sixatoróvn Christus hic non designat justitiam legalem, sed ut ita loqui liceat personalem; rò węéwov personæ, et rò xanov muneri. Wala. τὸ

Εβαπτίθη δὲ καὶ ἐνήστευσεν, ουκ αὐτὸς ἀποςυπώσεως ἤ νηστείας χρείαν ἔχων, ἤ καθάρσεως, ὁ τῇ φύσει κάθαρος καὶ ἅγιος. Clem.

ver. 19. And he professes of himself that he 'came into the world, to do the will of God, the will of him that sent him ;' for which he manifests his great readiness; Heb. x. 7. all which evince his obedience. But I suppose I need not insist on the proof of this, that Christ in the work of mediation, and as mediator, was obedient and did what he did, willingly and cheerfully in obedience to God.

Now this obedience of Christ may be considered two

ways.

1st. As to the habitual root and fountain of it,

2dly. As to the actual parts or duties of it.

1st. The habitual righteousness of Christ as mediator in his human nature, was the absolute, complete, exact conformity of the soul of Christ, to the will, mind, or law of God; or his perfect habitually inherent righteousness. This he had necessarily from the grace of union, from whence it is, that that which was born of the virgin was a holy thing;' Luke i. 35. It was, I say, necessary consequentially that it should be so; though the effecting of it were by the free operations of the Spirit; Luke ii. 52. He had an all-fulness of grace on all accounts. This the apostle describes, Heb. vii. 26. Such a High-priest became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.' Every way separate and distant from sin and sinners he was to be. Whence he is called the Lamb of God without spot or blemish ;' 1 Pet. i. 19. This habitual holiness of Christ was inconceivably above that of the angels. He who chargeth his angels with folly; Job iv. 18. who putteth no trust in his saints, and in whose sight the heavens' (or their inhabitants) ́are not clean;' chap. xv. 15. always embraceth him in his bosom, and is always well pleased with him; Matt. iii. 17. And the reason of this is, because every other creature though never so holy, hath the Spirit of God by measure; but he was not given to Christ by measure;' John iii. 34. and that because it pleased him, that in him all fulness should dwell;' Col. i. 19. This habitual grace of Christ, though not absolutely infinite, yet in respect of any other creature, it is as the water of the sea, to the water of a pond or pool.

b De angelis loquitur, qui si cum Deo conferantur, aut si eos secum Deus conferat, non habens rationem eorum quæ in illis posuit, et dotium ac donorum quæ in illos contulit, et quibus eos exornavit et illustravit, inveniat eos stolidos. Sane quicquid habent angeli a Deo habent. Mercer. in loc.

All other creatures are depressed from perfection by this, that they subsist in a created, dependent being, and so have the fountain of what is communicated to them, without them. But the human nature of Christ subsists in the person of the Son of God, and so hath the bottom and fountain of its holiness, in the strictest unity with itself.

2dly. The actual obedience of Christ (as was said) was his willing, cheerful, obediential performance of every thing, duty, or command, that God, by virtue of any law, whereto we were subject and obnoxious, did require; and moreover to the peculiar law of the Mediator. Hereof then are two parts.

(1st.) That whatever was required of us by virtue of any law, that he did and fulfilled. Whatever was required of us by the law of nature in our state of innocency, whatever kind of duty was added by morally positive, or ceremonial institutions, whatever is required of us in way of obedience to righteous, judicial laws, he did it all. Hence he is said to be 'made under the law;' Gal. iv. 4. subject or obnoxious to it, to all the precepts or commands of it. So Matt. iii. 15. he said, it became him to "fulfil all righteousness,' wãsav dikaιoσúvŋy, all manner of righteousness whatever; that is, every thing that God required, as is evident from the application of that general axiom to the baptism of John. I shall not need for this to go to particular instances, in the duties of the law of nature, to God and his parents; of morally positive in the sabbath, and other acts of worship; of the ceremonial law, in circumcision, and observation of all the rites of the judaical church; of the judicial, in paying tribute to governors; it will suffice, I presume, that on the one hand he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, and on the other, that he fulfilled all righteousness, and thereupon the Father was always well pleased with him : this was that which he owned of himself, that he came to do the will of God, and he did it.

(2dly.) There was a peculiar law of the Mediator, which respected himself merely, and contained all those acts and duties of his, which are not for our imitation. So that obe

Fuit legis servituti subjectus, ut eam implendo nos ab ea redimeret, et ab ejus servitute. Bez.

VOL. X.

dience which he shewed in dying, was peculiarly to this law; John x. 18. I have power to lay down my life. This commandment have I received of my Father.' As mediator, he received this peculiar command of his Father, that he should lay down his life and take it again, and he was obedient thereunto. Hence we say, he, who is mediator, did some things merely as a man subject to the law of God in general, so he prayed for his persecutors, those that put him to death; Luke xxiii. 24. some things as mediator; so he prayed for his elect only; John xvii. 9. There were not worse in the world really and evidently, than many of them that crucified him; yet as a man, subject to the law, he forgave them and prayed for them. When he prayed as mediator, his Father always heard him and answered him, John xi. 41. and in the other prayers, he was accepted as one exactly performing his duty..

This, then, is the obedience of Christ, which was the first thing proposed to be considered. The next is,

[2.] That it hath an influence into the grace of which we speak, wherein we hold communion with him, namely, our free acceptation with God; what that influence is, must also follow in its order.

1st. For his habitual righteousness, I shall only propose it under these two considerations.

(1st.) That upon this supposition, that it was needful that we should have a mediator that was God and man in one person, as it could not otherwise be, it must needs be that he must be so holy. For although there be but one primary necessary effect of the hypostatical union, which is the subsistence of the human nature in the person of the Son of God, yet that he that was so united to him, should be a holy thing, completely holy, was necessary also; of which before.

(2dly.) That the relation which this righteousness of Christ hath to the grace we receive from him, is only this, that thereby, he was kavos, fit to do all that he had to do for us. This is the intendment of the apostle, Heb. vii. 26.

d Proprium objectum obedientiæ est præceptum, tacitum vel expressum, id est, voluntas superioris quocunque modo innotescat. Thom. 2. 2. q. 2. 5. Deut. xviii. 18. Acts iii. 22. John xii. 49. xiv. 31. vi. 38. v. 30.

such a one became us: it was needful he should be such a one, that he might do what he had to do. And the reasons hereof are two.

[lst.] Had he not been completely furnished with habitual grace, he could never have actually fulfilled the righteousness, which was required at his hands. It was therein that he was able to do all that he did. So himself lays down the presence of the Spirit with him as the bottom and foundation of his going forth to his work; Isa. lxi. 1.

[2dly.] He could not have been a complete and perfect sacrifice, nor have answered all the types and figures of him, that were complete and without blemish; but now Christ having this habitual righteousness, if he had never yielded ́any continued obedience to the law actively, but had suffered as soon after his incarnation, as Adam sinned after his creation, he had been a fit sacrifice and offering, and therefore, doubtless, his following obedience hath another use, besides to fit him for an oblation, for which he was most fit without it.

2dly. For Christ's obedience to the law of mediation, wherein it is not coincident with his passive obedience as they speak (for I know that expression is improper), it was that which was requisite for the discharging of his office, and is not imputed unto us, as though we had done it, though the aroretouara and fruits of it are; but is of the nature of his intercession, whereby he provides the good things we stand in need of, at least subserviently to his oblation and intercession; of which more afterward.

3dly. About his actual fulfilling of the law, or doing all things that of us are required, there is some doubt and question; and about it there are three several opinions.

(1st.) That this active obedience of Christ, hath no farther influence into our justification and acceptation with God, but as it was preparatory to his blood-shedding and oblation, which is the sole cause of our justification, the

mum, id est

e Præcipitur, Levit. xxii. 20. ne offeratur pecus in quo sit. corporis vitium: a efficitur duos culpa:' unde Christus dicitur àμãμos, inculpatus :' opponitur autem ne 7 pe, hoc est integrum.' ibid. ver. 19. et sic Exod. xii. 5. præcipitur de agno paschali, ut fit, id est integer,' omnis scilicet vitii expers. Idem præcipitur de agnis jugis sacrificii; Numb. xxviii. 3. quo ipsa nimirum sanctitas Christi tanquam victimae praefigurata sunt. Piscat. in 1 Pet, i. 19.