Rom. 8.34% and 4 25. Rom, 1.4. Meritum Me diationis eft,& Iun.ibid.cap.6. his life or foule actively to the word. The refurrection of Chrift is an effentiall part of our Redemption: but Chrift rofe not by the propriety of his flesh, but by the power of his Deity. Chrift as Mediatour performed many divine acts: but the humanity alone Mar.2.10. cannot be the beginning of a divine act as Chrift as Mediatour Joh.15.86.and hath authority to forgive fins, to fend the holy Spirit not merito16.7. rioufly alone, as Bellarmine diftinguisheth, but efficiently, to conjoyne us unto God, and bring us to falvation. Chrift as Mediatour is the King and Head of his Church, which dignity and office cannot agree to him that is meere man. For the Head is to Mediatio per give influence of fence and motion unto the body, and Chrift gives fupernaturall fence and motion unto his myfticall body, and that both by way of efficiency, and by way of difpofition, fitting us that an impreffion of grace may be made upon us. He prepareth Areta quidem and fitteth men to the receipt of grace by the acts of his humanity, Spiritus: fed ad in which he suffered death, and dying fatisfied Gods wrath, remoperfonam Me- ved all matter of diflike, procured the favour and acceptation of diatoris beca. God, and fo made men fit to receive the grace of God, and to en&tio terminatur joy his favour. He imparteth and conferreth grace, by the operaquoad oixovo. tion and working of his divine nature, it being the proper worke of God to enlighten the understandings of men, and to foften their hearts. Sone. Trinitate datur μίαν. If it be alleadged, that there is nothing that one perfon of the Trinity doth towards the creatures, but they all doe it, and confequently, that thofe things which Chrift did in his divine nature, pertained not to the office of a Mediatour, being common to all the Perfons. The antwer is, though the action be the fame, and the worke done by them, yet they differ in the manner of doing it. For the. Father doth all things authoritativè, and the Son fubauthorita tivè, as the Schoole-men fpeake; that is, the Father, as he from whom, and of whom are all things; the Son as he by whom are all things, not as by an inftrument, but a principall efficient. And in this fort to quicken, give life, and to impart the Spirit of San&tification to whom he pleafeth, especially with a kind of concurring of the humane nature meriting, defiring, and inftrumentally affifting, is proper to the Son of God, manifefted in our flesh, and not common to the whole Trinity. As the fecond person in Triuity did affame our nature, and not the Father or the holy Ghoft: and and as Christ is the Head of the Church, not the Father or the holy Spirit fo he doth give life and fence to the body, and not the whole Trinity. If the fpeciall Offices of Chrift be confidered feverally, much more if all of them be confidered joyntly, it will evidently appeare, that both natures muft neceffarily concurre in the formall execution of them. For he cannot worthily performe the office of the chiefe Doctor of the whole Church, and heavenly Prophet, nor execute the office of an eternall high Priest, that is, offer a Sacrifice truly propitiatory, daily heare the prayers of all his people, and prefent them before God; nor exercile kingly power and authority in heaven and earth, who worketh to the forme of meere humanitie, or onely as he is man: When. in thofe offices there must be a divine excellencie and efficacie. tia Qualis fubftanoperatio, perfone, ta, qualis operatio, talis fub The end of perfonall union is the adminiftration of his office; and the perfonall union of two natures in Chrift had not been neli ceffary, unleffe both had concurred as a formall beginning to that worke. For every agent neceflarily worketh according to and by its forme; whence it followeth, either that the perfon of the Me- ftantize. diatour doth not confift of two natures, or both natures of Chrift, as proper formes, doe neceffarily concurre to the proper works of a Mediatour, becaufe the proper operations must be conjoyned in one worke of a Mediatour, as both natures are joyned and united in one perfon. There is one God, faith the Apoftle, and one 1 Tim. 2.5,6, Mediatour between God and man, the man Christ Jesus: adding the man Chrift, to fhew that in him were both natures, that is, he was God and man in one perfon, and fo a, fit middle perfon or Mediatour. And man may be taken perfonally, not naturally, it being moft ufuall to name the whole perfon of Chrift from either nature: as he is called the Lord of glory, when his perfon is understood. And fo in this place, the man Chrift, that is, that perion, who hath that nature by which he is truly, called inan and of that appellation there may be divers weighty reafons more, a mongst the rest this, that the Apoftle would encourage us to put our traft and confidence in him as being our elder brother.. By voluntary difpenfation Chrift is Media tour as God incarnate, and. not by nature as God. And according to that difpenfation Chrift. Joh.17.3, and is Mediatour to the Father, who is perfonally called God fome- 14.1. times in this refpect, and diftinguifhed from Chrift as Mediatour: Joh.2,138a. Mm 3. and. 1 Cor.3.8 Ius.animad. in Bell contr.k 5.6.3.0.11,12.. Bellarm, de and Chrift is our Advocate to the Father, but never reprefented in Scripture praying to the Son or holy Spirit, but the Father only: which difpenfation is carefully to be obferved,from which we must not depart upon any vain fpeculation, which humane curiofity might fuggeft. A Mediatour must be a middle person, equally distant, and equally drawing nigh to both parties betwixt whom he doth meChrift 1.5.c.diate. And thus Chrift God incarnate is a fit middle perfon, for he draws as neare to the Father as God, as to us as man, and is as farre diftant from God as he is man, as he is from us as God: and he comes as neare to the Father,as he departeth from us:and comes as neare to us, as he doth to the Father. §. Præterea. I le folus eft verè medius in ter Deum & bominem,cum u triufq, naturam babeat. Iun.ibid. cap.5. not. 1,3,5,15. But Chrift as a juft man is not fo a middle perfon, for he comes not fo nigh to the Father as juft, as he doth to us as man; nor is fo farre diftant from us as juft, as he comes nigh to us as man, Then as Mediatour he should be joyned to the Father in will only, but in nature dif-joyned: and be distant from man not in nature, but in quality only then fhould he be Mediatour, not as substantially one with the Father, but only as he is united to him in will. If it be alleadged, that if Chrift be Mediatour as God incarnate, then he is Mediatour to himfelfe, because he is God, and then alfo he fhould differ from himfelfe, because a Mediatour is a middle perfon. We anfwer, it is not neceffary a thing fhould differ from the extreames according to all that in respect whereof it is of a middle condition, but it is fufficient if it differ in fome thing from one,and in fome thing from another, as is before explained. So the Son of God incarnate by voluntary difpenfation differeth not only -from the Father and the holy Ghoft, but from himfelfe as God only feil. as man he differeth from himfelfe as God, and as God from himselfe as man. The whole Trinity being offended with us for fin, was to be pacified, but the Scripture teacherh, Chri was our Mediatour to the Father and we must filence our con ceits, and learne of God what to believe. And affuredly if the F ther be reconciled, the whole Trinity is reconciled. And furth it may be added, that he who according to abfolute effence or m ture is the partie offended, may according to voluntary difpent tion fuftaine the perfon and doe the office of a Mediatour and Chr Chrift was primarily a Mediatour to the Father for us, and by confeqnence and fecundarily to the whole Trinity, and fo to himlelte as God. It is further objected,it Chrift be Mediator according to his divine nature,then all three perfons in Trinity be Mediatours: but this is a meere deceit: for the divine nature is taken effentially for the divine nature common to Father, Son and holy Ghost or perfonally for the divine effence confidered diftinctly in the Father, Son and holy Ghoft: In the latter fence we fay, Chrift according to his divine nature is our Mediator as he was incarnate, and did affume our nature unto his divine perfon, and not the Father or the holy Ghost, t Jun.ibid.noretz. Phil.2.6,7 But then, (it will be faid) he was inferiour to the Father: In office it is true, by voluntary difpenfation he is inferiour, but in na ture he is equall to the Father; and nothing hinders but one equall to another in nature, may by voluntary and free choice under-take an office of inferiority. Being in the forme of God, he humbled himfalfis The Scripture teacherh expreffely, that God the Far Joh.1.18.&.3 ther gave his only begotten Son to death for us and the only be 16. & 3.13. gorten or proper Son of God according to both natures, and in Rom.5.8. both states is faid to adminifter his office, the property of either nae sura obferved as alfo the only begotten Son of God is said to defcend from beaven to earth for our fakes, and to fuffer death for us, ando bave done and luffered other fuch things and that by the bloud of his Son we are reconciled to God the Father... e Ephef.1.71 Col.1.14 This office of Mediation Chrift hath performed. Eirft, as the great Doctour of his Church by revealing unrous the way to life, Cor.2,7,8,9. voir the laft, full, and perfect will of God-concerning mans falva tion; the wildome of God in a mysterie, even the hidden wildom which God ordained before the world, unto our glory, which. none of the Princes of this world knew: Such things as eye bath mor seens bare bath not beard, or ever entred into the heart of mianto tonaive: Such as the naturall inquirie of Angels could ne mer have discovered. No man knoweth the Fathraibars the Sorne, and heco whom the Sonne hath reveghadhibol Namanasheen. Godat day time, the only begotten Sonra which is in the bosome. aftbe Father, he bath declared him. He only it is that openeth the bolome of his Father, that is, who revealeth the fècret and. myfterious connfels, and the tender and, compaffionate affections, of his Father unto the world.. He is faid to be a teacher fent from Joh... Godi Mat. 11 271 Joh.1.18. Heb.12.25. Joh 3.12. Heb.2.3. Joh.4.as. Joh.15.15. Heb.1.1. ver.3. Col.1.15. God, and to be the Lord which speaketh from heaven, and the doctrine which he taught an heavenly doctrine, even great Salvation. The woman of Samaria could say, I know when the Meffiah cometh, he will tell us all things: And our Saviour profeffeth to his difciples, All things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you. And in this the new Covenant is lifted up above former expreffions of the fame Covenant for fubftance. For God who in fundry times, and in divers manners pake in times paft unto the Fa thers by the Prophets, hath in thefe last daies spoken unto us by bis Sonne who is the brightneffe of his glory, and the expreffe Image of his perfon; that is, he in whom the glory and Majesty of the Father, otherwife invifible and inconfpicuous, doth fhew forth it felfe, and that which is hid in the Father as in a ring, is mani felted, as on the feale. And as God is manifefted in Chrift, fo Col.2.3. was he manifefted and made knowne by Christ. In Chrift are hid Ephef.3.9,10, all the treasures of wifdome, and he hath made knowne the manifold wifdome of God. The discovery of mifery and fin is that which sweetens mercy, and gaines it efteem: and therefore as the mercy of God was plentifully unfolded, fo was the Law laid open, and fin difcovered by our Saviour more fully then it had been in the old Teftament, that as fin abounded, mercy might abound much more. And where the maladie appeares hideous and defperate, there is need that we be well acquainted with the foveraigne reme die, and hence as the doore of the Law and curfe is caft quite open, that men might throughly know themselves, fo Chrift in his perfon, natures, office and benefits is lively deciphered, that when men feele themselves loft in themselves, they might runhe unto him for righteoufnelle, grace, life and falva tion. Secondly, Chrift hath fatisfied offended juftice, and answered whatfoever the Law had against us. The word fatisfaction the Scripture hath not, but the thing fignified thereby is plainly noted by the phrafes of Redemption, Expiation, Reconciliation, and many fuch like every where in Scripture. Juftice did release the debtour, or the punishment of the perfon offending: but would not fimply release the punishment of the offence, or pardon the fault without fatisfaction. If then the guilty be spared, the furety muft fuffer punishment. |