he could not die; but if he who was God had not taken part of flesh and blood, God could not have redeemed his church with his own blood. But this is the perpetual paralogism of these men. Because Christ is asserted to have been truly a man, therefore he is not God; which is to deny the gospel, and the whole mystery of it.

He proceeds with his exceptions against the application of these words unto the incarnation of the Lord Christ, the sum whereof is, that the words agencias μirixi, denote an universal conformity, or specific identity between Christ and the children, not only as to the essence, but also as to all other concernments of human nature, or else no benefit could redound unto them from what he did or suffered. But, 1. The words do not assert any such thing, as hath been declared. 2. It is not true. The children were partakers of human nature, either by creation out of the dust of the earth, as Adam; or by natural generation. The Lord Christ was conceived of a virgin by the power of the Holy Ghost; and yet the benefit redounds, unto the children. It is evident then, that the similitude urged by the apostle is confined to the substance of flesh and blood, or the essence of human nature, and is not to be extended unto the personal concernments of the one or the other; nor the way whereby they became partakers of the same nature. Nor is the argument for the incarnation of Christ taken merely from the expressions in this verse; but whereas he had before proved him to be above, and before the angels, even God over all, and here intimating his existence antecedent to his participation of flesh and blood, his incarnation doth necessarily ensue.

The necessity of this incarnation of Christ, with respect to the end of it, hath before been declared, evinced and confirmed. We shall now stay only a little to admire the love, grace and mystery of it. And we see here,

IV. That the Lord Christ, out of his inexpressible love, willingly submitted himself unto every condition of the children to be saved by him, and to every thing in every condition of them, sin only excepted.-They being of flesh and blood, which must be attended with many infirmities, and exposed unto all sorts of temptations and miseries, he himself would also partake of the same. His delight was of old in the sons of men, Prov. viii. 30. and his heart was full of thoughts of love towards them; and that alone put him on this resolution, Gal. ii. 20. Rev. i. 5. When God refused sacrifices and burnt-offerings, as insufficient to make the atonement required, and the matter was rolled on bis hand alone, it was a joy unto him that he had a body prepared, wherein he might discharge his work, although he knew what he had to do and suffer therein, Psal. xl. 8, 9. Heb. x. 6-9. He rejoiced to do the will of God, in taking the body

prepared for him, because the children were partakers of flesh and blood. Though he was in the form of God, equal unto him, yet that mind, that love, that affection towards us, was in him, that to be like unto us, and thereby to save us, he emptied himself, and took on him the form of a servant, our form, and became like unto us, Phil. ii. 5-8. He would be like unto us, that he might make us like unto himself: he would take our flesh, that he might give unto us his Spirit. He would join himself unto us, and become one flesh with us, that we might be joined unto him, and become one spirit with him, 1 Cor. vi. 17. And as this was a fruit of his eternal antecedent love, so it is a spring of consequent love. When Eve was brought unto Adam, after she was taken out of him, Gen. ii. 23. to manifest the ground of that affection which was to be always between them, he says of her, "This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." And by this condescension of Christ, saith the apostle, are we members of his body, and of his flesh, and of his bones, Eph. v. 30. Whence he infers, that he loves and nourisheth his church, as a man doth his own flesh. And how should this inexpressible love of Christ constrain us to love him, and to live unto him, 2 Cor. v. 14. as also to labour to be like unto him, wherein all our blessedness consisteth, seeing for that end he was willing to be like unto us, whence all his troubles and sufferings arose. Here also we see that,

V. It was only in flesh and blood the substance and essence of human nature, and not in our personal infirmities, that the Lord Christ was made like unto us. He took to himself the nature of all men, and not the person of any man. We have not only human nature in common, but we have every one particular infirmities and weaknesses following that nature, as existing in our sinful persons. Such are the sicknesses and pains of our bodies from inward distempers, and the disorder of the passions of our minds. Of these the Lord Christ did not partake, it was not needful, it was not possible that he should do so; not needful, because he could provide for their cure without assuming them; not possible, for they can have no place in a nature innocent and holy. And therefore he took our nature, not by an immediate new creation out of nothing, or of the dust of the earth like Adam; for if so, though he might have been like unto us, yet he would have been no kin to us, and so could not have been our Goel to whom the right of redemption did belong; nor by natural generation, which would have rendered our nature in him obnoxious to the sin and punishment of Adam; but by a miraculous conception of a virgin, whereby he had truly our nature, yet not subject on its own account, unto any one of those evils, whereunto it is liable as propagated from Adam in an ordinary course. And thus though

he was joined unto us in our nature, yet as he was holy, harmless and undefiled in that nature, he was 66 separate from sinners," Heb. vii. 25. So that although our nature suffered more in his person, than it was capable of in the person of any mere man, yet not being debased by any sinful imperfection, it was always excellent, beautiful and glorious. And then,

VI. That the Son of God should take part in human nature with the children, is the greatest and most admirable effect of divine love, wisdom and grace. So our apostle proposeth it, 1 Tim. iii. 16. A mystery which the angels with all diligence desire to look into, 1 Pet. i. 11, 12. See John i. 14. Isa. ix. 6. Rom. ix. 5. Atheists scoff at it, deluded Christians deny it, but the angels adore it, the church professeth it, believers find the comfort and benefit of it. The heavens indeed declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy work, Psal. xix. 1. "And the invisible things of God from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead," Rom. i. 20. In particular, man himself is fearfully and wonderfully made. These works of God's power and providence do greatly manifest the glory of his wisdom, omnipotency and goodness, and are like the light which was created the first day at the beginning of all things, as we have shewed. But in this instance of assuming human nature into personal subsistence with himself, that scattered light is gathered into one sun, giving out most glorious beams unto the manifestation of his infinite excellencies, far above all other things. And this surely was not done, but for the greatest end that can be conceived, and such is the salvation of sinners.

But we must proceed with our apostle, and he gives the rea-, son and end of this wonderful dispensation. The end is, the deliverance of the children from the condition before described: and first, the means whereby he wrought and brought about this end is proposed unto us; by death,' he was to do it by death.

That by death he might deliver them; that is, by his own death. This as it is placed, as one principal end of his being made partaker of flesh and blood, so it is also the means of the farther end aimed at, namely, the deliverance of the children out of the condition expressed. Some translations add, by his own death,' which is evidently understood, though it be not literally in the text; the death which he underwent in the nature of man, whereof he was partaker. His death was the means of delivering them from death. Some distinguish between death in the first place, which Christ underwent, and that death in the close of the verse, which the children are said to be in fear of; for this latter they say is more extensive than the former,

as comprising death eternal also. But there doth not any thing in the text appear to intimate, that the Captain of salvation, by death of one kind, should deliver the children from that of another. Neither will the apostle's discourse well bear such a supposition. For if he might have freed the children by any way or means, but only by undergoing that which was due unto them for sin, whence could arise that indispensable necessity which he pleads for by so many considerations of his being made like unto them, seeing without the participation of their nature which he urgeth, he might have done any other thing for their good and benefit, but only suffer what was due to them. And if it be said, that without this participation of their nature, he could not die, which it was necessary that he should do; I desire to know why, if the death which he was to undergo, was not that death to which they were obnoxious for whom he died, how could it be any way more beneficial unto them, than any thing else which he might have done for them. although he had not died? There is no ground then to pretend such an amphibology in the words as that which some contend for. Now, as we observed before, the death of Christ is here placed in the midst, as the end of one thing, and the means or cause of another; the end of his own incarnation, and the means of the children's deliverance. From the first we may

see,

VII. That the first and principal end of the Lord Christ's assuming human nature, was not to reign in it, but to suffer and die in it. He was indeed from of old designed unto a kingdom, but he was to suffer, and so to enter into his glory, Luke xxiv. 26. And he so speaks of his coming into the world, to suffer, to die, to bear witness unto the truth, as if that had been the only work that he was incarnate for. Glory was to follow, a kingdom to ensue, but suffering and dying was the principal work he came about. Glory he had with his Father before the world was, John xvii. 5. and therein a joint rule with him over all the works of his hands. He need not have been made partaker of flesh and blood to have been a king, for he was the King immortal, invisible, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the only Potentate, from everlasting. But he could not have died, if he had not been made partaker of our nature. And therefore when the people would have taken him by force, and have made him a king, he hid himself from them, John vi. 15. But he hid not himself, when they came to take him by force, and put him to death, but affirmed that for that hour, or business, he came into the world, John xviii. 4, 5. 11, And this farther sets forth his love and condescension. He saw the work that was proposed unto him, how he was to be exposed unto miseries, afflictions and persecutions, and at length VOL. III. II h

to make his soul an offering for sin; yet because it was all for the salvation of the children, he was contented with it, and delighted in it. And how then ought we to be contented with the difficulties, sorrows, afflictions and persecutions, which for his sake we are or may be exposed unto; when he on purpose took our nature, that for our sakes he might be exposed and subject unto much more than we are called unto.

There yet remains in these verses, the effects of the death of Christ; that he might destroy sin and deliver:" wherein we must consider, 1. who it is that had the power of death. 2. Wherein that power of his did consist. 3. How he was destroyed. 4. How by the death of Christ. 5. What was the deliverance that was obtained for the children thereby.

1. He that had the power of death is described by his name, ♦ diaboxes, the devil,' the great enemy of our salvation, the great calumniator, make-bait and false accuser, the firebrand of the creation. The head and captain of the apostasy from God, and of all desertion of the law of the creation. The old serpent, prince of the apostate angels, with all his associates, who first falsely accused God unto man, and continues to accuse men falsely unto God; of whom before.

2. His power in and over death is variously apprehended. What the Jews conceive hereof, we have before declared, and much of the truth is mixed with their fables. And the apostle deals with them upon their acknowledgment in general, that he had the power of death. Properly in what sense or in what respect he is said so to have it, learned Expositors are not agreed. All consent, 1. That the devil hath no absolute, or sovereign supreme power over death. Nor 2. Any a or authority' about it de jure, in his own right, or on grant, so as to act lawfully and rightly about it according to his own will. Nor 3. Any judging or determining power as to the guilt of death committed unto him, which is peculiar to God, the supreme Rector and Judge of all, Gen. ii. 17. Deut. xxxii.

39. Rev. i. 18.

But wherein this power of Satan doth positively consist, they are not agreed. Some place it in his temptations unto sin, which bind unto death; some in his execution of the sentence of death; he hath the power of an executioner. There cannot well be any doubt, but that the whole interest of Satan in reference unto death is intended in this expression. This death is that which was threatened in the beginning, Gen. ii. 17. Death penally to be inflicted in the way of a curse, Deut. xxvii. 26. Gal. iii. 10. that is, death consisting in the dissolu tion of soul and body, with every thing tending penally thereunto, with the everlasting destruction of body and soul. And there are sundry things wherein the earos, or power of Satan