way, before his works of old. I was fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.' His becoming Man, was a voluntary Action in him, wherein himself was willingly active: Pfal. xl. 6. 7. Sacrifice and offering "thou didst not defire, mine ears haft thou opened: burnt-offering and fin-offering haft thou not required. Then faid I, Lo, I come in the vo 'lume of the book it is written of me.' Heb. ii. 16. He took on him the feed of Abraham.' He became Man, by taking to himself a true Body and a reafonable Soul. But he did not thereby take to himself a human Perfon; for then should he have been two Perfons; But he did thereby take to himfelf an entire human Nature; for a Soul and a Body are the two Parts whereof it confifts.

Chrift's Body was not the Appearance only of a Body, but a real human Body, of Flesh, Blood, and Bones, as our Bodies are: Heb. ii. 14. Forafmuch then as the children are partakers of ' flesh and blood, he also himself likewife took part ' of the fame.' Luke xxiv. 39. ' Behold my hands ' and my feet, that it is I myfelf: handle me, and fee, for a fpirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye 'fee me have.' His divine Nature was not instead of a Soul to him; but he had also a human reafonable foul; which was a created Spirit: Matth. xxvi. 38. My foul is exceeding forrows ful, even unto death." In Chrift then, there were two Understandings, and two Wills; namely, an infinite Understanding and Will as he was God, and a finite Understanding and Will as he was Man: John xxi. 17.- Lord, thou knoweft 'all things; thou knoweft that I love thee.' Chap. E

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x. 28. 29. 30. And I give unto them eternal life, and they fhall never perifh, neither fhall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father ' which gave them me, is greater than all: and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.' Mark xiii. 32. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not-the Son, but the Father.' Luke xxii. 42. Father, if thou be willing, remove this from me nevertheless, not my 'will, but thine be done.'

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He was without Father, as he was Man: He was without Mother, as he was God: Heb. vii. 3. Without father, without mother, without de fcent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.' But the Mother of Christ as Man, was the Virgin Mary, Matth. i. 18. 22. 23. She was a Woman of the Seed of Abraham, the Tribe of Judah, and Family of David: Luke iii. 23. 31. 33. 34. And Jefus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was fuppofed) the fon of Jofeph,-which was the fon of David,-which was the fon of Juda, '-which was the fon of Abraham.' He was conceived in her Womb: Luke i. 31. And behold, thou fhalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a fon, and fhalt call his name Jesus.' But his Conception was altogether miraculous; and was effected by the Power of the Holy Ghost: And the Work of the Holy Ghost in that Matter, was, that he formed the Body of Chrift, in the Womb of his Mother: Luke i. 35. ' And the angel anfwered and faid unto her, The Holy 'Ghost shall come upon thee, and the

power of

• the

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the Higheft fhall overfhadow thee: therefore alfo that holy thing which fhall be born of thee, 'fhall be called the Son of God.' The Holy Ghoft formed the Body of Chrift not of any Subftance fent down from Heaven; but of her Subftance: Gal. iv. 4. 'God fent forth his Son made

of a woman.' Gen. iii. 15. And I will put enmi'ty between thee and the woman, and between 'thy feed and her feed.' Which was neceffary, that he might be of the fame human Nature with us who had finned: Heb. ii. 11. "For both he 'that fanctifieth, and they who are fanctified, are 'all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to 'call them brethren.' Now, the forming of the Body of Chrift of the Subftance of a Virgin was an Act of creating Power: Jer. xxxi. 22. The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman fhall compafs a man. Compared with Gen. ii. 7. And the Lord God formed man of the duft of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of life; and man became a living ' soul.' verf. 22. And the rib, which the Lord God ' had taken from man, made he a woman.' Chap. i. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: me and 'female created he them. Chrift was born and brought forth of the Virgin, at the ufual Time after Conception: Luke ii. 6. 7. And fo it was, that the days were accomplished that she should be 'delivered. And the brought forth her first-born fon, and wrapped him in fwaddling cloaths,' &c. But yet he was conceived and born without Sin: Heb. iv. 15. For we have not an high priest ' which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like

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as we are, yet without fin.' Chap. vii. 26. For fuch an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from finners. For though he was a Son of Adam, by his Conception and Birth, yet he came not of him in the Way of natural Generation.

Queft. 23. What Offices doth Chrift execute as our Redeemer?

Anf. Chrift, as our Redeemer, executeth the Offices of a Prophet, of a Prieft, and of a King, both in his Estate of Humiliation and Exaltation.

EXPLICATIO N.

Chrift redeems his People, by Price and by Power Hof. xiii. 14. I will ranfom them from the power of the grave: I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy deftruction; repentance ' fhall be hid from mine eyes.' He hath redeemed them by Price, giving himself a Ransom for them, in his holy Birth, righteous Life, and bloody Death and other Sufferings: 1 Tim. ii. 6. Jefus gave himfelf a ranfom for all.' Gal. iv. 4. 5. God fent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. Phil. ii. 7. 8. [Chrift Jefus] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto

' death,

death, even the death of the crofs.' But that Redemption by Price is, in Scripture, fometimes attributed to his Blood, as the completing Part of the Ranfom, including the reft; even as one fays, he hath paid the utmost Farthing: John xix. 30. When Jefus therefore had received the vinegar, he faid, It is finished: and he bowed his 'head, and gave up the ghoft.' He redeems them by Power, refcuing them by Strength of Light, and by Strength of Hand, out of the Hands of their Enemies: Luke i. 68. Bleffed be the Lord God ' of Ifrael, for he hath visited and redeemed his people; verf. 70. 71. As he spake by the 'mouth of his holy prophets, which have been 'fince the world began; that we fhould be faved 'from our enemies, and from the hand of all 'that hate us.' verf. 73. 74. The oath which 'he fware to our father Abraham, that he would 6 grant unto us, that we being delivered out of 'the hands of our enemies, might ferve him without 'fear.' That Redemption by Power, is begun in their Converfion, and perfected in their glori ous Refurrection, at the laft Day: Col. i. 13. [The Father] hath delivered us from the power ' of darkness, and hath translated us into the king'dom of his dear Son.' Rom. viii. 23. And not only they, but ourselves alfo, which have the 'firft-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves gróne within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to 'wit, the redemption of our body. 1 Cor. xv. 26. The last enemy that fhall be deftroyed, is ' death.'

To execute an Office, is to do or perform what belongs to the Office. And Chrift, as our Redeemer, hath and executeth three Offices; namely, the Of

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fice