Abrahams Faith, Part 1 · Chapter 3 · Article 5
The fift article: of Ieſus Chriſt, the onelyonly author ef our ſaluation: What we ought to know and beleeue of him.
5. Ieſus Christ (in regarde of his perſon) is perfect God and perfect man in one perſon, and (in regarde of his office) mediator betweene God and man, of the couenant of merciemercy.
IN this article we embrace two things. Firſt, what Chriſt is in himſelfe; where wee vnderſtand, not that God alone, or man alone is Chriſt: but God and man is one Chriſt. By God we vnderſtand, the onelyonly and euerlaſting begotten ſon of God, the ſecond perſon in the trinitie; by man we vnderſtande that hee came of the ſeed of Abraham and Dauid, and a very naturall man, borne of the virgin Marie, hauing bodie and ſoule, and all faculties and qualities, of mind and bodie as we hauehave, onelyonly ſin excepted, and that the two natures in Chriſt are not confounded nor ſeperated, but vnited & diſtinct: as the body & ſoul of a man, hauing their ſeueral natures & properties, make but one thing, which is a mā: So the godhead of Chriſt, aſſuming the manhood, chāgeth not it ſelfe nor the nature of man aſſumed, but God & man vnited in one perſon, make one Ieſus Chriſt and Sauior, who by his incarnation and obedience, ſuffering, death, reſurrection, aſſention, ſitting at the right hand of God, and laſtly by his iudgement, hath and will ſaue all the elect of God, & declare, & make manifeſt the iuſt condemnation of the wicked & reprobate. And theſe are the works of his office of mediatorſhip, which office of mediator we thus vnderſtand; that where all mankind being dead in ſin, there whole nature corrupted, & vnderunder the wrath of God and damnation of bodie and ſoule, had in himſelfe (as is before declared) nothing ſound, being vnable to doe any thing, that could pleaſe God, for his reſtoring vntounto righteouſnes and ſaluation: Chriſt by the will of his father, and of his free louelove, came into the world, and became a man: that where man had ſinned, by man might come deliuerance from ſinne. But becauſe we men were wicked & void of ſtrēgth he was alſo God, that he might be able perfectly to ſaue vsus: And ſo being God and man he was a fit mediator to make peace: that where by ſinnes we were enemies to God, he being righteous & ſuffering for vsus, payd the ranſome for our ſins: and as God, being the ſon of God, was apt to reconcile vsus vntounto his father, being beloued of his father, his doing and ſuffering ſet vsus free, from the curſe of the law & the wrath of God: and brought vsus ſo far into Gods fauor, that by him we are made righteous, adopted children to his father, and heires vnderunder hope of his euerlaſting kingdom, & in al things in and through faith in him our harts being purified, God is wel pleaſed with vsus. In which office he is a prieſt and a king: In his prieſtly office, firſt (as a prophet) he bringeth vntounto vsus the oracles and word of God; and ſecondly performing perfect obedience, he offereth himſelfe an immaculate lambe, a pure and vndefiled ſacrifice for our ſins, and continually maketh interceſſion for vsus: As he is King, he hath all power in his hands, he is Lord and head of his church, and ruleth it by his word and ſpirit, and ſitteth and raigneth at the right hand of the glorie of God, til all his enemies, (which are the enemies of his church) be deſtroied, and al things being reſtored hee will deliuer vp his kingdome, into the hands of his father, that God may be all in all. This perſon and office of Chriſt being thus briefely (but faithfully) deſcribed: See we now whether it be not that ancient faith, which was taught Abraham. Firſt, for the godhead of Chriſt,aGen. 18. he appeared vntounto Abraham in the plaine of Mamre, where one of the three angels is called Iehouah which is proper vntounto God onelyonly. And againebCap. 22. when he offered vp his ſon Iſaack, an angel called to him from heauen, ſaying. Now I know thou fearest God, ſeeing for my ſake thou haſt not ſpared thine onley ſonne: this muſt needs bee vnderſtood of the ſon of God, for the father is no where, entituled by the name of an angel: but the ſon iscEſai 63.9. els where called The angel of Gods preſence: and by ſpecial namedDan. 10.21. Michael our prince, which is by interpretation: who like God, which fitly declareth his godhead; for ſo is it ſaid in the Pſalmes.ePſal. 89.8. O Lord God of hosts, who is like vntounto thee, a mighty God, and thy truth is about thee. Secondly the manhood of Chriſt, to bee aſſumed by Chriſt, in the fulnes of times was taught Abraham, when God preached the Goſpel to him ſaying, In thy ſeed, which argueth the incarnation of the ſonne of God, that he ſhould be made man, of the ſeed of Abraham, as it is expounded by the holie ghoſt, ſaying:fHeb. 2.16.17. He in no ſort tooke the angels, but he tooke the ſeede of Abraham: Wherefore in all thinges it became him to be like his brethren &c. that is to ſay, ſeeing he came to ſaue man, whom he would make his brethren by adoption, it became him to take the ſeed of Abraham, that he might be a verie true and naturall man, his office is directly taught, in that, All the families of the earth by him ſhould bee made bleſſed, that is, deliuered out of that curſed eſtate of original corruption, the wrath of God and damnation, into the eſtate of righteouſnes, ſaluation and fauour of God, this did hisgGe. 12.17. & 22.9.13. & 17.10. alter which he made, and ſacrifices which he offered, and his circumciſion which God gaue him, myſtically ſhadow and teach him, as the holie ghoſt interpreth thoſe things, that Chriſt ſhouldhHeb. 9.18. once be offered for the ſins of many, & that he ſhould be ouricap. 13.10.15 alter, in whom wee ſhould offer our ſacrifices of praiſe alwaies to God, and thatkColoſ. 2.11. by him we ſhould put off the ſinfull bodie of the fleſh. But amongſt all other things this perſon and office of Chriſt, is moſt liuely figured out vntounto him, inlGen. 14.17.18. Melchizedeck, king of Salem, prieſt of the moſt hie God, who met Abraham as hee returned from the ſlaughter of the Kings and bleſſed him, to whom Abraham paid tithe of al his ſpoiles. For in that Melchizedeck being a verie man came forth and met Abraham, & brought him bread and wine for his ſoldiers, he repreſenteth the manhood of Chriſt: and in that the ſtorie leaueth out the mention of his father and mother, and telleth not, when he was borne or whē he died; he repreſenteth the godhead of Chriſt, who hath no beginning of daies nor end of life, and in that he is called a prieſt of the moſt hie God, he repreſenteth the prieſtly office of Chriſt. And being called Melchizedeck, that is, king of righteouſnes, & againe king of Salem, that is king of peace; he repreſenteth the kingly office of Chriſt, who as a king, by hisa2. Cor. 5.19.20. Rom. 1.16.17. cap. 5.1. embaſſadors, which ar the miniſters of the word of reconciliation (which is the goſpel) he teacheth vsus righteouſnes by faith & peace towards God. And ſo doth God himſelfe declare and expound this ſtorie, ſaying concerning Chriſt:bPſal. 100.4. The Lord ſware and will not repent, thou art a prieſt for euer after the order of Melchizedeck, which thing is interpreted to belong vntounto Ieſus Chriſt by the holy ghoſt ſaying.cHeb. 6.20. This Ieſus is made an hie prieſt for euer after the order of Melchizedeck dcap. 7.1.For this Melchizedeck, was king of Salē, the prieſt of the moſt hie God, who met Abraham, as he returned from the ſlaughter of the kings & bleſſed him: to whom alſo Abraham gaue the tith of al things, who firſt by interpretation is king of righteouſnes, after that he is alſo king of Salem, that is king of peace, without father, without mother, and hath neither beginning of daies nor end of lif: but is likned vntounto the ſon of God, & continueth a prieſt for euer. And this is verily the faith of the church of Englād touching Chriſt: for we confeſſe & affirme that,eArtic. 2. of the word or ſon of God. The ſon, which is the word of the father, begotten from euerlaſting of the father, the verie and eternall God; of one ſubſtance with the father, tooke mans nature in the wombe of the bleſſed virgin, of her ſubſtance: So that two whole & perfect natures, that is to ſay, the godhead, and manhood, were ioined together in one perſon, neuer to be deuided, whereof is one Chriſt, verie God and verie man, who truelie ſuffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his father to vsus, and to be a ſacrifice for all ſinne both original and actual. fArtic. 4. of the reſurrection of Chriſt.Chriſt did truely riſe againe from death, and tooke againe his bodie &c. wherewith hee aſcended into heauen, and there ſitteth, vntil he returne to iudge all men at the last day. Wherein expreſſe termes the vnion of the two natures in Chriſt is declared, the office of his mediatorſhip reconciling vsus to the father, his prieſthood in his ſacrifice; his kingly office in the iudgmēt and ſitting at the right hand of God, which will yet appeare more plainly, when wee ſhall ſpeake in particuler of his ſacrifice, and of his kingdom, how he is head and Lord of his church: Let vsus then heare Moſes moſt ſweete conſent: Firſt, hee ſheweth the godhead of Chriſt and his kingly office:gExod. 23.20. Where God promiſeth his angel to go before him, and bring him to the place which he hath prepared to the Amorits, Hittits, &c. and he ſaith of his angel. Beware of him and heare his voice, and prouoke him not, for he wil not ſpare your miſdeeds, becauſe my name is in him, and leaſt this phraſe were not ſufficient to expres his godhead, he calleth him his face, ſaying:aCap. 33.14. My face (or preſence) ſhal go with thee, and I vvil giuegive thee rest: and againe,bDeut. 7.21. Thou ſhalt not feare them, for the Lord thy God is among you, a God mighty and dreadfull. Thus doth Moſes deſcribe the Godhead of Chriſt, to be Gods angel, in whō is Gods name, that he equally may be called God as well as his father, vvho is the true face and preſence of God, that is, the brightnes of his glorie and ingrauen forme of his perſon. Laſtly he is a God mighty and terrible, and that he is there king, he would hauehave him obeied, and to rule, lead, and defend them. And therefore where as Moſes ſaith, when thecNum. 21.4.5 people were ſore greeued, becauſe of the way, when they compaſſed the land of Edom, that they ſpake againſt God: The holy ghoſt ſheweth that hee ment Chriſt, ſaying.d1. Cor. 10.9. Neither let vsus tempt Christ as ſome of them alſo tempted him and were deſtroied of ſerpents. The manhood, prieſtly office of Chriſt, his mediatorſhip &c. Moſes teacheth when he ſaid: God would raiſe vp a prophet, from among their brethren like vntounto him &c. and by all the leuiticall prieſthood, ſacrifices, ſheding of bloud &c. as is moſt liuely expounded by the holie ghoſt in the Epiſtle to the Hebrews and the 9. Chapter,Exod. 9.10. ſo plainly that a verie child might vnderſtand it, if he doe but carefully read it: where thou maiſt ſee, that he calleth all thoſe things, a e figure for the time preſent, vntill the time of reformation, and as there was an hye prieſt,f7.11. ſo Chriſt is called an hye prieſt, and as there wasg12.13.14. bloud of goates and calues &c. ſo Chriſts bloud was offered without ſpot; and ash7.24. the hie prieſt entred into the holieſt of all once eueryevery yere, ſo Chriſt is entered into heauen to appeare in the ſight of God for vsus. The prophets ſpeake more familiarly and cal himiEſai 7.14. Emanuel, that is God with vsus, or as the Apoſtle declarethk1. Tim. 3.16 God manifeſted in the fleſh, and thus they ſpeak both of his perſon and of his office.lEſai 9.6. VntoUnto vsus a child is borne, and vntounto vsus a ſon is geeuen, and the gouernment is vponupon his ſhoulder, and he ſhall call his name wonderfull, counſeller, the mightie God &c. mcap, 53.10,he ſhall make his ſoule an offering for ſinne. aZach. 6.12.13.Behold the man whoſe name is the branch, and he ſhall grow vp out of his place, and hee ſhall build the temple of the Lord: euen he ſhall build the temple of the Lord, and he ſhall beare the glorie, and ſhall ſit and rule vponupon his throne, and he ſhalbe a prieſt vponupon his throne, and the counſell of peace, ſhall be betweene them both. And many other places, where his godhead, manhood, mediatorſhip, prieſthood, & kingly office, are expreſly deſcribed. But yet moſt abundantly and moſt euidently in the goſpel, where of his perſon it is ſaid:bRom. 1.3.4. He was made of the ſeed of Dauid, according to the fleſh, and declared mightely to be the ſonne of God, touching the ſpirit of ſanctification, by the reſurrection from the dead. cRom. 9.5.Of the Iſraelites concerning the fleſhe Chriſt came who is God ouer all, bleſſed for euer. Touching both perſon and office: When the fulnes of time was come, God ſent forth his ſon, made of a woman, made vnderunder the law, that he might redeeme them which were vnderunder the law, that we might receiue the adoption of ſons. d1. Pet. 3.18.Christ hath once ſuffered for ſins, the iuſt for the vniuſt, that he might bring vsus to God: and was put to death concerning the fleſh, but was quickned in the ſpirit. His kingly office thou haſt, where it is ſaid:eEph. 1.20.21 God ſet him at his right hand in heauenly places, far aboue all principalitie, power and might, and domination and euerie name, that is named, not in this worlde only, but alſo in that is to come; and hath made all things ſubiect vnderunder his feete, and hath appointed him ouer all things to be head to his church, and his prieſtly office in theſe words,fHeb. 7.24. This man becauſe hee endureth for euer, hath an euerlasting priesthood. Wherefore hee is able perfectly to ſaue them which come vntounto God by him, ſeeing hee euer liueth to make interceſsion for them. O bleſſed harmony and ſweet conſent, in ſo ioyfull a deſcription of our louing God and ſauiour. Happie art thou O England who haſt fellowſhip with Abraham, Moſes, the prophets & Apoſtles, in ſo heauenly, holyg1. Tim. 3.16 & great miſterie of godlineſſe. Which God doth not reueile to all people but only to hishColoſ. 1.26. Saints. All thanks therefore bee giuen, vntounto the moſt glorious name of our good God, for his moſt excellent gift and rich grace. Amen.