Christ Revealed, Scriptural typology · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
1. Adam a type of Christ.
THe first of them is the first Adam, who was so lively a representation of Christ, as that Christ is often called the second Adam, Rom. 5. 14. Adam was a figure of him that was to come. Adam a type of Christ, in foure things.Wee will gather the resemblances betweene them into foure generall heads.
I. In respect of Creation. 1. Both of them were Sons of God, the one by eternall generation, the other by grace of Creation. 2. Both were Men, Adams, redde earth; the first in his matter, the second not in his matter only, but also in his bloody passion. 3. Both were Sons of one Father, and both men but of no man their father, neither of them having any other father but God. 4. Both created in the Image of God; Vterque ad imaginem Dei conditus, uterque Deo charissimus.the former, Gen. 1. 27. the latter the ingraven forme of his Fathers person. Heb. 1. 3. 5. Both endowed with perfect wisdome and knowledge; the first Adam so wise as that he gave fit names to all Creatures according to their natures: in the second Adam dwelt treasures of wisdome and knowledge. Col. 2. 3. 6. Both possessed of a most happy and innocent estate; in which the one had power to persever, but not will: the other had both power and will. 7. The first Adam was made in the sixth day of the weeke to the Image of God: the second Adam towards the sixth age of the world appearing to restore that Image which the first Adam quickly lost.
II. In respect of office and soveraignty. 1. The first Adam was owner of Paradise, the heire of the world; soveraigne Lord of all the Creatures to whom they came for their names; the second Adam is Lord of heaven as well as earth, heire of the outmost bounds of the earth, Psal. 2. 8. Commander of all Creatures; whom the windes and seas obey; whose word the divels tremble at; and he keepes his soveraignty which the first Adam lost. 2. Adam was appoynted to keepe the Garden and dresse it, Gen. 2. 15. Christ the second Adam was set apart to sanctifie and save his Church, the Garden and Paradise of God, Eph. 5. 26. 3. Adam was King, Priest, and Prophet in his family: so is Christ in the Church, the family and houshold of faith,Primus ecclesiae doctor audiens immediate a Deo quae ecclesiae erāt proponenda, ita & Christus. Rev. 1. 5. As Adam was the first Minister of the word in the Church, delivering the promise of the blessed seed with certaine rites & Ceremonies to his children, and they to their posterity: So the second Adam is the chiefe Prophet and Doctor of his Church, who alwaies prescribed the pure worship of God for matter and manner in the Churches of all ages.
III. In respect of Conjugation. 1. Adam sleeping Eve is formed: Christ dying the Church is framed. Eve is taken out of Adams side, while he sleepes: out of the second Adams side, while he was in the sleepe of death, issueth the Church. 2. Eve was no sooner framed but as a pure and innocent spouse she was delivered by God to Adam yet in innocency: so God the Father delivered the Church as a chaste & innocent spouse to be married to the second Adam for ever, to be bone of his hone, and flesh of his flesh. 3. Of Eve marryed to Adam he receives both a Cain and an Abel into his house: so the second Adam hath in his visible Church both elect and reprobates, sound and hypocrites, as by many Parables is signified; as of the field; the net, &c.
IIII. In respect of propagation. 1. Both of them are rootes, both have a posterity and seed, Isa. 53. 10. 2. Both of them convey that they have unto their posterity, Rom. 5. 12. 14. As by the first Adam sinne, and by sinne death came over all men: so by the second Adam came righteousnesse, and by righteousnesse life on all beleevers; and herein especially was the first Adam a figure of him that was to come. 3. As the first Adam merited death for all his posterity: so the second Adam life for all his.
Application followes.
I. To note the honour and antiquity of the Ministery which not the first Adam onelyonly,Vse 1. The Ministery …everend for antiquity. but the second also exercised. Dispise at thy perill what they so honoured; thinke it too base for thy selfe to attend, for thy sonnes to intend: Neither the first Adam Lord of the earth, nor the second Adam Lord of Heaven and earth, did so.
II. To note the antiquity and authority of the doctrine of free grace by the merit of the Messiah, which both the first and second Adam taught;Antiquity of the doctrine of free grace. neither of them ever dreamed of the doctrine of workes and humane merits. What Adam learned of God in Paradise hee taught to his posterity; what his posterity heard of him, the same they delivered and left to their children; but they never heard nor taught any other way to salvation, but by the promised seed: so also what the Disciples heard of the second Adam, that they taught to the Churches; but they heard the same of him. Act. 4. 12. And our doctrine being the same with theirs, is not new, but more ancient then any other. For as this is the honour of all truth,Quod antiquissi…um, verissimū. Tertul. to be before error and falshood: so of this truth, to have precedency of all truths; It truely pleadeth antiquity, therefore verity.
III. In that the Church comes out of Christs side, being in the sleepe of death,Seeke life by Christs death. as Eve out of Adams hee sleeping, wee learne to seeke our life in Christs death. That death should be propagated by the sinne of the first Adam, was no marvaile: but that life by the death of the second, is an admired mystery. Here is the greatest work of Gods power fetched out of his contrary; of ranke poyson a soveraigne remedy by the most skilfull Physitian of hearts. Let the Jewes scorne a crucified God, and refuse the life offered by a dead man; they know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God; who can and doth command light out of darknesse, 2. Cor. 4. 6.life out of death, all things out of nothing. How easily can …e repayre all things out of any thing, who can fetch and frame all things out of nothing? He is of power to make of clay and spittle (fit to put out the sight) a remedy to restore sight. He can as easily save a world by the death of his Son, as multiply a world by the sleepe of Adam.
IV. Labour to bee ingrafted into the second Adam, that as thou hast borne the image of the earthly,Get into Christ the second Adam, as thou art surely of the first. so thou maist beare the image of the heavenly, 1. Cor. 15. 49. 1. Because the second Adam repayres whatsoever we lost in the first. By the first wee are enemies to God, by the second wee are reconciled to him. By the first wee all dye,Motives. by the second wee are all made alive, 1. Cor. 15. 22. By the first we are left to Sathans power, by the second wee are guided by the Spirit of God. By the first we lost all the Creatures, by the second we are restored to the holy use of thē all. By the first a necessity of death is brought in, Heb. 9. 27. it is appoynted for all men once to dye, and then commeth judgement; but by the second wee have a recovery of the blessing of immortality and life. Whatsoever the first Adam brings into the world by sinne, the second carryes out by his righteousnesse. 2. Because by Christ the truth wee recover more then we lost, or ever should have had by the Type. For so the Apostle, Rom. 5. 16. the gift by the second Adam hath exceeded the offence of the first. That as the first Adam by eating the forbidden fruit hath powred all evill into the soules and bodies of all men, though they eate not of the forbidden tree: So the second Adam by regeneration is made righteousnesse to those who had wrought no righteousnesse,1. Cor. 1. 30. and powred all good things into the soules and bodies of his members: The first Adam by sinne helps us into misery: but the second Adam not onelyonly helps us out of misery, but advanceth us to the highest dignity; to be, of sonnes of wrath, sons of God; brethren of Christ; members of his body; heires of the kingdome of heaven. By Adams sinne we are all driven out of Paradise, an earthly pleasure, in which wee should have enjoyed an inconstant happinesse: but by Christ we are brought into the heavenly Paradise, our Fathers house. By Adams sinne we become unjust: but by Christs holinesse we are not just onelyonly, but sanctified, graced, confirmed, glorified, into whom by faith we come to be ingrafted.