Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 14
CHAP. 14. How Chriſt comes to be a fit Reconciler. Opened in ſeven Particulars; 1. Becauſe he is the ſecond perſon in the Trinity. 2. He hath taken our Nature on him. 3. He knows fully the mind of the Father. 4. He fully knows what wil ſatisfie the Father. 5. God the Father doth infinitly Love him. 6. He never offended the Father. 7. What he doth hath infinite efficacy and worth.
THe ſecond thing propounded in the twelfth Chapter is this. How Chriſt comes to be a fit Reconciler; it is he who is the great Peace-maker; and therefore in the Scripture he is called the Prince of peace; it is he that is Melchezedeck, King of righteouſneſs, and King of peace; But how comes he to be ſo? by being a Mediator between the Father and us: and ſo you ſhal find he is called in the Scripture. Heb. 8, 6. But he hath obtained a more Excellent Miniſtry by how much alſo he is the Mediator of a better Covenant, that is, of a Covenant of grace, and not of that covenant of works. Now Chriſt he is a fit mediator to come in, and to mediate between God, and us. As amongſt men when there is a Breach between two, and they are at a Diſtance; the Breach is ſuch as requires one to come in, and to mediate between them; It is not alwayes neceſſary between man and man where there is a Breath, that one ſhould come and mediate; but there being a Breath between God, and us, it was abſolutely neceſſary that a mediator ſhould come in to treat between God and us, and there could never have been the leaſt parly, the leaſt treaty between God, and fallen man, had not a mediator ſtept in between and this mediator is Jeſus Chriſt, and it is he that is only fit to be our Reconciler, and Peace-Maker.
1. Becauſe he is the Second Perſon in Trinity, and in that regard he is fit.
You wil Say; How doth this make him fit? Thus; The Sin that was committed in the firſt tranſgreſſion was more directly againſt the firſt Perſon, God the Father. Why, wil you ſay, was it againſt one Perſon rather than againſt another? It was indeed againſt them al; but it was more directly againſt the firſt Perſon; and this is the reaſon of it, becauſe mans firſt ſin was againſt that perfection which God gave him in his creation; againſt that created righteouſnes that was put into him which was eſpecially the work of the firſt perſon in trinity; for Creation is attributed to the firſt perſon; and man ſining againſt that work of Creation, hence it comes to paſs that the firſt is more directly, and immediatly offended. Now therfore the ſecond Perſon in the Trinity, he comes next in Order, and therefore it is he that is fit to be a Reconciler between the father and us, becauſe we having ſinned againſt the work of Creation, God the father unto whom that worke is attributed, is more eſpecially offended.
2 But not only ſo, for if he had been but only the ſecond perſon; if he had been but only the Son of God, he could not have been the reconciler of us unto God, and therefore there muſt be ſomwhat elſe. When we ask you what Chriſt is; you Ordinarily anſwer the Son of God: but if that had been al, if he had been only the Son of God, and the Second Perſon in Trinity, he could not (according to that way which God hath revealed in his word that he wil be reconciled unto Sinners by) have been a fit mediator for us. Therefore in the Second place, that he might be a fit mediator to make our peace, and to reconcile God, and us together, he comes and takes our nature upon him, and is made a very man; ſo that the ſame Perſon is now God, and man; he having taken up the nature into a perſonal union with the Son of God; ſo that he pertakes of both thoſe natures which is to be reconciled, obſerve it wel. Chriſt who is to be the Reconciler, his buſineſs is to reconcile God and man, between whom there was ſo vaſt a Breach. Now to the end that he might be fit for this work and reconcile theſe two, God and man, he partakes of both natures, and is become, by uniting the nature of man which he tooke to himſelfe, into Perſonal union with the Godhead, both God, and man, and having the nature of them both, he hath intereſt in them both; he hath intereſt in God the father as being the ſame God coequal with the father, though not the ſame in a Perſonal regard, but the ſame God with the Father: and he hath intereſt likewiſe in man, as he hath the ſame nature with him; and thus he partaking of God, and partaking of man, comes to have intereſt in both, and in that regard becomes a fit mediator between God and us. Here is the great work of God to reconcile man to himſelf; and in this, God muſt do a work that is far greater than the making of Heaven, and the Earth. It had not been ſo great a work for God to have made ten thouſand worlds over again, as for God to make a mediator to become God and man in one Perſon. The union of the two natures of Chriſt is the greateſt work that ever God did from al eternity, or ever ſhal be done, and yet this was required to reconcile us to himſelf; and ſurely you may wel conclude, that the work of reconciliation of a ſinner to God, is a greater buſineſs, ſeeing that Heaven and Earth muſt be moved about it; and that the greateſt work that ever was done, or ever ſhal be done, muſt be done about this, or elſe it had never been effected. The Second perſon in Trinity muſt come, and take our Nature, and be made in the form of a Servant, that ſo he might be a fit peace-maker, or Mediator between God the Father and us. And then.
Thirdly, Chriſt is a fil Mediator in this; That he knows fully the mind of the Father; and throughly underſtands, even to the utmoſt what wrong the Father hath received by our ſin. If one ſhould come to Mediate between one Man, and another, and ſhould deſire the party offended to be at peace; He wil ſay; you ſpeak thus unto me; but do you know what wrong ſuch a one hath done me? if you underſtood the wrong he hath done me, ſurely you would not think it ſo eaſie a matter for me to be at peace; and the truth is, if al the Angels in Heaven, and al the men in the world ſhould come to interpoſe, and to make peace between God, and any ſinner for any one ſin; God would preſently Anſwer them, and ſay, what do you do to come to undertake this work of making peace with me and a ſinner; alas you do not underſtand what wrong is done unto me by his ſin; you know not what injury I have received by his ſin, therefore you are not a fit party to be a Mediator. And in this regard no Angel in Heaven could poſſibly be a fit Peace-maker between God and Man, for they know not what wrong ſin hath done unto God; But Jeſus Chriſt knows to the utmoſt, he underſtands throughly, and fully al the wrong, and injury that is done unto the Father by the ſin of Man; he knows what prejudice his Father ſuſteined by al the ſins of al the men of the world, which no Creature elſe, Angels, nor Men could ever do. Nay, they are ſo far from knowing the wrong that is done to God by the ſins of the world, as they are not able to underſtand the wrong that is done unto God by one of the leaſt ſins that can be committed.
Fourthly, Chriſt is a fit Mediator; becauſe he fully knew what would pleaſe and ſatisfie his father. If a man ſhould come to be a mediator, to reconcile two that are at difference, if indeed he knew the mind of the Party offended fully and throughly, we would rather chuſe ſuch a man to make up the Breach, ſuch a man indeed that doth underſtand to a hair what wil ſatisfie the offended Party is fit to be a Mediator. All the Angels in Heaven do not know like unto Jeſus Chriſt, fully, and throughly the mind of God, or what it is that wil ſatisfie him: it is onelyonly Jeſus Chriſt who was with the father, and lay in his very boſom from all eternity, that knows fully what wil ſatisfie the wrong that is done to the father, and therefore he alone was fitteſt to undertake this work.
Fifthly, Chriſt is a fit Mediator in this, That God the father doth infinitly love him, that he is infinitely dear to the father; and you know that it is a ſpecial ingredient for thoſe to have that are to be Reconcilers, that they ſhould be dear one to another, eſpecially dear to the party that is offended. If a poor man hath offended a rich man in a Town, and he ſaith within himſelf, O! that I were reconciled unto ſuch a one. If he can get one that is the intimate friend that that rich man hath in all the world to ſpeak unto him in his behalf, he wil conclude, that certainly the buſineſs ſhal have good ſucceſs, and that this friend wil prevail. Thus it is with our Mediator; he who is our Reconciler unto God, is infinitely dear unto the father, God the father doth infinitely delight in him; and therefore whatſoever he ſhal ſay, or do, muſt needs infinitely pleaſe God the father. This is our Mediator who is come to reconcile us unto God, he can ſay, and do nothing but it ſhal infinitely pleaſe, and delight the father.
Further, He is one that never did offend. There may be a friend that is very dear to the party offended and yet perhaps he himſelf hath offended the Party. But Jeſus Chriſt is one that never offended the father, but hath pleaſed him from all eternity, and therefore he is a fit mediator, he is fit to Speake for thoſe that have diſpleaſed him. As in a family, if a Child have offended, and another Child come and ſpeak for his Brother, the father may anſwer, you need ſpeke for your ſelf for you have offended as wel as he: But if another child that never offended his father in al his life, but hath been the moſt obedient Child that can be in the world, ſhal come, and ſpeake, this wil be likely to take with the Father much. God the Father profeſſeth before al the world, that Jeſus Chriſt is his Beloved Son in whom he is wel pleaſed; and it is this Chriſt that ſtands up to ſpeake to God the Father for poore Sinners to be reconciled unto him.
Laſtly he is a fit mediator in this; That whatſoever he ſhal do hath an infinit efficace in it ſelfe: not only is he a fit mediator becauſe God is wel pleſed with him; but becauſe that whatſoever he ſhal lay doune by way of ſattisfaction, it hath an infinet value in it. There is ſuch an infinite price ſuch an infinit worth in whatſoever Chriſt lays doun to porchaſe this reconciliation, that the infinite Juſtice of God cannot but ſay, this is indeed a valuable Conſideration, and I cannot but acknowledg there is efficacy, and ſufficiency enough in this to make up a ful Satisfaction had the Sinns of men been a thouſand times more than they were.
Now, what a mediator have we to reconcile us unto God; how comes our ſins to make ſuch a breach between God, and us? but becauſe our ſins were againſt ſuch an infinite God at firſt; the Perſon againſt whom we have ſinned is the cauſe which makes ſuch a breach; and ſo the Perſon who is mediator, that ſhal do and ſuffer any thing for us being ſuch a perſon as he is; hence comes the efficacy of al that he ſhal doe, and ſuffer to ſatisfie the father to the utmoſt groat. Al this together, namely Chriſt that is the Second Perſon, who is God, and man, Who knows the minde of the father to the ful. Who knows what wrong our Sins have done the Father. Who knows what wil ſatisfie the Father. Who never offended the father. Who is infinitly beloved of the father. Al theſe together makes it, that whatſoever he doth hath an infinite efficacy to ſatisfie Juſtice it ſelfe; and in this regard he comes to be a fit mediator. Al theſe things J name the rather to incourage the heart of poore Sinners to come unto him; ſeing it is God in Chriſt that reconcileth us to himſelfe.