An Antidote Against Heresy, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
CHAP. VII. Of Chriſt his Perſon.
Truth.IN this miſerable and forlorn plight, the merciful God left us not to our ſelves, hopeleſs and helpleſs, but ſent his Son to take our nature upon him, that being perfect God and perfect man, he might fully ſatisfie for our ſins and redeem our ſouls from death and hell.
Errours.The enemies of Chriſt are of two ſorts. 1. The enemies of his perſon. 2. The enemies of his office. Of the firſt ſort were Simon Magus, Cerinthus, Marcion, Samoſatenus, Arius, Neſtorius, and ſuch Monſters: whereof ſome denyed his Divinity, others his Humanity; Some the purity of his conception, others the truth of it: ſome confounded the two Natures, denying their diſtinction; others denying their union, divided the perſon, of one making two: ſome ſaid he took tne body, but not the ſoul of man; others that he took an aetherial or ſpiritual, not a true body, and ſuch like. They are ſeconded at this day by the unbeleeving Jews, Turks and all Mahometans, Antitrinitarians, New-Arians, Anabaptiſts, Familiſts, Socinians, particularly by Mr Paul Beſt and others▪ who deny the Divinity of Chriſt, affirming, That he was but a meer man: ſome fear not to ſay, He was a ſinful man: ſome, That he was God, but not from everlaſting: the Son of God, but not before his, incarnation: God by merit, office or excellency of gifts, not by nature and generation. The Anabaptiſts ſay, he brought his fleſh with him from heaven, and took it not of the Virgin. The Familists turn the Incarnation of Chriſt into an Allegory; holding, That every one of their family is Chriſt, and the taking in of their belief is the Incarnation: Having diſcourſe once with one of them, he would not ſay, Chriſt came or was come, but is now come in the fleſh; Chriſt is now come in my fleſh, ſaid he, and now I ſpeak, Chriſt ſpeaks to you. So alſo Mr Erbury, By fleſh, ſaith he, is not meant the humane nut are, but the coming of Chriſt is the manifeſtation of the Godhead in the fleſh of Saints.
AntidoteAgainſt theſe helliſh Blaſphemies we oppoſe theſe heavenly Truths.
Firſt, That our Lord Jeſus Chriſt is very God, Iſai. 9.6. Ʋnto us a child is born, &c, the Mighty God, Rom. 9.5. of whom Chriſt came, who is God over all bleſſed for ever. 1 Tim. 3.16. God manifeſt in the fleſh. Rom. 1.4. Declared mightily to be the Son of God, &c.
Secondly, Chriſt is very man, and had a true body, taking fleſh of the Virgin Mary, therefore often called the ſon of man: And 1 Tim. 2.5. The man Chriſt Jeſus. Iſa. 7.14. A Virgin ſhall conceive, and bear a Son. Mat. 1.20. She was found with child by the Holy Ghost. Gal. 4.4. He was made of a woman. 1 John 1.1. The Word of Life, which we have heard, which we have ſeen with our eyes, and our hands have handled: He had a true body then, his humanity was obvious enough to all the ſenſes.
If Chriſt be not God, why do you adore him? It is plain Idolatry to worſhip Chriſt if he be not God. Cyril. Alexand. Cont. Eunom. The ſecond Nicene Councel Charged Neſtorius with Idolatry, becauſe he affirmed Chriſt was a meer man, & yet adored him. S. Paul condemns ſerving the creature. Rom. 1.25. and yet profeſſeth himſelf Servant of Jeſus Chriſt, Rom. 1.1. Therefore Chriſt is no meer creature (or man.) Ambroſ. lib. 1. de fide ad Gratian, Auguſt. c. 7. Arrians, then, Socinians, Mr. Best, and the reſt that deny Chriſt to be God, and yet grant that he ought to be adored; what do they differ from Turks and Pagans that worſhip the creature? Rom. 1.22.25. Profeſſing themſelves to be wiſe, they become fools, and change the Truth of God into a lye: This then is Argument enough againſt the Arrians, Socinians; &c. to prove the diety of Chriſt, becauſe according to their own divinity he ought to be ſerved, worſhipped, and adored.
The Heathen that knew God, and yet glorified him not as God, Rom. 1.21. And the Arrians, Socinians, &c. that glorifie Chriſt as God, and yet acknowledg him not for God, are a like vain in their imagination, and their fooliſh heart is darkned.
CHAP. VIII. Of Chriſt his Office.
Truth.THe Office of Chriſt, being God and man, is to mediate between God and man and reconcile them together again: God, who is angry for ſin; and man, who is guilty of ſin. This Office is three-fold: For, 1. as a Prophet, he doth inſtruct his Church. 2. As a Prieſt, he makes ſatisfaction and interceſſion for it. 3. As a King, he gathers and governs it.
Adverſaries are thoſe, that affirm. 1.Errours. That Chriſt is Mediator only in reſpect of his divine nature: So Oſiander. 2. That he is Mediator in reſpect of his humane nature only: So Stancarus. And of this opinion are the Papiſts, who moſt wickedly ſet up other Mediators alſo beſides Chriſt, even Saints and Angels, whom they pray unto to intercede for them. But the Papiſts are enemies to every part of his Office. 1. To his Kingly Office, in that they make the Pope head of the Church. 2. To his Prieſtly Office, in that they ſet up other Mediatours and Interceſſours beſides Chriſt, and other ſatisfaction for ſin beſides that which he hath made. 3. To his Prophetical Office, in ſubjecting his holy Word to the Authority of the Church, & Judgment of the Pope a ſinful man; and equalizing traditions, and humane inventions with the ſame.
Againſt theſe Errours we teach,Antidote and are taught. 1. That there is but one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Chriſt Jeſus, 1 Tim. 2.5. He maketh interceſſion for us, Rom. 8.34. Heb. 7.25. The Saints do not hear us, or know our wants. Iſai. 63.16. Abraham is ignorant of us, and Iſrael doth not acknowledg us. Eccleſ. 9.5. The dead know not any thing: Job 5.1. Call now, if there be any that will anſwer, and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn? If Paul were a Mediatour, then the reſt of his fellow Apoſtles were ſo too: and if there be many Mediatours, then S. Paul's ſaying 1 Tim. 2.5. doth not hold good, that there is but one Mediatour &c. Auguſt. lib. 2. Cont. Epiſt. Parmen. cap. 8.
Chriſt is Mediatour according to both natures, according to his humane, he ſuffered and dyed; by the power of his divine he overcame death, and roſe again: without his humane nature he could not ſuffer: without his Divine to give price and value to his ſufferings he had not ſatisfied; therefore it is ſaid, God purchaſed his Church with his own blood, Acts 20.28. Both natures did work in this Office of Mediatourſhip, each of them doing his own proper work, and yet both together producing but one common effect.