Milk for Babes, Questions · Question 24
24. Q. Seeing Chriſt was God, how could he dye?
A. He was God, and man. As he was God he died not: but as man he died for my ſinnes, and roſe againe for my Juſtification.
Here thou telleſt me of the natures of thy Saviour, How it could be that Chriſt could die.and of the uſe he made of them for thy good. As to his natures, he was God, and man: as to his uſes, he uſed his humane nature to dye for thee, and his Divine nature to riſe againe for thy Juſtification. Firſt, he was God and man. Man he was certainly: for in his whole courſe, and carriage, Phil. 2.8.he was found in faſhion as a man; not in appearance onelyonly; for (as) is here demonſtrative of the truth of his humane nature. As John ſaith, Joh. 1.14.we ſaw his glory as the Glory of the onelyonly begotten Sonne of God, that is, his glory was the glory of the true Sonne of God: ſo in faſhion as a man, that is, a true man. Therefore Paul ſaith, we have one Mediatour betwixt God, and man, the man Chriſt Jeſus, 1 Tim. 2.5. Matth. 1.2.who is therefore often called, the ſonne of man, the ſonne of Abraham, the ſonne of David, yea, Heb. 2.16.the ſeed of Abraham according to the fleſh. He was as ſurely God. For when he was given to us to be a Child, a a Sonne, his name is, the mightie God, Eſa. 9.6. Jer. 23.6. Rom. 9.5.and Jehovah our righteouſneſſe, and over all, God bleſſed for ever. And John ſaith, that this eſſentiall word of the Father, who was with God, was God, Joh. 1.1.even from eternitie before, and when, God made the beginning of time.
Secondly, As man Chriſt died.Chriſt made excellent uſes of theſe natures for thee: of his Manhood he made this uſe to dye for thee. For Chriſt ſuffered for thee in the fleſh, 1 Pet. 4.1. 1 Pet. 2.24.and bare thy ſinnes in his own body on the tree. If the Sunne ſhine upon the body of a tree which thou haſt a purpoſe to cut down, thou canſt cut the tree, but thou canſt not cut the ſhine of the Sunne; that is united unto it, and ſhines upon the gaſhes and dints thou makeſt in the bark, heart, ſap, and root. So when Chriſt God and man was united for thee, the unſuffering Divine nature could not ſuffer, but the body of his fleſh, and blood, that ſuffered and dyed for thee. Man had ſinned, and man muſt dye. It is not equall that another nature ſhould ſuffer for man's ſinne. Therefore verily he tooke not on him the nature of Angels, but he tooke the ſeed of Abraham, that he might taſte death, Heb. 2.9, 10.and be made a perfect Captaine of thy ſalvation through ſuffering.
Of his Godhead he made this uſe, As God Chriſt roſe againe. Rom. 4.25. Rom. 1.4.to riſe againe for thy Juſtification. For he mightily declared himſelfe to be the Sonne of God by the reſurrection from the dead. He was to deliver thee from a world of evil, and to bring thee to a world of good things. The guilt of ſinne, the wrath of God, the power of hell, the fear of death were to be wrought from thee by him. The pardon of ſinne, the power from ſinne, the Inheritance of heaven were to be ſettled upon thee by him. How could he ever have done any, or all of theſe for thee, if his Divine nature had not influence into his ſufferings to bring thee the righteouſneſſe of God? Rom. 3.25, 26. Phil. 3.9.Let him have done all this for thee, thou couldſt never have been juſtified if he had not declared himſelfe to be the Son of God, with power, by his reſurrection from the dead. This ſettles the merits of his death upon thee, and aſſures thee, that they are accepted by his father for thy diſcharge; becauſe death hath no more dominion over him, Rom. 6.but he comes triumphantly out of the priſon of the grave whither thy ſins had caſt him. Chriſt bare a double perſon for thee; the perſon of a ſuretie, Heb. 7.22. 1 Joh. 2.1.and the perſon of an advocate. What he doth for thee for the diſcharging thy debt, and for the ſettlement of a full ſatisfaction upon thee, as a ſuretie, that he doth in thy roome, and it ſtands in the Law of God, and man, as a diſcharge of thy ſcore: what he doth as an Advocate, in appearing for thee, pleading for thee, and ſatisfying all offices in thy roome, that is interpreted as thy act, & thou muſt ſtand to it, and challenge it as thy own. When thou ſeeſt, therfore, Chriſt dying a ſatisfying death for thee, and riſing a diſcharged reſurrection for thee from further impriſonment, thou haſt a full quietus eſt, or aſſurance that all thy debts are payed. If any man were bound for thee, and caſt into priſon, and after enjoying the libertie of a free ſubject, thou mayſt conclude that all thy debts are payd: ſo mayſt thou reſt thy ſoule that God is well pleaſed, and ſatisfied with what his ſonne hath done for thee when thou ſeeſt by miracles, acts, and many teſtimonies, that he is riſen from the dead.
Vſe. Therefore (my deare child) feed thy ſoule comfortably with theſe natures of thy bleſſed Saviour, and with the uſes he made of them for thy good. He was man to performe lowly offices: he was God to performe exalted offices of love. Is he to dye an accurſed death? He is a man, Rom. 8.3.in the ſimilitude of ſinfull fleſh. Pſal. 24.Is he to riſe againe? He is the King of Glory, the Lord mighty in battell, who knows how to vanquiſh the laſt enemy, 1 Cor. 15.death, as well as any that appeared before. He that is thy ſuretie, ſo able, ſo willing, will ſatisfie to the utmoſt farthing. He that is thy Advocate, ſo faithfull, ſo wonderfull in counſell, will not leave any of thy worke behind, till he have brought thee a Certificate of thy full diſcharge. When thou repenteſt, and art ready to be ſwallowed up of ſorrow, let thy poore ſoule reſt here, and thou ſhalt have joy by beleeving, and come with confidence, and boldneſſe to the throne of grace.
But, it may be that the extent of this benefit may ſomething damp thy ſpirit: Therefore tell me