The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Book 1 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
The meanes used by the fore recounted Agents in this work.
OUR next imployment following the order of execution, not § I intention, wil be the discovery or laying down of the means in … The means used by these agents are,this work, which are indeed no other but the several actions before recounted, but now to be considered under another respect, as they are a meanes ordained for the obtaining of a proposed end, of which afterwards. Now because the severall actions of Father and spirit, were all exercised towards Christ, and terminated in him, as God and man, he onelyonly, and his performances are to be considered as the meanes in this work, the severall concurrences of both the other persons before mentioned, being presupposed as necessarily antecedent or concomitant. § II
The meanes then used or ordained by these agents for the end proposed, is that whole oeconomy or dispensation carried along to the end from whence our Saviour Jesus Christ is called a mediatour; 1 b The oblation. in, 1 Initiation. in the humillity of his life.which may and are usually as I mentioned before distinguished into two parts. First his oblation, Secondly his Intereession: by his oblation we do not designe onelyonly the particular offering of himself upon the crosse, an offering to his Father, as the lamb of God without spot or blemish, when he bare our sinnes or carried them up with him in his own body on the tree, which was the summe and complement of his oblation, and that wherein it did 2 o…nsummation in he bitternesse of his death.chiefly consist, but also his whole humiliation, or state of emptying himself, whether by yeilding voluntary obedience unto the Law, as being made under it, that he might be the end thereof to them that believe, Rom. 10. 4. or by his subjection to the curse of the law, in the antecedent misery, and suffering of life, as well as by submitting to death, the death of the crosse: for no action of his as mediatour is to be excluded, from a concurrence to make up the whole meanes in this work. Neither by his c Intercession, doe I understand onelyonly that heavenly appearance of his in the most holy 2 Inter cession of Christ performed in his. 1 resurrection. 2 ascension 3 Session at the right hand of God.place for the applying unto us all good things purchased and procured by his oblation; but also every act of his exaltation conducing thereunto, from his resurrection, to his sitting down at the right hand of Majesty on high, Angells and principalities and powers, being made subject unto him Of all which his resurrection (being the basis (as it were) and the foundation of the rest, for if he had not risen, then is our faith in vain, 1. Cor. 15. 13. 14. and then are we yet in our sinne ver. 17. of all men the most miserable ver. 19) is especially to be considered, as that to which a great part of the effect is often ascribed, for he died for our sinnes, and rose for our justification: Rom. 4. 25. where, and in such other places, by his resurrection the whole following dispensation and the perpetuall intercession of Christ for us in heaven is intended, for God raised up his sonne Jesus to blesse us, in turning every one of us from our iniquities. Acts 3. 26.
Now this whole dispensation, with especiall regard to the death and bloodshedding of Christ, is the meanes we speak of agreeable § III e with speciall respect unto his death.to what we said before, of such in general. For it is not a thing in it self desirable, for its own sake, the death of Christ had nothing in it, (we speak of his suffering distinguished from his obedience) that was good, but onelyonly as it conduced to a further end, even the end proposed for the manifestation of Gods glorious grace. What good was it, that Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and people of Israel should with such horrid villany, & cruelty gather themselves together against Gods holy child whom he had anointed, Acts 4. 27. or what good was it, that the sonne of God should be made sinne, and a curse to be bruised, afflicted, and to undergo such wrath as the whole frame of nature, as it were trembled to behold; what good, what beauty and forme is in all this, that it should be desired in it self, and for it self? doubtlesse none at all. It must then be looked upon, as a means conducing to such an end, the glory and lustre thereof must quite take away all the darknesse and confusion that was about the thing it self. And even so it was intended by the blessed Agents in it, by whose determinate counsell and foreknowledge he was delivered and slain, Acts 12. 12. 23. there being done unto him, whatsoever his hand and counsell had determined, Act. 4. 34. which what it was, must be afterwards declared; Now concerning the whole, some things are to be observed.
That though the oblation and intercession of Jesus Christ, are distinct acts in themselves, and have distinct immediate products § IIII and issues, assigned oft times unto them (which I should now have laid down, but that I must take up this in another place) yet they are not in any respect, or eHaving all a manifold union in respect ofregard to be divided or separated, as that the one shovld have any respect to any persons, or any thing, which the other also doth not in its kinde equally respect: but there is this manifold union between them.
First, in that they are both alike intended for the obtaining and accomplishing the same intire and compleat f1 end intended.end proposed; to wit, the effectuall bringing of many sons to glory for the praise of Gods Grace, of which afterwards.
Secondly, That what g2 Object. considered.persons soever the one respecteth, in the good things it obtaineth, the same, all, and none else, doth the other respect, in applying the good things so obtained; for he dyed for our sins, and rose again for our justification, Rom. 4. 26. That is in briefe the object of the one, is of no larger extent, then the object of the other: or, for whom Christ offered himself, for all those; and onelyonly those, doth he intercede: according to his own word, for this cause I sanctifie my self (to be an oblation) that they also might be sanctified through the truth, Joh. 17. 19.
Thirdly, that h3 Mutuall relation.the oblation of Christ is as it were the foundation of his intercession, inasmuch as by the oblation was procured every thing, that by virtue of his intercession is bestowed, and that because the sole end why Christ procured any thing by his death, was, that it might be applied to them for whom it was so procured. The summe is, that the oblation and intercession of Jesus Christ, are one intire means for the producing of the same effect, the very end of the oblation, being that all those things, which are bestowed by the intercession of Christ, and without whose application it should certainly faile of the end proposed in it, be effected accordingly, so that it cannot be affirmed, that the death or offering of Christ, concerned any one person or thing, more in respect of procuring any good, than his intercession doth for the collating of it for interceding there for all good purchased, and prevailing in all his intercessions, (for the Father alwayes hears his Son) it is evident that every one for whom Christ dyed must actually have applied unto him, all the good things purchased by his death; which because it is evidently destructive to the adverse cause we must a little stay to confirm it, iWhich is further proved.onelyonly telling you the main proofe of it lies in our following proposall of assigning the proper end, intended and effected by the death of Christ, so that the chiefe proofe must be deferred untill then, I shall now only propose those reasons which may be handled apart, not meerely depending upon that.