Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

cy; and God has the same grounds to insist upon it for ever: but we cannot perform it ourselves; it was necessary, there fore, that it should be performed by Christ, our surety. But perhaps some may still say,

When Christ had fully satisfied for all our sins, and so opened a way for believers to be considered as entirely free from any guilt, why might not the Governor of the world now, of his sovereign goodness and bounty, have bestowed eternal life, without any more to do? What need was there for Christ to fulfill all righteousness in our room? To which I answer :

When Adam was newly created, he was innocent; free from any guilt: and why might not the supreme Governor of the world, now, without any more to do, have bestowed upon him eternal life and blessedness, of his mere sovereign goodness? What need was there that his everlasting welfare should be entirely suspended upon the uncertain condition of his good behaviour? Had not God just seen how it turned out with the angels that sinned? Did he not know that Adam was liable to sin and undo himself too? And why would he run any venture á second time; especially since the happiness, not only of Adam, but of all his race, a whole world of beings, now lay at stake? If he thinks that if but one man should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, his loss would be infinitely great, what must the everlasting welfare of a whole race be worth in his account? And would infinite wisdom and infinite goodness venture and hazard all this, needlessly? Yea, would such a Being have done so, had there not been reasons of infinite weight to move him to it; something of greater importance than the eternal welfare of all mankind? No doubt there was something, and something of very great importance, that influenced the infinitely wise and good Governor of the world to such a conduct; something so very great, as to render his conduct, in that affair, perfectly holy and wise: perfectly beautiful, excellent, and glorious. It does not look like a mere arbitrary constitution. It was doubtless ordered so, because God saw it was perfectly fit, and right, and best. But why was it fit, and right, and best? Whatever the reason was, doubtless for the same reason it was fit, and right, and best, that the second Adam should perform the same condition: fulfil all righteousness, to

the end that, by his obedience, we might be made righteous, and so be entitled to life in this way.

It is certain that eternal life and blessedness were not to have been given absolutely, i. e. without any condition at all, under the first covenant. Eternal life was not to have been granted merely under the notion of a gift from a sovereign benefactor; but also under the notion of a reward, from the hands of the moral Governor of the world. Perfect obedience was the condition. Do and live. Rom. x. 5. Disobey and die. Gal. iii. 10. This was established by the law of the God of Heaven.

Now, the supreme Governor of the world did this for some end, or for no end: not for no end; for that would reflect upon his wisdom. Was it for his own good, or his creatures' good? Not for his own good; for he is self-sufficient and independent not for his creatures' good; for it had been better for them, their interest simply considered, to have had eternal life and blessedness given absolutely and unconditionally : for then they would have been at no uncertainties: not liable to fall into sin or misery, but secure and safe for ever. It remains, therefore, that, as moral Governor of the world, he had an eye to the moral fitness of things, and so ordained, because, in itself, in its own nature, it was fit and right.

But why was it fit and right? i. e. What grounds and reasons were there, in the nature of the case, why the great Governor of the world should suspend the everlasting welfare of his creature, man, upon condition of his being in most perfect subjection to himself? i. e. Why should he so much stand upon his own honour, as to insist upon this homage, at the bazard of his creatures' everlasting welfare? i. e. Why did he look upon his own honour as a matter of so great importance? I answer, that, from the rectitude of the divine nature, he is perfectly impartial in all his conduct. It was not, therefore, from any thing like pride, or a selfish spirit, that he stood thus upon his honour; the homage of a worm of the dust could do him no good: nor for want of goodness, that he set so light by his creatures' happiness; but it was fit he should do as he did; the rectitude of his nature, as it were, obliged him to it. For it becomes the Governer of the world, and it

belongs to his office as such, to see to it, that every one has his proper due; and therefore it concerns him, first and above all things, to assert and maintain the rights of the GODHEAD: and this honour was due to God.

He was, by nature, God, and Adam was, by nature, man; he was the Creator, and Adam was his creature; he was moral Governor of the world, and Adam was his subject; he was, by right, Law-giver, and Adam was a free agent capable of, and bound unto, perfect obedience; he was Judge, to whom it belonged to distribute rewards and punishments, and Adam was an accountable creature. Now he only considered himself as being what he was, and his creature, man, as being what he was; and he was affected and acted accordingly. He considered what honour was due to him from man; what obligations man was under to give him his due; that he was capable of doing it voluntarily; that it was fit he should; that it became the Governor of the world to insist upon it; that if he did not do it with all his heart, he could not be considered as a subject fit for the divine favour, but fit only for divine wrath, He thus viewed things as they were, and acted accordingly : What he did, therefore, was perfectly right and fit. To have had no regard to his honour, but only to have consulted his creatures' welfare, would have been a conduct like theirs in Rom. i. 21. 25. They glorified him not as God. They worshipped and served the creature, more than the Creator*.

How God's putting Adam into a state of trial was consistent with his aiming merely at his happiness as his last end, I cannot understand. Sure I am, it must have been better, unspeakably better, for Adam, his interest only considered, to have been immediately confirmed in a state of perfect holiness and happiness, without running such an awful venture of eternal ruin and destruction. Nor is there any man on earth that would choose, merely out of regard to his own welfare, to be put into a state of trial, rather than into a state of confirmed holiness and happiness, such as the saints in heaven are now in and, therefore, I cannot but think that God had a greater regard to something else, than to Adam's happiness. In this instance, it seems plain, from fact, that God does not make his creatures' happiness his last end. It is in vain to plead, "that Adam could not be a moral agent, unless he was a free agent; nor a free agent without being liable to sin;" for the saints in heaven are moral agents, and free agents too, and yet are not liable to sin. And if God's putting his creatures into a state of trial is not consistent with his aiming merely at their happiness as his last end, then the whole tenour of God's moral government is not consistent therewith: for, from first to VOL. I.

46

Now, since the second Adam becomes surety, and stands responsible to the Governor of the world, it was fit he should not only suffer the penalty of the broken law, but obey its precepts too, in order to open a door for us not only to be pardoned, but also received to favour, and entitled to eternal life. There was the same reason the second Adam should do it, as that the rst should. The honour of God did as much require it. It was as needful in order to our being considered as subjects fit for the divine favour and eternal life. It became the Governor of the world as much to stand for his honour with one as with the other; and he had as good reason to suspend the everlasting welfare of mankind upon this condition now, as ever; and to have shown no concern for the divine honour, although God had been openly affronted and despised by man's apostacy, but only to have regarded and consulted the welfare of the rebel under righteous condemnation, had been a conduct evidently unbecoming the great Governor of the world.

But again, we may view the case in another point of light. According to the first covenant, eternal life and blessedness were not to have been granted merely under the notion of a gift, from a sovereign Benefactor; but also under the notion of a reward from God, as moral Governor of the world; and perfect obedience was the condition. Do and live. And while eternal life and blessedness were thus promised, by way of reward to virtue, God's infinite love thereto was hereby testified, and the temper of his heart acted out and displayed. But God infinitely loves to act like himself. On this consideration, therefore, it was necessary that the second Adam should fulfil all righteousness, in the room of a guilty, unboly world, to the end that the Governor of the world might bestow grace, and glory, and all good things upon sinners, as a reward to Christ's virtue, and so hereby testify his infinite love to virtue. And so still act like himself. It was God's sovereign pleasure to exercise his infinite goodness towards a ruined race, and his holy nature prompted him to choose this way;

last, it has been his way to put his creatures into a state of trial; even all his creatures who were capable of moral government.

for he always takes infinite delight in showing regard and respect to virtue, in his moral government of the world. He translated Enoch and Elijah; saved Noah from the general deluge; delivered Lot out of Sodom; promised Abraham a posterity numerous as the stars of heaven, and Phinehas an everlasting priesthood; and a thousand things more has he done; and all to bear a public testimony of his love to virtue z this is the thing which the King delights to honour. The very ground of his love to himself, is the virtue or holiness of his nature. In this, his divine beauty and glory primarily consists. Isaiah vi. 3. He loves, therefore, to put honour upon the image of himself; and, in doing so, he still reflects honour upon himself, the original fountain of moral excellence : and, therefore, according to the first covenant, and according to the second, it was equally fit that eternal life and blessedness should be given as a reward to virtue, in testimony of his regard thereto.

Thus, from the perfections of God, and the reason and nature of things, the necessity of Christ's obeying the preceptive part of the law, as well as suffering the penalty, in order to our being not only pardoned, but received to the everlasting favour of God, and entitled to eternal life, seems evident.

But, from scripture, the point may more easily be confirmed. For therein we are taught that he was appointed, by the Governor of the world, not only to make reconciliation for iniquity, but also to bring in everlasting righteousness. Dan. ix. 24. And are assured that he is become the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe. Rom. x. 4. And that, by his obedience many are made righteous. Rom. v. 19. But this work would not have been put upon him, had it been needless; i. e. if God's honour and our salvation could both have been secured without it; for then it had been in vain suppose, reflects much upon the divine wisdom, and quite undermines and nullifies the love, and grace, and kindness of God herein to us; for we had been as well without it. With much evidence, therefore, may we conclude that it was necessary that the second Adam, Christ our surety, should obey as well as suffer in our room, in order to open a door for our justification and eternal life. And, accordingly, we may observe

which to

« EdellinenJatka »