[1.] First, The universality of it : he did whatsoever his Father required, and left nothing of his Father's will undone. He kept the whole law, and offended not in one point. Whatever was required of us, by virtue of any law, that he did, and fulfilled. Hence he is said to be made under the law, Gal. iv. 4, subject or obnoxious to it, to all the precepts or commands of it. Christ was so made under the law, as those were under the law whom he was to redeem. Now we were under the law, not only as obnoxious to its penalties, but as bound to all the duties of it. That this is our being under the law, is evident by that of the apostle : Gal. iv. 21, ' Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law.' Surely it was not the penalty of the law they desired to be under, but to be under it in respect of obedience. So Mat. iii. 15. Here Christ tells you, that ' it became him to fulfil all righteousness,' iraaav BiKaioavvrjv, all manner of righteousness whatsoever ; that is, everything that God required, as is evident from the appHcation of that general axiom to the baptism of John. But,
[2.] Secondly, The exactness and perfection of it. He kept the whole law exactly. As he was not wanting in matter, so he did not fail in the nianner of performing his Father's will. There was no defects, nothing lacking in his obedience ; he did all things well. "What we are pressing towards, and reaching forth unto, he attained ; he was perfect in every good work, and stood complete in the whole will of his Father. And hence it is, that it is recorded of him, that he was without sin, knew no sin, did no sin, which could not be if he had failed in anything. But,
[3.] Thirdly, The constancy of it. Christ did not obey by fits, but constantly. Though we cannot, yet he ' continued in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.' This righteous one held on his way, he did not fail, nor was he discouraged ; yea, when
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persecution and tribulation did arise against him, because of his doing the will of his Father, he was not offended, but did always do the things which pleased his Father, as he told the Jews, John viii. 29.
[4.] Fourthly, The delight that he took ' in doing the will of his Father;' Ps. xl. 8, ' I delight to do thy will, 0 my God ; yea, thy law is within my heart,' or in the midst of my bowels, as the Hebrew runs. By the law of God we are to understand all the commandments of God. There is not one command which Christ did not delight to do. Christ's obedience was without murmuring or grudging ; his Father's commandments were not grievous to him ; he tells his disciples, that it was his ' meat to do the will of him that sent him, and to finish his work,' John iv. 34. But,
[5.] Fifthly, The virtue and efficacy of it; for his obedience, his righteousness never returns to him void, but it always ' accomplishes that which he pleases, and prospers in the thing whereto he ordains it,' and that is the making others righteous, according to that of the apostle: Kom. v. 19, ' For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the disobedience of one shall many be made righteous;' 2 Cor. v. 21, ' God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him ; ' and accordingly we are, ' for of God he is made unto us righteousness/ 1 Cor. i. 30.
The perfect complete obedience of Christ to the law is certainly reckoned to us. That is an everlasting truth, * If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments,' Mat. xix. 17. The commandments must be kept either by ourselves, or by our surety, or there is no enter- ing into life ; Christ did obey the law, not for himself but for us, and in our stead: Kom. v. 18, 19, * By the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life ; by the obedience of one, many shall be made righteous.' By his obedience to the law, we are made righteous. Christ's obedience is reckoned to us for righte- ousness. Christ, by his obedience to the royal law, is made righteous- ness to us, 1 Cor. i. 30. We are saved by that perfect obedience, which Christ, when he was in this world, yielded to the blessed law of God. Mark, whatever Christ did as mediator, he did it for those whose mediator he was, or in whose stead and for whose good he executed the office of a mediator before God. This the Holy Ghost witnesseth : Eom. viii. 3, 4, ' What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righte- ousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.' The word ' likeness,' is not simply to be referred to flesh, but to sinful flesh, as Basil well observes ; for Christ was like unto us in all things, sin only excepted. If with our justification from sin, there be joined that active obedience of Christ, which is imputed to us, we are just before God, according to that perfect form which the law requireth. Because we could not, in this condition of weakness whereinto we are cast by sin, come to God, and be freed from condemnation by the law, God sent Christ as a mediator to do and suffer whatever the law required at our hands for that end and purpose, that we might not be condemned, but ac- cepted of God. It was all to this end, that the righteousness of the law
74 OF THE ACTIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST.