The first disco veiy of the wisdom of God herein was in that pri- mitive revelation, that the Deliverer should be of " the seed of the woman," Gen. iii. 15. No other but he who was so could "break the serpent's head," or " destroy the work of the devil," so as that we might be delivered and restored. He was not only to be partaker ^ of our nature, but he was so to be, by being " the seed of the woman," Gal. iv. 4. He was not to be created out of nothing, nor to be made of the dust of the earth, but so " made of a woman," as that thereby
HOLINESS OF CHRIST's HUMAN NATURE. 199
he might receive our nature from the common root and spring of it. Thus " he who sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one," Heb. ii.l 1, — £g kvhg ; that is, (pvpd/xaTog — of the same mass, of one nature and blood ; whence he is not ashamed to call them brethren. This also was to be brought forth from the treasures of infinite wisdom.
o. This nature of ours, wherein the work of our recovery and sal- vation is to be Avrought and performed, was Aot to be^so derived |rom the original stock of our kind or race as toBring along with it the same taint of sin, and the same liableness unto guilt, upon its own account, as accompany every other individual person in the world; for, as the apostle speaks, " such a high priest became us " (and as a high priest was he to accomplish this work) " as was holy, harailess, undefiled, separate from sinners." For, if this nature in him were so defiled as it is in us — if it were under a deprivation of the image of God, as it is in our persons before our renovation — it could do nothing that should be acceptable unto him. And if it.were subject unto guilt on its own account, it could make no^atisfaction for the sin of others. Here, therefore, again occurs dignus vindice nodus — a difficulty which nothing but divine wisdom could expedite.
To take a little farther view hereof, we must consider on what grounds these things (spiritual defilement and guilt) do adhere unto our nature, as they are in all our individual persons. And the first of these is — that our enthe nature, as unto our participation of it, was in Adam, as our head and representative. Hence his sin became the sin of us all — is justly imputed unto us and charged on us. In him y^tx- we all sinned ; all did so who were in him as their common repre- ''-^ sentative when he sinned. Hereby we became the natural " children of wrath," or liable unto the wrath of God for the common sin of our nature, in the natural and legal head or spring of it. And the other is — that we derive our nature from Adam by the way of natural gene- ration. By that means alone is the nature of our first parents, as defiled, communicated unto us ; for by this means do we become to appertain imto the stock as it was degenerate and corrupt. Where- fore that part of our nature wherein and whereby this great work was to be ^\Tought, must, as unto its essence and substance, be derived from our first parents, — yet so as never to have been in Adam as a com- mon representative, nor be derived from him by natural generation.
The bringing forth of our nature in such an instance — wherein it should relate no less really and truly unto the first Adam than we do ourselves, whereby there is the strictest alliance of nature between him so partaker of it and us, yet so as not in the least to participate of the guilt of the first sin, nor of the. defilement of our nature thereby — must be an effect of 4nfinite wisdom beyond the conceptions of any created understanding. And this, as we know, was done in the person
200 THE PEKSON OF CHRIST.
of Christ; for his human nature was never in Adam as his repre- sentative, nor was he comprised in the covenant wherein he stood. For he derived it legally only from and after the first promise, when Adam ceased to be a common person. Nor did it proceed from him by natural generation — the only means of the derivation of its depra- vation and pollution ; for it was a " holy thing," created in the womb of the Virgin by the power of the Most High. " 0 the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"
It was necessary, therefore, on all these considerations — it was so unto the glory of the holy properties of the divine nature, and the reparation of the honour of his holiness and righteousness — that he by whom the work of our recovery was to be wrought should be a man, , partaker of the nature that sinned, yet free from all sin, and all the '^ consequents of it. And this did divine wisdom contrive and accom- plish in the human nature of Jesus Christ.
But yet, in the second place, on all the considerations before men- tioned, it is no less evident that this work could not be wrought or effected by him who was no more than a mere man, who had no nature but ours — who was a human person, and no more. There was no one act which he was to perform, in order unto our deliverance, but did require a divine power to render it efficacious. But herein lies that great mystery of godliness whereunto a continual opposition hath been made by the gates of hell ; as we manifested in the entrance of this discourse. But whereas it belongs unto the foundation of our faith, we must inquire into it, and confirm the truth of it with such demonstrations as divine revelation doth accommodate us withal. And three things are to be sjDoken unto.