SECT. 17.] PROMISED OF OLD. 163
state wherein they were upon the first entrance of sin, cumulated, as it were, with another world of confusion, disorder, mischief, and misery,
There is also another head of the misery of man; and that is, the corrupt spring of moral evil that is in his nature. This also is uni- versal and endless. It mixeth itself with all and every thing that man doth or can do as a moral agent, and that all ways and for ever, Gen. vi. 5. It is, then, impossible that it should have an end, unless it do either destroy or spend itself. But seeing it will do neither of these, ever sinning, which man cannot but be, is not the way to disentangle himself from sin.
17. If, then, any deliverance be ever obtained for mankind, it must be by some other [being], not involved in the same misery with them- selves. This must either be God himself, or good angels. Other rational agents there are none. If we look to the latter, we must sup- pose them to undertake this work either by the appointment of God, or upon their own accord, without his previous command or direction. The latter cannot be supposed. They knew too much of the ma- jesty, holiness, and terror of the great God, to venture on an inter- position of themselves upon his counsels and ways uncommanded. To do so would have been a sinful dissolution of the law of their creation. So much, also, they might discern of the work itself as to stifle unto eternity every thought of engaging themselves into it. Besides, they knew the will of God, by what they saw come to pass. They saw his justice and holiness glorified, in the evils which he had brought upon the world. That he would not for ever satisfy him-
self in that glory, they knew not. And what was man unto them, that they should busy themselves to retrieve him from that condition whereinto he had cast himself by sin, findmg Him glorified therein, in conformity unto whose will their happiness and perfection do consist? As remote as men are from thoughts of recovering fallen angels, so far were they from contriving the recovery of man.
But it may be said, that God himself might design them to work out the salvation and deliverance inquired after, as was before sup- posed. But this makes God, and not them, to be the Saviour, and them only the instruments in the accomplishment of his work.
Neither yet hath he done so, nor were they meet so to be employed. Whatever is purely penal in the misery of man, is an effect of the righteous judgment of God. This, as we have manifested, could be no otherwise diverted from him but by the undergoing of it by some other in his steAd. And two things are required in him or them that should so undergo it:—First, That they were not themselves obnoxious unto it, either personally or upon the first common ac- count. Should they be so, they ought to look to their own concern- ment in the first place. Secondly, That they were such as that the benefit of their undergoing that penalty might, according to the
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164 MESSIAH, THE DELIVERER FROM EVIL, [EXERC. VIII.
rules of justice, redound unto them for whom and in whose stead they underwent it; otherwise they would suffer in vam. Now, al- though the angels might answer the first of these, in their personal immunity from obnoxiousness unto the curse, yet the latter they were unsuited for. They had no relation unto mankind, but only that they were the workmanship of the same Creator. But this is not sufficient to warrant such a substitution, Had angels been to be delivered, their redemption must have been wrought in the angelical nature, as the apostle declares, Heb. ii. 16. But what justice is it, that man should sin and angels suffer? or from whence should it arise that, from their suffering, it should be righteous that he should go free? By what notions of God could we have been instructed in the wisdom and righteousness of such a proceeding? Add hereunto that this God hath not done, and we may safely conclude that it became him not so to do.
18. But what need all this inquiry? The Jews, with whom we prin- cipally have to do in this matter, plead constantly that God hath appointed unto men, at least unto themselves, a way and means of delivery out of this condition; and this is by the observation of Moses’ law. By this they say they are justified in the sight of God, and have deliverance from all wrath due unto sin. This they trusted in of old, Rom. ix. 82; this they continue to make their refuge at thisday. “ Spiritualis liberatio solummodo dependet ab observatione legis quam Deus in Monte Sinai promulgawvit ;’—“Spiritual deliver- ance dependeth solely on the observation of the law which God pro- mulgated on Mount Sinai,” saith the author of the Answers unto certain Questions proposed to the Jews, quest. 5, published by Bre- nius;* who in his reply hath betrayed unto them the most important doctrines of the Christian religion. But this is their persuasion. The giving of this law unto them they suppose to have freed them ut- terly from every thing in the condition before described, so far as they will.acknowledge it to concern any of the posterity of Adam. And whereas they cannot deny but that they sometimes sin against the moral precepts of this law, and so stand in need of help against their helper, they fix in this case upon a double relief. The first is that of their own personal repentance; and the other, the sacrifices that are appointed in the law.