21. Moreover, it is objected, “That the incarnation of Christ was a thing decreed for itself, and as to its futurition depended only on the immutable counsel of God; but this supposition, that it had respect unto the fall of man and his recovery, makes it to depend on an external accident, which, as to the nature of the thing itself, might not have been.” .
Ans. The resolution hereof depends much on what hath been before _ discoursed concerning the order of the divine decrees, which need — not to be here repeated. Only, we may remember that the foresight of the fall, and the decree of the permission of it, cannot with any reason be supposed to be consequential to the decree concerning the
SECT. 20-22.] PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 37
incarnation of the Son of God: for the reparation of man is every- where in the Scripture declared to be the end of Christ’s taking flesh; for “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them who were under the law,” Gal. iv. 4, 5. Neither can his incarnation be pro- perly said either to be “ for itself” on the one side, or by “ accident” on the other; for it was decreed and fore-ordained for the glory of God. And the way whereby God intended to glorify himself there- in was in our redemption, which, in his infinite love to mankind, was ‘the moving cause thereof, John iii. 16. Of the same importance is it, “ That if the Son of God had not been incarnate, neither angels nor men could have had their proper head ‘and king;” for, as we haye premised, the Son of God should have been the immediate head of the whole creation, ruling every thing in its subordination unto God, suitably unto its own nature, state, and condition. For as he was “ the image of the invisible God,” so he was “the first-born of every creature,” Col. i. 15; that is, the Lord, ruler, and inheritor of them, as we have at large elsewhere declared.
22. It is pleaded in the last place, “ That had men continued in their integrity, there should have been a season when they were to be changed and translated into heaven. Now, this being to be done by the Son of God, it was necessary that he should be incarnate for that purpose.’ And so far is this consideration urged by Osiander, But this is carried on by the Socinians, avd improved on another supposition of their own. Vid. Smal. Refut. Thes. Franzii Disput. xi. p. 429.
Man, they tell us, was created absolately mortal, and should have actually died, although he had never sinned, That he might be raised again from the dead, God would have sent a Messiah, or one that should have been the means, example, and instrumental cause of our resurrection.
Ans. All persons of sobriety will acknowledge that there is no- thing in these reasonings but groundless curiosities and vain specu- lations, countenanced with false suppositions ; for as God alone knows what would have been the eternal condition of Adam had he persisted in the covenant of his nature, so whatever change was to be wrought concerning him as the reward of his obedience, God could have effected it by his infinite wisdom and power, without any such instrumental cause as these men imagine. “Secret things be- long unto the LorpD our God;” nor are we to be “ wise above what is written.” The Socinians’ superfetation, that man should have died naturally, though not penally, is a figment of their own, that hath
~ been elsewhere discussed, and is very unmeet to be laid as the foun- © ~ dation of new assertions that cannot otherwise be proved,
88 THE ORIGIN OF THE | [ExmRe xxvr:
From what hath been discoursed it appears that there was no revelation of the incarnation of the Son of God in the state of imno- cency; neither did it belong unto that state, but was designed in order unto his priesthood, which could therein have no place nor use.
23. Our next inquiry is concerning sacrifices, and whether they were to have had either place or use in the state of innocency. This being determined, way will be made for the fixing of the original of the priesthood of Christ, whereof we are in the investigation, upon its right foundation. And this inquiry is made necessary unto us by some of the Roman church, particularly Bellarmine and Gre- goty de Valentia. They have not, indeed, fixed any special contro- versy\in this inquiry, whether there should have been any sacrifices in thestate of innocency; but, in an attempt to serve a principal concern \of their own, they assert and contend for that which deter- mines the\necessity of sacrifices in that state and condition of things between Ged and men; for they plead in general, “That there neither is, nox ever was in the world, nor can be, any religion without a true and reahsacrifice.” Their design herein is only to hedge in the necessity oftheir sacrifice of the mass; for on this supposition it must be esteemed to be of the very essence of Christian religion, which some, on the contrary, judge to be overthrown thereby. Now, - it is certain that thers was and should have been religion in the state of innocency, continuedif that state had continued; yea, therein all religion and religious Worship were founded, being inlaid in our. nature, and requisite untoour condition in this world, with respect unto the end for which we were made: Herein, therefore, on this supposition, sacrifices were necessary, which Bellarmine includes in that “syllogism,” as he calls it, yhereby he attempts the proof of the necessity of his missatical sacrifice in the church of Christ, De Missa, lib. 1. cap. xx. “Tanta,” saith he;“conjunctio est inter legem seu religionem et sacrificlum, externum,ac proprie dictum, ut omnino necesse est aut legem et religionem vere et proprie in Christi ecclesia non reperiri, aut sacrificium quoque externum et proprie dictum in Christi ecclesia reperiri Nullum autem est si missam tollas. Est igitur missa sacrificlum externum proprie dictum ;’—‘ There is such a conjunction between the law or religion and a sacrifice, external and properly so called, that it is altogether necessary either that there is no law or religion truly and properly to be found in the church of Christ, or there is a sacrifice, external and properly so called, to be found therein; but take away the mass, and there is none: wherefore the mass is an external sacrifice, properly so called.”