And May, that he might feelingly underſtand the State of that Na- ture, and be a compleat Saviour of it, Zech,13. 79. By this Per- ſon, God had no unfitneſs nor diſparagement in treating with Sin- ners, which in a meer Creature he would. For what Creature coul:! have mediated with him 2 Who durſt undertake it, but this Sor or his in their Nature, whoſe Heart he ingaged to it? Fer, 30. 21- and fitteſt for Man, he being near in Nature to us,and coming ort of the midft of us, and by it communicating the Benefit of his Ve- diation to us, The Intentions of Chriſt's Merits ariſe form his Suf- fictency, but the Extenſion of them from his proper perſona! ficnels, and ſo reacheth Men of the ſame Nature with him, and not Angels. p A Man having a true Body and Soul like them in every thing, which was necefſary to make him a compleat redeemer, agreeable to them in all things neceffary to their Nature, Qualities, Conditt- .ons, and AffeRtions, like them in Sorrows, Griefs, Pains, Death.
Sin, Pain and Loſs, and ſo inwardly touched with them, as cont paſſionately and effeually to relieve them. How tranſcendent ar his Bowels of Mercy, Pity and Compaſſion to them ? Alas, Men and Angels cannot reach it ! 1/2. 53. 3, 4. and 63. 9. If he ſhouid be otherwiſe the leaſt moved, and deſert their Cauſe,or accuſe,or plead againſt them ; what a World of them muſt periſh tor ever ? He tells the Fews ſo much, Chap. 8, 12, compare Fotm 5. 45. a Moſes may miſcarry in his Mediatorſhip, and did ſo, Exod. 32, 19. but he cal neyer, he is always merciful. » He is faithful alſo to penitent Bc- lievers, as well as to God, They may ſafely truſt them{elves and their cauſe with him, and depend on him, he'l never deceive them, He will ſatisfie God fully, and give him his due, and dilcharge ca Iruſt repoſed on him. And to relying Souls on him,he'l go throug! bis Work, performing all, till they reach that for which the? truſted him, J/z. 11. 5. 1 Cor. 10. 13. 1 Theſ. 5. 23, 24. 5 An Officer that was to order Sacrifice, and all matters wherein God was concernee according to his written Law and Rule. This Prieſt muſt be 2 51an; and a Partnerſhip in our Conditions, both of 'Teraptation and Mir ſeries, muſt qualifie him for it 3 of this Othce he treats largely in Ch. 7.8, 9, and 10. Amongſt thes Othcers of this kind he 1s the Prime, Chief, and Head of all that ever God had, and hath IN his Perſoh performed and fulfilled what all of them in theirs did but weakly ſhadow forth. He was actually in the Fleſh, inſtalled init, of which hereafter. r The Compaſs of his Buſineſs lieth in all Dt- vine Matters, all thoſe wherein Sinners are concerned with God,
Chap.s.I. SatisfaQtion, Interceſſion,and Bleſſing, are 215 _—_ _ Ab Mg
Chap. 11.
16 For verily he + took not on him the nature of 4 G. , angels mm, but he took on him the ſeed of Abra- 1; ,” hol. of 4 m The Spirit having aſſerted the Deliverence of the Children &*s, 6: ;; from their Slavery to the Devil, ſhews here the means by which it #5 5:24; was effected, even by the Goſpel-Prophet, being a Man, and not 411m an Angel ; he took their Nature to himſelf, that by Death he might be 1at::; deliver them,s J/ms may ſignifie no where,or in 10 wiſe, Gnaau3dyg- 1H,
Nations, The Aſſumption of this eminent Seed into the Unity of
made like unto his brethren p, that he might be * a*C:.,;,
q Knowing and ſenſible of the Miſeries of Sinners on the account of
. I.
edel,
| Chap. III.
flis principal Work is to bring God and Sinners together , |
Si 5
Cerns. 7x 2542 properly fignifieth to make propitions or gractaw to another by
Sacrifice. This High Prieſt by the Sacrifice of himſelf, ſatisfied God's Tuſtice,removed his Wrath,procured his Pardon as to all Sins of Omil- fion or Commiſſion, however aggravated, for Penitent Believing Sinners,and ſo makes God and themFriends,and fits them for Commu- nion with Him here, and for the Enjoyment of Him for ever, 2 Cor. S. 19, 2I.
1$ For in that he himſelf hath ſuffered being
tempted ww, he is able to ſuccour them that are remp- |
ted x. » The Reaſon foregoing, the Spirit illuſtrates in this Verſe, he 1s
ſuch a Merciful and Faithful High-Prieſt, by being a Sufferer himſelt, which he could not have been teelinglv, but by his being incarnate. So many great and afflitive Sufferings never any endured but him- ſelf; He felt what Sin deſerved, and would faſten on Sinners with- out his interpoſing, though he were ſinleſs, what Terrors trom God within, what Pains in his Bcdy without, did he ſuffer and undergo ? ſuch as are unparallell'd, Chap. 12.3. w Not from any Corruption or Sin within him, Fohn 14. 30. Chap. 4. 15. but froman inveterate Enemy, the Devil without him, and all the Inſtruments he uſed ot his Affociated Spirits and Men : How early on the entrance on his Office did the Devil begin with him, and thought to have foiled him 42s he did the firſt 4d. ? And how did his Children tempt him, with the which the Goſpel is filled in ſo many Pages ? By theſe he felt what Temptations were, how difficult to avoid Sin under them, how fearful it 'was to be exerciſed by them, Chap. 5. 7. how much fuch as miſcarry under them are to be pitied, what fore Evils Sin brings on the committers of it; what ſuccour, ſtrength, ſtabliſhing, fettlement his Brethren need under it, Luke 22. 43, 44- and how caſily without his aſſiſtance his Tempted Ones may be foiled by it
x Now ſenſibly made fit by his own Sorrows, Temptations and Sut- ferings, he is powerfully inclined to help his; ſubjefted he was to a of them, to make him fcelingly, tenderly pittying of us. He had
the Mercies of God before, and as 1f that were not enough, the Tempted Nature of a Man, to ſoften his Heart to pity his Brethren