Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/277

 Rh and temptations, that so he might the more readily suffer for us, who in so many things suffered with us: and one with God the Father in his divine nature, that so by the vertue of his sufferings and resurrection he might be able both to satisfie justice, to justifie our persons, to sanctifie our nature, to purifie and perfume our services, to raise our dead bodies, and to present us to his Father a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. He must be man pure and undefiled; man, that he might suffer, it being no way fit that one having no communion with another, should make satisfaction by suffering for anothers fault: Man pure and undefiled, otherwise he could not have satisfied for himself, much lesse for them that had so grievously offended. He must be man, that he might have compassion on them that come unto God through him: and pure and undefiled, that his Sacrifice being pure and without spot, might be acceptable and pleasing to provoked justice. He must be God that he might beare the weight of Gods wrath without sinking under it, be the King and Head of the Church, defend his people against the enemies of their Salvation, send forth his Spirit into the hearts of his redeemed, and receive from them such divine worship as was due to so great and gracious a Saviour. He must be man, our neere kinsman, that he might have right of redemption, be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest, in all things like unto his brethren. He must be God, that by his death he might overcome death, and him that had the power of death, that is, the devill, free us from the guilt of sinne, and curse of the Law, and preserve his redeemed unto his everlasting Kingdome. He must be God and man in one person, and so of a middle condition between God and us, in that both the natures of God and man doe concurre and are conjoyned in his person, that he might joyne God and man in a firme and stable Covenant of friendship and reconciliation: and be the root, fountaine and beginning of supernaturall and spirituall being, in whom the whole nature of mankind should be found in a more eminent sort then it was in Adam. The horrour of sinne was so grievous, the curse of the Law so terrible, the price of redemption so great, that a meer creature could not take away the one, or pay the other: and that man might not fall away as he had done under the former Covenant, our Mediatour, who was the foundation of this new Covenant, did assume our humane nature unto his divine person.