Chapter VIII
Christ s acceptance of the terms which God the Father propounded to him for mans redemption. That his willingness in the undertaking proceeded not
only from, the love he had for us, but from that which he did bear unto his
Father, and his desire to obey him, and to perform his will. That the elect, redeemed by Christ, were first God the Father s, and by him given in trust and charge to Christ to save them.
Now the next thing to be considered is, how this motion takes with Christ s
heart, which his Father makes, and what he says to it, how he answers it
again, and how willingly. And this is as necessary as the former ; for
besides that it could not be forced on him ; for, John v. 26, the Father hath given him to have life in himself, and so to have power over his life. John x. 18, I have power over my life, and none can take it from me. Besides that, if it came not of him freely, it had not been satisfactory ; for
satisfactio est redditio voluntaria, it must be a voluntary payment ; and as our
disobedience was free, so must his satisfaction be. Though he had at last
yielded, yet if he sticks at it we are undone, if he makes but an objection. And is it not infinite love he should not, being he was the party to
undergo so much debasement? How did the eldest son s stomach rise, when but the fat calf was killed for the prodigal ? But the eldest, only begotten Son of God, must sacrifice himself for enemies (not the sacrificing of worlds would serve, whereof he could have created enough), and yet not a thought did arise contrary to his Father s will. So his own words, in answer to the former call of his Father, do shew, Lo, I come to do thy
will, God, Heb. x. 7. The psalmist, from whence the words are bor
rowed, hath it ; I delight to do thy will, Ps. xl. 8. Lo, I come (says
Christ) ; I am as ready, as forward, God, as thou to have me ; not will
ing only, but glad ; I delight to do thy will. As the sun rejoiceth to run
his race, so the Sun of righteousness to run his, for he was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, Ps. xlv. 7. He was as glad to do this work as ever he was to eat his meat : John iv. 34, Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish ihis work. With desire (saith he) have I desired it: Luke xxii. 15, And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before
I suffer. He longed as much, and was as much pained, as ever woman with child longed to be delivered, till this work was accomplished. Luke
* But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened
xii. 50,
till it be accomplished. It was well for us that his Father struck thus strongly in. For, take the
CHAP. VIII.] OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 25
business in itself, you know how unwelcome it must needs be to Christ :
* Father, if it be possible (says he), let it pass ; yet because it was his Father s will, he submits, Not my will, but thine be done, Mat. xxvi. 39. As it was his Father s will, he had no reluctancy, neither would simply all
our cries or mediation have ever moved him, no more than straws can move
a mountain ; but that it was his Father s will, it was enough. For besides
that reason for it, John x. 30, I and my Father are one (saith he), and
80 have one will and agree in one, there is another thing in it most pre
valent, seeing that his Father entreats him thus to do it. The Father re
solves to hear him in all things ; and should not he then hearken to his
Father, especially when his request is made upon his birthday ( This day have I begotten thee ), when all requests are rendered more easy and facile
to be granted ; as Herod on his would give to the half of his kingdom ?
* Thou art my Son,
What, and as he was his Father and he his Son,
this overcame him. John x. 17, 18, Though he had life in his own hand,
yet (says he) I lay it down, because my Father loves me. Surely his Father being so earnest in it, he would not deny him, especially when he added a command to it. This is the reason he likewise gives, John x.
18, 19, I have power to lay down my life, and this command I have re
ceived of my Father. It had stuck with him from the first, and he remem
bered it still. His Father had power (as other fathers have, to dispose of
the calling of their sons) to dispose of him ; and though he was so great a
Son, equal to so great a Father, yet, being a Son, he is not exempted from
* And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
obedience. Philip, ii. 8,
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Heb. v. 7, 8, Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to
save him from death, and was heard in that he feared : though he were a
Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And when
his Father shall add an oath to it also (that is an end of all controversies between man and man, Heb. vi. 16, much more between the Father and
Son), and last of all sets his seal to it, it must stand good, for his seal
stands sure, 2 Tim. ii. 19, there is no breaking of it ; and therefore all these made Christ fully willing.
And this is therefore to be in a more especial manner taken notice of ; that we may consider for whose sake principally Christ did die, and under
take it, and thus see whom so much we are beholden to. Though Christ
did it out of love to us, yet chiefly for his Father s entreaty and command, and out of love to him. So Christ says, John xiv. 31, That the world may know that I love the Father, and that as he gave commandment, so I
do. He spake this when he was to go to suffer, for, saith he, Arise, let us go hence.
In the sixth place, as his Father recommended the business to him, so
also he gave especial recommendation of the persons for whom he would have all this done ; for he gave those of the sons of men unto Christ whom he would have reconciled, and this with a charge to bring them to salvation.
Hence Christ, when he was to offer up himself, he commits and com mends them at his death again to his Father and to his love, upon this
great ground and motive, that he himself gave them first to him ; alleging that he himself came to have a share in them, by his gift and commenda
tion: John xvii. 6, Thine they were, and thou gavest them me. A strange
gift it was, which he must yet pay for, and must cost more than they were
worth, and yet he takes them as a gift and favour from his Father ; which
26 OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. [BOOK I.
also when he had bought, he likewise begged at his Father s hands, in John
xvii. 20, 21, 24.
And observe that they were first his Father s ; first thine, and then mine
by thy gift ; and this was not a late or new acquired propriety of God s in
them, but an ancient one, which Christ puts him in mind of, Thine they were. So that as the Father gave him his work he was to do, ver. 4, so he gave to him the persons for whom he should do it ; ver. 6, so as both
things and persons, all things whatsoever thou hast given me, are of
thee, ver. 7. As he doeth nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do ; so as mediator (and though mediator) he saves not a man but whom
his Father did give him, nor puts a name in more than were in his Father s
bill. John vi. 37, 38, I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is spoken in relation, not to the business
only he was to do, but of the persons also that were to be reconciled ; for
it follows, ver. 39, This is his will, that of all which he hath given me I
should lose none. And they are not said to be then given to Christ only when they are called and begin to believe, but before, even from everlasting
* All the Father
(of which transaction we now speak) ; for, John vi. 37,
giveth me shall come to me ; therefore they are not then said first to be
given when they came, but before.
And hence, by reason of his Father s giving of them to him, he calls them his sheep, and that before they are called, which as yet were not of
the fold, but which were yet to bring in ; John x. 16, And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Yea, and he calls himself such a shepherd, whose own the sheep are ; John xvi. 2,
3, 4, They shall put you out of the synagogues
: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And
these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the
Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that, when the time
shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. Yer. 11,
12, Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. He was owner of them (as all shepherds are not), and delighteth to use a phrase of
propriety. His own sheep they are. How his own, but by gift from his
Father, and by special love and care of his own ? And their names he knows. John x. 14, I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known
of mine. As God by name is said to know who are his ; and therefore
their names are said to be written in the Lamb s book as well as in his Father s : Eev. xiii. 18, Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast : for it is the number of a man ; and his number is six hundred threescore and six ; yea, they are written in his
heart. And as the high priest had the names of all the tribes written on
his breastplate, so had Christ the names of all his written in his heart, by a pen of adamant, by the will of his Father, written with ever-living and
everlasting love ; so as the letters can never be worn out. And as he gave them to be his, so also with a special charge to bring them to salvation, to lose not one of his tale and number. John vi. 38, 39,
* This is my Father s will, who sent me, says Christ, for which I came down from heaven, that of all that he hath given me, I should lose nothing. As Laban required his tale of Jacob, so doth God of Christ. When he
sent him he gave him that charge, This is the will of him that sent me.
CHAP. IX. j OF CHKIST THE MEDIATOR. 27
I come with this errand, charge, and message, which therefore Christ had
* Them I must
still in his eye, yea, and looks at it as a duty enjoined him ;
bring, says he, John x. 16, which hath relation to that command laid on him.
And as Judah became a surety to Jacob his father for his younger brother Benjamin, to bring him safe to him out of Egypt Gen. xliii. 9, I
will be a surety for him, and if I bring him not unto thee, and set him not
before thee, let me bear the blame for ever so did Christ for his younger brethren, whom God, through him as their captain and chief leader, would
bring to glory: Heb. ii. 10, 11, For it became him, for whom are all
things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one : for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. Who therefore had the
charge of conducting them, and to that end he took flesh, and in regard to
it gives an account to his Father of them ; Behold I and the children which God hath given me. And you may observe how careful he was in
this his account, and how punctual in it : John xvii. 12, Those thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition. He
is exact in his account, as appears in that he gives a reason for him that was lost, that he was a son of perdition, and so excuseth it ; and to this end God also gave him, as he was mediator, power over all flesh, that he
might be enabled to give eternal life to those God gave him : John xvii. 3, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.