The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

Secondly, our Saviour having undertaken to keep these, he addresseth himself to the work, to use those means by which he may keep and save them, and that he doth thus: he puts himself into the room and place of all those poor lost sheep of his, and this is the difficulty to open this to you that are weak. Now what is it to be put in the room and place of another? Christ doth willingly submit himself to the power of the revenging justice of the Father, that whatsoever the Law and Justice of God required at the hands of the faithful, that doth Christ stand unto and will answer it all, as thus: the debtor is taken and imprisoned, and they that are his friends desire some releasment for him; how upon consultation, and conference with the creditor, it is agreed that such a man shall undertake to help him, and to free him from all the extremity that he lies in for the debt, and he must do it by one of these two ways, either he must break the prison, and so rescue him by strong hand, or else he must yield and submit to what the Law requires, and is due to the creditor; and the creditor saith, if you will be content to become debtor, and acquit him of the debt, if you will enter bond with me to become a pay-master of the whole debt due to me, then I am content to free him: Now the man that thus yields himself, to what the power of Law and Justice can do against the debtor, that man becomes a surety for him, ⟨p. 174⟩he will be as one that owes the money, and that must pay, and the Law proceeds as fully against him, as against the debtor: the debtor did personally owe the money, and lay in prison for it, but the surety is as one that hath forfeited and must pay; he submits himself to the power of Law, and Justice, that look what the Law requires of a man forfeiting and owing, he is content that the Law require it of him. Just so it is here, the sinner is this debtor, and Christ undertakes for him by a mutual consent between the Father and him, and he yields and submits himself to all the power of Justice, that look how the Law accounts of a sinner, it should account of him: Now the Law of God accounts of this man as one that hath broken the Law, and deserved eternal death, and Christ submits himself to these, the Law requires doing and suffering, and Christ is contented to undergo all these for all that shall believe: as Gal. 4.4, 5.

Secondly, our Saviour having undertaken to keepe these, he addresseth himselfe to the worke, to use those means by which hee may keepe and save them, and that he doth thus: he puts himselfe into the roome and place of all those poore lost sheepe of his, and this is the difficultie to open this to you that are weake. Now what is it to be put in the roome and place of another? Christ doth willingly submit himselfe to the power of the revenging justice of the Father, that whatsoever the Law and Justice of God required at the hands of the faithfull, that doth Christ stand unto and will answer it all, as thus: the debter is taken and imprisoned, and they that are his friends desire some releasment for him; how upon consultation, and conference with the creditor, it is agreed that such a man shall undertake to help him, and to free him from all the extremitie that he lies in for the debt, and hee must doe it by one of these two wayes, either hee must breake the prison, and so rescue him by strong hand, or else he must yeeld and submit to what the Law requires, and is due to the creditor; and the creditor saith, if you will bee content to become debtor, and acquit him of the debt, if you will enter bond with me to become a pay-master of the whole debt due to me, then I am content to free him: Now the man that thus yeelds himselfe, to what the power of Law and Justice can do against the debtor, that man becomes a suretie for him,