Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

4. Faith must look principally to the end and meaning of Christ as God coming in the Flesh. Now what was the design and meaning of Christ in this? The Apostle answers, Rom. 8.3.¹ God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh, to condemn sin in the Flesh, (i.e.) God the Father sent into the World his eternal and only begotten Son, whom in his eternal counsel he had designed to the Office of a Mediator, to take away or abolish in the first place Original Sin. Mark these two words, he condemned Sin in the Flesh; the first word condemned] is by a Metonymy put for that which follows Condemnation, namely for the abolishing of sin; as condemned persons used to be cut off, and to be taken out of the World, that they may be no more; so Christ hath condemned or abolished this Sin. For the second word, in the Flesh] is meant that Humane Nature which Christ assumed: he abolished sin altogether in his own nature; and that Flesh of his being perfectly holy, and the holiness of it being imputed unto us, it takes away our guilt in respect of the impureness of our Nature also. Some may object, if this were so, then were we without Original sin? I answer, the Flesh or the Nature which Christ took upon him, was altogether without sin; and by imputation of it we are in proportion freed from sin; Christ had not the least spot of Original sin; and if we are Christs, then is this sin in some measure abolished and taken out of our hearts. But howsoever the filth of this sin may remain in part, yet the guilt is removed: in this respect the purity of Christs Humane Nature is no less reckoned to us for the curing of our defiled Nature, than the sufferings of Christ are reckoned to us, for the remission of our actual Sins. O my Soul, look to this end of Christ as God in the Flesh; if thou consider him as made Flesh and Blood, and laid in a Manger, think withal, that his meaning was to condemn sin in our Flesh; there flows from the Holiness of Christs Nature such a power, as countermands the power of our Original sin, and acquits and discharges from the condemnation of the same Sin: not only the Death, and Life, but also the Conception and Birth of Christ hath its influence into our Justification. Oh the sweet that a lively Faith may draw from this Head!

1. 1Rom. 8.3