A26796:690
The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…
The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ, or, Discourses wherein is showed how the wisdom, mercy, justice, holiness, power, and truth of God are glorified in that great and blessed work / by William Bates.The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ, or, Discourses wherein is shewed how the wisdom, mercy, justice, holiness, power, and truth of God are glorified in that great and blessed work / by William Bates.
London: printed by J. Darby for Nathaniel Ranew and Jonathan Robinson and Brabazon Aylmer, 1674
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. The Dignity of the Person that obeys: it is more Meritorious in an Honourable than in a mean Person.
2. From the difficulty of the Command; it being no great Victory over the appetite in Obedience, ubi diligitur quod debetur, where the instance is agreeable to our affections.
3. From the entireness of the will in obeying. For to perform a commanded Action against our consent, is only to be subject in the meaner part of Man, the Body, and to resist in the superior, which is the Mind. Now in all these respects the Obedience of Christ was Perfect. In the Dignity of the Person Obeying, it exceeded the Obedience of all the Angels, as much as the Divine Person exceeded all created. The difficulty of the Command is greater than ever was put upon Servant or Subject: He was Obedient to the Death of the Cross, that is, Death with dishonour and torment, the evils that are most contrary to the Humane Nature and Appetite. And the completeness of his Will in obeying is most evident. For if Christ had desired deliverance from his Persecutors, he had certainly obtained it. He tells his Disciples, that upon his request, his Father would send twelve Legions of Angels for his rescue. But he resigned the whole Power of his Will to his Fathers; not my will, but thy will be done, was his Voice at his private Passion in the Garden. He submitted the act and exercise of his will; not what I will, but what thou wilt, he saith in another Evangelist: he yielded not only the faculty, and exercise of his will to do what God enjoined, ⟨p. 367⟩but in that manner which was pleasing to Him, Not as I will, but as thou wilt, he expresses in the words of a third. Now what is there in Heaven or Earth that can move our Wills to entire Obedience, if this marvellous Pattern doth not affect us? Let the same Mind be in you that was in Christ, saith the Apostle. How glorious is it to do what he did, and what a reproach to decline what he suffered, who had the Holiness of God to give excellency to the Action, and the infirmity of Man to endure the sharpness of the Passion!