A30167:315
Light for them that sit in darkness, or, A discourse of Jesus Christ, and that he undertook to accomplish by himself the eternal redemption of sinners also, that the Lord Jesus addressed himself to this work, with undeniable demonstrations that he performed the same : objections to the contrary answered / by John Bunyan.
London: printed for Francis Smith, 1675
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.
Hence we are said to be chosen in him, to be gathered, being in him, to be dead by him, to be risen with him and to be set with him, or in him in Heavenly Places already, I phes. 1. 4, 10. Rom. 7. 4. Col. 3. 1, 2, 3. Chap. 2. 12, 13.
This then was the Wisdom of the great God, that the Eternal Son of his Love should take hold of, and so secure the sinking Souls of perishing Sinners by assuming their Flesh.
Secondly, The Manner of his doing the Work of a Saviour, did call for his taking of our Flesh.
He must do the Work by dying: Ought not Christ to have suffered? Christ must needs have suffered, Luk. 24. 26. Acts 17. 3. or else no glory follows. The Prophets testified beforehand the Sufferings of Christ, and the Glory that should follow, 1 Pet. 1. 11. Yea, they did it by the Spirit, even by the Spirit of Christ himself. This Spirit then did bid them tell the World, yea, testify that Christ must suffer, or no man be blest with Glory. For the threatening of death, and the Curse of the Law lay in the Way between Heaven-Gates and the Souls of the Children, for their Sins; wherefore he that will save them, must answer Divine Justice, or God must lye in saving them without inflicting the Punishment threatened. Christ then must needs have suffered, the Manner of the Work, laid a necessity upon him to take our Flesh upon him; he must die, he must die for us, he must die for our Sins. And this was effectually foretold by all the Bloody Sacrifices that were offered under the Law; The Blood of Bulls, the Blood of Lambs, the Blood of Rams, the Blood of Calves, and the Blood of Goats and Birds. These Bloody Sacrifices, what did they ⟨p. 53⟩signify, what were they figures of, but of the bloody Sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ; their Blood being a Shadow of his Blood, and their Flesh being a Shadow of his Flesh?
He must do the Work by dying: Ought not Christ to have suffered? Christ must needs have suffered, Luk. 24. 26. Acts 17. 3. or else no glory follows. The Prophets testified beforehand the Sufferings of Christ, and the Glory that should follow, 1 Pet. 1. 11. Yea, they did it by the Spirit, even by the Spirit of Christ himself. This Spirit then did bid them tell the World, yea, testify that Christ must suffer, or no man be blest with Glory. For the threatning of death, and the Curse of the Law lay in the Way between Heaven-Gates and the Souls of the Children, for their Sins; wherefore he that will save them, must answer Divine Justice, or God must lye in saving them without inflicting the Punishment threatned. Christ then must needs have suffered, the Manner of the Work, laid a necessity upon him to take our Flesh upon him; he must die, he must die for us, he must die for our Sins. And this was effectually foretold by all the Bloody Sacrifices that were offered under the Law; The Blood of Bulls, the Blood of Lambs, the Blood of Rams, the Blood of Calves, and the Blood of Goats and Birds. These Bloody Sacrifices, what did they ⟨p. 53⟩signifie, what were they figures of, but of the bloody Sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ; their Blood being a Shadow of his Blood, and their Flesh being a Shadow of his Flesh?
Therefore when God declared that he took no pleasure in them, because they could not make the Worshippers perfect as pertaining to the Conscience; then comes Jesus Christ to offer his Sinless Body and Soul for the Sin of the People: For it is not possible that the Blood of Bulls and Goats should take away sin: wherefore, when he cometh into the World, he saith, Sacrifices and Offerings thou wouldest not, but a Body hast thou prepared me; in Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, to, I come, in the Volume of thy Book it is written of me to do thy good Will. Since Burnt-Offerings cannot do thy Will, my Body shall; since the Blood of Bulls and Goats cannot do thy Will, my Blood shall.
Then follows, By the Will of God we are Sanctified through the offering up of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all, Heb. 10. 8, 9, 10.
Thirdly, The End of the Work required, That Christ, if he will be our Saviour, should take upon him our Flesh.
The End of our Salvation is, That we might enjoy God, and that he by us might be glorified for ever and ever.
1. That we might enjoy God. I will dwell in them, and they shall be my People, and I will be ⟨p. 54⟩their God. This Indwelling of God, and consequently our Enjoyment of him, begins first in its Eminency, by his Possessing our Flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. Hence his Name is called Emmanuel, God with us; and the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us. The Flesh of Christ, is the Tabernacle which the Lord pitched, according to that saying: The Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his People, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God, Revel. 21. 3. Here God beginneth to discover his Glory, and to be desirable to the Sons of Men.
God could not communicate himself to us, nor take us into the Enjoyment of himself, but with respect to that Flesh which his Son took of the Virgin, because sin stood betwixt. Now this Flesh, only, was the Holy Lump; in this Flesh God could dwell, and forasmuch as this Flesh is the same with ours, and was taken up with intent that what was done, in, and by that, should be communicated to all the Children; therefore through that, doth God communicate of himself unto his People. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself. And▪ I am the Way, saith Christ, no man cometh to the Father but by me, 2 Cor. 5. Joh. 14. 6.
That Passage to the Hebrews is greatly to our purpose: We have boldness, Brethren, to enter into the Holiest, (the place where God is) by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living Way which he ⟨p. 55⟩hath Consecrated for us through the Veil, that is to say, his Flesh, Heb. 10. 19, 20. Wherefore by the Flesh and Blood of Christ, we enter into the Holiest; through the Veil, saith he, that is to say, his Flesh.
That Passage to the Hebrews is greatly to our purpose: We have boldness, Brethren, to enter into the Holiest, (the place where God is) by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living Way which he ⟨p. 55⟩hath Consecrated for us through the Vail, that is to say, his Flesh, Heb. 10. 19, 20. Wherefore by the Flesh and Blood of Christ, we enter into the Holiest; through the Vail, saith he, that is to say, his Flesh.
2. As the End of our Salvation, is, That we might enjoy God: so also it is that he by us might be Glorified for ever. That God in all things might be Glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here indeed will the Mystery of his Grace, Wisdom, Justice, Power, Holiness, and Glory, inhabit Eternal praise, while we that are counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, shall admire at the Mystery, and see our selves, without our selves, even by the Flesh and Blood of Christ (through Faith therein) effectually, and Eternally saved. O! This will be the burden of our Eternal Joy; God loved us, and gave his Son for us, Christ loved us, and gave his Flesh for our Life, and his Blood for our Eternal Redemption and Salvation.
Here indeed will the Mistery of his Grace, Wisdom, Justice, Power, Holiness, and Glory, inhabit Eternal praise, while we that are counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, shall admire at the Mistery, and see our selves, without our selves, even by the Flesh and Blood of Christ (through Faith therein) effectually, and Eternally saved. O! This will be the burden of our Eternal Joy; God loved us, and gave his Son for us, Christ loved us, and gave his Flesh for our Life, and his Blood for our Eternal Redemption and Salvation.
But Secondly, Christ was made under the Law. When the fullness of the time was come▪ God sent forth his Son, made of a Woman, made under the Law, Gal. 4. 4.
BUt Secondly, Christ was made under the Law. When the fulness of the time was come▪ God sent forth his Son, made of a Woman, made under the Law, Gal. 4. 4.
Of right, being found in flesh, he must needs be under the Law, for that there is not any Creature, above or without Law to God, (but this is not to the point in hand) Christ was not therefore under the Law because he was found in flesh, but he took flesh, and designedly put himself, or was made under the Law; wherefore 'tis added, he was made under the Law to Redeem, to redeem them that were under the Law. Wherefore here is a design, an Heavenly contrivance, and device on foot. Christ is made, that is, by design, subjected under the Law, for the sake, and upon the account of others: To redeem them that were under the Law.
