The harmony of the Gospels in the holy history of the humiliation and sufferings…

Now Jesus Christ steppeth in according to the holy covenant and agreement betwixt the Father and th• Son. Jesus Christ undertaketh for Gods Elect, whom the Father hath chosen to b• vessels of M•rc•, and given unto Jesus Christ for that end. Joh. 17.6. Thine they were, thou gavest them to me. Jesus C•ri•t undertakes to glorify justice for them, and also to show mercy and free grace in their recovery. Jesus Christ undertakes to perform for them and in their stead those two great works which they are never able to perform for themselves. Jesus Christ undertakes as their surety to keep and fulfil the holy Law and covenant of works, to obtain for them the reward of justice, and also to su•fer for them, and in their stead the penalty of the Law, which is, to d•e, and thereby to satisfy the vindictive justice of God. And here is the ground of the necessity of Jesus Christ his active and pa sive obedience, in the salvation of Gods Elect, b• making them vessels of mercy. Jesus Christ his p•re, perfect and meritorious Obedience to the Law for us, is not enough to bring us to salvation, Heb. 2.10. It becometh him in bringing many sons to glo•y, to ma•• the Captain of our Salvation perfect through suffering, thereby to satis je the vindictive justice of God, which is incumbent on us to do; and because we are not able to do it our selves, it is necessary that our Surety should do it for us. If Jesus Christ had only kept th• Law perfectly for us, and thereby had been the perfecting end of th• Law for righteousness, Rom. 10.4. he had not been a competent surety for us, because we are also liable to the revenging punishing Sentence of the Law, for our violation thereof, & therefore the Captain of our Salvation must be perfected by sufferings. And if Jesus Christ had only suffered the penalty of the Law, by dying for us, h had not perfected the Office of a Mediator, because the Law was not yet flilled, and th perfecting en thereof attained. Therefore it is necessary that our Mediator should be perfected in the accomplishment of both these parts of our Redemption.