2. That this Mediator is God in our Nature. Therein the Wisdom of God appeared in crossing and counter-working Satan's design. Satan's great design was double; to dishonour God, and depress the Nature of Man. 1. To dishonour God to Man, by a false representation, as if he were envious of Man's Happiness. Gen. 3. 5. God doth know in the day that ye eat thereof, your Eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. His first Battery was against the Goodness of God, to weaken the esteem thereof. Now by the Incarnation of Christ, the Lord's Grace is wonderfully manifested: he is represented as lovely and amiable in our Eyes, not envying our Holiness and Happiness, but promoting it, and that at the most costly rate, and showing love to Man above all his other Creatures. God is Love, 1 Joh. 4. 8. 'Tis eminently demonstrated to us in the Son of God assuming our Nature, and dying for us. Rom. 5. 8. When Christ was incarnate, Love was incarnate, Love walked up and down and healed all Sicknesses and Diseases, Love died, and Love hung on a Cross, Love was buried in the Grave. When that ill representation was suggested to us, it was necessary there should be some eminent demonstration of the Love of God to Man. Especially after we had made our selves liable to his Wrath, and were conscious to our selves that we had incurred his displeasure: and so it was necessary that we should have some notable discovery of his Philanthropy, or Love to Mankind. Many Believers are harassed with doubts and fears, and cannot come to be persuaded that God loves them. Herein is Love, and God commended his Love to us in that his Son died for us. 2. The next design of Satan was to depress the nature of Man, which in its innocence stood so near to God. Now that the humane nature so depressed and debased, ⟨p. 146⟩by the malicious suggestion of the Tempter, should be so elevated and advanced, and set up so far above the Angelical Nature, and admitted to dwell with God in a personal Union, it is a mighty counter-working of Satan, and showeth the great Wisdom of God. When he laboured to put God and us asunder; the Lord sent his, Son, who took the unity of our Nature into his own Person.
2. That this Mediator is God in our Nature. Therein the Wisdom of God appeared in crossing and counter-working Satan's design. Satan's great design was double; to dishonour God, and depress the Nature of Man. 1. To dishonour God to Man, by a false representation, as if he were envious of Man's Happiness. Gen. 3. 5. God doth know in the day that ye eat thereof, your Eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. His first Battery was against the Goodness of God, to weaken the esteem thereof. Now by the Incarnation of Christ, the Lord's Grace is wonderfully manifested: he is represented as lovely and amiable in our Eyes, not envying our Holiness and Happiness, but promoting it, and that at the most costly rate, and shewing love to Man above all his other Creatures. God is Love, 1 Joh. 4. 8. 'Tis eminently demonstrated to us in the Son of God assuming our Nature, and dying for us. Rom. 5. 8. When Christ was incarnate, Love was incarnate, Love walked up and down and healed all Sicknesses and Diseases, Love died, and Love hung on a Cross, Love was buried in the Grave. When that ill representation was suggested to us, it was necessary there should be some eminent demonstration of the Love of God to Man. Especially after we had made our selves liable to his Wrath, and were conscious to our selves that we had incurred his displeasure: and so it was necessary that we should have some notable discovery of his Philanthropy, or Love to Mankind. Many Believers are harrast with doubts and fears, and cannot come to be perswaded that God loves them. Herein is Love, and God commended his Love to us in that his Son died for us. 2. The next design of Satan was to depress the nature of Man, which in its innocence stood so near to God. Now that the humane nature so depressed and debased, ⟨p. 146⟩by the malicious suggestion of the Tempter, should be so elevated and advanced, and set up so far above the Angelical Nature, and admitted to dwell with God in a personal Union, it is a mighty counter-working of Satan, and sheweth the great Wisdom of God. When he laboured to put God and us asunder; the Lord sent his, Son, who took the unity of our Nature into his own Person.
