The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

2. God can therefore have no surety properly, because there can be no Imagination of any defect on his part. There may be indeed a Question whether any Word or Promise, be a Word or Promise of God. To assure us hereof, it is not the Work of a surety, but only any one, or any means that may give evidence that so it is, that is, of a Witness. But upon a supposition that what is proposed in his Word or Promise, there can be no Imagination or fear of any defect on his part, so as that there should be any need of a surety for the performance of it. He doth therefore make use of Witnesses to confirm his Word; that is, to testify that such Promises he hath made, and so he will do. So the Lord Christ was his Witness, Isa. 43.10. Ye are my Witnesses saith the Lord, and my Servant whom I have chosen. But they were not all his sureties. So he affirms, that he came into the World to bear witness unto the Truth, Joh. 18.37. that is, the Truth of the Promises of God; for he was the Minister of the Circumcision for the Truth of the Promises of God unto the Fathers, Rom. 15.8. But a surety for God, properly so called, he was not, nor could be. The distance and difference is wide enough between a witness and a surety. For a surety must be of more Ability, or more Credit and Reputation than he or those for whom he is a surety, or there is no need of his suretyship; or at least he must add unto their credit, and make ⟨p. 260⟩it better than without him. This none can be for God, no not the Lord Christ himself, who in his whole work was the Servant of the Father. And the Apostle doth not use this word in general improper sense for any one that by any means gives Assurance of any other thing, for so he had ascribed nothing peculiar unto Christ. For in such a sense all the Prophets and Apostles were sureties for God, and many of them confirmed the Truth of his Word and Promises, with the laying down of their lives. But such a surety he intends as undertaketh to do that for others which they cannot do for themselves; or at least are not reputed to be able to do what is required of them.

2. God can therefore have no surety properly, because there can be no Imagination of any defect on his part. There may be indeed a Question whether any Word or Promise, be a Word or Promise of God. To assure us hereof, it is not the Work of a surety, but only any one, or any means that may give evidence that so it is, that is, of a Witness. But upon a supposition that what is proposed in his Word or Promise, there can be no Imagination or fear of any defect on his part, so as that there should be any need of a surety for the performance of it. He doth therefore make use of Witnesses to confirm his Word; that is, to testifie that such Promises he hath made, and so he will do. So the Lord Christ was his Witness,