The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

5. The Lord Christ in his Obedience was not a private, but a public person. He obeyed as he was the Surety of the Covenant, as the Mediator between God and Man. This I suppose will not be denied. He can by no imagination be considered out of that capacity. But what a public person doth as a public person, that is, as a Representative of others, and an undertaker for them, whatever may be his own concernment therein, he doth it not for himself, but for others. And if others were not concerned therein, if it were not for them, what he doth would be of no use or signification. Yea, it implies a contradiction that any one should do any thing as a public person, and do it for himself only. He who is a public person, may do that wherein he alone is concerned, but he cannot do so as he is a public person. Wherefore as Socinus, and those that follow him would have Christ to have offered for himself, which is to make him a Mediator for himself, his offering being a Mediatory act, which is both foolish and impious; so to affirm his Mediatory Obedience, his ⟨p. 376⟩Obedience as a public person, to have been for himself, and not for others, hath but little less of impiety in it.

5. The Lord Christ in his Obedience was not a private, but a publick person. He obeyed as he was the Surety of the Covenant, as the Mediator between God and Man. This I suppose will not be denied. He can by no imagination be considered out of that capacity. But what a publick person doth as a publick person, that is, as a Representative of others, and an undertaker for them, whatever may be his own concernment therein, he doth it not for himself, but for others. And if others were not concerned therein, if it were not for them, what he doth would be of no use or signification. Yea, it implies a contradiction that any one should do any thing as a publick person, and do it for himself only. He who is a publick person, may do that wherein he alone is concerned, but he cannot do so as he is a publick person. Wherefore as Socinus, and those that follow him would have Christ to have offered for himself, which is to make him a Mediator for himself, his offering being a Mediatory act, which is both foolish and impious; so to affirm his Mediatory Obedience, his ⟨p. 376⟩Obedience as a publick person, to have been for himself, and not for others, hath but little less of impiety in it.