An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

The Doctor tells us, ¹That Christ was under no obligation to obey these Laws himself; And to make this appear, he discourses particularly of the Law of our Creation, and the Ceremonial Law given to the Jews: And for the first, the Law of Creation, that comprehends those eternal Laws, which result from the essential difference of good and evil, which all mankind are bound to observe by the very frame of their natures: Now he dares not deny, that Christ was bound to obey this Law for himself; but then his obedience was voluntary: And what of that? For so the obedience of every good man is; for by voluntary he tells us, he doth not mean, That it was merely arbitrary, and at his choice, whether he would obey or not; but on supposition of his undertaking to be Mediator, it was necessary it should be so; but he voluntarily and ⟨p. 437⟩willingly submitted to it: and so became really subject to the commands of it. And is it not very plain now, that Christ was not obliged to obey those Laws, because he willingly submitted to them; but he means somewhat more by this, voluntary, than he could tell how to express; and all that I can guess is, that whereas we are bound to obey these Laws antecedently to our choice; it was not so with him, for his obligation was consequential, upon his being born, and becoming man, which was his own choice; and yet, even then, as he tells us: As he was Mediator God-man, he was not by the institution of that Law obliged to it, being, as it were, lifted up above that Law by the hypostatical Union: Now this is very profound reasoning; for the meaning of it is this: That Christ had not been bound to live like a man, unless he had become man; and yet I can grant something more, that it was impossible that he should have lived like a man, without being man: But when he chose to be man, he was bound to discharge all the duties of a man for himself: But how could he be exempted from this Law, by being Mediator God and Man: When the Doctor acknowledges, that upon supposition ⟨p. 438⟩of his being Mediator, it was necessary it should be so; that is, that he should obey, now, not to be obliged by the Institution of the Law as Mediator; and that it should be necessary for him to obey as Mediator, are at so great a distance, that it may serve for another trial of skill to reconcile them.