That 2. In order of nature, All enmity must first be supposed removed, ere friendship or (as here) reconciliation, can be supposed to be procured: the reason of which is obvious to any judgement, first peace by slaying enmity, and then good will. And so upon this and the like grounds, these words, that he might reconcile unto God in one body, may well be supposed to have a secondary aspect to his having first abolished the enmity between our selves, ver. 15. as well as our enmity against God, ver. 16. And the Apostle his adding [IN ONE BODY] (which he studiously hath done) shows, that they being under that notion and respect reconciled unto God by Christ upon the Cross; that then withal at the same time, yea in order of nature, first, their enmities one against another were removed as well as against God himself: All sorts of Enmities being to be removed ere Any sort of Reconciliation attained, surely under that notion, they cannot be considered reconciled to God, but withal it must be said, they are at peace, and so made one among themselves, at least these two do mutually argue each the other. If indeed there had been room left for us to conceive, that our reconciliation with God had been so wrought by Christ for us, as for each person considered only single, and apart (though even so it was intended, namely for each and every person; and this is involved in that other:) Then indeed it might have been supposed that their enmities to God, had been slain and done first away, and reconciliation wrought with him first, by one primary act, & then after that, ex consequenti, as a secondary ⟨p. 10⟩work, our reconciliation amongst our selves had been cast in, and followed thereupon; or which is all one, wrought and procured by a second act or intention of Christs. But if in one and the same very individual act, and intention of their being reconciled to God, they were considered [AS ONE BODY] and that this is put in as an involved ingredient thereinto, so, you must necessarily suppose their own mutual enmities done away also, at least together therewith, by one and the same individual act also; and this consideration if there were no other, is a sufficient salvo to the forementioned difficulty. Now how this reconciliation unto God in one Body was performed by Christ on the Cross, I shall handle in the second Section of this discourse.
That 2. In order of nature, All enmity must first be supposed removed, ere friendship or (as here) reconciliation, can be supposed to be procured: the reason of which is obvious to any judgement, first peace by slaying enmity, and then good will. And so upon this and the like grounds, these words, that he might reconcile unto God in one body, may well be supposed to have a secondary aspect to his having first abolisht the enmity between our selves, ver. 15. as well as our enmity against God, ver. 16. And the Apostle his adding [IN ONE BODY] (which he studiously hath done) shewes, that they being under that notion and respect reconciled unto God by Christ upon the Crosse; that then withall at the same time, yea in order of nature, first, their enmities one against another were removed as well as against God himselfe: All sorts of Enmities being to be removed ere Any sort of Reconciliation attained, surely under that notion, they cannot be considered reconciled to God, but withall it must be said, they are at peace, and so made one among themselves, at least these two doe mutually argue each the other. If indeed there had beene roome left for us to conceive, that our reconciliation with God had beene so wrought by Christ for us, as for each person consider'd onely single, and apart (though even so it was intended, namely for each and every person; and this is involved in that other:) Then indeed it might have beene supposed that their enmities to God, had been slain and done first away, and reconciliation wrought with him first, by one primary act, & then after that, ex consequenti, as a secondary ⟨p. 10⟩worke, our reconciliation amongst our selves had been cast in, and followed thereupon; or which is all one, wrought and procured by a second act or intention of Christs. But if in one and the same very individuall act, and intention of their being reconciled to God, they were considered [AS ONE BODY] and that this is put in as an involved ingredient thereinto, so, you must necessarily suppose their owne mutuall enmities done away also, at least together therewith, by one and the same individuall act also; and this consideration if there were no other, is a sufficient salvo to the forementioned difficulty. Now how this reconciliation unto God in one Body was performed by Christ on the Crosse, I shall handle in the second Section of this discourse.
