The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

Christ by being God was fitted not only for his Prophetical and Kingly Office, to the execution whereof, Divine Power and Wisdom was requisite: but he was also fitted for his Priestly Office; so that the divine nature had an influence into the satisfactoriness of the sufferings of Christ, that is held forth Heb. 9.14. how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works, and Acts 20.28. to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

To complete the fitness of Jesus Christ for the work of a Mediator, there were necessary some special qualifications of the humane nature, especially holiness and wisdom: his holiness was necessary unto all his Offices: he would not have been fit to have executed his Prophetical Office without that; he had need be holy and faithful that is to declare the mind of God to man: without this he would not have him fit to have executed the Office of a King, he that rules the world, and judges mens eternal estate, had need be holy: without this he would not have been fit to have executed the Office of a Priest, he that was to work out righteousness for others, and satisfy for their sins, must be holy: and this qualification was perfect and complete in Jesus Christ, Heb, 7.26. For such an High-priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Here Christ's holiness is set forth positively, he was holy, and negatively in three branches. He was harmless; free from actual sin; undefiled: that is, free from original pollution: separate from sinners, free from that common sin of mankind, which they committed in ⟨p. 44⟩Adam: the other qualification of wisdom, was especially necessary unto the execution of his Prophetical and Kingly Offices; this he needed an extraordinary measure of, and God has furnished him suitably, Joh. 5.34. God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him: by which expression we are not to understand infinite gifts, for the humane nature is not capable of an infinite qualification, but extraordinary qualifications, beyond what God does bestow on other men: this was spoken concerning those gifts, given him at the time of his Baptism, when the Spirit rested on him; and questionless are far exceeded by those gifts bestowed on him, when he Ascended to the Right hand of God.