promised of old, did die a true and proper death. Which is the second conclusion in this explication. But, thirdly, Because Christ was not only man, but also God, and there was not only an union between his soul and body while he lived, but also a conjunction of both natures, and an union in his person: it will be farther necessary, for the understanding of his death, to shew what union was dissolved, what continued; that we may not make that separation either less or greater than it was. Whereas then there were two different substantial unions in Christ, one of the parts of his human nature each to other, in which his humanity did consist, and by which he was truly man; the other of his natures, human and divine, by which it came to pass that God was man, and that man God: first, it is certain, as we have already shewed, that the union of the parts of his human nature was dissolved on the cross, and a real separation made between his soul and body. As far then as humanity consists in the essential union of the parts of human nature, so far the humanity of Christ upon his death did cease to be, and consequently he ceased to be man. But, secondly, the union of the natures remained still as to the parts, nor was the soul or body separated from the Divinity, but still subsisted as they did before, by the subsistence of the second Person of the Trinity. The truth of this assertion appeareth, first, from the language of this very CREED'. For as we proved before, that the only-begotten and eternal Son of God, God of God, very God of very God, was conceived and born and suffered, and that the truth of these propositions relied upon the communion 214 of properties, grounded upon the hypostatical union: so while the CREED in the same manner proceedeth speaking of the same person, that he was buried and descended into hell, it sheweth that neither his body, in respect of which he was 1 'Credimus certe non in solum Deum Patrem; sed et in Jesum Christum Filium ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum. Modo totum dixi, in Jesum Christum Filium ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum: totum ibi intellige, et Verbum, et animam, et carnem. Sed utique confiteris etiam illud quod habet eadem fides, in eum Christum te credere qui crucifixus est et sepultus. Ergo etiam sepultum Christum esse non negas, et tamen sola caro sepulta est. Si enim erat ibi anima, non erat mortuus; si autem vera mors erat, ut ejus vera sit resurrectio, sine anima fuerat in sepulcro: et tamen sepultus est Christus. Ergo Christus erat etiam sine anima caro, quia non est sepulta nisi caro.' S. August. in Ioan. Tract. 47. [§ 12. Vol. 111. part 2, p. 612 c.] 46. buried, nor his soul, in respect of which he was generally conceived to descend into hell, had lost that union. Again, as we believe that God redeemed us by his own blood, so also it hath been the constant language of the Church, that God died for us; which cannot be true, except the soul and body in the instant of separation were united to the Deity. Indeed, being all the gifts of God are without repentance, nor doth he ever subtract his grace from any without their abuse of it, and a sinful demerit in themselves; we cannot imagine the grace of union should be taken from Christ, who never offended, and that in the highest act of obedience, and the greatest satisfaction to the will of God. It is true, Christ cried upon the cross with a loud voice, Matt. xxvii. saying, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But if that dereliction should signify a solution of the former union of his natures, the separation had been made not at his death, but in his life': whereas indeed those words infer no more, than that he was bereft of such joys and comforts from the Deity, as should assuage and mitigate the acerbity of his present torments. It remaineth therefore, that when our Saviour yielded up the ghost, he suffered only an external violence; and what was subject to such corporal force did yield unto those dolorous impressions. Being then such is the imbecility and frailty of our nature, that life cannot long subsist in exquisite torments; the disposition of his body failed the soul, and the soul deserted his body. But being no power hath any force against omnipotency, nor could any corporal or finite agent work upon the union made with the Word, therefore that did still remain entire both to the soul and to the body. The Word was once indeed without either soul or body; but after it was made flesh, it was never parted either from the one or from the other2. 1 Ὅλον τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακράσεως εἰς τὴν θείαν φύσιν μετασκευάσαντος, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς κατὰ τὸ πάθος οἰκονομίας οὐ θατέρου μέρους τὸ ἅπαξ ἐγκραθὲν ἀνεχώρησεν· ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ χαρίσματα· ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν τοῦ σώματος ἡ θεότης ἑκουσίως διέξευ ξεν, ἑαυτὴν δὲ ἐν ἀμφοτέροις μένουσαν ĕdeiže. S. Greg. Nyss. Orat. 1. de Resur. [Vol. III. p. 617 a.] 2 This is the conclusion of St Augustine: 'Ex quo Verbum caro factum est, ut habitaret in nobis, et susceptus est a Verbo homo, id est totus homo, anima et caro; quid fecit passio, quid fecit mors, nisi corpus ab anima separavit? Animam vero a Verbo non se 215 Thus Christ did really and truly die, according to the condition of death to which the nature of man is subject: but although he was more than man, yet he died no more than man can die; a separation was made between his soul and body, but no disunion of them and his Deity. They were disjoined one from another, but not from him that took them both together; rather by virtue of that remaining conjunction they were again united after their separation'. And this I conceive sufficient for the third and last part of our explication. The necessity of this part of the Article is evident, in that the death of Christ is the most intimate and essential part of the mediatorship, and that which most intrinsically concerns every office and function of the Mediator, as he was Prophet, Priest, and King. 1 Tim. vi. 13. First, It was necessary, as to the Prophetical office, that Christ should die, to the end that the truth of all the doctrine which he delivered might be confirmed by his death. He was the true and faithful witness, who before Pontius Pilate Rev. iii. 14. witnessed a good confession. This is he that came by water i John v.6, 8. and blood; and there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, the water, and the blood. He preached unto us a new and better Covenant, which was established upon Heb. viii. 6. better promises, and that was to be ratified with his blood; which is therefore called by Christ himself the blood of the Matt. xxvi. New Testament, or everlasting Covenant: for that Covenant Luke xxii. 20. was also a Testament; and where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. Beside, Christ, paravit. Si enim mortuus est Domi- 1 Ἐπεὶ διπλοῦν μὲν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σύγκραμα, ἁπλῆ δὲ καὶ μονοειδὴς ἡ τῆς 28. Heb. x. 29. Heb. xiii. 20. Heb. ix. 16. Luke xxiii. 46. Heb. xii. 2. Matt. xx. 28. Acts viii. 32. Ileb. xii. 3. Phil. ii. 8. Heb. v. 8. as a Prophet, taught us not only by word, but by example: and though every action of his life who came to fulfil the Law be most worthy of our imitation; yet the most eminent example was in his death, in which he taught us much variety of Christian virtues. What an example was that of faith John x. 17. in God to lay down his life, that he might take it again: in the bitterness of his torments to commend his spirit into the hands of his Father, and for the joy that was set before him, to endure the cross, and despise the shame! What a pattern of meekness, patience, and humility, for the Son of man to come, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many; to be led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before the shearer, not to open his mouth; to endure the contradiction of sinners against himself, and to humble himself unto death, even the death of the cross! What a precedent of obedience, for the Son of God to learn obedience by the things that he suffered; to be made under the Law, and though he never broke the Law, to become obedient unto death; to go with John xiv. 31. cheerfulness to the cross upon this resolution, As my Father gave me commandment, even so I do! What exemplar of charity, to die for us while we were yet sinners, and enemies, when greater love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends; to pray upon the cross for them that crucified him, and to apologize for such as barbarously slew him, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do! Thus Christ did suffer for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps, that as he suffered for us in the flesh, we should arm ourselves likewise with the same mind. For he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. And so his death was necessary for the confirmation and completion of his prophetical office. Gal. iv. 4. Phil. ii. 8. Rom. v. 8. Luke xxiii. 34. 1 Pet. ii. 21. 1 Pet. iv. 1, 2. Heb. v. 1. Heb. x. 4. Secondly, it was necessary that Christ should die, and by his death perform the sacerdotal office. For every high-priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. But Christ had no other sacrifice to offer for our sins than himself. For it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins; and therefore when sacrifice and offering God would not, then said he, Lo, I Heb. x. 8, 9. 19. to be slain, and generally without shedding of blood there Heb. ix. 22. is no remission; therefore if he will offer sacrifice for sin, he must of necessity die, and so make his soul an offering for Isai. liii. 10. sin. If Christ be our passover, he must be sacrificed for us. We were sold under sin, and he which will redeem us must give his life for our redemption: for we could not be redeemed 1 Pet. i. 18, 216 with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but only with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. We all had sinned, and so offended the justice of God, and by an act of that justice the sentence of death passed upon us; it was necessary therefore that Christ our surety should die, to satisfy the justice of God, both for that iniquity, as the propitiation for our sins, and for that penalty, as he which was to bear our griefs. God was offended with us; and he must die who was to reconcile him to us. For Rom. v. 10. when we were enemies (saith St Paul), we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. We were sometime alienated, Col. i. 21. and enemies in our mind by our wicked works; yet now hath he reconciled us in the body of his flesh through death. Thus the death of Christ was necessary toward the great act of his priesthood, as the oblation, propitiation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world: and not only for the act itself, but also for our assurance of the power and efficacy of it (for Heb. ix. 13, if the blood of bulls and goats sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge our conscience from dead works?) and of the happiness flowing from it (for he that spared not his own Son, Rom. vii. 32. but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?) Upon this assurance, founded on his death, we have the freedom and boldness to Heb. x. 19, enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. Neither was the death of Christ necessary only in respect of us immediately for whom he died, but in reference to the Priest himself who died, both in regard of the qualification of himself, and consummation of his office. For in all things it behoved him to be made like 1. 14. 20. Heb. ii. 17, |