A further defence of the report. Vindicating it from Mr. Alsops Cavils, and shewing the difference between Mr. W's and my self to be real, and the charge in my appeal to be true.

The Fourth Objection.

That it is a mistake to conclude from Christ•• being called Surety, that therefore he came unde•• the Sanction of the Law of Works. And the rather because being stiled the Surety of a better Testament can respect only the Covenant of Grace.

Reply.

1. I do not say that this is an Objection of Mr.

Alsop's framing, nor will I answer it as such. The Episcopianism, and Socinianism, that is in it, is so clear ••n evidence of its being formed by a Well-wisher ••o the Errours of our Adversaries, that I'll not ••asten it on one in whose Writings I have not met ••ith it. But that 'tis of the same nature with ••hat Mr. W. hath advanced, is to me most certain.

2. Whatever this Objector hath, with a boldness ••ommon amongst our Adversaries, asserted, I must ••ave leave to suggest, that by this way of arguing, ••••d by these Assertions, he hath left out Orthodox Writers, and is gone over to the Tents of Limborch, ••••rcellaeus, Schlictingtons, and Crellius.

3. That herein the Objector has forsaken the Or∣••odox, I will evince by setting down the Senti∣••ents of some of the most Eminent amongst them. ••nd that I may be the more convincing in what I 〈◊〉〈◊〉, I must observe, that the hinge of this Contro∣••ersie turns on a sound determination of this Que∣••••on, viz. Whether Christs Suretiship belongs to his Priestly ••ffice, or not? For, if it belongs unto the Priestly Of∣••••e, 'twill unavoidably follow, that as our Surety, ••e Lord Jesus offered up himself a Sacrifice to God 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Expiation of the Guilt of our sins, that to ••is end he took on him our Guilt, and bore the ••unishment due to us, which he could not do but by ••••ming under the Sanction of the violated Law. The ••••nnection there is between Christ's Priesthood, ••••d his offering up a proper Sacrifice, between his ••eing a proper Sacrifice, and his bearing the Guilt, ••••d Punishment of our sins; and between his bear∣••••g the Guilt, and Punishment of our sin, and his ••eing under the Sanction of the violated Law, is so ••ose, so firmly fixed, and inviolable, that, on the ••••anting, that Christ's Suretiship belongs to him, as ••••iest, the whole here mentioned necessarily fol∣lows.

The Links are too strog to be broken. If then our Divines hold, that the Suretiship mention∣ed in Heb. 7.22. belongs to Christs Priestly Office, if they produce this Text to prove, that Christ as our Surety took on him the Guilt and Punishment of our sins, to satisfie God's Justice for them, then they do run counter herein, unto the Episcopians and Socinians, in holding that Christ came under the Sanction of the Law.

4. That, in what I have delivered, I have given the sense of the Orthodox is manifest. The Learned Bishop Reynolds on Psal. 110.4. p. 417. saith,

That Christ, being a Priest, must of necessity be a Me∣diator, and Surety between Parties, that he might have one, unto whom, and others, for whom, and in whose behalf to offer a Sacrifice. Every Priest must be a Mediator to stand between God and the People, and to intercept, and bear the Iniquity o•• their Holy things— But every Mediator is not presently a Priest, for there is a Mediator only by way of Intreaty and Prayer, &c. And there are Me∣diators by way of Satisfaction, as Sureties are be∣tween the Creditor and the Debtor; and such a Me∣diator was Christ; not only a Mediator, but also a Surety of a better Covenant, Heb. 8.6. Heb. 7.22. He was not to procure Remission of our sins by way of Favour and Request, but he was set forth to declare the Righteousness of God, Rom. 3.25. and such a Mediator between God and Us must needs be a Priest too. For the Debt, which we Owed un∣to God was Blood. Without shedding of Blood there is no Remission, Heb. 9.22.

Essenius, who is applaud∣ed for his Defence of Grotius, de Satisfactione, by Lu∣therans, as well as Calvenists, saith the same;

Quan∣tum ad Locum, Heb. 7.22. rationes à Crellio, allatas cur Christus Sponsor Novi Foederis vocetur minimè

sufficere oftendimus, Sect. 1. hujus Libri. Imò in an∣••ecedentibus, & consequentibus agitur de Sacerdotio Christi quo ipse non fungitur nomine Dei apud bomines; sed nontine Hominum, apud Deum, cui se victimam obtulit.

At{que} Ita Sponsorem egit pro hominibus apud Deum. Essen•• Triump. Crucis, 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 2. sect. 3. cap. 1. p. 500. Judicious Mr. Strong, his Discourse of the two Covenants, lib. 2. cap. 2. ••••ct. 1. § 2. p. 128. has it thus; 'The Lord Christ, by becoming a Surety, did give his hand; that is, be did enter into Covenant with the Lord, and so his Name is put into our Bond, Gal. 4.4, 5. He is said to be made under the Law, and that as a Co∣venant; and when the Apostle saith, He is the Surety of a better Covenant, whereas the main of Christ's Suretiship refers unto the first Covenant, the Covenant of Works broken, and therefore, in respect of our Debt, he is the Surety of the first Cove∣nant; yet the Apostle doth not so express it, but of the better Covenant, because the Commutation of the Person, the bringing in of a Surety, doth properly belong unto the Covenant of Grace, and it is a part of the Covenant of Grace, that there should be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or a Propitiation, one to stand in our stead, or to make Satisfaction to the Justice of God for the Breach of the Covenant of Works; and therefore the whole Suretiship of Christ doth refer unto the Covenant of Grace, of which his standing in our stead, and paying our Debt, is a principal part. To this of Mr. Strong I will add what Mr. Alsop with about the Covenant of Grace, in his Anti-Sozzo, 717, &c.

The Covenant of Grace may be con∣sidered, either in its Constitution, or Execution:— In the Execution of the fixed Constitution—the Re∣deeming Mediator Vndertakes with God as a Righte∣ous Judge—and therefore becomes a Priest, a

Sacrifice, a Price, a Ransom, a Curse, to satisf•••••• the Iudge and his Law—Christ himself is promi∣sed in the Covenant as the Great Comprehensive Bles∣sing of the Covenant, Isa. 49.8, 9.

So that Chris•• being given in the Covenant of Grace, to Redeen us by his Death, and Sufferings, by his satisfying th•• Judge, and his Law, from that Misery, our sins ha•• brought upon us, he might very well be stiled by th•• Apostle, Heb. 7.22. a Surety of a better Covenant, o•• Testament, which shows the vanity of that part o•• the Objection, which saith, Christ cannot be said to come under the Sanction of the Law of Works, because being stiled the Surety of a better Testament, cat•• respect only the Covenant of Grace. Once more.

The Learned Dr. Owen, in opposition to the In∣terpretation given of Heb. 7.22. by Schlictingius Curcellaeus, and Hammond, (and I may justly add to that given by Mr. W.) declares.

That the genera∣lity of Expositors, Antient, and Modern, of the Ro∣man, and Protestant Churches, on the place, affirm, that the Lord Christ, as the Surety of the Cove∣nant, was properly a Surety, or Ʋndertaker unto God for us; and not a Surety, or Ʋndertaker unto us for God. And because this is a matter of great importance, wherein the Faith and Consolation of the Church is highly concerned, I shall (saith he) a little insist upon it—It is the Priesthood of Christ that the Apostle treats of in this place, [viz. Heb. 7.22.] and that alone. Wherefore he is a Surety as he is a Priest, and in the discharge of that Office, and therefore is so with God on our behalf—He undertook, as the Surety of the Covenant, to answer for all the sins of those, who are to be, and are made Partakers of the Benefits of it; that is, to undergo the Punishment due unto their sins; to make Attonement for them

by offering himself a Propitiatory Sacrifice for the Expiation of their sins, Redeeming them by the ••••ice of his Blood from their state of Misery, and Bondage under the Law, and the Curse of it.

Isa. 53.4, 5, 6, 10. Matth. 20.28. 1 Tim. 2.6. 1 Cor. 6.20. Rom. 3.25, 26. Heb. 10.5, 6, 7, 8. Rom. 8.2, 3. 2 Cor. 5.19, 20, 21. Gal. 3.13. And his was Absolutely Necessary, that the Grace and Glory prepared in the Covenant, might be com∣municated to us. This, and much more to the me purpose hath the Learned Dr. in his Disc. of ••••stif. p. 256, &c. To whom I will only add what ••e Learned Author of the Interest of Reason in Re∣••ion offers on this Point. 'Whereas Christ is stiled saith he) the Surety of a better Covenant, it i•• be∣cause the Enacting of the Covenant of Grace re∣spects his Undertaking to he made sin, and to un∣dergo the Curse as the Moral Cause and Condition; without which there had been no Overtures of Mercy made to the Sons of Men, p. 537, 538.

5. What these Great Men have here delivered, ••oth not only testifie to the Truth of what I have ••ffirmed about the Opposition the Or. hodex have ••ade against the Interpretation given of Heb. 7.22. ••••y Mr. W. Curcellaeus, and the Socinian; but it also doth. ••ost convincingly prove, that Christ's Suretiship be∣longs to his Priesthood, that in his Acting the part of Surety, or in the Execution of his Priestly Office, ••e Offered up himself a Sacrifice, took on him our ••uilt and Punishment, and, to this end, came under ••he Sanction of the violated Law. For,

6. The connection the Apostle affirms to be be∣••ween Christ's Suretiship and his Priestly Office is ••uch, that a denying Christ to be a Surety, under∣••aking to bear the Guilt and Punishment of our sins, ••or that he came under the Sanction of the Law, to

satisfie God's Justice for us, hath a direct tendency to subvert the true Notion of the Priestly Office. Of this Schlictingius was so sensible, that he could think on no way (as Dr. O. observes) to solve the Apostles mention of Christ's being a Surety in the Description of his Priestly Office, but by overthrow∣ing the Nature of that Office also. Of Justif. p. 261, 262, 263. Have we not then reason enough to be concern'd to see any, amongst our selves, turning aside from the Common Faith delivered to us from the Lord Jesus, and his Apostles, and falling in with the Inveterate Enemies of our Saviour's Satisfa∣ction? One thing more I must note,

7. That the Notion, Paraphrase, and Exposition, gi∣ven by Socinians, and a few other Authors, of Christ's being made, and called our Surety, because of his Ʋndertaking to be Pledge, and Guarranty for God to Sinners, that upon their Repentance and Faith he will both pardon, and bestow upon them Eternal Life, is no ways either consistent with, or to be reconciled unto what the same Apostle had declared, chap. 6. p. 16, 17. where, tho' he had been discoursing of Christ's Priestly Office, he doth ne∣vertheless expresly, and positively affirm, that God's Word of Promise, accompanied, and ratified by his Oath, is the whole, and that praeclusive of all other means of Security, and Assurance, which we either need; or, that God hath in this matter been plea∣sed to afford us, in order to the stedfastness of our Faith, the Fulness of our Consolation; God being wil∣ling more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the Immutability of his Counsel confirm'd it by an Oath, that by two Immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lye, we might have a strong Consolation, who have fled for Refuge, to lay hold upon the Hope set before us. So that the Reason of his being styled

the Surety of the better Testament is, because of his ••••ffering and performing those great Things for us ••owards God, without which the Testamental Inhe∣••••tance bequeathed in that better Testament, would ••ot have been upon any Terms acruable unto, ••nd claimable by us.