The meritorious price of mans redemption, or, Christs satisfaction discussed and explained ... by William Pynchon ...

Conclusion.

When the fulness of time was come, that the seed of the woman, Christ Jesus, was to be bruised and peirced in the foot∣soals, with an ignominious torturing death by Satan, and his instruments, according to Gods declared permission in Gen. 3. 15.

The divine nature might not protect the humane, but must leave the humane nature to its self, to manage this conflict; in which conflict, he was to manifest his true humane infirmities; and therefore when the Devil and his Arch-instruments were to seise upon him; he began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and then he said unto Peter, James, and John, My soul is ex∣ceeding

sorrowful unto the death, or it is surrounded with sorrow, that is to say, Every part of my body, wherein I have my vital soul, is in a quaking fear of such an ignominious death, by such a malignant enemy, as is armed with power and authority from God to execute it on me; and I do here manifest my true humane nature, and the infirmities of it, that you may record it to all posterity, that I have took part with them, that for fear of death, are all their life time subject to bondage, that they may be assured I am a merciful High-priest, and that I am truly touched with the feeling of their infirmities not in a small degree, for then it might be doubted, whether I am so sensible of their condition as I am, but in the highest degree, according to the most excellent temper, and tender constitution of my nature above the nature of other men.

But yet it is of necessity, that I must over come this natural fear, because I have covenanted to lay down my life by my own will, desire, and power, Job. 10. 17, 18. and therefore my rational soul must betake it self to prayer, therefore tarry yee here and watch, and pray, that yee be not overcome by the many temp∣tations that now are at hand to try you; and then he went a little from them, and fell on the ground and prayed, That if it were possible, that hour might pass from him, namely, that the dread of his ignominious usage might pass from him; for so much the hour imports in Mark. 14 35, 41. And his Agony was so great, that it caused him to sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he had three times offered up prayers and supplications to him that was able to save him from the natural dread of his ignominious tortu∣ring death, he was heard and delivered from the natural fear of his vital soul, because of his godly fear in his rational soul, and then he was confirmed against his natural fear; and so he never feared more after this, and then as soon as he had fulfilled all his sufferings, he did in perfection of patience and obedience, make his vital soul a sacrifice of Reconciliation for mans Re∣demption.

This Relation of Christs Combate, and of his Agony in his Combate is every way agreeable to the scope of the blessed Scriptures, and therefore Mr. Nortons Tenent must needs bee dangerous, because he makes this Combate to be between

Christs humane nature, and his divine, being pressed under the sense of Gods wrath, and conflicting with eternal death, and so forcing out clods of blood, as wine is forced from the grapes, by Gods pressing wrath; such expressions of pressing do utterly de∣stroy the voluntariness of Christs obedience in his suffering, and do make him to be no lesse than an inherent sinner in his Death and Sacrifice.