which Union there will be no poffibility of Redemption of our bodies by the bitter paffions, and death of his bleffed Body. But how this conjunction, and union of his Body, and our bodies was contrived and effected, is next to be enquired. I CHAP. IV. T is certainly neceffary for our Redemption, and in order th thereto, that first there must be a true, real, and corporal union, or conjunction of our flesh with the Flesh of our Redeemer; which corporal union was contrived and effected by the most Wife, Juft, and Mercifull Godhead, and was by him defigned, and plotted before the Creation, on purpose to put Mankind into a capacity of Redemption, his Providence foreseeing the fall of Man, and his goodness and mercy providing the cure of Redeemableness by God the Son, to be in time coincarnate with us, and to become Emanuel. For if it may appear, that the flesh or body of Chrift was made of the fame Materials of which our flesh and bodies are made, and if both he and we, have derived our t Flefb, Flesh from the self-fame lump of the first The first Man, was made of a piece of Earth, and the first Woman was derived out of the Man, and not made of another piece of Earth; for the Woman could not have been in union with Chrift, except she had been taken out of the Man, as Chrift, and all Mankind are; nor could fhe, or we have been capable of Redemption by Christ, without this union with Christ in the first Man. Hence it is that the Apostle faith, We are Members of his Body, of his Flesh, and of his Eph. s. Bones. The like he faith of Chrift and his 30,31,32 whole Church, They two fhall be one Flesh, but I speak concerning Chrift and his Church, This is faid, because all Men and Women, with Christ also, were originally joyned and united in Adam, and therefore Profper Profp. ad obferveth, Nullus eft hominum cujus natura Cap.Gal non erat fufcepta à Chrifto; there is not any Man in the world, whofe Nature was not affumed by Chrift. Ipfe Adam toto terrarum orbe fparfus eft, Aug. Pf.95. And St. Paul faith, God hath made of one Blood all A&ts nations of Men, it is meant of the blood of 17, 26. the first Man, by which word Blood fome, C4 thing lorum. 75.45. thing more is implied than only Flesh, as will appear hereafter, and more than Blood literally taken. In the Old Testament, where we read of Filius Hominis, or Son of Man, the famè words in the Original are Ben-Adam often. The Genealogy of St. Luke derives Chrift from Adam, and St. Paul calls Chrift, the 1 Cor. Laft Adam, as children are called by the names of their Progenitors; therefore St. Austin, to fhew the original of all Men, Aug. Re- with Chrift himself, faith Omnis homo ter Fat11.renus eft Adam, every Man of the Earth is Adam; for it is as easie to apprehend Christ to be the Son of Adam, as to be the Son of Mat. 1.1. David, and of Abraham; and as easie to understand that Chrift was united with Mankind in the loins of Adam, as to appre Heb.7.10 bend that Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchifedech met him, which was long before Levi was begotten, c.16. Moreover, even when Adam was formed, there was an original corporal union of all Mankind in that one parcel of Earth, of which Man was made, which is the rea fon why not only Adam, but all his Pofte rity are called Earth and Duft; O Earth, Gen.3.19 Earth, Earth hear the Word of the Lord. JCF. 22. The reason why I have faid, that the 79 Redeemer must be united, and be one with the 17.15 the Redeemed, is, because God doth not punish or reward eternally one for another, but the fame that performeth or trans greffeth his Laws, is punished or rewarded. The Wife man faith, He that justifieth the Prov. wicked, and condemneth the juft, are both abominable to the Lord. The Jews had a curfed and murmuring Proverb among them, The Fathers have eaten four grapes, and the Eze.18. Childrens teeth are fet on edge; their mean- Jer. 31, ing was, that their Fathers had committed 29 that fin, for which their Children were punished; but God did controll that false imputation, faying, Every one shall die for his own fin; And, He that eateth four grapes, his teeth shall be fet on edge; and, the Soul that finneth, it shall die. So it is faid in the Gofpel, Every man shall bear his own bur- Gal. 6.5☀ then; and, Gad judgeth according to every 1 Pet, Mans work. Therefore the Redeemer muft 117. be really united, and be as one man with the Redeemed, otherwise the paffions, and Death of Christ the Redeemer, cannot in the exact Justice of the Godhead, fatisfie for the fins of the People. Christ said to a young man, If thou wilt Mat, enter into life, keep the Commandments. 19. 17, This must be confeffed to be true, that no man can be faved except he perform the Law: If it be enquired, how any meer man Joh.15.5 Rom.6,5 man can enter into Life, feeing every one tranfgreffeth the Law; We anfwer, that every true and faithfull Member of Christ fulfilleth the Law, because Christ hath performed it, who is One with his Members. This weighty and neceffary Doctrine of the union of Chrift with Mankind, is evidently and plentifully declared, both in the Holy Scriptures, and also in the Writings of the Fathers (which I have elsewhere fhewed at large) in the Gospel. Chrift faid, I am the Vine, ye are the branches, the Foot, ftock, and branches of the Vine are but one Tree. St. Paul faith of Christ,and of men, that they are uupur fellow Plants, or planted together, planted in Adam, and, we being many are one body in Chrift; and, as the Body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being 1 Cor. many are one body; fois Chrift. And your bodies are the members of Christ, and ye are the Body of Chrift, and members in partiCor. cularsand therefore the fame Apostle faith of 12.27, the Galatians, Te are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal.3.28 The union or Oneness of men with Christ doth not confift only in this, that Chrift communicateth his Spirit to us men, but also, in that Chrift and all Mankind were originally together in the firft Man, and are all derived from the flesh and blood of him, Rom. 12.5. 12.12. 1 Cor. 6.15. as |