if it were the whole and Iustification reconciliation c. to be comprehended in it as the parts thereof or to follow vpon it as inseperable accidents and infallible consequences thereof or to bee nothing except the way of Adoption Which opinion seemeth most to agree with the Scriptures The special ground wherby the first of these opinions is maintayned is besides other places of Scripture that saying which is in Iohn chap. 1. vers 12. which is as manie as receiued him to them he gaue prerogative to bee the sonnes of God that is to those that beleeved in his name Vpon which place they who defend the former opinion seeme chieflie to rely as though it did import Iustification necessarilie to goe before Adoption because that Christ giveth prerogative to be the sonnes of God to none except such as first have received him and have beleeved in his name But before I either speake of these opinions or yet of this place of Iohn it shall bee first expedient for the better satisfaction of all mindes to lay some groundes vpon the knowledge whereof the light of this point dependeth much in my iudgement Besides other grounds there be five of greatest consequence and most expedient to be knowne for clearing our iudgement in the knowledge of the order of Adoption and Iustification The first is the order of subsisting in the blessed and eternall Trinitie The second is the distinct consideration of the order of Gods gracious love in the three severall obiects in the which it is to be considered The third is the order of our sense and perception of the blessings of God in our selves The fourth is the difference of extent and largenes of one benefite in respect of another amongst themselves by mutuall reference of one to another The fist and last is the consideration of the covenant of grace which God hath made with man in Christ CHAPTER X. THE first ground is most necessarie to be knowne not only to the end that we may know God in him selfe aright but also that we may know his gracious working towards vs aright Wherein by the speciall consideration of the Trinitie three things are to be marked First That every worke of grace is the worke of all three Secondly That the order of their working is according to the order of their subsisting so that in every worke the Father is first the Sonne second the holy Ghost third in order of working Thirdly That in respect of these two former groundes these workes of grace which according to the maner and order of subsisting are most properly attributed to every person according as their maner of working doth chieflie shine and appeare in every worke are to be ordered according to the order of the persons them selves So that the actions attributed to God the Father are in order first the actions attributed to the sonne in order seconde and the actions attributed to the holy Ghost in order third And this consideration of the order of Gods working is no more to be altered then the nature of God it selfe in whom the vnitie of essence is no more essentiall then the Trinitie of persons These three pointes are cleare in the scriptures of God The first when one and the selfe same worke is sometimes attributed to the Father sometimes to the Sonne and sometimes to the holy Ghost to teach vs that not onely these three persons are but one God in nature but further that what thinges the one doth the other doth also according as Christ sayeth My Father worketh vnto this time and I also worke Iohn chap. 5. ver 17. And againe VVhatsoever things the Father doeth the same things doth the Sonne likewise Ihon chap. 5. vers 19. The second of these pointes is likewise manifest in the scripture when in one and the same worke The Father is made in order of working first the Sonne second and the holy Ghost third according to the saying of Christ The Sonne can doe nothing of him selfe except he see the Father working Iohn chap. 5. ver 19. And againe I doe nothing of my self as I heare I iudge Ioh. cha 5. ver 30. And againe The thinges that I speake I speake them so as the Father said vnto me Iohn chap. 12. ver 53. And againe The Spirit he shall not speake of him selfe but whatsoever he shall heare he shall speake He shall glorifie me for he shall receyve of myne and shew it vnto you Iohn chapt 16. verses 13. and 14. By which speeches it is manifest that as the Father subsisteth in order first and so in order possesseth life before the Sonne and the Sonne before the holy Ghost even so in operation of life and all good grace in vs the Father in order worketh before the Sonne and the Sonne before the Holy Ghost According to which order we are taught in the scriptures to worship God praying and giving thankes to the Father in the Sonne by the holy Ghost according to the order of our accesse vnto God which is vnto the Father through the Sonne by the Spirit Ephe. chap. 2. vers 18. Drawing neare vnto God in our ascending vp to him according to the order of his drawing neare vnto vs. that is we ascende by God in God vnto God who of him selfe and in him selfe and by him selfe worketh all grace in vs. of him selfe as the Father in him selfe as the Sonne and by him selfe as the holy Ghost For no man hath any grace either of him selfe but of God alone and that as he is the Father either in him selfe but in God alone and that as he is the Sonne either by him selfe but by God alone that as he is the Holy Ghost The third point is likewise manifest in scripture When as the worke of creation and of the first beeing and existing of all thinges be it either naturall or spirituall is attributed vnto the first person of whom are all things and the worke of dispensation and redemption is attributed to the seconde person in whom onely we enioye all grace And the worke of consummation and sanctification is attributed to the holy Ghost For according to the distinction that is inward arysing from the inward properties whereby these persons are distinguished there is also a distinction outward in the workes of outwarde dispensation according to the terme in which is the beginning of acting Neither is this only to be considered in the actions of outward dispensation towardes vs but in the actions that are inward in God himselfe according to which ground Christ acknowledgeth that the Father hath given him to have life in himselfe Iohn chap. 6. vers 26. For albeit all operation of blessings in vs proceede from the nature and essence of God as the common beginning and terme in all three yet notwithstāding thy are restrayned in respect of order to one beginning that is to one of those three persons according as in every worke the manner of every persons working either of in
Christ onely who being ordeyned of God the Meane of al his mercie to Mākinde he commeth in as Mediatour betweene God vs in all things decreed of God for vs so as we are to expect nothing of all that is decreed concerning the vessels of honour whether it bee in making of vs sonnes or making vs cōforme to the Image of his Sonne in righteousnes and glorie but only in and through Iesus Christ our Lord in whom alone all the promises of God are yea and amen For he is the first borne among all the sonnes of God and the beginning and first begotten of the dead for it is the Fathers will that in all things hee have the praeeminence Rom. chap. 8. ver 29. Col. chap. 1. ver 18. Thus albeit God in him selfe and of him selfe ordayne vs to great dignitie and manifold vnspeakeable blessings yet this honour doeth he reserve vnto his only begotten sonne that of all these blessings we shall enioye none except in through him onely so that it is true that we are ordayned to nothing without Christ but not in that deceitfull sense whereby the mindes of many are deluded as though he were the cause why GOD doth ordeyne vs to adoption The Scripture teacheth vs farre otherwise distinguishing betwixt the cause why God decreeth vs to adoption and the cause why he ordeyneth vs to this adoption through Christ onely Setting downe the cause of the Decree to be his owne will good pleasure in him selfe And declaring the cause why he ordeyneth vs to be adopted through Christ to be this that Christ might be the first borne among manie brethren and that he might have the praeeminence in all things wherevpon it followeth that albeit he be not the cause why we are ordeyned to adoption yet notwithstanding seeing it is Gods will to performe towards vs his gracious purpose and good pleasure of his wil only in and through Christ that of necessitie we must first enioy him before we can enioy any thing of that that is decreed And therefore it was the Fathers will that in him should all fulnes dwell Coloss chap. 1. vers 19. That out of his fulnes we all should receyve Iohn chapt 1. vers 16. And for this same cause is it said That God hath made him wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption and that vnto vs 1. Corinth chapt 1. verse 13. For whatsoever God hath made Iesus Christ the Mediatour he hath made him that for our cause so that the love of God to vs and the good pleasure of his wil towards vs is the cause why Christ is made of God the meane of our salvation And therefore in the consideration of Gods Decree Christ as Mediatour commeth in order after the consideration of that wherevnto we are ordayned although in the executiō and performāce of Gods Decree Christ in vs must goe before all other things ordayned for vs for that is the nature of all Meanes which are subordinate to that whereof they are appointed to be Meanes Thus God first in order purposeth and decreeth what to doe to vs and secondly by what Meanes but when hee performeth his Decree he first prepareth the Meanes and then accomplisheth thereby his purpose and decree towardes vs. For if the Lord had never ordayned vs that are men to bee made his sonnes he had never ordayned his sonne to bee made a Man this is cleere by the Apostles speech wherein he declareth the cause why the sonne of God did take mans nature vpon him Hebr. chap. 2. ver 14. saying For asmuch therefore as the children were partakers of flesh and blood even he likewise tooke part with them And thereafter shewing the cause why not only he tooke our nature◠but also did take it with the same infirmities sinne only except wherewith our nature is indued he vseth these speeches For it became him in all thinges to be made like to his brethren Hebrewes chap. 2. vers 17. according to which grounde it is saide in another place That God sent his Sonne in the flesh in the similitude of sinnefull flesh Roman chap. 8. vers 3. This point is evidently cleare by the same Apostles speech Galath chap. 4. verses 4. and 5. when hee sheweth the ende wherefore God sent his sonne in the flesh saying VVhen the fulnes of tyme was come God sent foorth his owne Sonne made of a woman c. that we might receyve the adoption Letting vs see that in Gods execution hee giveth vs the adoption to the which he ordayned vs by the same Meane thorough the which he ordayned to give it vs. Thus we may see evidently that that parte of Gods Decree touching the Meane of our adoption doeth in order of Decreeing depende vpon the former parte touching the adopting of vs but in order of performing the sending of Christ made of a woman and made vnder the Law and made righteousnes sanctification and redemption c. doth goe before our adoptiō For he was not made the cause of eternall salvation to his owne till he was perfited Hebr. chap. 5. vers 9. For which cause the Apostle sayeth Hebr. chap. 2. vers 10. when hee gives the reason why he was made to taste of death That Christ being to bring many children to glorie it became him for whom are all these things and by whom are all these thinges to perfite or to consecrate the Prince of their salvation through afflictions This shall be yet more cleare if wee consider who it is that is appointed the Meane of our adoption that is not the Father nor yet the holy Ghost but the Sonne only and that because hee onely is that vnto the which wee are ordayned For this grounde we must holde that what so ever wee are made by grace it must firste bee in GOD him selfe and then made ours by our communion and fellowship with GOD. Now this blessing of sonne-shippe which is ordeyned vnto vs is no propertie of the Father nor yet of the Holy Ghost but of the seconde person onely who by that propertie is distinguished both from the Father and from the Holy Ghost and therefore although the Father and the Holy Ghost doe with the Sonne not onely ordeyne vs to adoption but also adopt vs yet they neither ordeyne vs to adoption neyther doe adopt vs through any but the Sonne alone for the Father and the Holy Ghost are not the Sonne neither can be because their personall properties are incommunicable howsoever their naturall properties bee common yea one and the same in all three because the nature of all three is most simply one and the same Of which it commeth to passe that we being adopted thorough Christ and so consequently called to the communion of Christ in that which he is by subsisting that is sonnes wee are also made partakers of the Divine nature as sayeth the Apostle Peter that is we are made like to all three in that which they are by nature for all three have but
the selfe same common nature and essence albeit in subsisting and personalitie none be that that the other is and therefore none of them except the Sonne alone can bee a meete Mediatour betwixt GOD and vs in the worke of our adoption For this office of Mediation is not the office of the Divine nature but of a Divine person that hath the Divine nature For if it were the office of the Divine nature which is common to all three alike and as we have said one and the same in all three surely it should no lesse belong to the Father and to the Holy Ghost then to the Sonne but as saith the Apostle 1. to Timoth chap. 2. ver 5. There is but one Mediatour betwixt God and Man that is the Man Christ Iesus But as every common nature is communicate to others by their personall subsisting flowing from a person of that same nature for no nature hath any existing but by subsisting even so we can not be made pertakers of the Divine nature except first we have our subsisting from one that is of the same nature and from that person of that nature which is that in personalitie and subsisting which we are ordayned to be that is fonnes for we must be pertakers of the Divine nature by subsisting the sonnes of God which cannot be naturally neither in nor thorough our selves therefore it is ordayned to be through Christ by making vs one with him who by nature is the onely Sonne of God that by our fellowship with him through grace in that which he onely is by subsisting or personalitie we only consequently by grace be made pertakers of the Divine nature in our conformitie to the Image of God For as among men nature doth not produce nature but one person by procreation of another person doth communicate the same nature even so in the Godhead the nature produceth not nature else there should be many Deities so many Gods but a person produceth a person and production of a person carieth with it communion of nature even so God doth first make vs his children by adoption in Christ in which respect he is saide in the scriptures to beget vs and we are said to be borne of God which birth bringes with it the participation of the Divine nature Thus we have to distinguish our communion and fellowship with Christ which God by his grace bestowes vpon vs in that personall proprietie of his sonne whereby we are made members of his bodie flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones that is the sonnes of God and brethrē of Christ which is our adoption From that communion which foloweth herevpon standeth in our participation of the Divine nature whereby we are made one with Father Sonne and holy Ghost Thus by Gods mercie in calling vs to the felowship of Christ in his sonne-ship the Father of Christ is made our Father and his spirit our spirit and so consequently the nature of all three communicated vnto vs. And for this first vnion with Christ which standeth in the communion of the dignitie of his sonne-ship all Gods children are said in the scriptures to be one in Christ Galath chap. 3. ver 28. And the whole body mysticall is said to be but one and is called Christ 1. Corinth chap. 12. ver 12. and for that cause the promise of God is said to be made to the seede as to one not to the seedes as to many Galat. chap. 3. ver 16. where we may perceyve the vnspeakeable goodnes and infinite wisedome of God in his Decree Goodnes in ordayning vs to be his sonnes and Wisedome in ordayning him onely to be the meane of our adoption who in him selfe only is that which GOD ordayneth vs to be Of which it is manifest that the Decree of our adoption goeth in order before all not only other benefites in Christ but also before the ordayning of Christ him selfe to be a Mediator For if this office of Mediation did not hang and depend vpon that which we are ordeyned to be surely the Father or the holy Ghost should no lesse have bene Mediators then the sonne Besides these things it is also heereby manifest that the benefite of adoption is the first of all benefites in Christ and foundation of all the rest For which cause it is that Gods Decree is most properly defined from it but of this we shall haue occasion to speake hereafter The vse that we haue to make of this point in the doctrine of iustification is that seeing God ordayneth vs to nothing but through Christ our righteousnes can not consist of any thing that is not in Christ for as we are made all other thing whatsoever we are made in him so also are we made the righteousnes of God in him 2. Corint chap. 5. ver 21. which ground wel marked doth cleare many errors specially those which are about the matter of our righteousnes of which it is a wonder that such controversies should be among learned men when as the Scripture of God speaketh plainely that God hath made Christ righteousnes vnto vs. 1 Corinth chap. 1. vers 30. And that hee is all in all things Coloss chap. 3. vers 11. And that he filleth all in all things Eph. chap. 1. vers 23. Wherevpon it followeth that neither in whole nor in part can possibly our righteousnes consist in any thing that is in our selves nor yet in any other thing without our selves but in Christ only And thus much concerning the second point CHAPTER IX THE third thing needfull to be knowne for the right vnderstanding of the nature of Gods saving benefites is the order in the which they are Decreed and accordinglie dispēsed vnto vs. In which point I know there is great neede of circumspect considerate dealing because albeit in my iudgement the mistaking of this point bee no small occasion of the errors which are mantayned by many of great learning as in other things so speciallie in the point of iustification yet notwithstanding the speaking against an error by the most part received and almost contradicted by none must needes at the first bee distastfull to many except their mindes bee by grace sanctified with a greater love of the truthe then of themselves The maine point which cleareth all standeth in this whether adoption or Iustification be in order first The greater part doe holde that Iustification is first so that first we must bee iustified in Christ before wee be adopted to bee sonnes and therefore they devide reconciliation which they make to comprehend both in Iustification as the first part and adoption as the second But what inconvenience may aryse vpon this opinion and what an open entry it maketh to many errors we shall perceyve by these things that follow Some there bee and those but fewe that holde the contrary opinion and doe rather point at it then expresly treate of it esteeming Adoption to be before Iustification or rather to bee as
make neither of the two necessarie stable or constant but variable and subiect to change affirming that the Saintes may fall from saving grace they must needes agree with the former touching the sense and meaning of the word faith as it is the action of our heartes in iudging and apprehending of our salvation The third sorte are they who esteeme faith to signifie the assured confidence of the heart vpon certayne knowledge of the best parte without any feare of the worst And this opinion onely agreeth with Gods truth For nothing can be more contrarie to the nature of faith then an vncertayne opinion seeing no demonstration can ever make a surer conclusion then faith maketh in the heart of man of all whatsoever it beleeveth So that iustly we may say that salvation beleeved and embrased by faith is more sure and stedfast and certayne vnto vs by faith then ever it was in the beginning to Adam or Angells by possession For he that beleeveth shall never perish and the gates of hell shall never prevaile against him For hee that beleeveth is perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angells nor Principalities nor powers nor thinget present nor thinges to come nor height nor depth nor any other ereature shall be able to seperate him from the love of GOD which is in Christ Iesus his Lord. And for confirmation heereof wee referre the Reader to that which we have spoken before touching the supernaturall effectes of faith and to that which heereafter followeth in the description of the true nature of faith vnto the which we nowe come leaving to speake of the error concerning the imputation of faith vntill we come to treate of imputation it selfe Wee have heard alreadie that faith is the supernaturall gift of God And that the meanes whereby the holy Ghost worketh it is the Word the Sacraments and the ministerie and that the persons to whom he giveth it are only his elect whom he hath given to Christ to be his sheepe And lastly that the whole heart of man and the powers of his soule are the subiect wherein it is wrought So that nowe it resteth to know what it is that God worketh in our soules when he giveth vs faith For in these things that have already beene said it differeth nothing from the rest of Gods saving graces For they are all heavenly spirituall and supernaturall giftes of God wrought in the whole heart of every one of Gods elect eyther by the inward operation of the holy Ghost extraordinarily or els in ordiraaie dispensation by the effectuall revelation of the Gospell Therefore seeing faith hath these things common with all the rest wee are nowe to trie the particular difference whereby it is distinguished in substance and nature from all the rest of Gods blessings The consideration of the nature of faith in it selfe is twofolde First faith is to be considered as it is the gift of God cōming from him and wrought by him in our heartes Secondly faith is to be considered as our hearts having it not wrought in them worke by it againe towards God vnto iustification This twofold consideration of faith is necessarie for the right knowledge both of the nature of the working of it For faith passively taken signifieth the effect of Gods working framinge faith in our heartes but actively taken it signifieth the action of our hearts now beleeving in laying holde vpon Iesus Christ as he who is made of God vnto vs wisedome sanctification and redemption First then we will speake of it as it is the worke of God in vs. And next as our hearts worketh by it And this we are carefully to consider for herevpon dependeth all our fellowship with God in Christ and all participation of the promise and inheritance promised to the children of God all true reioycing and gloriation in God and in this worke of faith consisteth all the strength whereby we are made able to stande against all powers of darknes and sinne and are vpholden to the ende In the scriptures of God we finde that all blessings that come from Christ vnto vs are attributed vnto faith as also our beeing Christs and the children of God in him is likewise attributed vnto faith For there be two speciall grounds in the which consists all our felicitie The first is our becomming Christes that is when wee are made his The seconde is the infallible consequence of the former when all that Christ is made of God for vs is made ours So that his death his resurrection his ascention his glorification c. are all made ours And this followeth vpon the former for as sayeth the Apostles If yee bee Christes then are yee Abrahams seede and heyres by promise Gallat chapt 3. ver 29. according to which also the Apostle sayeth All thinges are yours and ye Christes Christ Gods 1. Cor. chap. 3. ver 21. 32. 23. Now faith is the meane and instrument of both these points For by faith wee are made Christs and by faith Christ is to vs wisdome righteousnes sanctification and redemption The first of these two is the fruite of faith as God worketh it in our hearts or rather the work of God by working faith in our hearts The second is the fruit of faith nowe wrought in our hearts or rather the worke of our heartes by faith Thus faith is the mean effectual instrumēt of al our blessednes both in our vnion with Christ the sonne of God and also of our cōmunion with him both in his death life and glory and therefore we are said both to bee the sonnes of God by faith in Christ and to be iustified by faith in him and to live by faith in him and to be saved by faith in him so that faith is the supernaturall gift of God given vs for these supernaturall endes that by it we may be in Christ and Christ in vs for by faith he dwelles in our hearts and that in him and by him we may enioy righteousnes and life To speake then of the first that is of faith as God worketh it it consisteth specially in foure things The first is in Gods opening illuminating of our vnderstandings making our hearts in our vnderstanding power not only to know the promise in Christ Christ to be the seed in whom blessednes is promised to all Nations and in whom all the promises of God are yea and amen but also to iudge and esteeme these thinges reveyled of God to be a most vndoubted and vnfallible trueth so that by this first worke of the Father the heart of Gods elect is made to see vndoubtedly to acknowledge that there is no blessednes vnto man but onely in Iesus Christ crucified So that his eyes are open to see in him selfe nothinge but iust cause of condemnation from the which there is not any helpe neither in him selfe nor any creature but in Iesus Christ alone And therefore is made of God to determine with him selfe to knowe
seeing they are neither in the state of the iust nor of the wicked Men doe not see what a foundation this opinion layeth for establishinge the Papistes Limbus Patrum and vainely invented Purgatorie Furthermore this opinion seemeth to imply a contradiction in it selfe For first it affirmeth that the actuall obedience of Christ is imputed vnto vs as righteousnes and yet they holde that it doth not iustifie vs from punishment Secondly they confesse that it maketh vs innocent and yet denie that it maketh vs iust Which are thinges impossible For whatsoever is imputed as righteousnes must iustifie vs and whatsoever maketh vs innocent must necessarily make vs iust For nothing but righteousnes can make a man innocent before God Therefore seeing that sentence of Iohn asscribeth the purging of all sinne to the bloud of Christ be it originall or arctuall it is the safest way for vs being warranted by the H. Ghost to accompt it onely the matter of our righteousnes and to beware of adding any thing too it Whereof we have not the like expresse warrant And to make this ground yet more sure we are to coÌ„sider the nature of the death and suffering of Christ Which is manifest by the wordes of Christ him selfe Math. cha 20. ver 28. Marke cha 10. ver 45. where he sayeth The sonne of man is not come to bee served but to serve and to give his live a ransome for many therefore was he called Iesus because he saved vs from our sinnes And for the same cause we are saide in his bloud to have redemption and by the bloud of his crosse to be reconciled vnto God And for this same cause the Lord is said to have set him foorth a propitiation for sinne in his bloud and to have wounded him for our transgressions to have broken him for our iniquities and to have made him sinne and a curse for vs. All which phrases import three thinges The I. is that Christ did pay by his death a price for vs to set vs at libertie from sinne The II. is that by his death he reconciled vs vnto God removing his wrath froÌ„ vs. The III. is that God did execute vpon him in his death the iudgement due to vs for our iniquities therefore is hee saide not to have spared his owne sonne Vpon the which it followeth that both the whole price of our Redemption the whole matter of our peace and the whoie satisfaction for our sinnes consisteth in the death of Christ and so consequently of our full righteousnes Now as we have said before the iudgemeÌ„t of God is alwayes according to truth so that in wounding his sonne for our transgressions he behoved to have chastised him in proportion and measure answerable to all our iniquities So that this satisfaction by his death being layde in ballance with the perfect obedience of the Law required of vs it behoved in the iustice of God to be of equal waight with it and no lesse able fully to answere the iustice of God then the full obedience of the Lawe For the onely iust GOD and Iudge of all the worlde can not ordayne a punishment and satisfaction to his iustice for sinne neither execute it in greater or lesser measure or proportion of iustice then the fault required Hereof it must follow seeing Christes death bloud is the chastisement of our peace punishmeÌ„t inflicted of God for the sinnes of his elect it must contayne in it as full iustice righteousnes as the full accomplishment of the Lawe by vs should have done therefore saith Ioh. That the bloud of Iesus purgeth vs from all iniquities to teach vs that his bloud being imputed vnto vs as our righteousnes by God doth put vs in the same estate case touching righteousnes vnto life before God wherin we should have bene if we had performed the condition of the law which is do this thou shalt live and therfore it being equivalent in the iustice of God to that which was required of vs vnto life it is in vaine to adde anything vnto it vnto perfect righteousnes This same is also cleere by the Apostles speech Rom. cha 3. ver 25. when he sheweth that God did set foorth Christ a propitiation in his bloud to shew his righteousnes to this end that he might be iust For heere two thinges are to be observed serving to this purpose The first is that only in the bloud of Iesus the righteousnes of God whereby we are iustified is to be seene The second is that by the sight thereof God is knowne to bee iust in sparing his elect and iustifying them freely by the redemptioÌ„ that is in Christ Wherevpon it must follow that Christ in his death must have in most full and perfect manner answered the iustice of God no lesse then our full and perfect obedience should have done otherwise it could never have shewen the righteousnes of God neither could he have bene manifested iust in iustifying vs thereby For the Law of God is fulfilled and the righteousnes or iustice of God therein required is accomplished two manner of wayes that is eyther by doeing all thinges commanded therein or els by suffering such punishment as in the iustice of God for the transgression thereof is in iust proportion answerable therevnto so that in eyther of these fully finished the iustice of God vnto eternall life is answered The sixt ground is builded vpon the lawe of the Priesthood which was ordayned particularly of God for this end to make expiation of our sinnes and bring vs vnto God Which two benefites were shadowed in two actions of the Levâ—ticall high Priest in the day of expiation The first was in offering sacrifice for the peoples sinnes and sprinkeling the bloud thereof before the Lord. The second was the carying of the names of the Tribes of the Lord into the Sanctuarie ingraven in the two stones vpon his shoulders and twelve vpon his brest for a remembrance continually before the Lord Exod. 28. Now the Law of this Priesthood is that none performe this office before the 30. yere of his age as is manifest Nomb 4. where all that enter in the assemble to doe the worke in the tabernacle of the congregation are commanded to bee nombred from 30. yeare olde and above vntill 50. according to which lawe Christ him seife who was the substance of all those shadowes did not enter in that office vntill hee began the thirtie yeare of his age as is cleere Luke chap. 3. vers 21. Heereof it must followe that no action performed by Christ before that time can be accompted the action of expiation of sinne or reconciliation of vs vnto God therefore the Scripture attributeth our redemption and reconciliation and particularlie our iustification to no action preceeding but to his death thereafter following and the action of bringing vs vnto God is particularie asscribed by the Apostle Peter vnto the death of Christ 1. Epi. chap. 3. vers 18. And the Apostle declareth that