Christ Set Forth, Book III: Christ a Common Person in His Resurrection
The second Head propounded: the influence Christ’s Resurrection hath into Justification. Two branches of the demonstration of this: first, that Christ was a Common person, representing us irt all he was, or did, or suffered, handled at lare. More especially a Common person in his Resurrection.
Now, secondly, to come to that other head pounded, the influence Christ’s Resurrection hath into our Justification. The demonstration or making out of which depends on two things put together: thejirst, how Christ was appointed by God, and himself acted the part of a common person, representing us in what he did, and more particularly in his Resurrection. Of this in this chapter.
The second is, how from that consideration ariseth, not only an evidence to our faith, but a real influence into our Justification, and non-condemnation. Sp as, Who shall condemn? because Christ is- risen again, as a common person, representing us therein.
For the first of these, to illustrate and prove it in the general, that instance of Adam serves most fitly, and is indeed made use of in the Scripture to that end. Adam, as you all know, was reckoned as a common public person, not standing singly or alone for himself, but as representing all mankind to come of him: so as by a just law, what he did was reckoned to his posterity whom he represented. And what was by that law threatened, or done to him for what he did, is threatened against his posterity also. Now this man was herein a lively type of our Lord Christ, as you have it Rom. v. 14. Who was the type of him who was to come. Unto which purpose, the titles which the Apostle gives these two (Christ and Adam), I Cor. xv. 47, are exceeding observable: he call.. Adam, Tliejirst man; and Christ our Lord, The second man: and both for that very purpose and respect which we have in hand: for, first, he speaks of them as if there had never been any more men in the world, nor were ever to be for time to come, except these two: and why? but because these two between them had all the res-t of the sons of men hanging at their girdle; because they were both Common persons, that had the rest in like (tho’ opposite) considerations included, and involved in them. Adam had all the sons of men born into this world, included in himself, who are therefore called earthly men, verse 48, in a conformity to him the earthly man, verse 47, and Christ, t he second man, had all his elect (who are the first-born, 3nd whose names are written in heaven, and therefore in the same verse are oppositely called heavenly men) included in him. You see how he sums vp the number of all men in two, and reckons but two men in all; — these two, in Gocl’s account, standing for all the rest. And farther observe, that because Adam was in this his being, a common person unto his, the shadow and the lively type of Christ, who was to come after him; that therefore he is called The first man (of these two) and Christ, The second man, as typified out by him,
Now if you ask, wherein Christ w.as a Common person, representing us and standing in our stead; 1 answer, If in any thing, then in all those conditions and states wherein he was, in what he did, or befell him, whilst here on earth especially. For he had no pther end to come down into this world, but to sus-
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tain our ner=ens, and to act our parts, and to have what was ;o have been done to us, acted upon him.
Thus iks, m iheir two several conditions, qualifications, and states, they both were Common persons: that is, look what state or condition the on’e or the other was made in, is by a just Jaw to be put upon those whom they represented. So the Apostle* reasons from it, verse 4 8, An in the earthly ma.-i, tjiamely, the first man, Adam) such arc the earthly: namely, to be earihly men as well as he; because he who was a Common person representing them, was in his condition but an earthly man: And oppositely, by the same law, it follows, An in the heavenly man (namely, the second man, Christ) such are and must be the hcavDtiy, who pertain to lum, because he also is a Common person, ordained to personate them: and Adam, who came belore him, was therein but his type.
And as thus in this place to the Corinthians, (he Apostle argues Christ to be a common person, in respect oi his condition and state, by an argument oi parallels taken from his type, Adam; so, secondly, in -the otii oi the Komans, he argues Christ to have been a Common person, in his actions which he diet on earth; and this also from the similitude of Adam, whom (verse- 14) he therein makes to have been Christ’s type. And he speaks of Adam there as a Common person, both in respect of what he did, namely, sin; and also in respect of what bcjeli him for his sin, namely, dmth, and condemnation. And because he was in all these not to be considered as a single man, but as one that was All men, by way of representation: hence, both what he did, they are
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said to do in him; and what condemnation or death was deserved by his sin, fell upon them all, by this law of his being a public person for them.
1. For what he did: he sinned, you know; and (verse 12) All are said to have sinned, namely, in his sin; Yea, and according to those words in the Greek (en o) which are added there, you may render that sentence, (and the Original bears it, and it is also varied in the margin) /// whom all have sinned; namely, in Adam, as in a public person. Their act was included in his, because their persons were included in his.
And, secondly, for what befell him for sin, that beiell them also by the same law of his being a person representing them. Hence, verse 12, Death is said to pass upon all men, namely for this, that Adam’a sin was considered as their’s, as it there follows. It is said to pass, even as a sentence of death passetk upon a condemned malefactor. And, verse 18, Judgment is sa»d to come by that one mans offence upon all men to condemnation. Now, in Genesis ii. 17, the threatening was spoken only to Adam, as but one man, — Ln the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. — And, Genesis iii. 19, that sentence seems onlv to pass upon him alone, — Unto dust thou shalt rditi n. Yet in threatening Adam, God threatened us ail; and in sentencing Adam to death, he sentenced us also. The curse reacheth us too; Death passedupon all mutthcn, and therefore by a just law, Death reigns over all, as verse 14 and 17: because Adam was in all tins, a Common person representing us, &nd so in our stead; and so all this concerns us, as truely and as nearly as it did him. I say, by a just law; for indeed the Scripture upon the equity of this rule, pronounceth a statute out against all men, that they should die, Heb. ix. 27. Statutum est, It is appointed by a statute law, that all should die. Now if you search for this statute, when and where enacted, you will find, that the original record and roll is that in Gen. iii. 9, spoken only of Adam, but holding true of us, To dust thou shalt return.
Just thus the matter stands in the point of our justification and salvation, between Christ -and elect believers; for Adam was herein his type. Christ was considered and appointed of God as a Common person, both in what he did, and in what was done to him. So as by the same law, what he did for us, is reckoned or imputed to us? as if we ourselves had done it; and what was done to him, tending to our justification and salvation, is reckoned as done to us. Thus when Christ died, he died as a Common person, and God reckoneth that we died also. When Christ arose, he rose as our Head, and as a Common person, and so then God accounts that we rose also with him. And by virtue of that communion which we had. in all those actions of his, it is, that now when we are born again, we do all rise both from the guilt of sin, and the power of it; even as by virtue of the like communion we had with (or being one in) Adam, we came to be made sinful, when we begin first to exist as men, and to be first born.
Thus in his death he was considered as a Common person, and God reckoned us dying then, and would have us reckon so also. So Rom. vi. 10, the Apostle speaking of Christ, saith, In that he died, he died untq ?in once, but in that lie liveth, he liveth unto God. Then (verse 11) speaking of us, he says, Likewise reckon you yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our I<ord. The meaning whereof is plainly this, that whereas regenerate men are for the present in the reality but imperfectly mortified and dead to sin, as considered in themselves, and in respect of the work of it as wrought v them; yet that being considered in Christ as their Head, and a Common person representing them, they may truly by a way of faith reckon themselves wholly dead, in and through Jesus Christ our Lord; in that he once died perfectly unto sin, as a Common person representing them. So as what is yet wanting in the work of mortification, in their sense and ex perience of it, they may supply by faith, from the consideration of Christ their head, even them selves to have died when he died. The Apostle, I say, would have them by reason conclude or infer (for so the word logizesthe signifies, as chap. iii. 28. therefore we conclude, or argue by reason, it is the same word) from Christ’s death, that they are dead: which conclusion cannot be made, unless this be ne of the propositions in this argument, that we i/ied in Christy when he died; and so though in our selves we are not yet wholly dead to sin, nor perfectly alive to God; yet through Jems Christ our Lord and Head, says he, reckon yourselves so; in that (verse 1 0) he died and now lives; and you were included in him. And indeed, this consideration the Apostle suggests unto our faith, both as the greatest encouragement against imperfect mortification begun; that yet we may comfort ourselves by faith, as reckoning our selves wholly dead in Christ’s death, and so may assure ourselves, we shall one day be perfectly dead in ourselves by virtue of it; and withall as the strongest argument also and motive unto mortification, to endeavour to attain to the highest degree of it: which therefore he carries along in his discourse throughout that whole chapter. He would have them by faith, or spiritual reasoning, take in, and apprehend themselves long since dead to sin in Christ, when he died; and so should think it the greatest absurdity in the world to sin, even the least sin, we being dead long since, and that wholly, when Christ our Head died: And how shall we, who arc dead to sin, live any longer therein? And (verse 7) lie that is dead is free from sin; and how then shall we do the least service to it? Now all this he puts upon Christ’s dying, and our dying then with him: verse 6, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, (even when he was crucified) that it might be destroyed one day in us, fully and perfectly; ChrisCs body representing therein as a public person, the elect, and their body of sin conjunct with them. So as thus by faith they are to reckon themselves wholly dead to sin in Christ, and to use it as a rea son and motive to stir up themselves not to yield to the least sin. I use this expression of being wholly dead, because if he had spoken merely of that imperfect mortification begun in us, the argument would not have been a perfect motive agajnst the least sins. We who are dead, how shall we live in sin, or yield unto the least sin? For it might have been said, “Alas, we are but imperfectly dead “; and from an imperfect death could but an imperfect argument have been drawn. But
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the Scripture elsewhere tells us, that Christ by his death hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Heb. x. So as in his death they may reckon themselves perfectly dead by faith, and perfectly sanctified, though yet the work be not actually and fully perfected.
And all this communion with Christ as a Common person, representing them in his death, he there instructs them to be represented and sealed up to them by their baptism; so verses 3 and 4. How, I shall shew afterwards.
Now as this place holds forth Christ as a Common person in his Death representing us: so other places hold forth the like of his Resurrection. In the 1 Cor. xv. 20, the Apostle argues, that Elect Believers must and shall rise, because Noiu Christ is risen from the dead, and is become the first-fruits of them that sleep. See the force of this argument founded upon this notion and consideration, that Christ was a Common person representing all the rest; and this strongly presented in that expression of his being the first-fruits, in allusion to the rite in the Levitical law. All the sheaves in a field being unholy of themselves, there was some one sheaf in the name and room of all the-rest, (which was called lz first-fruit) which was lift up, and waved before the Lord; and so all the sheaves abroad in the field, by that act done to this one sheaf, were consecrated unto God, by virtue of that law, Lev. xxiii. 10. The meaning of which rite, the Apostle expounding, alledgeth, If the first-fruits k’ ho/i/, all the lump is holy also, Rom. xi. 1G. Thus when we were all dead, Christ as G first-fruits riseth, and this in our name and stead, and so we all rise with him arid in him. And although the Saints departed are not, in their own persons, as yet risen, (as we all who are now alive, are not in our own persons yet dead) yet in the mean time, because thus they are risen in Christ, as their first-fruits; hence, in the very words following, he saith, they are but asleep, He is become the fast-fruits of them that sleep, because they remain alive in Christ their Head, and shall rise one day: because in him they virtually are already risen; and this in God’s account is as true and just a sense, as we (though personally alive) are yet all reckoned dead in Adam, because he as a Common person had the sentence of death pronounced on him, by virtue of which we must die; and this by the force of the same law, even of that which we have inculcated of being a Common person, representing us. And indeed, so it follows, (which argues this to be the Apostle’s meaning) verse 21, For as in Adam all diey even so in Christ shall all be made alive. His argument lies thus: Adam was the first-fruits of them that died; Christ of them that rise. Hence therefore we are elsewhere said (though in respect to another life) to be risen with Christ, Eph. ii. 5, 6, and (which is yet more) to sit together with him m heaven: because he as a Common person representing us, sits there in our name and stead, as you shall hear when I come to it in the text, in the next Section.