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Christ, so far as it was administered by Him through his apostles and others of his servants, was the means by which his church was brought to the faith, and was saved.

COROLLARY.

We allow this question to become a subject of discussion,-Did the soul of Christ receive any knowledge immediately from the Logos operating on it, without the intervention of the Holy Spirit, which is called the knowledge of union?

DISPUTATION XXXVII.

ON THE REGAL OFFICE OF CHRIST.

I. AS CHRIST, when consecrated by his sufferings, was made the Author of salvation to all who obey him;-and as for this end not only the solicitation and the obtaining of blessings were required, (to which the sacerdotal office was devoted,) but also the communication of them; it was necessary for Him to be invested with the regal dignity, and to be constituted Lord over all things, with full power to bestow salvation, and whatever things are necessary for that purpose.

II. The kingly office of Christ is a mediatorial function, by which the Father having constituted Him Lord over all things which are in heaven and in earth, and peculiarly the King and the Head of his Church, He governs all things and the church, to her salvation and the glory of God. We will view this office in accommodation to the church, because we are principally concerned in this consideration.

III. The functions belonging to this office seem to be the following: Vocation to a participation in the kingdom of Christ; Legislation; the Conferring of the blessings in this life necessary to salvation; the Averting of the evils opposed to them; and the Last Judgment, and the circumstances connected with it.

IV. Vocation is the first function of the regal office of Christ; by which He calls sinful men to repent and believe the Gospel;a reward being proposed concerning a participation of the kingdom, and a threatening added of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord.

V. Legislation is the second function of the regal office of Christ, by which He prescribes to believers their duty, that, as his subjects, they are bound to perform to Him as their Head and Prince, a sanction being added through rewards and punish

ments, which properly agree with the state of this spiritual kingdom.

VI. Among the blessings which the third function of the regal office of Christ serves to communicate, we number not only the Remission of sins, and the Spirit of grace inwardly witnessing with our hearts that we are the children of God, but likewise all those blessings which are necessary for the discharge of the office; as Illumination, the Inspiring of good thoughts and desires, [corroboratio] Strength against temptations, and, in brief, the Inscribing of the law of God in our hearts. In addition to these, as many of the blessings of this [animalis] natural life, as Christ knows will contribute to the salvation of those who believe in Him. But the evils over the averting of which this function presides, must be understood as being contrary to these blessings.

VII. Judgment is the last act of the regal office of Christ, by which, justly and without respect of persons, He pronounces sentence concerning all the thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions of allmen, who have been previously summoned and placed before his tribunal; and by which He irresistibly executes that sentence through a just and gracious [retributionem] rendering of rewards, and through the due retribution of punishments, which consist in the bestowing of life eternal, and in the infliction of death eternal.

VIII. The results or consequences which correspond with these functions, are, (1.) The Collection or gathering together of the church, or the building of the temple of Jehovah: This gathering together consists of the calling of the Gentiles, and the bringing back or the restoration of the Jews, through the faith which answers to the divine vocation. (2.) Obedience performed to the commands of Christ by those who have believed in the Lord, and who have through faith been made citizens of the kingdom of heaven. (3.) The Obtaining of the remission of sins, and of the Holy Spirit, and of other blessings which conduce to salvation; as well as a deliverance from the evils which molest [believers] in the present life. (4.) Lastly. The resurrection from the dead, and a participation of life eternal.

IX. The means by which Christ administers his kingdom, and which principally come under our observation in considering the church, are the word, and the Holy Spirit, which ought never to be separated from each other. For this Spirit ordinarily employs the word, or the meanings of the word, in its external preaching: And the word alone, without the illumination and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is insufficient. But Christ never separates VOL. II.

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these two things, except through the fault of those who reject the word and resist the Holy Spirit.

X. The opposite results to these consequences are, the Casting away of the yoke [of Christ], the Imputation of sin, the Denial or the Withdrawing of the Holy Spirit, and the Delivering over to the power of Satan, to a reprobate mind, and to hardness of heart, with other temporal evils, and, lastly, Death eternal.

XI. From these things it appears, that the prophetical office, by which a church is collected through the word, ought to be [succenturiatum] a reserve or accessory to the regal office; and therefore that the administrators of it are rightly denominated "the apostles and the servants of Christ," as of Him who sends them forth into the whole world over which He has the power, and who puts words in their mouths: Whose continued assistance is likewise necessary, that the word may produce such fruit as agrees with its nature.

XII. This regal office is so peculiar to Christ under God the Father, that He admits no man even subordinately into a participation of it, as if he would employ such an one for a ministerial head. For this reason we say, that the Roman Pontiff, who calls himself the head and spouse though under Christ, is Antichrist.

DISPUTATION XXXVIII.

ON THE STATES OF CHRIST'S HUMILIATION AND EXALTATION.

I. RESPECTING the imposition and the execution of the offices which belong to Christ, two states of his usually come under consideration, both of them being required for this purpose,—that He may be able to bear the name of Saviour according to the will of God, and in reality to perform the thing signified under this name. One of these states is that of his humiliation, and is, according to the flesh, [animalis] natural: The other is that of glory, according to the Spirit, and is spiritual.

II. To the First State, that of his humiliation, belong the following articles of our belief: "He suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell." To the Latter State, that of his exaltation, belong these Articles: "He arose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead."

III. The Sufferings of Christ contain every kind of reproaches and torments, both of soul and body, which were inflicted on Him

partly by the fury of his enemies, and partly by the immediate chastisement of his Father. We say, that these last are not contrary to the good of the natural life, but to that of the spiritual life. But we deduce the commencement of these sufferings [a captivitate] from the time when He was taken into custody: For we consider those things which previously befel him rather to have been aporadeas, fore-runners of his sufferings, by which [eaplora retur] it might be put to the test, whether, with the prescience of those things which were to be endured, and indeed through an experimental knowledge, He would still be ready by voluntary obedience to endure other sufferings.

IV. The Crucifixion has the mode of murder, by which mode we are taught, that Christ was made a curse for us, that we through his cross might be delivered from the curse of the law: For this seems to have been the entire reason why God pronounced him accursed who hung on a tree or cross,-that we might understand that Christ having been crucified rather by Divine [dispensatione] appointment, than by human means, [censeri】 was reckoned accursed for our sake by God himself.

V. The Death of Christ was a true separation of his soul from the body, both according to its effects and according to place. It would indeed have ensued from crucifixion, and especially from the breaking of his legs; on which account, He is justly said to have been killed by the Jews: But death præoccupata est] was anticipated, or previously undertaken, by Christ himself, that He might declare himself to have received power from God the Father to lay down his soul and life, and that He died a voluntary death. The former of these seems to relate to the confirmation of the truth which had been announced by Him as a Prophet; and the latter, to [rationem] the circumstances of his Priestly Office.

VI. The Burial of Christ has relation to his certain death; and his remaining in the grave signifies, that He was under the dominion of death till the hour of his resurrection: This state, we think, was denoted by the existence of Christ [apud inferos] among the dead; of which his descent into Hell [or Hades] was the commencement, as his interment was that of his remaining in the tomb. This interpretation is confirmed, both by the Second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, (v,) and by the consent of the ancient church, who, in the Symbol of her Belief, had only the one or the other of these expressions, either " He descended into Hell,”—or “He was buried." Yet if any man thinks the meaning of this article,-" He descended into hell,"-to be

different from that which we have given, we will not contradict his opinion, provided it be agreeable to the Scriptures and to the analogy of faith.

VII. This state [of humiliation] was necessary, both that He might yield obedience to his Father; and that, having been tempted in all things without sin, He might be able [compati] to sympathize with those who are tempted; and, lastly, that He might by suffering be consecrated as Priest and King, and might enter into his own glory.

VIII. But his state of glory and exaltation contains three degrees, His Resurrection, Ascension into heaven, and Sitting at the right hand of the Father.

IX. The commencement of his glory was, his deliverance from the bonds [inferni] of the grave, and his rising again from the . dead; by which, his body, that was dead and had been laid in the sepulchre, after the effects of death had been destroyed in it, was re-united to his soul, and brought back again to life, not to this natural, but to a spiritual life; though, from [abundante] the overflowing force of natural life, He was able to perform its functions as long as it was necessary for Him to remain with his disciples in the present life, after having "arisen again from the dead,” [ad fidem resurrectioni adhibendum] to impart credibility to his resurrection. We ascribe this resurrection not only to the Father through the Holy Spirit, but likewise to Christ himself, who had the power of taking up his life again.

X. The assumption of Christ into heaven contains the progress of his exaltation. For as He had finished on earth the office enjoined, and had received a body,—not a natural, earthly, corruptible, fleshly and ignominious body,-but one spiritual, heavenly, incorruptible and glorious; and as other [munia] duties, necessary for procuring the salvation of men, were to be performed in and concerning heaven; it was [fus] right and proper that He should rise and be exalted to Heaven, and should remain there until He comes to judgment.

From these premises the dogma of the Papists concerning Transubstantiation, and that of the Ubiquitarians concerning Consubstantiation, or the bodily presence of Christ in, with and under the bread, are refuted.

XI. The Exaltation of Christ to the right hand of the Father is the supreme degree of his exaltation: For it contains the consummate glory and power which have been communicated to Christ himself by the Father. Glory, in his being seated with the Father in the throne of majesty,-both because the regal office has been

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