A Compendium of the Chief Doctrines of the True Christian Religion/Chapter 8
VIII. Redemption by the Assumption of Humanity.
NO sooner had man eaten of the forbidden fruit, than a merciful promise was made of his future redemption and salvation, which were to be effected by the exertion of a divine power in his behalf, bruising the head of the serpent, thereby delivering him from the dominion of evil and infidelity, and restoring him to that happiness, from which he had so wofully fallen. To effect this great end, the one God, Jehovah himself, in the fulness of time descended, and, according to the principles of his own divine order, assumed a human essence and form by incarnation; in and by which form, as a medium suited to the states and perceptions of his creatures, he might not only become visible to them, but might also gradually introduce among them, from the fountain of pure divinity within that medium, such a measure of his divine influence as would tend to remove the impending destruction from their heads, and at length raise them to a state of final happiness.
The reason why this assumption of Humanity became necessary was, because in this, and in no other way, could the infinitely pure and divine essence approach the cause of man's disorder, now risen to it's extreme limit, without danger of consuming him: for as human nature is the seat and habitation of evil, it appears, that the only mode of expelling such evil, or at least of reducing it's power, was by Jehovah preparing for himself a body, wherein he might as it were come into contact with, and at the same time resist and overcome, those infernal spirits, who, being present with man, are continually seducing and endeavouring to destroy him. This combat and victory over the powers of darkness, by Jehovah himself while in the Humanity, form a principal subject of divine revelation: and hence it is that we so frequently find him described as a Mighty Man, a Man of War, a Conqueror, a King of Glory, &c. &c.
Numerous are the passages in the Sacred Scriptures, which confirm the doctrine here maintained, of the descent of Jehovah himself into the world, in order that he might become an incarnate God, and thus an everlasting Redeemer and Saviour. But the following will be found amply sufficient on the present occasion. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us)," Isa. vii. 14. Matt. i. 22, 23. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," Isa. ix. 6. "It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is Jehovah, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation," Isa. xxv. 9. "Behold, the Lord Jehovih will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: he shall feed his flock like a Shepherd," Isa. xl. 10, 11. "All flesh shall know, that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob," Isa. xlix. 26.
The form, under which Jehovah appeared, and by which he may be said to have sent himself into the world, was called the Son of God; and it was so called for the reasons to be now stated. As it was impossible for the infinitely pure and naked Divinity, such as it is in itself, to come down among men, without consuming them in an instant, the divine mercy of Jehovah God prompted him to come down in such a way of accommodation, that the full intensity of his glory should be with-held from their eyes, while he presented himself in the world principally as divine truth, veiled or clothed in human nature, from which nevertheless the divine good was not, nor could be, really separate. Now this divine truth, so veiled and clothed, inasmuch as it necessarily appeared to be something distinct from the pure Divinity, while notwithstanding this latter was actually within it, as the soul of a man is within his body, was on that account called the Son of God. It is moreover to be observed, that the divine human principle within that form proceeded forth from God, or the pure Divinity, comparatively as a son from a father; and that the very maternal substances also were excited, and put into human form, by the divine power alone. Thus in both respects, that is, in reference both to the form, which was born of a virgin, and to that which came down from heaven, the Lord while on earth was called the Son of God.
The divine truth, which, as before observed, more particularly descended, and was more immediately adjoined to the visible human form, was the same as the Word, of which it is written, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word: all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John i. 1, 3, 14.
The work of redemption did not, as is too generally supposed, consist in the Son's offering himself as a sacrifice in the room of mankind, with a view to appease the wrath of the Father, to satisfy his vindictive justice, and thereby to atone for the sins of the world: for in the first place, there is no such odious passion as wrath in the Divine Being, nor is he possessed of any such attribute as vindictive justice; and in the next place, it is contrary to every principle of justice, both human and divine, that the innocent should suffer for the crimes of the guilty. But redemption, being a work purely divine, consisted in the actual subjugation of the powers of darkness, in the orderly arrangement of the heavens, and in the consequent foundation of a new spiritual church on earth.
A process of this nature and description, when conducted by a divine power, may well be supposed to have the effect of "bruising the head of the serpent," according to the first prediction and promise after the fall of man, that is, of destroying the dominion of self-love and the love of the world in the human mind. But how could any vicarious sacrifice atonement, or pacification of supposed wrath in the Deity, by one not at all concerned in the offences of the disobedient, produce any change of state in the guilty and impenitent? And without a change of state, how can an unregenerate person be qualified for the enjoyment of heavenly happiness? Such a scheme of salvation, as that here alluded to, certainly puts at defiance every principle of sound reason, and throws into shade all our ideas of the divine attributes and perfections. Above all, it is entirely opposed to the truth of divine revelation, when properly understood; for this very distinctly teaches, that God is a Being of pure love and mercy, and that all the satisfaction or atonement, which he requires, is, that we on our parts endeavour by repentance to forsake our sins, to put away from us the evil of our doings, and to turn to him with sincerity of heart; in short, as the prophet says, "to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God:" while he on his part is ever present with his Spirit to give us the power so to do, and to direct our steps in the way that leads to everlasting life.
In agreement with these sentiments it is written, "To obey is better than sacrifice," 1 Sam. xv. 22. "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required," Ps. xl. 6. The same is again repeated in another place, in nearly the same words, but with an addition, explaining the kind of sacrifice that really is acceptable to Jehovah: "Thou hast not desired sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt-offering: the sacrifices of God are a broken heart," Ps. li. 16, 17. Jehovah likewise by his servant Hosea says, "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice," Hos. vi. 6: which words are expressly quoted by our Lord in the Gospel, as having an immediate reference to the great end for which he came in the world: see Matt. ix. 13. And though many have inferred, that the sacrifices and burnt-offerings, enjoined the children of Israel, were acceptable to Jehovah in consideration of their reminding him of the future sacrifice of his Son on the cross, whose blood should in like manner be spilt, in order to render him propitious to mankind; yet, that such a notion or view is foreign to the true design of their permission, and that they were all representative of the worship of the heart, or obedience to the divine law, is sufficiently plain from the following explicit declaration: "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you," Jer. vii. 22, 23.
It was stated above, that redemption consisted in three things, viz. 1. the subjugation of the powers of darkness; 2. the orderly arrangement of the heavens; and, 3. the consequent formation of a new church on earth. The subjugation of the powers of darkness is in the Sacred Scripture called a judgment; and this was accomplished by the Lord while in the Humanity on earth, as is plain from his own words: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out," John xii. 31. "The prince of this world is judged," John xvi. 11. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world," John xvi. 33. And again, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven," Luke x. 18. At the same time he formed new heavens above, and a new earth below, that is, a new church both in the spiritual and in the natural world, wherein, according to prophecy, should dwell righteousness and peace. Thus, by virtue of his Divinity operating in and by his Humanity, he delivered mankind from the overwhelming power of evil, reduced to order all things in heaven, and laid the foundation of a new spiritual church on earth. This process, begun in divine mercy, and conducted by divine power, constituted the true nature of redemption.
