t." The Son hath done his part, and is
to express his infinite love, infinite condescendency, and stooping below
his majesty. Now, as for me, I will show my good-will to it in my infinite
bounty and riches of grace to the church; he hath given himself for her,--I
will give my Spirit; and thus it cannot but hold.

We shall speak a word then of these three: first, what estate and
condition Christ findeth his church in, out of which she must be taken to
be his spouse; then, what way and course is laid down by the council of
heaven, to fill up the infinite distance between Christ and sinners; and,
to close all, we shall show you the suitableness of these promises, and
the wonderful fitness of this doctrine to the church, at this time Isaiah
preached it, and at all times.

The first is supposed in the words. Redemption supposeth captivity or
slavery; redemption of persons importeth captivity and slavery of these
persons, and redemption of other things that belong to persons, importeth
sale or alienation of our right to them. Of both, personal redemption is
the greatest and most difficult; yet both we have need of, for our estate
and fortune, so to speak, is lost, "for all men have sinned and come short
of the glory of God," Rom. iii. 23. That inheritance of eternal life, we
have mortgaged it, and given away our right to it. The favour of God and
the blessedness of communion with him, was Adam's birthright, and by a
free donation was made his proper inheritance and possession, to be
transmitted to his posterity. But O! for how small a thing did he give it
away,--for a little taste of an apple he sold his estate; and both he and
we may lament over it, as the king that was constrained to render himself
and all his army for want of water. When he tasted it, "For how small a
thing," saith he, "have I lost my kingdom!" Then our persons are in a
state of bondage, in captivity and slavery; captives under the wrath of
God, and slaves or servants to sin. There needed no greater difference and
deformity between Christ and us, than this,--our servitude and bondage to
sin, which truly is the basest and most abominable vassalage in the world.
The abasement of the highest prince, to the vilest servitude under the
basest creatures in his dominion, is but a shadow of that loathsome and
ugly posture of our souls. This servitude doth in a manner unman us, and
transform us into beasts. Certainly it is that which, in the holy eyes of
God, is mor