十二月二十六日
末后的亚当……（林前15：45）
耶稣是选民的首领。在亚当里面，每一个属血肉的后裔皆蒙其利，因爲按著行爲的律说，他是一族的盟主和代表；而按著恩典的律说，每一位被赎的人都与天上的主成爲一了；他是第二个亚当，在慈爱的新约中他是中保，是代表。希伯来书上说当亚伯拉罕见麦基洗德的时候利未已经在他身中；照样当订立恩典的永约时，信徒也在中保耶稣基督的身中了。因此，基督所作的，乃是爲了他的整个教会。我们与他同钉十字架幷与他同埋（西2：10—13），更希奇的是，我们也与他一同复活，一同坐在天上（弗2：6）。教会就这样成全了律法，幷“在爱子里蒙悦纳”。她就这样满足耶和华的心愿，因爲他是在耶稣里面看她，幷不是把她与她的盟主分别看待。基督耶稣既是受膏作以色列的救赎主，就与他的教会没有什麽分别，凡他所有的都是爲了他的教会。亚当所持守的义乃是我们的，当他犯罪时我们也犯了罪；照样，凡第二个亚当所作所有的，也是我们的，因爲他是我们的代表。这就是恩约的根基。这种代表和替代的恩惠办法，使殉道者游斯丁喊道：“可称颂的更换！可赞美的替代！”这是我们救恩福音的基础，当用坚强的信心和快乐的心情来接受。
“因一次的过犯，衆人都被定罪；照样，因一次的义行，衆人也就被称爲义得生命了。”
“因一人的悖逆，衆人成爲罪人；照样，因一人的顺从，衆人也成爲义了。”
December 26
“The last Adam.”—1 Corinthians
15:45
Jesus is the federal head of
his elect. As in Adam, every heir of flesh and blood has a personal interest,
because he is the covenant head and representative of the race as considered
under the law of works; so under the law of grace, every redeemed soul is one
with the Lord from heaven, since he is the Second Adam, the Sponsor and
Substitute of the elect in the new covenant of love. The apostle Paul declares
that Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchizedek met him: it is a certain
truth that the believer was in the loins of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, when in
old eternity the covenant settlements of grace were decreed, ratified, and made
sure for ever. Thus, whatever Christ hath done, he hath wrought for the whole
body of his Church. We were crucified in him and buried with him (read Col.
2:10-13), and to make it still more wonderful, we are risen with him and even
ascended with him to the seats on high (Eph. 2:6). It is thus that the Church
has fulfilled the law, and is “accepted in the beloved.” It is thus
that she is regarded with complacency by the just Jehovah, for he views her in
Jesus, and does not look upon her as separate from her covenant head. As the
Anointed Redeemer of Israel, Christ Jesus has nothing distinct from his Church,
but all that he has he holds for her. Adam’s righteousness was ours so long as
he maintained it, and his sin was ours the moment that he committed it; and in
the same manner, all that the Second Adam is or does, is ours as well as his,
seeing that he is our representative. Here is the foundation of the covenant of
grace. This gracious system of representation and substitution, which moved
Justin Martyr to cry out, “O blessed change, O sweet permutation!”
this is the very groundwork of the gospel of our salvation, and is to be
received with strong faith and rapturous joy.
