Chapter 12: Of Man's Deliverance

Q. Having spoken of the state of man by creation, and his estate of corruption, let us now come to the third estate, the state of grace in this life; and first tell me whether there be any ability in man to deliver himself from his sinful and miserable estate?

A. None at all; because man being dead in trespasses and sins, has no more ability to recover himself to spiritual life, than he that is bodily dead to recover himself to bodily life (Ephesians 2:1 & 4:18).

Q. How else may this inability of man appear?

A. Man of himself is without strength to anything that is good; and moreover, if he had power to it, yet he has no will to seek after God, but to depart further and further from him, yes, to express all enmity against him.

Q. What may be a further reason to show that man cannot deliver himself?

A. Man being a creature, is but finite; and the majesty and justice of God which by sin is offended and wronged, is infinite.

Q. What do you infer from there?

A. Because there can be nothing in a finite sinning nature to satisfy an infinite offended majesty; but such a nature must be ever in satisfying, and never have satisfied; therefore it was not possible that man should deliver himself from his sinful and miserable estate.

Q. If man could not deliver himself, might he not be delivered by some other creature?

A. There is no man that can give a ransom to redeem another, so much as from bodily death, and much less from spiritual and eternal death.

Q. But if one man could not redeem another, what do you say of other creatures?

A. Other creatures are none of them of the same nature with man, and are all of them but finite, even the Angels themselves; and therefore none of them can make satisfaction to the infinite majesty of God.

Q. If infinite justice must needs be satisfied, and neither man nor other creature are able to do this; how then was there any possibility that man should ever be delivered from this wretched estate?

A. The mercy of God is so infinite that he might be willing that man should be delivered, and his wisdom such that he could find out some way and means of deliverance; and his power such that he was able to accomplish the way which his wisdom should devise; and therefore there was a possibility that man should be delivered.

Q. But whether is there any way of deliverance already found out, and man actually recovered?

A. Yes, the Lord has wrought redemption, and raised up a horn of salvation for his people (Psalm 111:9; Luke 1:69).

Q. Is God himself then the author of man's deliverance?

A. Man's misery being sin against God, and punishment from God, therefore God only must be the author of his deliverance, if he ever be delivered.

Q. What moved God to work man's deliverance?

A. Not because he had any need of man, for he could have been absolute and all-sufficient of himself, if all men had perished everlastingly, as he was before man had any being.

Q. Did God procure man's deliverance, because man did so deserve?

A. Man deserved it not, but the contrary, because he fell wilfully from that happy estate wherein he was created, whereas he might have continued happy if he would: therefore it had been no unrighteous thing if God had left him in that misery whereinto he had brought himself (Proverbs 1:31).

Q. Did the Lord work the deliverance of man, because man did importunately seek and sue to him for the same?

A. Man did not seek and sue to God at all, but fled from him (Genesis 3:8; Romans 3:11). And if he had sought to God for help, God was not bound to afford it; and how much less when he sought it not?

Q. If God did not work the deliverance of man because himself had need of it, or because man did desire it, what then was the cause that moved him to it?

A. Only his free grace, mercy, and love (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4, 5; Titus 3:4, 5).

Q. What is the true way and means of deliverance?

A. Only the Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15; Acts 4:12; 1 John 5:12).