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by it as far as he faw fit; and the Manhood, while on earth at leaft, was not fo taken up into God, as to be quite abforbed and loft therein. Nay, this is not the cafe, now he is in Heaven, but the Lamb, in the midft of the throne, is ftill of a nature diftinct from pure and proper Deity, and knows not the fecrets of the Divine Counfels any further than they are communicated to him. Hence he is reprefented as receiving the Book, containing thefe Counfels, from the right hand of Him that fitteth upon the Throne, and hence we meet with that expreffion,-The Revelation of Jefus Chrift which God gave unto him.

14. And yet, to fignify that these two natures, though preferved compleat and diftinct, were nevertheless moft clofely united in the perfon of the Redeemer, we frequently, in the Scriptures, meet with what is termed a communication of properties viz.the one nature fpeaks things, or has things fpoken of it, which are only proper to the other nature. As for inftance, Acts xx. 28. we read, The Church of God which he hath purchafed with his own blood: and 1 John iii. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, becaufe he laid down his life for us; which is fpeaking of the Divine Nature things proper only to the human. And, John iii. 13. No man hath afcended up into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heavenwhich is affirming of the human nature, the Son of Man, things that could only be true of the divine. For as God cannot die, and has no blood to shed,

fo the Son of man, the human nature, had not then been in heaven, and much more could not be there while on earth. Nay, and our Lord, at one and the fame time, and with one breath, often faid things proper to both his natures; as in the paffage above quoted,——I am the root and offspring of David, the root as God, and the offspring as man. Again, I lay down my life for the Sheep. I have power to lay it down, and I have

power

power to take it again: I lay down my life as man I have power to take it again as God.

15. Bishop Burnet fpeaks well on this subject : "What a perfon is that refults from a clofe conjunction of two natures, we can only judge by confidering man, in whom there is a material and a fpiritual nature joined together. They are two natures as different as any we can apprehend among all created beings; yet thefe make but one man. The matter of which the body is compofed, does not fubfift by itfelfis not under all thofe laws of motion to which it should be fubject, if it were mere inanimated matter; but by the indwelling and actuation of the foul, it has another fpring within it, and another courfe of operations. According to this, then, to fubfift by another, is when a being is acting according to its natural properties, but yet in a conftant dependance upon another being; fo our bodies fubfift, by the fubfistence of our souls. 16. This may help us to apprehend how that as the body is ftill a body, and operates as a body, though it fubfift by the indwelling and actuation of the foul; fo in the person of Jefus Chrift, the human nature was entire, and ftill acted according to its own character; yet there was such an union and inhabitation of the Eternal Word in it, that there did arife out of that a communication of names and characters, as we find in the Scriptures. A man is called tall, fair, and healthy, From the ftate of his body-and learned, and wife, and good, from the qualities of his mind: So Chrift is called holy, harmlefs, and undefiledis faid to have died, rifen, and afcended up into heaven, with relation to his human nature: he is alfo faid to be in the Form of God, to have created all things, to be the brightness of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, with reiation to his Divine Nature. The ideas that we have of what is material, and what is fpiritual, lead us to diftinguifh in a man, thofe defcriptions that belong to his body, from thole that belong

to

to his mind; fo the different apprehenfions that we have of what is created and uncreated, must be our thread to guide us into the refolution of thofe various expreffions which occur in the Scriptures concerning Christ.

17. "The defign of the definition that was made by the Church, concerning Chrift's having one perfon, was chiefly to diftinguish the nature of the indwelling of the Godhead in him from all prophetical infpirations. The Mofaic degree of prophecy was, in many refpects, fuperior to that of the fubfequent Prophets; yet the difference is ftated between Christ and Mofes, in terms that import things of quite another nature; the one being mentioned as the Servant, the other as the Son that built the houfe. It is not faid that God appeared to Chrift, or that he spoke to him; but God was ever with him, and in him; and while the WORD was made flesh, yet ftill his glory was as the glory of the only begotten Son of God. The glory that Ifaiah faw, was his glory= and, on the other hand, God is faid to have purchafed the Church with his own blood. If Neftorius, in oppofing this, meant only (as fome think it appears by many citations out of him) that the Blefled Virgin was not to be called fimply the Mother of God,but the Mother of him that was God; and if that of making two perfons in Chrift was only faftened on him as a confequence, we are not at all concerned in, the matter of fact, whether Neftorius was misunderstood and hardly used or not; but the doctrine here afferted is plain in the Scriptures,-That though the human nature of Chrift acted still according to its proper character, and had a peculiar will, yet there was fuch a'conftant prefence, indwelling, and actuation on it from the Eternal WORD, as did constitute both human and divine nature in one perfon. As thefe are thus fo entirely united, fo they are never to be feparated. Chrift is now exalted to the highest degrees of glory and honour and the characters of bleffing, honour, and glory, are reprefented

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reprefented in St. John's Vifions, as offered unto the Lamb for ever and ever."- -Burnet on the Articles.

1.

CHA P. XIII.

Some OBJECTIONS anfwered.

WHAT has been advanced in the last

Chapter upon the Humanity of Chrift, will, I prefume, if thoroughly confidered, be found to contain a fufficient answer to most of the arguments brought to difprove his Divinity. For they feem, in general, to be built on a fuppofition, that thofe who believe him to be God either deny him to be Man, or imagine his Manhood to have been abforbed by, or converted into his Godhead, fo as no longer to retain its proper nature and poffefs an understanding and will diftin&t from those of the Deity. Nay, fome fpeak as if they thought we believed the man, ftrictly fpeaking, to be God-the creature to be the Creator. But none of these is, in the leaft, fuppofed or intended. We only believe and

wifh to establish fuch an union between this Humanity of our Saviour and the Divine Effence, through the indwelling of the Eternal Word of the Father, as will juftify the conduct of the Apoftles in applying to Chrift fo many paffages of the Old Testament manifeftly intended of the True God, will account for his bearing divine Names and Titles, and having divine Perfections and Works afcribed to him, and will lay a proper foundation for that dependence upon him as a Mediator and Redeemer, (without which there is no falvation,) and for that Honour and Worship, which, according to the Scriptures, are his due.

2. But it will be objected by those who admit the pre-existence of Chrift, and yet deny his Godhead, that "what has been faid concerning

his

his Humanity does not come up to the point: that he uses a variety of expreflions concerning himself, even before his incarnation, which seem incompatible with true and proper Deity; fuch as--I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that fent me :-I proceeded forth, and came from God, neither came I of myfelf, but he fent me I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and go to the Father."

3. In anfwer to this, I obferve, firft, We find expreffions, fimilar to thefe, used even of the Holy Ghoft, whom the Unitarians themfelves allow, though not to be a proper perfon, yet to be truly divine. Of him Jefus ufes the following. language,The Comforter, the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will SEND in my name, he fhall teach you all things, John xiv. 26.Again, When the Camforter is come, whom I will SEND unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me, John xv. 26.--And again, I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not. away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will SEND him unto you; and when he is come, he will reprove the world of fin, of righteouf nefs, and of judgment.When the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he fhall not SPEAK OF HIMSELF; but WHATSOEVER HE SHALL HEAR, that he shall speak; and he will fhew you things to come. He hall glorify me, for he fhall RECEIVE OF MINE, and fhew it unto you: All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore faid I, that he shall receive of mine, and fhew it unto you, John xvi. 7--13--15. Now if thefe, and fuch like expreffions, when used of the Holy Spirit, do not imply that he is a Created Being, feparate from, and of a nature inferior to the Father, and even to the Son,-neither do fimilar expreffions, when ufed of the Word, neceffarily imply that He is a Created Being separate from, and of a nature inferior to the Father. They may,

Q

indeed,

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