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office, and at beft are as a fhadow, but my beloved is the fame yefterday, to-day, and for ever.

Friendly. What may be understood, by the fpoufe defcribing her beloved as white and ruddy.

Truth. As white and ruddy are colours in a complexion which fet forth the perfection of beauty, fo it fets forth that repleteness of beauty and glory there is in CHRIST; whitenefs is an emblem of glory in fcripture, Dr. Owen calls it the complexion of glory. However, certainly it is emblematical of it, Dan. vii. 9. And the ancient of days did fit, whofe garment was white as fnow. And with refpect to the glory of CHRIST'S transfiguration, we find, that one part of it is fet forth by his raiment being white as the light. And the glory of the faints in Heaven is fet forth by the fame emblem, and they shall walk with me in white, faith CHRIST, for they are worthy. So that by CHRIST's being white, we may understand, that the effential glory of the Deity dwells in him, all the light, luftre, brightness, and glory of the Godhead dwell in him, Col. ii. 9. For in him dwell all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; the perfections of the Deity difplay their fulness and refulgent beams through the man-nature, fo that whatfoever light, understanding, and knowledge we have of GoD, and enjoyment of him. in the properties of his nature, and in all the glories of his love, it fhines through the man of his right hand, which renders CHRIST a perfect object of love, delight and complacency.

By CHRIST's being white, it may denote, the purity and perfection of his human nature, for he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth; therefore ftiled, a Lamb without spot or blemish. CHRIST's human nature was every way anfwerable to the purity and perfection of the law of GOD, therefore the whole of his actions, in thought, word, and deed, was a perfection of obedience; in which refpect he is fairer than the fons of men. Both these perfections, human and divine, uniting in his perfon, place him beyond the reach of any comparison.

By CHRIST's being defcribed as ruddy, I apprehend it denotes, his bloody fufferings, being made ruddy in his own blood, as a facrifice for fin, an atonement to divine wrath, who ftained all his raiment, whofe veftment is dipt in blood, by whofe precious blood we have access to God, Heb. x. 19. Redemp tion from fin, Eph. i. 7. Purification for our fouls, Heb. ix. 14. and glorification to our perfons, Rev. i. 5. Now it is this heavenly mixture, this divine white and ruddinefs of the great Redeemer, that renders him fo exceedingly precious, as the

chiefeft among ten thoufand; efpecially if we confider, that the holiness and purity of his human nature derived an infinite value from its perfonal union with the divine; thereby, his life, death, refurrection, and interceffion hath that intrinfic value and worth in it, as to render it meritorious to the falvation of cur fouls; though his whiteness points out his purity and obedience to the law; and his ruddinefs his bloody fufferings, and the foldier with a fpear pierced him, and forthwith came blood and water; yet that which rendered CHRIST's death effectual to obtain and eternally fecure our falvation, was his fuffering in union with the Deity.

Friendly. Does not CHRIST's confummate fitness to fave his people arife from his union to the divine nature?

Truth. Yes; it is impoffible for any power lefs than Omnipotent to fave a fingle foul; or any merit fhort of infinity to answer fo great an end; for fin, as committed against an infinite Being, and a breach of the infinitely holy law of GOD, must be an infinite offence, and confequently the fatisfaction for this offence muft be more than any finite creature can give, therefore it was abfolutely neceffary that he that would make fatisfaction for the offence, and fave the offender, must be in his nature infinite. CHRIST, as to his divine effence, being JEHOVAH by nature, this divine nature taking into union the human nature, and these two natures, conftituting one glorious perfon, viz. God-Man, there was no merit, glory, nor dignity too great for him to give, nor no suffering too great for him to endure.

Hence it is, that CHRIST's perfection to fave, ariseth from the union of the two natures in one perfon, which conftitute him a compleat Saviour, and fit to be a reconciler between GOD and man; for being GoD by nature, there was nothing too hard for him to do in point of Deity, nor no command too great in the Godhead for him to accomplish; whatfoever was required, there was an infinite ability in his perfon to perform, and as Dr. Owen expreffeth it," he partaking of the nature of GOD, could lay his hands upon GOD; and partaking upon "the nature of man, he could lay his hands upon us, and "thereby his fitnefs to fave to the uttermoft appears." Indeed, herein the glory of CHRIST's fitnefs to fave, fhines with infinite perfection through the whole of his incarnation, life, death, and refurrection. His conception, or formation in the womb of the virgin, was in union to the divine nature; which made his birth fo infinitely glorious, that the angelic bands tuned their golden harps with facred joy, in celebrating the praises

of their incarnate LORD and GOD, John i. 14. The word was made flesh. The wonder of CHRIST's birth doth not so much confift in his being made of a woman, and born of a virgin, in an extraordinary manner, by the power of the Holy Ghost, this being only the work of Omnipotence, and what cannot an Almighty agent do? But the glory and wonder of his birth, confifted, in his human nature having a perfonal union and fubfiftence with the divine, as in the one appears the work of Omnipotence, but in the other the condefcenfion of the Deity. The one was a work above nature, therefore called, the power of the highest; but the other was the GOD of nature deigning to take upon him our nature; hence faid the Angel to Mary, Thou shalt call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. For though it then only appeared to be the nature of man, that was born of the virgin; yet, as it was formed and brought forth in union to the divine, it was God made manifeft in the flesh, 1 Tim. iii. 16. Hence the Prophet had moft delightful difplays of the glories of both natures in his complex perfon, f. ix. 6. To us a child is born, to us a fon is given; and his name fhall be called the mighty God, the everlasting Father. A view of this diftinct union, of the God of Nature taking the human nature into union with himself, amazed and aftonished Angels, Archangels, Cherubims and Seraphims around the throne, and caufed them to celebrate this unknown, inconceivable grace, in fweet feraphic praife, Luke ii. 13, 14. And fuddenly there was with the Angel, a multitude of the heavenly heft, praifing God, and faying, glory to God on high, peace on earth, and good will towards men. Thus CHRIST's fefs to fave, fhines in his birth with infinite glory, with rancy peculiar to itself, and above all other beings, which made it the tidings of fuch joy to poor mortals, that the heavenly herald faid, Luke ii. 10, 11. Fear not; for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people, for unto you is born in the city of David a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord.

Friendly. Does not the fitnefs and glory of his obedience arife from this union?

Truth. Yes; though the human nature of CHRIST, in its formation, conception, and birth, was perfectly pure and holy, every way answerable to the nature and purity of the divine law, Pfal. xl. 8. Yea, thy law is written in my heart; and the whole of his obedience was a perfect portrait of the law of GOD, as he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth, yet the glory of his obedience did folely arife from his union with the divine nature, which diffufed an infinite merit through the

whole of his life, and rendered his obedience a righteousness of infinite perfection for his people. Hence it is, that the HOLY GHOST ftiles it, the righteousness of God, Rom. x. 3. And we are faid, O amazing! to be made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. v. 21. in which refpect the Saints in Heaven do not only outfhine Adam in a ftate of innocency, but Angels in glory, as they fhine in the luminary of glory, purely in the perfections of the Son of GOD, as a glorious church, a happy bride, adorned to meet her husband, all glori ous within, and her cloathing is of wrought gold.

Friendly. Does not the fatisfaction of CHRIST's death arife from the perfonal union of the divine nature with the human? Truth. Yes, and from no other caufe is it poffible; for as it was impoffible for the divine nature to suffer, so as impoffible for the fufferings of human nature, of itfelf, to fatisfy; for fatisfaction must have that, in the value of it anfwerable to the demand, or elfe it cannot fatisfy for the demand made: if CHRIST had not an infinite dignity, perfection, and glory, in his perfon, it was impoffible for him to fatisfy an infinite offended juftice. Let us for a few moments (though one moment is too long) fuppofe CHRIST only to be, what too many affirm he really is, a fuper-angelic, or the highest created being in Heaven. Well, what will this do for us? as fuch he can only be a finite being, and can a finite being give an infinite fatisfaction? This is fuppofing that it can give that, it has not in its own nature, which is impoffible. And confequently, if there is no fatisfaction for fin, there can be no falvation from the wrath to come.

Therefore, as the whole of our falvation, from first to laft, depends upon the fatisfaction of CHRIST's death, I aver, that all the glory, riches, and atonement of his precious blood arifeth from his perfonal union with the divine nature; and while I view the Lamb of God pouring out his foul an offering for fin, as a dying victim, a bleeding facrifice in my roomm and stead, to make an atonement for my guilty foul, I view the man JESUS, the appointed facrifice, fuffering in union with the Deity; and that all the perfections of the Godhead were mutually engaged to communicate an infinite worth, value, and glory through all his fufferings, which rendered them a plenary fatisfaction for every offence my foul hath been guilty of; and from this union it is, that his blood is called the blood of God, Acts xx. 28.

Hence, from this union, I fee in CHRIST an infinite fitnefs to fave to the very uttermoft all that come unto God by him

that there is in his death, all the riches, value, and glory of the eternal Godhead; that though from JEHOVAH went a fiery law, which is to the tranfgreffor the miniftration of death, of condemnation, yet from the dying Saviour went a facred stream of precious blood, impregnated with all the perfections of the Deity, which rendered his bleeding fufferings an eternal atonement for fin, a perfect pacification to divine wrath, and compleat propitiation between GoD and my foul. Hence the Chriftian, not only enjoys nearnefs at the throne of grace, but fweet communion and fellowship with the eternal Deity, feeing that all the perfections of the tri-une GOD are fo harmoniously, in all their glory and radiancy, in that new and living way by which he enters into the holy of holies by the blood of Jelus. This makes the Chriftian's joy fo large, his hopes fo lively, and his triumphs to great; by viewing the LORD JESUS, not only fuffering by divine appointment, for him hath God the Father fealed, but fuffering in union to the Deity, thereby opening a paffage-way into all the fulnefs of the Godhead. The Chriftian launcheth forth, by faith, into that fea of life, love, and peace, contained in all the perfections and promifes of the GOD of our falvation, and breaks forth with. a tranfport of joy, herein is love, not that we loved God, but that be loved us, and gave his Son to be a propitiation for our fins. Now this diftinct union is the conjunction of two natures, divine and human, or GOD and man in one glorious perfon for ever; which renders the LORD JESUS fo compleat a SAVIOUR, fuch an High Prieft became us, one that could answer all that GoD demanded, and all our wants required; in this refpect he is the chiefeft among ten thousand; in fhort, he is a wonder, none like him, none to be compared to him, in name, nature, perfection, and office, Ifa. vi. 9. His name fhall be called wonderful, which makes the Angels adore him, the Saints love him, and the Seraphims caft down their crowns at his feet, faying, worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was flain.

Friendly. Does not CHRIST'S fulness to fupply, as well as his fitnefs to fave, arife, from his union with the divine nature?

Truth. Yes, from CHRIST's personal union with the Deity arifes an endless, bottomless spring and fountain of everlasting love. Though this fulness is treasured up in the man JESUS, yet it flows to him by virtue of his perfonal union with the divine nature; fo that all the immenfe riches of grace and glory refide in him, and is communicated from him as Godman; and from this union of the Man with GOD it is, that all

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