It was

1. Firft for the Person who came. the Second Perfon in the glorious Trinity, the ever bleffed and eternal Son of God, concerning whom it is a Miracle and a Kind of Paradox to our Reason (confidering the Condition of his Perfon) how he could be faid to come at all: for fince all coming is Motion or Progreffion from a Place in which we were, to a Place in which we were not before; and fince Infinity implies an actual Comprehenfion of, and a Presence to all Places, it is hard to conceive how he who was God could be faid to come any whither, whose Infinity had made all Progreffion to, or Acquisition of a new Place impoffible. But Christ, who delighted to mingle every Mercy with Miracle and Wonder, took a finite Nature into the Society and Union of his Perfon; whereupon what was impoffible to a Divine Nature, was rendred very poffible to a Divine Perfon; which could rightfully and properly entitle itself to all the refpective Actions and Properties of either Nature comprehended within its Perfonality. So that being made Man, he could do all things that Man could do, except only fin. Every thing that was purely Human, and had nothing of any finful Deficiency or Turpitude cleaving to it, fell

within the Verge and Compass of his Actions. But now was there ever any Wonder comparable to this! to behold Divinity thus cloathed in Flesh! the Creator of all things humbled not only to the Company, but also to the Cognation of his Creatures! It is as if we should imagine the whole World not only reprefented upon, but also contained in one of our little artificial Globes; or the Body of the Sun invelop'd in a Cloud as big as a Man's Hand; all which would be look'd upon as aftonishing Impoffibilities; and yet as short of the other, as the greatest Finite is of an Infinite, between which the Difparity is immeafurable. For that God fhould thus in a manner transform Himself, and fubdue and mafter all His Glories to a poffibility of humane Apprehenfion and Converse, and best reason would have thought it fuch a thing as God could not do, had it not feen it actually done. It is (as it were ) to cancel the Effential Distances of Things, to remove the Bounds of Nature, to bring Heaven and Earth, and (what is more) both Ends of the Contradiction together.

And thereupon fome, who think it an Imputation upon their Reafon, to believe any thing but what they can demonftrate, (which

is no thanks to them at all) have invented feveral strange Hypothefis, and Salvo's to clear up these things to their Apprehenfions. As that the Divine Nature was never perfonally united to the humane, but only paffed thro' it in a kind of imaginary, phantaftick Way, that is, (to speak plainly ) in some way or other, which neither Scripture, Sense nor Reafon know any thing of. And others have by one bold Stroke cut off all fuch Relation of it to the Divine Nature, and in much another Senfe, than that of the Pfalmift, made Chrift altogether fuch an one as themselves, that is, a meer Man. Jos ärger, for Socinus would needs be as good a Man as his Saviour.

But this Opinion, whatfoever ground it may have got in this latter Age of the Church, yet no fooner was it vented and defended by Photinus Bishop of Sermium, but it was immediately crush'd, and univerfally rejected by the Church. So that although feveral other Herefies had their Courfe, and were but at length extinguished, and not without fome Difficulty, yet this, like an indigested Meteor, appeared and disappeared almost at the fame time. However Socinus beginning where Photinus had long before left off, lick'ḍ up

his deferted forlorn Opinion, and lighting upon worse times has found much better Succefs.

But is it true that Chrift came into the World? Then fure, I am apt to think, that this is a folid Inference, that He had an Existence, and a Being before He came hither; fince every Motion or Paffage from one Place or Condition to another fuppofes the Thing or Perfon fo moving to have actually existed under both Terms, to wit, as well under that from which, as that to which he paffes. But if Christ had nothing but an humane Nature, which never exifted till it was in the World, how could that poffibly be faid to come into the World? The Fruit that grows upon a Tree, and fo had the firft Moment of its Existence there, cannot with any Propriety or Truth of Speech be faid to have come to that Tree, fince that must fuppofe it to have been fome where elfe before. I am far from building fo great and fo concerning a Truth merely upon the stress of this way of Expression; yet till the Reasoning grounded upon it be difproved, I fuppofe it is not therefore to be despised, though it may be feconded with much better.

But

But the Men, whom we contend with, feem hugely injurious to Him, Whom they call their Saviour, while they even crucify Him in His Divinity, which the Jews could never do; making His very Kindness an Argument against His Prerogative. For His condefcending to be a Man makes them infer that He is no more; and Faith must stop here, because Sight can go no further. But if a Prince fhall deign to be familiar and to converse with those upon whom he might trample, fhall His Condefcenfion therefore Unking Him? And His Familiarity rob Him of His Royalty? The Cafe is the fame with Christ. Men cannot perfuade themselves that a Deity and Infinity fhould lye within so narrow a Compafs as the contemptible Dimensions of an Humane Body. That Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence should be ever wrapt in Swadling Cloths, and abafed to the homely Ufages of a Stable and a Manger. That the glorious Artificer of the whole Universe, Who spread out the Heavens like a Curtain, and laid the Foundations of the Earth could ever turn Carpenter, and excrcise an inglorious Trade in a little Cell. They cannot imagine, that He who commands the Cattle upon a Thousand Hills, and takes up the

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