of the glory and happiness it had there enjoyed from the beginning, and humbled itfelf, by entering into the virgin's womb.*

6. Thefe two different natures are fo closely united as to make one glorious, mysterious person; by which means Christ's wonderful humiliation and condefcenfion appears in uniting his glorious divine nature to our mean and frail humanity; and his wonderful love, in exalting our nature to a perfonal union with the Deity :-Yet thefe two natures do, and must continue distinct, unblended and unmixed. By vir tue of this wonderful union, the man Jefus is spoken of as Gop, and the divine word, which is GoD, is fpoken of as man.

7. That our Lord Jefus Chrift was, and is poffeffed of a truly divine nature, or that he is truly and really Gon in one of his na tures, appears againft Socinians and Arrians, from the works that he did; the di vine names and attributes afcribed to him, and the divine perfections which were dif played in his miracles. As we heardabove, he is exprefsly called GoD: "the bright nefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon:" He is faid to have been in the beginning, that is eternal; to have been before Abraham was; to have created and made all things. He is ftiled • Col. i. 15-18

the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; the fearcher of the hearts and trier of the reins of the children of men. He is omnipotent, for he raised the dead; turned water into wine; created bread and fish in the eaters' hands, and made all things, vifible and invifible. He is omniscient, for he knew the very thoughts of men. He is omnipresent, for although in heaven, he promises to be wherever two or three of his disciples are; and to be every where with his fervants to the end of the world. He is therefore the proper object of divine worship, and accordingly all the angels of Gon, are commanded to worship him.Stephen worshipped him; St. Paul fwore by him, and all finners are commanded to believe in him, to rely and truft on him, and to honor him, even as they honor the Father; therefore he is, in one of his natures, properly GoD*..

8. That our Lord Jefus Chrift was alfo truly man, is evident, not only from his conception and birth, and from his being called the seed of the woman, the Son of David, the man Jesus, and a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; but also from every proper character of humanity appearing in him. He increased in knowledge, and in stature, as other men; he

Heb. i. Ifa. ix. 6. Col. ii. 9. Rev. i. 8.ii. 23.

-iv. 11.-Y. 31, &cj

eat, drank and slept; was hungry and weary; felt all the innocent paffions of huma nity in all their ftrength and delicacy; fpoke familiarly of his foul and body, his flesh and blood; fuffered, and at length bled and died;-thus giving full proof, that in one of his natures, he was, in all refpects, like unto his human brethren (fin only excepted) and therefore well qualified to be a merciful high-priest, and compassionate elder brother, and Kinsman-Redeemer; the seed of the woman, and the Son of David, after the flesh.

9. As the human nature of Chrift was to be the propitiatory sacrifice for the fins of the world; therefore it behoved to be perfectly pure and immaculate, without any taint of inherent or derived corruption (otherwise it could not have been a facrifice acceptable to GOD, nor available for us ;) therefore, it pleafed Gon to fecure the finlefs purity of this nature, by its being conceived and formed by the holy Ghost, in the fanctified womb of a pure virgin. Whence he was called the holy child Jesus; the lamb of GOD, "without fpot or "blemish; holy, harmlefs, undefiled, and "feparate from finners."

10. There is no reason to doubt but that the human soul of Chrift was the noblest spirit which Gop ever created, and his bo

dy the most perfect human body that ever was formed; feeing, that in this consecrated temple the DEITY himself was to refide, and all the fulness of the God-head, to dwell bodily." So that there is no doubt but this glorious dignified man, confidered only as a man, was, and is the most glorious creature of Gon; and is filled with all the graces and perfections, whereof a limited, created nature is capable; feing that it was by and through this nature, that GoD was to difplay and manifeft himself to men.

11. As the divine nature of Chrift was not capable of suffering, fo neither was it capable of humiliation, exaltation or reward. CHRIST's divine nature could not properly be faid to humble itself; to empty itself of its glory, or to be rewarded for its fervices, or exalted to a higher degree of glory, or bleffednefs, or dominion, than it enjoyed before; therefore, wherever we find thefe changes of ftate afcribed to Christ in fcripture, we muft understand it of his human nature, which indeed humbled itfelf in the work of our redemption, and has obtained a glorious exaltation and an increase of dignity and bleffedness, as the reward of its humiliation, labors and fufferings.*

12. Although there was a perfect union of the Word or divine nature of Chrift with

Philip. ii, 5,-11. Pfal. cx. 7, &c.

his human nature, while upon earth; yet the manner and degree in which the divine nature communicated the perfections of power and knowledge to human nature, is, to us, a great mystery. It appears, that Chrift, as a man, grew up from his childhood, and increased in knowledge as other men do: Yet, no fooner does he enter upon his public ministry, having been thereunto fet apart by the baptifm of John, and the anointing of the holy Ghoft, but we find him poffeffed of amazing, even infinite knowledge and almighty power.

From which it would feem to appear, that during his private life, the divine nature of Chrift communicated little elfe to his human nature, than fanctifying knowledge and holy influences, and that his communications became more unlimited and extenfive, as the great work of his miniftry required.

13. Such is the glorious object of our faith and hope. From which appears, how worthy he is of, and how juftly entitled to our trust, homage, love and adoration; for, whatever is amiable, excellent, or a perfection in Gon and man, he poffeffes in the most eminent degree. The offices which he fuftains and executes, as our Mediator, are to be confidered below.