and the greatest myftery of godliness, which angels defire to look into, but the most piercing intelligence cannot fully inveftigate. Yet the mystery lies not fo much in the difficulty of uniting natures effentially different, myfterious as that is, as in the wifdom and moral fitness of such an extraordinary conftitution in the ceconomy of Divine Providence, the difcuffion of which belongs not fo much to the formation of Meffiah's perfon, as to the character he was to bear and the offices he was to perform. The perfect knowledge of this fubject exceeds the comprehenfion of our finite minds, yet we can eafily perceive there is nothing in it impoffible, nothing repugnant to the nature of things. And though we cannot penetrate the complete nature of this union, the tyes by which it exifts, and the laws of operation between the divine and human natures, yet by the light of revelation, and the general knowledge of this great fubject it hath afforded us, we can clearly inveftigate what is neceffary for us to know of it in this prefent ftate. As the council of Chalcedon convened to take cognizance of the Neftorian herefy declared, this union of thefe natures, in our Saviour's perfonis conftituted aσvyxuras, without any confufion or commixture of thefe natures; alpels, without tranfmutation or change of thefe natures into each other; adiaspels, without divifion of thefe natures into two diftinct perfons, and axwpisus, without all future feparation of these αχωρίσως, natures, thus united in the perfon of the Son of God. These were the terms by which the ancient church guarded against the various errors which then fprung up as to the perfon of our Bleffed Saviour. Being framed against thefe errors, they are all negative: yet they clearly enough indiF3 cate cate the positive truth revelation teaches, and the Chriftian church is to believe with regard to this article of our holy faith. The divine and human natures are united in the perfon of Chrift, without any confufion or mixture of the one with the other; for natures fo effentially different, however they may be connected, can never be blended or confounded, but muft each remain what it effentially is, and retain all the qualities that effentially belong to it. They are united without converfion or tranfmutation into each other; for it is impoffible that the infinite and divine nature can be changed into a finite and human, and as impoffible that a finite and human can be tranfubftantiated into an infinite and divine nature. But though the natures are two, the perfon is but one; for whenever two natures unite in one perfonal fubfiftence, they become one complex perfon. Had the human nature of Chrift been created, and exifted for fome time before its affumption into perfonal union with the divine Word, each nature would have fo long poffeffed its diftinct perfonality; but upon their union into one perfonal fubftance, their individual perfonalities unite alfo into one complex perfon. Much more is this the cafe in the incarnation of Christ: his human nature never exifted by itself, but had the commencement of its exiftence from its perfonal co-existence with the divine Word, and of a fimple perfon, as God, made him a complex perfon, as God-man. And though these natures remain diftinct from each other, or without all confufion or converfion, yet in this complex perfon are they united together by ties fo ftrong as can never be broken; and in union fo permanent as fhall never be diffolved. Like the fouls and bodies of the fons of men, which are united united in our conftitution without mixture or change of their natures, and though two diftin&t natures, yet, by their perfonal union and coexistence, make but one perfon; and like these fouls and bodies that in our future immortal state fhall be united, never to be feparated: fo the divine Logos and a human nature are connected in union that is truly perfonal; and though these natures are effentially diftinct, their perfonal union fhall never be diffolved. The complex perfon is God, and he is man: he has the complete divine nature in one of its perfonal diftinctions, and a complete human nature, with all their effential properties, co-exifting in his perfon; yet the divine nature is not confounded with the human, nor the human nature with the divine. The divinity is not degraded to humanity, nor the humanity exalted to divinity. As the natures are not tranfubftantiated, as little are their properties transferred. The infinite divinity partakes not the finite qualities of the humanity, nor the finite humanity the infinite perfections of the divinity. The divine nature becomes not finite in effence, knowledge or power, nor the human omniprefent, omnifcient or almighty, but every nature retains the properties that effentially belong to it. Yet these natures, as they co-exist in one person, co-exist and act in the moft perfect harmony and confiftence with each other. Like the foul in our complex nature, fo the divine Logos in the complex perfon of Chrift is the great principle of life, direction, and agency; and the human nature, like our animal frame, is juftly under its direction and influence. The divinity exerts itfelf in communicating to the humanity every endowment intellectual and moral, and all competent happiness, adapted to the different states and characters in which he was to act; and the humanity ever exifts and acts in juft confonance and fubjection to its indwelling Deity. The general perfon, containing a divine and human nature, may be denominated from the one nature, from the other, or from both; and may have all the attributes of each afcribed to him. And as these natures were united in a way fimilar to generation, and this complex perfon was generated by God, and conceived in and born of the Bleffed Virgin, he may be, and in Scripture is indifcriminately defigned the Son of God, or the Son of Man. CHAP. CHAP. V. Of the perfonal Excellence and Dignity of the Son of God. FTER the generation of the Son of God, it follows that we treat next of the excel.. lence and dignity of the perfon generated. This is not only an effential part of this great fubject, but a part too of capital importance. From the complex perfon of the Son of God, and the excellence of that perfon, flows his fitness for every office he was intended to discharge as the Son of God and Saviour of Men. Ignorance of this perfonal excellence is the primary fource of that difregard to him that fo impioufly prevails in the world; whereas, juft conceptions of his dignity and glory would at once fupport our hopes of every blething we expect from him, and cherish eyery dutiful regard we justly owe to him. The natures divine and human which compofe his his perfon, and several of the characters belonging to thefe natures, we have already mentioned in the first chapter. But thefe natures were then rather proved than explained; rather established to pave the way for afcertaining in what refpect our Saviour is the Son of God, than to exhibit his dignity in that perfon and character. But now that we have endeavoured by every evidence of. revelation to decide this matter, and have explained his generation agreeably to that decifion, let us, for our farther knowledge of him, proceed to investigate and difplay, in the most obvious. points, his perfonal excellence, dignity and glory. I. This F 5 |