knowing that the Father had given all things into his bands, and that he was come from God, and went to God, John 13. 3. For the Father himself loveth you, because ye bave loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father, John 16. 27, 28. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent John 17.3. But thefe or the like Paffages can create no Diffiulty. For it can't be concluded from them, that the WORD, or Divine Nature of our Lord Jefus Chrift, is inferior to the Very God; Because the WORD being then quiefcent, they relate merely to the Man Chrift Jefus.

5. Tho' our Lord is frequently reprefented, after not only his Miniftry, but even his Afcenfion and Glorification, as inferior to the Father or Very God: yet 'twill plainly appear, that none of those Paffages in which he is thus reprefented, can prove, that the WORD, or our Savior's Divine Nature, is inferior to the Father or the Very God, if the following Particulars be confidered.

First, Our Lord is exprefly ftiled, even after his Afcenfion and Glorification, fometimes fimply God, and fometimes fimply Man. You own, that he is fimply ftiled God, Heb. 1. 8. where the Author of that Epiftle applys to him that Paffage of the Pfalmift, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, &c. and he is fimply ftyled Man, 1 Tim. 2. 5. where the Apoftle affures us, that there is one God, and one mediator between God and Men, the man Christ Jesus.

Secondly, As he is exprefly ftiled Man, even after his Afcenfion and Glorification; fo is he also called by other Names, which belong to his Human Nature, Particularly, 1. He is called Jefus, which is the Greek for Joshuab, a common Name of a Man amongft

amongst the Jews. And accordingly, tho' 'twas given our bleffed Lord by Divine Command, becaufe (as the Name Jofbuah imports Salvation or Deliverance) he fhould be a Deliverer or Savior in a moft remarkable Senfe (for lie fhould fave his people from their fins, Matt. 1. 21.) yet ftill it betokened that Man, whom the bleffed Virgin miraculously brought into the World, and imply'd nothing of an incarnat God in the Notation of it. 2. The Name Chrift or Meffiah, tho' 'twas frequently given in the Jewish Church upon other Occafions, yet is certainly apply'd to the Bleffed Jefus upon the ac-count of that anointing with the Spirit, by which he was evidenc'd to be that very Chrift or Meffiah

rol, or by way of Eminence, whofe coming was foretold by the ancient Prophets, and was fo impatiently expected by the Jews. And tho' the WORD was indeed, and ought to be (fo the Di-vine Wisdom faw fit) united to the Man Chrift Jefus; yet as that anointing was poured out on the Human Nature only (for the WORD was not cápable of it) fo the Name Chrift or Meffiab means no more, than that particular Man Jefus, who was thus wonderfully anointed by the Spirit without Measure, and who is accordingly called by St. Paul, -1 Tim. 2. 5. in exprefs Terms, the man Christ Jesus. 53. Our Lord (as I have fhewn already) is also ftiled the Son of God with refpect to his Human Nature, viz. becaufe he was in a miraculous Manner begotten by the Holy Ghoft, and God was as truly and properly his Father, as a Man is the Father of his own Child. And accordingly, whenfoever our Savior is ftiled the Son of God, or God is ftiled the Father of our Savior, that Appellation is (I think) M

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conftantly given him upon the Account of his Human Nature.

For tho' I freely grant the Truth of what our Divines ufually call the Eternal Generation of the WORD, or Divine Nature of our Lord; yet I do not find, that in the Phrase of holy Scripture, our Savior is call'd the Son of God, or that God is faid to be his Father, otherwife than upon the Account of his being Man, or an incarnat God. The Certainty of this Obfervation will appear by this one Confideration, viz. that as our bleffed Savior is in the holy Scriptures confeffedly called the Son of God, and God is alfo therein called his Father, upon the account of his Human Nature: fo there is not one fingle Text of Scripture, wherein either Our Savior is called God's Son, or God is called his Father, but what either neceffarily muft, or very fairly máy, be understood with respect to his Incarnat State. And I dare fay, you'll foon be convinced of this, if you search for a Text, wherein the WORD, or Divine Nature of our Savior, is called God's Son, or God is faid to be the Father of the WORD, or Chrift's Divine Nature, upon fome Account antecedent to the Incarnation. Particularly you'll obferve, that even in Matt. 28. 19. where the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft are fo exprefly mentioned, the Son denotes the incarnat Meffiah, whofe Difciples we are as he was incarnat; and confequently he is not even in that Text called the Son of the Father upon any Account antecedent to the Incarnation.

As for thefe Words, who fhall declare his Generation, Acts 8. 33. and the Comparison of our Lord to Melchizedech, as being Without father, without mother, without defcent, having neither beginning of days, nor end

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of life; but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually, Heb. 7. 3. thefe Texts do manifeftly relate to Chrift's Human Nature, the former of them being part of the Account of his Sufferings in the Flesh, and the latter affirming the fame of Melchizedech, which is affirmed of Chrift. And confequently neither of them can be ftrained to fignify the Eternal Generation of the WORD, or Divine Nature of Chrift.

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Thirdly, Becaufe our Lord, even after his Afcenfion and Glorification, is called fometimes God and fometimes Man, and at other Times denoted by fuch Titles, as belong to him refpectively upon the account of either his Divine or his Human Nature, tis plain, that in his prefent exalted State neither of his Natures is deftroy'd, nor are they confounded; but he continues perfect God and perfect Man. Wherefore,

Fourthly, Since the two Natures are ftill diftinct and diverfe in themfelves, tho' fo clofely united to each other; therefore thofe things may ftill be fpoken of him as Man, which can't be fpoken of him as God; and thofe things may ftill be spoken of him as God, which can't be spoken of him as Man. And accordingly,

Fifthly, When any thing is fpoken of him under the Name of Man, or under any of thofe Titles which belong to him as Man, we ought not to underftand those things of, or apply them to, his Divine Nature: and when any thing is fpoken of him under the Name of God, or under fome Title which belongs to him as God, we ought not to understand those things of, or apply them to, his Human Nature. I fay, we ought not to ftretch what is thus respectively spoken, to that Nature which it is not prima

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primarily applicable to, or grounded on; unless there be manifeft Reafon from the Context, or from the Nature of the things fpoken, fo to de. For,

Sixthly, By reafon of the Union of the two Natures, fome things are affirmed of the God, which are true of the Human Nature only and other things are affirmed of the Man, which are true of the Divine Nature only. For Inftance, 'tis affirmed of the God, that he was received up into glory, 1 Tim. 3. 16. which evidently regards the Exaltation of the Man Chrift Jefus, as I have (c) already Thewn and 'tis affirmed of him, through whose blood we have redemption, Col. 1. 14, 20. and who is the first born from the dead, v. 18. (which Particulars do manifeftly point at, and belong to, Chrift's Human Nature) that by him were all things created, Col. 1. 16. which was certainly don by the WORD or Divine Nature. In thefe Cafes, the plain Meaning is, that fuch things are affirmed of that compounded Perfon, who because he has two Natures; is therefore fignify'd by the Names or Titles of either of them, as the Divine Penmen thought moft proper; there being no Name given to Chrift by infpired Writers, which denotes both Natures united in one Perfon, fuch as drogar, God-Manojave, Word-Man, or the like. For tho' the Name Emmanuel, which feems pretty nearly to denote the two Natures united, is apply'd to our Lord, Matt. 1. 23. yet 'tis notorious, that he is not elsewhere called by that Name, or by any other of the fame Import. But then,

(c) Chap. 6. p. 35.

Seventhly,