Book IV. 123 God ?ohn r.r8. The Image of the Father, 2Cor.4-4· · Col. r. r,... 3 .' From thofe Acts afcribed t? him which are only agreeable 10 the d~>·me Nature; as, 10 be the Amhor of our ElectiOn, fohn I3. r8. To know the fe<:rets of our _heam, Ma. 9 . 4 . To hear the prayers of his people, John I4. 14. To JUdge the qmck and dead, John 5- _22. And thus he creates as God, 1ohn I. 4· He commands as God, ~at. 8.z6. HeforgivesasGod, Mat.9.6. He fantbfies as God, 'fohnz. 12. He glonfies as God, [ohn 10. 28. 4 . l'rom all thofe acknowle~gments given to him by the Saints.' which are only proper unto God; and thus he ts beheved on as pod, John 3: I8. He IS loved as God, I Cor. I6. 22 , He is obeyed as God, Mat. 17. 5. He IS prayed to as God, .ACls 7• 59· He is praifed as God, Rw. 5· I3, He is adored a> God, Heb. r.. 6. Phi/. ;o.. 10. Surely all rhefe are ftrong demonftrations, and proye clflrly enough that Chrill Jefus is God . But why was it requifite that our Saviour.fhould be God? I anfwer, 1. Be– caufe none can fave fouls, nor facisfie for fin bur God :done; '!'here is >~one (faith the Pfalmift) rh.u crm by any means redeem his Brother, or grve11 ran{om for him.-- bHt God Pf>-49·7·15. \!Ji/1 rrdeem my joulfrom the power of hell. 2. Becaufe the f.1tisfa Cl ion which is made for lin,mufl be infiRitely meritorious: an infinite wrath cannot be appeafed, but by an infinite m<rit. and hence our Saviour mull: needs be God, to rhe. end chat his obedience ~nd fufferi~g; might be of infinite price and worth - 3· Becaufo the burden of Gods wrath cmnot be endured and run through by a finite Creature: Chrift therefore mull: be God, that he might abide the b~rden , and fuflain the Manhood by his divine power. + Becaufe the enemtes ofour falvatton were too flrong for us , How could any creature overcome Satan, Death, Hell, D•mnation? Ah! this required the power of God ; there's none but God that could ddhoy him that had the power vf death, tlcnt u the Devil. 2. As Chrift is God, fo he is true man; he was born as man, and.bred as man, and , fed as man, and flept as man, and wept as man, a"d farrowed as man, and fuffered as man, and died as man; and therefore he is man. But more particularly. I. Chrifl had a humane body ; \!Jhmfore when he came imo Heb. u>. ~. theworld, he J~id, Sacrifice And offering thou wouldeft not, but a body haft thou prepared me. And when the Apoflles thought they had fcen a Phantafm, ora Spirit, he faid unto them, handle me and fee, becaufe a Spirit hath no (le.Jh and bones as youfoe me have. Here's l ke + 3 a truth clear asthe Sun; and yet, Owonder! Some in our times (as Cochl..us wimef- u > 9 •' ferh) do now avouch,thathe had but an imaginary body, an aerial body, a phantafm, only in fiJew, and no true body. 2 . Chril\ had an humane reafonable Soul. My Soul is heavy unto death, faid Chrifl; M and again, Father, intothy hands I commend my Spirit. Surely (faith Naz.ianz..cn) either lu~~:~.3:6-. he h.td a Soul, or he wt/1 not fave a foul . The ~mansoppofed rillS, faymg , Chrift had no hnmane foul, bm only a livingjlejlt ; becaufe the Evangdii\ faith that the Word was made John t.14. '- fojh; bm this is aS)•nechdoche, very ufual in Scripture, to put the part for the whole; and fignifiethas much as that he bad faid . the Word !VM maderr:an. I know fome reafons · are rendred why th: El'angelill faith, he WM made jlrjlt, rather than he w;u made man; a<, x. To (kw what pan of Chrifl was made of his Mother; not his Deity, nor his Soul, but only his fleOI. 2 . To exprefs the grearncfs of Gods love, who for our fakes would be contented to be made the vilefl t~ing, flej!J, which is comparedt o grafs. .All flefh ;. If•. 4o· 6 • gr«Js. 3. To 01ew the greamefs of Chrill:s humility, in that he would be named by the meanefl name, and bafd1: part of m•n; rhe foul is excellent, but rhelle01 isbafe. +· To give us feme confidence of his love and favour towards us, becaufe our llefh,wbich was the parr m6'll corrupted, is now united to the Son of God. 3• Cla·ifl had all the properties that bei'ong either to rbe foul or body of a man : nay ~ore than fo, Chrifl had all the infirmities of our Nature, !in only excepted: I fay the mfirmltles of pur nature, as cold, and beat, and hunger, and thirlt, acd wearinefs, and weakhefs, and pain, and rbe like; bur I cannot fay that Chril\ took upon him all our perfonaltnfirmities ; infirmities are etrher narural, common to all men, or perfonal; and propeno fomemen; astobe bornlame, blind, difeafed; as to be alfected with Me– lancholy, Infirmity, ~eformiry: how many deformed Creatures have we among!\ us? Chnft was ,not thus; hts Body was framed by the holy Ghol\ of the purelt Virgins bloud, and therefore I queUion not, jt was proportioned in a mo!t equal fymetry and c?rre~pondency of pans; He w.u f«irrr than th• [ot~s of men; his countenance ear– ned m Jt an hidden vailed ftar-lik§.brighmefs (faithJerome) whi&hbeingbHt alirtl• R 2 re11rakd,
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