Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

- ~----------------~~----------------- jl,rotttng untn jefu!>._: Book HI.. 12 s Chap. 1 .se:a.,. as be is man· but he f~(\ains the heavens,· and commands all 'het~.Ui. -~nd rides on the fame, as being a God. Thus we ke all along tWo real diftinct naturcs.flill conttuuitlg in Chrill; God being become man, the Deity bemgaboNhed, but the /:jumane nufure was adjsyned . according to the old Diflich, r"m q~tod cram, necmu11 rptiJ.f;•w, &c. I am that I was' bud was not that I am. " You will fay, how then is it faicl rhe Wordli>a<made fl'JIJ, or God becameman? I anfwe~, ?ne thing may. become anmher ~irher by,way of change, as wheh rhe water was turned In~o wme.; but rhus.was not Chnfi .-the Godhead was for a rime concealed, but 1t was never cantelled : or one tlnng ({lay become another either by way of union, as when one fub!lance is ad joyned unto anoth.er, and yet is not transferred 'or chapoed into the nature of the orher; rhus a Sonldlqr putting on his Ar– mour is an anned~nan ; or a m:m wearing on his g2.rmems, ,i$ 'no ni~re a naked·, .bura clolthed man. and yet the Armour and the Souldier, the man and his Apparel are di– llinct things:' andthus was it with Chrill; the flelh is faid to be deified, &nd'the·Deiry is faid to be incarnate; not by the converfion of either tnto the nature of the other, bqt by 3 fTuming and adjoyni~gthe hum~ne nature to the divine; an~ yet frill the humane· na– ture and the divine are dr!hnct thmgs; both the natures m Clmft do remam entJre, and inconfufed; indeed the humanity is much inagnified by the diviairy; .but the divinity-is nothing altered by the humanity :~ Thus much for the diilinction of his ~wo Na· rures. SECT. V. ) .· Of the Vnionof the two Natui'Csof Chrijlin onea;Jdthe (dme per[ort. •r • 5 ·l'He Union·of two Natures of Chriil: in one and the felf<f"me perfon, is that greo~t wonder whid1 now we mu!t fpeak as we ane able; but alas, how Jhould we fpeak this t"tion, and not be confounded in our !<Ives? It is a great myt\ery. a fecret, awon– der; many wonders have been fince the beginning of rhe world, but all the wonders that ever were, mu!l give place to this, and in:refpect tfiereof, ceafe to be wonderful: nei– ther the Creation of all things out of nothing,. nor the re!hui'ation of all things into their rerfect being;I mean neither the fidl: work,nor the la!l work of God in this world (tho"gh moft admirable pieces) may be compared with this. This Union of the two Natures of Chrift into one perfon, rs the higheft pitch (if any thing may b1= fajd bigheft in that which is infinite) of Gods wifdom, gooqnefs, power, and glory; well there– fore, faid the Angel ro Mary, the power of the /,is,hejr ~Jail overjhadow thee: and if God did orerlhadow this Myftery with his own Vail, how Jhould we prefume wtth the men of Bnbjhcmrjh, to look into it? Chriflians! if you will needs put it to the queflion 1 horv th:!t ·wonderful connection of two fo infinitely differing natures, in the unity of one perfon JboJt/d be rjfeEl-cd .' I muftanfwer you Wtth 'the ApoiHe, Who is fufficient for thefe things? Certimly rhde are the things w.hich the Angels dejircto ftoop and loo<. into: It is an Inqui- 1 Pet. •· 11 • finon fitter for an Angelrcal rnrellrgence, than for our !hallow capacity; and yet as jvfofes could nor chufe but wonder , though he muft not draw nig1' to rbe Bulh burning wirh fire, and not confumed: fo though we dare not draw too nigh to fee this great fight, h••• poor drtft -.nd afhes fhould b' ajfmned into the unity of Gods O\Vn perfon, and th4t in the , mtd)r of.thofe everlafting burnings the Bujh jhoJtld remain rmcon(uwed, and contiJII« frefh !fa 33· 14. rmdgrcw for evermore; yet what dorh hinder, bur we may (\and aloof off, and wonder at tt? this is one piece of our duty, to recite all rhe long-tore-palfed acts and benefits of God (as well as we may; Scripture !!ill going along) that thereby we may admire and adore, and exprefs out Love and Thankfuloefs unto God. • for the unrying of this Knot, I cannot bur wonder, what a world, of 9ueftions have been to!fed mSchools. As, I· Whether the union of the Word incarnate was in the Nature ?~2. Whether the union of the Word incarnate was in rhe PerfM?~ 3. \Vherher the hu)Ilane Nature w_as untted to the Word by way of accident? -4· Wherher the union of the divine Nature be fomerhing cr-emated ?-5. Whether the union of the Word incarnate be the fame wrrh afTumption ?--6. Vvherber the union of the two Natures of Chriftbe the cbtef of all union• ?--, 7. Whether the union of the two Natures of Cbrift was made by Grace?-8. Whether it was convenient forthedivine perfon to alfume a crea– ted Nature?~9. Whether a divine perfon could alfume the Nature humane?-– IO. ~herher more perfoos divine could alfume one Nature humane..?_- I r. _.Whether it

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