Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Ch-ap~-;. SettS. j/..,roltmg UntO jjtflt5. Book IV . .1 27 brlnch o_f_a_T-re-e-o""'f~~ind (which put into the ~round, would be an em ire_, difiinct Tree in it feif) may by rhe h1nd l'f a man be p~t mro the un1ty of a Tree ot. ~nother kind. and fo grow, move, and bear frutt, not ddbnClly m and for lt felf, butjomtly m and f~r that Tree into which it is planted. . 3 . Other things of this kind cannot by force of narural caufes, nor b~ the help of any forreign thing, ever become pans of any other created dung or penam to the um– ry of rhe fubli!tence of any fuch tlung ; as the nature of man, and the nature of alll!– ving things; and yet by dtvme and fupernatural work1n~: .I[ nlly be drawn IntO the un1-. ry of rhe fublil\ence of any of the perfons of ~he blelfed I nn1ty, .wheretn the fulnefs ol all being, and the perfecbun of all created tlnngs, IS ma more em1n~nt fort than m them• feives · for thouoh all created tlungs have thetr own bemg, yet fwng God 1~ nearer to them J1an they a~e to themfelves, and they are in a better fort in him than they are.in themfelves, there isno quefiwn but that they may be prevented and ftatd from,bemg m, and for themfelv<'s, and caufed to be in, and for one ol tl~edivtne perfons of the bldfed Trinity. . . . . . So that as one drop of water, that formerly fubfified tn lt felf, 1f tt be poured mto a veffel containing a greater quantity, it becomes one in fubfiftence with the greater q~antity of water; and,." bramh of a Tree, that beingf<t in the sround, ~nd left to it felf, would be an emire and independent Tree, becomes one 111 fublt ften<e wHh that Tree Into which it is graffed ; fo the individull nature of man affu~Jed into the unity of one of the . perfonsof the bldfed Trinity ,~it loferh that Kind of being, that. naturally left ro it [elf, it would have had , and it becomes one With the perfon; for now lt IS not m, and fo, 1t felf, but bath got a new rel.ation ofdependance and being in ano~her.. . But you wit! fay, all the Creatures m the world have rhetr bemg .\fl God, and depen– dance on God; andrhereforeaii Crearures, as well as man, may ,penam to the perfon, or fubliaence of God. I An[wer, It is not a general being in, and dependance on God, bur a ihiCl: dependance on mans part, and a communicating of thefubli(\enceon Gods part that makes up this union. Hence we fay that there are four degrees of the prrfence of God in his Creatures ; rhe fir{\ is his general prefence, whereby he preferves the fubihnces of all Creatures, and gives umo them to live, ttnd to move, and to have their being; and rhis 6.<l:s 7· ' 8 • extends it ftlfro all Creatures good and bad. The fecond degree is rhe prefence of Grace whereby he dotb not only preferve the fubftanceof his Creature, but alfogivesGrace unto it; andthisagrees-rothe-Saints and Gods people on eanh. The third degree is the prefence of glory peculiar to the . ~ims and Angels in he>ven, and hereby God doth not only preferve their fubfiances, and give them plenty of his Grac!', but he alfo admits them into his gloriqus prefence, fo.a~ tl)ey may behold him face to face. The fourth and ]aft degree is tba't whereby the Godhead of the Son is prefent witb,and dwells in the Manhood,giving uqto it in fomepan /1is own fubfiftence, whereby it comes to pafs that this Manhood affumed is proper to the Soo, and cannot be the Manhood of rhe Father, or of the Holy G.ho~, or of ~ny c;r~arure whatfoeve.r ~ And this is a thing [Qadmirable am\ unfpeakab\e. 'that thoqgh we_ :)lay fini fame hmdnudes, yet there cannot be found another c~~mple hereof in •all the world. . · , . Hence it follows rhat in the Manhood of Cilrift, confifiing of Body and Soql,1there Is a nature only, and nor a perfon ; becaufe it doth not fubfift alone as othenw;ri,_.f'e.:- ' · ter, l'auland fohn do, but it wholly depends on the perfonof;,.he Word, into ,the unity whereof it isreceived;and thisdependance of the humane nature on the perfon o'f th~ Word, •\ ·• and tile communicating of the eerfon or fubfiftence of the Wor41!Jitb the huaiane.naijjre~ IS the very thing it felf wherein this union confifts, . . ., • · 3. f?r the Scriptural Texts that confirm rhis union, yo11 fee. the Well is va~~deep; bur. where ts the Bucket?. what Texts of Scripture have we> tp cqnfirm this wsmdertul Unton of two Natures in one perfon? Amongfbuany I fi1all only dte rhefe.. __,.ij • M Wl Cl ·n: k d l . A il ·" ' . . .at.l6.•3,•6. Jen m as e us poules, Whom do mm fay that I the Son oJ man a'!fl ?--Simon. Peter an(wmd, Thou art the Chrift the Son of rhe livipg. God: Now, if bur one Chnlt, thenfurely butoneperfon; and if the Son of mal) be the'Sonof .,he,livi)]g Go.d, thenfurely there are two natures in that one p~rfon: Obferve how the ,S,owof man, and the Son of God, very man and very God concemer in Chrift; as the foul and body make but one man, fo the Son of man and rh.e Son.of God make but one Chrifi . Thou art Chrifl, faith Pete-r, theSQ[I o,f the Living God. ' , ~om, r. 3 , ~·· So ·

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