Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

z8o Book. IV. Chap. I. Sect.' ·-- - ------p;r[on; for now it is not in, ~nd ~or it felf, but hath got a new relation of dependance and bemg, m another. · But you will fay , all the creatures in the world have their being in God , and d'ependance on God ; and therefore all creatures, as well as man, may pertain to the perfon, or fub!ifiance of God? · I anfwer, it is not a general being in , and dependance on ' God, but a firiCl: dependance on mans part , and a communicating of the fubltftence on Gods part that makes up this union. Hence we fay that there are foure degrees of the prefence ofGod in his creatures; the firfi is his general prefence, whereby he preferve5the fubJlancesofall creatures, and g;ves unto them to Act·7·1S five, and to move, and to have their b1ing, and this extends it felf ro all creatures good and bad. The fecond degree is the prefence of grace where'by he doth not only preferve the fubfrance of his creature , but alfo gives grace unto it; and this agrees to the Saints, and Gods people on earth. The third degree is the prefence ofglory peculiar to the Saints and Angels in heaven , and hereby God doth not only preferve their fubfiances, and give them plenty ofhis grace, but be alfo aumits them into his glorious prefence ' fo as they may behold him face to face. The foqrth and !aft degree is that whereby the God head ofthe Son is prefent with , and dwells in the Manhood, giving unto it in fome part his own fub!ifience; whereby it comes to paife that this Manhood a!fumed is proper to the Son, and cannot be the Manhood of the Father, or of the holy Ghoft, or of any creature whatfoever. And this is a thing fo admirable, and unfpeakable , that though we may fina fome !imilitudes, yet there cannot be found another example hereof in all the world. Hence it follows that in the manhood of Chrifi , conGfl:ing of body and foul, there is a nature only, and not a perfon; be- ~aufeitdorhnotJubfift alone as other men, Peter, Pauland {ohn do , but it wholly depends on the perfon of the Word, into the unity whereof it is received; an& this dependance of the humane nature on the perfon of the Word, and the communicating of the perfon or fubfifience of the Word with the humane nature is the very thing it felf wherein this union con!ifrs. 3· For

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