Grosse - BV4500 G76 1640

Mans honoxr and exaltation. of the Spirit,life eternall, and the like : Now who can rpake man righteous, but he that is Righteo;ifnnf it (elfe ? Who can make men the fo,ines of God by grace, but he that is the Sonne of God by nature ? Who can rettore us to the image of God, but he that is the invisible image of God ? Who can 'give us the Spirit, beat he from whom the Spirit of God proceedeth ? And who can give man eternall life, but he that is life it felfe ? And thus it behoved mans Re- deemer to be God. Secondly, the jufdce of God (which as it leaveth not fin unpunifhed, fo it punifheth it not but in that nature which bath finned) required that he fhould i)e man : And thus he that knew Y no fin, was nude fin for rc, that we might be made the righteoufneffe of God in hint. And he mutt be God and Man in one perfon, that he might be a middle man between God and Man, and doe the things which were to be performed with z God, and alió with men. And thus there was a ne- cefiity that the fiilneffe of the God -head fhould dwell in the humane nature of Chrifl, and that he thould be God and man in one perfon. Doth Chriff dwell in mans flefh ? Hath he at-fumed mans nature into the unity of his perfon ? Then behold the ho.. nour of man, how wonderoufly Chrift bath exalted the na- tare of man : Man that by his finne .hath made himlelfe ex- treamly bale and ignominious, is exceedingly honoured by Chrift Jefus, even above all the ref due of the creatures : for he took not on him the a nature of *gels., but the feed of Abraham. He often used the Angels as his minifiers and infiruments, but took them not into the unity of his perfon : they have indeed a neere and Tweet communion with him, but the na- ture of man alone hath the prerogative and glory of being one with Chriil personally. Ambrofe faith, h God, the Son of God bath given this honour and dignity to the rumen nature, that God and man fhould be one perfon. Great is the honour that comes to man by Chritis incarnation ; it is onely the Lord Jefus that makes man honourable and glori ous : the Sun is the glory of the world, the head is the glory of the body, the Crowne is the glory ofthe King, the flower IS 6 y . Cor. V fe. The honour and exalcation oI mans nature a I-ieb. z. I6. b Konercm ;unc v dgn;.- tatem brrtnunæ natisræ Deus, Dei ilius;csst- tr,huir utDcus cá ham una pe;fon,t effet.

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