278 Expofition of the Cm A P. IL principally regarded. Of fallen Angelshe had newly fpoken tinder the conceive cx- preffion, thedevil, who had the power of death. Notate, it may be, thedevils anywhere called abfolutelyby the name ofAngel: ; but they are termed either evil Angels, or Angels thatfinned, that left their habitation, that are to bejudged, the devils Angels ; or have fome orother peculiar Adjunet whereby they are marked out and diftinguifhed. Now it cannot be. that this word iarre¡sgríseray ifit be interpreted. to help,ajff, or relieve, can in any fenfe beapplied unto the Angels, that mutt be intended ifany. For the word mutt denote either any help, affi[tance, or relief ingeneral, or that efpecial help and affiance which is given by Chrift in the work of Reconciliation and Re- demption. lithe firft be intended, I much quettion the truth ofthe affection, feting the Angels owe their cftablithment in grace unto Chritt, and their advancement in glory, EpheJ. r. to. Ifit be tobe taken in the latter fenfe as is pretended, then the nature of the difcreteAxiom here ufed by theApofile requires, that there be the fame need of the help intimated inboth the diJjrarates, which is denied as unto the one, and affirmed as unto the Other. Butnow theAngels, that is the good Angels, had noneed ofthehelp ofRedemption and Reconciliation unto God, or of being freed from death, or the fear ofit, which they werenever obnoxious unto. And what remains for the clearing of the mind of the Apotile, will appear yet farther in the entering Obfervations from the words. I. TheLord jefusChriff is truly God and Man in one Perfon ; and this is fully mani- fefted in thefe words. For, firtt, there is fuppofed in them his pra-exiffence in another Nature,thanthat whichhe is faid here to affame. Hewas before,he fubtffed before,or he could not have taken on him what he had not. This was his Divine Nature, as the like is intimated, where he isPaid to be madeflejh, rob. 1.14. to be made of a woman, Gal. 4.4. tobe manifefted in the flefh, 1 Tim, 3.16. to take on him the form ofafirvant, Phil. 2. 8, q. as here, he took thefeed ofAbraham; he was before he did fo; that is the Son, the Wordof God, the Son of God, as in the places mentioned, eternally pra.exifting untothishis Incantation. For the fubjeil ofthis Propolition, he tookon bim,.&c. denotes a perfon pra-exitling unto the ati oftaking here afcribed unto him, which was no otherthan theSon ofGod. a. Heaffirmed, he took to himfelf another nature, ofthe feed ofAbraham according unto the promife ; fo continuing what he was, he became what he was not. For, 3. He took this tobe his own nature; heCo took it, as himfelf tobecome truly thefeed ofAbraham, to whom, and concerning whom, the promife was given, Gal. 3. 16. andwas himfelfmade of thefeed ofDavid according to riseflefb, Rom. 1.3 andas concerning theflefh carteoftbefathers, Ram. g. 5. and fowas the Sonof David the SonofAbraham, Matth. i. 1. And-this could no otherwife bedone, but, 4. by taking that Nature intoPerfinal Subfiiffence with himfelf, in the Hypojiafis of the Son of God ; the nature he affirmed could no otherwife become his. For ifhe had by any ways or means taken the perfon ofa man to be united unto him, in the flrifteft union that two perlons are capable of, a Divine and an Humane, the nature had frill beenthe natureofthat otherperfonandnot his own. But he took it to be his own nature, which it could noways be but by perfonal union, caufing it 'to fubftft in his ownperfon. Andhe is therefore a true and perfec`a Man; for no more is re- quired to make a complete and perfcft man, but the entire nature ofman fubfiffing. And this is in Chriff, as a man, the Humane nature having a fubfffenee communicated unto it by the SonofGod. And therefore, 6. This is done without a multiplication of perfon in him. For the HumaneNature can haveno perfonality of its own, becaufe it was taken tobe the nature ofanother perfon, who was pra-exìffent unto it, and by affumingofit, prevented its proper perfonality. Neither, 7. did hence any mixture or confufion ofnatures enfue, or ofthe effential properties ofthem; for hetook the feedof Abraham to be his Humane Nature, which ifmixed with the Divine, it could notbe. And this he hath done, 8. infeparabyand for ever. Which things are handled at large elfe-where. II. 7heRedemption ofMankindby the takingofour nature, was a work of meer Sovereign grace. He took the feedofAbraham; he tooknot the nature ofAngels. And for what caufe or reafon ? Can any be afiigned but the Sovereign Grace, PleaTure, and Love of God ? nor doth the Scripture any where affign anyother. And this will the better appear, ifwe confider, Fitti, That for afinning nature to be laved, it was indifpenfbly necelïary that it Mould
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