J the PERSON Of CHRIST. 157 3.) There are other unions in things natural which are by mixture or compofition. Hereon fomething is produced, compofedof various parts, which is not what anyof them are. And there is a converfion of things, when one thing is fubftantially changed into another, as the water in the miracle that Chrift wrought was turned into wine. But this union bath no refemblance unto any of them. There is not a x iris, a nurture, a contempotation of the divine and humane natures into one third nature, or the converfionofone into another. Such notionsof thefe things fome fancied of old. Eutyches fuppofed fuch a compofition and mixture ofthe two natures inthe perfon of Chrift, asthat the humane nature at leali thould lofe all its effential propérties, and have neither underftanding nor will of its own. And fome ofthe Arians fancied a fubftantial change of that created divine nature which they acknowledged, into thehumane. But thefe imaginations inftead ofprofeffing Chrift to be God and man, would leave him indeed neither God nor man and have been fufficiently confuted. Wherefore the union we treat of bath no fimilitude unto any fuck na- tural union as is the effect of compofition or mutation. 4.) There is an artificial unionwherewith fome have illuftrated this myftery; as that of fire and iron in the fame fword. The fword is one; thenature of fire and that of iron different; and the alts of them diftinct; the ironcuts, the fire burns ; and the effeets Mina; cuting and burning; yet is the agent or inftrument but one fword. Something of this nature may be allowed to be fpoken in way of allufion;.but it is a weak and impeded reprefentation of this myftery ora many accounts. For the heat in iron is rather an accident than a fubftance, is feparable from it ; and in fundry other things diverts the mind from due apprehenfions of this myftery. S.) There is a fpiritual union, namely, of. Chrift and believers; or of God in Chrift and believers, which is excellent and myfterious, fuch as all other unions in nature are made ufe ofin the fcripture to illuftrate and xeprefent. This fome among us do judge to be ofthe fame kind with that ßf theSon of God and the man Chrift Jefus. Only they fay they differ in degrees. The eternal wordwas fo united unto the man Chrift Jefus, as that thereby he was exalted inconceiveably above all other men, though never fo holy; and had greater communications from God than any of them. Wherefore he was on many accounts the. Son of God in a pe- culiar manner, and by a communication of names is called God alfo. Thisbeing the opinion of Nefiorius revived :: again in the days wherein we live, I (hall declare wherein he placed the conjunction or union of the two naturesof Chrift, whereby he cogftituted two diftinâ perfons of the on of God, and the Son of man, as thefe now do, and briefly deteft the vanity of it. For the ,whole of it confi$ed: in the conceflìon of fundry things that were true in particular, making ufe of the pretence of them, unto the denial of that wherein alone the true union, of the perfon of çhrift did confift. Nefierizzs allowed the prefence of the Son of God with the man Chrili Jefes, to confift in five things. 1.] He faid he was fo, prefent with him xr. wai9ÚZOrv, Or by ,inbabi- tation, as a man dwells in an houfe or a ¡hip. to rule it. He dwelt in him as his temple. So hedwells in all that believe, but in him in a inure efpecial manner. And this is true with refpeet unto that fulnefs of the fpirit wherebyGodwas with him and in him ; as he is with and in all be- lievers, according unto the meafures wherein they are made partakers of him. But this anfwers not that divine teftimony; that in him dwelt all K r the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=