74 'TIM EXALTATION OF CHRIST. death? -I do not- presume here to impute or ascribe all these things to the human nature of Christ as the agent* : It is sufficient- if his human nature be made the constant and con. scions medium whereby the indwelling godhead shall exercise these powers. V. The last instance I shall mention wherein his exaltation consists, is this.; that " he is invested with honours suitable to his power and grandeur." While he'was. on earth he was ob- scure and unknown : and though he was the Son of God, yet the sous ofinen knew him not. 1 John iii. 2. ar He was in the world, and the world was madeby him, and the world knew himnot." John i. 10. And instead of doing honour to him agreeable to his character and dignity, the princes and people ofthis world joined to affront and blaspheme him : He was reproached, he was buffeted, Ile was scourged, he was put to a shameful and cruel death The princes and the peoplejoined to crudd/ f the Lord Of glory. Acts iv. 27. 1 Cor. ii. 8. But the Son of God must not always be the mockery Of sinful men. There were honours then reserved for him which he is now possessedof, such as be- came his native perfections and his acquired merit. The scrip- tures are full of these honours which arepaid to the Son upon his exaltation. Phil. ii. 8 -11. Becausehe humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross, therefore God bath highly exalted him, and given hint a name above every name, that at the name of.. esus every knee should bow, ofthings in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should con¢ess.that Jesui Christ is Lord, to theglory of God the Father. Anti you find all the creation actually joining to pay Lim these honours, in Rev. v. 12, 13. And the angels and the elders say with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, 4c.. And every creature in heaven, earth and sea, echo to the song, blessing and honour andglory andpower, be to him that sittetlkon the titrarie, and to the Lamb,for ever and a' Yet if I should have ascribed all this to the human nature ofChrist, con- sidered as united to godhead, that great man Dr. Thomas Goodwin would abun- dantly support and vindicate me, in his discourse a of the Glories and Royalties of Christ as God-man ;" vol. It. in folio ; where he exalts the knowledge and power ofthe man Jesus Christ, in many pages together, to far higher degrees. Some of his expressions are such as these o " There is a wisdom in Christ's human nature, which is sohigh an imitation of the attribute of wisdom in God, as no mere creature could reach to or attain. Christ's human nature, now glorified, knows all that God bath done or means to do. By virtue of its union with the divine nature, it had a right to know both things past, present and to come. The same holds in his power; it is not equal with God's, but there is an image of it -in Christ's human nature, both in that he can do whatsoever he will, and whatso- ever God will have done, be is the instrument of it ;" Mat. xxviii. 16. " All the businesses of the world run through his hand and his head." What things soever the Father doth, the Son doth likewise ; John v. 19. he speaks all this of himself- as the Son of man f' verse 51 and much more to this purpose.
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