DISSERTATION Il. 227 intelligent agents united : It seemsto me to be the very language of scripture. But if the two natures of Christ were not ex- pressed so plainly as they are, and connected and united in the same texts, yet there are so many different characters applied to Christ, which necessarily require two such intelligent agents, one divine, and one human, that the inference appears very obvious and unavoidable, that God and man are united in the person of Christ. Let us look into ourselves a little, and enquire, Why we believe man to be a compound being, a creature or person made up of an animal body, and a rational Spirit? If we would speak as philosophers, the only reason why we believe it is, be- causewe find some powers, properties and operations belong to us, which cannot belong to a mere animal, or a body of flesh and blood, such as thinking, reasoning, doubting, reflecting, designing, repenting, wishing, &c. And we find also other ideas, operations, powers and properties, which cannot belong to a spirit, such as corporeal qualities, dimensions, figure, local motion, tangible, impenetrable and solid substance, eating, drinking, walking : I+'rom these things put together, we infer, that since one single nature is not capable of all these properties and operations, therefore the person of man is made up of two distinct natures, viz. a body and a spirit. Now it is the same diversity of appearances, and the same reasoning, that persuade us to believe the person of Christ is made up of two natures, divine and human : And the scripture seems to account fur these things the saine way. It is objected again, That " the author of the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity, &c. bath defined the word person, in the common language of men, to signify one single, in- telligent, voluntary agent, or principle of action, therefore ac- cording to the common sense and language of mankind, here are two persons in Christ, as well as two natures ; and there- fore the author will not say, that lie uses the word PERSON here in a sense near akin to thecommon sense of the word." " Sober Appeal." Answer, Yes, the author may venture to say, he used the word PERSON here in a sense near akin to its common sense: And I gave particular notice, that "though the word person may be fitly used and applied to the doctrine of the Trinity, yet we generally suppose it is not to be taken exactly in the same sense, as when we call threemen, or three angels, three distinct persons." Now what is not exactly the sanie sense, may yet be a sense near akin. And if in explaining things di ine we use the same word to include a little more, or a little less, than in things human, I think this may be done without blame, since we give notice of this special use of the word, since it,is the best word we have, and it is that which comes nearest to the divine or sacre.l ideas which we would express. P2
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