262 TIIH ARIAN INVITED To ORTHODOX rArrn. To answer this more particularly, let its remember that the tell -. gicus honours which are paid to the person of Christ, maybe consideredeither as the ascription of divine perfections and ope- rations to him, or as the ascription of human graces, perfections, kindnesses, operations, or sufferings, or as the ascription of toe- diatorial offices, operations and benefits, which are the result of both divine and humannatures. Now I grant the human nature distinctly considered, cannot directly share in the ascriptions.of divine perfections, though it may receive sensible pleasure in seeing divine honours paid to the godhead. But the human nature considered as a part of the complex person of Christ, may receive its share of the ascription both of human and tnediatoial characters and operations to this complex person, and derive a sensible satisfaction thence. For as we cannot suppose, that the human nature of Christ in this exalted state can be utterly ignorant of the knees that bow to his person, and the tongues confessing that he is Lord ; so the man Jesus cannot chase but have a sacred relish and complacency in these honoursas a rewardof his sufferings, always referring them to the final glory of the divine nature. If Jesus Christ be worship- ped as the Lamb that was slain, and bis human nature takes cog- nizance of these addresses, it cannot but receive its own share of satisfaction from this knowledge. If this proposition want further illustration, let us try if the following supposition will do it. Suppose God himself were clothed with a robe of light which had intelligence or conscious- ness in it ; suppose in our addresses to God'thus arrayed with light, we should be required tomake honourable mention of that vesture of glory which surrounded him ; might not this intellec- tual glory be said to receive honour or worship from us, as con- sidered in union with the indwelling deity ? And might it not take cognizance, of this honour with delight and just approba- tion ? Yet this intellectual glory, this conscious light, would by Ito. means be a proper Object of any such honours in itself, but merely by virtue of the indwelling God ; And every degree of honour er satisfaction which it received would redound to the glory of God himself who dwelt in the midst of it. Thus God dwelling in the manhood of Christ, as in a vesture or tabernacle, is svoshippped by men ; and some of the addresses he receives are paid to him expressly as incarnate, and thus the manhood is conscious of, and receives its own appointed share of the honour.. But these thoughts lead me on to the next proposition. IX. " Since the design of the union of God and man in one person, was to render Christ a lit Mediator, therefore the wor- . ship that is paid May be considered either as ultimate, or as medi- tutorial, and it may in some sense be called either supremesr subordinate."
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