650 THE GLORY OF CHRIST AS GOD -MAN. before, and that even .during all the humiliation of Christ : What alteration then does arise from this declared exaltation of Christ, alter his labours and suffering ? And besides, 3. What new advantage, what benefit, 'what gift or reward can it be to the human nature of Christ, that his divine nature should be made governor of all things ? Or that the divine na- ture should exert that authority, dominion or power which it had inherent in itself, originally, necessarily and without any gift? This government of Christ is frequently represented as a gift and a reward, and therefore must belong eminently to the ferior nature, which alone is capable of rewards and gifts from God. The same argument may be drawn from Rom. xiv. 0. To this end Christ both (lied and rose and revived, or lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead.and the living. His death and resurrection belong to his human nature ; he died as man, he rose as man, that he might as man rule over the (lead and the living ; for it is hardly to be supposed that St. Paul could mean,. " He died and rose as man, that his godhead might obtain this dominion, when his godhead had this dominion eter- nal and unalienable in itself,- and needed no such new title to dó miuión : "' For his coming. into flesh could never divest him of it, nor could his human sufferings repurchase such a divine claim and power if hehad divested himself. Yet here I would give notice once for all. that I dó not ex-, elude this sPrt of 'scriptures from an economical sense : I mean thus, they may have a respect to Christ in his complete person as God-man, and as Mediator'; or as a man united to godhead, and they may and must signify`his exaltation in his mediatorial. iiìaracter to these honours and authorities; without the indwell- ing godhead several of them seem to be too sublime for a man : But still the mist natural, obvious, and primary meaning of them, refers to that human nature, which alone can be the proper subject of real abasement and advancement, which alone could really' suffer; and which alone could receive real exaltation ; for the divine nature in itself is utterly incapable of either. It is the man who is exalted, even the man Jesus who is called the Medi- ator, but it is the man who is one with God. He obeyed and differed anddied as man; bút -united to God.: Ile rose and was exalted as man, but still united to God. I beg pardon if I have dwelt too long on this point, or repeated any thing which I have 'said before. The doctrine itself seems to require it of me, that if possible I might leave no scruple òu the minds Of pions readers who are honestly searching out the truth, and would secure the honour's of their blessed Redeemer. It may be enquired here, " What acts Ran the man Jesus
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