DISCOURSE II. 553 himself abstracted from deity, to change the hearts of men, make obstinate sinners become penitent, and seal the forgiveness of sins with comfort to their consciences ; yet the man Jesus may say, Father, I will that this and the other obdurate sinner he re- claimed, softened and sanctified : Father, Iwill thathis sins befor- given him :" And hereupon the blessed Spirit of God works this divine change in the sinner, and seals this forgiveness to the soul. Why may not Jesus work wonders of grace on the souls of men, in the same way as he wrought miracles of healing on their bodies ? I add further, The man Jesus may exert avolition that such and such a rebellious sinner be converted, softened and pardon- ed ; and according to the sacred and unsearchable laws of the union between his divine and human nature, the effect may be wrought and theblessing given by the omnipotence and authority of the indwelling godhead : And in this sense the exalted hu- man nature exerting such a volition becomes a conscious instru- ment or agent, in bestowing these divine favours. You will say perhaps, Was it not so in his state of humiliation as well as now ? And what advantage then has Christ exalted ? Did not the god- head work the miracle by the intervening actof Christ's human will ? Ianswer, Yes certainly : But the difference between his agency in his exalted and in his humbled state, seems to be this while our Redeemer was on earth in his humbled state, he seems to liveby more apparent, constant, immediate and actual addres- ses to and dependence on the godhead for every singlemiracle he wrought than perhaps he does now. This dependence wassome- times manifestedto the spectators,by praying to his Father when he was to work a miracle, is in raising Lazarus from the dead. John xi. 41. " He said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and yet then he spake his will with authority, verse 43. Lazarus come forth." At other times this actual dependence was constantly practised, though he did not manifest it to the spectators : So when Christ healed the leper ; Mat. viii. the man Jesus said, "I will, be thou clean," and immediately the miracle was wrought. By theintervening volition of Christ as man the dead was raised and the leper was cleansed ; but it was the power of God was present with the will of the man to heal the sick and to raise the dead as it is expressed in Luke And thus the man Jesus beingnow exalted to a more sove- reign sort of agency, to a quicken whom he will ;" John v. 21. bath a special interest in those titles, a Prince and aSaviour, and in bestowing repentance and forgiveness ; Acts ii. 31, 32, 33. be- cause his will is made as it were the agent. He ascended to heaven, he received the promise of the Spirit, he poureddown
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