DISCOURSE II. .573 If any person should enquire here, "May not any of our souls be thus assumed into union with the divine nature, and by this union be made capable of thesame powers and dignities ?" I answer, By no means : for though the capacity of our souls may be largely extended in a future world, yet I am verily persuaded they can never be dilated or enlarged to the amazing comprehension which the soul of our blessed Saviour possesses. Our souls in their native constitution are vastly inferior to his. As a vessel of clay can never be enlarged by all the art of man, to such a prodigiouscapacity as a vessel of gold, so nor the soul of an ideot to contain the ideas of a Milton or a Newton ; nor any other created spirit to know and do what the blessed :soul of Jesus knows and does. Perhaps the powers of any other human soul would be dis- solved and destroyed under such impressions from indwelling godhead as the soul of Christ constantly receives, and by which he is fitted for his high post of mediation and government. Were it possible that the divine power should continually coudes- cend to effect whatsoever a common human soul willed, yet this humansoul perhaps has not natural powers sufficiently large; to he made aconscious instrument of one thousandth part of what the soul of Jesus knows and wills, anddoes by virtue of the in- dwelling godhead. In all things he must have the pre - eminence; Col. i. 15 -18. Upon this representation of things, the various languageof scripture appears to be true, and is made very intelligible. Christ says, he can do nothing of himself, he knew not the day ,of judgment when hewas here on earth, &c. and yet he is said to to know the hearts of men, and to know all things ; for as fast as the divine mind united to himwas pleased to communicate all these ideas, so fast was his human nature capable of receiving them. The Father,. in succession of seasons, chews the Son'all things that himselfdoth ; John v. 20. But God had shewn him but some lesser timings comparatively at the time when Christ spake this ; for at that time he assures the Jews, that the Father wouldafterwards sheaf him greater works than these. Thus, as I have shewn before, the union of the human nature to the divinity, being purely arbitrary, or owing to the will of God, the seasons and measures of divine communications made to the man Jesus must be arbitrary also, and limited or enlarged according to divine will and appointment. Upon thissame representation of things also it may be justly said in scripture, that 04 God governs the world, Godonly knows the hearts of all men, and God himself is the Judge, and yet Christ is the searcher of hearts, the Judge and Lord of all; be- cause though the man Jesus may have these titles and characters attributed to him,, yet it is not merely the man considered Áb-
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