DISCOURSE II. 575 signs which himself has given us to distinguish between God and creatures. Or if ever such à glorious creature were formed and discovered to us, he would certainly be intimately and personally united to the divine nature;. and thus have proper godhead dwelling in him, lest we should be unavoidably exposed to the danger of taking one for God who was not God, and paying divine honours to a person who was not divine. Perhaps while we dwell on earth, there will always remain some difficulty in adjusting several particulars that relate to the person, the offices and the operations of our blessed Saviour: but since we firmly believe that his name is Emmanuel, or God with us, and that God and man are united toconstitute the com- plete person of our Mediator ; since we are persuaded also that the characters andoffices which he sustains, require powers supe- rior to all created nature for the most complete execution of them ; therefore where we are at a loss in determining how far the divine nature operates, and how far the human, in any spe- cial part of his offices, we may refer it in general to the complex person of the Mediator as God-man. In this person we are sure there are powers abundantly sufficient to answer all the necessities and demands of every office which he sustains. When we consider hint as. God, it is as God united to man : When we consider him as man, it is as man united to God ; and his person as God-man, our Governor and Judge demands our adoration, and faith and love. To conclude this subject, though such speculations as I have indulged inthis discourse, are by no means necessary. to our sal- vation, yet they may be applied to several excellent purposes in christianity. They may cure us of our old narrow conceptions of the glories of the exalted human nature of Christ, and raise in us nobler ideas of that illustrious person, whom God the Fa- ther bath advanced to so sublime a degree of power and majesty at his own right-hand. These speculations may give a much higher esteem of our blessed Saviour, and a more affecting sense of his sorrows and sufferings in the value and dignity of them, when we observe how glorious a person he is in himself, and what a rich and surprizing recompeuce God the Father has made hits upon this account. They may teach us- to pay more just and agreeable honours to the person of our Redeemer God -man, and excite us to a nobler practice of gratitude,, to do and suffer any thing for his sake, who has done and suffered so much for us on earth, and who continues to do so much for us in heaven. Sure it must be a culpable defect in us, willingly to withhold any part of that esteem, affection and love from the man Christ Je- sus, which he has so richly merited at our hands by his amazing condescension, by his former mortal agonies, and by his present extensive benefits. We would not willingly treat any of our
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