DISCOURSE III. 585 If there be any such scriptures, they mast refer either to the human soul of Christ, which was afterward united to his human body, or to some other super -angelical nature, as some call it, which might belong to our Saviour, besides his humas soul. And this is evident, that this very notion of some persons 'concerning a super-angelical spirit belonging to him* beside his human soul arose from those many expressions concerning him before his incarnation which seem inferior to deity. Somewriters saw these sort of expressions so strong in scripture, that they would venture to introduce three intellectual beings in the person of Christ, rather than not yield to the apparent force of these expressions. But surely it is not worthy of a philosopher, or a divine to multiply natures in our Lord Jesuswithout reason, and to ascribe to him any such third intellectual nature, if the expressions of scriptureon this head may be most evidently explained without it, and may be better applied to his human soul. Now that there are such expressions that seem to intimate a nature inferior to God, belonging to Christ before he came in the flesh, will appear by the following considerations : And they may all be explained in the easiest manner, by applying thein to the human soul of Christ. SEcr. IIT.-4rguments for thepre-existenceof Christ's Human Soul, drawn from. various Considerations of something in- ferior to Godhead ascribed to him before and at his In- carnation. The first set of arguments I shall use arises from several things ascribed to Christ before and at his incarnation, which seem to be of too low a nature for pure godhead. Consideration I. " Christ is represented as his Father's messenger, minister, or angel, that was a distinct being from his Father, sent by his Father to perform such actions and such ser- vices for his people long before his incarnation, some of which seem too low for the dignity of pure godhead." The appearances ofChrist to the patriarchs are described like the appearances of an angel, or a man, a glorious man s' Note, If in this or any'other of my writings I speak of the soul of Christ, as being art angel or an angelic spirit, or in an angelic state, I mean nothing else but bis existing without a body as angels do, or his being a messenger of God the.Father as they are; and in this sense the scripture calls him an angel several times. Or if I speak of.him as a super- angelic spirit, I intend no more than his having both ,natural and deputed powers, far superior to angels; for I always suppose this soul to be truly and properly a human spirit in its own na- ture, that is, a spirit suited to the state of union with a human body, and to all the natural acts and effects, appetites and passions derived from such an' antan.
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