DISCOURSE III: 587 familiarly with Gideon, and let Gideon usesuch a familiar way of talking with God, as is récorded Judges vi. 1 -11 ? Doth this suit with the supreme glory and dignity of eternal godhead and pure divinity ? Doth it not seem more agreeable that God should do all this by the intermediation of a human soul, appear- ing in a visible shape, than that the infinite majesty of Godshould immediately abase itself in such a manner? Is it not much more natural and easy, and more condecent in itself, as well as more agreeable to the words of scripture, to suppose that it was the human soul of Christ, assuming abody at that time for those human purposes ? And thus he might be cal- led the angel or messenger of God, because God sent him ; for the word angel dolls not signify originally the name of a' nature, but of an office. He might also upon this supposition. with more justness and propriety of speech, be called a man, when he appears in the form of a man, and with the appetites, passions, and actions of a man; Gen. xviii. 2, 4, 5, 8, 17. and xxxii. 24. for the soul is the chief part of a man, and especially when that soul appeared in-a human body. And yet at the same timehe might be properly called God, the Lord, and Jehovah ; for this man or angel, this human soul in an assumed body was personally united to God, or had the fulness of the godhead dwelling in him by a personal union ; though the more immediate agent in these animal and common actions of life was the human soul, rather than the eternal and blessed God. The same things may be said concerning the visions which the prophets Amos and Zechariah had of our. Lord Jesus Christ, when he stood upon the wall with a plumb-line in his hand ; Amos vii. 7. And when he stood on the altar; Amos ix. 1. Or when Joshua the high-priest stood before him, and Satan at his right-hand to resist him; Zed). iii. 1. These corporeal scenes seem better to befit the human soul of Christ than pure godhead, though in these appearances be is sometimes called the angel of the Lord, and sometimes the Lord, or Jehovah, for the reason before given, viz. because he is one with God by so intimate an union. Consideration II. " Christ, when he came into this world, is said to empty and divest himself of some glory which he had before his incarnation, in several places of scripture. Now if nothing but his divine nature existed before this time, this di- vine nature could not properly empty or divest itself of any glory : Therefore it must be his inferior nature, or his human soul, which (lid then exist and divest itself of its ancient glory for a season." The first text I shall mention is, that famous one in the prayer of Christ ; John xvii. 4, 5. I have glorified thee on earth:
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