598 THE GLORY OF CHRIST AS GOD -MAN. This perhaps may be better interpreted concerning bis descent into the womb of the virgin, than into the grave, for David uses the same expression, Ps. cxxxix. 15. where he says, His sub- stance was made in secret, and curiouslywrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Besides, it was the soul of Christ that de- scended from heaven, but not into the grave. Now, saith the apostle, Be that descended thus, is the sanie also that ascended . up far above all heavens ; that is, the soul descended to assume. a body, and then being embodied, it ascended above the heavens. Objection. There are expressions in the Old Testament which represent God as coming down upon earth to visit the affairs of men ; and in this analogical sense the godhead of Christ may be said to ascend and descend, so that these words need not to be applied to any pre-existent soul of Christ. Answer I. When this manner of speech is used concerning God, it must be interpreted figuratively or analogically, becaitsë the literal sense cannot be true : but where the literal sense is just and plain and easy, there is no need to run to figures. h1. Let it be noted also, that whenGod is said to descend from hea- ven, or ascend thither in the Old 'Testament, perhaps it isso expressed to shew that this God is Jesus-Christ, or the human soul of Christ, united to the godhead in the pre- existent state, as shall be shewn hereafter, by whose service God the Father managed a thousand affairs of the ancient ages, and more espe, cially sùch as had any relation to the welfare orthe church, or the holy seed.--III. But besides, when we consider the fre- quency of these expressions, Christ's coming down from heaven, coming from the Father, and coming into this world, they scent to bear a- plain and just antithesis to his departing from the world, his returning to the Father, his ascending into heaven, which are mentioned at the same time: Now all these latter ex= pressions are plainly understood lay every reader concerning-the human nature of Christ, and give his good ground to infer that the former expressions concerning is descent from heaven should be attributed to his human nature too ; that is, to his human soul, which is the chief part of it. Under this head, Bishop Fowler adds for a further proof of it ; 1 Cor. xv. 47. Thefirst man is of the earth, earthy ; the second man is the Lord from heaven : Which, says he, the apostle speaks of Christ's original in opposition to Adam's, thus ; his soul was created on earth, a body being made out of the earth fer it; but the soul of Christ was created in heaven and there- fore he is called the Lord from heaven. This is abundantly more intelligible, to me at least, than how the eternal Word should come down from heaven, otherwise than as in un ion with the soul of Christ; since the eternal Word ever filled all things with
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=