DISCOURSE III. 599 his presence, and therefore could never for a moment leave hea- ven, that is, really and properly, but only in an analogical sense. a add also, that the following words confirm this sense. Verse 49. As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image e f the heavenly ; that is, our souls are made now on earth and joined to bodies, to frail and feeble bodies, capable of disease and corruption, as was the soul of Adam, which was made on earth after bis body was formed : But as the soul of Christ came down from heaven, and assumed a body upon earth, so the souls of the saintsat the resurrection shall come down from heaven, and assume their immortal bodies upon earth: And in this sense Christ the second Adam, the Lord fromheaven, is the patternof the saints' resurrection much rather than the first ; and theparallel which the apostle represents of our bearing the image of the earthy and the heavenly Adam, is much more just, per- fect and natural, if we take in this part Of the resemblanceas well as others. Some would construe these words, The Lord from heaven, to signify the divine nature of Christ. But let it be observed, that the apostle's design here is only to shew how the man Christ Jesus shall be the pattern of saints raised in glory ; and it is no part of his purpose here to represent saints as bearing the image of God, or his divine nature, but only the image of his glorified human nature, and therefore these glorious expressions rather refer to his human soul. Now put all these things together, and we can hardly suppose our blessed Lord or his apostles should express his real andproper human descent from heaven in plainer words than those which have been cited, or in words more fitted to lead every common reader into this plain and easy sense. To conclude this section, if the most natural and obvious sense pf scripture leads us to believe, that there was a glorious Being who is sometimes called an angel, and sometimes a man under the OldTestament, who was clothed with peculiar rays of glory, and assumed divine prerogatives, and yet in other parts of his character and conduct appears much inferior to the ma- jesty of pure godhead, and that this illustrious Being emptied and divested himself of his peculiar riches and glory when be came to dwell in flesh, that he was capable of having a will dif- ferent from the will of his Father, as appears in those words of his, Father, not my will, but thy will be done; Luke xxii. 4q. and that he did really leave his dwelling with the Father, and come down into our world, 1 know not to what subject all this can be áo well applied as to the human soul of Christ,. and its existence before his incarnation.
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