DISCOURSE 11I. 803 twixt God the Father and his Son, and as it is usually called the covenant of redemption, it seems to require the pre -existence of the soul of Christ. Or if we consider the covenant of grace as it has been proposed to men in all ages since the fall, the exis- tence of Christ as God -man seem requisite also to constitute him a proper Mediator. It does not appear to be so agreeable a supposition to make this covenant for the salvation of men from the vengeance of God to run on for the space 'of four thousand years together, that is, from the creation and fall of man to the incarnation of Christ, without any proper or suitable mediator or undertaker on the part of man. This covenant of the gospel, or of God in Christ, includes in the very nature and theory of ittwo real distinct parties, God and man ; so that the title of mediator seems to require that man should be represent- ed by the mediator as well as God, and that the complete per- son of the mediator should have some affinity to both parties, and actually agree to this covenant in that whole person be- fore the communication of the benefits of it to the earliest ages of mankind. Observe also, what was intimated, before, that this one Me- diator is particularly called the man Christ Jesus ; L 'f im. ii. i. that the human nature may appear to be signally concerned in the mediation ; and for the same reason, the book of life is said to belong to the Lamb, which time is applied to the human na- ture of Christ, in union with the divine, with much more pro- priety than it can be applied merely to the divine naturewithout such an union. III. Another argument for this doctrine of the existence of the soul of Christ before his incarnation may be derived from the " scriptural descriptionsof Christ's coming into the world. This is always expressed in some corporeal language, such as denotes his taking on him animal nature, or body, or flesh, without the least mention of taking a soul." Read the following scriptures ; John i. 14. The word was madefleshand dwelt among us. Rom. i. 3. He was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Rom. viii. 3. God sending his Son in the likeness of sinfulflesh. Gal. iv. 3. God sent forth his Son suade of a woman. This word cannot necessarily imply the soul, for his soul could not be made of the soul or body of the Virgin Mary, but his flesh or blood was made out of hers. Phil. ii. 7, S. Be was Made in the likeness' of men, and was found in fashions as a man. Now shape or fashion peculiarly refer to the body rather than the soul. . And in the second chapter to the Hebrews, where the apos- tle treats professedly of the incarnation of Christ, he seems to suppose that his soul existed before, and that he was like the children of God already in that respect ; but verse 14. For as
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