But to proceed, Secondly, To the incarnation of the Lord Jefus, John i. 14. The word was made flesh, and dwelt amongfi us, &c. And herein the love of GoD thines with beams more luminous than the fun in its meridian glory; fo bright, that all Heaven was enlightened with its beams, and the Angels were the happy heralds of this love to mankind, Luke ii. 10, 11, 13, 14. And the Angel faid unto them, fear not, for bebold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savicer, which is Chrift the Lord. And fuddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly hoft, praising God, and faying, Glory to God in the higheft, and on earth peace, good will towards men!

And here, if we confider who it was that was thus incarnate, it will furely animate our fouls with the fame angelic rapture; that it was our Maker, who was poffeffed of all the natural and effential glories of the Deity, that every name and title, perfection and property, glory and adoration, which is afcribed to the Godhead, is applied to him; that he is poffeffed of a glory, (which is inconceivable either by men or angels) natural to his own being and exiftence; a glory that never was enhanced, nor never can be diminished; a glory that was without beginning, and will be without end; a glory which can never be infringed by men or devils, appears Job xxxv. 6. If thou finneft, what deft thou against him? or if thy tranfgreffions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him? Likewife it is a glory which cannot be advanced, for he is above all bleffing and praife, Job xxxv. 7. If thou be righteous, what givejt thou him? or what receiveft he of thine hand? In short, he is poffeffed of a glory independent of all created beings in Heaven or earth; for had every Angel in glory been loft, and had all mankind perifhed, his glory had been the fame, without the leaft variation. I might add, that we are apt to have too mean and low thoughts of the uncreated glories of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and think with the Arians, that he is made happy by communication, or gift; or at most by the adoration of men and Angels, when alas! we too often forget that the natural and primordial glories of our dear LORD are the fame effentially and co-eternally with the FATHER; and that he is poffeffed of a two-fold effential glory (which our greatest divines too seldom obferve) Firft, That the divine perfections and properties of the LORD JESUS are underived, natural and eternal to himself, or that he is felfexistent, in union of effence, with the FATHER and the HOLY GHOST. Secondly, That he is effentially poffeffed with a

happiness and felicity in the fruition of the FATHER and the HOLY GHOST, which is inconceivably glorious and unutterable; for as they are three divine perfons, or felf-fubfiftences, in one undivided effence, their nature, perfection, and glory being the fame, their happinefs in each other must be ineffable, glorious, and unfpeakable. As we may fix a faint idea of the fountain, by the freams iffuing therefrom, fo we may find, by happy experience, that if one drop of divine happinefs be let into our hearts, it immediately fills us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. If then, a fimal portion of divine love has fuch glorious effects, what muft the fountain be which flows from nothing but happiness, felicity, and glory, in the most confummate degree?

In order to prevent too long a digreffion, I proceed to ob ferve, that the Loges, or divine perfon, was incarnate, was made flesh and dwelt among us; in which tranfaction the love of GOD fhines in the most lucid manner; but if it might be allowed to be peculiarly confpicuous in one refpect more than another, furely it must appear to be the greatest act of condefcenfion and grace, for the Deity to take the human nature into union with his divine, then it was for the human nature to die and fuffer in union thereunto, as one obferves, "CHRIST "did many miracles in the fleth, but the greatest of all miracles "was his appearing in the flesh," which will appear, if we Confider, that the ancient of days was made the infant of days; that the GoD of glory was made a man of forrows, and ac quainted with grief: O amazing! be aftonifhed, O Heavens, at this! my Maker, my GoD, and my bountiful benefactor, condefcend to become incarnate, to fuffer, die, bleed and atone for me! was ever grace like this! was ever kindne's fo great! O write, dear SAVIOUR, this love upon mine heart with a pen of iron, and with a point of a diamond; let it be engraved there for ever and ever.

Friendly. But did this wonderful myfterious tranfaction make no change in the Godhead of CHRIST?

Truth. By no means, for whatever change there was, referred only to the human, which nature being formed in the womb, and brought forth, only went through all the fufferings of life and death, rofe, afcended, and is glorified at the right hand of GoD; yet, through the whole, both natures retained their peculiar properties without the leaft change; for these natures, in CHRIST's perfon, were not in the leaft mixed, blended, or confounded, each nature keeping its own

property through all the amazing fcene. How wonderful and aftonifhing, that the fea of fweetnefs fhould be drained dry, and yet remain infinitely full! how a tenant may escape when his houfe is on fire, is easy to conceive; but how the tenant can remain in the house, until all is confumed to athes, and be unhurt, is not fo eafy to comprehend! How a ship may be wrecked, tore, and rent to pieces in a ftoam, and yet the mariner (upon fome floating plank) efcape fafe to fhore, is eafy to conceive; but how a fhip can founder in the unfa thomable ocean, and yet the mariner not be in the leaft fright or danger, is a deep for faith to fwim in, and meditation to ruminate upon. How the lily of the valley, whose odoriferoufnels fpread a fweetnefs in Heaven, whole beauty charmed the whole creation of GoD-how this lily can fade, wither, and die, and yet remain in full bloom and perfection, is incomprehenfible! how the brightness of the FATHER's glory, whofe beams adorn the throne of GOD, whofe majestic rays caft a glory over thrones, principalities and powers, in heavenly places, which commands glorification in the highest enjoyment through the Heaven of Heavens! how this brightness of Heaven can be incarnate, fuffer, bleed and die, and yet at the fame time not a fingle ray eclipfed, nor a beam extinguished, this is a wonder of wonders! It was a wonder in heaven, a wonder on earth; and well it may, for indeed it is a wonder in the Godhead, and fully proves that the divine nature, through the whole of his incarnation, forrows, death, and fufferings, retained its own property, perfection and glory, Before whom all nations are as nothing, and when compared with him, are lefs than nothing, and vanity.

Secondly, Here we might obferve, that though the human nature retained its own properties, yet by its perfonal union with the divine, it is highly dignified and exalted, though it is not defiled. We fhould be ever careful not to afcribe infinity, immenfity, eternity, omniscience, omnipotence, and omniprefence, to the human nature of CHRIST. But when we confider both natures, conftituting one perfon for evermore, we may fafely afcribe to him, as God-man, all the names, titles and characters of JEHOVAH; and apply to him all the perfections of the Godhead, together with all the works of nature, grace and glory, Col. i. 16, 17. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, principalities or powers; all things were created by him, and for him: and he is be

fore all things, and by him all things confift. Which leads me to obferve,

Thirdly, That the human nature of CHRIST never had any exiftence, feparate from its union with the divine, for it had union with the divine in the womb of the virgin, in its birth, life, death and fufferings, and even when it lay in the grave, by virtue of which it role again the third day according to the fcriptures, and is now exalted at the right hand of the Majefty on high, far above all Heavens; for we are never to confider the two natures conftituting two perfons, but one, viz. CHRIST as God-man, 1 Tim. iii. 16. Great is the mystery of Godliness; God was made manifeft in the flesh, &c.

Friendly. Wherein appears the diftinction between the two natures of CHRIST?

Truth. In that he remains perfect GOD and perfect man, without the least change, Phil. ii. 6, 7. Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant, Now in this union there and was made in the likeness of men. is no change of natures, as the divine nature is not made human, neither is the human nature deified.

Friendly. Though each nature is diftinct in their own property, yet as united, are they not mixed, and therefore do they not undergo a change, as water is water, and wine is wine, but when put together in one bottle, they undergo a change, by this union?

Truth. In the things of nature it might be fo, but the union we are upon is infinitely difproportionable to all natural unions; that water and the wine, by fuch an union, undergo a change is certain, as it is nature united with nature; but the union of natures, in the person of CHRIST, are so disproportionable to each other, as they cannot poffibly receive any change by their union; the Creator cannot become a creature, nor the creature become a Creator; nor finite infinite; nor infinite become finite; nor eternity time, &c. therefore it remains, that though the union is real, their natures are diftin&t, not confounded, mixed, or blended with each other, but that CHRIST continues perfectly GoD in his divine nature, and perfectly Man in his human nature, and these two natures conftituting him GoD-man, render him a perfect SAVIOUR.

Friendly. How did the Son of God become incarnate, or take upon him our nature?

Truth. Firft, CHRIST voluntarily undertook to become in

carnate, lo, faith he, I come to do thy will, &c. Second, His human nature was miraculoufly formed in the womb of the virgin, and then, by the power of the HOLY GHOST, joined in union to the divine in one perfon, never to be divided or feparated, but continue for ever the God-man and MEDIATOR.

Friendly. In what refpect is this union fo myfterious?

Truth. As it is inconceivable, how an infinite being should become finite, immenfity circumfcribed, and the Creator a creature, as faith the Prophet, Ifa. ix. 6. For unto us a child is born, a Son is given, and his name fhall be called the Mighty God, the everlasting Father.

Friendly. Cannot this union be comprehended by our rea fon?

Truth. No, it is not poffible; and I might add, that there are three unions, which is the glory-fpring and fountain of all our happiness, and yet we are not able to comprehend one of them; it is enough, that we have full fatisfaction from the word of God that it is fo. The First, is the union of three divine perfons, or Subfiftences, in an undivided effence.Second, The union of the divine and human nature in the perfon of CHRIST.-Third, The union of CHRIST and his church as one body. These are myfterious deeps, and need not at all furprize us, whilst a lower union, which we are familiar with, is not comprehended by us, viz. that of the foul and body.

Friendly. Were all the divine perfons in the Godhead concerned in this union?

Truth. Yes, First, The Father ordained and prepared the human nature for its union with the eternal word, Heb. x. 5. Second, The Son accepts of it, and affumes this nature, Heb. ii. 16. Third, The HOLY GHOST confummates, and compleats the union, Luke i. 35

Frirndly. What glory did CHRIST receive by virtue of

this union?

Truth. His mediatorial glory; for his divine glory was felfexiftent to his nature, always fubfifting in his divine perfon, therefore it was fo far from having any dependence upon its union with the human nature, that it never had any dependence upon any created being whatever, though nothing was added to his divine nature, by virtue of its union with the human, but a relationship thereunto; yet it makes a relative and real change in the human nature, as it now existeth in a glorious and tranfcendent manner in perfonal union with GOD, and by virtue of which union it is advanced and exalted above