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was truly tempted as a Man, even as Adam and Eve were in the State of Innocency, and he had therefore a true Experience of Human Frailty; and can make futable Allowances for our Degeneracy. But if the WORD supply'd the Defect of an Human Soul in Christ, 'twas impoffible that Chrift could, in any tolerable Sense, Meafure, or Degree, be tempted like us, or have any Experience of our Frailty. For that Power and Wisdom, which are effential to, and infeparable from, the great Architect of the Universe, and the Creator of all intelligent Beings, even the brightest Angels themselves, could no more be influenc'd or wrought upon by the Artifices of the Devil, or the Allurements of the World, than a Fly (for Instance; and even that Comparifon is infinitly too low) can stop the Motion of the Spheres, and invert the Order of Nature. Our Savior therefore certainly had an Human Soul, without which 'twas not poffible for him to be tempted like us. For I presume, no Man in his Wits will dream of Temptations working upon mere Flesh, without an intelligent Being to inform it, and make it capable of Moral Actions.

I could offer diverse other Confiderations: but I think, what has been already suggested, is more than fufficient to filence this Difpute.

You must therefore suffer me to affert, that our Lord Jesus Christ was, and is, very Man, confifting of an human Body and an human Soul; and that to this Man the WORD was, and still is, united. For you will heartily yield, that what our Savior was, whilft he convers'd upon Earth, the same

he continues ever fince his Afcenfion into Heaven, and the same will he be at the last great Day.

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CHAP.

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CHAP. IV.

That God is the Father of the Man Jesus Christ.

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OW you well know, that the very God is the Father of the Man Jesus Chrift. have already observ'd, that the very God is the Father of all Mankind by his general Paternity, even because he is the Author of all Beings whatfoever. But then, every body knows, what we mean by the Father of a Child in the ordinary Acceptation of that Phrase. Tho' the very God is by his general Paternity the Father of every Child, as he is the Original Author of all Beings; yet he having appointed inferior Agents to be the instrumental and immediat Causes of different Effects, has fetled such a Course of Things, that Mankind is produc'd by Propagation; and he who propagats a Child, is call'd the Father of it, as being under God the instrumental and immediat Cause of that Child's coming into the World. Since Adam and Eve were form'd, the same Species has been continu'd in this usual manner, in every Instance except the Blessed Jesus; who tho' he is very Man, of the same Species with ourselves, was notwithstanding begotten in a different Way; and tho' he had an human Mother, yet he had not an human Father. For the very God was to him inftead of an human Father.

There can be no Dispute between your self and me about this Matter. However, for the fake of others, let me prove it.

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The Angel told the blessed Virgin, that she should bring forth a Son, and call his Name Jesus,

Luke 1.31. Then Said Mary unto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the Angel answer'd and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God, v. 34, 35. The blessed Virgin, having never been known by Man, could not understand, how she should bear a Son. The Angel removes that Difficulty, by telling her, that the should conceive by the Operation of the Holy Ghost, and that therefore her Child should be called the Son of God. 'Tis true, her Child was call'd the Son of Man, as we shall soon see: but then he is also call'd the Son of God, and particularly for that very Reason, because he was begotten, not by a Man, but by the Operation of the Holy Ghost. I confess, 'twas only the Body of the blefsed Jesus, which was then begotten; but yet, since an human Soul is of Course added to every human Body, which is produc'd: 'tis certain, that God is as properly the Father of the Man Christ Jesus, as any Man is the Father of his Child, when he begets his own Likeness. And accordingly, tho God is the Father of all Mankind by his general Paternity, and the Father of all Christians by his particular or federal Paternity; yet he is the Father of the blessed Jesus by a special Paternity, even because the blessed Jesus was begotten by him in so peculiar a manner, as no other Man ever was.

Nor can it be objected, that our Lord is frequently call'd the Son of Man. No body knows better than your self, that that Phrase imports no more, than that he was of human Race, being descended truly and properly from the Jewish stock. And fo he certainly was by the Mother's fide, altho' God was his Father.

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You will give me leave to add, that God is the Father of the Man Jesus Christ, upon the account of his Refurrection also. For, to use the Words of a most excellent(a)Writer, Christ must therefore be acknowledg'd the Son of God, because he is raised immediately by God out of the Earth unto immortal Life. For God hath fulfilled the Promise unto us, in that he hath raised up Jefus again; as it is also written in the second Pfalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. The Grave is as the Womb of the Earth; Christ who is raised from thence, is as it were begotten to another Life; and God, who raised him, is his Father. So true it must needs be of him, which is spoken of others, who are the Children of God, being the Children of the Refurrection. Thus was he defined, or constituted-and appointed, the Son of God with Power, by the Refurrection from the Dead: neither is he called simply the first that rose, but with a Note of Generation, the first born from the Dead.

But then, it must be remembred, that tho Chrift is for the present, yet he will not always be, the Only Son of God, or the Only Begotten of the Father, upon this Account. For all that shall be rais'd to Everlasting Life, will be the Sons of God in this Respect. However, Christ is the first born Son of God upon the account of his Resurrection. For tho fome others were rais'd from the Dead by God before the Refurrection of our Lord Jesus Chrift, yet they dy'd again: whereas our Lord Jesus Christ never dy'd after his Resurrection. For as the Apoftle fpeaks, Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more Dominion over him. For in that he died, be died unto fin once: but in that he liveth, he li

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(a) Bishop Pearson on the Creed, p. 106.

veth unto God, Rom. 6. 9, 10. Our Savior therefore is the first begotten and the first born from the Dead ; because he is the very first that was rais'd by God to eternal Life.

CHAP. V.

The State of the Controversy between Dr. Clarke and the Author concerning the WORD, or Divine Nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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HESE things being premis'd, wherein (I hope) we are perfectly agreed, let us now enter upon the Confideration of the first Point in Controversy between us. 'Tis confefs'd on both Sides, 1. That the blessed Jesus has a Divine Nature, viz. the WORD. 2. That the WORD, or Divine Nature of the blessed Jesus, is call'd God. But the Question is, whether the WORD, or Divine Nature of the blessed Jesus, be the very God, that is, the one selfexistent Being. I affirm, that he is ; and You deny it, making him a Being distinct from, and inferior to, the one selfexistent or very God. That this is your Notion, I need not prove. I heartily wish it did not appear too frequently in your Writings concerning the Holy Trinity.

Now the Truth is, since there are two Natures united in the blessed Jesus, that is, since the WORD and the Man Jesus Christ are united into one Perfon: we can't wonder, that the holy Scriptures do speak of him in very different Manners; and affirm such Things of him with respect to the one Nature, as can't possibly be affirm'd with respect. to the other.

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