Mercy, chose this way for the Redemption of the World? What if many Reafons may be given why this Method was the most proper and expedient; and what if there might be infinitely greater and better Reafons for it, than all the Wisdom of Man can conceive?

But though the Reveal'd Will and Counsel of God ought to filence all Difputes in this as well as in all other Cafes; yet i think this Objection is capable of a very plain and direct Anfwer. For whatever Weight there may seem to be in it, it is all grounded upon a Mistake, and upon a wrong Notion of the Union between the Divine and the Humane Nature of Christ. For if the Godhead be not fo united to the Manhood as to fuffer with it, there is no imaginable Reason why its Union with the Manhood fhould be fuppofed to be unworthy of God. I fhall therefore

1. Shew the Unreafonableness of this Suppofition, that the Union of the Divine and Humane Nature in Chrift fhould cause the Godhead to fuffer with the Manhood.

2. I will prove that the Humiliation of the Son of God, in affuming our Nature, may be accounted for, without fuppofing that the Godhead fuffer'd.

3. That the Satisfaction of Chrift by dying for our Sins may be explain'd without it.

1. The Unreasonableness of this Suppofition, that the Union of the Divine and Humane Nature in Christ should cause the Godhead to fuffer with the Manhood. This Objection fuppofes the Godhead to be fo united to the Manhood in the Person of our Saviour, as that the Divine Nature must really and properly partake in all the Sufferings which befel his Perfon. It fuppofes, that Chrift, as God, fuffer'd the Miseries of Humane Life, and at last underwent Death upon the Crofs; which is fo far from being the Doctrine of the Gospel, that it is no better than Herefy and Blafphemy, and has always been rejected

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and condemn'd as fuch by the Catholick Church. That the Union of the Godhead with the Manhood fhould render the Godhead capable of Sufferings, as the Soul by being united to the Body becomes fenfible of its Pains, is indeed a thing not only unworthy of God, but impoffible to conceive. The Immortal and ever-bleffed God can be fubject to nothing of Passion or Frailty. The Godhead is uncapable of any Imperfection, and therefore uncapable of receiving any Impreffions of Sufferings from the Humane Nature, as the Soul doth from the Body of Man. So that tho' the Union between the Divine and Humane Nature in Christ be fitly explain'd by that between the Soul and the Body in Man, yet the manner of acting is very different. For Finite Beings can mutually act and be acted upon by each other in their feveral Actions and Paffions; but the Divine Nature of Chrift being impaffible, could fuffer nothing by all that was inflicted on the Humane, but remain'd infinitely Happy and Glorious under all the Torments and Agonies endur'd by our Saviour both in his Soul and Body. The Son of God fuffer'd, that is, the Perfon, who is the Son of God; but he fuffer'd, not as Son of God, but as Man united Perfonally to the Godhead. The Properties, Actions, and Paflions of both Natures belong to the Perfon confifting of both; who may be denominated from both, and receive different Denominations, fome from one Nature, and fome from the other. For whatever belongs to either Nature, is communicated to the Perfon confifting of both Natures, tho' the Properties, Actions or Paffions of each Nature cannot be communicated from one of these Natures to the other. The Soul is immaterial and immortal; the Body is material and mortal: but Man confifting of Soul and Body, is immaterial and immortal in respect of his Soul, but material and mortal with refpect to his Body, And Soul and Body ftill retaining their different Properties diftinct, the Man by Virtue of the Union

of

of Soul and Body, is denominated from both: Man is mortal and immortal; mortal as to his Body, but immortal as to his Soul. And Chrift, who could not fuffer in his Divine Nature, fuffer'd in his Humane.

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As God is pleas'd to aid and affift and support innocent and good Men in their Sufferings, and to direct and conduct them through the Course of their Lives So God was not only prefent with the Humane Nature of Chrift, but was fo united to it, as to become one Perfon with it; which, fince the Godhead could fuffer nothing from it, is no more unworthy of God, than if he had only guided him with his Spirit, as he did the Prophets without any perfonal Union. There is no Inconvenience or Abfurdity in believing that God fhould by the most intimate and perfonal Union become united to a Man, who did weep, and bleed, and die. For as God by this Union did not change the Nature he had affumed, or prevent the Sufferings of it, fo he did not partake in them. No Man can deny, upon Principles of Philofophy, but that it is very reasonable to believe, that God may afford a more peculiar Prefence to one Man than to another, and that this Man may yet be subject to Afflictions; and therefore the Son of God might become united to the Soul and Body of Chrift in as intimate a manner, as the Soul and Body are united to each other in us; and yet this Union of the Divine Nature might not preferve the Humane from the Sufferings incident to the reft of Mankind, but muft leave it to fubmit to them, tho' they were never fo grievous, when this was the very End and Design of the Union.

It was not below the Majefty of God to be Perfonally united to a moft Innocent, and Sinless and Holy Man, tho' he was a Suffering and Afflicted Man; and it is not the Perfonal Union, as fome are apt to conceive, which could be any Diminution to God's Glory, but their own Error and Mistake, in what they furmife would be the Confequence of fuch an Union. Y 4

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2. The Humiliation of the Son of God in affuming our Nature, may be accounted for, without fuppofing that the Godhead fuffer'd. It was the greatest Condefcenfion and Humiliation in the Son of God to take upon him our Nature: For it is a gracious and merciful Condefcenfion for him to take care of us by his Providence. God humbleth himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in the Earth, Pfal. cxiii. 6. But fometimes and in fome places he is in a more peculiar manner present upon Earth, and that is an extraordinary Condefcenfion; though he is always the fame in himself, and never the lefs prefent or the lefs happy in Heaven. But it was the most wonderful Condefcenfion in God to unite himself to our Humane Nature, and to become one Person with it, and so to die for us; tho' his Divine Nature did not and could not fuffer, but only the Humane Nature to which it is united. He was not ashamed to call Men his Brethren, and in all things to be made like unto his Brethren, Heb. ii. 11, 17. but vouchfafed to affume our Nature in its lowest condition, and to be fo ftrictly and perfonally united to the most afflicted of all the Sons of Men, as to ascribe all his Sufferings to himself, for the benefit of all Mankind.

It is the infinite Mercy of God, to vouchsafe us the Comfort of his Prefence in any way or measure: but it is the most aftonishing and adorable Act of his Goodness, that he would be pleas'd so far to condefcend, as to take our very Nature upon him, that he might be born, and might die for our fakes. And that which magnifies his Mercy and Goodness in the highest measure, is certainly moft worthy of the good and merciful God.

3. The Satisfaction of Chrift by dying for our Sins, may be explain'd without fuppofing that the Godhead fuffer'd. The Chriftian Faith is, That as the Reafonable Soul and Flesh is one Man, fo God and Man is one Chrift; and that this Person confisting both of God and

Man

Man united, fuffer'd for our Salvation: But that all the Sufferings were inflicted on the Humane Nature, and terminated in it. God and Man became one Chrift, not by the Converfion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. The Humane Nature was affum'd into the Perfonality of his Godhead, not by Confufion of Subftance, but by Unity of Perfon. The Divine Nature of Chrift and his Humane Nature became one Perfon, and tho' these Two Natures remain as diftinct as before the Union; yet all the Properties of a Perfon belong to both Natures united, and whatever was done or fuffer'd by him, was attributed to the Perfon confifting of both Natures. And as in Man the Perfonality is derived from his Superior Nature to his Inferior, and the Body is taken into a Unity of Perfon with the Soul: fo, much rather, when God was pleas'd to become united to Man; the Perfonal Unity, or that Subfiftence, whereby they are but one Perfon, is with the like Subordination of the Humane to the Divine Nature, as that of the Body to the Soul in Man; that is, with all the Subordination, which can be confiftent with the Diftinction of Natures, and the Preservation of the free Exercise of the Faculties in the inferior Nature. This Subordination of the Humane to the Divine Nature in Christ, causes the Unity of his Perfon confifting of both Natures. For by a Perfon, in the usual Signification of the word, as it is apply'd to Creatures, is meant a Rational Being of a feparate Existence from all other Rational Beings and therefore the Humane Nature of Chrift, by its Union with his Divine Nature, having no separate Existence, has no Perfonality or Subfiftence of its own, but in the Perfonality or Subfiftence of his Divine Nature.

And Christ thus confifting of both Natures, fuffer'd a proper and fatisfactory Punishment for the Sins of all Mankind, by enduring in their stead, all that was required of them, according to the Sanction of

the