in our own nature; that the Medium of our access to God is a glorified man; not in appearance only, but in reality. And that he is, at the same time, in real union with the Godhead. That our heavenly Bridegroom is thus of the same nature with his bride; as well as one with the infinite God. Here is the Antitype of Jacob's ladder, which reached from earth to heaven. Its foot, on the surface of the earth, has been supposed to relate to Christ's humanity. And its top, at the throne of God, to relate to his Divinity. But if Christ have not real humanity, and have not, at the same time real Divinity, the original seems utterly to fail of answering to the copy.

To say, that Christ's taking merely a human body, may account for all that is said of his appearing in human nature, does not satisfy the feelings of common sense upon the subject. Should an angelic soul appear in the body of our deceased friend, it would not constitute him the person of that friend; nor even a human being. If the Angel Gabriel for once is called the man Gabriel, because he assumed a human appearance; we cannot hence infer, that all, which is said of Christ's coming in the flesh, and being the Son of man, may be consistent with his really possessing no more of humanity, than Gabriel for once appeared to possess, a human body. We should need something very express to convince us, that our heavenly Bridegroom, the Man Christ Jesus, the Man whom God hath ordained to judge the world, the offspring of David, made of the seed of David according to the flesh, the emphatical Seed of Abraham, who was made in all things like unto his brethren, touched with the feeling of their infirmities, and tempted in all things like as we are, yet without sin, and is called the Son of man, about

twice as often, as he is, the Son of God; yet had nothing human, but an animal body! The soul is the man. And a human body without a human soul is not a man. Of Christ, God says, "I have exalted one, chosen out of the people." But a mere human body, containing for a soul an offspring literally derived from God, as a son from a father, and who is called the mighty God, and the everlasting Father, could never answer to this description, of "one chosen out of the people." Such a being, as we are called upon, by some, to -believe Christ to be, utterly fails of answering to the descriptions given of Jesus Christ, both as to his Divinity, and as to his humanity.

Our Lord is represented as saying, (Heb. x. 5,) "A body hast thou prepared me. Adequate reasons may be assigned, for this declaration of Christ, without supposing that he meant to exclude from his human existence a human soul. The whole text, from which these words of Christ purport to be a quotation, reads thus, Psalm xl. 6,

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened;" in the Hebrew, bored: relating, as expositors inform, to the law, Exo. xxi. 6, where a servant, willing to serve his master all his days, should have his ear bored, as the seal of his engagement. Christ, when he became God's servant on earth, to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself, represents himself as receiving this seal of submission. "Mine ear hast thou bored." The apostle, quoting this text, is by the Holy Ghost instructed to vary from its letter, and to give it a sense, which immediately relates to Christ's sacrifice of himself for sin; which was more literally to be made in his body. The text quoted, is as though Christ had said, The bodies of those beasts offered in sacrifice thou didst not.

eventually desire. They had reached their end, and were ceasing; being in themselves insufficient to take away sin. The sacrifice of my body, typified by them, must do this. And here I am. This body for sacrifice thou hast prepared me; as was implied in my ear being bored, in Psalm xl. 6. But does this teach, that Christ took nothing human, but a body? By no means. Paul furnishes an explanation of this phraseology of Christ. He, for the same reason that Christ's body is spoken of as in the above text, (viz. in allusion to the bodies of beasts offered in sacrifice) says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Cau we infer from this text, that those Roman Christians had no human souls? No more are we to infer from the other phraseology, that Christ had no human soul.

The word body is sometimes used (even where there is no allusion to ancient sacrifices) to represent the whole man. "The same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.". Is the soul here excluded? Men say, Some body is coming. No body was there. It is needless to remark, that in such cases, the soul is not excluded.

Some may imagine, from the words, that Christ "took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man--;" that he took only the external likeness, the body of a man. But this is not the sense of that text. The form of God, in the same text, we have seen, imports, that Christ is really God. And the form of a servant in this text, imports real servant. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold." Why is it not then a fact, that the likeness of man, and the fashion as a man, in the

same text, mean a real man? The whole analogy of the text, and the sentiment of the sacred Word, decide in the affirmative. This phraseology of

the text cannot have been designed to teach, that Christ is not the true God; that he did not take the place of a real servant; and did not become a real man. For, that he did take real manhood, clearly appears in the sacred Oracles.

As Christ is possessed of real Divinity, and real humanity mysteriously united in his one Person; so all the Perfections of God, and all the properties of a perfectly holy man, unite in the Person of Jesus Christ. Accordingly we find them ascribed to Christ. Sometimes the properties of his humanity are ascribed; and sometimes the perfections of his Divinity. In the former case, he is the dependent, circumscribed man. In the latter, he is the independent, omniscient, almighty God; and his blood is of infinite avail. Hence we are never to adduce an argument, from what is said of his humanity, to disprove his Divinity. Nor ever to adduce an argument, from what is said of his Divinity, to disprove his humanity.

The union of the two natures in the person of Christ, and his constituted mediatorial character, furnish a fruitful source of objection and error among short-sighted depraved beings. It is true, things are said of Christ, which at first view, seem a real contradiction.

To afford relief in this point then, let it ever be remembered, that the sacred Oracles do furnish us with three classes of sacred texts, which relate to Jesus Christ.

One class relates simply to his humanity. In this we are assured of his being born of a woman; being a child; being twelve years old; increasing in. wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and

man; his hungering, thirsting, being weary; sleeping; being touched with the feeling of our infirmities; being fed, and clothed; and many such things. These things alluded to the "man Christ Jesus."

A second class of sacred texts, alludes to him, as the true and infinite God. This class of texts has been adduced in the sixth section of this book. Here he is the Mighty God; the Everlasting Father; the true God, and Eternal Life.

A third class alludes to Christ as God and man united ;--but a constituted Mediator; acting in an official capacity, which is assumed, and which rests on a stipulation between him and his Principal, God the Father. Here, though he is the infinite God, yet as Mediator he has a God as well as we. "I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God, and your God."

Many texts might be quoted, as belonging to this class; but a few may suffice.

"I came not to do mine own will; but the will of him that sent me." "I seek not mine own glory; but the glory of him that sent me.” can of myself do nothing."

"The Father that "The Fa

dwelleth in me, he doeth the work." ther loveth the Son, and hath committed all things into his hands.” "As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given unto the Son to have life in himself, that he should give eternal life to as many as he hath given im.” "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth." "Him hath God raised up, and made him to be both Lord and Christ,"" and placed him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers."Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and