How can we express these seeming inconsistencies (which could not possibly be real ones) better than by saying, that the divine and human natures were joined in one Person? If such an expression will reconcile all expressions of Scripture, and no other will, our Church must have sufficient warrant for using it. But we have already mentioned this expression repeatedly. One of our Creeds means to lay down something equivalent to it, when it says, that Christ is one," not by confusion of substance (not by confounding the divine and human natures, or conceiving them to be melted down, as it were, into one) but by unity of Person." Confounding the divine and human natures, would bring on a denial of either the Divinity or the humanity of Christ; and speaking of a plurality of Persons, would be going contrary to the tenor of the Scripture language. 26. 2. The divine and human natures, united in Christ, are "never to be divided;" are inseparabiliter conjunctæ."-This part seems little attended to by Commentators. I know not whether it would not be enough for the words, to prove, that this union will continue as long as we have beforehand any distinct views;-but there is not occasion to mention any limitations.-It is not disputed, that Christ had honours and dignity as a reward for his obedience in his human condition: it is not to be conceived, that there will be any time, when he will be deprived of these; and yet, according to our doctrine they must be, in some way, attached or annexed to his humanity; for, independently Art. i. Sect. 18. Art. ii. Sect. 8. and 15. ι ἡ ἀσυγχύτος, ἕνωσις, the unconfounded union, is mentioned by Photius, in his account of Theodoret's 2d. Dialogue.-See before, Sect. 3. towards beginning. Phil. ii. 9. Hebr. xii. 2. ii. 9. Ephes. i. 20, &c, dependently of that, we do not conceive him to stand in need of additional Glory, or to admit of any. Some authority he is to give up; but no hint is given of any division to take place in the Person of Christ. "Blessing and honour," &c. are to be given both "unto him, that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever".". 1 Tim. ii. 5. Acts iii. 21. xvii. 31. confirm this. But, if it seems above our comprehension to know how Christ, being Divine, enjoys additional glory, though we might urge, that Christ as the Son of Man may possibly enjoy glory or rewards of a peculiar kind, answering purposes of some gracious dispensations, perhaps to many more worlds than ours; yet we seem to be on firmer ground, when we use the words, as before, in a negative sense, as excluding the notions and fancies mentioned in the explanation; or as affirming, that no one has a right to hold them; and put it upon our opponents to prove, that a separation will take place.-That Christ, considered as man, may receive additional glory, dating the account from his residence on earth, is perfectly intelligible. 27. 12. Our Church is right, in insisting upon the expression "one Christ;" but enough has been said upon this, under the tenth of these subordinate propositions, and in the Explanation. "Very God and very man," has already occurred, in other words. 28. 13. Lastly, the Article takes the true sense of Scripture, when it considers the accounts of the suffering, crucifixion, death, and burial of Christ, as plain narratives of facts.-If we have proved, that Christ had a real human body, we have in effect, proved all the rest; for no one ever a 1 Cor. xv. 24-28. b Rev. v. 3. ever doubted the reality of his sufferings, &c. who did not doubt the reality of his Body. However, the sufferings of Christ are particularly described by the Evangelists, and referred to in the Epistles. They are finely enumerated and represented by Bishop Pearson. His crucifixion is also expressly related, and alluded toe. That he was dead," is not only related, but referred to as a fact unquestioned: illustrations and exhortations are founded upon it. See Luke xxiii. 46.-John xix. 33.-Also Rom. v. 7-10. Rom. vi. 4, &c. 1 Cor. xi. 26, &c. The same may be said of the Burial of Christ; it is both related with many circumstances; and made the ground of spiritual advice and persuasion. See the close of any of the Gospels;-and Rom. vi. 4. Col. ii. 12. g If any one was to suggest, that Christ might not suffer, &c. though he appeared to do so; I would answer, that there is no reasoning against such an arbitrary supposition; to suppose, that common phænomena are not to be solved by ascribing them to their established causes, is to take away all power of concluding any thing from experience. It is like saying, there is no matter, when all the properties of matter are observed: such an hypothesis makes no difference: every thing must go on in the same train, whether it is admitted or not. Indeed, none but the enemies of matter ever denied, that, the Body of Christ was material. Not e Matt. xxvi. and parallels. Gal. v. 24, (or 11.) d Hebr. v. 7, 8. that f It might have been said, in short, that all four (suffering, crucifixion, death, and burial) are related and alluded to: -as some passages allude to more than one. As was observed before, Sect. 24. that they denied the existence of matter; they only held it in abomination, as the source of evil. 29. What relates to Atonement, or implies original Sin, is deferred, as before. 30. Thus have we gone through the direct proofs of all the propositions contained in our Article-but still a great quantity of argument remains; I mean, the answering of objections; these are innumerable. Not one of the texts, of which we have given an interpretation, but has had different constructions put upon it by our adversaries : and, though these constructions appear to me forced, inadmissible, what such able men as those who have made them could not have run into without a design of obviating difficulties, yet others may think differently: the question is, what course to take:-answering objections is certainly a part of Proof; and, as we blame our adversaries for using arguments already answered, so may they blame us, if we pass by their reasonings without notice: especially if we neglect what they may call improvements: and yet to answer all objections, in the present case, should be a separate undertaking; not only on account of their number, but because, in many of them, truth and error are got so entangled, that they cannot be disentangled in a little time. We must therefore hit upon some middle way. The best medium seems to be, to give up the idea of answering single objections, and only lay down a few general rules or observations, each of which may be applied on more occasions than one.— It will be found then, that several objections may be solved, by attending to the following things: 31. 1. By attending to the three several conditions, in which Christ is mentioned. One, in which he existed before he assumed man's nature, in in which he is spoken of as equal to the Father, though some kind of communication or generation had taken place, from unbounded time, which we can only confess, not understand:-a second, in which Christ was a partaker of human nature and lived upon earth:—a third, in which he is said to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on high, invested with dignity as Head of the Church, or general Society of those, who worship God under the Christian dispensation; interceding for sincere believers, and looking forward to the time, when he will pass judgment upon them. It is not likely, that these three conditions should be all mentioned, whenever one of them is; nor that it should be expressly declared to which of them any account of Christ belongs, which is introduced incidentally, as it were, in the course of an easy and artless Letter, or exhortation: this is to be discovered from the context, from the occasion on which such account is introduced.-We should always keep them all in mind, and let circumstances determine of which we should understand any particular saying. In the Epistle to the Philippians, Christ is set forth as an example of condescension : the very idea takes in an higher and a lower state; and the reward points out a third, which must be more exalted than the second.-In the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians", the intention might probably be, to give the converts high ideas of the Son of God, in comparison of those Eons, to which many of them ascribed the Creation of the World, and, I believe, continued superintendence over their favourites. Here, the humiliation of Christ would be less to the purpose than his first condition, when all things were made by him," and his last, when he a Phil. i. 5-11. Col. i. 16-20. |