able and proper. To make a creature, and set him above every other creature, and confer upon him great and diftinguishing honours, as being the greatest favourite, without putting him in a state of trial, and before he had performed any fignal act of obedience, would be contrary to God's way of dealing with his creatures, fo far as our acquaintance reaches, and would be very unrealonable, and altogether unbecoming the moral governor of the world, so far as we can judge. But the notion of the pre-existence of the human nature of Jesus Christ, (if on this plan it can be properly called human nature, or a human foul, which indeed it cannot) fupposes that God has dealt fo with this creature. He made him the firft and higheft of all creatures; and honoured him by making him the creator of all things, visible and invisible, angels and men; or ufing him as the great agent or inftrument in this work; and fet him over all creatures and things, as the director and governour of all worlds, in a state of high exaltation and glory; in which he continued four thousand years, before the great trial of his obedience took place. This, therefore, is not to be admitted as true, or any part of the divine plan and conduct, without fome cogent reasons which have not yet been produced; or unless it be plainly afferted in divine revelation, which is so far from being true, that it feems to speak a contrary language.

But if, contrary to this notion, the human nature of Jefus Chrift first began to exist at the incarnation, and he increased in wisdom and ftature until he arrived to manhood, in a state and circumftances of trial; and perfevered in a ftate of temptation, trial and fuffering, and in obedience, in the form of a fervant, unto death, even the death of the cross: And after this, and as a reward for fuch obedience and fufferings, "God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name:" This is perfectly agreeable to God's conduct as moral Cc3 governour

governour of the world in other inftances; and appears to be most reasonable and proper, and is fuited to anf wer the beft ends.

Fourthly, The doctrine of the pre-existence of the creature, which was united to the human body in the womb of the Virgin Mary, not only has no foundation in divine revelation, and is ufelefs and unreasonable; but appears to be of a dangerous and bad tendency.

Arius, and his followers, have espoused this notion in order to fupport, and render more plaufible their denial of the divinity of Jefus Christ, or that he is truly God as well as man. By applying those paffages of fcripture to this fuppofed creature, which their oppofers adduced to prove his divinity, and applied to Chrift as God, and the second perfon in the Trinity; which has occafioned so much dispute in the chriftian world, in the fourth century, and fince. It was therefore firft advanced and improved to support an error, which really fubverts christianity. This gives juft ground of fufpicion, that it is itself an error: And it ought not to be received, until it be carefully examined, and found to be well fupported, and clearly afferted by divine oracles.

And though many who now embrace this notion of the pre-existence of the human nature of Jefus Chrift, do not confider themselves as giving up his divinity or that they are doing any thing in the leaft inconfiftent with this doctrine, or that tends in any degree to weaken or injure it; but hold that this pre-exifting creature, was united to the Deity, fo as to be a divine perfon, and not a mere creature: Yet they, by applying all or moft of those paffages of scripture to this dignified creature, which they who do not admit this opinion, confider as properly applicable to the second perfon in the Trinity, who in the fullness of time took upon him human nature, do, in a measure, at least, obfcure and weaken the doctrine the divinity of Chrift; and that of the Trinity of per

fons

fons in the Deity; and hereby give great advantage to those who deny and oppose these doctrines.

And this is rather confirmed, than otherwise, by fact and experience; fince many,if not most of those who have embraced this fentiment of the pre-existence of the human nature of the Redeemer, give up the doctrine of the Trinity, of three diftinct perfons fubfifting eternally in one, God, independent of his works, or manner of operation, or at least doubt about the truth of it; and are rather inclined to confider this first and greatest creature, as a divine perfon, by a peculiar union to Deity, or to God; not confidering him as fubfifting in three persons, or in any fenfe three, confidered in himself; but only in his different manner of acting, and diftinct offices in his relation to his creatures, and works refpecting them. And as this notion takes away and annihilates the divinity of Chrift, as a diftin&t person in the Godhead, it tends to obscure and even remove the idea of his being really and properly God, and to confider him as a creature no otherwife united to God, than by having the divine prefence and affiftance in a peculiar and extraordinary manner and degree; and enjoying the peculiar favour and love of the Deity: That his divinity confifts in this, and nothing more; and that his perfonality confifts wholly in his nature, as a creature, as a diftinct perfon from all other creatures, and vaftly fuperiour to them all; and not in his divinity, or divine nature. And as this fcheme makes the Logos, or Word, to be the firft and greatest of all creatures, they apply all these paffages of fcripture which speak of Jefus Chrift before his incarnation to this creature, who, by taking the human body, became a man. Thus they are naturally, and even neceffarily, led to give up the divinity of Jesus Christ, as it has been held by those who have acknowledged and adored him as the true God; and find themselves not to differ in their idea of the Redeemer, in any thing effential or im

portant from the Arians, who have always denied the divinity of Chrift, as it has been held by the greatest part of profeffing chriftians, in all ages. And this has been realized by fact in too many inftances, of those who have embraced the notion of the pre-existence of the human nature of Chrift. They have gone on to difbelieve and deny that he is truly God, or at leaft, to hefitate and doubt of it. And there is reason to fear, and even to expect, that if this notion prevails, a denial of the real divinity of the Redeemer, will keep pace with it, and Jefus Chrift, inftead of being honoured by it, will be degraded infinitely below what he has been believed to be by the chriftian church in general, in all ages, and deprived of the honours which have been given to him and which are afcribed to him in the divine oracles, as has been proved above.

When all this is well confidered, viz. That the doctrine of the pre-existence of Jefus Chrift, as a creature, is no where exprefsly, or by implication, afferted in the fcripture, and is not so confiftent with it, as the contrary doctrine ;-that it is at beft, a useless notion, and can answer no good end ;—that it is not reasonable, and is contrary to the divine conduct, as moral governour ;— that it is inconfiftent with his being a real man, or the Son of the Virgin Mary ;-that it appears in theory, and from fact and experience, to be of a dangerous and bad tendency; even to the difhonour of Chrift, and the denial of his divinity; and.confequently to fap the very foundation of christianity ;-that it has been invented and propagated by thofe who have denied that the Redeemer of men is the true God, equal with the Father, in order to render their oppofition to this doctrine more plausible; that the best and moft found part of the church; and thofe who have been most eminent for wildom and grace, and a conduct most agreeable to the gofpel, have not received but rejected this doctrine.—If all

this appears to be true; or if it be in part, and in fome measure agreeable to the truth; may not this notion be rejected with safety and a degree of confidence? Yea, ought we not to renounce it, and embrace the contrary, which has been received by the chriftian church in general, from the days of the Apoftles, and fupported by the beft divines ?

9. The human nature of Jefus Chrift never was tainted with the leaft moral corruption; but is perfectly holy. This is repeatedly afferted of him in the fcriptures; and was abfolutely neceffary in order to his being the Redeemer of man. "For fuch an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from finners, and made higher than the heavens." But how he

could be a man, defcend from Adam, and be really one of the human race, and not partake of the common corruption of mankind, has been a queftion of no fmall importance. This inquiry is anfwered by obferving, That though by a divine conftitution, all the pofterity of Adam in a conflituted natural way, or according to the eftablifhed course of nature, are born in a ftate of total moral corruption, in confequence of his apoftacy; which has been proved in a former chapter; yet this did not reach or affect the human nature of Jefus Chrift, as he was conceived and born in a fupernatural and miraculous way, and had no human father.

When the conftitution and covenant was made with Adam, and his natural pofterity, it was not determined by any thing in this conftitution, that there would be any such person as that of the Mediator, as it did not appear by any thing in that covenant, that there would be any need of a Redeemer; he was not, therefore, included in this conftitution and covenant, as all the natural pofterity of Adam were; but was introduced in confequence of the breach of that covenant; confequently, he did not partake of the moral pollution and depravity

.

+ Heb. vii. 26.