2. This union of God with the creature fo as to be come one perfon, is as myfterious and incomprehenfible, as the eternal Sonfhip of the fecond perfon of the Trinity; and as inexplicable: So that nothing is gained with respect to this, by embracing this scheme.

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3. It is not agreeable to scripture to suppose that the firft perfon of the Trinity only, united the fecond perfon to the human nature, and fo became a Father by thus begetting a Son. The third perfon, the Holy Ghoft, is reprefented as doing this, or at least, being active in it; and there is nothing exprefsly faid of the first perfon doing any thing respecting it as fuch. "The Holy Ghoft fhall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest fhall overfhadow thee: Therefore also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wife. When his mother; Mary, was espoused to Jofeph, before they came together, fhe was found with child of the Holy Ghoft." And the angel of the Lord faid unto Jofeph, "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: For that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghoft." And this uniting the divine nature with the human, is expressly afcribed, not to the firft, but to the fecond perfon. For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the fame. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the feed of Abraham."+ Do not they speak not only without fcripture, but contrary to it, who fay that the first person of the Trinity became a Father by uniting the second perfon to the human nature, in the womb of the Virgin Mary; by which the latter became the only begotten Son of the Father? That the relation of Father and Son began in the incarnation of Chrift, and confifts wholly in this? And do they by this fuppofition avoid any difficulty, and render the filiation of the Redeemer more confiftent,

ent, intelligible, or honourable to him? Let the thoughtful, candid, difcerning reader judge.

IV. THE Redeemer of man, who is God-man, the Son of God, fuftains the character of Mediator between God and man. That fuch a perfon only, is equal to this, to mediate between God and rebellious man, so as to effect a reconciliation, will be made evident when we proceed more particularly to confider the work of redemption, what is implied in it, and what was neceffary in order to effect it. And it will also appear that he is every way qualified to fuftain fuch an office and station, and in the best manner compleat the arduous, the glorious work; and the character of this infinitely high, important, and wonderful perfonage will be more fully investigated and displayed in the sequel.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. By attending as above, to the person and charac ter of the Redeemer, we are in fome measure prepared to fee the folly of that pride which has led many to reject every thing in divine revelation which does not comport with their boasted reason, and is to them, dark and unintelligible; and to be fenfible of the reasonablenefs and importance of modefty, humility and felf diffidence; while we think and enquire concerning the being and character of God, and the Son of God, the Redeemer. Many by this pride, and trusting to what they call their own reafon, have been led to renounce divine revelation, the only light and fure guide, in the high and important business of religion; and have plunged themfelves into darkness and delusion. And others, though they profefs to believe the Bible to be a revelation from God, reject the most essential and peculiar doctrines contained in it, on the account of which, men principally ftand in need of a revelation from heaven.

When

When we are once convinced, by undeniable, clear and abundant evidence, that the Bible contains a revelation from God; if we make a right use of our reason, we fhall expect to find in it, declarations concerning God, his character and works, which are beyond our comprehenfion, and in this refpect perfect myfteries to us; and that we shall not, at firft, understand many things; yea, they may appear inconfiftent and contradictory to us, which afterwards, by farther ftudy and increase in the knowledge of divine things, we may understand, and fee them to be plain and perfectly confiftent. The things of God, or heavenly things, are fo infinitely high, great and wonderful, that the greatest created, finite mind falls infinitely fhort of fully comprehending all or any of them. The angels do not perfectly understand them. They may make swift advances in the knowledge of them, without end, and yet will forever fall infinitely short of reaching to their infinite height, fo as to comprehend all. How ignorant and short fighted then, must man be in those things, who not only has lefs natural capacity; but is funk down in that moral depravity which is blindness itself, with respect to the things of the fpirit of God, and carries in the nature of it strong prejudices against them, How unreasonable, how arrogant, is it in him to imagine, that he can, by his own fcanty, corrupted discerning, at once understand, and fully comprehend, all he needs to know and believe, concerning God, and heavenly things! Such a conceit, such pride and arrogance, can take place no where, but among such fallen, apoftate creatures as mankind are; and ferves to verify the ancient declaration, "Vain man would be wife, though man be born like a wild affes colt."'*

If a philofopher should undertake to teach children of eight or ten years old, a fyftem of philosophy, would he think himself well treated by them, if they were disposed

Ees

• Job xi. 12.

ta

to call in question the truth of every propofition of his, which they did not directly understand; and immediately conclude that every thing he delivered to them for truth, was inconfiftent and abfurd, which they were not able to reconcile? So long as they were of this difpofition, they could receive no inftruction from him. They would find many things perfectly dark and unintellgiible to them, and others would appear to their narrow, childifh concptions, inconfiftent and impoffible. But the objects of natural philofophy are not fo much above the underHanding and capacity of thefe children, as heavenly things are above the understanding of men. There is an infinite difference; especially if we take into the acCount, tran's moral depravity, which blinds him to the things of the fpirit of God.

There are many things in natural philofophy, which men of the greateft capacities, and who have attended molt to them, and made them their chief ftudy, cannot underland; but remain unintelligible myfteries: Yea, them are propofitions which appear to be inconfiftent,

yet both of them must be received as true. For inBane it can be demonftrated that matter is infinitely And that matter is finite, is equally demonLich two demonftrable propofitions, appear to inconfiftent.

, to whom earthly things are, in fo many lligible, and appear inconfiftent, imagd fpeaks to us of heavenly things, things and wonderful, we are able to comand are warranted to reject every the gas 16t tae, and not revealed to us by him, which do not understand, or are not able to reconcile with barbe !

Ist aber become fools, that we may be wife. Site of cur norance, and proneness to imbibe error, to love darknefs rather than light; and put light for

darkness,

darkness, and darkness for light, let us ftudy the Bible with a modeft diffidence in our own reafon and wildom, and implicit confidence in our divine Instructor, looking to him to open our eyes to underftand the fcriptures, and behold the wonderful things revealed in those facred oracles. "The meek will he guide in judgment; the meek will he teach his way.'

II. THIS fubject brings into view the infinite fulness and fufficiency of God. A fulness equal to the wants of finners, and fuited to relieve and fave them. In order to this, he must be not only infinitely powerful, wife and good; but fubfift in a manner, of which we could know nothing, had he not revealed it, viz. a TRINITY IN UNITY. And when revealed, it is infinitely above our comprehenfion. And if it were not fo, we should have no reason to believe this was the true God: For the true God muft be incomprehenfible both in his existence and manner of fubfiftence. Had there not been a God fubfifting in three perfons, fo diftinct as to covenant with each other, and act a separate and distinct part in the work of redemption, man could not have been redeemed, and there could have been no Redeemer, They, therefore, who difbelieve the doctrine of the Trinity, and that the Redeemer is the second person in the Triune God, do really, though ignorantly, exclude the poffibility of the redemption of man, and of a Redeemer equal to fuch a work; which will appear as we proceed in our enquiry into the work of redemption.

But let us believe this revealed mystery, God the Son, manifeft in the flesh, and adore, and rejoice in the infinite fulness and sufficiency of God, which appears in the perfon and character of the Redeemer, for the redemption of finners: which fulness and fufficiency never could have been known to men or angels, had it not Ee 4

* ṛial. xxv. 9.

been