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was truly tempted as a Man, even as Adam and Eve were in the State of Innocency, and he had therefore a true Experience of Human Frailty; and can make futable Allowances for our Degeneracy. But if the WORD fupply'd the Defect of an Human Soul in Chrift, 'twas impoffible that Chrift could, in any tolerable Senfe, Meafure, or Degree, be tempted like us, or have any Experience of our Frailty. For that Power and Wifdom, which are effential to, and infeparable from, the great Architect of the Universe, and the Creator of all intelligent Beings, even the brightest Angels themselves, could no more be influenc'd or wrought upon by the Artifices of the Devil, or the Allurements of the World, than a Fly (for Inftance; and even that Comparison is infinitly too low) can stop the Motion of the Spheres, and invert the Order of Nature. Our Savior therefore certainly had an Human Soul, without which 'twas not poffible for him to be tempted like us. For I prefume, no Man in his Wits will dream of Temptations working upon mere Flesh, without an intelligent Being to inform it, and make it capable of Moral Actions.

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I could offer diverfe other Confiderations: but I think, what has been already fuggefted, is more than fufficient to filence this Difpute.

You must therefore fuffer me to affert, that our Lord Jefus Chrift was, and is, very Man, confifting of an human Body and an human Soul; and that to this Man the WORD was, and ftill is, united. For you will heartily yield, that what our Savior was, whilft he convers'd upon Earth, the fame he continues ever fince his Afcenfion into Heaven, and the fame will he be at the laft great Day."

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CHA P. IV.

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That God is the Father of the Man Jefus Chrift.

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W you well know, that the very God is the Father of the Man Jefus Chrift. I have already obferv'd, that the very God is the Father of all Mankind by his general Paternity, even because he is the Author of all Beings whatfoever. But then, every body knows, what we mean by the Father of a Child in the ordinary Acceptation of that Phrafe. Tho' the very God is by his general Paternity the Father of every Child, as he is the Original Author of all Beings; yet he having appointed inferior Agents to be the inftrumental and immediat Causes of different Effects, has fetled fuch a Course of Things, that Mankind is produc'd by Propagation; and he who propagats a Child, is call'd the Father of it, as being under God the inftrumental and immediat Caufe of that Child's coming into the World. Since Adam and Eve were form'd, the fame Species has been continu'd in this ufual manner, in every Inftance except the Bleffed Jefus; who tho' he is very Man, of the fame Species with ourselves, was notwithstanding begotten in a different Way; and tho' he had an human Mother, yet he had not an human Father. For the very God was to him in ftead of an human Father.

There can be no Difpute between your felf and me about this Matter. However, for the sake of others, let me prove it.

The Angel told the bleffed Virgin, that the fhould bring forth a Son, and call his Name Jefus, Luke 1.31. Then faid Mary unto the Angel, How shall

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this be, feeing I know not a man? And the Angel anfwer'd and faid unto her, The Holy Ghoft fhall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore alfo that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God, v. 34, 35. The bleffed Virgin, having never been known by Man, could not underftand, how she should bear a Son. The Angel removes that Difficulty, by telling her, that fhe fhould conceive by the Operation of the Holy Ghoft, and that therefore her Child fhould be called the Son of God. 'Tis true, her Child was call'd the Son of Man, as we shall foon fee: but then he is also call'd the Son of God, and particularly for that very Reafon,because he was begotten, not by a Man, but by the Operation of the Holy Ghoft. I confefs, 'twas only the Body of the bleffed Jefus, which was then begotten; but yet, fince an human Soul is of Course added to every human Body, which is produc'd: 'tis certain, that God is as properly the Father of the Man Chrift Jefus, as any Man is the Father of his Child, when he begets his own Likenefs. And accordingly, tho' God is the Father of all Mankind by his general Paternity, and the Father of all Chriftians by his particular or federal Paternity; yet he is the Father of the bleffed Jefus by a Special Paternity, even because the bleffed Jefus was begotten by him in fo peculiar a manner, as no other Man ever was.

Nor can it be objected, that our Lord is frequently call'd the Son of Man. No body knows better than your felf, that that Phrafe imports no more, than that he was of human Race, being defcended truly and properly from the Jewish ftock, And fo he certainly was by the Mother's fide, altho' God was his Father.

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You will give me leave to add, that God is the Father of the Man Jefus Chrift, upon the account of his Refurrection alfo. For,to ufe the Words of a moft excellent(a) Writer,Chrift must therefore be acknowledg'd the Son of God, because he is raised immediately by God out of the Earth unto immortal Life. For God hath fulfilled the Promise unto us, in that he hath raised up Jefus again; as it is alfo written in the fecond Pfalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. The Grave is as the Womb of the Earth; Chrift who is raifed from thence, is as it were begotten to another Life; and God, who raifed him, is his Father. So true it must needs be of him, which is spoken of others, who are the Children of God, being the Children of the Refurrection. Thus was be defined, or conftituted and appointed, the Son of God with Power, by the Refurrection from the Dead: neither is he called fimply the first that rofe, but with a Note of Generation, the first born from the Dead.

But then, it must be remembred, that tho' Chrift is for the prefent, yet he will not always be,the Only Son of God, or the Only Begotten of the Father, upon this Account. For all that fhall be rais'd to Everlasting Life, will be the Sons of God in this Refpect. However, Chrift is the first born Son of God upon the account of his Refurrection. For tho fome others were rais'd from the Dead by God before the Refurrection of our Lord Jefus Chrift, yet they dy'd again whereas our Lord Jefus Chrift never dy'd after his Refurrection. For as the Apoftle fpeaks, Chrift being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death bath no more Dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto fin once: but in that he liveth, he li

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(a) Bishop Pearfon on the Creed, p. 106.

veth unto God, Rom. 6. 9, 10.

Our Savior therefore

is the first begotten and the first born from the Dead ; because he is the very firft that was rais'd by God to eternal Life.

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CHAP. V.

The State of the Controversy between Dr. Clarke and the Author concerning the WORD, or Divine Nature of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

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'HESE things being premis'd, wherein (I hope) we are perfectly agreed, let us now enter upon the Confideration of the firft Point in Controverfy between us. 'Tis confefs'd on both Sides, 1. That the bleffed Jefus has a Divine Nature, viz. the WORD. 2. That the WORD, or Divine Nature of the bleffed Jefus, is call'd God. But the Question is, whether the WORD, or Divine Nature of the bleffed Jefus, be the very God, that is, the one felfexiftent Being. I affirm, that he is; and You deny it, making him a Being diftinct from, and inferior to, the one felfexiftent or very God. That this is your Notion, I need not prove. I heartily wish it did not appear too frequently in your Writings concerning the Holy Trinity.

Now the Truth is, fince there are two Natures united in the bleffed Jefus, that is, fince the WORD and the Man Jesus Christ are united into one Perfon: we can't wonder, that the holy Scriptures do fpeak of him in very different Manners; and affirm fuch Things of him with refpect to the one Nature, as can't poffibly be affirm'd with respect

to the other.

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