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not fay the fame. But you'll fay, This pinches only those who believe the WORD to be Very God. True; what I infift upon therefore, is this.

We jointly acknowledge, that the WORD created the Angels. If therefore the WORD was not quiefcent, I defire to be inform'd, how an Angel could ftrengthen him, or how the ftrengthening of an Angel could be needed by him, who inceffantly felt and enjoy'd the full and free Comfort and Support of the WORD operating in him. Could a Man thus fortify'd by the Communication of the Wisdom and Power of the WORD, fay, My foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death? Or could a Man thus fortify'd feel fuch an Agony, as to fweat what was like great Drops of Bloud falling to the Ground? And could an Angel adminifter Relief at laft, even when his own indwelling WORD fail'd him? What inextricable Difficulties do fuch odd Fanfies plunge Men into? Whereas, if the WORD be fuppofed quiefcent, all is perfectly clear and easy. An Angel from Heaven was a very proper Comforter of a Perfon in fuch Diftress as our Savior was in. For the plentiful Communication of the Spirit, which enabled him to work Miracles, and revele God's Will, is perfectly confiftent with the lowest State of Temporal Afflictions: and that Perfon who is the most highly favor'd by God with the one, may be the moft deeply afflicted by him with the other.

Again, when St. Peter cut off Malchus's Ear, our Lord faid, Thinkeft thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and be fhall presently give me more than twelve legions of Angels? Matt. 26. 53. But could thofe Words be Ipoken by the Creator of Angels? Whereas, if the WORD, the Creator of Angels,

was

was quiefcent; nothing could be more properly Spoken by our bleffed Lord.

Again, whilft he was hanging upon the accur fed Tree, he cryed out, My God, my God, why baft thou forfaken me? Matt. 27. 46. This bitter Cry manifeftly implys, that God had deliver'd him into the Hands of his Enemies; and left him utterly in their Power, to execute their Malice upon him. I need not obferve to you, how impoffible 'twas for thofe Words to proceed from the Very God to thẻ Very God. I rather ask, how they could poffibly proceed from fuch a Being,as you own the WORD to be. Was he that made all Creatures, given up by God into the Hands of his own Creatures? Or had thofe Men who crucify'd our Savior, an irrefiftible Power over their own Creator? Who can enter tain fuch Abfurdities? Whereas, if the WORD was quiefcent, the Man Chrift Jefus was truly, proper ly and ftrictly deserted at that time by God; that is, he was for a while deliver'd up to the Rages of his Enemys, whofe malicious Vengeance God had not enabled him to escape or avoid.

Some Perfons perhaps, not only of those who believe the WORD to be Very God, but also of those who believe the WORD to be inferior to the Very God (for you can't but perceive, that my prefent way of arguing reduces either fort to the very fame Straits; I fay, perhaps fome Perfons) may hope to account for all these remarkable Paffages of our Savior's Life, by faying, that we may understand them to relate to, proceed from, or be tranfacted by, the Human Nature only; and fuppose, that the WORD did not concur in them, nor was concerned about them. But in reality, the very fame Difficulties will return; or elfe this Nonconcurrence and Unconcernment of the WORD muft

mean,

mean, and be the very fame, as what I call (in the Phrafe of Ireneus) the WORD's Quiefcence. For if the Human Nature of Chrift did really act alone in those Inftances; if thofe Actions did not proceed from, or appertain to, the Divine as well as the Human Nature: then, notwithstanding the Perfonál Union of the WORD and the Man, the extraordinary Influences of the WORD were not, in thofe Inftances, communicated to the Man Chrift Jefus; which is all that is meant by the WORD's Quiefcence. But if, on the other hand, the Intercourfe between the WORD and the Man was at that time free, full and perfect, and the Commoni cation reciprocal; fo that the WORD and the Man ought even then to be reputed as one Agent (which is the Opinion received by many on both fides, and the only Suppofition that can be contradiftinguished from the Quiefcence of the WORD) then thofe who affert, that fuch Paffages regard the Human Nature only, notwithstanding its intimat and uninterrupted Communication with the WORD, ought ferioufly to confider, that in Confequence of their Opinion they greatly injure our Savior, and charge that inimitable Pattern of all Goodness, particularly of Simplicity in Action,with fuch a Conduct, as is (to fpeak modeftly) very unworthy of himo, podle tulinen lo ya miong

For the Purpofe, in the Affair of the Temptation, as they must make the Devil tempt the Man as diftinct from the WORD; tho' at the fame time the Man could not receive the Temptation without the WORD's Complyance, and was fo forti fy'd by the Wisdom and Power of the WORD, as not to be capable of liftening to it, or falling by it (which would indeed be a likely Story, could they prove the Devil to be as ftupidly foolish, as he is eagerly

eagerly malicious) fo on the other hand, they mult make our Savior carry on a ftrange Collufion, and encourage the Tempter to proceed in his Attaques, by refifting him in a manner becoming none but a mere Man, and not difcovering in the whole Space of forty Days Temptation (if the Devil himfel could be all this while fuppofed ignorant of it) that his Human Nature was all that time abfolutly fecure, and incapable of any bad Impreffion, by reafon of its unlimited Enjoyment of the irrefiftible Wifdom and Power of the WORD.

They must also turn the Hiftory of our Savior's Agony into a Scene of mere Grimace. For he who was utterly incapable of feeling an Agony, muft feem to be deeply afflicted with one. He whofe Hap to pinefs was fo unfpeakably great, that he could hot forrow at all muft declare himself exceeding forrowful, even unto Death. He who was at perfect Eafe, and whofe infinit Strength was Proof againft alf Poffibility of Pain; muft Tend forth fuch Swear, as thould make others believe him to groan under the most infupportable Preffures. Afid to counte nance this Train of falfe Appearances, an Angel muft feem to ftrengthen him, who created the brightest Angels themfelves. This is the Progrefs of what I can't but call a downright Imposture, upon thofe Principles. For I appeal to any PerTon of an honest Mind, whether he that actually enjoy'd, and inceffantly felt, the free, full, and perfect Intercourfe, and reciprocal Communication between the WORD and his own Human Nature (which is now fuppofed) could in any Senfe, Measure or Degree, really endure, what out Lord Jefus Chrift appeared to undergo, and (bleffed be his unweary'd Love)did certainly fuffef, to the utmoft Extremity, and in the fevereff

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Truth.

Truth. For fuch Impreffions, as really created him the moft exquifit Tortures, and would have harafs'd a Man of lefs Patience than our dear Redeemer even out of the World, without the additional Violence of a Crucifixion; I fay, fuch Impreffions could no more affect, or difturb the Felicity of, a Perfon fo throughly elevated above the feveral Accidents of Human Nature, by a complete Enjoyment of the Wisdom and Power of the WORD, the Framer of all thofe Works which fo loudly proclaim his own immenfe Glory; than the Breath of a Fly, for inftance, an rend afunder the Firmament, or the Anger of a Worm can afflict an Archangel.

What has been already faid, may be fo easily apply'd to what our Savior fpake to St. Peter, and to his bitter Cry on the Crofs, that I forbear enlarg ing. The Truth is, I am utterly unwilling to repeat fuch Expreffions, as I could not think it lawful to use fo much as once, did I not know the abfolut Neceffity of them in order to clear, the Truth, which (I hope) is fufficiently fecured by what Í have don already.

I will now fubjoin one Argument of another Nature. We learn from the Author to the Hebrews, that our Lord was made a little lower than the angels, Heb. 2. 7,9. Now the Dignity of the WORD (as this very Author has prov'd) was always fuperior to that of Angels. For the WORD made the Angels, as well as all other created Beings. And therefore ever fince the WORD was made Flesh, the Dignity of our Savior's Perfon has been greater than that of any of his own Creatures. So that with respect to the Dignity of his Perfon he never was made lower than the Angels. The Apostle therefore means, that our Savior was made lower than the Angels,

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