^ The first four of these terms were adopted by the Fourth (Ecumenical Coun- cil, hell] at Chalcedon, a.d. 451. — Ed.
228 THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
2. It is used also by many and designed to express the peculiar dignity of the human nature of Christ. This is that wherein no crea- ture is participant, nor ever shall be unto eternity. This is the fun- damental privilege of the human nature of Christ, which all others, even unto his eternal glory, proceed from, and are resolved into.
3. The glorious meetness and ability of the person of Christ, for and unto all the acts and duties of his mediatory office. For they are all resolved into the union of his natures in the same person, with- out which not one of them could be perfonned unto the benefit of the church. And this is that " grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," which renders him so piorious and amiable unto believers. Unto them " that believe he is precious."
The common prevalent expression of it at present in the church is the hypostatical union; that is, the union of the divine and human nature in the person of the Son of God, the human nature having no personality nor subsistence of its own.
With respect unto this union the name of Christ is called " Won- derful," as that which hath the pre-eminence in all the effects of di- vine wisdom. And it is a singular effect thereof. There is no other union in things divine or human, in things spiritual or natural, whether substantial or accidental, that is of the same kind with it ; — it differs specifically from them all.
(1.) The most glorious union is that of the Divine Persons in the same being or nature ; the Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, the Holy Spirit in them both, and both in him. But this is a union of distinct persons in the unity of the same single nature. And this, I confess, is more glorious than that whereof we treat; for it is in God absolutely, it is eternal, of his nature and being. But this union we speak of is not God ; — it is a creature, — an effect of divine wisdom and power. And it is different from it herein, inasmuch as that is of many distinct persons in the same nature; — this is of distinct natures in the same person. That union is natural, substantial, es- sential, in the same nature; — this, as it is not accidental, as we shall show, so it is not properly substantial, because it is not of the same nature, but of diverse in the same person, remaining distinct in their essence and substance, and is therefore peculiarly hypostatical or per- sonal. Hence Austin feared not to say, that " Homo potius est in filio Dei, quam filius in Patre;" De Trin., lib. i. cap. 10. But that is true only in this one respect, that the Son is not so in the Father as to become one person with him. In all other respects it must be granted that the in-being of the Son in the Father — the union between them, which is natural, essential, and eternal — doth exceed this in glory, which was a temporary, external act of divine wisdom and grace.
(2.) The most eminent substantial union in things natural, is that
THE HYPOSTATICAL UNIOX. 229
of the soul and body constituting an individual person. There is, I confess, some kind of simiUtude between this union and that of the different natures in the person of Christ; but it is not of the same kind or nature. And the dissimiUtudes that are between them are more, and of greater importance, than those things are wherein there seems to be an agreement between them. For,— Is^, The soul and body are so united as to constitute one entire nature. The soul is not human nature, nor is the body, but it is the conse- quent of their union. Soul and body are essential parts of human nature ; but complete human nature they are not but by virtue of their union. But the union of the natures in the person of Christ aoth not constitute a new nature, that either was not or was not com- plete before. Each nature remains the same perfect, complete nature after this union. 2dli/, The union of the soul and body doth consti- tute that nature which is made essentially complete thereby, — a new individual person, with a subsistence of its oAvn, which neither of them was nor had before that union. But although the person of Christ, as God and man, be constituted by this union, yet his person absolutely, and his individual subsistence, was perfect absolutely an- tecedent unto that union. He did not become a new person, another person than he was before, by virtue of that union ; only that person assumed human nature to itself to be its own, into personal subsist- ence, ^dly, Soul and body are united hy an external efficient cause, or the power of God, and not by the act of one of them upon another. But this union is effected by that act of the divine nature towards the human which w^e have before described, ^thly, Neither soul nor body have any j)ersonal subsistence before their union; but the sole foundation of this union was in this, that the Son of God was a self-subsisting person from eternity.