fenfe, confiftent with the human nature of Christ beginning to exift at his incarnation. The first born had the pre-eminence in the family, and was in a peculiar fenfe the heir. In ancient times, the first born was much dif tinguished from the reft of the family. He was of course, after his father, the ruler, the king, and priest in the family. Agreeable to this, Jacob addreffes his first born fon in the following words: "Reuben, thou art my first born, my might, and the beginning of my ftrength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power." The first born was in a peculiar fense, the heir; and by his birth, had a right to the bleffing, and a double portion. Thus Efau, being the first born of Ifaac, was heir to the blefling of his father, and to preeminence in all refpects, as his birth right. In Ifrael the first born were in a peculiar fenfe appropriated to God, and heirs of a double honour and portion, the peculiar favorites. These, in the family of Aaron, were heirs to! the high priesthood; and the first born of the kings, were heirs of the kingdom. With reference to this, the redeemed are called, "The church of the first born."* God fays to Pharaoh," Ifrael is my fon, even my first born." And he fays, "I am a father to Ifrael, and Ephraim is my firft born-My dear fon, a pleasant child." In these paffages firft born has no reference to priority of exift ence; but to pre-eminence, and their being fubjects of peculiar favours, honours, and privileges. In this fenfe it is predicted of Chrift, "I will make him my fir born, higher than the kings of the earth." When all this is confidered, who can be at a loss about the meaning of the expreffion before us?" The first born of the whole creation." He is the highest, most honourable, the peculiar favourite, the king, the head and the heir of the whole creation; in all things having the pre-emi

nence

Gen. xlix. 3. Heb. xii. 23. + Exod. iv. 22. ↑ Jer. xxxi. 9, 20.

Pfal. lxxxix. 27.

minence."

nence above every other creature; for all things were created for him."'* The Apostle fully explains himself in thefe and the following words, "And he is the head of the body the church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preIn this fenfe," he is the firft born among many brethren." But if we understand his being the first born of every creature," as expreffing his priority of exiftence to the whole creation, it must be understood hot of his human, but of his divine nature; for this perfon exifts before all worlds, and without beginning, as has been proved. Agreeable to this, the Apoftle goes on to fay," And he is before all things, and by him all things confift." This is true of this perfon, but cannot be true of the human nature, that it exists before all things, that is, all created things.

But it may be farther observed, that it is not only confiftent with the whole of divine revelation, to confider the human nature of the Redeemer, as beginning to exat his incarnation; and not only that no important good end is answered by the contrary fuppofition: But it appears to be contrary to the current of fcripture, nd of a dangerous and bad tendency. For,

First, This notion appears inconfiftent with the true ad real manhood of Jefus Chrift, or with his taking upon im the human nature, and being a real man, which the cripture abundantly afferts, as we have feen. If the reature which took a body by the incarnation were the rt and greatest creature that was ever created, he was 0 more a man, no more like and akind to the human ice, or the nature of man, than the angels; but was tore distant from man than they, as he was much greater ad higher than they. But if an angel fhould take upon im a real human body, this would not make him a an, or one of the human race. Gabriel, indeed, whe

Cc

was

* Verse 16.

+ Rom. vii. 29.

Verse 17.

was fent from heaven to Daniel, is called "The man Gabriel;" and the angels which appeared to Lot, and to the women who visited the fepulchre where Chrift had been laid, are called men; because they appeared in the shape of men: But no one supposes they were real men; nor would they have been any more fo, had they been united to real bodies. A man has not only a human body, but a human foul; both thefe are effential conftituents of human nature, and neceffary to make a man. The Angelic nature, or fuperangelic, as fuch a fuppofed creature may be called, does not, and cannot be made human nature, or be made a real man, fo as to be one of the human race, by uniting to a human body, He still will be an Angel, or a creature of a higher order, and not á man. A diftinction is made between angels and men, or the feed of Abraham, and it is faid, that Jefus did not unite himself to the former, but "For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he alfo himself likewife, 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.' Had the Eternal WORD united himself to an angel, and taken a human body, he would have been an angel, and not a man; not the feed of the woman, or of Abraham. This would not have formed the relation of brethren between him and mankind; but between him and angels. "It behoved him to be made like unto his brethren in all things;" which he could not have been, had he not taken upon him human nature, confifting in a human foul and body. Had he united himself to an angel, o any other creature of an higher order, and then that crea ture, united by the WORD, have taken a human body, he would not have been made in all things like unto his brethren; but on the contrary, he would have taken but a very inconfiderable part of the human nature; and be far

to the latter.

far from being a man. This fuppofed first and greatest creature, cannot with any propriety or truth, be called a human foul, more than any other fuppofable, or poffible creature that could be made: Nor would his union to a human body, make him any more a human foul, than if he were not fo united. A human foul comes into exift ence in union with the body, by which human nature, or the human, creature comes into existence.

If this argument has any weight in it, is it not a fufficjent reafon for rejecting a scheme which does not appear to have any foundation in the facred Oracles, and will not give any better or more exalted conceptions of the Redeemer, than the common opinion, which views his human nature as beginning to exist at the incarnation ? But there are other objections to this scheme: For,

Secondly, If only the body of Jefus came into exift Ence, and was formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary, he could not be really her Son, or the Son of man, conceived by her, in her womb, as the scripture fays he was. She who conceives and brings forth a fon, is as really, and as much the mother of his foul, as of his body, and the former is conceived and formed in her womb, as much as the latter; and is the greater and chief part of the child or fon yea, the most effential part, without which he would not be a fon; but a monfter, a body without a foul. Therefore, Mary's conception of her fon did imply the conception of foul and body, other wife she could not be said to conceive a fon. The Virgin Mary, and Elizabeth, are each of them faid to coneive a fon.* All must allow that the latter conceived child, with a human foul and body; otherwife it would not have been the conception of a fon. And why muft not Mary's conception of a fon imply the fame? If not, how could he be her fon, conceived by ber?

It is a mistake which fome have made, who have fup. posed that the parents of a child, are the parents or authors of the body, and are inftruments of producing that only, and not the foul of the child. They are the cause of one as much as the other, and no more. They are not the efficient cause of either. God is the cause of the existence of both foul and body; of the latter juft as much as the other; both come into exiftence according to a law of nature, by which parents are made the inftrumental cause of the production of the child, confifting of both foul and body. The mother, therefore, according to a law of nature, conceives both the foul and body of her fon; fhe does as much towards the one, as towards the other, and is equally the inftrumental caufe of both; and God is as much the efficient, and immediate caufe of the existence of the one as of the other. The human nature of Jesus was conceived not according to a stated law of nature; but in a miraculous way: Yet Mary as really conceived him, and he was as really her fon, as if he had been conceived, according to the ordinary course of nature. But he was not conceived by her, neither could he be her fon, if his foul, or that creature which took a body in her womb, had exifted a mighty, glorious creature, thousands of years before this, as in this cafe she must have conceived nothing but a body; which is no conception, according to the proper ufe of the word;

and could not be a fon.

Thirdly, We find it is the way and manner of the governor of the world, firft to put his creatures, who are moral agents, upon trial, that through the appointed time of trial they may exercise and manifeft fubmiffion to him, and obedienee to the law and commands under which they are placed, before he admits them to glory, and publickly confirms them in happiness, that the latter may be the reward of the former, as a teftimony of his approbation of their obedience; and this appears highly reafon

able