when united. Hence, to save his creed, a very nice philosophical distinction is invented. He tells us, that Christ took half a nature from each of his parents, and that these two half natures make up the one nature of Christ. "He partook," says he, "of his father as well as his mother, yet not a whole complete nature from each."-"To say that a son derives a whole nature from each of his parents, is a great absurdity."—"He also took part (not the whole) of the same."

Now it is easy to see that this distinction is not only unphilosophical, but absurd. The nature of a thing is that assemblage of qualities or attributes which are found in it, or belong to it. Hence in describing the nature of gold, we name over its properties as constituting its nature. We say it is a metal, yellow, heavy, ductile, not subject to rust, &c. A single particle of gold has all the nature of gold; a single shot has all the nature of lead; and a dev drop, all the nature of water. On the same principle, an infant has a complete human nature, as much so as a man, or as all the men on earth. But Mr. Millard says, a child does not derive a whole nature from each of its parents. Well, how then? Do some of the distinguishing attributes of humanity come from one, and some from the other? Is the mortal nature from one and the immortal from the other? or, is consciousness from the father, and memory from the mother? Both parents possess a complete human nature, and a perfect nature is derived from both; but as the nature of both parents is the same, the offspring has but one nature. shot has all the nature of lead, and yet, if two shot, or two hundred, are united, you have but one nature after all.

A

But Mr. M.'s theory proves too much for him.

He admits that Mary was human, and God Divine. Now, if Christ partook of both these distinct and widely different natures, he must have had two natures; but if he had half a nature from God, and half from Mary, he could have had but half a nature before the days of his incarnation, and yet, with but half a nature, he created the universe, and sustained it for at least four thousand years! But this is not the worst feature of Mr. M.'s half nature scheme. He tells us, in another part of his work, (pp. 108, 9, 17,) that the half nature of Christ that existed before the world began, was actually changed into flesh. Now if a spirit can be changed into matter, or flesh, of course it is no longer spirit; and hence both halves of Christ's nature must have been flesh. He must therefore have been all matter, without any spirit whatever! How much more rational to suppose, that the pre-existent nature remained the same, while as the Scriptures assert, "he took on him the seed of Abraham," or proper humanity. The point of difference is simply this: Arians say Christ has but one nature-a nature neither human or Divine; while we assert that he has two natures, and is both man and God. We propose to show, therefore, in this chapter, that Christ is in one nature, truly and properly MAN, having a human body and soul, and all the essential attributes of real humanity.

I. He was man CORPOREALLY. 1. He is of the same substance as other men. They are matter, so was he. 2. He had the same physical organization as other men. We are flesh, blood, &c., " fearfully and wonderfully made," and so was Christ. Even after his resurrection, he said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." 3. He had the innocent habits of man.

He ate, drank, slept, &c., grew in stature like other men, and probably wrought as "the carpenter's son," from the time he was twelve years old, till he entered upon his public ministry at the age of thirty. 4. He was mortal like other men. Hence he often became weary, enduring the sufferings that mortality is heir to, and finally finished his life upon the cross.

ence to other men.

66

The same language is used by the inspired writer in describing his death, that is used in referOf Abraham and Ishmael it is said, "they gave up the ghost." Job says, man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?" So also in recording the death of Christ; it is written that "he gave up the ghost." Thus

"He dies and suffers as a man,"

and gives the fullest evidence that, so far as his material or corporeal being was concerned, he possessed a whole and perfect human nature.

II. He was man MENTALLY. By this we mean that he had the intellectual nature of man, or, in other words, a human soul. This all Arians deny. While some destroy his spiritual nature altogether, others say that the pre-existent nature occupied his body as a soul, and there was no human soul whatever. But it is evident that Christ took perfect humanity; a soul as well as a body, for,

1. The Scriptures speak of the soul of Christ as in no way differing, in its essential nature, from the souls of other men. Hence we read, "his SOUL was not left in hell-my soul is sorrowful," &c. It is certain, therefore, that Christ had a soul, a term never applied to angels or to super-angelic beings.

2. This soul had all the attributes, powers, and

susceptibilities of other human souls. There is not a single characteristic by which a human soul may be known, that is not found in the soul of Christ. He had will, perception, sensation, consciousness, memory, reason, love, joy, sorrow, and every thing by which we may distinguish a human soul. We must therefore conclude, either that the pre-existent nature of Christ and a human soul are precisely alike, or else that he possessed a human soul. The Trinitarian belief is, that the intellectual nature of Christ, which was so precisely like the soul of man, was really and properly a human soul in connection with the human body.

3. But there are things affirmed of the soul of Christ, that could not be true of his pre-existent nature. We have no evidence that a super-angelic being could be "sorrowful even unto death," much less that it could "increase in wisdom" by a sojourn on earth, as is affirmed of Christ. Arians admit, that Christ had wisdom enough to create the universe four thousand years before his advent; and yet the Scriptures say, he "increased in wisdom" while on earth. Could that intellect which was wise enough to arrange the wondrous machinery of nature, and create seraphim and cherubim, angels and men, grow wiser by visiting our little world which he had created four thousand years before? Could he learn of men, whose intellectual powers he himself had made?

We recollect urging this consideration in a discussion with an Arian minister several years ago. In reply, it was remarked, that in his advent to our world, Christ laid aside or surrendered up his wisdom; and in proof, the passage was quoted in which it is said, "in his humiliation his judgment was taken away;" as if judgment here meant knowledge,

instead of justice or equity, which was denied him at the bar of Pilate.

But such degrading notions of Christ can never grow out of the doctrine of the Trinity. Christ had a human soul as well as a human body, and, in connection with these, "dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead." Hence in reference to his human soul, it could be said he "increased in wisdom;" while of his Divinity it is said he had "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

III. Christ was man MORALLY. True he had not man's depraved nature; but this is no part of humanity itself. Adam was a man before he fell, and Christ could be human, though perfectly holy. He was a moral being, capable of, and subject to, moral government; "made of a woman, made under the law;" but, being pure like Adam in Eden, he needed not to repent or be regenerated, nor will he require to be judged in the day of general judgment. He is therefore a fit residence for the Eternal Word, who is to come in connection with his immortalized body to judge the quick and the dead. Like Eve, before the fall, he was tempted; "yet without sin." As a human soul he had a God; was dependent upon God; obeyed God; belonged to God; grew in favor with God; worshipped God; prayed to God; and ascended to God-a human soul and immortal body-the "first fruits of them that slept."

IV. Relationships are referred to in the Scriptures, as existing between Christ and man, that could not have existed without proper humanity. Christ was "the Son of God," as it respects his preexistent nature, (as the term Son is already defined,) but at the same time that he was "the Son of God," "the Son of man." This was a common

he was