Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

3. Consider the duplicity of Natures in Jesus Christ: The Word was made Flesh; ¹no sooner was he conceived, but he was God-Man, Man-God; he was perfectly framed, and instantly united to the eternal Word: God sent his Son, there's the Nature Divine; made of a Woman, there's the Nature Humane. Certainly great is this Mystery, that the Word is made Flesh; that the Son of God is made of a Woman;² that a Star gives Light to the Sun; that a Branch doth bear the Vine; that a Creature gives being to the Creator; that the Mother was younger than what she bear, and a great deal lesser than what she contained. Admire O my Soul at this! but withal consider, that all this was for us and our Salvation; he was Man, that he might die for us: and he was God, that his death might be sufficient to save us: had he been Man alone, not God, he might have suffered, but he could never have satisfied for sin; he could not have been Jesus, a Saviour of Souls; and had he been God alone, not Man, he had not been of kin to our Nature offending; and so he could not have satisfied the Justice of God in the same Nature wherein it was offended; neither could he, as God alone, have died for Sin; and the Decree was out, that our Redeemer must die for Sin: for without shedding of Blood there is no Remission: and no shedding of Blood,³ no Passion could ⟨p. 144⟩possibly befall the Godhead of Jesus Christ. I shall not dispute the power of God, whether he was able to lay down another kind of way of mans Redemption, than by the Incarnation of the Son of God: without controversy this was the Will of God, and he appointed no other way, because he would not. O my Soul, consider of this in relation to thy self, he is God-man, that he might suffer and satisfy for thy sins: he is Godman, that he might be able and fit, most fully to finish the work of thy salvation; as God, he is able, and as man, he is fit to discharge the Office of Mediator; as God, he is able to bear the punishment of sin; and as man, he is fit to suffer for sin: O the wisdom of God in this very way! Mans Nature can suffer Death, but not overcome it; the Divine Nature can overcome death and all things; but he cannot suffer it: and hence there is a duplicity of natures in Jesus Christ: O muse on this; it is a matter worthy of thy serious consideration.