The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

Thus of the gifts were poured out upon the humane nature of Christ: Yet by the way it is not amiss to note, that certain gifts were not poured out upon CHRIST, or not till his glorification: as faith and hope were not in CHRIST at all: for in as much as the object of faith is things not seen, faith it self could not be in CHRIST, who did enjoy the vision ¹of GOD by virtue of the personal union, with the divine nature, even from the beginning of his Incarnation, by that kind of knowledge which I called before his knowledge of vision, or the knowledge of the blessed: yet to want faith did not argue imperfection in CHRIST, but rather removed imperfection: as he that wants Spectacles, when he needeth them not, is no whit inferior to him that useth Spectacles, because of the weakness of his sight. The like is to be said of hope, for as Faith beholds things that are not seen, so hope looks to things which are not yet had or possessed, Rom. 8. 24. ⟨p. 255⟩and the chief object of both is the chief good, which is GOD: now CHRIST enjoyed GOD, yea, even in the very instant of his death: but if we look to secondary objects, and by hope understand an expectation of some kind of help promised by GOD, then such a kind of hope may be granted to have been in Christ, Psalm 31. Now there were certain gifts which our Saviour had not till he went to Heaven, as impassibility and immortality; on Earth he might and did suffer, and dye, but now in Heaven he can neither suffer nor dye any more, Romans 6. 10. Thus of the second effect of the personal union in the Incarnation.

Thus of the gifts were powred out vpon the humane nature of Christ: Yet by the way it is not amisse to note, that certaine gifts were not powred out vpon CHRIST, or not till his glorification: as faith and hope were not in CHRIST at all: for in as much as the obiect of faith is things not seene, faith it selfe could not be in CHRIST, who did inioy the vision ¹of GOD by vertue of the personall vnion, with the diuine nature, euen from the beginning of his Incarnation, by that kind of knowledge which I called before his knowledge of vision, or the knowledge of the blessed: yet to want faith did not argue imperfection in CHRIST, but rather remoued imperfection: as hee that wants Spectacles, when he needeth them not, is no whit inferiour to him that vseth Spectacles, because of the weaknesse of his sight. The like is to bee said of hope, for as Faith beholds things that are not seene, so hope lookes to things which are not yet had or possessed,