man is infinite:' yet the connexion is not as good as this following: The light of the sun doth by his presence make the day: but the moon is enlightened by the light of the sun: ergo, the moon by presence of its light makes the day.' Sooner shall the Lutheran turn night into day, by this or the like sophism, than prove that real communication of the divine attributes to Christ's human nature which he dreams of; as, That Christ as man should be really present every 324 where, or omnipotent, because the glory of God wherewith he is glorified is every where; or, because the power or right hand by which he is strengthened is a power omnipotent, omnipotency itself. Thus much of that absolute infinity, or infinity in act, unto which Christ's human nature was not exalted; and yet it was exalted in some sort infinitely above all other created substances; and so exalted, or at least declared to be so exalted, specially by the ascension of it into heaven, and by its sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

8. That is infinitum actu, or actually infinite, extra quod nihil est; which is so perfect and complete, that nothing in the same kind can be added unto it: that is infinitum potentia, or potentially infinite, unto which somewhat may successively be added without end or ceasing. Thus philosophers have taught that, in continua quantitate non datur minimum; in discreta, non datur maximum: there is not the least quantity but is divisible into infinite parts; there is no member so great but may still be made greater by addition; and albeit addition were made every moment unto the world's end, yet the product could not be actually infinite; some number might be added unto it which as yet is not contained in it. In this manner the participated power or glory of God, or the partici

pation of this power or glory may be infinite.

The

participation of this power or being may every moment whilst the world lasteth, or whilst immortal creatures continue in being, be greater than other, and yet never come to be so great, but that it may be augmented or bettered; and that which may be augmented or bettered, cannot be actually infinite. The least parcel of earth could not subsist without the participation of God's power or being; and the least or dullest part of the earth, which participates of his being, doth in a sort infinitely exceed nothing, or that which is not. Nothing could have any being, but by participating of his being who is infinite. No power besides infinite power could out of nothing produce something. Trees and plants, and other works of the fourth and fifth days' creation, excel the earth-beasts of the field excel them-man excelleth the beasts of the fieldand the angels excel man in nobility and dignity of being; and yet the most excellent amongst the angels is but a participation of God's power or excellency; and, as divines collect, God hath not made any creature so excellent, but he may make it more excellent every day than other; yet (this supposed) should not the excellency of it be actually infinite, because it may be still bettered; yet may that, which is not actually infinite in any one kind, or according to any one branch of infinity, actually contain greater excellency or perfection in it, than the addition of perfection unto some other creature, though by succession infinite, can attain unto. And thus Christ's human nature, by reason of the personal union which it hath with the Godhead, or with the Son of God, contains greater excellency in it of divers kinds, than any other created substance not so united, though the faculties or perfections of it were continually bettered, could reach unto.

9. But, omitting the dignity of Christ's human nature in the general, it will be a more profitable search to examine the particular effects or efficacy which his human nature, now exalted, hath in respect of us. These may not be measured, much less limited, by other men's most noble faculties or perfections. The most dull sight on earth may see as far as the sun or stars; and the most quick sight cannot see beyond them. No man's eyesight can pierce through the thickest clouds, much less through the heavens above, or through the rocks here on earth. Though thus to do were absolutely impossible to man, or any other creature 325 endued with sight, we might not hence thus collect, 'Christ's glorified eyes are human eyes, as ours are, created eyes, as ours are, therefore he cannot with these bodily eyes look down from heaven, and behold what is done, or lies hid in the most secret corners of the earth;' or that his faculty of hearing, because a created faculty, cannot apprehend all the blasphemies or oaths, even the most secret murmurings of his enemies, either against him or his church. Or, admitting any saints' eyes, already glorified in body in heaven, could by vision of the divine nature see all things that are done in earth, or that his ears could hear all the conference that passeth in this kingdom for some one day; yet this excellency of his outward senses being supposed, his internal or intellective faculties were not able to distinguish betwixt every thing so heard or seen, or to censure every word or deed as it deserves: nor could his memory perhaps perfectly retain what for the present he apprehends or conceives. Yet may we not hence argue; • Christ's intellective faculties are but human (not divine); ergo, he cannot distinctly and infallibly judge or censure every thing he sees or hears, or infallibly retain the records of his judgment or censure inviolate

and entire unto the day of judgment.' Bound we are rather to believe, that Christ as man, or with his human eyes, sees all our wrongs, and as man hears all our prayers, and takes notice of all our doings; or, that he, who as man shall be our judge, is in the mean time an eyewitness of all our misdeeds or well doings, an earwitness of all our speeches, good or bad. Nor may we again, by broken inductions, gathered from the effects or efficacy of natural bodies, or created substances upon other bodies, take upon us to limit or bound the efficacy of Christ's body upon the bodies or souls which he hath taken to his protection. We may not collect, that Christ's body, because comprehended within the heavens, can exercise no real operation upon our bodies or souls here on earth; or that the live influence of his glorified human nature may not be diffused through the world as he shall be pleased to dispense it, or to sow the seeds of life issuing from it, sometimes here, sometimes there.

10. This real, though virtual influence of Christ's human nature, is haply that which the Lutherans call the real ubiquitary presence of Christ's body. Luther himself never denied Christ's very body or human nature to be comprehended within the heavens; and yet he affirmed it to be "present with us in such a manner, as the sound is present with us which is really made or caused a great way from us." And we may not deny this real influence or virtual presence of Christ to be in a manner infinite; or at least to extend itself to all created substances that are capable of it, in what created distance soever they be from his body, whose residence we believe to be in the highest heavens, at the right hand of God. This kind of infinity of his presence can seem no paradox or improbable imaginak See book 10. ch. 55, 56. [vol. ix. pp. 586, 604.]

tion to any good Christian, that will but raise his thoughts above the earth by this or the like experiment of nature: Albeit this bodily sun which we daily see were much further distant from the earth than now it is, yet could we easily conceive it to be of force and efficacy enough to enlighten the earth whereon we dwell, and those celestial spheres which are or might be as far above it as it is above the centre: and in the greatest distance we can imagine it is or might be distant from the earth, it would give life and vigour to things vegetable, or capable of vital heat. It were a silly argument to infer, that because the hottest fire on earth cannot impart his heat to bodies ten miles distant from it, therefore the sun cannot communicate vital 326 heat and comfort to vegetables more than ten hundred thousand miles distant from it. This inference, notwithstanding, is not so foolish in philosophy, as this following is in divinity: The sun cannot quicken trees or herbs which have lost their root and sap; ergo, the Sun of righteousness, or Christ's human nature, in which the Godhead dwelleth bodily, cannot quicken the dead, or raise up our mortal bodies to immortality.' The only sure anchor of all our hopes for a joyful resurrection unto the life of glory, is the mystical union which must be wrought here on earth betwixt Christ's human nature glorified and our mortal or dissoluble nature. The divine nature indeed is the prime fountain of life to all, but, though inexhaustible in itself, yet a fountain whereof we cannot drink, save as it is derived unto us through the human nature of Christ.

11. Although it be most true which Tertullian (in the seventeenth chapter of his Apology) hath observed, "That even those heathens which adored Jupiter Capitolinus, and multiplied their gods according to the number of the places wherein they worshipped them, when