BOOK 8. THE ASCENSION.
CHAPTER 1.
8.1.5. Of the two Natures wherein Christ sits at God's Right Hand.
Of the two Natures wherein Christ sits at God's Right Hand.
According to what nature is Christ said to sit at the right hand of God? I answer, according to both natures;
1. First, He sits at God's right hand as God; hereby his divinity was declared, and his kingdom is such, that none that is a pure creature can possibly execute, "The Lord said to my Lord, saith David, Sit thou at my right hand," Psal. cx. 1. the Lord said to my Lord, (i.e.) God said to Christ; now Christ was not David's Lord merely as man, but as God. And,
2. He sits at God's right hand as man too; hereby his humanity was exalted, and a power is given to Christ as man, "he hath given him power to execute judgment, in as much as he is the Son of man," John v. 27.
In the administration of his kingdom the manhood of Christ doth concur, as an instrument working with his Godhead. Hence this session at God's right hand is truly and properly attributed to Christ, as (theanthropos;) and not only to the one nature of Christ, whether divine or human. Or, it is attributed to Christ as mediator; in which respect he is called an high-priest, "We have such an high-priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," Heb. viii. 1. And in which respect he is called a Prince, "Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour," Acts v. 31. Now Christ is not a priest and a prince merely according to one nature, whether divine or human. I deny not but Christ had a natural kingdom with his Father as God, before the foundation of the world; but this kingdom as God-man, Christ had not before his ascension into heaven. So then Christ sitteth at the right hand of God by a mediatory action, which he executeth according to both natures, the word, working what pertaineth to the word, and the flesh what appertaineth to the flesh; Christ is Mediator as God and man, and glory hath redounded unto him as God and man, and living in this glory, he ruleth and governeth his church as God and man; he ascended indeed into heaven in his humanity only, but he sitteth at the right hand of God as Mediator in respect of both natures. Lutherans attribute this session at God's right hand only to the human nature of Christ; they say this session is nothing else but the elevating of his human nature to the full and free use of some of the divine properties, as of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; the ground of this error is, that they suppose upon the union of the two natures in Christ, a real communication of the divine properties to follow, so that the human nature is made truly omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, not by any confusion of properties, nor yet by any bare communion and concourse of it to the same effect, each nature working that which belongeth to it with communion of the other, (for this we grant) but by a real donation, by which the divine properties so become the properties of the human nature, that the human nature may work with them no less than the divine nature itself, for the perfecting of itself. Against this opinion we have these reasons; --
- The union cannot cause the human nature to partake more in the properties of the divine, than it causeth the divine to partake in the properties of the human.
- If a true and real communication did follow to the divine attributes, it must needs be of all the attributes, as of eternity, and infiniteness, seeing these are the divine essence, which can no way be divided.
- Infinite perfections cannot perfect finite natures, no more than reasonable perfections can make perfect unreasonable creatures.
- To what end should created gifts serve, which Christ hath received above measure, if no more noble properties should enter and be conferred on Jesus Christ?
Other reasons are given in, but I willingly decline all controversial points.