that it might appear that these Saints were but Men. Elijah stretcheth himself upon the child three several times and cries to the Lord. Elisha not being able to do any thing by the Ministry of his Servant comes himself into the room where the Child was The Prophet lyes upon the Child and puts his Mouth to the Childs Mouth and his Eyes upon the Childs Eyes and his Hands upon the Childs Hands trying to restore Life and Heat to the Child but for all this the desired Effect doth not follow he goes up and comes down and after having several times stretched himself upon the Child at last by the Blessing of God the Child begins to shew some signs of Life Was this the way our Saviour took to raise the Dead Being touched with Compassion for the Widow of Naim whose only Son was carried forth to be buried our Saviour saith to the Dead Mar. 5.41 Young Man arise and that word did the thing without any more ado neither said he more in raising to Life the Daughter of the Ruler of the Synagogue but Damsel arise and Lazarus was raised with this word Lazarus come forth There is no need to insist upon the Resurrections wrought by the Disciples of our Lord for they being performed in his Name were to be attributed only to the Efficacy of his Virtue Besides these particular Resurrections which prove the Omnipotence of our Lord we ought also to consider that he attributes to himself the Resurrection of all Believers All he did here upon Earth was but a Scantling of what he shall do one day by commanding Death to give up her dead after that their dissipated Dust hath been carried by the Wind to the utmost Corners of the Universe He that believes in me saith he hath eternal life and I will raise him at the last day Is this the Stile of a Creature Pursuant to this Promise several times repeated in the Gospel St. Paul saith to the Philippians as if he would prove to them that Christ is equal to God his Father that Jesus Christ shall change our vile Bodies and make them conform also to his glorious Body by that power whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 See here the Omnipotence of our Saviour exprest with the greatest plainness that may be In the second place I asserted that Christ had created the World He hath created all that we see and all that we do not see for he is the Creator both of Angels and Men the Creator of all things without him nothing was made that was made Let us make use of St. Paul's Expressions For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth Col. 1.16 visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him These words are so full and strong and are alone sufficient to prove that our Lord is equal in power with his Father The last Attribute wherewith we evince the equality which St. Paul attributes to our Saviour or rather which our Saviour attributes to himself is that of Mercy We can no sooner have any little knowledge of the Mystery of our Redemption by Jesus Christ but we must acknowledge that our Redeemer is merciful in a manner that doth not belong to any but God Was it not he himself think we to whom Moses said The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious Exod. 33. 34. This great Lawgiver had a desire to see God I beseech thee said Moses shew me thy glory and God's answer was I will make all my goodness pass before thee where by the way we may observe to our great comfort that the Lord intimates to us that his Goodness is his great Glory And afterwards he informs Moses that no Man can look God in the Face Thou shalt see my back parts saith he but my face shall not be seen What may be the meaning of this Expression The Interpreters are generally agreed that this signifies that God cannot be seen but by and in his Works and that the Mysterious Reasons of his Conduct are not discerned Thus far this Explication is plausible enough but yet this is not enough except they comprehend in these his Works the Works of Grace Indeed those are chiefly here intended I will make all my goodness pass before thee Wherein I pray consists all the goodness of God Why it is all concentred in the Mystery of the Death of Christ When Moses had a glimpse of this Infinite Goodness when the Crucified Jesus was pourtray'd before the Eyes of Moses then it was that he cry'd out saying The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth And indeed who would not do as much at the view tho a distant one of the Mercy of the Son of God who being in the Form of God nevertheless emptied himself Christ's Mercy alone is sufficient to demonstrate him to be the true God God only is good in that manner because he who said to our Lord Good master what shall I do to have eternal life did not comprehend this Truth Our Lord saith to him Why callest thou me good There is none good but God thou who dost not know that I am God why dost thou call me good Yet our Lord who very well knew his own Rights gives himself that Title I am the good shepherd saith he in the Tenth Chapter of St. John according to the Principle of our Saviour himself it might have been told him Why dost thou call thy self good there is none good but God but knowing very well what he was he made himself equal with God in goodness The whole Gospel is full of the Traces of that Mercy which our Saviour hath exercised in chief You have already seen this in that he pardons sins not as Ministers do by way of Declaration but as God by an absolute and independent Authority The manner of St. Paul's wishing Grace is also an evident proof of this Truth Grace be unto you and peace from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ This is the common Seal of St. Paul's Epistles by which he renders an Authentick Witness to our Saviour's Divinity The Christians who had been Educated in the Jewish Religion and thereby accustomed to hear nothing more frequently spoken of than the Blessing the Peace and the Grace of God could not understand it otherwise An Apostle would have been better advis'd than to wish them Grace proceeding elsewhere than from God This Grace alone is sufficient for us The Scripture never tell us of the Grace of Angels or of Men. Where is there any mention made in form of wishing the Grace of Abraham or that of Moses or St. Peter or St. Paul The Church lives only by the Grace of God insomuch that this Salutation The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you is an
before Men were Poetical Fiction Reason of State Gratitude Flattery or Superstition had no part here From everlasting to everlasting thou art God The Men that were worshipp'd whilst yet alive easily perceiv'd that they were no gods they were very sensible that the Divine Honours rendred unto them were no better than Robbery But saith St. Paul Jesus Christ thought it no Robbery to be equal with God in which words there is a tacite opposition to that Subordination which Paganism had establish'd amongst their gods They said that Jupiter was the Master and Lord Paramount of their gods there being none on equal ground with him St. Paul here insinuates that Jesus Christ is really greater than all the Pagan gods were even in the Conceit of those that were their Worshippers He is equal to God to that Great God who is the Soveraign Master and Lord of the Universe Besides these oppositions which the Apostle had an eye to in the words we are explaining it seems probable that he had a more particular regard to a matter wherein the Philippians were more particularly concern'd They conceiv'd it no small part of their Glory that their Countrey had produc'd Alexander the Great This Conqueror conceiv'd it was both his Glory and Interest to be worshipp'd as a god He would needs be thought the Son of Jupiter and not being content to have pillaged the Earth was desirous to carry his Usurpations to Heaven He knew well enough that the Quality he Arrogated to himself of being the Son of Jupiter was a true piece of Robbery The power of Truth oblig'd this False god to say during the pains he suffer'd by the Wound he had received from an Arrow That they would make him the Son of Jupiter but that he self well enough that he was but a Man The Philippians were fully acquainted with this Story St. Paul knew it and we may aver that he thought of it in presenting to the Philippians a Saviour who was really and truly God the true Son of the true God who being in the Form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God All these oppositions are of great use to illustrate the Literal Sense we have explained It is time now to search into the Doctrine it contains which we shall do by considering it first in a Relative and then in an Absolute Sense In a Relative Sense it will be to purpose to know the Characters first of him who is here spoken of secondly of him who speaks and thirdly of those to whom it is spoken He concerning whom here is spoken was on the one hand the Pattern of an Absolute Humility and on the other a great Zealot for the Glory of God If we have cast our Eyes never so little upon the Gospel we shall find this to be a Truth altogether incontestable Our Lord Jesus himself hath given us a great and signal instance of the Humility which he recommends he washeth his Disciples Feet he suffers Injuries patiently he flees Honours On the other hand How nice and tender do we find him in cases where his Father's Glory was concern'd Doth he perceive that the Laws of God are made to truckle to the Traditions of Men With what force do we see him exaggerate this Affront If he sees Men prophane the House of God by changing it to a Market-place he does not think words sufficient to repress this Insolence he makes a Whip of Cords to lash these Prophane Wretches out of the Temple With this double Character which might be made out by many more passages of Scripture at what a rate think you would our Saviour have delivered himself if ever he had met with one that made himself a god This was a time wherein the Jews were not guilty of gross Idolatry and wherein Jerusalem had banish'd the Idols of other Nations so that our Lord had no occasion to declare against Idols but had he met with any what would not he have said Had he taken notice of any Man that arrogated to himself Divine Honours with what Zeal and Vehemence would he have confounded the Pride of that Usurper We know enough of the Spirit of our Lord on other occasions to justifie what we suppose of him What then ought we to conclude from this that he who was so Humble and so Zealous yet made himself equal with God Nothing can be said here that is consistent with Reason but to confess that he was really that for which he would that Men should take him Had not he been God and consequently equal to God his Father he would have been so far from affecting this Equality that he would have abhorr'd the least tendency that way Instead of speaking Magisterially he would always have exprest himself in the most humble stile imaginable to disabuse the People who by the Fame of his Miracles would have been tempted to take him for a God But we find his Conduct quite opposite to this he doth not think it any Robbery to be equal with God But how can this be if he be not God indeed What is become of his Humility What of his Zeal What of his Sincerity These three Virtues are the Sureties and Pledges for our Faith of the Godhead of Jesus Christ Who is it that writes this 'T is St. Paul that is to say in one word whatsoever can be conceiv'd of Zeal against attributing the Divine Glory to a Creature This Apostle met with several occasions to make himself known under this Character He strongly declares himself against Idolatry in several places In the Acts of the Apostles we find what a Reception he gave to those Divine Honours which the Lycaonians would needs force upon him he rents his Clothes runs in amongst them Crying out and saying Acts 14.15 Sirs why do you these things We are also men of like passions with you and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God In the Seventeenth Chapter of the same Book we find that the Spirit of St. Paul was stirred in him at the sight of the Idols they worshipp'd at Athens Acts 17.16 In the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans we find him thundring against Idolaters saying that they changed the glory of the incorruptible God Rom 1.23 25. into an image made like to corruptible man and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed for ever This is enough to give us a taste of St. Paul's Spirit in this matter and to shew that he had the greatest horror for Idolatry Besides this he made it always his business to humble and abase the Creature that thereby the greater Glory might redound to the Creator and to remove all those things that might in the least serve to colour the Religious Worship of the Creature Yet for all this he speaks always most magnificently of Jesus Christ he makes him equal with the Soveraign God who hath created Heaven and
St. John's Gospel No man hath ascended up to heaven but hothat came down from heaven Joh. 3.13 even the Son of Man which is in heaven He is discoursing with Nicodemus here on Earth and at the same time tells him he is in Heaven This can admit of no tolerable explication but by means of that Immensity whereby he fills heaven and earth These are the two Divine Attributes that are absolutely incommunicable to Creatures Let us next run over the other Attributes that are by some way of Analogy communicable to them but are possest by God in the highest degree of Absoluteness and Perfection I shall not say that our Saviour is Holy that he is Intelligent that he is Powerful and Merciful which are the four Attributes that remain to be examined Should we say no more than so all this may be attributed to Creatures We find amongst them Holiness Knowledge Power and Mercy No body can doubt but that if we make it evident that our Lord possesseth all these four Perfections as God doth you will be furnish'd with as many Demonstrations to evince the Divinity of our Saviour Our Saviour then is Holy but so as God is which we prove from a plain Text of Scripture The Prophet Isaiah tells us in his sixth Chapter that he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne amidst the Acclamations of the Seraphims who cried one to another and said Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts Would you know who this Lord or rather Jehovah is to whom they give the threefold Compellation of Holy St. John the Evangelist will resolve you who tells us in the twelfth Chapter of his Gospel that Isaiah spake of our Saviour Joh. 12 41. These things said Esaias when he saw his glory and spake of him Some have been of Opinion that Isaiah was condemn'd to Death because he had presum'd to say That he had seen him who was invisible This seem'd to be a meer piece of Blasphemy but what can be imagin'd more abominable than that which St. John tells us here if our Blessed Lord be not indeed the King the Lord of Hosts the Holy One of Israel Let us make no scruple to believe the Beloved Disciple who repos'd himself on the Breast of the Son of God Trust we the piercing sight of this Eagle who took so near a view of this glorious Son Rely we upon the Testimony of an Evangelist whose end in writing his Gospel was to prove that Jesus Christ is the Son of God It is he assures us that he whom the Seraphims with so much Humility adore crying to one another and saying Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts was no other than our Blessed Lord. We say further That he hath Knowledge also but as God He knows all that God knows Remember always that we speak of the Son of God We know that the Son of Man had a Knowledge which encreas'd by degrees and what is more that he did not know all things No man knows that hour saith he no not the Son of Man This is true of the Son of Man or of the Human Nature of our Saviour but the Son of God the Divine Nature in our Saviour knew that which the Son of Man knew not The Son of God knows all that God knows that is all things St. Peter tells us as much Lord saith he thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee This Knowledge is Universal and to take a view of it that way where with one cast of the Eye you may discover it to be the Knowledge of God we need only to observe that the Eyes of our Lord pierce to the very bottom of Man's Heart Thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee St. Peter's Heart was not the only Heart that was known to Christ All things were naked and open before him Lord thou knowest all things The Proposition is general The Scribes and Pharisees those Hypocritical Professors could not hide their most secret Thoughts from him this Truth appears from many passages of the Gospel To Cite only one place which by reason of its generality comprehends all the rest we need only take notice of what St. John saith towards the end of the Second Chapter of his Gospel But Jesus did not commit himself unto them saith he Joh. 2.24 25. because he knew all men and needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man The Case here mentioned is not that of a Prophet to whom God discovers the Heart of some particular Man The Knowledge which the Gospel ascribes to our Saviour is Universal no Heart escapes him He knew what was in man A Knowledge that God in a most peculiar manner appropriates to himself in several places of the Old Testament I know my God 1 Chron. 29.17 Jerem. 17.10 that thou triest the heart said David towards the latter end of his Life I the Lord search the heart I try the reins saith he himself by the Mouth of the Prophet Jeremy Let us read to the end of the Verse Even continues he to give to every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings 'T is God that speaks here and he speaks as God he speaks like himself Never did any Prophet speak thus And yet this is the very passage our Lord ascribes to himself in the Revelation speaking to the Angel of the Church of Thyatira Rev. 2.23 And all the Churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts and I will give unto every one of you according to your works Words that make it evident that our Saviour declares expresly that it was himself that spake in Jeremy and that the Knowledge of the Heart of Man belongs to him in chief The Fifth Attribute whereby we learn to know the Divine Nature of Christ is his Power He is powerful but so as to be powerful as God he is the Almighty In Virtue of this power the Son doth all that the Father doth Joh. 5.19 What things soever the Father doth these also doth the Son likewise Doth the Father raise the Dead So doth the Son also he quickneth whom he will Doth the Father create the World The Son doth so likewise Which two instances shew us the extent of the Father's Power Indeed we cannot conceive any greater than that of restoring Life to the Dead and that of creating such a World as this is and yet both these belong to our Saviour In the first place he hath raised the Dead but have not others done the same Miracle Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament and the Disciples of our Lord in the New have not they also raised some that were Dead who for all that never pretended to be equal with God True it is that Elijah and Elisha each of them raised a Child to Life but with what pains do they work these Miracles God makes them sweat for it