〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord are frequent Jehovah signifies God's Essence in Three manners First First Jehovah That he is of himself and of no other Secondly All other Things are from him not from themselves or from any else Thirdly That he is true in his Promises and Threatnings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when absolutely attributed to God answereth that of Jehovah for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Self-Lord and of his Nature The Name Jehovah is properly absolutely and without any adjection attributed to the Son as it must amongst other places be understood in that wherein 't is said * Gen. 19.24 The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord the Lord from the Lord is a Tautology and a gross one too which God is not capable of were it not that as the Father hath committed all Judgment to the Son upon that occasion the Son executed Judgment against those wicked Cities and to prove the Truth of this Interpretation we have two undeniable Evidences the Expressions of one are just as in this place and of the other they are to the same purpose David is the first * Psaim 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord which our Saviour explains of †Mat. 22.44 himself the other Witness is ‖ Hos 1.7 Hosea by whom God saith I will save the house of Judah by the Lord their God not only he calls him their Lord but also their God Here we have the True Eternal and Infinite God whose Word came to the Prophet saying he will have mercy upon the House of Judah and I hope hitherto we are agreed he promiseth to save them By whom By the Lord their God that is the Lord God of Judah for he speaks to and of the House of Judah he then by whom they are to be saved is the True God of Israel for certainly the God of Judah and Israel is one and the same God and not two for their Saviour is their God the next thing to be known is who is meaned by this Lord God of theirs not properly and immediately the Person that speaks for then he would have said I will save them by my self as upon another occasion he said * Gen. 22.16 By my self have I sworn and in some other places wherefore here another Person is to be understood or else the designation of another had been superfluous and not to the purpose but here is a visible distinction of Persons he that speaks and promiseth to save them and he by whom they shall be saved according to the whole Analogy of Faith this Prophecy relateth to the Messiah the Son of God whom the Father out of his own Bosom was to send into the World to save it and the Lord Jesus was the Messiah which at that time was to come and came since who by the Prophet is called the Lord God of Judah which was fulfilled when the Angel said unto the Shepherds †Lu. 2.11 Vnto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord who came to save his People the True Judah and Israel of God not according to the Flesh but the promise from their Sins and from the Punishments which thereby they had deserved so the Lord Jesus is the True Lord God of Israel for the House of Israel or Judah hath no other Prince and Saviour to * Act. 5.31 give them repentance and forgiveness of sins but the Lord Jesus who in this same place is called Prince now the Title of God of Israel the true eternal and undoubted God doth in many places of Scripture appropriate to himself and communicateth to none besides †Joh. 1.49 Nathanael called Jesus Christ the Son of God and the King of Israel and we know he spoke Truth as did David when he saith ‖ Psal 22.28 the Kingdom is the Lord's and he is the governour amongst the nations and we are sure that Psalm hath a relation to the Lord Jesus and if any doubt remaineth it is explained in the Person of the * Rev. 12.5 man child who was to rule all nations with a red of iron and this is fully interpreted of the Person whom the Lord hath said to thou art my Son and hath given to †Psal 2.7 8 9. the heathen for his inheritance c. which he shall break with a rod of iron In the Old Testament we read of an Angel who appeared at several times and spoke as to Hagar he is called the Angel of the Lord and was the Lord Jehovah himself ‖ Gen. 16.13 for she called the Name of the Lord that spake unto her thou God seest me a second time he appeared unto her and said lift up the lad Ishmael for I will make him a great nation this certainly was an increated Angel namely the Son of God for no created Angel could make such a Promise it being beyond the Power of any creature to perform it and that Angel is called Jehovah upon the occasion of sacrificing Isaac and that he was God himself it appears not only from the Nature but also from the Words he spake Seeing said he * Gen. 22.11 12 15 16.17 18. thou hast not held thy Son thine only Son from me now that Son was to have been sacrificed to God and none else and this is confirmed beyond all doubt when 't is said And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time and said by my self have I sworn c. that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the Stars of heaven and as the sand that is upon the sea shore and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed This is elsewhere represented under the shape of a Man who a Gen. 32.24 28 30. wrestled with Jacob might not the Name Man relate to the future Incarnation however 't is most certain under what Name soever that same was God for he said to Jacob Thou hast power with God and when he asked his Name Jacob receiv'd no other Answer but this Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name which as a Prophet saith b Isai 9 6. is wonderful Jacob though he asked his Name knew who it was for he saith I have seen God face to face and the same is called Man God even the Lord God of hosts Hosea 12.3 5. and in the same place is called the Angel verse 4. So the Names Man Angel and God Lord of hosts do belong to the same and as upon that same occasion one of the Names belong to the Son of God by the same reason must all the rest and him Jacob remembers when blessing Joseph's Children he saith c Gen. 48.15 16. The angel which redeemed me from all evil bless these lads and just the verse before he calls him
same place of Exod. v. 15. God whom we ought to believe saith this is my name for ever which elsewhere he confirmeth p Isai 42. â— I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another So then that Name God accounts to be his Glory and that Name he would not give the Angel we have spoken of before in whom God said was his Name except he was his true Son and partaker of his Nature this is by another Prophet q Jer. 16.21 confirmed I will cause them to know mine hand and my might and they shall know that my name is the Lord and by another r Hos 12.5 even the Lord God of hosts the Lord is his memorial what follows is worthy of a most serious consideration Å¿ Psal 83.18 that men may know that thou whose name alone is Jehovah art the most high over all the earth so then if God speaks truth Jehovah is his Name alone and of none else Another Prophet is not silent upon the matter t Amos 5.8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning and makes the day dark with night that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth the Lord is his name One thing more I add how after the People had seen the Fire of the Lord fall upon Eliah's Sacrifice and consume it and all round about they fell on their faces and said the Lord be is the God 1 Kings 18.38 39. the Lord he is the God Who after these plain and convincing Evidences can be so much a Child of the Devil I mean a Lyar as to deny the Name Jehovah to be God's proper Name and consequently deny Christ who is Jehovah to be the true natural God By Jehovah and Jah is primarily denoted the Essence proper only to God whereby God is understood to have his Being of himself and to be efficient principle in a way of Excellency of all other Beings and the Name was not altogether unknown before Moses for in that place v Exod. 6.3 the Question is not properly or formally about the Word but the Thing as of the Unchangeableness of the Divine Truth and of the Deliverance of his People The Jewes are so scrupulous about the Word that they would not have it pronounced but with some change of Letters they impiously give a magical Virtue to the Characters whereunto they attribute all Miracles done by our Saviour the Name Schaddai signifying God's Self-sufficiency is also incommunicable but 't is of Attribute as the other of Nature They cannot deny that Christ or the Son is called Jehovah wherefore they betake themselves to another Shift which is to deny the Name to be incommunicable for say they it is attributed to Angels and to other things as unto the Mount where Abraham would have sacrificed his Son to Jerusalem and unto the Ark As to the first 't is not to be understood of any created Angel but of that Angel whom we proved to be God truly and properly whom the Name doth belong unto in a proper sense When spoken of the forenamed things 't is not to be taken as a Name but as a Commendation Testimony Sign and a Symbol as if one should say There John liveth there James reigneth by a kind of Metonimy used in human things when the thing contained is put for the containing as to the Ark when Moses saith q Num. 10.35 Rise up Lord and let thine enemies be scattered he doth not speak to the Ark a material Creature unable to hear and of it self to move but to Jehovah who had his Seat in it Of this we can have no surer Interpreter than David who saith r Psal 132 8. Arise O Lord into thy rest thou and the ark of thy strength the Prayer is directed to God not to the Ark which were Idolatry the Ark doth neither rise nor return but after the manner of Men it is attributed unto God So in another place Å¿ Ps 68.1 Let God arise let his enemies be scattered besides these words of Moses were spoken when the Ark was upon a motion or at rest wherefore it had been improper to say to the Ark Rise when 't was going on and Rest when it was fixed so it must be to God who had appointed it there to manifest his special Grace or Glory Thus the Name Jehovah is consider'd either relatively or absolutely the first when joyned with some thing as we said of Jerusalem and of the Ark not to be absolutely but relatively understood as Jerusalem the City wherein Jehovah dwelleth God's Worship was tyed to the Ark for there as promised he spoke with Moses t Exod. 25 22. Levit. 16.2 1 Sam. 4 4 the second when God takes that Name to himself u Exodus 20.2 I am Jehovah or the Lord thy God and x Isai 42.8 Whose name is Jehovah the Lord of hosts Thus Moses and People say in their Song y Exodus 15.3 Jehovah is his name and that according to the Etymology which is as said from a word that signifies is hath been and herein we can agree with Crellius shall be which properly denoteth the Essence not generally but specially an infinite eternal Being existing of it self Now this figurative way of speaking in this kind is often used in Scripture whereof the following Text * Psal 24.5 6. is a considerable Instance This is the generation of them that seek him that seek thy face O Jacob where Jacob is put for the God of Jacob to seek the Face is a Duty relating to God not to Jacob or any Man pressed upon us in the Word for the Psalmist not being satisfied to have said Psal 105.3 4. Let the heart of them rejoyce that seek the Lord he addeth this Command reiterated Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore 'T is then a Duty which God requireth of us for he saith * Psal 27.8 Seek ye my face and the obedient and dutiful Soul answereth My heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek Hence it appeareth how this religious Duty to seek the Face is not directed to Jacob but to the God of Jacob who in the latter end of the foregoing Verse is named the Lord God of our salvation Thus after this figurative way of speaking the Name Jehovah is spoken of the Mount and of the Ark which are Jehovah no more than Jacob was and therefore when God's most holy Name is concerned Men must not be so rash as to fancy and vent their profane Notions and attribute unto any Man or other Creature whatsoever that which God hath reserved as proper to himself Tertullian tells the Heathens how their Philosophers called the Maker of the World by the Name the Word Second The Word which agrees with what S. John saith * John 1.3
sake I do but point at now when this Name is absolutely spoken or reduplicatively as †Matth. 7.21 not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord or with an Emphasis as Lord of Lords in the fore-quoted place of Timothy or with an Idiom and Property as ‖ Psalm 135.5 great Lord or with an Energy as * Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power whereby the Worship due to him is expressed it properly belongs to God alone in the New Testament it is mostly appropriated to our blessed Saviour which he owns as the fore-quoted Text not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord and when he speaks of the Day of Judgment when the Son of Man shall come in his Glory †Matth. 25.44 they will say Lord when saw we thee an hungered and about the time of his washing of his Disciples Feet he said ‖ Joh. 13.13 ye call me Master and Lord and ye say well for so I am when after his Resurrection he appeared John said to Peter it is the Lord John 21.7 that 's the usual Name which the Apostles in their Writings do call him by 'T is observable how after his Ascension there are two Things peculiarly called by the Lord's Name that is the * 1 Cor. 10.21 Lord's-Table and the †Rev. 1.10 Lord's-Day Now we must come to another Thing and shew how the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or God is in Scripture in a true and proper Sense given to Jesus Christ Fourth GOD. but something must be premised before we come to the point in the question what God is we must distinguish either absolutely or relatively that is considered either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Essentially or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Personally the one relates to the Nature and essential Attributes the other to the Persons of the most Holy Trinity and to their Attributes Here we assert two Things against Socinians First the Name of God with Attributes is not a Name of Office as Emperor King Consul Judge c. but of Essence and Nature as are the Names Spirit Man Lyon c. Secondly The Name God in its first and proper signification is not appellative but proper for it signifieth an Essence of a most singular Nature though we know it to be also improperly used and abused as the Idols of the Ammonites and of several other Nations are called their Gods but there are with it such Circumstances as make us easily know the difference Commonly there are such Epithets when the True God is mentioned alone with it as the God of Abraham Isaac Jacob Israel One God True God Eternal Life God blessed for ever which leave no doubt that the True God by Nature is spoken of The Word God in the New Testament doth properly first and chiefly signify the True God and such by Nature but secondarily and improperly those that are in high Places of Office and Power which Sense Socinians would restrain it to when 't is spoken of our blessed Saviour but 't is spoken of him not only attributively but subjectively as 't is in that place When * â—al 4.8 ye knew not God ye did service unto them which by nature are not Gods for if there that Name had been of Office and Dignity the Galatians might have excused themselves that they did serve those that were Gods by Dignity and Place though not by Nature but the Apostle reproves them for it so tho' they be called Gods yet if they are not such by Nature they are no Gods according to what the Lord saith by the Prophet †Jerem. 2.11 Hath a nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods The reason is by the same given elsewhere because ‖ Chap. 16.20 man makes them Gods unto himself the proper Character which another Prophet gives of the True God is he * Isa 43.10 before whom there was no God formed neither shall there be after him for being of himself he hath no beginning and shall have no end such is the Son of God the Saviour of the World before whom there was no God formed upon which account he is by the Prophet called the antient of days Dan. 7.22 neither shall there be after him thus he must needs be such by Nature and every one knows that neither Angels nor Magistrates are Gods because not such by Nature as is the Son of God which by God's Grace we shall demonstrate and neither the Galatians nor none of the Gentiles could well know God and as he ought to be till God was manifest in the Flesh when this Second Person of the Godhead took Human Nature in the Virgin 's Womb. The Word God is either first and properly spoken of the True Eternal God or of the Creature if of the Creature then the Creature shall properly be called and properly be God which is Blasphemy but if it be spoken of the High True and Eternal God then it must signify his Essence and Nature seeing God is such from all Eternity through the perfection of his Nature not upon the account of any Dignity or Power different from his Nature the Name of God if absolute denoteth his Nature and not any Office but if it be relative and signifieth only an Office then from Eternity God was not God They would have the Word God without an Article as we observed of the Word Lord to signify those that are Secondarily such but with an Article only the True God both which Notions are false for first the True God is sometimes denoted without an Article as Joh. 1.6.12.13.18 so is the Inscription of the * Rom. 1.7 Epistle to the Romans and in other places so is the other Notion false for the Word God attributed to false Gods is sometimes with the Article as Act. 7.43 and 2 Chron. 4.4 both which Examples are joyned together in the fore-quoted place to the Galatians so then the signification depends not upon the Article but the Nature of the Subject but to leave off such Criticisms of the Schools and not to bestow our time upon Words more than upon Things I say the Word God is Jesus Christ's proper Name for God and Christ are so unseparably united that †Ephes 2.12 they that were without Christ were also without God in the world So then the Name God signifies the Essence or Nature not barely the Office and Dignity for otherwise it would follow it should belong to God only in relation to Creatures but 't is most true it absolutely belongs to him for he was God before there were any Creature now our God by Nature is opposed to those that are only called so the Apostle saith ‖ 1. Cor. â— 5 6. Though there be that are called Gods many c. to us there is but one God and by the Epithet True God is distinguished from them therefore when the Word God is spoken of the True God
him they Worship This very Name of Michael is given to the Messiah ‖ Dan. 12.1 and at that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people which is a Prophecy of Christ's coming wherein he is called El Michael and the Great Prince to this Emmanuel relates what the Evangelist says of the Word that is Christ how being made Flesh he dwelt among us is not this the same as God with us And this not obscurely for he adds * Joh. 1.14 and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father he not only had Glory but is called Lord of Glory before his Ascension into and Glorification in Heaven and for certain the Name of Lord or King of Glory is proper to the true essential God if David †Psal 24.10 speaks Truth now this dwelling of God is not said to be in but with Men which doth import a Person living and conversing with Men fully expressed in the following Text ‖ Rev. 21 3. Behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God all this done not by proxy but in Person 't is said God himself so that great and infinite God whom the Heavens of Heavens cannot contain chose our Human Nature to dwell in as in a Tabernacle whereof the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a Type as the Temple was afterwards we know there was a Vail this the Apostle alludeth to when he saith * Heb. 10.20 thorough the vail that is to say the flesh so that his Body and Human Nature is the place he chose to dwell in and that same Nature is as a Vail to qualify that Glory which no Man could behold for as the People could not behold Moses his Face when he came from God so that it was necessary he should put on a Vail How then could Man have beholden the Glory and Brightness of the Son of God and how could he have dwelt amonst and conversed with them except he had put on the Vail of his Flesh We must then necessarily conclude he was El the Mighty God before he was Immanuel God with us As to that great incomprehensible and adorable Mystery of the Incarnation of the Second Person of the most Holy Trinity whereby the Divine and Human Natures were mediatly and the Person immediatly united to the Nature 't is to be observed that 't is not by a Consubstantial Union such as the Three Persons of the most Holy Trinity are united one with another neither is it a Substantial Union only by Essence and Vertue as the Essence of Christ is present with every thing not by a presence of Grace only not Physical as Form and Matter are united not as one Friend is united to one another as the Soul of Jouathan was knit with the Soul of * 1 Sam. 18.1 David not mystical only or in the same manner as Christ dwelleth in Believers not Sacramental as Christ is in the Bread and Wine of the Lord's Supper but 't is a Personal Union and that without any Change of or in the Divine Person without a renting of the Natures against the Nestorians or Confusion of the same against the Eutychians also without any Change and Separation Now I am upon this high Mystery of the Incarnation by the Evangelist expressed in these words the word was made flesh I shall take notice of some few things doth not the expression which is parallel with this †1 Joh. 4.2 that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh mean that Christ the Word was in being before he was made Flesh or came in the Flesh and that this Being was according to the Spirit which in Scripture is opposed to the Flesh and that he had a spiritual Existence before he took our human Nature signified by the word Flesh for according to Scripture Flesh signifies human Nature so to be made Flesh to assume human Nature let one place serve instead of many ‖ Gal. 2.16 by the works of the law shall no flesh that is no Man be justified The Son of God was first afterwards he was manifested as to make use of a Comparison in a thing which admits none in matters of God's Decrees the Decree is before the Declaration of it for the Decree is from all Eternity but the Declaration only in time what is said of Christ * Gal. 4.4 that he was made of a woman is considerable for it implies that he was made Man and took upon him our Nature not out of the Substance of any Man but only of a Woman his Body was formed in the blessed Virgin 's Womb without any help of Man so he became Man only by the Woman's side but he was Son of God before he was made of a Woman and he must need have had a Being before he was sent forth he was with God before God sent him which is opposed to his appearing and being manifested to the World * 1 Joh. 1 2. we shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us he was with the Father existed and had a Being before he was manifested unto us dwelt and pitched his Tabernacle among us it is observable out of that place where it is said of our blessed Saviour †Heb. 2.16 he took on him the seed of Abraham the word took in the Original signifies also to take and lay hold or caught hold as he did of sinking Peter to save him from drowning so he caught hold of Mankind when it was ready to sink Against this they say there can be no such Union of Divine and Human Nature in one Person but that such an Union is not unpossible it may be illustrated out of the Union of our Soul with our Body which are of two different Natures spiritual and material invisible and visible immortal and mortal and tho' we cannot conceive the Reason it ought to be no Prejudice neither can we conceive the manner of their Union which yet is true and certain we most certainly believe some things to be tho' we do not at all comprehend the manner of it and altho' there be an infinite disproportion between God and Man yet that is no just Prejudice against the Union of Divinity with Humanity with harbouring such Notions Men do too much measure God by themselves who because they are evil are not capable of so much Goodness and out of Pride are apt to say so much Condescention becomes not God but God knows better than we what becomes him and what we cannot comprehend of him we ought to admire and adore God's Ways are not like our Ways nor his Thoughts like our Thoughts and tho' he condescends never so low yet is ever sure of his Greatness which nothing can take away from him This Humiliation or
nor of Ens being and Essence and as to his Immensity or Infiniteness according to which he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wholly whole whole in himself whole in all whole in every one and whole out of all he is neither circumscrib'd defined by included in or excluded out of any place all these are past Understanding not only of Men but of Angels also Let those who pretend to know all Things and that to them nothing is a Mystery take notice of this Thus much in short of the incommunicable Attributes or as otherwise called of the first Order And as to those of the second and communicable to Creatures which yet must be well understood for a thing may be said to be imparted or communicated in two ways either when the same thing in Number and Species is imparted to another or when the same is by Analogy in likeness and proportion In the first way no propriety of God can be communicated to the Creature because all infinite and the same with the Nature but in the last in some measure and degree they are in as much as some Effects like unto his Attributes according to their Capacity come out of them The Attributes of this last sort may be reduced under these three Heads Mercy Wisdom and Power Mercy moveth and willeth Wisdom doth contrive and dispose and Power executes all three in God Infinite and Eternal all three to be found in the Son in the Works of Creation Preservation and Redemption in relation to the two first absolutely consider'd in his Divine Nature and to the last in both Divine and Human in the Capacity of Mediator wherein he is both God and Man for indeed the Office of Mediator required a Person that should be both to perform those things that were to be done in relation to both because to suffer and die was the part of human Nature which the Divine is not capable of but to overcome Death and our spiritual Enemies could not be effected but by a Divine Power withal it became the Majesty of God that the Mediator should be God for that Majesty is so great that none but one that is intimate and equal with the Father could interpose between God and Man Angels themselves could and dared not undertake it for they stood in need of Christ to be confirmed in their state of Integrity besides that they are not pure in God's sight much less any Man meerly such I ask Who but a God could destroy sin appease God's wrath overcome the Power of Satan with natural and eternal Death Who could make expiation for Offences committed against an Infinite God but he that is Infinite himself By whose Intercession could God's Anger be pacified but thorough him that is his beloved Son By whose Power could Satan and the whole Power of Darkness be overcome but by him that is stronger than all Devils and Hell And who could conquer Death but he that hath destroyed him who hath the Power of Death And as none but a God could deliver us from all these Evils under whose Power we were so none but a God could restore us to the Goods we had lost Who could have restored us to a perfect Righteousness but he that is Righteousness it self Who to God's Image but he that is the express Image of his Person and the Brightness of his Glory Who could make us Children of God but he that is his natural only begotten and beloved Son Who could bestow upon us the Holy Ghost but he from whom the Holy Ghost proceedeth And who could give us eternal Life but he that is Life it self And by whom could we come to God but thorough him that is the way Out of all this it appears how none but a True and not a made God could be a Mediator between God and us * 1 Sam. 2.25 If one man sin against another saith Eli the judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him No meer Man can only he that is Lord God himself Divine Essence is necessarily attended with the Divine Attributes First Eternity and it being most simple they are not otherwise distinguished then after our manner of Conceiving so that out of the foregoing Evidences they must necessarily be attributed unto the Son and first Eternity having already proved Christ's Deity and his eternal Generation we have spoken many Things belonging to this Head Eternity is Indivisible as the begetting Power of the Father is Infinite so it hath a terminus an Object of Infinite Perfection namely his Son Coeternal and Coessential and because the Generation is from Eternity so is it true that the Son was continually and perpetually begotten for we must not say God was first God and then Father but without beginning always God and always Father and seeing he ever was Father he ever had a Son This Reason is much to our purpose and we could easily farther enlarge upon it yet in order to prove this Eternity we must draw Arguments out of Scripture without which in these Matters all our Reasons are no Reasons at all Both Testaments do abound in Proofs but out of many we shall make use of few First out of the Old and begin with the place where it speaks of Christ's Kingdom and of the Glory and Power thereof He saith * Psal 110.3 From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth the Meaning and Sence of the Words is thou art from Eternity Morning implies a Day and the first part of it too Day imports a Time which began with the Creation for before there was no Time all was Eternity now Christ whom here David calls his Lord is not said to have the Dew of his Youth from the Morning but from the Womb of the Morning that is before there was any Morning any Time at all for before any Creature be brought forth 't is in the Womb and what is the Womb of Time but Eternity which is the Day spoken of in another place †Psal 2. this day have I begotten thee with God there is no Time with Him all is one Day a Day of Eternity that saying so to him is not of a present Generation or Constitution but the Revelation of a Thing that was before wherefore in that same Verse it is called a Decree I will declare the decree 't is the declaration of the Decree not the time of it now all God's Decrees are Eternal without beginning consequently the Time therein mentioned is meaned of Eternity which the Psalmist's manner of speaking doth confirm more when in that first place he saith thou hast the dew of thy youth the Dew falls on the first part of the Morning so in that beginning of Time he had not his Birth or Childhood but his Youth not only existed but had his whole Strength and Vigour all this way of speaking is with condescending to our weak human Capacity to make us
to wrest it the Question is about Christ's Age the Jews would measure it by what appears of him and as he is a Man in which respect he denieth not what in their Sense they say about his Age but he will lead them farther and make them look higher and consider him for what he was as he had said to them from the beginning namely the Son of God sent by the Father to save the World To that purpose upon this occasion he mentions that his appearing unto Abraham in the plain of Mamre for 't is said the Lord appeared Gen. 18.1 2. and Abraham knew him among the two Angels in the shape of Men by his addressing himself to him paying the respect of bowing himself towards the Ground and calling him my Lord this Visit under the Figure of a Man whereby he gave him earnest and assurance how he would dwell among Men when of his Seed he would be made Flesh this I say was a notable means whereby Abraham saw his Day and rejoyced the Day of that Visit he saw with the Eye of his Body and the Day of his Incarnation with the Eye of Faith which our Saviour in this present Text of John lays not upon the Promise of his coming but upon his pre-existence unto his Incarnation Now contrary to this scope of the place Socinians do forge this to be the meaning according to a transposition they make of the Words I before Abraham be made say to you that I am that is Christ not considering that Abraham was long before and dead as the Jews said but then they go farther with his being made they understand Father of many Nations I shall say but very few words as to the Grammatical Construction for indeed the Matter and true Meaning is plainly this I was existed and had a Being before Abraham was born but was renders the Sense when be or is doth alter it because it being spoken of Abraham doth relate to time past and not to come * Gen. 17. ◠Abram had his Name changed into that of Abraham signifying a Father of Nations a Thousand and several Hundreds of Years before Christ yet they would have him to be such only after the coming of our Saviour into the World as if he had not been so before when Paul calls him the Father of us all believers They rise a Difficulty also about the word I am instead of I was which is an usual Enallage in Scripture when the present time is used for the praeterit or past and here there is a Reason for it which is this that the present Tense is more proper than the praeterit to represent God's permanent Being besides that the Evangelist useth the present least Christ should seem to speak of a non-perpetual of a discontinued and interrupted Being and Existence by reason of the several Opinions about him as if he was John Baptist raised from the dead Elijah Jeremiah or some other Now the use of the present Tense was very proper to remove all Grounds of entertaining such Thoughts and to signify a constant permanent and unchangeable Being in Scripture we have Instances of this how when God is described the Verb I am in the present Tense answers together to the Verb of the praeterit as Psal 90.2 and Prov. 8.24 25. this doth most properly express an uninterrupted and immutable Being which passeth not away such is God's such also is Christ's fully and unquestionably described in all Tenses which is much to our present purpose †Heb. 13.8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever Abraham rejoyced at that Day when he invited and entertain'd in his House the Son of God under the shape of a Man for tho' there were three one of them he called my Lord and chiefly addressed himself to him Gen. 18. who promised of himself and in his own Name to give him a Son by Sarah shall I hide said the Lord from Abraham that thing which I do and afterwards communed with him surely Abraham was glad to see this day But when our Saviour saith before Abraham was I am he intended thereby to give himself some preference before Abraham the Name I am which on this occasion he makes use of is observable for it doth relate to that Name which God gave himself when he sent Moses into Egypt * Exod 3.14 Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel I am hath sent me which Name is proper to God whereunto in the New Testament answers that of Alpha and Omega Rev. 18.11 and 12.13 which the Lord Jesus attributes unto himself and if he created the World that is made of nothing as by God's Grace we shall prove in its place Heb. 1.12 he must need have been before Abraham and as he made so he shall destroy or change it whether as to the Substance or only as to the Quality 't is not material to our purpose but whilst Heavens and Earth shall wax old and be chang'd 't is said of him but thou art the same and thy years shall not fail by these different Expressions one and the same thing namely his absolutely unchangable and eternal Existence is intended which being joyn'd with his other Attributes for our good may prevent all the Fears and answer all the Doubts of those that trust in him But let us take notice of the Injury which unworthily they attempt to put upon Christ as if he were only in Jest and to trick the Jews with not answering the thing in question which is about the time when Christ was whether or not before Abraham What he was Whether something more Excellent and more Antient than a Man The Jews Objection was very specious How could one whom they look'd upon a meer Man not fifty Years old have seen Abraham Well our Saviour answers directly to the Point that he was before Abraham but Socinians with their wicked Sophistry would unworthily make him shuffle the matter for instead of making him to answer how it could be that within such a vast distance of time he and Abraham could have seen one another they bring him only as mentioning the time when he was speaking to them to this purpose before Abram be Abraham that is the Father of many Nations I say unto you I am the Christ this quibbling Trick I would think they learned of Papists though I take Socinians capable to forge as bad as any Papists who in the case of the Malefactor upon the Cross with altering a Comma do quite alter the Sense our Saviour thus speaking to him verily I say unto thee * Luk. 23.43 to day thou shalt be with me in paradise but to settle their Purgatory instead of to day thou shalt be c. they would have it I say unto thee to day I would find to know what a cause Christ hath given them to pass such a Judgment upon him who ever used to answer to the purpose to the
express Image of the Father's Person because in him through that eternal Generation is expressed the whole Person and Glory of the Father for which Image of God he is called the First-born of every Creature that is begotten before there was any Creature and so from Eternity as in the Form and Nature of God to be equal with God who otherwise hath not and owneth none equal to himself 2 Sam. 7 1â— In these high and divine matters Men must not presume beyond what is written and revealed in Gods Word nor wrest the Delign of the Spirit of God or force an unusual and contrary sense to the words of the Text but we ought to keep our selves within the bounds of that holy reverence which becomes us in the contemplation of the Majesty of God In these very things Hierom as said before was very cautions about acknowledging three Hypostases in the Deity because he thought the word to denote substance When God was upon withdrawing the Spirit of Prophecy from among his People Chap. 4.4 he by Malâ—câ—y the last of the Prophets commands them to remember the law of Moses his servant So now when the Apostles immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost ceased so long since men should wholly acquiesce to the sound Doctrine which those Servants of his Son Jesus left for our use and instruction wherein we learn how God hath revealed himself and communicated his own infinite fulness unto his Creatures in all of them immediately by his own Son first in the creation of all things secondly in their providential disposal and rule thirdly in the revelation of his Will and Ordinances fourthly in the communication of his Spirit and Grace in none of which is the Person of the Father otherwise represented unto us than in and by the Person of the Son for the whole end of the Gospel is 2 Cor. 4.6 1 Tim 6.10 1 â—oâ—n 4.12 to give knowledge of the glory of God in the 〈◊〉 of Jesus Christ that is the glory of the 〈◊〉 visible God whom no man hath seen Now in that forenamed Prophecy of Malachy the same Chapter and two last Verses the coming of the 〈◊〉 which had often been prophesied of before is again promised yea of the Lord himself who then was and had been from all Eternity but was to come only at such a time which is called the great and dreadful day of the Lord for against the appearing and long before of that Sun of Righteousness all those Stars the Prophets were to disappear one only excepted like the Morning-star before the rising of the Sun Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord By whom the Lord Jesus is meant as John Baptist is by Elijah so called because he came in the spirit and power of Elias for both were endow'd with a fervency of Spirit which made them spare neither Kings nor People And the Evangelist makes use of the words of the Prophet He shall turn the hearts of the Fathers to the Children Luke 1.17 compared with Matt. 11.14 Mark 9.11 12 13. That same Lord whose coming with such Concomitants as great and dreadful was Jehovah himself the God of Israel whose words tho' in his state of humiliation were so conspicuous glorious and great as he in one particular said himself to the man out of whom he had cast a Legion of Devils Return to thine own house Luk. 8.39 and shew what great things God hath done unto thee And the Evangelist who in the beginning of the Verse relateth Christ's words to the man doth in the latter end of the same declare what the man did And he went his way and published throughout the whole City how great things Jesus had done unto him he did it in the same words how great things only instead of God he said Jesus so that Jesus was the God that had done great things unto him This was in the Land of Judah where no other God but the true God of Israel was own'd and worshipped so the Lord Jesus was that same God whom the Father from Heaven calls his Son which is the Name mentioned Phil. 2.9 that is above every name and this name more excellent than any given the Angels Heb. 1.4 he hath obtained by inheritance not by favour according to what saith the Apostle for the name by him designed is that of Son of God Thou art my Son with the exegetical adjunct of his generation This day have I begotten thee Acts 13.33 which words Paul doth apply to the Lord Jesus This day of Eternity after the manner of time spoken in relation to God with whom are no parts of time as with Men past present and to come With God are not days but only one day which had no beginning and shall have no end It was never said to any Angel personally upon his own account Thou art the Son of God much less with the reason of the appellation This day have I begotten thee so in that place the Apostle doth not speak of the general Name of a Son but of the particular appropriation thereof unto the Lord Jesus upon his own account When the Apostle saith he is the first-born the thing it self is not meant of being the first begotten but the Dignity and Privilege that attended it Psal 89.27 Thus God saith of David I will make him my first-born explained in the later part of the Verse higher than the Kings of the carth Thus among Men one may say I will make such a one my First-born or my Heir which is the Privilege attending the Birth-right This is Christs Title by Nature and not by Office anointing was a Ceremony used to make and declare a King but that anointing made him not a Man for he was so before So the Lord Jesus was God before he was Christ CHAP. XI Some Animadversions upon a Book called Christianity not Mysterious WHAT I said somewhat before concerning Reason puts me in mind of a thing I promised about the middle of my Discourse namely to take notice of a Book with the Title of Christianity not mysterious wherein the Author undertakes to shew there is nothing in the Gospel or in our Religion against or above Reason And tho' I have hardly any room left yet to be as good as my word I must briefly say something to it We agree with him against all human Authority contrary to the Word and own Scripture to be the only competent Judge and allow of our Reason as long as it draweth out of that Spring and not otherwise Let us be sincere and avoid Ambiguities there is true and sound Reason whereof the Word of God is the right and standing infallible Rule for the Will of God is the measure of all Truth and Equity and our Reason to be Reason indeed must be guided by that or else it doth deviate from the Rule There is also that
be true even in natural things how much more in those of a spiritual and divine Nature which to Men's understanding are past finding out wherefore I affirm it to be but reasonable for them in such things to submit Reason to Faith which is a Mystery to our natural Reason 1 Tim. 3.9 so called by S. Paul Holding the mystery of Faith in a pure conscience when he was writing this Faith with its Object was clearly revealed yet still he then calls it a Mystery and I hope no Socinian dares say he knows the Nature of Faith better than that great Apostle did As for Scripture they pretend to own and do quote it so also could the Devil but mis-apply'd it Before him whom he knew to be the Son of God he could say it is written And as in the beginning of the Predication of the Gospel so in the renewing of the Truth of it by Reformation Tares sprung up with the Grain some Men would not order and regulate their Opinions according to Scripture but would bring it to be subservient to their Notions and of it to make a Nose of Wax to serve their turn hence it is that they wrest things that therein are so plain which if we believe Peter 2 Pet. 3.16 must be to their own destruction I know of no wrong the Son of God hath done them that in all their Writings they should so slightly speak of and so much below him Of late one S among others Page 20. saith of the Lord Jesus In that great Instance of Magnanimity he hath outdone all the mentioned Heroes of Greece and Rome he would seem to speak much in his Commendation but latet anguis in herbâ there is a Malice in the bottom to enervate the Truth of our Saviour's Life as if there were in 't some of the Tales and fabulous Accounts which are found in the Lives of the Heroes be mentions They would have him a Man and nothing more though upon all occasions even before that wicked Counsel of the Priests Scribes and Elders Matt. 26.63 64. being by the High Priest adjured in the Name of the Living God to tell whether he was the Son of God He owned himself to be which he would not have done if it had not been true and so had died to maintain a Lye which is the part of an Impostor and this Confession of his being Son of God was the very ground of his Accusation Condemnation and Execution we have a law John 19.7 said they and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God and at the time of his Death all their Revilings and Injuries against him did run upon this Matt. 27.40 43 54. If thou be the Son of God come down from the cross and he said I am the Son of God it had been very strange if he had suffered for saying he was that which he was not in the Sense he spoke it and they took it To deny this is to be worse than the very Heathens the Roman Soldiers for the Centurion and they that were with him having seen the things that were done said Truly this was the Son of God thereby pointing at the Cause of his Death as if they had said He was what he affirmed himself to be and what he dyed for that is Truly the Son of God What S. Paul saith in another Caese about the Resurrection Acts 26.8 Why should it be thought incredible with you that God should raise the dead We may say it in that of the Incarnation of the Son of God for if God attended by two Angels in the shape of Men Gen. 18. more familiarly to dine and converse with Abraham shewed how he could assume the Figure of a Man why might he not in time take upon him our humane Nature The Scripture being so full of Evidences that he could he would and hath done it But what can we say of People who deny it to be day though the Sun shineth never so brightly like the Philosophers Maid who being blind would not own it but said the Room she was in was dark this is the case of those in whom the God of this World hath so blinded the Minds that they cannot and their Hearts that they will not see I wish God may be pleased in this high Concern of his to stir up the Hearts of every one to act in his Station whether Civil or Ecclesiastical They which in this last Capacity are Men of Piety and Learning might out of Presses and Pulpits be very instrumental in asserting the Truth if they were pleased to consult with Scripture preferably before their own Reason for the Word of God being the Spring of right Reason will afford Reasons enough to confute and convince Blasphemy and Heresie Therein lies our strength about these Matters This ought to be the method and manner of those who engage in the Cause Let us all well observe what is said of Apollos who in this same Subject was concerned against an unbelieving and obstinate Nation Acts 18.24 that he was mighty in the Scriptures About these Controversies some thing hath already been attempted by Men otherwise of Learning and good Parts but upon the account of some Principles of theirs little good is herein to be expected from them Arminians I mean whom I look upon as not very sit to write against Socinians no more than Arminus would not write against Socinus though they were contemporary when I am reading Socinian Disputes I often in my way meet with Worstius Episcopius Bertius Curcelaeus and such others who favour them if not in all yet in too many things wherein they go hand in hand and they will mince the matter with them but if after what several Men have written heretofore some other Persons of Learning and sound in the doctrinal part of the XXXIX Articles would now appear as a Reverend and very able Prelate hath in some Points effectually done then it might be hoped through God's Blessing for us to see those impious and Heterodox Opinions justled out of doors to the Honour of God the Peace of his Church and clearing the Land of such a Generation as in some respect may be called worse than the Devils Matt. 8.29 Mar. 1.24 and 5.7 Luke 4.34 41. 8.28 Psal 119.126 who publickly owned the Lord Jesus to be the Son of God of the most high God the holy one of God whom they confessed to have the Power not only to command but also to torment and destroy them whilst these Men deny him truly to be such With David we must say It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void thy law In the mean time though very sensible of my Weakness and Incapacity I presume to appear in publick trusting in him whose Cause we defend that he will make his Virtue perfect in our Weakness and with the gracious Influence of his holy
Spirit supply that which is wanting in us Herein I handle not only some things of the Controversie but also do in some measure bring in the doctrinal part which is a great help to the Elenctical and upon which indeed this last must be grounded for I writ not only to refute but also to instruct and afford a Preservative against the Poyson And tho' sometimes I bring in things which directly relate to the Jews yet they reach Socinians as well as Jews for both are Enemies the first indeed deny Christ to be the Messiah though the Antients owned him to be God and Socinians own him to be a Messiah but deny him to be true God I omit the Debate about the Divinity of the Holy Ghost and of the high Point of Christ's Satisfaction c. The Meditation on the most holy Trinity and the Lord Jesus his Divinity affording Matter enough to fill up these Sheets wherein I hope the Truth is cleared and confirmed and Errour refuted If the Reader findeth good by it as I pray God be may as it doth come from God so from first to last let him return the whole Praise and Glory to him whom alone it belongeth unto THE CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTERS CHAP. I. OF the Persons of Head Socinians and of their Opinions page 1. Chap. II. Of Divine Essence p. 13. Chap. III. Of the Persons of the Godhead p. 16. Chap. IV. Of the Holy Trinity p. 22. Chap. V. Of Christ's Divinity p. 46. Chap. VI. Christ is true natural Son of God by Eternal Generation p. 84. Chap. VII Essential divine Attributes belong to Christ p. 138. Chap. VIII Works proper to God belong to Christ page 161. Chap. IX Worship proper and due to the true God belongs to Christ p. 185. Chap. X. The Socinians Objections answered p. 260. Chap. XI Animadversions upon a Book called Christianity not Mysterious p. 315. CHAP. I. Of the Persons of head Socinians and of their Opinions OUR blessed Lord and Saviour in his Parable * Mat. 13 of the Sower and the Tares doth plainly declare and forewarn us of what should befal his Church from his time which was that of her Birth unto the end of the World In general the Field is the World but in particular 't is his Church the Sower as he explains it is himself both in person and by means of the Labourers his Disciples and other Servants of his the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom and the true sound Doctrines thereof taught by his faithful Ministers but the Tares are the Children of the wicked one not only as to Persons but in relation to false Doctrines Errors and Heresies which whilst Men that ought to have watched slept Christ's Enemy which is the Devil took that opportunity for he loses none and in part through the fault of the Watchmen did his work This Mystery is by S. Paul represented under the notion and name of a Building whereof the Lord Jesus is the Foundation for saith he * 1 Cor. 3.11 12. other foundation can no man lay the wise and faithful Builders do upon that Foundation build Gold Silver and precious Stones but the unfaithful and mercenary are not content to raise a Superstructure of their own which is Wood Hay and Stubble but also attempt to overthrow the Foundation and in opposition to the City of God would build a Babel of their own yet I make no doubt but through God's just Judgment it will at last end in their Confusion as 〈◊〉 happeneth unto all that * Acts 5.39 be found even to fight against God Surely in the superlative degree they fight against God who reach and as far as they can do strike at divine Nature and at the Godhead it self which any one doth that speaks or writes against the holy Trinity of Persons or denies the Divinity of the Son and of the Holy Ghost as Socinians do To what I said †Serious Advice to a Preservative against c. elsewhere of the Authors of such Blasphemies I shall add some few Circumstances of their Rise and Progress whereby it will appear how as the Devil at our Saviours coming into the World was very busie to use means and by Herod to destroy his Person so by the Scribes and Pharisees to oppose the Preaching and Progress of the Gospel Thus about the time when God dispersed Popish Errors Darkness and Ignorance and through a happy Reformation caused the Light of the Gospel again to shine the same Enemy to God and Mankind stirred up Instruments to stop the Work or at least to corrupt and hinder it from coming to its due perfection These hellish Instruments were Michael Servetus born in Artagon one of the Kingdoms of Spain who having past his Youth in Africa amongst Jews and Mahometans was infected with their Blasphemies and being come back into Europe did in 1525. write Books entituled The Divine Nature of Christ and the Errors of the Trinity c. that Wretch made such an abominable and hellish Comparison of the most adorable Trinity that I abhor to think on 't much more to set it down upon Paper He came to Geneva where neither the Writings of nor Conferences with Calvin could work upon him so that at last in the Year 1553. he there was put to death for Blasphemy and Sedition The next is Valentinus Gentilis of Cosenza in Italy◠who forged the Blasphemy of Three Gods and otherwise corrupted the Doctrin of the Vnity of Essence and Trinity of Persons This Man after Servetus's death was in the same Town put in Prison and recanted soon after he went away but returned to his Vomit for he again asserted it in publick and dispersed it in Poland and Suitzerland but being taken in the Canton of Bern in 1566. was there put to death Laelius Socinus Son to Marius Socinus a famous Lawyer of Siena came also to Geneva which at that time was the great place of refuge for those who went out of Italy and neighbouring Countries to forsake Popery where he was known to Calvin and thence he went to Zurich but Calvin having found him out did write him two sharp Letters one in 1552. the other in 1555. at Zurich he did but under the borrow'd Name of Martinus Bellius write something to shew how Servetus had unjustly been put to death In his Commentary upon the first Chapter of John he lays the Foundation of whole Socinianism which indeed is but a Chaos and Confusion of natural and spiritual Ignorance and a meer Contempt of the Word of God Zanchius was one of the first that refuted it This Loelius all the while he conversed with Zanchius never opened himself to him only seemed to propound him Questions according to the Schoolway to exercise his Parts but not to be positive so that indeed he imposed upon him and Melanchton so cunning was he not to discover his Opinions Bur his Nephew Faustus born in Siena in 1538. was a bolder Man
the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac The better to know who this Angel is let us hear him speak himself to Jacob d Gen. 31.11 12 13. The angel of God saith Jacob spake unto me in a dream and what saith he I have seen all that Laban doth unto thee I am the God of Bethel where thou anointedst the pillar and where thou vowedst a vow unto me Surely this could be no created Angel The same it was that appeared unto Moses in the Bush mention'd by Stephen e Acts 7.35 by whose Hands Authority and Power Moses became Ruler and Deliverer of the People out of Egypt Now in the same Chapter Stephen saith v. 32. that he that appeared unto Moses in the Bush was the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and that same God he afterwards calls the angel which spoke to him in mount Sinai v. 38. To be short this is the Angel of the Lord which appeared unto Moses out of the Bush which is called Lord and God and calls himself f Exod. 3. â— 4 6. the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. The Adversaries cannot deny this to be the true and proper Character of the true God Moreover this is the Angel promised to be sent before the People let us hear what a Character God gives of him * Exodus 23.20 21. Beware of him and obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name is in him If this had been one of his created Angels would God have spoken of him after this manner Why God's Name in a most special manner more in him than in another Here his Name signifies his Nature and can any but the true essential God pardon Transgressions as it depends upon the Will of this Angel to do or not to do According to promise this same Angel appeared unto Joshuah under the Name of †Josh 5.14 15. captain of the host of the Lord and of him required the same humble Obedience as before he had received of Moses and this the Apostle doth point at * Heb. 2.10 when speaking of Christ he calls him the captain of our salvation of which the Deliverance out of Egypt was a Type and a Figure for he was the Rock †1 Cor. 10.4 that followed them in the Wilderness He is farther called ‖ Isai 63. the angel of God's presence God in him is present wheresoever he is because he is God but he there is also called their Saviour he saved them is there any Saviour besides the Lord Jesus the Son of God He also is called the Messenger * Mal. 3. â— or Angel of the covenant Is not God's Covenant with Men made in Christ Jesus Hath he not procured and published it It was to strengthen the Faith and confirm the Hopes of his People that God by the last of his Prophets doth so positively promise he shall come surely he then was and existed though he was not yet come The Prophet addeth whom ye delight in would to God this were true in every Christian but his Enemies can take no delight in him However it remains true that no Creature whatsoever could be this Angel and that seeing it was not the Person of the Father it must be that of his Son who is another himself and I think that to prove the Deity of the Messiah is to prove the plurality of Persons in the Godhead for as I said before Trinity imports the Divinity of the Son and the Divinity of the Son implys plurality of Persons in the Divine Nature This Angel under the shape of a Man attended by two Angels appeared unto Abraham * Gen. 18. and in the same place he is called the Lord or Jehovah and Man and behaved himself both as Lord and as Man and as both was received by Abraham Thus 't is neither impossible nor contrary to Scripture that God should in human Nature appear unto Men as then he did unto Abraham In his Promise to Abraham of a Son by Sarah and as to the Judgments upon Sodom he behaved himself as God as he did as Man in visibly walking discoursing having his Feet washed resting and eating and as herein by acting the true part of a Man he was a true Man so he was a true God for there he is six or seven times called Jehovah and five Adonai and he speaks like the Judg of the World in whose power it lyes to punish or pardon and the Adversaries can bring nothing against the Union of divine with humane Nature in the Person of Christ but what this Instance of the appearing can refute for indeed the personal Union of the divine with human Nature can be no better nor more plainly represented than by this Example and if this appearing was a sign and forerunner of Christ's dwelling and conversing among Men certainly it became him to be such as he then appeared namely God and Man Now that this was a foresight of his Incarnation our Saviour himself declares it * John 8.56 relating to this Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad And upon the same account he upbraids them when he saith John 39.40 If ye were Abraham's children ye would do the works of Abraham but ye seek to kill me that did not Abraham for he never offered to kill as a Blasphemer that Man whom with two others he recieved into his House and who carryed himself as God on the contrary he all the while behaved himself towards him as being God and at that time the same Person that appeared unto Abrham is not only called the Lord v. 1. the Lord appeared unto Abraham but also the judg of all the earth v 25. a Property belonging to none but the true God and that Christ is to judg all the Earth it appears out of Acts 17.31 and 2 Cor. 5.10 as indeed the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorah was a figure of the Destruction of the World and of Christ's second coming The Father saith Christ hath committed all Judgment to the Son John 5.22 Here I shall add a Text which may have a place in another part of my Discourse 't is this God by the Prophet * Isai 40.9 10 11. speaks to Zion Jerusalem and the Cities of Judah Behold your God behold the Lord will come with strong hand c. here certainly by your God is meant the God of Israel for the God of Zâ—on of Jerusalem and of the Cities of Judah is the same with the God of Israel now who that Person is here called God it doth appear out of the scope of the place wherein the Prophet doth certainly speak of the coming of the Messiah who is Christ as 't is plain out of v. 3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness prepare ye the way for the Lord make straight in the desart
a high way for our God Beyond all doubt this is spoken of John Baptist for he applieth * John 1.23 it to himself and if we want other Witnesses Matthew †Chap. 3.3 will serve for one and Zacharias as recorded by S. Luke ‖ Chap. 1.76 for another now I take it to be as unquestionable that John was the fore-runner of Christ who is the same Lord God for whom he prepared the way Further that in this place of Isaiah Christ is the same Lord God that was to come it appears by the description therein made of him He will come with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him behold his reward is with him and his work before him v. 10. The Miracles he wrought by his own Power upon the sick blind dumb lame dead commanding Wind and Sea and the Devils themselves which observed him did convincingly demonstrate him to be the Lord God if any doubt should remain 't is clear'd v. 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arm the comparison of the Shepherd and Sheep our Saviour doth much insist upon and several * John 10. times gives himself the Name of Shepherd and S. Paul calls him †Heb. 13.20 the great shepherd of the sheep and by another ‖ 1 Pet. 2.25 Chap. 5.4 the shepherd of our souls and the chief shepherd This being his great Atrribute as Head of the Church and Mediatour his Person must necessarily be designed by the Prophet who to him attributeth the words feeding and gathering the Person here spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah called Lord God is the same mentioned by another who calls him king of Zion and of Jerusalem and as he speaks of the same as Isaiah doth so he speaks to the same †Zech. 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion shout O daughter of Jerusalem behold thy king comes unto thee both Prophets speak of the same Person 's coming to the same place he is just and having salvation lowly and riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass these very words of the Prophet are quoted upon the occasion of our Saviour's entering into Jerusalem * Matth. 21.4 5. and applyed unto him as indeed this same Prophet speaks in several places which I mention in this Discourse of Christ the Son of God as of the great and mighty God Chap. 2. calls him Lord of Hosts sent by the Lord of Hosts to the Nations who was to come and dwell in thee O Daughter of Zion who was to speak peace unto the heathen and his dominion to be even from sea to sea and unto the ends of the earth Ch. 9.10 that was to be sold for Thirty pieces of Silver which were given for the Potters Field Chap. 11.12 13. and that was to pour upon the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication that same Spirit which was in the Prophet is call'd the spirit of Christ 1 Pet. 1.11 or the Holy Ghost by whom they were moved 2 Pet. 2.21 so Chap. 13.7 the Lord of Hosts calls him his fellow did the Lord of Hosts ever call any meer Man his Fellow my Companion that is united to me in Substance equal with me in Power Thus God doth honour Christ in this Name to shew the Unity of Essence and the Union of the Will of the Father and of the Son the Mediator who is in the same Verse called my shepherd which is spoken of Christ for unto himself he applyeth it Matth. 26.31 Before we fall upon examining other Texts of the Old Testament to prove the essential Names of God to belong to his Son the Lord Jesus we must compare some places of both Testaments to shew how many things belonging to God are applyed unto Christ as first that just now quoted of Isaiah a Isai 40.3 The voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord or Jehovah b Luke 1.76 John 1.23 applyed one to John Baptist the other to Jesus Christ there called the Lord This is another c Isai 6 1 2 3 9 10. I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple above it stood the Seraphims and said holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory this in the d John 12.40 41. Gospel is applyed to the Son Again e Isai 8.13 14. Sanctifie the Lord of hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dread and he shall be for a sanctuary but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem applyed unto Christ f Luke 2.34 Rom. 9.33 1 Pet. 2.8 David saith g Psal 45.6 Thy throne O God is for ever and ever which is applyed unto Christ h Heb. 1.8 But unto the Son he saith thy throne O God is for ever and ever The same Royal Prophet saith i Psal 68.17 18. The chariots of God are twenty thousand even thousands of Angels the Lord is amongst them as in Sinai in the holy place thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also all which is applyed k Eph. 4 8. unto Jesus Christ So is this l Ps 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand applyed to the Son m Matth. 22 44. We read in the Prophet n Isai 45.23 I have sworn by my self the word is gone out of my mouth that unto me every knee shall bow which is attributed unto Christ o Rom. 14.11 Phil. â—2 10 Of old saith David p Ps 102.25 hast thou laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands which is by the Apostle q Heb. 1.10 declar'd to be meant of the Son r Isai 44.6 Thus saith the Lord the king of Israel and his redeemer the Lord of hosts I am the first and I am the last Our blessed Saviour saith the same of himself Å¿ Rev. 1.17 and 22.13 God Almighty t Ps 26.2 and 7.9 doth try the reins and the heart and our glorified Saviour saith u Rev. 2.23 I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts God saith x Zech. 12.10 and Rev. 1.7 I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced the same whom they have pierced saith he will pour the Spirit of Grace which none but the true God can do which is applyed to our Saviour And again another scripture saith they shall look on him whom they pierced y John 19.37 they never pierced God
the Father It is said of the Children of Israel z Psal 106 14. Numb 14.22 They tempted God in the desart and S. Paul applyeth it to Christ a 1 Cor. 10.9 Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted they tempted Jehovah and that Jehovah is Christ who brought them out of Egypt through the Wilderness into the Land of Canaan who certainly is the only true God maker of Heaven and Earth It is to be observed how in another place David speaking of the Peoples tempting God in the Wilderness useth very strong Expressions for he saith b Psal 78.41 They turned back and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel the God whom they tempted is the same holy one of Israel whom they limited and the same who vers 56. is called the Most High God they tempted and provoked the Most High God Now the Adversaries must own that the holy one of Israel and the most high God is such by Nature so that wholly to clear this matter we are to find out who it is whom they tempted in the Wilderness we can have no better Interpreter than S. Paul in the fore quoted place who declares 't was Christ neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and those very same that tempted him were destroyed of Serpents so then the Consequence is easie and natural that Christ is the holy one of Israel and the most high God Ps 16.10 Acts 2.27 and 3.14 1 John 2.20 and the Title of Holy One is spoken of Christ if we must believe Peter and John now all these things as Paul saith are written for our Admonition and Instruction Furthermore 't is said he shall be called Jehovah c Jer. 23.6 and 33.16 the Lord our righteousness that is a righteous branch a king that shall reign and prosper in whose days Judah shall be saved a Prophesie of the Messiah explain'd of Christ d 1 Cor. 1.30 who is made unto us wisdom and righteousness If I would go on in this it were an endless business for Scripture doth abound in such Evidences whereof several more may be seen apply'd in the Book of the Revelation and what would it be if I should bring in so many Circumstances as there were foretold by the Prophets about the coming and suffering of the Messiah which are fulfill'd in the Life and Death of our blessed Saviour as in their places they be observed by the Evangelists but I think I have under this Head said enough to prove Jesus Christ to be Jehovah the true eternal God to this only I shall add two places out of another Prophet e Hos 13.14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave I will redeem them from death which S. Paul doth allude unto when he saith f 1 Cor. 15 55 57. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory c. we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ And in another place formerly quoted saith the same Prophet g Hos 1.7 I will have mercy upon the house of Judah and will save them by the Lord their God which was fulfilled in the Person of Christ who is called and actually is both their Lord and their God in a true and a proper sense whence we must necessarily conclude him to be the Lord God of Israel about whom is the question for they deny him to be the God of Israel but that 't is undisputably spoken of our Saviour it appears by what Peter saith h Acts 4.12.11.10 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved we may know whom he speaks of by the Description he makes of him in the fore-going Verse This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders which is become the head of the corner which saying of David Ps 118.22 is by our Saviour applyed unto himself Matth. 21.42 and in case any doubt should remain that this of the Prophet is to be understood of Christ Peter in that same place Vers 10. names who is the Lord their God by whom they are to be saved Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified and if the Testimony of this one Apostle be not enough let us hear the joynt Evidence of all the other Apostles who unanimously said unto the chief Priests i Acts 5.29 30 31. God hath exalted with his right hand Jesus to be a prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins Whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord faith another Prophet k Joel 2.32 shall be delivered and saved which in the same words is by two Apostles l Acts 2.21 Rom. 10.13 applyed unto the Lord Jesus and in that remarkable place of the Prophet m Zech. 11.12 13. Jehovah the Lord speaketh of himself they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver and the Lord said unto me cast it unto the potter a goodly price that I was prized at of them And did not Judas n Matth. 26.15 27.7 10. agree with the chief Priests to betray the Lord Jesus for Thirty pieces of Silver And after that Wretch had return'd the Money did not they with it buy the Potters Field How wonderful and plain is the Harmony between the Old and New Testaments between the Prophecies and the fulfilling thereof to demonstrate our Saviour to be the Jehovah the Lord God and Saviour of Israel whence we may argue that the Saviour promised is Jehovah Christ is the promised Saviour therefore he is Jehovah which Name not only was known but also was of great account among the Heathens which were Neighbours to the Jewes as Philistines Arabians Idumeans Egyptians Syrians c. which according to the Idiom of their Languages with some small alteration they made use of thus the last named it Jehuvo whence the Greeks derived their Jevo and the Romans called it Jove or Jupiter their chief and great God whom they named Divûm hominumque patrem the Father of the gods and of men which they made his Proper Name and never spoke it of any other but him alone they gave it to and according as the Jewes did in relation to the true God so they in respect to their false gods they attributed it only to the Head of them and to all the rest made it incommunicable Here before we proceed we must say that the Name Jehovah is not common or appellative but proper to God it is derived from Jah a word which signifies fuit a Being for the strength of the word doth betoken the Nature and Essence of God Exod. 3.14 wherein the Jews observe three different Spaces of time future present and past whereunto answers that of S. John o Rev. 1.8 which is which was and which is to come which the Son of God there speaks of himself and in the
All things were made by him how they came to that knowledg I shall not be so positive as to determine but in the Verses father'd upon Orpheus the Creator of the World is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word so 't is in some of the antient Books of the Caldeans but we must draw out of purer Springs than these for our blessed Saviour the Son of God is in the New Tewament called 〈◊〉 the Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word because as Speech of Word is the Production of the Mind so is the Son of his Father and as a Man declareth the meaning of the Heart by the Words of his Mouth so God * John 1.18 Heb. 1.2 revealeth his Will and Mind by his Son and because it is he whom the Father promised to Adam Abraham and Patriarchs to make his Promises of Salvation sure unto them The second Person is the Word of the Father begotten from all eternity by Communication of a personal Being from whom as from the Father proceeds the Holy Ghost Here the Word is not a thing such as Speech may be but 't is a proper Name of a Person in a Discourse it ever takes place of the Subject never of the Predicate 't is the Name * John 1.14 4. 13.16 Matth. 2.17 Rom. 14.2 1 Cor. 1.19 of the Son of God our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ he is called the Word in relation both to his Person and Office as to the first because he is from God's Mind and is the Image of the Father wholly representing the Father as to the Office because by him all things were made and he declares the Father's Will to Angels and to Men he is known in three Capacities as God as Man and as both in which last relation he is the Head of the Church as God and as to his absolute Essence and Being he is of himself as to the manner he is from the Father always he was is and ever shall be begotten for absolute Eternity hath no term before or after and is always whole without succession he is called not barely the Word but Word of Life * 1 Joh. 1.1 because it contains Life in himself for in him was Life †Joh. 1.4 and is the Author of Life in others Now it becomes an Historian such as S. John is who in his Gospel writes the History of Christ if he will write things clearly and in order and not make a Romance to set down the true and proper Name of the Person whose History he doth pen specially when the Name is not well know nor much in use or else he will seem to have a design of imposing upon the Reader To apply this to the matter in hand if S. John when he was about giving the World an account of the Life Actions and Sufferings of our Saviour had called him by a Name that was not his own and proper Name but metaphorical as Socinians would have it far from being acted by a real desire to inform his Readers he might be thought to have intended to mock and deceive them for if the Name the Word which had been unknown under the Old Testament and was not used till by him was only a figurative improper and borrowed Name then not to say worse the Evangelist had not acted the part of a true and judicious Historian for in such things the first to be known is the true Name of the Person whose History is written and certainly if ever he intended to have informed the Reader and had his Gospel read he had thereby fallen into the readiest way to prevent it for as soon as it had been found out that without Reason and Necessity the Author had with obtruse and intricate Names drawn a curtain over the first Line then presently the Reader would have laid aside the Book thus far goes the Opinions of these unreasonable Men which how injurious it is to the Evangelist I leave any rational Man to judge how ever we must say that seeing of the Four Evangelists John alone before he made any mention of the Name of Jesus Christ in his first Line calls him the Word and goes on till past the 14 Verse we must own there was special cause for it no less than Divine Inspiration for we find in that part of the Vision he had in the Isle of Patmos that he who sat upon * Rev. 19.11 13. the White Horse called faithful and true representing our blessed Lord and Saviour 't is said there his name is called the Word of God but Socinians make this Opposition and rise all this Dust because to rob him of what they can they would have him called the Word only because he hath declared us the Will of God that he hath done it is true but not the whole Truth But this relating to the first Chapter of John we shall have a farther occasion to speak to it let this be observed how the Name Word signifies a Substance not a Sound in the Air and also only the Divine Nature in Christ The Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord belongs and is proper to Christ to shew his absolute Dominion Third the Lord. the Septuagint rendered the Word Jehovah by this and so in the New Testament Evangelists and Apostles make use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signify Jehovah which both are translated Lord it is taken either primarily and absolutely or secondarily and relatively in the first it signifies the infinite and independent Dominion by reason of Right and Extent as of Duration About this Socinians do mistake for they would have God's Dominion to be meaned when 't is with the Article and without it that of the Creatures but it appears how the Word when spoken of the Father hath sometimes the Article as Matth. 22.44 the Lord said unto my Lord and sometimes not as Mark 12.29 and when of the Son whom they would have to be a Creature it hath no Article say they but it hath John 20.28 so there is no reason to consider the Article in the Word but rather the Subject This Word against Socinus's Opinion is a Proper Name not an Appellative because in a strict Sense it is attributed unto God alone as in Deut. 6. Mark 12.29 The Lord our God is one Lord and elsewhere * 1 Cor. 8.6 to us there is but one God and Father of all and one Lord Jesus Christ c. and †Ephes 4.5 one Lord one Faith one Baptism God alone is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords ‖ 1 Tim. 6.15 When soever the Name Lord and God be absolutely taken they are reciprocal with one true Lord one true God the word Lord in the Subject when joyned with God doth signify the True God as when Christ says * Matth. 4.7 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God the like Examples we have Gen 15.2 Isa 51.22 Mark 12.29 Joh. 20.28 which for brevities
the Angel no less than twice doth direct to the true and only Object of worship when he said ‖ Rev. 19.10 and 22.9 worship God But this belonging to another Head I now shall proceed no farther in it Now to remove all improper and figurative meaning when the word God is attributed to Christ and to prove his Consubstantiality with the Father Scripture sets down Names and Epithets which not only distinguish him from and raise him above all and every Creature but also make him equal with God the Father Thus he is called l 1 John 5.20 the true God and m Tit. 2.13 Re. 19.17 the great God so n Rom. 9.5 God over all blessed for ever also o Jude 4. the only Lord God c. Hence the Name Jehovah is joyntly equally and comparatively given unto the Son as p Psal 2.11 12. serve the Lord with fear c. and q Isai 25.9 this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him we will rejoyce in his salvation Now comparatively or in a Parallel Christ is the same r Isai 8.13 14. Lord of Hosts which shall be for a Sanctuary a Stone of stumbling and for a Rock of Offence to both the Houses of Israel as confirm'd ſ Luke 2.34 and Rom. 9.32 Christ is he who being by the Right Hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost upon the day of Pentecost shed forth those Gifts we read of t Act. 2.3.4.33 and 't is the Lord God of Israel unquestionably the true God that promiseth u Joel 2.28 in the last days to pour out his spirit c. so 't is the same Lord God of Israel the Lord Jesus is the same who is first and last comparing x Isai 44.6 Isaiah with S. John y Rev. 1.17 The Son of God saith z Isai 48.12 16. He is sent from the Lord God and from his spirit after he had said v. 12. I am the first and also am the last So the Titles proper to the true God are given Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords as by God's Grace we shall shew when we speak about the Attributes So then the Son is true God as we observed before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Son of himself when we speak of the Son simply and without relation to the Father we properly call him Jehovah and self being for he hath it of himself but when consider'd relatively to the Father then we say he hath his Being from the Father the Son is by himself not of himself his Essence hath no Spring but his Person is from the Father the Essence is not communicated to the Son but only the manner of subsisting in the Essence when the Son is called God personally then he is not call'd the manner of subsisting but an Existence with the manner of being now the modus or manner is understood with the Essence because as the manner of Divinity is not Divinity it self so the mode of Essence is not Essence it self thus when he is called God personally 't is in the Concret not in the Abstract If Christ be not God by Nature he is not true God for nothing is really such but what is so by Nature The Adversaries say that those things which comparatively are called such in Scripture are truly such as Christ is called * Joh. 1.9 Chap. 18.1 the true light and the true vine though he be so called by way of a Metaphor But we do not deny how sometimes the Name true is appropriated to those things that are so called metaphorically but then the sense of the Metaphor doth not really belong to them for in every Metaphor there is true and false in the manner of it thus Christ is call'd the True Light for though in a metaphorical way he be a Light that is spiritually works the same Effect as a corporal Light doth bodily in the like manner he is called a True Vine because that the Metaphor is truly proper to him but here the question is not about the truth of Words taken metaphorically but properly for when the word True is joyn'd to those that are properly taken then it signifieth the very Nature of the thing so when the word true is joyned with that of God it necessarily signifies the Nature of God and whensoever the Name of True God is given any thing thereby is Divine Nature attributed to it This shews how Socinians do not own Christ to be the true God because according to Scripture there is but one true God they deny him to be that only true God When God is called the onely Maker of Heaven and Earth and the onely true God 't is not said only by way of Excellency as comparing God with the Creatures but we thereby exclude all others for in those places the only true God is opposed to false gods in relation to which he is not called true by way of Eminency but because it is the truth for they are true gods by no means and the true God is ever opposed to false gods and Idols wherefore called the Living God Psal 36.9 because saith David with thee is the fountain of Life He that is God only by Participation and not by Nature is not true God for Participation doth import a Likeness but Likeness of a thing is never the thing it self and if they would have Christ to be God only by Participation this in effect is to deny him to be true God that is to make him an improper and metaphorical God and after that way Men and Angels might be called true Gods which is not only Folly but also Blasphemy to say and think But they say if God and Angels be not true Gods then God doth mock when he calls them so but 't is no Mockery to give one some Name in an improper and figurative sense or else when Christ calls his Apostles * Matth. 5.13 14. The light of the world the salt of the earth and a City that is set on an hill he would have mock'd too so would Paul calling †1 Cor. 3.11 and Eph. 2.20 Christ a foundation and a chief corner stone Seeing the Apostles are not true Light only improperly and metaphorically and Christ a Stone figuratively they that are Gods only by Likeness and Communication and not by Nature are not Gods Every thing is called true as I hinted before according to its Nature a true Man true Gold true Silver from the Nature of Man Gold and Silver Now as to Christ can he be esteemed as a true God who first had a Being according to their Principles and was not God then was God and like the Popish Wafer God by degrees was God more and more till he came to a perfection of the Godhead and we may say was
be by virtue of a natural Privilege and of a divine Prerogative which is the same he had over David Solomon's Father whose Lord he was the same he had over Abraham Pre-existence before Abraham was I am which could not be as to his Humanity wherefore in him there must be another ground namely his Divinity only therein can lay the advantage he had over them all Not only he was greater than all these but also than the Temple it self a place so eminently glorious by reason of God's immediate Presence in it that it was called not only Holy but the inner part of it was called the holiest of all into which none but the High Priest might enter and that only once a year not without Blood yet saith our Saviour Matt. 12.6 8. I say unto you that in this place is one greater than the temple which can be said of none but of God there he also calls himself Lord of the Sabbath not as Man but as God Temple and Sabbath the two holiest things in Israel The second Text is this * Isai 35.4 5. Behold your God will come with vengeance even God with a recompence he will come and save you then the Eyes of the blind shall be open and the Ears of the deaf shall be unstopp'd which our Saviour applyeth to himself who when John's Disciples ask'd him †Matt. 11.3 5. Art thou he that should come or do we look for another Jesus answered them by this the blind receive their sight c. which were the Signes wherewith Isaiah had prophefied God would come these things he commands them to give John an account of wherein he lookt to the Prophet who foretold such things should be done by the Messiah whom in that place Isaiah calleth God when he saith God himself will come and save you which must not be understood of the Father for first we never read that God the Father came into the World to save us but that he sent his Son to do 't he that sends another in his place cannot properly be said to come himself Secondly there is an Energy in the word he himself whereby is meaned not that another in God's stead but God himself by himself would come and though God be said to come when he shews some gracious effect of his Power yet when he is said to send another 't is not to be understood in that same manner And tho Socinus denies him at that time to be God only that he was appointed hereafter so to be he is refuted by his being in that Text at that time call'd the God of Israel your God whom you worship The third Text is that wherein God saith * Mal. 3.1 Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple Now who that God is before whose face John prepared his way is clear enough that he spake of the Lord Jesus not of the Father's coming after him which he pointed at when he said †John 1 26 27 29.30 compared with Act. 13.24 There standeth one among you whom ye know not he it is that coming after me is preferred before me and to make it clearer he points directly at the Person of Christ for the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world which is he of whom I said after me comes a man which is preferred before me for he was before me Can there be a plainer Designation of a person than this To him alone by means of his Preaching he prepared the way and that which is remarkable our Saviour explains of himself the Text of Malachy This is he of whom it is written behold * Luke 7.27 I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepare thy way before thee and the word my face in the Prophet he renders thy face that is of Christ so he quoteth the place not according to the Words but according to the Sense †Luke 1.76 Thou child saith Zechariah of John shalt he called the Prophet of the highest a high Name proper to God for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways it is then most certain that John prepared the way for him that was to come after him and to converse with and dwell among Men not the Father but Christ came after John therefore he is that God that sent his Messenger as in Malachy Socinus his Phrase is no where in Scripture to be read that God came in Christ he sent Christ his Son but came not in him the Father is said to be and dwéll in Christ not to come in Christ he sent him in his own Name Though Christ under the Name Word be called God absolutely * Joh. 1.1 and without any restriction in the same manner as the True God is absolutely called God without any thing to pretext an improper appellation and the repetition of the Word God in the same Signification doth sufficiently demonstrate it †1 Joh. 5.20 nay though he be not barely called God but the True God whence we must necessarily conclude he is true essential God Yet they would have the Father alone to be God and that when the Name of God is absolutely set down it is to be understood only of the Father not of the Son nor of the Holy Ghost so they conclude Father Son and Holy not to be One God to which purpose they wrest some Scripture out of the Old and New Testament which in due time we shall by the Grace of God take an occasion to answer but because the Adversaries use their utmost pernicious Endeavours to oppose these Truths we to make clear these most important Doctrines which our Faith is grounded upon must somewhat more enlarge upon it though we take notice of some things we said before or to the same purpose First We say God is a Name of the Divine Essence or Nature as Man is of Human Nature but whereof there is a different Reason from that of all Names of other Natures for all Individuals are asunder one from another their Nature according to the mental Notion is one but not really so wherefore in them Nature is the species or kind which is predicated and spoken of every singular and individual Person as James is a Man and of many too as Matthew John and Luke are Three Men but as in God the Essence is but One in number and not only in the mental Notion but also is really and most simply One though in Three Persons this Name of God is not predicated as a species of every Person but according to the priority or posteriority of their Origin and Order as thus the Father is God but unbegotten the Son God begotten the Holy Ghost proceeding from both Now if the Name God was as species spoken of the Persons
in this Comparison of Persons all Things may be acceptable unto him but hence it doth not follow that Christ is not of the same Nature with the Father seeing they are not compared in relation to the Essenâ—â— but herein he doth condescend to their Capacity whom not owning his Deity he would by degrees bring to the knowledge thereof As to the use of the Name of God in Scripture the remaining Evidences are reduced under two kinds First In some the Name of God is absolutely taken for God the Father Secondly In others is added an exclusive Particle which is by some joyned with the Name of God and by others with the Things spoken of and attributed unto God Out of the first nothing may be deduced contrary to this Doctrine for in all those places by them quoted which anon we shall mention is a Comparison of the Persons wherein the Name of God is properly attributed to the Father upon the account of Order and Origin but 't is inconsequent to say that in every place where the Name of God is absolutely taken that is without Comparison of the Persons it is to be understood only of the Father for in several places where the Word God is indefinitely set down yet it is by no means to be reduced to the Father alone as to the other sort of Proofs wherein an exclusive Particle is expressed that exclusive Particle relates to the Creatures and to every thing which by Nature is not God whither they be things in Nature as Sun Moon and Stars which Heathens worshipped as Gods or else those which are Effects of Man's fancy and imagination such are several Idols by foolish Men worshipped as Gods wherefore seeing the True and Essential God is opposed to those which by Nature are not Gods it follows that by the Word God may well be understood Father Son and Holy Ghost likewise though sometimes mention be made only of One Person we must not take it as if thereby the other Persons were excluded but only that which by Nature is not God and that this is a right Interpretation it may well be proved out of several places of Scripture as for Instance when God saith by * Isa 43.11 the Prophet I even I am the Lord and besides me there is no Saviour and by another †Hos 13.4 For there is no Saviour besides me Here in the Adversaries Opinion Salvation is attributed to the Father but that the Son is not excluded it appears out of several places amongst the rest out of this ‖ Act. 4.12.10 Neither is there Salvation in any other that is in Jesus Christ who hath been crucified and we know Scripture doth not contradict it self and if out of the Prophet's one would exclude the Son he might as well out of this exclude the Father Again the Lord Jesus saith No man knows the Father but the Son now if all but the Son be excluded from knowing the Father as in the foregoing Text he would be excluded from being a Saviour so in this from knowing himself also the Holy Ghost would be excluded from knowing the Father though he be said To * 1 Cor. 2.10 search all things yea the deep things of God in this very same Sense Paul said ‖ Chap. 2.1 10. I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified he doth not thereby deny that he determined to know the Father and the Holy Ghost but he meaneth he knows nor owns no way of Salvation out of Christ and v. â—1 The things of God knows no man but the spirit of God but in other places we read how * Joh. 5.20 the Father knows the Son and the Son knows the Father and the Father shews the Son all things that himself doth hence we may conclude how the Apostle speaks exclusively only of Creatures not of the Son nor of the Holy Ghost CHAP. VI. Christ is True Natural Son of God by Eternal Generation BUT we must by the Grace of God come to another Head as Scripture gives Christ truly properly and essentially the Name of God so it doth give him that of Son of God the First we shewed already the Second whereby he is declared the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity we must now speak of as we observed that the Word God in Scripture is spoken in several Senses as the True God properly Angels and Magistrates improperly and * Judg. 9.2 l. 46. Idols †2 Cor. 4.4 the Devil and the ‖ Phil. 3.19 Belly abusively So here I must say how the Name Son of God admits of Three different Significations for God hath three sorts of Sons for all others are reduced under these three Heads the First is by Creation and Preservation which is a continued Creation for * Act. 17.28 in him we live and move and have our being thus Adam is called †Luke 3.38 Son of God and Men ‖ Gen. 6.2 Sons of God on this Account God is Father of all Creatures whether in Heaven as Angels nay of the Sun Moon Stars of the Birds of the Air and on Earth of all Men Beasts Plants c. and of Fishes under Water this in relation to Nature and in general to the whole Creation The Second kind of God's Sons or Children is by Adoption and Grace such are his Elect and People of these in a special manner God is called the Father In a Third way Scripture speaks of a Son of God and of none else thus the only begotten from all Eternity namely our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who is not Son according to the first manner which being common to all Men would make no difference between him and others and bring him into a Croud of the whole Work of Creation neither is he Son of God upon the account of Grace and Adoption which they would have him to be but if he be by Adoption how can he be the Only Begotten Son seeing that through Grace God hath adopted so many adopted Sons once and before their Adoption were not Sons of God which cannot be said of the Lord Jesus that the time hath been when he was not Son of God all and every adopted Son of God were once * Ephes 2. dead in trespasses and sins and by nature children of wrath even as others once †Colos 1.13 under the power of darkness and ‖ Rom. 5.10 enemies to God none of which things may without Blasphemy be spoken or thought of the Lord Jesus He is called Son not by Creation for * Colos 1.16 all things were created by him and one cannot be Creatour and Creature nor by Adoption for †Ephes 1.5 in him we are adopted nor by any Dignity or Eminency over inferiour Creatures as are Angels for the ‖ Heb. 1.4 5. Apostle denies it nor also upon the account of a personal Vnion or Incarnation as he is called Son
of Man because manifested in the Flesh he is not called Son of God upon any such account or in any of these Senses as Socinians would have him 1 Job 4.14.15 for they cannot deny the Lord Jesus to be called God Son of God for that Name is given him in so many places of Scripture and herein they would seem to agree but not sincerely for they cavil about the manner and disagree as to the true Sense he is called Son of God by reason of an Eternal Generation by the Father wherefore he is called God's * Rom. 8.3 32. own and proper Son and †Joh. 3.16 only begotten Christ is from the Father by Generation and the Holy Ghost by Spiration to be from the Father by Generation is to be generated or begotten by the Father long before the fulness of times and his appearing in the Flesh God absolutely said to him ‖ Psal 2.7 thou art my Son this day have â—â—begotten thee this represented with Comparisons as when called * Prov 8. Wisdom for as Wisdom is produced by the Mind so is the Son by the Father and in the New Testament by the similitude of †Colos 1.15 an Image of 〈◊〉 Father's ‖ Heb 1.3 Person and of the brightness of his glory and of the inward * Job 1.1 Word in the Mind for as an Image is not every likeness but the express Effigie or Representation of that whereof it is the Image so the Son in his Essence and Essential Attributes is so much the express Image of the Father that * Joh. 14.9 whosoever sees him doth see the Father also as the brightness of the Beam is from the Sun so the Son is from the Father as Light from Light as equally the glorious Image of his Nature as a Letter doth exactly represent the Character out of which it is drawn thus the Son doth exactly represent the Father by whom he is begotten as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word is conceived by the Mind and remains in it so is the Son begotten by the Father and remains in him and as the Wisdom Image Brightness the Word are one thing from another so the Son is of the Father from the Father not as an Essence is from another but as a Person is from a Person because he is the Character or express Image of the Person of the Father all these in created Things are accidents but in the Son who is in himself and by himself they are essential hence appears how in this there is a true distinction of the Persons begetting and begotten So then Christ is called the Son of God not by reason of any gracious Communication of Existence or of Power but upon the account of a secret and incomprehensible Generation of the Father of his Essence for he is the true proper only begotten highly beloved Son of the Living God and the prepositive Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Son frequently join'd to this Subject doth denote a Filiation or Sonship altogether of another kind from that of †Heb. 1.5 Angels or Men which can be no other than an essential one a True Son is begotten of the Essence of his Father but the Son of God is a True Son therefore he is begotten of the Essence of his Father Again the proper Son is said to be and is he that hath his proper Father now he is the proper Father who hath begotten his Son of his own Essence Farthermore the Only Begotten Son is only he that is begotten of the Substance of his Father which is demonstrated by the Opposition of natural and adopted Sons who are loved for the sake of the well beloved natural Son of God that Confession of Peter in the Name of the Disciples thou art not * Matth. 16.14 16 17. repeated John the Baptist nor Elias nor Jeremias who had been great in God's Favour nor none of the Prophets they were a meer nothing in Comparison of Christ but †Joh. 6.68 69. Ver. 17. thou art Christ the Son of the living God is not only in its true Sense approved of by our Saviour but he also there attributes it to Divine Revelation as of an incomprehensible Mystery Blessed art thou Simon Bar-â—â—â—as for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven Isaac as they object is called * Gen 23.2 and Heb. 11.17 Only Begotten Son but he is not absolutely so called but relatively secundum quid because he was the Only Begotten Son of Abraham by Sarah in a lawful Marriage and thereby made his only Heir to the exclusion of Ishmael whom he had before by Hagar he was Only Begotten Son in relation to the Promise which is expressed in the following Verse ‖ Heb. 11.18 of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called The excellency of Filiation is between those who differ in Degrees but here the Difference is greater than in the whole kind as Heb. 1.4 5. Isaac was a Type of Christ in relation to the Sacrifice but not of the Generation the Father hath begotten his Son thorough the Communication of his Nature and so of a true and proper Generation but not of a Physical or Natural such as Man's and of other animated Creatures but by a Supernatural whereby God begets according to the Truth of his Word for the more Excellent he is that begets so the more Excellent is the Generation as it appears by the Example of every thing that doth generate that which is esteemed a Perfection in natural Generation is in an infinitely most Eminent Degree attributed unto God as to beget that which is like unto himself and by the Communication of his Nature as to the thing it self the Generation besides its being asserted in the Word of God the secundity of God's Nature is a reason for it for it requites a Communication to several Persons according to that of the Prophet * Isa 66.9 shall I cause to bring forth and not bring forth or beget my self saith the Lord as if he had said shall I make others fruitful and be barren my self that in relation to the Son and to the Holy Ghost may be done in two ways after the manner of Spiritual Substances namely begetting the Son by a natural Intellection and by the same Will or Love breathing the Holy Ghost both consubstantial to himself and of the same Nature and Perfection distinguished amongst themselves and one from another only by their personalities and personal Attributes this consideration serves to demonstrate not only the Generation of the Son but also the Procession of the Holy Ghost and consequently the whole Trinity for Scriptures describe Son and Holy Ghost as existing of themselves as the Father working understanding witnessing sending c. taken not only passively which is of Things but actively which is of Persons for it belongs to none
of his Father's Person 'T is in vain that they cavil out of God's words Let us make man in our image and after our likeness for the Question is about Generation and not of Creation God made man that is created him as in that place of Genesis explained in the following Verse but 't is never said that God made but begat his Son as of Adam not that he made but begat Seth in his own likeness after his Image Thus the Son of God is truly and really begotten of the very Substance of the Father and this by Immanence and Communication Heathens feigned a Minerva the Goddess of Wisdom and Prudence to be born ex Jovis cerebro out of Jupiter's Head and Brain a dark Notion of this high Mystery as was their cara deûm soboles magnum Jovis incrementum as expressed by the Poet. The Lord Jesus is called not only * Heb. 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the express Image but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Brightness of the Glory of God by a Metaphor taken from the Sun Beams which if the Sun was eternal would be eternal too wherefore in the Nicene Creed is well called God of God Light of Light so not only like but also †Phil. 2.6 equal with God This eternal Generation to be look'd upon with the Eyes of Faith more than of human Reason is first not transient but immanent secondly terminated if we may use the word not in an absolute Existence but in the Subsistence or manner of subsisting for the Essence neither begetteth nor is begotten neither through this Generation is God absolutely constituted but the Son is relatively Thirdly It is eternal without any difference of time so that the Son may not be said begotten and not begotten existent and not existent but always begotten Fourthly The Begetter and begotten are always the same in Nature and in Time or rather Eternity Fifthly Through that same Generation the same Divine Nature is communicated to the Son not in Species but in Number not in part but wholly not to be or exist but to subsist in such a manner Sixthly The same is natural and so simply not voluntary nor involuntary that is necessary but not forced But as to the main thing 't is enough to know that Christ was before he manifested himself in the Flesh for therein he appears to be eternal which Eternity of his we shall have occasion to prove In the Scripture none but the Lord Jesus is in the singular number called God's Son Abraham is called his Friend Moses his Servant and in the Parable of the Vineyard and the Husbandmen * Luk. 20.9 10 c. to whom God under the name of the Lord of the Vineyard sent his Servants whom they beat and wounded then said he I will send my beloved son it may be they will reverence him when they see him but they said this is the heir let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours I say in that Parable where the Lord Jesus spoke of himself and against them as they perceiv'd it v. 19. we may observe what a vast difference he makes between himself and all that came before him who were all but Servants but he gives himself the Character of God's beloved Son whom they ought to have reverenced when they saw him who was the Heir of all things by his Nature and not by any Privilege of Dignity by Favour bestowed upon him as upon Men and Angels * Heb. 1.4 5. Being made so much better than Angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they what this Name is is expressed in the next Verse For unto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee c. We see the difference of the Sonship a Son not created nor adopted but begotten for that Name comes to him by inheritance as in the Text that is by his own natural Right and Property and not by Grace Then the Lord Jesus is Gods natural Son because called his own and proper Son †Rom. 8.3.32 every one knoweth how those Sons that are naturally begotten by their Parents are called their own Sons and on the contrary those that are not so are not proper Sons but Strangers so that proper and Strangers are so called and distinguished according to Nature only therefore seeing Scripture doth not indifferently call Christ Son but God's own Son thus by this special Attribute distinguishing him from all others it means natural Son and of the same Essence the more because he calls God * John 5.18 his own Father for which cause the Jews would have stoll'd him for they well understood as express'd in the Text how thereby he made himself equal with God thus he is called God's own Son in opposition to adopted Sons one may adopt another to be his Son but can never make him his own natural Son begotten of his Substance and as Christ is God's own Son so is God his own Father then from Eternity or else there had been in time a new relation in God which had not always been that might be called a kind of an Accident so contrary to the simplicity of his Nature and according to this God had within these 1700 Years been made that which he was not before namely Father of his own Son whereby Changeableness is father'd upon him and his Immutability that is an incommunicable Attribute thereby overturned Now in the same Chapter the Apostle to express own Son makes use of another word which fully and clearly doth decide the Question which is Whether the Lord Jesus be properly God's Son for if he be properly so then all improper Applications are out of doors Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by S. Paul * Rom. 8.32 signifies proper so if the Lord Jesus be God's proper Son we must properly understand and believe him to be such although our shallow Brain can neither conceive in its Thoughts nor express in Words the incomprehensible and unexpressible manner of that Generation which is wonderful †Isai 9.6 as his name is yet we must believe it because God in his word hath declared it to be so The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proper they mis-interpret and do render by special or peculiar as if Christ was God's Son only in a special manner above others but none can be call'd proper Son to any one except he be begotten of his Blood and Substance which being not he may not be called such a one's proper Son Thus they would confound proper and peculiar which two words are very different for one may be a proper Son who hath nothing peculiar above the rest of his natural Brethren for when a Father hath many all are his proper and own Sons begotten of his Substance yet no one may happen to have any thing particular above the rest likewise one may happen upon a special
account to be call'd such a Man's Son yet not be his proper Son thus an adopted though he excel never so much above the rest yet that can never make him to be a proper Son To refute some Cavils of theirs one thing more we are again to take notice of upon this matter how the the word God is in Scripture sometimes taken essentially for the most holy Trinity and sometimes personally for one of the Persons as when 't is said * Acts 20.28 God hath purchased his church with his own blood which is meaned our Saviour the second Person of the Godhead In the first sense must be understood those places of Scripture wherein 't is said The name of the Lord is one and there is none besides him there is but one God and others to the same purpose to shew the Oneness of the Nature which as well as they we do affirm but as to teach well one must distinguish well so for want of observing this Rule that which is spoken of the Essence of God they mis-apply it to the Persons and so make a Confusion between things to be distinguished We already proved how the Unity of Nature doth not take away the Trinity of Persons nor the Plurality of Persons destroy the Unity of Nature which Mistake of theirs doth also hold in the Mystery of the Incarnation or of the Word being made Flesh and about our Saviour's Person in whom they confound the Natures so that which is spoken of his Humanity they mis-apply to his Divinity The second Argument whereby Christ is proved to be God's natural Son is drawn from the word only begotten which for greater confirmation is attributed to Christ in several * John 1.18 places wherefore in Scripture Christ is called the Son of God to shew he is the only begotten for that 's the signification of the word and †Heb. 1.2 vers 5. Paul's interpretation of it for he saith Such is the Son to whom only God saith Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and other places of Scripture By the words God's only begotten Son do all mean Christ only The Adversaries would have him to be called so only in a special manner above the rest as we already have taken notice of in the instance about Isaac whereunto here we shall add that of Solomon which also they made use of called say they * Prov. 4.3 only begotten in the sight of his mother but they must not go about to impose upon us for in the original the word begotten is not in but only which in our Bibles is according to the sense of the place explained by beloved only beloved one may be the only yet not only begotten Son when of many Children one alone is remaining and the rest are dead as to Isaac we already observed he was the only begotten in relation to Sarab by Promise but Christ is so called God's only begotten Son that it was never said to any one else Thou art my Son c. whence we may conclude him so to be God's Son as to be the only begotten of him that is according to his Nature in the word he is properly and absolutely called the only begotten * John 1.14 We beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as is not comparative as only denoting a likeness but as Chrysostomus observes well is expressive of the truth as being really as if one willing to describe a Royal State and Carriage of a King should say as that is in a manner becoming and proper for a King and farther the Evangelist addeth v. 18. The only begotten son which is in the besom of the Father he hath declared him where Christ is called the only begotten 〈◊〉 it being his own proper Name signifying how besides him there is no true natural Son of God again ‖ John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and * 1 John 4.9 God sent his only begotten son into the world See what a care the Spirit of God hath taken to confirm and make that Truth known how Christ is properly and absolutely God's only begotten Son now he is absolutely only begotten that is not only so called lookt upon and loved as such but that is really so and indeed we know our blessed Saviour is call'd †Joh. 20.17 Brother of his Disciples and of ‖ Heb. 2.17 Believers but not in a proper and strict sense The relation of Brotherhood hath a great latitude for among the Jews Persons belonging to any branch of a Family to a Tribe or to any of the Tribes were call'd Brethren * Gal. 1.19 James and John were call'd the Lord's Brothers and in another sense our Saviour calls †Mat. 12.50 his brother his sister and his mother whosoever shall do the will of God He is our Brother in that he hath taken upon him our human Nature all Men are Brothers in human Nature but Adoption cannot be the ground of his as 't is of our being call'd the Sons of God he is never called adopted as we are neither can he be adopted with us seeing we are adopted in him we are the Branches of the wild Olive-Tree that have been grafted in him who is the true natural Olive-Tree and thereby are become Members of his mystical Body How can our blessed Saviour be called God's only begotten Son if he be not partaker of the same Nature And the more to enforce this in that sâ—â—e Chapter and Verse John 18. 't is added which is in the bosom of the Father can he be in and from the Bosom of the Father and not be of the same Nature All other Children of God are made but this is begotten and only begotten none but he is properly begotten Our Third Argument is taken out of our Saviour's Question to the Pharisees * Mat. 12.41 41 4â— 44. What think ye of Christ whose son is he they say unto him the son of David he saith unto them how then doth David in spirit call him Lord By this way of arguing he shewed how in him besides human Nature there was another namely the divine according to which he by no means might be called David's Son but David's Lord which to the Pharisees proved an unanswerable Argument for upon this same 't is positively said v. 46. and no man was able to answer him a word one would think this should also stop the mouth of Socinians Indeed there the Lord proposeth the Question about the Nature of Christ or the Son whose natural Son he was Whereunto the Pharisees returned an imperfect Answer for only they said he was the Son of David but the Lord Jesus out of Scripture which they could not deny concluded that since he was by David's confession his Lord he must in him have another Nature besides human according to which he might not be called
Coeternal he makes them Equal for them to say that the word being with God signifies that the word was known to God but not to Men doth them no good the knowledge of this doth comprehend the whole Mystery of our Redemption which the Son who is in the Bosom of the Father hath revealed unto us but to the thing if this imported no more but that Christ was known to the Father What could he thereby have more than we No Prerogative at all for before the Foundation of the World God knew us and We were present with him Christ was with the the Father that is had a real Existence did subsist in himself which cannot be said of us or of any Creature wherefore the Word must need have been before his Incarnation In the Third place 't is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word was God which is properly to be understood as is * 1 Joh. 5.20 that other place we are in him that is true in his Son Jesus Christ that is the true God and eternal life and elsewhere †Tit. 1.3 God hath in due time manifested his word through preaching which is committed to me according to the commandment of God our Saviour repeated Chap. 3.4 and Chap. 2. he is called †Tit. 2.12 Rev. 19.17 the great God our Saviour Jesus Christ and in another place he is named ‖ 1 Tim. 1.1 God our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ now this God Lord and Saviour is but One and this is Jesus Christ whose Apostle he owns himself to be and the Gospel he preached * Gal. 1.12 he was taught by the Revelation of Jesus Christ who again is called †1 Tim. 2.3 God our Saviour There must be special Cause why the words God and Saviour are so often joyned together and both attributed to One Person the Lord Jesus he is God as truly and really as he is Saviour which we hope the Adversaries will not have the confidence to deny him to be in the strictest Sense though otherwise they rob him of what they can he is then a Saviour by Office and God by Nature to save Men from the Dominion of Sin from the Curse of the Law from the Devil Death and Hell requires a true real Divine Power which none but a Divine Nature is or can be possessed of Moses was relatively called God and Cyrus God 's Anointed or Messiah but they were but Types of the great Deliverer Every one knows Moses was not God nor Cyrus the Messiah but to say Christ Jesus is called God though he be not is the effect of a brazen faced Impudence of an invincible Ignorance of the Mind or hellish Perverseness of the Heart as good as to conclude that because 't is said he is of God made unto us †1 Cor. 1.30 Wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption therefore he is neither nor God by Nature when he saith ‖ Joh. 15.5 without me you can do nothing which may not be said of Men. The Fourth Reason out of St. John is this * Joh. 1.3 all things were made by â—him and without him was not any thing made that was made certainly the Work of Creation doth evince the Eternity of the Word for the Workman must be before his Work and the Creator before the Creature now the Word being the Maker must need be before Mary here they would cavil and confine this making of Things within the Work of the New Creation or renewing of the Creature but the following Words without him was not any thing made that was made are universal and comprehend every thing Temporal or Spiritual Creation of the World or Regeneration of Men though we own the Creation of the World is the scope of the place compared with Coloss 1.15 All things were created by him and for him which doth appear out of ver 10. the world was made by him and God created all things by Jesus Christ Ephes 3.9 and to remove all grounds of Exception we have it in the Plural Number which doth include all †Heb. 11.3 the worlds were framed by the word of God Another Reason might be brought out of ver 14. of this same Gospel the word was made flesh but this we shall by the Grace of God bring in under another Head In Scripture we have several places which either do express or imply two Natures in the Person of our blessed Lord and Saviour the Prophet Isaiah doth among others afford us Two very considerable the first is this * Isa 7.14 Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel this affords several things seriously but now briefly to be thought upon this Prophecy is a sign given Ahaz King of Judah to Comfort him when the Kings of Israel and of Syria came up against him with a Promise that they should not prevail and that he might be confirmed and assured of the performance he is bidden to ask a Sign which he refusing to do gave for Reason he would not tempt God whereupon is made this Gospel-Promise which was performed at the time of the Conception and Birth of our blessed Saviour whose Mother was a Virgin and whose Name was Immanuel a Name given him at that time by the Prophet through God's own appointment and when the Angel delivered his Message to Mary he makes use of some of the Words of the Prophet * Luk. 1.31 thou shalt conceive and bring forth a Son and shalt call his Name Jesus because he was to save his People and when the thing was fulfilled the Evangelist doth point at and quote this Prophecy adding the Interpretation of the Name ‖ Matt. 1.21 Immanuel God with us So there is no doubt to be made that this wholly and only related to our Saviour never any other Virgin did conceive and bring forth never was the Name Immanuel given any one else and cannot be wrested so as to be given to any Son to be born of Ahaz for some Reason which I presently shall produce Immanuel is God with a Divine Essence Christ is the Immanuel so we must conclude he hath the Divine Essence for God with us hath the Divine Essence and God with us is Immanuel the Name God is not spoken of Angels of no King or Magistrate of no Idols which are the several significations of the Word God used in Scripture wherefore he whom this Name is given to must be the true essential God and this same Evangelical Prophet in the next Chapter but one after this calls him by the Name used in this place and the Word El which makes the latter end of the Name doth not barely signify God but the Mighty God this Word makes part of that of Michael whose signification is who is like unto thee thou mighty God and he that beareth it is called * Jud. 9. Archangel Prince of Angels for Angels are called †Rev. 12.7 his and
and what John expresses thus the word was made flesh S. Paul calls it †1 Tim. 3.16 God was manifest in the flesh if by the word Flesh human Nature be meaned as certainly it is then this imports that God appeared made himself known and was manifest in assuming our human Nature and that the God that was thus made Flesh and was manifest is Christ Jesus the second Person of the Godhead who being in the Form that is in the Nature of God for the Nature is the being of a thing and the Form gives that Being well Jesus Christ in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God ‖ Phil. 2.6 7. because it was his right 〈◊〉 took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he was God before he was made in that likeness this is plain that a God became man he was made that which he was not yet ceased not to be that which he was That this God that was made Flesh and manifest in the Flesh and found in the likeness of men here is explained what we must understand by Flesh was the Son of God the second Person of the most holy Trinity is declared elsewhere * Rom. 8.3 God sending his own Son in likeness of sinful flesh All these representing Christ as God and as man doth clearly demonstrate him to be both God and man Another place there is much to our purpose 't is this †Rom. 9.5 of whom the Israelites as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever this restriction as concerning the Flesh doth imply that Christ came not from the Jews concerning some other thing this settles two Relations in Christ one according to the Flesh as expressed Acts 2.30 what must the other be Scripture usually doth oppose the Spirit to the Flesh and the Flesh to the Spirit so in Christ there must be a Principle that is spiritual or else this restriction according to the Flesh were frivolous and not pertinent one thing cannot be distinguished of it self a thing is in it self but one thing and Distinctions are between different things for no one thing doth differ from it self Now that as there is in Christ a principle concerning the Flesh and another according to the Spirit anon we shall by the Grace of God have occasion to speak of but now thus far we must say that as by the Flesh his Humanity is meaned so is his divine Nature by the Spirit for * 1 Joh. 4.24 2 Cor. 3.17 God is a Spirit The Text we now are upon is remarkable upon several accounts our blessed Saviour as 't is very well known was a Jew born of the Seed of Abraham of the Tribe of Judah and of the Family of David this is the Apostle's meaning when he saith of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came which doth necessarily imply he came not of them concerning some other thing in him the Pedigree of his Manhood was indeed derived from thence but it had been in vain there to have sought for another Genealogy of this Melchisedec The Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shews how in him besides human Nature there was another for S. Paul who troubleth not his Readers with superfluous Expressions would not have added those words except in Christ had been another Nature or to what purpose say according to the flesh if he had been a meer man and herein chiefly lyes the Prerogative of the Jews that Christ who is God was born amongst them Their Priviledge doth not herein consist that Moses Joâ—huah Elijah John Baptist c. were born amongst them they all were but Men but that Christ was because he is God for this he addeth as the great reason and speaketh of his divine Nature who is over all God blessed for ever he saith not is called but is he is God over all the Fathers of the same stock thaâ— were born of the Jews before him or over all things whatsoever The words blessed for ever are in Scripture attributed to the true eternal God and even in our Saviour's time when the Jews said the blessed they meaned the true God Thus the High Priest asked the Lord Jesus †Mark 14.61 Art thou the Christ the son of the blessed which another Evangelist expresses thus ‖ Luke 20 70. Art thou the son of God In another place the same Apostle affords a convincing Proof of this Truth that in Christ are two Natures where he speaks of them thus * Rom. 1.3 4. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead Wherein S. Paul teaches in what respect Christ is the Son of God not according to the Flesh for thus he is the Son of man of the Seed of David but according to the Spirit of Holiness which is the Spirit of God's Nature and according to that Spirit he hath been declared to be the Son of God with Power Certainly the Opposition used by the Apostle sheweth he cannot be Son of God upon both accounts but only upon one for if he had been according to both Paul would have said declared the Son of God as to the Flesh and as to the Spirit and herein would have made no difference between the Son of God according to the Flesh and according to the Spirit for as it is contrary to * Rom. 9.5 Scripture to call the Lord Jesus God according to the Flesh for God and Flesh are opposite so 't is contrary to say Christ is Son of God according to the Flesh for by the same reason one is said to be Son of God by the same he may be call'd God as we see it both joyned †Psal 82.6 I have said ye are God's and all of you are children of the most high And we read where the Jews upbraided our Saviour ‖ Joh. 10.33 36. that he made himself God that is absolutely he renders the words thus I said I am the son of God Jesus Christ is said * Phil. 2.5 6 7 8. to be in the form of God and made in the likeness of men 't is not said Made in the form of God but being his being is related to God and made to man he was God but made man he was made in the likeness of men and form'd in fashion as a man certainly here are two Natures asserted divine and human whence we say that as by his Incarnation he was really man so as surely his being in the form of God signifies that he was really God before he became man as he was man after his being born of the Virgin Mary These Expressions conclude for both his Deity and Humanity and if
there was any difference the words for the first seem stronger than those for the last for to be in the form is more than to be in the likeness because forma dat esse rei a thing hath being from its Form or Nature but he gave sufficient and great demonstration of both Natures in him to those among whom he did converse Socinians would wrest the Text of Luke 1.3 〈◊〉 The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall over-shadow thee therefore that also which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God They would have the Particle therefore to signifie the Cause wherefore Christ was to be called the Son of God that is that miraculous Conception by the Holy Ghost but no such thing may be deduced 't is not the Cause but the Consequence or Inference which is signified by the words therefore and wherefore by which Particles we usually draw Conclusions from Premises whether they be Causes Effects or Signs or that which upon any other account whatsoever may be deduced therefrom And in this place out of the scope thereof it cannot be demonstrated out of any Circumstances that the Conception by the Holy Ghost is the true cause why Christ was to be called the Son of God 't is not upon the account of that manner of his Conception for then for that same cause either Christ would call himself or be called by others Son of God else the Angel's Prediction should prove false by which reason he rather should not be called than called the Son of God even according to their Principles which deny the Holy Ghost to be true God but the words of the Angel do import not that he should be called once or by some few Son of God but always and generally by all that should own him to be the Son of God Besides this Exposition of theirs they can bring no Example to confirm it for in abundance of places we read Christ to be called Son of God but find none at all wherein he is called Son of God according to the Flesh And the Angel doth not say therefore he may happen to be but absolutely and publickly declareth he shall be called wherefore seeing he no where is called Son of God according to the Flesh we may necessarily conclude he is not such in that sense to be called is sometimes really to be as in that Text * 1. John 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God that is that we should really be owned and declared to be the Sons of God such as truly we are being adopted in Christ his true natural Son The word holy used gives a strong Evidence that Christ was to be called Son of God for a much better and higher reason than that he was to be born of a Virgin he shall be called Son of God because he is holy therefore not upon the account of the Flesh but by reason of his Holiness because the Holy Ghost coming upon the Virgin some holy thing was to be born of her that makes the Angel say Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God not as to the manner of Conception but as to the thing to be conceived though by the Angel it be not expressed how great was that Holiness we may well conceive it to be that highest and infinite Holiness as becomes the Son of God wherefore Isaiah in his Prophecy of him calls him as already observed the mighty God Elizabeth calls him Luke 1.43 her Lord the Angel calls him ‖ Chap. 2.11 Saviour Christ the Lord and Daniel * Dan. 9.24 He was anointed the most Holy Before the wise Men fell down and worshipped him which they were sent to do and to that purpose guided by a Star †Mat. 2.2 11. and according to the Prophecies ‖ Psal 72.10 offered him Gifts and Presents as to a King for under that Name his Birth was declared to them and promised therefore the Holiness of Christ is the Holiness of God and of him who is by Nature Lord and King The Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and or also which follows therefore is not in vain but shews a Comparison and is related not to the word called but to be born and the sense is not only that word which from Eternity is born of God is Son of God but that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God because that eternal Son of God shall take human Nature and be born of thee And this is one of the things which the Holy Ghost coming upon the Virgin was to do namely that she should conceive without Man and conceive a Man him who from eternity is according to divine Nature the Son of God which could not otherwise be effected than with the Holy Ghost uniting human Nature which was to be formed out of her own Blood and Substance sanctified before and preserved from Sin and Corruption with the Person of the Son Men must not think there is in Scripture the least tittle or word without cause for the Holy Ghost doth and saith nothing in vain Another reason is the Angel saith Christ shall be called the Son not of the Holy Ghost but of God the Father Now if the manner of this Conception was the cause of his being called Son of God he should properly be the Son of the Holy Ghost not of the Father for he is said to be conceived by the Holy Ghost but they deny the Holy Ghost to be a Person yet actiones sunt suppositorum is a Rule in Philosophy and this Conceiving being an Act the Holy Ghost must be a Person for I defie them to shew any thing to be done but by a Person Scripture in the quoted place Rom. 1.3 the Question being about Christ's being the Son of God excludes the Flesh to attribute it to the Spirit but Socinians would have it according to both yet S. Paul's scope is to teach how he is Son of God according to the Flesh and how according to the Spirit as to the first he explains himself when he saith which was made of the seed of David as to be second he declareth his meaning when he saith he was declared Son of God with power whence we may conclude he saith Christ to be called and really be the Son of God not according to the Flesh but to the Spirit or else he had not sufficiently declared in what sense he is the son of God and 't is clear how he opposes the Flesh to the Spirit according to the first he was made of the Seed of David according to the last he was declared the Son of God Withal Scipture would have such a Son of God as is without Father c. such as Melchisedec no mention being made of his Father Mother or Genealogy
and Christ do not denote the same thing neither could Christ by virtue of his Office which he received but in time be properly called Son of God and equal with God as it appears ‖ John 10.33 37 38. compared with John 5.18 he made himself and really was No sort of Men more prone to wrest Scripture than Socinus and Socinians wherefore in the matter now in hand in that Confession which Peter made of and to our Saviour Matthew hath these words * Mat. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the living God and John upon another occasion †John 6.69 We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God but because Mark saith only ‖ Mark 8.29 Thou art the Christ and Luke * Luke 9.20 The Christ of God wherefore saith he the Name of Christ contains the full meaning of Son of the living God But who knoweth not the diversity by the Evangelists used in their Narrations one more at large the other more briefly one sets down all the other only some part as 't is observed between Matthew's and Mark 's Relations If after the Socinian way from the comparison of words one could conclude all to be but one and the same sense many Absurdities would arise therefrom as for instance Matthew relates that our Saviour said to the man sick of the palsie Mat. 9.2 Son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee but Mark leaves out the words †Mark 2.5 be of good cheer saying Son thy sins be forgiven thee and Luke instead of the word Son uses that of Man ‖ Luke 5.20 thy sins are forgiven thee then according to this way of arguing it may be concluded how the words Son and Man are but one and the same and signifie but one and the same thing for whom Matthew and Mark call Son Luke calls Man so after this rate Man and Son now do not differ as an absolute Name that denoteth Nature and a relative signifying a relation to a Father It is said how in a Vision Cornelius saw an Angel of God Acts 10.3 and v. 30 he said to Peter Behold a man stood before me in bright clothing what he saw in the same Vision is called an Angel and a Man must we conclude an Angel to be a Man After the same manner they would wrest some other places as when Matthew saith Mat. 26.63 The high priest said unto him I abjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ the Son of God and Mark †Mar. 14.61 Again the high priest asked him are thou the Christ the Son of the blessed and Luke ‖ Luke 26.66 67. The chief priests and the scribes led him into their counsel saying art thou the Christ Tell us Where the Name Son of God is omitted the Heresiarch doth conclude that the words Son of God and Christ are the same But we already shewed the Falseness of such Consequences and this is farther to be observed how though the relations by the Evangelist be not contrary yet they sometimes differ and are not expressed in the same words Matthew useth the Name Son of God Mark calls him The Son of the blessed where the words God and blessed signifie the same thing though one expresseth the Nature the other the Worship This difference of relating doth farther appear that Matthew and Mark say the High Priest asked but Luke saith it of the Chief Priests and Scribes shall we then concludé that the High Priest and the Scribes are the same But withal the word Son of God is not quite left out by Luke for we find it v. 70. Then said they all art thou then the Son of God Here by the by take notice how what our Saviour said of himself under the Name of Son of Man by reason of what is said of sitting on the right hand of the Power of God they well took the meaning to be Son of God which Christ confirmed and indeed he often declared himself to be true Son of God but we read no where that ever he denyed it But to return to our Text hence appeareth the insignificancy of their Exceptions for all the Evangelists do joyn the Names of Christ and Son of God And we are to take special notice how after our Saviour had affirmed he was the Son of God they all concluded he had blasphemed which there had been no cause for them to say except thereby had been meaned he who is begotten of the Essence and Nature of God and therein equal with him It seems they will not be perswaded but that Christ and Son of God are synonimous to which end they farther make use of other places whereof the first hath these words * 1 Joh. 5.1 vers 5. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God the next is thus Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God The last is this †‑ Chap. 4.15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God Whence they would infer that the Names of Christ and Son of God are the same because they are put one for the other but the Consequence is not good for all that followeth is this that Christ and the Son of God are the same which we own and is true both do meet in the Person of the Lord Jesus for he is Son of God and Christ but we deny the Name of Christ to be the same with that of Son of God because this last is a Name of Nature and the first of Office and to say he is Son of God because he is Christ is a meer begging of the Question Christ is called Immanuel Wonderful Counselour Mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of Peace by Isaiah and The Lord our Righteousness by Jeremiah ‖ Chap. 23.6 all which Names are given to one and the same Person yet none may say they do formally signifie the same thing no more than Prudence Courage and Liberality can be said to be the same because they meet in one and the same subject and the same Person may be prudent couragious and liberal 'T is bad Logical from the Unity of the Person to argue for the Unity of Names seeing one and the same Person may be called by several Names God is merciful and just yet though Mercy and Justice be in God they differ one from another between themselves abstractively taken though we know in God they are one and the same thing Thus though the Words Son of God and Christ belong to one and the same Person yet in themselves they differ one from another as do God and Lord which in Scripture are often joyned together as the Lord God and put one for another yet God is a Name of Nature and Lord signifies his Dominion they in themselves denote
different things thô pertaining to one and the same Subject or else every Lord were a God thus a Husband were a God unto his Wife because Sarah called Abraham her Lord the Lord of the unfaithful Servant were his God because he calls him his Lord the Lord of the Vineyard were the God of the Vineyard because called it's Lord and many more such Instances And I shall illustrate the thing by a trivial Saying among us A Servant may say his Master is Lord but not God at home The Text that saith * 1 John 2.22 23. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ He is Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son whosoever denieth the Son the same hath not the Father these words do import how he that denyeth Jesus to be the Christ doth thereby deny the Son not that Christ and the Son do formally signifie the same in themselves but because to be Christ and Son of God do meet in one Person so that none but the Son of God is Christ and Redeemer of the World Withall after this Socinian way of arguing it would follow in this Text that the Names Christ Father and Son do signifie the same for here the Apostle offereth two Propositions the first He is a Lyar that denyeth Jesus to be the Christ the last He is Antichrist that denyeth the Father and the Son The Adversaries make them both equivalent for in both is the same Object of denyal whence they infer that Christ and the Son are of the same signification but according to this Kule it may be concluded that Christ the Father and the Son signifie the same because in the first Proposition Christ is the Object of the denyal and in the last the Father and Son together Any one may see the Absurdity of such Consequences But because Christ to prove himself to be the Son of God speaks to the Jews about his Sanctification by the Father which Sanctification is the anointing spoken of by Peter †Acts 10.38 wherefore they would have that to be the cause of his being Son of God but if there was no other reason of that divine Filiation but the Sanctification and Anointing then the cause by the Angel given in ‖ Luke 1.35 Scripture were false So then Christ is called the Son of God not only upon the account of his extraordinary Birth and of his kingly Office as Socinus saith but for being of the same Nature and Essence with the Father which that Text of John 10. is not against for in that place our Saviour doth not give in the cause why he is Son of God but only goes about to refute the Slander of Blasphemy by the Jews cast upon him not by an Argument à pari taken from equal things but from the lesser to the greater He had said v. 30. I and my Father are one thereby expresly asserting his Consubstantiality and Oneness of Nature with the Father whereupon they took Stones to stone him because of that pretended Blasphemy in that he being man made himself God which Objection he answereth with an Instance from less to greater Thus if those are without Blasphemy called Gods who exercise a divine Office in their ruling and judging of Men much more and upon a better account may Christ the Messiab from eternity begotten by the Father and in time sent down from Heaven into the World be called God wherefore there is no Blasphemy nor have ye any just cause of stoning me because I said I am the Son of God one with the Father The Name Son of God relates to the eternal Generation by and Consubstantiality with the Father therefore not a Name of Office but of Nature and Person and the Names Christ and Son agree as to the material in one Person but not in the formal the Name Son is by reason of an eternal Generation and that of Christ upon the account of a temporal Anointing to an Office In the mean while we retain the proper and literal Sense of the word and not the metaphorical till we see cause to the contrary And this we leave for them to prove how because Magistrates by reason of their Office are called Children of the most high therefore not because of an eternal Generation and Coessentiality with the Father but for his Royal Dignity the Lord Jesus is called Son of God To be short we have other Texts to prove how the Name God's Son signifieth some essential thing in Christ as that heretofore quoted Christ was made of the seed of David according to the Flesh c. the Flesh signifies his Humanity as doth Declared the son of God according to the spirit of holiness his Divinity for we see * Dan. 9.24 To anoint the most holy doth denote by the most holy his divine Person and by to anoint his Office of Mediatour So we have that of the Angel to the Virgin The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God The Angel's meaning is that in Christ's Conception the Power of God was necessary to the end he that was to be born might be called Son of God but if that Name had related only to the Office and he that was to be invested with it had been a meer Man no need of that Power of the Spirit in the Conception now the Angel calls holy that which it Essential in Christ he was holy before he should be born and that essential holy thing is called the Son of God The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth not that Man that was to be born not holy in the Concret but holy in the Abstract Withall seeing in Baptism the word Son doth not in Christ signifie his Office but his Nature for the Names Father and Holy Ghost do not denote any Office but Persons so in Christ it signifies his divine Nature not his Office All this may also be proved out of other Texts as this †John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son c. compared with ‖ Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all wherein God's Love towards the World and us is so highly comended which if it were only an Office laid upon Christ would come very short of that inflnite Love of God which as Paul saith * Ephes 3.19 18. Passeth knowledg and gives it the four Dimensions bredth length depth and height But to say that God spared not his own beloved and only begotten Son but deliver'd him to death this is Love indeed The same we may learn out of this Heb. 5.8 that though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered What Man is he that would sacrifice his Son to the Safety and Preservation of his Enemies Yet God hath done it
Manhood of Christ for John was born before him wherefore it must be upon a nobler Account he pre-existed before John so he had another Being which not being Human nor Angelical must need be Divine according to which he was in the beginning of the World which concludeth for Eternity this Priority they interpret of Dignity not of Time we do not deny that in Gifts and Office Christ was much beyond John and suppose we should understand the Words preferred before me of a Dignity what will they say to the following Words for he was before me according to their Sense the meaning will be this he is preferred before me for he was preferred before me which is to prove the same by the same when will they give over destroying the Analogy of Faith tearing Scripture in pieces and pulling it over head and Ears to serve their Turn and their Ends If we consider Christ only as a Man John as to that time had the priority of Gifts for as he was conceived before the Body of Christ was so †Luke 1.15 he was filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb as to his Office he exercised it before Christ did his for he went not about it till after he had been baptized by John after which he was forty Days in the Wilderness tempted of the Devil and he began his Ministry ‖ Matt. 4.12 after he heard that John was cast into prison wherefore this before me must be taken in some other Sense than relating to Gifts and Office for this would not sufficiently commend God's great Love towards us if only he had endued his Son with excellent Qualities as doth perfectly his not sparing but delivering him up to be put to Death for us his own Son whom in four places the ‖ John 1.14 18. chap. 3.16 18. Evangelist calls God's only begotten Son it is to be taken notice of that John doth not say he is preferred before me because he is but because he was before me Why should he make use of the Preterimperfect-Tense but to denote the time when Christ was preferred before him so that he was before John when he was made so eminently Excellent his Office was put upon him when thirty Years old but he had long before been endued with those heavenly Qualities which he was invested with and there was never a part of Christ's Life wherein that Son of God was not more Excellent than John so his Office could not be the Cause of his being so highly preferred above John The next Verse makes the matter plainer of his fulness have we all received and grace for grace wherein John doth attribute unto Christ a priority of Cause as of Dignity for he thereby owneth that whatsoever Excellency is in him and others is derived from the Fulness of Christ as the Stream is from the Spring the Fulness was in Christ first and thence John and others received it wherefore he is said to be before John as the Head-Fountain is before that which flows out of it How then could that be that John and every one else he meaned when he said we all had received of Christ's Fulness and Grace for Grace before he had taught baptised with the Holy Ghost or done any Miracle This is explained in the next Verse for the Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ the Lord being the sole Dispenser of Grace and of Truth no wonder if we all for the present and in time past received all we have out of his Fulness now this Fulness is not only in one but in all kinds * Colos 1.19 for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell not excepted the Fulness of the Godhead †chap. 2.9 for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily But how can this agree with their Opinions For if Grace and Truth hath not been bestowed by Christ till after he had preached and revealed it How could John Baptist and others before they heard Christ preach receive it if Christ was a meer Man he could not communicate Grace before he was born to those that were before him wherefore he must need have some other Way and Capacity to do 't namely according to his Divinity which Truth if unreasonable Men would but own and give God Glory and not wander against Scripture after their own Fancies and Imaginations this would set all things at Right here because like a drowning Man they are content to lay hold upon any thing that lays in their way out of the thirtieth Verse they object that John calls him a Man we never denied Christ to be a Man in which respect he was after John but we also own him to be the Word God according to which he was before him We read of Angels under Man's shape by Abraham and Lot received into their House they were both Angels and Men but under a different Notion not Angels as Men otherwise all Men would be Angels not Men as Angels for thus all Angels would be Men wherefore they were Angels in one respect and Men in another Somewhat after this manner John calls our blessed Saviour sometimes God and sometimes Man that is now after one Nature then after the other for the Person of the Lord Jesus is both God and Man To prove Christ's Eternity we make use of a third place in the same Gospel * John 8.58 Verily verily I say unto you before Abraham was I am the words are very plain upon the occasion of Christ's saying that Abraham rejoyced to see his day which the Jews interpreting of a real Vision they objected an apparent Contradiction thou art not fifty years old and hast thou seen Abraham for they inferred that if Abraham had seen his days then he had seen Abraham who lived so long before and so they look'd upon 't as an impossible thing but he confirms what he had said with these words before Abraham was I am they fell into a Rage and took up Stones to cast at him for they had a right Notion of what he aimed at in his Discourse namely to raise himself above all the Men in the World amongst them they lookt upon Abraham whom they boasted to call their Father to be the Chief and they believed none under God was greater than he wherefore after he had said if a man keep my saying he shall never see death they grew mad against him and presently said Abraham is dead so are the Prophets and so asked him Whom makest thou thy self they concluded it could be no less than God whereby it appears how all along they had a true apprehension of his meaning though they were enraged at it and could not hear it It is a wonder to see how Socinians go about to corrupt and tear this Text all to pieces with their vain Sophistry indeed the place is so close upon them that they will leave nothing unattempted
is here said to reign The Lord God Almighty but to reign belong to Kings and if we go back to v. 15. this we shall find The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ who is called * Ch. 19.16 Vers 6. King of Kings and Lord of Lords and if we go back to v. 6. we may hear Alleluia the reason is for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth and in another place we read of the song of the lamb which I suppose no Man doubts to be the Lord Jesus and what is the Song Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty He is the Almighty God and certainly we have as many Evidences of his Omnipotency as there be Miracles wrought by him And if God the Father be Almighty as they will not deny him to be the Son must also be Almighty †John 5.19 for whatsoever things the father doth these also doth the son likewise Unchangeableness belongs to the true essential God Christ's Immutability but thou art the same saith the Psalmist 102.27 and Christ is unchangeable in his Words and Promises ‖ Matt. 24 35. Heaven and earth pass away but my words shall not pass away for * 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen and †Rev. 19.11 He is called faithful and true Other Names and Attributes there are in Scripture which though not incommunicable yet are so eminently spoken of the Divinity that they are almost equivalent to it so that they be fixed in God as their Spring and in the Creature but detivatively and as it were a small Drop in comparison with the vast Ocean and these being attributed unto Christ by way of Excellency do not only illustrate but also prove his Divinity I shall speak but few words about them the first is the highest which indeed I find in Scripture never to be spoken of Men in the superlative degree This is spoken of Christ in the place where it is said * Gen. 14.18 19 20. Melchizedec was the Priest of the most high God equivalent to the word highest and in the two following Verses 't is repeated so that no less than thrice the Name most high is set down which I conceive to be not without cause and may be in relation to the most holy and blessed Trinity Well this Name is attributed unto the Lord Jesus as what Zacharias said of his Son John †Luke 1.76 And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways So the Attribute is given to the Person therein spoken of which no Man may question to be the Lord Jesus This was given him by the Multitude and approved by him upon his entrance into Jerusaâ—em for they cryed saying * Mat. 21.9 Hosanna to the son of David Hosanna in the highest and though as I said this be simply proper to God and †1 Tim. 6.15 belonging only to him yet being joyned with the Name of God is attributed unto Christ ‖ Acts 16. These men are the servants of the most high God which shew unto us the way of salvation Servant of Christ is a Title which Paul doth usually take upon him Who this Most High God is we read in the next Verse Jesus Christ in whose Name he commanded the Spirit to go out which he did the same hour The word the blessed with an Article doth as I have had occasion to shew signifie the same as God and 't is said of the Son of God *âŽ* Psal 72 17. All nations shall call him blessed and the Multitude in the fore-quoted place called him so blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord and in that noted place the Apostle joyneth both blessed and God and gives him * Rom. 9.5 who is over all God blessed for ever Paul saith not Let him be in a way of Wish and Desire nor he shall be as if then the thing was not but only to come but he saith He is God blessed for ever thereby meaning his Being and Nature In Scripture †Isai 14. Psal 71.23 the Name of holy one is given to the only true God whom Israel doth worship This also is spoken of Christ ‖ Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption and Peter *âŽ* Acts 2.27 and 3.14 doth certainly declare those words to have been spoken of Christ The Angel said to Mary * Luke 1.35 Therefore also that holy thing or holy one for it was a Person which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God before he was born Holiness was his Attribute and 't is †Rom. 1.4 according to the spirit of holiness that he was declared to be Son of God with power he not only is holy but also Holiness it self in the abstract To him sitting upon a Throne the Seraphims ‖ Isai 6.1 2 3. cryed Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory which is by John â‚ Joh. 12.41 applyed unto Christ These things said Esaias when he saw his glory and spake of him and * Rev. 4.8 The four beasts â—est not day and night saying holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come which last is in S. John's stile a Description of the first these words spoken to him who sits upon the Throne and I hope none will deny Christ is sitting upon the Throne as absolutely expressed in several places of this Book So Daniel ‖ Dan. 9.24 called him The most holy Other Names and Titles Scripture doth appropriate unto Christ which are all strong Demonstrations of what he is namely the natural Son of God which I only shall name for indeed it would be almost an endless Work to insist upon all Testimonies of Scripture upon the matter He is then King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 17.14 and 19.16 King and Lord of glory Psal 24.7 10. compared with 1 Cor. 2.8 Lord of David Psal 110. with Matth. 22.44 where 't is observable how the same Name given to the Lord spoken â—f is also given to the Lord spoken to as equally belonging to both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in this sense he is in several places of Scripture called one Lord 1 Cor. 8.6 and Lord of all Acts 10.36 because all things were made by him John 1.3 So the Lord and Saviour because there is no Salvation in any other Acts 4.12 Let special notice be taken of Psal 68. where speaking of Christ according to Paul's interpretation Ephes 4.8 he among other high and great Names is called the Lord God the God of our salvation and such more which certainly do belong only to the true essential God In Scripture the Names of Lord God King absolutely taken or with the distinction
of Israel are attributed to one and the same Subject namely to the true living God as Isai 44.6 Zephan 3.15 compared with John 1.49 attributed to Christ We already have demonstrated how the Names of God and Lord are proper to him so is that of King simply taken as we have it in the Description made of Christ's Kingdom by the Psalmist * Psal 45.1 6. I speak of the things which I have made touching the king where in several Verses mention is made of his Glory and Majesty of his Throne of his Scepter and Kingdom and is called God most mighty Lord Christ to Pilate owned himself to be King in the Inscription upon the Cross he was called King of the Jews which is equivalent to that of King of Israel and thus it is interpreted by his Enemies Mark 15.32 though in derision Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross and for all their jest he was so in earnest not only in relation to his oecumenical but upon the account of his natural Kingdom for essentially he is King of the whole Earth he is the King that is set upon the holy hill of Sion Rev. 17.14 and 19.16 whose dominion is from one sea unto another who hath the heathen for his inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession The Lamb that is Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings The Prophet upon a solemn occasion calls him a King Rejoyce greatly Zech. 9.9 O daughter of Sion shout O daughter of Jerusalem behold thy king comes unto thee he is just and having salvation c. to be compared with Isai 62.11 and this was literally fulfilled at the time when our blessed Saviour did solemnly enter into Jerusalem upon which occasion Matthew doth quote the Prophets words This I press the more because the Adversaries would have none to be true God but he who is the God and King of Israel We know how to do great things is attributed unto God Thus after the return from Captivity the Heathen said The Lord hath done great things for them Psal 126.2 3. and they owned it themselves The Lord hath done great things for us which great things are also called Wonders Thou art the God that dost wonders Nay he alone Ps 77.14 that is the Lord God of Israel doth Wonders for saith David Blessed be the Lord God of Israel Ps 72.18 who only doth wondrous things Wherefore since the Lord Jesus hath done the Wonders which the Lord God of Israel doth and can do upon the Evidence of these words it followeth that he is the Lord God of Israel for this same in the New Testament is spoken of Christ by himself under the Name of God subjectively when he had out of the Man driven a Legion of Devils he commanded him to return to his own House Luke 8.39 and shew how great things God had done unto him in the latter end of the Verse the Evangelist giveth an account how the Man obeyed in these words And he went his way and published through the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him so him who had done these great things unto the Man our blessed Saviour speaking of himself called God and the Evangelist Jesus making use of the very same words How great things God Jesus had done unto him whence it appears that Jesus is the God that doth great things that is the great God chief and primary God to speak in their Language though there be no other true God Also that the Lord Christ is the God that doth Wonders as spoken of the true God in the fore-quoted Psalm for saith Peter * Acts 2.22 Jesus was approved of God among you by miracles wonders and signs But to conclude this Head hence it appears how those Attributes of God which he hath declared to make us distinctly conceive the Diversity of his Perfections and Operations are all applicable and do belong to his Son Jesus Christ and to none else but him they without any difference do enjoy the Possession of all things all mine are thine and all thine are mine John 17.10 saith our Saviour to the Father both have the same infinite Nature and unresistible Power The Lord God saith the Psalmist Ps 104.3 Acts 1.9 Rev. 1.7 maketh the clouds his chariot and the Lord Jesus did so for he went up in a Cloud and he cometh and will so at the last day come with clouds in that place where the Prophet foretelleth the coming of Christ Zech. 14.9 In that day saith he the Lord shall be king over all the earth there shall be one Lord and his name one which compared with Ephes 4.5 and Rev. 11.15 doth shew Christ therein to be meaned Colos 2.10 who is the head of all principality and power as well as of his Church and hereupon what is said in the Book of Genesis is observable Ch. 4.26 Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord that was the beginning of the Church which was formed in Seth's Family and this Paul seems to point at when he saith Rom. 10.13 Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved which relates to the Christian Church from the Name of Christ which Name began first in Antioch Acts 11.26 then Men began to call upon the Name of God Redeemer Jesus Christ The Church is God's House for so the Jewish Church whereof Moses was part is called by the Apostle now this Church was built by the Lord Jesus and thereupon he gives our Saviour that high Preference before Moses Heb. 3.2 3 4. that he who first built the House must be before the House and before Moses and the reason is that he that built all things is God but the Son of God built not only that Church but all things besides so he existed before Moses and before the Foundation of that Church yea before the Foundation of the World too as under the Name of Wisdom he saith in the place which several times we have occasion to mention Prov. 8.30 then that is before the earth was I was with him God as one brought up with him and I was dayly his delight rejoycing always before him as a Son brought up in his Fathers Bosom of the same Essence not upon the account of Adoption a natural Son is opposed to him that is adopted or not begotten of his Fathers Substance 't is as of a Forreigner that may be called a naturalized but not a natural Englishman admitted to the Rights of an Englishman but never an Englishman born CHAP. VIII Works proper to God belong to Christ WE now proceed to another argument drawn from the Works Seeing Christ hath done those things which none but the true Essential God can do he must be the true Essential God This kind of Argument is very strong for our Blessed Saviour doth often use it
which saith Acts 14.15 Chap. 17.24 26. in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth which is certainly the same as created so God made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all things that are therein And God that made the world and all things therein Again and hath made of one blood all Nations of Men c. So he is a great stranger to Scripture who denies to Make the World and to Create the World not to be the same so seeing this shift cannot hold they betake themselves to another which is that God made the world by Christ as aâ—â— instrumental cause but that sort of men will go about overturning Heaven and Earth rather than to depart from their damnable opinions for what can they ground upon this instrumentality of Christ For the preposition by signifieth no such thing as it appears out of the following places Gal. 1.1 Eph. 1.1.1 Cor. 1.9 Rom. 11.36 Heb. 2.10 Paul an Apostle not of men nor by men but by Jesus Christ and God the Father And Paul an Apostle of Jesus by the will of God Also God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Elsewhere for of him and through or by him and to him are all things Furthermore for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things c. No sign in these or many more places of the word by signifying any instrumental Cause God by whom are all things Colos 1.17 never made the world by and instrument but by his word who not only in Dignity but also in nature and time is before all things The adversaries cannot upon any rational grounds prove that the Apostle meant the world to come but we want no good reasons to shew how the Creation of the world is to be understood for first 't is neither the idiom of the Jews nor the stile of Scripture by the world to understand the future for out of these words of verse 10. And thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth Heb. 1.10 out of Psal 102.25 and the heavens are the work of thine hands I see no cause why the Creation of the world should not be understood rather than the beginning of the Gospel the ancient earth rather than the new one and the old Heavens rather than the new The more because when the Apostle intends to speak of the world to come he plainly saith it when he speaks of those that have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come Chap. 6.5 Chap. 2.5 So he doth when he saith unto the Angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come So when he hath a mind to say a thing he well knows how to express it Moreover if he had said in the present he males not in the praeter tense he might have left some thing more of liberty thereby to understand the future for speaking in the time past he shews how he doth speak of those ages which the praeter tense doth fit better than the future Furthermore the worlds or ages in the plural is more proper for ancient times than for that which is to come for this world hath had several ages and shall continue to have till the last day but after that the world to come shall last for ever and be all Eternity without end And when Scripture doth by the name world signifie the future not only it doth add a distinction as whosoever shall for Christ's sake leave all Mark 10.29 30. Luke 18.30 shall in the world to come have life everlasting But also ever speaketh in the singular number the reason is because this world hath several ages and that which is to come shall have but one Besides I must say how the Apostle understands the world which God already had made and not that which he was to make by his Son that which was made had a being but that which was to be made had none so we must conclude he spoke of things that were and not of that which was not Now that the Lord Jesus as principal and efficient cause made the world and so that the word beginning is to be understood of the Creation it appears out of this Heb. 1.1 2. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son which our Saviour represented before by the parable of the Vineyard and the Husbandmen Maâ—â— â—1 33 This Son he hath appointed heir of all things by whom he made the worlds Angels are called only God's Ministers but Christ is called the Son the first begotten not made upon which account the Author of the Epistle affirms the Son reaâ—lâ— and truly to be God and proves it out of Psal 45.6 7. Thy throne O God is for ever and ever And this the Apostle still speaking of the same proves by his having created the world v. 10. Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the sound dation of the earth Observe how the word beginning is meant of the Creation of the world which is attributed to the Son 't is added and the heavens are the works of thine hands which must necessarily be understood in a literal sence of the Creation of the world and not of the new Creation of things by the Gospel out of what follows v. 11. They shall perish c. and be changed c. This shall be the fate of the natural world which cannot be said of the work of Regeneration or new Creation The word was in the beginning 1 Joh. 1.1 which is the same with from the beginning as expressed by the same Apostle that is of the time of the Creation when things began to be made that is from Eternity by these phrases before the world was and before the Foundation of the world the first born of every Creature that is before any thing was created Col. 1.15 16. as appears by the reason given in the next words For by him were all things created c. For he could not be before himself and had created himself which is absurd In the place 't is explained he is before all things in time or dignity because the maker is always in time before the thing which he made This head we shall conclude with the following Text 1 Cor. 8.6 But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him Here the Apostle upon the occasion of eating things offered unto Idols saith that an Idol is nothing in the world though it be called God as many things are called Gods and Lords yet in reallity are not so the names of God and Lord do properly belong only to the true God whom he here opposeth to things falsely
so called As for us we own but one God and one Lord whom he gives proper attributes unto the one God is the Father of whom are all things and we in him the one Lord is Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him for as all things are of him of whom all things are made so all things are by him by whom they are made so then as all things are by Christ he must be before all not only in dignity but also in time Out of this Text we learn first that as there being but one Lord even Jesus Christ doth not exclude God the Father from being Lord so there being but one God even the 〈◊〉 doth not exclude the Lord Jesus from being God also and the Apostle not only affirms that it is so but withall he sheweth how it is by means of the prepositions of and by here used all things are of God the Father by the Lord Jesus Christ all things have the same Principle and Cause but somewhat in a different manner all things are of the Father but by the Son which in the work of making all things sheweth a sort of distribution thereof in the way of it and such a kind of subordination if I may so call it between the two persons as if neither of them was precisely the adequate cause of all things but the person of one God by the person of one Lord and the person of one Lord of the person of one God for if all the same things were not of one God by one Lord but some of one God others of one Lord then the strength of the words of and by with the Order and Coherence between one Lord and one God would fall and so the assertion of one God would be false because there would be two equally first and immediate principles of all things than which nothing can be more contrary to Scripture and reason for the one God is he who is the Supreme Cause not of somethings only but of all and the one Lord is he by whom not only some but all things were and what all these things are it doth appear out of all the Texts I upon this point have made use of being compared together which can make the thing plain enough to any unbiassed and unprejudiced man If here Christ be excluded from being God by the same reason shall the Father be excluded from being Lord. But it seems nothing in the world can stop the boundless impiety of men who with their restrictions will as far as they can confine the Spirit of God within their own Sence for upon the Text they say by all things we are to understand only those which belong to the Church of Christ and to Christianity as such which is a meer invention of Socinus's Brain and not of Christ or of his Apostles However rather than to be mute something he will say that the word all can have no relation to those things that were before him that is before he was born of the Virgin wherein he goes upon his wrong principle as if he was not at all before he was born of Mary for though we own that according to the flesh Christ was not properly before he was born of her yet according to the Spirit he was as accordingly hath been sufficiently demonstrated and as to that Spiritual and Divine Being of his all things were made by him and he was Lord over all But this Dominion of Christ he is endeavouring to reduce not only within the time of our Saviour's being born of the Virgin but also within that of his Resurrection But therein he makes a confusion between Christ's purchased and his natural Dominions which ought well to be distinguished the first was indeed after his death and resurrection grounded upon our redemption as formerly the special Right and Dominion of God over the people of Israel was entailed upon his having delivered them out of the Egyptian bondage but tho he had not delivered them yet still he had been their Lord upon another and more ancient account thus before Christ redeemed us by his death he had a natural Dominion over all things he was our Lord because we were the work of his hands before he was our Lord by a special purchase for before he humbled himself and took upon him the form of a Servant he was in the form of God Son of and equal with God 't is said indeed Rom. 14.9 that Christ both died and rose that he might be Lord both of the dead and living because there the question is about his acquired Dominion but in this place both are spoken of for Christ is opposed unto Idols upon the account of both his Dominions of which both the ground is contained in the words by whom are all things and all things are said to be by him not because he is Lord but rather he is Lord because all things are by him He is Lord of all Acts 10.36 The Apostle saith absolutely and without restriction of whom and by whom are all things yet they would have it reduced only to Christians as such Because 't is said to us but 't is not said of whom or by whom we have all things or all things are ours but barely and generally of whom and by whom are all things without any particular relation to Christians but this would follow that if according to the several relations we stand in we should have some things of one and others of another namely such as creatures such as men and such as Christians we would divide the supreme cause so that there should not be only one but many thus not only one God and one Lord but many quite contrary to what the Apostle saith Besides that if such a restriction be put upon the words one Lord by whom are all things the same must be layed upon the former one God of whom are all things whereby they shall presume upon the Father as well as upon the Son for there is the same reason for both so that both ought either generally or particularly to be taken which how presumptuous an attempt this is let any impartial man judge Not only the work of Creation but also that of divine Providence that is preservation and governing of the world is attributed unto Christ Colos 1 1◠this is of two kinds Ordinary and Miraculous the first spoken of when 't is said and by him all things consist for in the foregoing verse having said by him were all things created in this he addeth by him all things consist for he not only created but also preserveth all things and as 't is said else where all things are upheld by the word of his power Heb 1.3 in which place as in the foregoing is shewed how he who made the world doth also preserve the same the two go together and be inseparable and in the preservation of this world and works of Nature by him created
Grave Victorious as coming from Bozrah in his glorious and red apparrel Isa 63.1 3. I that speak in righteousness mighty to save I have troden the wine press alone and of the people there was none with me No Angel or any other Creature was joyned with him in that work so that with his own arm he hath gotten himself the Victory As to the applieation of that purchased redemption it cometh from him in every part thereof as Vocation Adoption Justification Sanctification which contain spiritual life and every other grace and at last Glorification which in Scripture are all attributed to the Lord Jesus all but the last are wrought in us by the ministery of the word which ministery himself instituted Ephes 4.8 11. by sending Ministers he doth continue it and with his blessing doth promote and according to his promise will do so to the end of the world Resurrection from death is followed with eternal life John 6.54 1 John 5.20 both attributed to Christ who is called the true God and eternal life for not only he give life but also he is life nay eternal life for whosoever hath him is sure of eternal life As to the great work of our effectual Calling and Conversion that we may answer the call he first openeth our understanding Luke 24.45 Acts. 16.14 as he opened the understanding of his disciples that they might understand the Scriptures After he openeth our hearts as he did the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things which are spoken by his Servants he also bestoweth all other means of grace upon us Acts. 5.31 Chap. 11.18 2 Cor. 7.10 Heb. 12.2 as repentance for he is a Prince and Saviour to give repentance to Israel such as is called repentance unto life and unto salvation without which we cannot be saved Faith also is his gift so intirely that he is called the Author and finisher of our Faith from him comes the beginning progress and perfecting of it this made his disciples aske him Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 John 1.16 what Love Charity Meekness Humility Temperance Sobriety Goodness Joy Peace c. are in us Of his fullness have we received it all 1 Cor. 1.30 Moreover he is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption In few words he is our all in all Psal 87.7 John 15.26 and in him are all our springs he gives the Holy Ghost ruleth governeth and preserveth his Church These few things more I must add how it is clear out of Scripture that he is true and eternal God who is the author of Salvation and eternal Life for this the Lord the King of Israel attributes to himself to be his redeemer â—â—a 44.6 Chap. 45.15.17.21 and 43. â—â— the Saviour of Israel by whom Israel shall be saved with an everlasting salvation no God else besides him a just God and a Saviour all this undisputably spoken of the true essential God Now Christ is the King of Israel John 1.49 Matth. 1.21 1 John 1.7 Heb. 12.24 Chap 9.15 16. Gal. 3.15 that saveth his people from their sins and his blood cleanseth us from all sin he is the mediator of the new Covenant of the new Testament being himself the Testator which the Apostle denyeth to be a man's Covenant these several places I quoted to shew how under the Old Testament the true Eternal God delighted to call himself the God the Saviour and the Redeemer of his people which being one of the works proper to God and not only being attributed but in a special and singular manner being applied to Christ who is no better known by any name than that of Saviviour of the world and in him Luke 1 4â— Acts 4.12 Res 1.7 as in her God and Saviour the spirit of Mary rejoyced because there is no salvation in any other for he is the Lord our God by whom the Lord doth save us This I say to me doth evidence how he who under the New Testament is by his proper name called Saviour or Jesus must be if not the same person at least of the same nature with him who under the Old was pleased at several times to call himself the Saviour and Redeemer of his people But now being upon the divine works of grace proper to the Lord Jesus I must not omit one highly considerable and most singularly proper to God which is to forgive sins which our blessed Lord appropriated unto himself Luke 7.48 Mark 2.5 when he said to the woman thy sins are forgiven and to the man sick of the Palse Son thy sins be forgiven thee whereat the Jews were so startled and offended as presently to say Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies who can forgive sins but God only In that thing they were in the right to say that none but God can forgive sins but in the other they were in the wrong not to believe Christ to be God if they had all had been set at rights and their prejudice removed wherefore to convince them how they were in an error and that he had not taken upon him as a man to pardon sins but as God he presently proved his divinity by a miracle and cured the man he who of himself could work a miracle had certainly power on earth to forgive sins And as he is a Prince and Saviour so he hath right to give forgiveness of sins Acts 5.31 certainly he declares himself true essential God when by his authority he forgives sins and giveth others power in his name to declare the same as he did Now if to what hath been said we add that he is the resurrection and the life John 20.23 John 11.25 Chap. 5.26 v. 21. Chap. 6.39.40 Phil. 3.20.21 and that he that believeth in him though he were dead yet shall he live seeing he hath life in himself and quickeneth whom he will also all the Father hath given him and every one that believeth in him he will raise up at the last day wherefore our Conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body According to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself All these and many more which for brevity's sake we omit are sufficient evidence to convince any in whom the God of this world hath hot blinded their minds that Christ is the eternal Son of God of the same nature but to unbelievers he saith if you will not believe me at least believe me for the works sake John 5.36.1 for the works I do bear witness of me but alas all men have not faith for faith is a gift of God CHAP. IX Worship proper and due to the true God belongs to Christ NOW Christ appropriateth to himself all these and many more works that belong only to the true God to the end that
met and fell down at his feet and worshiped him but he though he had excellent gifts and great authority by his office yet he refused it and this he gave for a reason I my self also am a man that is such a thing is not to be offered any man yet we must not believe Cornelius to have been so besotted as to have taken him for God but he thought he might do so to such an extraordinary man Chap. 14.13 14 1â— Paul and Barnabas seeing how the people of Lystra would have done Sacrifice they presently rent their cloaths running and crying Sirs why do you do these things Their reason was we are also men Rev. 19.10 hence we conclude how no man ought to be worshiped Now we shall speak of Angels John a person of no mean gifts fell at the Angels feet who was a Minister of God and of Christ to worship him surely he took him not to be God for he could not but know the contrary but may be he thought he might pay him that respect but whatsoever he thought he did amiss therefore the Angel highly rejected it when he said see thou do it not Chap. 2â— 9 and gave his reason for 't for I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus and not satisfied with this directed him to the object of worship and adoration worship God and this not only once but twice for it happened a second time We have demonstrated how the true God is alone to be worshiped now we must shew how Christ is religiously to be worshiped and consequently he is the true God which last expressions now when I remember put me in mind of that excellent place wherein he is called the true God which but in few words I will take notice of 1 John 5.20 we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and oternal Life The Relative this is refered to Jesus Christ not only as the nearest but also as the Subject Orationis spoken of besides that with St. John 't is usual by Eternal Life to signifie the Lord Jesus and here the true God and Eternal Life are spoken of one and the same Subject Now when the Lord is here called true God it cannot be said metaphorically or improperly but as to his nature the reason it this none is ever called the true God specially with the Article but in relation to his Essence Now to prove that the religious worship belonging to the only true God is appropriated to christ we have several places out of Scripture some do it in general and others in the particulars whereof there are several branclies Of the first Order is this let all the Angels of God worship him quoted out of the Psalm Upon these two unshaken pillars Heb. 1.6 Psal 37.7 I mean the testimonies of a Prophet and of an Apostle stand these two great Truths First how the person whom the Angels here called God's for so the Apostle doth explain the word are commanded to worship is the true Essential God or to make use of the name which the Adversaries do commonly bring in namely the God of Israel Secondly that the person to be worshiped by Angels is the Lord Jesus Christ the first assertion is the Prophet's the second is the Apostle's out of which both we may surely conclude how the Lord Jesus is the true Essential God of Israel To examine well this we shall first begin with the words of the Original that is the Psalm whence they are drawn and afterwards the Application made of them in the Gospel To remove the weight of this argument which lie's so heavy upon them and finding they cannot deny the Application to belong to Christ the Adversaries would not have the words to be understood of the true God of Israel but certainly they ought to be related to him that is named in the next verse but one before namely the Lord of the whole earth for indeed in this Psalm wherein is described the Majesty of God's Kingdom no other person is spoken of but that God whose Kingdom it is Now that the God of the whole Earth is Jehovah the God of Israel it appears out of Scripture wherein the attribute of Lord of the whole Earth is given to the true God by nature amongst others take these few Josh 3.11 Zechar. 14 and 6 5. Behold the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan And these are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth Again these are the four spirits of the Heavens which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth Micah 4.12 The very same expression is found in another Prophet I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth I shall add that considerable place where the Prophet for the comfort of the Gentiles prophesied of what a large extent their Church should be and speaks of their deliverance heaping several glorious titles upon him that was to be the Author thereof which no doubt had a relation to the Messiah who was to effect it Among other names therein given that of God of the whole earth is one Isa 3â— â— For thy maker is thine husband the Lord of hosts is his name and thy redeemer the holy one of Israel the God of the whole â—arth shall he be casted all these glorious names belong to one and the same I need not to shew that the Prophecies about the deliverance and calling of the Gentiles do relate to Christ Psal 2.8 who was to have the heathen for his inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession And this Title of Lord of the whole earth is by the Psalmist in another place rendred by a great King over all the earth Psal 47.2.7 and the King of all the earth all to signifie tho same thing and person the Kingdom of Christ the Messiah I think this is enough to prove how the God of Israel and the Lord of the whole Earth is the same as Israel made a part of the Earth so he that was God of the whole Earth must need be the God of Israel so 't is the same in this Text for no where in Scripture that title is given to any but the true God Yet they are so obstinate in their opinions that Socinus himself who though he will not have Christ to be the King of Israel yet being forced by the strength of this reason he seems content that the Lord Jesus should be here called the Lord of the whole Earth but if the argument should lie upon this he would want no Cavils to elude the force of it for that wretch is so damnably bent against the glory and honour of our Saviour that in whatsoever he writes about him Acts 8.23 there appears
a gall of bitterness as well as the bond of iniquity with a slight and contempt of his person the Man that Man this Man Man in every case and all this to lose no occasion of robbing him of his Divinity 2 Kings 49.27 and Isai 3.28 this calls to my mind God's words against Sennacherib another great Blasphemer which by the Lord might have been applied to Socinus I know thy abode and thy going out and thy coming in and thy rage against me And let all his Sectators remember what the Apostle saith Jud. 14.15 behold the Lord cometh to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him that is Christ when he cometh to judge the world Another thing here to be taken notice of is this that in verse 5. where the Lord Jehovah is called the Lord of the whole Earth it must be spoken of one and the same person for if they had been two different the copulative particle and had not been omitted after the words Psal 37.5 the hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord there should have been and at the presence of the Lord of the whole Earth the first words of the verse do sufficiently denote the Lord of the whole Earth to be the God of Israel Jehovah named just before at whose presence only and of none else the hills melted like wax hereunto answereth that place psal 11.7 tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Jacob whereby the interpretation of this now in hand is confirmed and the God of Jacob is put instead of the Lord of the whole earth in both which places the repetition of the word Presence is very Emphatical which joyned with what I observed before and with the words the scope and the thing it self do all together fully shew here is but one person spoken of which is confirmed more and more because in what follows the Prophet speaks but of one as in the singular number vers 6.7 8. as thus the Heavens declare his righteousness and the people see his glory and worship him all ye Gods Also because of thy judgments whereby it appears 't is spoken of one and not of two but rather than to yield they will sooner give Christ whom otherwise they would rob of any thing he hath but his humane nature which they cannot do because they must have an Historical Faith or else may be they would and reduce him to nothing I say they chuse rather to give Christ that title and exclude God Jehovah from being the Lord of the whole earth than to own Christ to be Jehovah so what they do is not out of kindness they only give him that which they think the least to rob him of what they account to be the chief though indeed it be the same Again the words of verse 7. do farther confirm this Confounded be all they that serve graven images that boast themselves of Idols therefore worship him all ye Gods For who is opposed to graven Images and Idols but he that is by nature the true God And who is religiously to be worshiped but the true God Jehovah And who but he who is the God of Gods is to be adored by all Gods vers 9. This is confirmed out of verse 9. Thou Lord art high above all the earth thou art exalted far above all Gods The first part contained a proper attribute of the true God namely the highest or most high God for saith David Psal 33.18 that men may know that thou whose name alone is Jehovah art the most high over all the earth Is not this the same as to be Lord over all the earth So that both to be Jehovah and Lord over all the earth are attributed only to one and if he be the only most high upon the earth none but he is Lord over all the earth The latter part of the verse doth afford a reason and a very good one why all Gods and Angels ought to worship him because he is for exalted above all Gods No less than six times he is in this Psalm called Jehovah which cannot well be denied to be the same with God of Israel One thing more I shall say as to this Psalm which with the foregoing and following contain an exhortation to all Creatures with and without life to sing and rejoyce before the Lord and why for he cometh he cometh to judge the earth he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth which none that hath any sence can deny to be a Prophesie of Christ's coming to judge the world which he speaks of himself When the Son of man shall come in his glory Matth. 25.31 and all the holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory Then indeed in that divine and glorious State being attended and worshiped by all millions of Angels he shall reign fill with joy the hearts of his people and perform the other things contained in this Psalm He that is to do all this if we believe the Psalmist is the Lord Jehovah and the Lord Jesus Christ if we must give faith to the Apostle Now we must draw nearer to the words of the Apostle who is to be believed as well as the Prophet preferably to Socinians who being not able to deny it own that Angels ought to worship Christ One would think they at last would yield to the Truth and give glory to God Phil. 2.7 8 c. but no such thing for they say they may worship him as a man and not upon the consideration of any divinity in him only upon the account of his Humiliation and Obedience unto Death even the Death of the Cross upon which account he was highly exalted But pray whence doth arise the value and merit of that Humiliation and Obedience but from the divinity of the person which underwent it If he had been a meer man it had been no very great matter no more than what many more could have done A King 's only Son sacrifices himself for the safety of a whole Kingdom some among the ordinary people might have done the like but that which raiseth the merit of the thing is not his being a man for any man else therein is equal with him but 't is the Royal Blood running in the Veins of the young Prince which doth make the act so meritorious and so considerable so if I may continue a lame comparison so defectuous to represent what I have a mind the Blood which our Saviour shed upon the Cross doth not receive its unexpressible value for coming out of the Veins of a Man but because it is the blood of God wherewith he hath purchased his Church Acts 20.28 Neither was the Obedience yielded
that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it Luke 14.26 Nay If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren yea and his own life he cannot be my disciple Is not this the manner of love which God requireth of us and doth not this lay upon us a duty to love Christ with all our heart with all our soul with all our mind and with all our strength thus this honour is proper for and ought equally to be rendered to the Father and to the Son for all men ought to honour the Son as they honour the Father I hope the sense we give the Text is sufficiently proved how all men without distinction or exceptionare bound to honour the Son as they honour the Father and the manner is by our Saviour prescribed in spirit and truth Joh. 4.24 Now I must shew how the Texts they bring against us cannot admit of the sense which ours doth because 't is contrary to the Scope of the Apostles and to the Analogy of Faith First to the scope for the end of both Apostles 1 Thes 4.7 Luk. 1.74 75. Psal 93.5 Heb. 11.6 Heb. 12.14 is to exhort Christians to study and labour after Purity and Holiness which they are called unto All that are adopted Children ought to walk in holiness because holiness becomes the house of God and as without faith 't is impossible to please God so without holiness no man shall see the Lord. This great and necessary duty I say the two Apostles in these Texts do exhort men to strive and labour after not as to attain to such a perfection of holiness as is in God which is impossible for any Man for all that we can desire is that we may be partakers of his holiness Heb. 12.10 Mat. 5.48 and receive some degrees of it In the same sense is to be understood that other place Be ye therefore perfect as your father which is in heaven is perfect a duty we ought to study after because as much as we can we must be conformable unto God Secondly Such an interpretation would destroy the Analogy of Faith as contrary to the truth set down in other places of Scripture For though holiness be a communicable Attribute of God yet there cannot be so much as thought to be an equality between Purity and Holiness in God and those small portions he is graciously pleased to impart unto us Holiness is Essentially and Originatively in God nay Holiness is God infinitely and most simply holy and we are naturally unclean transgressors from the Womb conceived in Sin brought forth in Iniquity wallowing in our own Blood till God be pleased to wash and cleanse us to derive from himself and by his holy spirit to work some small degree of holiness in us God is most holy Luke 6.36 thrice Holy In the same sense we are commanded to be merciful as our Father also is merciful that is as far as God will be pleased to enable us we ought to follow and imitate that Pattern but not pretend or hope to arrive to the perfection of it which in both Mercy and Holiness were no less than Blasphemy wherefore such interpretations God's word doth abhor and in that place St. John saith not Every man that hath this hope hath purified in the Praetertense but in the Present purifieth himself to shew how he doth but aim at it and by degrees And St. Peter in the 16. v. explains the sense of the foregoing verse because it is written saith he be ye holy for I am holy he shews no equality or parity of holiness The word as which he used before he now renders by for as a motive and a cause why we ought to be holy Because God is holy To what I said before I shall now add at last how the word as doth in other places denote an equality as the Father knoweth me even so know I the Father John 10.15 which in the Greek word is taken for to love he equally knows and loves the Father with an Eternal and perfect Love as the Father knoweth and loveth him The words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when spoken of the Father and the Son denote an equality not a similitude as the Father hath life in himself so hath the Son life in himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Original Now to understand the foregoing places of an equality Chap 5. 26. is not contrary to other Scriptures nor to the Analogy of Faith but doth tend to the glory of both Father and Son for the rule is most true in the Text now in question he that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father that sent him but he that honoureth the Son honoureth the Father also which is a natural inference out of the place But that people who pretend to honour the Father have taken a quite contrary way to do 't which is dishonouring the Son Joh. 8.49 as he said to the Jews I honour my Father and ye dishonour me with robbing him if they could of his divine Nature and Attributes when 't is most true that he that honoureth not the Son Chap. 5.23 Chap. 12. We are baptized in Christ's name honoureth not the Father and the Father beareth witness from Heaven that he is glorified in the Son Having thus proved in general that divine worship belongs to Christ we must now come to the places which demonstrate it in the particulars As first we are baptized in his name Baptism is a divine ordinance whereby being admitted to be members of Christ's mystical body we take an Oath of Allegiance to him whereby we own him to be our God and Redeemer this is the seal of the Covenant Now no Covenant is in force till it be passed the Seal this Seal in Baptism is not only instituted by Christ but also administred in his name and authority whereby it doth appear that this is his Right which Right of his Matth. 28.19 he would make use of when he commanded all Nations to be baptized in his name None but God can institute Sacraments for none but he can bestow the grace therein represented none but the Lord of the House hath right to make Laws in his House now the Church is God's House and seeing the preaching of the Word and administration of both Sacraments therein is done by Christ's authority and in his name he is thereby not only owned but also worshiped as God and Lord of it wherefore the Church is called Christ's own house Heb. 3.6 I find indeed there was a subordination between God and Moses this being but a Servant but the same subordination between God and Moses was between the Son of God and Moses as is now of all Ministers of the Gospel under Christ Mal. 3. ◠for he is the Lord of the Temple who
by the Prophet was foretold should come to his Temple how the Temple is the place for Adoration and the Lord of the Temple is to be adored and the worship proper for God is due to him We are equally baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost for in the words of the Institution and form of Administration there is no other difference but of order the names are jointly used without any sign of distinction as to Nature or Power all three are therein called upon there being in them an equal Majesty and Authority I read how in the heavenly Jerusalem Rev. 21.22 the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it yet but one Temple as they are but one God But that men were in the practice as by the institution they ought to be baptized in the name of Christ it appears out of what Peter said to the new Converts be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ Acts 2.38 where we see he takes notice only of Jesus Christ not to exclude either Father or Holy Ghost but strongly to insinuate into their minds and hearts how Christ was their God Lord and Saviour which to Preach and perswade was his great end and this he would have them to make open profession of in their being baptized in his name whereby he shews the necessity and comprehensiveness of Christ's name used in the administration of that holy Sacrament and the end thereof is for the remission of sins that is to obtain pardon of sins yea and to receive the gift of the holy ghost So when the Centurion's family was baptized Acts 10.43 chap. 19.5 1 Cor. 1.13 't is said only they were baptized in the name of the Lord. The name signifies the authority of the Lord which in this case Paul was so much concerned for upon the occasion of the contentions that were among the Corinthians which makes him so sharply expostulate with them were ye baptized in the name of Paul This point must needs be one of the highest importance in our Religion seeing he is so earnestly concerned as to say I thank God I baptized none of you c. and he gives his reason for 't lest any should say I baptized in my name Whence we may conclude that to baptize in the name of Christ is one of the most fundamental points of Christian Religion and I think it a rule and practice highly commendable in those Churches where in baptism the word name is prefixed before every one of the three persons thus I baptize thee in the name of the Father in the name of the Son and in the name of the Holy Ghost distinctly pronounced to prevent the abuse of some wretched Socinians which by reason of the affinity which in some Languages the words name and none or not have do confound them and to baptize in the name of the Father not of the Son not of the Holy Ghost Then it is Essential in baptism to have it administred in the name of the Son as well as of the Father wherefore John who by reason of this office is called Baptist did it not in his own name on the contrary declared himself but a Minister when he pointed at Christ and said I indeed baptize you with water but he that comes after me and is mighter than I he shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire as if he had said his Servant can administer only the outward sign but the thing and grace signified he alone can give Hence I conclude that Christ in our being baptized in his name is by us therein worshiped as our God equally with the Father Here they make a difficulty because 't is said the Fathers were baptized unto Moses in the Cloud but that signifieth not to be baptized in the name and authority of Moses but to be settled in the faith to be given to Gods word spoken by the Ministery of Moses Exod. 14.31 Joh. 5.45 46. so they are said to have believed the Lord and his Servant Moses Thus our Saviour saith Moses in whom ye trust and believe so they have Moses and the Prophets that is the Law and Doctrine of Moses When God saith a thing tho but once we ought to believe him as if he had confirmed it many times because in some places things are said which seemed to have been left out in others Another particular is we hope and trust in Christ Matth. 12.21 We hope in Christ Isa 11.10 Rom. 15.12 Ephs 1.12 13. 1 Cor. 15.19 in his name and in his name shall the gentiles trust as it had been Prophesied of long before in that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign of the people to it shall the Gentiles seck hope and trust in him for mercy As 't is by St. Paul explained in him shall the gentiles trust among others such were the Ephesians for saith the Apostle to them That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ if we must believe the same Apostle not only in this life but also in another to come we must and do hope in Christ or else we are of all men most miserable that is we cannot he happy except we hope in Christ for indeed that hope is the ground of all our Comforts and in that hope whereby we manifest our dependency upon him we own him to be he from whom we expect all manner of help and relief in our necessities for in him are all our Springs we hope in him for all and from him we expect all manner of good and therein we worship him as the Author and Fountain of all the good we receive and hope for now to trust in him is not only our duty but also our blessedness and happiness Psal 2.12 for blessed are all they that put their trust in him which is spoken of Christ the Messiah Now if he was a meer man far from being Blessed they would be Cursed for a dreadful Curse is thundred against any that trusteth in man Thus saith the Lord cursed be the man that trusteth in man Jerem. 17.6 and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord. These three several expressions signifie the same and go together for to depend upon the Arm of Flesh for Wisdom Strength and Help is to must in Man and whosoever trusteth in Man his heart departeth from the Lord it is incompatible to trust in God and in Man and the heart is not to be divided one of the two it must adhere to for to both it is impossible Wherefore in this same place as we see a Curse against Man-Trusters so there is a blessing for those who trust in God verse 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is Here again we meet with detestable Socinus and his jugglings God saith he proclaimeth a Curse
against Man that trusteth in Man not in every Man or upon every account but against him that trusteth in Man not appointed by God to give help and relief that is which is not endued with divine gifts but if to be endued with divine gifts had been a sufficient ground to secure men from this Curse then we might have trusted in Moses Elias Daniel c. persons endued with divine and extraordinary gifts but God here makes it a general rule which admitteth of no exception for he simply saith in man it is a most abominable presumption for a man so often to attempt to make the spirit of God to speak in his own Language but suppose there be a man appointed of God to help yet we are not to trust in him for though a man hath divine Gifts and Power yet ceaseth not to be but still remains a man and if God speaketh truth whoever trusteth in man departeth from God though we should happen to know a man endued with divine power and appointed of God to the end he should help us yet we might not trust in him which if we do we become liable altogether to this Sentence of the Curse of God In the third place we do and must believe in him which not to do is sin We believe in Christ Joh. 16.8 9. 1 Joh. 3.23 Chap. 5.1 5 10. yet such an one as the Holy Ghost reproveth the world for It is our duty for there is a precept for it and this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ which is a sign we are born of God and whereby we overcome the world and have the witness in our selves for this end God sent him into the world 1 Joh. 3.16 17 18 36. that we should believe in him that we should not be condemned nor perish but be saved and have everlasting life now to believe is to do the work of God for this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent Chap. 6.29 all our hope for glory is grounded upon the promise which is not perfectly made sure to us till it be sealed now the Seal is the Holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession but we cannot be sealed in Christ with the spirit till we have believed Eph. 1.13 14. for so saith the Apostle in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed c. after and not before No man is the true proper object of our faith for to believe in one is to put in him his whole trust and confidence which we may not in any meer man whatsoever so though we believe in Christ except we believe him to be God our faith is vain and not true This makes the Apostle write his Epistles to whom and unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God Joh. 5 13. but for what end doth he write those things that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God reduplicative as he is Son of God true natural Son of God by whom all things were created in him ought our faith to be terminated for if he was only a medium and not the Object of it then we should believe in him only Ministerially not Principally but in Faith there is no subordination for 't is a Theological Virtue which as it comes only from God so it hath God alone for its object it cannot have two such different and infinitely distant Objects as are the Creator and the Creature To believe in Christ was the chief thing which the Apostles ever exhorted men to do For indeed 't is the whole end and substance of the Gospel but not as an imperfect Christ a meer man but as the true Son of God of the same nature this thing he always commanded men to do namely to believe in him about the time of his leaving this world he charged his Disciples to do 't whereby they should find a present remedy and comfort to those troubles of heart that might happen to befall them this he doth with a great Emphasis he doth not barely say believe in me Joh. 17.1 but he goes higher to shew what manner of Faith they ought to repose in him Ye believe in God believe also in me have in me the same Faith as you have in God if here the word God be taken for the person of the Father the Lord Jesus maketh himself equal with him seeing he will have us to believe in him no less than in the Father if the word God be Essentially taken then he doth affirm himself to be God while he attributes unto himself the same faith which all Believers have and repose in God alone for this fiducial honour God doth not communicate to another no other reason can be assigned why the Son would have us to believe in him as in the Father but because in Nature Power and Honour he is equal with the Father and consequently the primary object of Faith that in matter of worship he owned himself such it doth clearly appear in some instances the first of the man in the Gospel whose eyes he had opened whom our Saviour far from forbidding him to worship him he encouraged to it not under the notion of Son of Man but of Son of God for he asked dost thou believe on the Son of God Chap. 9.35 36 37 38. The man answered who is he Lord Christ replied thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee and the man said Lord I believe and he worshiped him If he had not been the true Son of â—od by nature I maintain this had been Idolatry which he was no savourer to The other instance is of Thomas who for calling Christ my Lord and my God in the Sense he did after his conviction that he was actually raised from the dead had spoken blasphemy in case he had not truly been Lord and God which far from being reproved for it what our Saviour after said unto him and the manner how he said it import an approbation of what Thomas had said and done and at another time all the Disciples together did perform the same for they came and held him by the feet Matth. 28.9 Luke 24.52 Act. 10.43 Luke 24.47 We pray to Christ and worshiped him In few words whosoever believeth on Christ shall have remission of his sins and he commanded his Disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations Now we come to the fourth part of that religious worship which is due and paid unto him Namely Prayer this floweth from the foregoing for every Prayer should be made in Faith according to what the Apostle saith Rom. 10.10 how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed That to call upon and pray to God is a duty by men to be performed is
expressed in Scripture the omission whereof is look't upon as a most heinous sin deserving the heaviest judgments see what character is given of those who neglect it The workers of iniquity have not called upon God Psal 53.4 'T is such a sin as deserveth no less than the wrath of God Pour out thy wrath upon the Kingdoms that have not called upon thy name And as for me Psal 79.6 saith David in another place and all that truely fear God with him I give my self unto prayer Psal 109.4 So that the best commendation under the Old and New Testaments that can be given of a man is what the Lord said to Ananias of Paul Acts 9.11 Behold he prayeth and how good a success Cornclius his prayers were crowned withall the Angel declared it unto him thy prayers are come up for a memorial before God Chap. 10.4 And it would prove a long work for one to demonstrate the necessity and excellency of that duty which I may say doth in some respect include every other thing which men owe God and hence we may conclude what a transcendent Eminency there is in Christ no less than his divinity seeing he is the proper object of a duty to be rendered to the only true God Unto the Lord Jesus as his due it is ascribed in the two branches thereof namely Prayer and Praise by Prayer we ask of Christ or of God through Christ the things we want and by Praise or Thanksgiving we return him thanks for what we received Call upon me in time of trouble Psal 50.15 I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me wherein both parts are contained how many Prayers doth that chosen Vessel Paul put up to God and to Christ and how often in his Epistles doth he give thanks With us Prayer and Adoration differ not formaly only as to the Manner Order and like Circumstances but are the same in Nature diversified only according to occasion but still remaining the same as to the Essence Eyes Hands and Hearts not being lifted up upon any thing under Heaven where Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Father Socinians do thus distinguish between Adoration and Invocation the first signifieth only a reverent bowing to any one the last includeth a religious suing for help that is to be performed even by all Angels as being commanded and necessary but this only by men voluntarily yet lawful and expedient the ground of the first in Christ is Majesty as Power is of the last Thus they always clip one thing or other of his Prerogatives as if Men and Angels were not equally bound to adore and worship him for where we find let all the Angels of God worship him there 't is also written let all men honour the Son even as they honour the Father and men are as well commanded to act their part as Angels are to do theirs The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the original to worship is in the New Testament no where used but for the Religious Worship due to God alone and when 't is mentioned as done unto any but God it is remembred as their Idolatry as Rev. 13.12 15. or to forbid it as chap. 19.10 and 22.9 So the worship which God commanded Angels to render his Son is Religious by Virtue of his Authority which alone can make 〈◊〉 worship Religious Christ at his very first coming into the world and not only after his Assension was a fit object of adoration Now out of Scripture we prove how Christ was called upon and prayed to Acts 7.59 they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit He calls him Lord and God he was not the only one that called upon him though the circumstance of his being a dying when no help in men makes it very considerable many others called upon him for this description is made of Christians and Believers Acts 9.13.14 that they called upon him Thus Ananias Lord he hath authority Saul from the chief Priests to bind all that call on thy name all that made a profession of the Gospel Most of his Epistles Paul begins with wishing Grace Peace and Mercy not only from God the Father but also from the Lord Jesus Christ and often the same Epistles he concludeth thus the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all which is nothing else but to call upon him for Favour and Mercy for whosoever wisheth any one Grace and Peace from Christ thereby prayeth to Christ to bestow grace and favour upon such an one 2 Cor. 12.8 9. and in plain and clear terms he called upon and prayed to Christ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice and he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness This is to speak as God doth not only Paul called upon the Lord Jesus but saith there were some in every place that call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Cor. 1.2 to whom all as to the Church in Corinth he directed his Epistle And no wonder if they who are desirous of their spiritual wellfare do call upon the name of the Lord for he is so rich unto all that call upon him that he hath entailed Salvation upon the performance of that duty which I speak not as of my self Rom. 10.12 13. Acts 2.21 but two Apostles will be bound for it For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved saith one And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved saith another Joel 2.32 and both have a Prophet for security of what they say Now Prayer is a religious duty to be directed to none but to God all this is example But the reason is this he without whom we cannot call upon the Father must also be called upon but the Father we cannot call upon without Christ John 14.6 because none can come unto the Father but by him and he is the way But here is a command besides Chap. 16.24 hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name ask and ye shall receive There is a place in Scripture where three parts of worship due to Christ Acts 22.16 are contained and now saith Ananias unto Paul why tarriest thou be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord in all three is the name of the Lord the first and last are plain but Faith is mean't by washing away sins which are washed when forgiven now our sins are forgiven when we are justified through faith in Christ Chap. 26.18 or when we are sanctified by faith that is in him Against this 't is argued out of the Preface of the Lord's Prayer our Father that there 't is spoken of the Father exclusively to the Son But in that place as in several others the word Father is not taken Personally but
Essentially exclusively not to Son and Holy Ghost but to Idols and Creatures the word Father is here taken for God as 't is when said one God and Father of all and Abba-Father Ephes 4.6 Rom. 8.15 Also the Father of Spirits The words our Father are often taken for our God and Lord In those places the word Father is said relatively not to the Son Heb. 12.9 Matth. 10.21 29. Luke 30.32 John 14.13 Chap. 3.13 but to men whose Father God is The things in the Lord's Prayer asked and prayed for are asked of the Son as well as of the Father as the coming of his Kingdom the forgiveness of our Sins whence saith our Lord Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that I will do And the words which are in Heaven do belong to the Son as to the Father and the Holy Ghost too as appeareth out of Psal 139.7 8. and Matth. 3.16 Nay as we said before the Son is called the everlasting Father And if we consider the Etymology of the word which in the Original signifieth to preserve all things we shall find he is a Father indeed by whom all things are upheld and preserved which the Holy Spirit within us beareth witness unto when our heart laying under the sense of some trouble or mercy doth on a sudden by means of an Ejaculatory Prayer either in thoughts words or both poure it self before him begging for help or giving thanks breaking out upon occasion into these or the like expressions Lord Jesus have pity on me or Lord Jesus make me thankful Thus I through the grace of God have under those several heads brought in proofs for our blessed Lord and Saviour's divinity of many more which Scripture affords I shall take notice but of few wherein he is properly and truly called God which to assert is the main drift of the word as it is the foundation of the whole Gospel for it was absolutely necessary he should be God by nature or else any man might have preached taught prayed given good example and made intercession as well as Christ and if he came into the world and dyed only to teach us good doctrine and give us good example he had done for us no more than the Apostles and Martyrs who taught good doctrine and gave good example so might as well be called our Mediators and Saviours If this had as they say been the whole work of the Mediator our redemption had been no hard matter to be performed But I say that his threefold office of Mediatorship Prophecy Kingship and Priesthood demonstrate him to be true Essential God for none of the three could perfectly have been performed but by a God himself As to the Prophetical to enlighten the understanding and effectually to turn the heart as to the Regal to defend Believers against the Power of Satan and as to the Priestly to obtain forgiveness of Sins favour of God and glory none of these could be obtained but by him who is infinite as in Power so in Nature there is an infinite distance between God who is infinite and every finite Creature no proportion between Infinite and Finite Scripture owneth nothing but God to be higher than Angels now Christ is higher and above all Angels Besides that the necessity of satisfaction to be given to Divine Justice doth argue a necessity for Christ to be God for the satisfaction could not have been adequate as it ought to be except he was God and this divinity in him doth prove the plurality of persons in the God-head which is the whole of the difficulty alledged against the most holy Trinity Certainly the great design of the Apostles and others was to preach Christ to be truely and really God Son of God whereby their Ministry was exalted this was the foundation they were to build upon Acts 8.37 The Eunuch must make this Confession I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God before he could be baptized so did every one else being converted to the Faith this in our Religion is the first thing to be known and preached thus Paul after his Conversion Chap. 9.20 the first thing he did was to preach that Christ is the Son of God for that was the great question the Jews denyed him not to be Man Son of Man but he went about to convince them how also he was God Son of God and he was by Nature God as certainly as by nature he was Man Wherefore he would raise the thoughts of the Corinthians from the consideration of Christ's humanity to that of his Deity when he saith 2 Cor. 5.16 though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more after the flesh but according to the spirit not in the humane but in the divine nature according to which he is called by the glorious names of the holy one Act. 3.14 15. 1 Cor. 2.8 and the just the prince of life and the Lord of glory our Blessed Saviour who when he was in the world had so often declared himself to be the Son of God in a proper sense after his Ascension when he had a full possession of that glory as it were to confirm from Heaven what he had declared upon Earth in the Revelation he made to that disciple of his who doth so eminently bear witness of his divinity 1 Joh. 4.14 15. when he saith we have seen and do testifie that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world and whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God and not otherwise I say on that occasion the Lord Jesus from Heaven proclaims himself to be Son of God in the letter to the Angel of the Church in Thiatira with this glorious description Rev. 2.18 compared with chap. 1.14 15. These things saith the Son of God who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire and his feet like unto fine brass Tho his enemies would not hear him upon earth during the time of his humiliation when through his Passive Obedience he was about performing the first part of his Priestly Office to satisfie divine Justice and make expiation for our sins I think now they should when he speaks from Heaven whence he exercises his Royal Office I know well enough how what I say about his satisfying Divine Justice through his death doth not affect his enemies who deny he hath given satisfaction for us but what can his intercession on in Heaven which is the second part of his Priesthood be grounded upon but his own merits through his Sufferings and Death he thereby hath payed our Debts and by vertue of that payment he asks we should be released but that point I intend not to meddle with in this place In the New Testament the name Saviour is as proper to him as that of Christ as indeed that of Jesus the same with Saviour was given him by the Angel and
will but the will of him that sent me my Doctrine in not mine but his that sent me he that receiveth me receiveth not me but him that sent me he that believeth in me believeth not in me but in him that sent me all this to condescend to the Hypotheses of the Jews and the opinion they had of him namely that he was a meer man but seeing he was not come of himself but was sent by the Father he thereby would intimate unto them how they ought to look upon him to be more than a man since he had a being before he was born amongst them and was sent by the Father whereby they all understood well enough how he meant and so called himself the Son of God This Argument did his Apostles after his ascension so strongly and so often prosecute to prove him to be the true proper and natural Son of God Thus we see that as the first Person the Father is in relation to the second the Son called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so also the second Person is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 5.18 Rom. 8.32 proper or own Son as the other is proper and own Father and to shew this is not a Physical but Superphysical or Supernatural Generation not a partial communication of corporeal Substance but a spiritual one of an indivisible Essence therefore 't is called wisdom and understanding Prov. 8.1 Joh. 1.14 Col. 1.15 Heb. 1.6 and the word So this second Person is called the image of the first of the same Essence and Essential perfection in relation to this eternal generation called not only the first born of every Creature so no Creature himself but also absolutely the first born And he being also called the only begotten it sheweth that to him alone doth belong the generation we speak of he is the only begotten of the Substance of the Father and the first begotten not as if the Father begat any after but because he begat none before He is also called the Image and the Brightness of his Fathers Glory because the glory of the Father is expressed in the Son Another weighty Text about this matter is of the same Apostle who saith Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2.13 Not only God but the great God the Infinite Being that is of Infinite Nature and Power for as life when attributed to God signifieth Immortality Wealth and Riches all Sufficiency Age Eternity and Strength Omnipotency so doth greatness Immensity This Text all Expositors whether Greek or Latin Ambrosius excepted did unanimously quote as formal and clear against Arrians The word Epiphany or glorious appearing is in no place of the New Testament attributed to any but to the Son and this glory is not in respect of Christ for he hath it already but in relation to the manifestation thereof unto us These expressions the great God and our Saviour is referred not to two persons but only to one as that wherein 't is said Ephes 1.3 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which is the idiom of the Greek Tongue seeing here is but one article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great God and Saviour it doth clearly demonstrate it to be spoken only of one person for both predicates are referred to the same Subject as we have it so in other places as first by the commandment of God our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 1.1 the same person Jesus Christ is our Lord Saviour and God who verse 11. is called the Blessed God Tim. 1.3 3.4 so he is called God our Saviour Now here the same person is spoken of as in these other places so he that is our Saviour the proper title of the Lord Jesus is the great God Besides that as I already observed what is said of his glorious appearing gives a true Character of his person for thereby is meant his coming to judge the world at the last day and that this glorious appearing is meant of Jesus Christ 't is clearly demonstrated out of 2 Thes 2.8.1 Tim. 6.14 and 2 Tim. 4.1 8. To what I have said already how the Apostle by the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ speaks only of one person I shall add that this is the stile of Scripture in other Texts as well as in this as for instance this To the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the Father Celos 2.2 and of Christ after their way of interpreting here the Father is one person and God another so the Father is not God no more than Christ and the Father must differ from God as much as Christ doth from the Father So here three different persons must be asserted Take notice how in this place the copulative particle and which they would have to denote different things or persons is here after the word God and in the other after the great God so that I see no reason if in that of Titus the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ be different persons why in this God and the Father should not be so too This and many other difficulties might easily be removed if men would but give God glory to the acknowledgment of the truth how Christ is the great God and Saviour and the Father is God which name in this place to the Colos is taken essentially but the persons of Father and Son are named to the end that the hearts of Believers might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery For all these are the words of the Text for certainly 't is a matter of unspeakable comfort when we are to come to God whereof the Father is the Spring and first Person to hear Christ the Mediator named thorough whom in our approaches to the Throne of Grace we hope to obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need These deduced out of Scriptures and the reasons thereupon grounded to avoid Prolixity I have only pointed at though they might admit of great enlargements Some thing more there is remaining which must not be omitted as being very material I mean the Texts wherein our Saviour speaks of his coming down from and going up again to Heaven whereupon we must observe how the coming or sending of God's own Son doth not signifie any local motion from Heaven to Earth but a manifestation of him in the flesh God sent his own Son out of his Bosom without our Counsel we desired it not we inquired not after it much less deserved it I must not omit to take notice of a false inference they make out of the Text quoted just before wherein our Saviour is called the first born of every Creature whence they would conclude him to be a Creature when the true inference is this that he was born before any thing was created seeing he
this sence the Jews would not have murmur'd as they did as indeed there had been no cause for it And we do not in the least perceive he goes about to shew they were mistaken to give his words such as sence but on the contrary he goeth on to confirm what he had said according to the sence they gave it and that without any ambiguity but plainly and downright tho' he knew he thereby did run into a great danger Matth. 13.55 56 John 6.42 for the Jews did not know how to reconcile what they knew of him Is not this the Carpenter's Son Is not his Mother called Mary and his Brothers James and Joses and Simon and Judas and his Sisters are they not all with us How then can he say I am descended from Heaven To have his Extraction from thence and be equal with God this made them look upon him as a Blasphemer who according to their Laws was to be stoned They allow'd him to be a very extraordinary man who had done such things as had never been done before among them but to hear him say he was come down from Heaven as his natural place that they could not endure Yet we must take it to be true since neither he nor the Evangelist ever denied it They were so pleased with the Miracle of the five Barley Loaves and two small Fishes that they would have taken him by force and made him a King and after he was gone they could not be at rest till they again had found him out and then he said they follow'd him only out of love to their Belly because they had eaten and were filled whereupon out of his earnest desire for their good he takes occasion to exhort them to mind not that Meat that perisheth but that which endureth unto everlasting life which the Son of man said he shall give unto you And then he presseth the Argument and shews how he and none else can give it and in order to 't declareth first who he is namely the Son of God whom he calleth his Father four times then addeth V. 40.44 45 45. he is from God afterwards he attributes unto himself a quickening Power and to give everlasting Life for he doth not say he that believeth in God but on me neither doth he say God V. 47. but I will raise him up at the last day Could the Father have more highly and stately spoken of himself V. 40. or assumed a greater Power than he doth whereby we see this he saith to draw Men not to the Father but to himself as the Spring of Eternal Life whereby he insinuates himself to be such a one as is far more potent and excellent than Man upon which account he is truly and properly said to be come down from Heaven or else he had not answerd the Jews Objection to the purpose Which 't is very unworthy for any one to say This matter we shall conclude with one Argument more out of these words I came forth from the Father and am come into the world John 16.28 again I leave the world and go to the Father Where is the Father In Heaven Where is the World On Earth So then Christ was with the Father in Heaven before he was in the World on Earth This last Text I joyn with the two foregoing being to the same purpose because a threefold Knot is not easily untied The words are so clear V. 29. that thereupon his Disciples said Lo now speakest thou plainly 'T is to be wish'd every one was of their opinion as there is cause for it V. 30. By this we believe said they that thou camest forth from God This they said themselves and the Lord saith so of them They have known surely that I came out from thee and that thou didst send me But neither Socinus nor none of his Kidney can say and prove that they believed not there was a Divine Nature in Christ They explain the words I came forth from the Father only to signifie that Christ was a Man sent from God upon some special Errand just as he sent his Disciples into the World 1 Joh. 4.1 or as false Prophets are said to be gone into the world We know the Faith of his Apostles was weak but true and was encreased by degrees they sometimes doubted of things as may be Christ's Resurrection but this doth not argue that there was no Faith in them for there was tho' staggering and imperfect which our Saviour strengthened and themselves were sensible of when they said unto him Lord increase our Faith which we read so actually effected in Thomas who more than any one else doubted of this Resurrection that at last he gave an authentick Testimony of his Faith concerning it when he called him my Lord and my God and before that time Peter in their name had given eminent evidence of their Faith about him when he said John 6.68 69. Lord to whom shall we go Thou hest the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God After so solemn a Declaration how dare any man say his Disciples did not believe any thing of Divine Nature in him As to his Disciples he sent them into the World but he dwelt upon Earth but his Father sent him upon Earth when himself was in Heaven And this we may say that as the Disciples were with Christ before he sent them so he was with the Father before he sent him As to the false Prophets they were gone out into the World but whence Out of the Charch John 2.15 of whom 't is said before They went out from us but they were not of us One thing more I shall observe upon this Text that if Christ really ascended up into Heaven as he did unquestionably after his Resurrection so he really descended from thence before his Incarnation and if he descended then he was before he descended this as said just before his Disciples believed literally not in a Metaphor or Figure and that they well understood his meaning our Saviour confirms when he saith v. 31 Do ye now believe and what That I came from the Father and must return to him and that I know all thing which none but God can Here I must give a general and necessary Warning against Socinian far-fetch'd and false glosses Indeed if admittance be given to all their Allegories there can be no room left for literal and proper sence So the deliverance out of Egypt possession of Canaan carrying into Captivity shall not be Matters of Fact and we may doubt whether there was ever a Noah a Flood or an Ark such men as Aaron Moses Joshua for 't is possible to turn all these into Allegories We know in Scripture there are some but to turn every thing into 't is a great Abuse When a Text expresses plainly a literal sence we must not trouble our heads
with the People but being appeased by Moses promised to send an Angel before them which Moses and the People were fully satisfied with Who and what this Angel was Chap. 23.20 21 22. we have it in the Book of Exodus with the End for which he was to go before namely to guide them and 't is thus expressed Behold I send an Angel before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared But hear the Charge he gives them concerning this Angel Beware of him and obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name is in him Such terms doth the God of Israel use when he speaks of himself Two things here we must observe first what is here spoken belongs only to the true essential God of Israel the second is the Angel or Person here spoken of is the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God out of which Premises we may well conclude he is the true God of Israel The Caution here given to take heed have a care and beware of him as if he had said take heed to thy self in thy Carriage before him this I say joyned with the Command to obey his Voice is very remarkable The absolute Obedience which God requires them to yield unto the Angel is due to God alone and is never related to the Creature only to himself for his Voice is God's Voice and when he speaketh God speaketh as the words of v. 22. do intimate If thou shalt indeed obey his voice and do all that I speak then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies The Angels Voice and all that God speaketh is the faâ—â—e and upon their obedience to his Voice depended the performance of the Promises The Lord never so expresly charged any People or Person not to provoke any created Angel or Man as here he doth Provoke him not offend and displease him not why For he will not pardon your Transgressions Rebellions or Sins in Scripture Phrase for Sin is the transgression of the law So then to disobey and to provoke this Angel is to sin and this very same Angel hath right and power if he will to pardon Sin which none but the true God hath power to take upon him to do and 't is Blasphemy for any Creature whatsoever to pretend to 't Another great and unanswerable reason is For my Name is in him a more excellent Name than any of the Angels do enjoy Heb. 1.4 The Name is that appellation by which one thing is distinctly known from another so Gods Name signifieth God himself as to call upon Gods name Gen. 4.26 Exod. 33.19 2 Chron. 7.20 't is his Titles God Jehovah Elohim Lord. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee said God to Moses compared with Chap. 34.3 6. in the former Verse 't is called to proclaim the name of the Lord and in the later to proclaim the Lord the Lord. And in Scripture Phrase the Name of the Lord is taken for God himself that is all in him Majesty Almightiness Psal 29.2 33.21 34.3 61.5 This house saith God which I have sanctified for my name for my self my honour and worship So here when God saith of that Angel my name is in him he meaneth his Nature Titles Attributes Authority Power and Glory In a word I my self am in him which afterwards was well interpreted by the Lord Jesus The Father is in me and I in the Father Now this by the God of Israel being attributed unto another it must be to another himself for his Name is his Glory and he hath solemnly declared my glory will I not give to another Isa 42.8 Exod. 3.2 The Angel spoken of in this place is as already observed the same as before had appeared unto Moses in a flame of Fire out of the midst of a Bush who v. 4 is called Lord and God who out of the same place called unto and required of him divine Honour Draw not nigh hither but put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground And if any doubt should remain 't is cleared v. 6 Moreover be the same Angel said I am the God of thy Father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. This very same Angel or Person upon the Peoples entring into the Land of Promise under the shape of a Man appeared unto Joshua under the name of Captain of the host of the Lord and in the posture for it was with a drawn Sword Josh 5.13 14 15. to execute his Office of General as God had promised to bring them into the place he had prepared for then the People were just entering upon the Siege of Jericho and this same Angel or Son of God under the shape of a Man exacted of Joshua the same Worship as he before had required of Moses and of him afterwards Joshua said to the People He is a holy God he is a jealous God Josh 24.19 he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins These last words are the same which God said to Moses in the fore-quoted place and so belong to one and the same Now I say this Angel who appeared unto Moses out of the Bush who through the Wilderness went before the People into the Land of Promise and appeared unto Joshua is the Son of God the second Person of the most holy Trinity the same who afterwards took on him our human Nature and was born of the Virgin Mary and among other reasons this I take to be a very good one Acts 7.30 35. because Stephen the first Martyr for this glorious Cause and a good Interpreter of the place makes mention of the Angel of the Lord which appeared unto Moses and this Moses God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hands or power of the Angel which appeared to him in the bush Moses was the Minister or Servant Heb. 3.6 but Christ as a Son over his own house saith the Apostle So things were done by the power of the Angel Moses was in the Church in the Wilderness but the Angel was with him Stephen's mentioning the Church and the Angel doth relate to Christ our Lord the Son of God who is the only Head thereof and by whose Directions Moses took care of it as also Moses spoke of him under the name of a Prophet whom God would raise up unto them Acts 3.22 23. and It shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people saith Peter And tho' from the beginning the Son of God was not made Flesh yet as Head of the Church he took care of his People exercis'd his Mediatorship and administred his spiritual Kingdom of Grace which the bringing out of Egypt and introducing into Canaan was a Figure of and we may easily perceive the
sweet harmony between the Old and New Testaments about Christ's governing his Church under both as to Names as well as to Things for he is called Captain of the Lord's Host as in the fore-quoted place and God is a man of war and Lord of hosts is one of God's Titles not only 1 Sam. 1.1 but in a hundred places more So Christ is in the New Testament called the Captain of our salvation Exod 15.3 Heb. 2.10 to be compleated in Heaven whereof the Promised Land was a Type This Angel the People were commanded to take care not to provoke him yet they did In this case the Question may be put to our Socinian Rabshakehs which in another God did concerning Sennacherib 2 Kin. 19.22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed and the same Answer return'd Even against the holy one of Israel So here if it be asked Whom did the Children of Israel provoke tempt and limit in the Wilderness the Psalmist will say Psal â—8 40 41 56. God the holy one of Israel and the most high God compared with Psal 95. c. And if of St. paul we ask Whom did the People tempt in the Wilderness he will answer They tempted Christ 1 Cor. 10 9. compared with Heb. 3.9 for there he speaks of Christ as Son of God it may not be understood that Christ was tempted after he was born of the Virgin Mary tho' after his Baptism he was by the Devil in the Wilderness which indeed may point at the Temptation by the People in the Wilderdess which we read of in the old Testament However I say that Temptation after the coming out of Egypt which was so long before he was born cannot be meaned of any thing after his Birth yet if Scripture saith truth Christ was by the People tempted in the Wilderness the same Person tho' not in the same Nature which he took afterwards Now the Person of the Word in his divine nature existed before he was made Flesh or else how was it possible it should be tempted at that time So I can see nothing to the contrary but that we may well conclude the Lord Jesus Son of God to be the Angel that went before them whom they were forbidden to provoke and the most high God the holy one of Israel whom they tempted and provoked he is called the Angel of God's Presence or of God's Face for the Lord said to Moses Mypresence shall go Exod 33.14 It donoteth a distinct Person in the Godhead from him whose Angel and whose Face he is We must understand where the Angel was God was present because that same Angel and Person was God and what in v. â—â— is named Presence in v. 18 't is called Glory to be compared with what John saith And we beheld his glory Chap. 1.14 as the glory of the only begotten of the Father He also is called the Angel of the Covenant for 't is plain how the Covenant of Grace between God and man is grounded only in Christ and none else Isa 63.9 for Scripture saith in him we are chosen and adopted and only by him we shall be saved This Truth that the Angel who went before the People was the true God the Spirit of God hath judged so important and necessary to be known that at several times and in many places he declared it Among others the following is very considerable if we mind time place and the very words compared together I send an Angel before thee saith the Lord Psal 68.7 8. and David O God when thou wentest before thy people when thou didst march through the wilderness compared with that before quoted of the Church in the Wilderness and the same who went before the People is by the Psalmist in the same place called God the God of Israel of whom v. 18 't is said Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive c. for here is certainly a Prophecy of Christ's Ascension as to that purpose this place is quoted by St. Paul Ephes 4.8 9 10. for indeed here mention is made of the Figure and Type namely the Ark as we see in the words of v. 1 2 taken out of Numb 10.35 when the Ark was setting forward and of the Antitype the truth and body of the Type Jesus Christ and upon good ground namely that of Ephes 4 many are of opinion that this is a triumphant Psalm of our Saviour's Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven for David who was a Prophet as a King and knew himself in some things to be a Type of the Messiah among things relating to his Kingdom used to mix and comprehend some belonging to Christ which is the chief scope of the Psalm So Jah Jehovah God and Lord are to be understood of the Angel or Christ for as a little before we observed the Deliverance out of Egypt leading through the Wilderness and bringing into the Land of Promise was a Figure of the great Salvation of God's People and of the deliverance of the Church which is the proper work committed unto the Son of God the Lord Jesus as King Head and Preserver of it When David speaks of ascending he acts not the Part of an Historian but of a Prophet and this is of an Ascension joyned with a Triumph and leading of Captives which doth not belong to that of Sinai Neither do we read any where that God ascended into Heaven from Sinai but Christ having obtained victory over Death the Grave and all his and our Enemies went up to Heaven which cannot be said of the Ark But the Ascension here spoken of as Paul to the Ephesians doth interpret it relateth to him who descended first into the lower parts of the earth that is to Christ who ascended far above all Heavens that he might fit all things if we may take an Apostle's Interpretation of a Prophet and it was Christ's or the Son of God's Voice that shook the Earth or Mount Sinai as we may read it Heb. 12.26 Before I leave this matter to what I said upon another Text which is much to our purpose about this Angel concerning Jacob I shall farther add how the same person that appeared unto him was in the shape of a man There wrestled a man with him Gen. 32.24 2ly That same when Jacob was about blessing Joseph's Children Gen. 48.16 he called an Angel The 3d thing is That he is expresly said to be God Lord of Hosts by Hosea for the Prophet speaking of Jacob said He had power with God upon the occasion of his wrestleing and added Yea he had power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him he found him in Bethel and there he spake with us even the Lord God of hosts the Lord is his memorial Hos 12.3 4 5. So hence it appears how the Person who at Bethel appeared to him when he fled from the Face of his Brother Esau Gen. 28.13 compared with Chap. 35.1
and wrestled with him when coming from Lanban he had passed over the Ford Jabbock that same I say was God the Angel and the Lord of Hosts This happened when Jacob and his Family were going into Canaan whereof the possession had been promised him and his Posterity upon the very borders he is met by his Adversary his Brother Esau who had a pretence to that Inheritance and therefore came against him with a power which of himself he was not able to resist which made him afraid as we read v. 11 wherefore upon such a tryal to strengthen his Faith and make him lay hold the faster on the Promise 2 Cor. 1.20 he in whom all the promises are yea and Amen the Son of God Jesus Christ appeared unto him in the shape of a man because in his Seed were the Promises made but this man in appearance was God in effect and nature therefore Jacob did solemnly pray to him for his Blessing in the time of the wrestling and would not rest till he had blessed him which he obtained v. 29 and in remembrance of this Jacob called the name of the place Peniel because he had seen God face to face This solemn meeting with much Comfort and Thankfulness Jacob remembred when he blessed Joseph and his two Sons in these most remarkable words God before whom my Fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk the God which fed me all my life long unto this day the Angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the Lads The God of his Fathers the God that sed him all his life-time and the Angel which redeemed him from all evil is but one and the same And the Name Redeemer is proper to Christ the second Person of the holy Trinity All these are irrefragable Truths which Socinians can effectually say nothing against tho' out of the Rabbis or Jewish Doctors Writings they have been screwing up whatsoever they thought might serve their turn thus they were not ashamed to borrow Weapons from Christs sworn Enemies But before I leave off this Point about Angels whether the Creator or created ones for the glory of the Son of God I must say how tho' these be called Sons of God mighty in Power and excellent in created Glory yet when compared with God Job 15.15 4.18 Isa 6.3 John 12.40 't is said they are not pure in his sight and he chargeth them with folly and they cover their faces at the brightness of his glory as not being able nor worthy to look upon t. And that place about Divine Glory as I already observed we know to belong to our Saviour who is called Lord and King of Glory because all Glory is in and from him as its true Spring and proper Center Psal 24 compared with 1 Cor. 2.8 Hence it is that at his coming into the World all Angels were commanded to worship him which was performed in their attendance on his Birth proclamation of his Nativity and celebrating the Glory of God on that account and afterwards declaring his Resurrection and confirming his Ascension even ministring unto him after the Temptation and when he was in his Agony And whilst Angels are called God's Ministers who ought to worship Christ the Son as their Maker Vnto the Son he saith Thy throne O God is for ever and ever to shew that there is as much and as great a difference between the Son and Angels as there is between God and Angels between the Creator and the Creature for indeed in that same place the Heavens are said to be the work of his hands so no comparison to be made between the Son and Angels the noblest of all Creatures The Name Elohim absolutely used is never in Scripture given to any singular Angel or Man which is the same as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Article by the Apostle given the Son so he is denoted by that Name as the true God by Nature And this same hath a Kingdom signified by the Royal Marks of a Scepter and a Throne whereunto Eternity is annexed for 't is for ever and ever whereby its duration or lasting is expressed so is his manner of administration with righteousness His scepter is a scepter of righteousness and to shew his preparation for that administration of his 't is said He loved righteousness and hated iniquity Now the Throne is not for the Servants but for the Son because the Kingdom thereby denoted is not theirs but his who indeed is graciously pleased to promise his Apostles that at the last day they shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel that is they shall participate only at the last day with him in his Kingly Power Mat. 19.28 and in some degree be made partakers of his Glory with an Interest in his Kingdom which he is pleased to give them in the mean time the Throne is not theirs but his Here I must take notice how for preventing many Errors rash and false Opinions 't is to be wished men would follow the Apostles Practise in this place who abounding in quotations gives us a Rule and an Example to do so for with comparing Scriptures one with another we come to be acquainted with God's Mind and Will in them for by what is spoken of Angels in one place and of the Son in another we are taught what to believe of him and of them They who follow not this Rule are apt to frame in their Heads hasty wrong and false notions about God's Mind especially in the matters we are now upon And what is it that gives the Throne of the Lord Jesus Unchangeableness and Eternity but his divine Nature The words of the Psalmist whence the Apostle draws his Argument do not belong to Solomon for the words O God do not relate to him nor these Thy throne is for ever and ever for he reigned but forty years nor to his Successors who went off the Stage at or about the time of the Babylonian Captivity We know how in some things Solomon was a Type of Christ but it doth not follow that every thing relating to the Antitype should belong unto the Type for 't is enough for the Type so to represent and shadow out the Lord Jesus that what the Prophet would teach concerning him should be spoken of the Type whereby he was represented for the Antitype is what the Spirit of God ever chiefly aimed at So tho the Type and Antitype agreed in some things in others there was a vast difference between them But that in this place the Apostle doth interpret those words of the Son of God Jesus Christ it appears out of v. 8 but unto the Son he saith Thy throne O God c. And 't is in that Party but vain and idle words to go about to perswade us that the Apostle did not say what he said and which is written for our instruction And with us they should take notice how it is said When he bringeth in his
first-born into the world let all the Angels of God worship him before he was set upon his Throne after his Ascension So the Command was antecedent to that Session of his upon the Throne in Heaven And this sitting at the right hand of God puts me in mind now to add something to what I said upon that Text and it is this how we and our Adversaries ought to consider the usefulness and importance of that Testimony Psal 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand for the confirmation of the Dignity and Authority of Christ the Messiah is evidenced by the frequent quotations of it in the New Testament as by our Saviour himself Matth. 22.42 by Peter in Acts 2.34 35 and by Paul in 1 Cor. 55.28 And Heb. 1.13 David was the Pen-man of the Psalm not about himself for him whom he therein doth treat of he calls my Lord as indeed the things therein spoken of belong not to him God did never swear unto David that he should be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek and the Jews knew well how David had nothing to do with the Priesthood as being not of the Tribe of Levi but of Judah We read That David was a King and a Prophet Jeremiah a Priest and a Prophet but the three Offices Prophet Priest and King never met in one Person but in the Lord Jesus CHAP. X. Objections Answer'd THough now and then on our way we refuted some of their Cavils yet now we must by the Grace of God come to the last part but one of our Discourse hear what they say against these Divine Truths and answer their chief Objections against the most holy Trinity the Divinity of Christ his eternal Generation c. As first They would have this Doctrin of the Trinity to be contrary to Reason Because it gives Turks and Jews an aversion against the Christian Religion But it must not be concluded that a Doctrin is contrary to Reason because some men by reason of the corruption of their Nature do not receive it When the Gospel was preached by our blessed Saviour and by his Apostles many refused to receive and believe it though it was very good and not contrary to Reason They that are Servants to their carnal Reason do not receive that which is above it and in this matter there are other Causes of the blindness and hatred of Jews and Turks Hereticks ought to be ashamed to joyn with Infidels to overthrow a Doctrin which in all Ages hath by general Consent been lookt upon as the Foundation of our Religion In four things they would have it to be contrary to Reason the first One is not Three yet say they we affirm God to be One yet Father Son and Holy Ghost to be God and yet the Person of the Son not to be that of the Father nor of the Holy Ghost The second A thing is or is not But say they you say the Paternity or Fatherhood really to be the same with the Essence and the Essence really with the Filiation therefore the Paternity is the same with the Filiation or Sonship and is not the same Thirdly By the Rule of the Tertium the things that are the same in another or in a third are the same among themselves Fourthly 'T is contrary to the Principle of the expository Syllogism which is this The Essence is the Father the Essence is the Son therefore the Father is the Son In these four things say they your Doctrin is contrary to Reason In answer to this First in general we say that such things as gainsay the Principles of true Reason are contrary to it but not those which exceed and are far above Reason Now things objected against by Antitrinitarians do neither fight against nor contradict Reason only are above it then these Principles or Rules are ill applied because they compare God the Author of Nature with natural things Now we answer in particular as to the First Axiom It is not overthrown inasmuch as there is no opposition according to the same thing nothing that is one as it is one and in the same respect may be called three but God is one in Nature and three in Persons the manner of subsisting doth distinguish the Persons but multiplieth not the Essence In the Second there is no Contradiction for the Paternity and Filiation are distinguished among themselves in one way and from the Essence in another it is only a modal distinction between Paternity and Filiation the least degree of distinction is between the thing and the manner of it between the Essence and the Paternity or Filiation wherefore Essence Paternity and Filiation are distinct but not different things We never said 'tis the same but 't is of the same and because they are of the same they differ not as thing and thing And if the Adversaries would argue thus the Father is the same with the Essence the Essence is the same with the Son therefore the Father is the same with the Son they would thereby conclude nothing against us for we affirm the Father and Son not at all to differ as to the Essence but the self-being of the Essence doth not conclude for the self-being of the Person wherefore we say it is and it is not in a different respect upon a different account As to the Third the Paternity and the Filiation are not the same with the Essence but Father and Son have the same Essence Now their Rule doth not here fit their Purpose for if they say Paâ—â—â—ity and Filiation are the same with or in the Essence it is incongruous for Paternity and Filiation are modes or manners of the thing that is in the Essence are not the same with the Essence because the thing and manner of it are not altogether the same But if they say Father and Son are the same in uno tortio inâ—â— third we agree they are the same in this third the Essence though not altogether As to the Fourth they are mistaken for this is no expository Syllogism for in that way of aâ—guing the middle term must be singular and incommunicable But here the term Essence is not simply but instead of an universal and is communicable so then the strength of the major Proposition lies in this Some who is or hath divine Essence is the Father Some that hath divine Essence is the Son Ergo if it be universally construed the proposition is false as thus Every one that hath the divine Essence is the Father or else they are meer particulars Besides that there are four terms for in the major the word Essence is unâ—erstood in relation to an active generation in the minor to a passive They would forge Contradictions where are none at all and the ground of their Error is that they would judge of an infinite Nature by a finite one when the reason of both is very different here the infinite Essence is individual
because infinite communicable without being multiplied in many persons To the same purpose they object in another manner God is One therefore cannot be Three so there is none but the Father The Answer is easie and we already have said something to it that which is one cannot be two or three in the same respect it cannot be one and many in the same sense What Christ says John 10.30 I and my Father are one is most true so that One is related to the Nature and I and Father to the Persons so then God is one as to the Nature and three as to the Persons Seeing the Nature or Godhead cannot be multiplied it follows that the Persons and Subsistences only are multiplied They say farther A simple Essence cannot be of three Persons otherwise it will be divided or multiplied But though this be true of finite it is not so of an infinite Essence neither doth it follow that because the Essence is common to three Persons it may be common to more for it were contrary to divine Revelation which only mentioneth one Father one Son and one Holy ghost the Father God the Son God the Holy Ghost God yet not three Gods but only one God Neither doth it follow that because divine Essence is common to three Persons therefore every Person shall be common and because the Persons are not common therefore the Nature must not be This is the cause of their Mistake that they do not mind the distinction of the Person from the Essence for tho they differ not really yet rationally they be distinguished It doth follow to say if the Essence be common to three Persons therefore the Persons are common no more than to say if Abel hath his Nature from Adam and is a Man therefore he hath his Posterity and is a Father from him The things say they that are separately numbered are not one in number and essence but the Father and the Son are separately numbered and are by themselves called one as one God one Mediator one God and Father one Lord wherefore Father and Son are not one only God or one Essence But I say Numeration doth not import a distinction of Essence for in finite things Essences being multiplied they are reckoned individual not in relation to the Essence but to the Persons that which is numbered is one neither is it one without the Essence yet for all that it is not one essentially or by his own Essence separated from any other whatsoever so then when the Father and Son are numbered they are not so essentially but personally also they are the same in number and essence contrary to what is objected whereof one is said to be with the other as the word was with God for in God to be one with another is only an hypostatical or personal distinction for as to be one with another doth import a distinction so the same Evangelist sheweth the Essence of both to be but one and the same when he addeth the word was God Furthermore they argue thus The Father and the Son are really distinguished for the Father is absolutely God that is the divine Essence for say they the words Father and God are synonimous or the same because the word God is explained by the word Father 1 Thes 1.3 therefore the Essence of the Son is distinct from that of the Father Our Answer is Tho' the Persons of the Father and of the Son be really distinct it doth not follow that their Essences are so as if the Essence of one was not that of another seeing the names of Father and Son are relatives which indeed signifie different Persons in the same Nature but rationally distinguished from the same If Father and Essence be synonimous what remaineth for the Son besides a shadow of the Deity For as the Paternity and Innascibility or not being begotten which are proper only to the Father are incommunicable that Essence if it be the same thing as is the Father cannot be communicated unto the Son It doth not follow neither that the Names God and Father are the same because the first is sometimes used for the last seeing it is attributed unto the Father in his Person to constitute the Deity by reason of the Spring and in the comparison and order of Persons and not because the Person of the Father is in no wise distinguished from the divine Essence Paul doth congratulate with the Thessalonians for their Work of Faith Labour of Love and Patience of Hope and because their Hope was in the Coming of the Lord Jesus these three he referreth in God whom he calls Father because he already had made mention of the Mediator But if the Names God and Father be the same by reason that Paul had to the word God joyned Father by way of explication Tit. 2.13 2 Pet. 1.2 then the Names Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ are also the same because two Apostles explain the name of Christ by that of God our Saviour Besides the Argument is faulty for it hath four terms to the end that both Propositions be true in the major the Person of the Father in the minor his Essence are to be understood To this Argument answereth another The eternal Father is not the Son whom John calls the Word but the Essence of the Divinity or that one God of Israel is the eternal Father of the only begotten Son therefore the Essence or the God of Israel is not the Son called the Word The major is false for to have it true the sence ought to be this That Essence or that God which is the Father is not the Son that is the Person of the Father is not the Person of the Son This farther they say The Essence and one God are convertible but according to us in the Unity of God there is Trinity therefore in the Essence there is also Trinity But we say God who is one in Nature is three in Persons so in that onely Essence there is a Trinity that is wholly and indivisibly subsisteth in three Persons there are not three Essences The minor Proposition must be understood of a Trinity of Persons and not of Essences I observed before how they quarrel much with several expressions used in this matter as Trinity Essence Person c. which are neither prophane nor unworthy of God seeing in Scripture there are words which answer to them Rom. 1.20 Col. 2.9 Phil. 2.6 2 Pet. 1.4 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both signifying Godhead and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Form of God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divine Nature Also the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Latin is translated sometimes Substance sometimes Essence sheweth the quiddity or nature of the thing As for the word Person Clastical Authors as well as Divines in this holy Mystery take it for a rational Subsistence or Father Son and Holy Ghost however out of these they
in the Firmament But to shew the falshood of their Assertion that the Son is not the most high God let us consider the following things The Angel said to the Virgin He shall be great Luk. 1.32 upon every account and absolutely so according to the Character long before given of him by the Prophet and Son of the highest that is of the true God v. 35 compared with v. 76 Isa 9.6 and so according to that Divine Nature the highest himself it ought to be observed how the word of the Angel he shall be called the Son of the Highest is the same as used by the Prophet His name shall be called wonderful Counsellor the mighty God c. As in the Prophet by being called is understood â—e shall really be so it must be in the Evangelist he shall be manifested owned and really be Thus Zecharias said of John And thou child shalt be called really and truly be the Prophet of the highest and when he spoke thus he was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophecy'd v. 67 as Elizabeth was when she said of the blessed Virgin Whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me v. 41 43. How could he according to the flesh be her Lord before he was born In the second place seeing I already proved Jesus Christ to be Jehovah it necessarily follows he is the most high God Psal 33.18 for he whose name alone is Jehovah is the most high over all the earth Also I proved him to be he whom the People provoked in the Wilderness and Scripture calls him the most high whom they provoked in the wilderness The proper Son of God is God the Son of the Highest is the Highest And the words of Psal 107.11 Psal 78.17 56. do belong to the People in the Wilderness who rebelled against the word of God and contemned the counsel of the most high They would make use against us of that place where when Melchisedes blessed Abraham God is called the most high God whereby they would confine that Title only to the Person of the Father which before I refute I must by the by take notice how the word most high is thrice mentioned in three Verses Gen. 14.18 19 20. to shew how the Blessing upon Abraham was the Work of the three Persons in the Godhead as all three meet in the Conception of Christ in the blessed Virgin 's Womb and in his Baptism The same high God in whose name Melchisedec blessed Abraham is the same who called Abraham received him into favour and at that time had given him Victory over four Kings as it appears out of the place Now that most high God who called Abraham is the same as made a Covenant with him who afterwards commanded him to sacrifice his Son to himself who is that same Angel as before we have taken notice of who is called the Lord himself and upon that occasion said to him Gen. 22. By my self have I sworn saith the Lord that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed Now the Apostle teaches that not only the Father but also the Son is Author of that Covenant when he saith The Testament or Covenant Heb. 9.16 was confirmed by the death of the Testator And I would have them to tell me who besides Christ hath with his Death and Blood sealed and confirmed that Covenant certainly none but that God that was manifest in the flesh Act. 20 28. that same God who hath purchased his Church with his own blood So that Melchisedec by the name of most high meant the Son as well as the Father who cannot be separated for as Scriptures bear witness the Son is always in the Father therefore every where in the Word of God the name most high is spoken of Father Son and Holy Ghost which with that of God of Gods and Lord of Lords is essentially taken and excludes indeed Creatures but never Son and Holy Ghost whom it doth truly and properly belong to Now we are come to the Objections that are directly against the Divinity of the Person of Christ which must be answered and in order to it we must here premise something which before we gave a hint of how the word God is taken in two senses first properly then metaphorically and the name God doth properly signifie the true God Now he is the only true God who essentially and by nature is such for every thing is called true by its nature as true Man true Gold true Silver c. as said before from the nature of Man of Gold and of Silver so that if only it be like a Man and like Gold then 't is neither true Man nor true Gold for simile non est idem the thing like is not the same If the true God be he that hath Gods Nature and Essence certainly he is the high and independent God seeing Divine Essence is in itself Chief and Independent Now secondly and improperly or metaphorically are they called Gods that in something are like God by participation and likeness as Moses was to Pharaoh so Angels and Men but these metaphorical Gods may not be called true God nor worshipt as such that which is somewhat like a thing may never be called the same thing Thus I do premise in opposition to Socinus's Notion how in Scripture the word God is taken for the high God independent from any other and for him who by the chief God is in some manner made partaker of the Divinity In the first sense God is God the Father called one in the second is Christ and some other Men he because of his Sanctification and being sent into the World where Christ as he would have it doth not affirm himself to be God but with dependency that is a titular a made and coined God as by vertue of that Sanctification and Mission when that very Sanctification and sending into the World shew him to be true God Joh 10.36 for in the place is meant that Sanctification which preceded his coming into the World for the Father sanctified first and then sent him which belonged to him not as a Man but had it before he was Man and before he came into the World for he saith first he was sanctified by the Father and then afterwards sent into the World that is he became Man for before he was made flesh he had been sanctified by the Father that is appointed and constituted Mediator and Head of the Church but Mediator he could not be except he were true eternal God As to his being sent into the World that also sheweth that his Being is not of this World but from above from Heaven whence he was sent into the World from the Bosom of the Father which argueth him to be above Man and to have had a Being before he was made Man for he was the Son of God in Heaven he was not Man but
was made so upon Earth We speak of the rising of the Sun which hath a Being before he riseth on our Hemisphere but only at such a time he appeareth unto us like the Star that guided the Wisemen to the place where he was born and of Christ it is said Thou hast the dew of thy youth from the womb of the morning As to what Socinus saith That Christ is said to be God but not that onely God we answer how Christ is not upon every account said to be God but only he is said to be such a God as true divine Worship is due unto who alone is to be worshipped and served as he saith Mat. 4.10 So he is no other but the onely God in Scripture called the true God They object the place where the Holy Ghost saith 1 Cor. 8.6 But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things who is distinguished from Christ who is one Lord by whom are all things But the Adversaries Prejudice makes that they either will not or cannot see how in the place St. Paul doth not separate one God from Christ nor one Lord from the Father for his scope is to teach us Christians how there are not many Gods nor many Lords but only one God and one Lord Now if the Father was one God and one Lord separately from Christ then there would be two Gods and two Lords which wholly overturns the Apostle's design so that of necessity we must say the Father and Christ are one God and one Lord consequently that God and the Lord are the same for there is no doubt but that God is the Lord and he who by Divine Reason is Lord and opposed to Idols as 't is the true sense of the place he also for certain must needs be God So then when Paul saith that onely God to be the Father he also owns him to be the onely Lord and when he saith the one Lord is Christ he owns him to be one God and as he excludeth not the Father from being Lord so he excludeth not Christ from being God 'T is a weak notion grounded upon these Particles of whom and by whom are all things for both the same in Scripture are attributed to God Rom. 11.36 Of him and through him and to him are all things so there is in them nothing to exclude Christ from being God for both belong to Father and Christ only one is chiefly attributed to one the other chiefly to the other 'T is an Error in the Adversaries to say the words by whom to signifie a second Cause seeing that very same Particle is elsewhere attributed unto God which in the same place we must also believe to be attributed unto Christ seeing the Apostle's mind is to shew there is only one God and one Lord But in Socinus's sense there would be two Gods and two Lords one of whom are all things the other by whom are all things tho' the same Apostle doth without any such Particles absolutely affirm There is one Lord one God and Father of all Ephes 4 5 6. wherefore Men must conceive no Mystery to be in those Particles to make a distinction between God and Lord one and the same Nature or Person is certainly God and Lord. Thus David saith Psal 85.8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak And if two be so one is no prejudice to the other Hence I conclude how no stress is to be laid upon these Particles of and by as if there were two different Natures and Principles as also in another place already quoted they would upon the Particle and where 't is said To know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ where they would have the copulative Particle to joyn different Natures and Persons to exclude him from being the true God but after this manner of interpreting the words God and Father must import two different Subjects and Natures so that God shall be one and Father the other for 't is said Gal. 1.4 according to the will of God and our Father which contradicts their Opinion of one onely God namely the Father but in that place the words God and Father are essentially taken for Father Son and Holy Ghost one only God Farther they argue thus If Christ be the Son of that onely God he is not the onely God himself or else he would be his own Son but he is not his own Son therefore he is not the onely God But I answer the Son is distinguished from that one God not as to the Nature but as to the Person for the Essence cannot be distinguish'd because the Son hath not part of the Nature but wholly together with the Father the Person must be distinguish'd for he is not Son of himself but of another tho' he be God of himself Hence followeth that as to the Nature the Son is that one God not as to the Person seeing in Nature it doth agree but must be distinguish'd as to the Person Another Objection is this If Christ be the Son of that only God then that one is not God the Father Son and Holy Ghost but only the Father so that onely God is not in three Persons We answer When Christ is called the Son of one God one God is there taken for the Person of the Father or as it subsisteth in the Person of the Father for Christ is the Son only of God the Father but when Father Son and Holy Ghost are said to be one God then one God is taken essentially They need not say where are one and three there are four as if the Essence and three Persons were four things really distinct But we answer Where are one Being and three Beings there indeed are four but not where are one Being and three manners of being This may be illustrated by an Example of Metaphysick where is one Ens or Being and three as properties or qualities unum verum and bonum one must not conclude there are four but unum verum bonum to be simply one Being Wherefore seeing in this most simple Essence the Persons are Subsistences or Manners of subsisting it follows that three Persons and one Nature do not make four in God As to the Rule of the tertium which I have taken notice of before it faileth here because the Essence is communicable for Divine Nature being infinite is so Now we come to some Objections relating to the Son of God's eternal generation The Father alone say they is not begotten but the Son and Holy Ghost are begotten and made so cannot be the true God We know how the relative Property of the Father is to beget of the Son to be begotten and of the Holy Ghost to proceed so the word God is attributed to Son and Holy Ghost that the Son is called only begotten because he is the natural Son and the first born as Mediator because he hath many Brethren he is called the
other but Divine as it appeareth of what Scripture saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not Heb. 10.5 but a body hath thou prepared me He certainly need have had a Being before this natural Body was prepared for him me then he was a Person before the Body This Inferiority must be understood of his Person in that voluntary humiliation of his in his state of exinanition yet this his being inferiour to the Father in respect of his Humanity doth not at all take away the equality between him and the Father in relation to his divine Nature for he is the Word Son of God tho' when he was made Flesh he was made that which he was not before with assuming human and mortal Nature yet he still remained that which he was before namely God blessed for ever there was no addition diminution or alteration in his divine Nature but continued the same Person of the most holy Trinity begotten of the Father from all Eternity Christ is less than the Father in respect to his Office of Mediatour We are in Covenant with God not upon our account but upon that of Câ—â—â—st who is thus become the Head of all Men that are in covenant with God and in relation to this he is called the Mediatour of the New Testament Heb. 9.15 wherefore we must observe how in Scripture the Lord Jesus is said to be made Lord and Châ—ist Acts 2.36 but never said to be made God which things are very different for by Nature God is Lorâ— but Christ by Will and Appointment in respect of his Personal Dominion and of the Oeconomical Kingdom belonging to his Mediatorship He is God absolutely but Lord and Christ relatively unto us God essentially and Christ accidentally In this last sense he was anointed with that Oyl and Gifts of the Holy Ghost for in the other sense he wanted no such thing he was not anointed simply as God but as Christ a Prophet a Priest and a King for our sake and for our good And all places in Scripture wherein the Father is said to be greater than Christ to be the Head of Christ to have made Christ Lord to have exalted and anointed him and the like ought to be taâ—â—en in this sense that is in regard of his human Nature and Mediatorship and not as to the divine for when this is spoken of our Saviour himself saith I and my Father are one John 10.30 there is no difference either in Nature or Power After this manner also is to be understood that place John 5.22 27. wherein the Father is said to have committed all judgment unto the Son and given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man which hath a relation to his Office of Mediatorship in the Government of the Church and Judgment over the Enemies thereof His essential Kingdom he hath of himself but this dispensatory one from the Father not because he is the Son of God but because he is the Son of Man which reason tends to breed in us Comfort and Assurance in that we are to be judged by a Man one who having taken our Nature with its Infirmities Sin excepted will compassionate us for he was tempted as we are and in human Judgments 't is a Privilege to be â—ry'd by his Peers and Equals that is of the same â—ank and condition with us In this sense ought also to be taken the place where it is said The Son also shall be subject unto him that put all things ander him 1 Cor. 15.28 and deliver up the Kingdom into his hands the Kingdom of ruling governing and preserving of the Church This giving or dellvering up of the Kingdom is no sign of inequality for as the Son is to give it up to the Father so the Father gave it up to him without any diminution of his Power neither shall the Son receive any diminution of his he shall deliver it in a perfect Oeconomical administration having overcome all Enemies and brought all his Elect to be crowned with Glory so there will be no more to do no need of being a King in that respect By the words Then shall the Son himself be subicel is to be understood the account he is to give of his administration thereof and this is a kind of subjection which shall be swallowed up in that perfect Happiness wherein God will be all in all no more Enemies to fight no more need of a Mediator But for their last gasp they reserve a frivolous and insignificant Exception for some of them say our Arguments are not coherent sometimes we plead for Unity at other times for a Trinity but we form our Arguments according to the nature of the Matters and the Principles of those whom we do dispute against Against the Gentiles and Heathens we prove That there is but one true God against the Jews That besides God the Father there is also another Person namely the Son of God who is also true God We are to deal against several Adversaries to this truth Arrians Sabellians Samosatenians Socinians Tritheists c. and accordingly we frame our Arguments suitably with the Principles of those whom we dispute against If I deal against Gentiles my Arguments must not be drawn out of Scripture which they receive not but from natural Reason and out of the Writings of their Philosophers and other Authors as St. Paul did in Athens Acts 17.28 So if against Samaritans I must argue only out of the Pentatench or five Books of Moses If against Jews only out of the Old Testament because they own not the New and so of the rest This is the substance of what they say in opposition to these Heavenly Truths which to compass they are not ashamed to wrest Scriptures to force upon them a sense contrary to the Design of the Spirit of God and to the Analogy of Faith and in order to form a detestable System whereby they do what they can to overthrow the whole foundation of our holy Religion not only they for many Years rack'd their own Brains to extract all the Poyson which Satan could infuse and 〈◊〉 â—own natural Corruption suggest but also called for Help upon the most infamous and abominable Hereticks that ever were in the Christian World and out of all made a Quintessence of all that erroneously impiously or blasphemously can be forg'd or said against the Divine Nature Attributes Persons and Grace of God Yet not wholly trusting to this they have set up a Diana a God-Idol of their own even their own natural Reason that where abusing Scripture cannot serve the turn their unreasonable Imaginations may do 't wherein they seem to scorn being guided by the Word of God where it doth not answer their Ends but divine things must not be measured by our shallow Capacity And if we believe Scripture to be the Word of God then we must receive that which God teaches us therein and we must not
Man 1 Pet. 3.4 which in the following Verse is explained of Christ's dwelling in us by faith and elsewhere the same Apostle calls Union and Relation between Christ and the Church a great Mystery Eph. 5.32 which our Reason cannot comprehend without a Revelation This made David say Psal 119.169 O Lord give me understanding according to thy word and not according to my Reason or natural Capacity and blessed is he whom thou teachest out of thy law Psa 94.12 not out of his shallow Brains Our blessed Saviour's saying he that eateth my flesh Joh. 6.16 and drinketh my blood contains Doctrines not obvious to Reason that eating and drinking with Christ's dwelling in us is so true that we may not doubt of it for the word saith it but how and the manner of it as well as our dwelling in Christ and he in us is above Reason to understand wherefore Scripture hath revealed it to be by Faith but that People will believe nothing but what they can give Reason for when Paul wrote his Epistle to the Colossians the Gospel and Doctrine of Salvation were certainly revealed yet still he calls it a Mystery the mystery of God Col. 2.2 3. and of the Father and of Christ and in the following Verse he gives an instance of it in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge That thing is so he gives it as Matter of Faith by us to be believed but how it is and how all these Treasures are hid in him 't is for us a mysterious thing Every Nation whether Jews or Gentiles in matter of Religion had Mysteries so Christians have theirs and in particular that of the Incarnation which the Apostle calls a great one beyond all Dispute and Comparison and besides all this surely there are great Mysteries in Religion God whose infinite Nature and Attributes are the Ground of all Religion is the greatest Mystery of all and most incomprehensible for this Reason the Trinity and Incarnation are great Mysteries and above Reason tho' not contrary to 't These Doctrines indeed contain great Difficulties but no Contradictions which theirs do as to set up a Metaphorical and Figurative God secondary subordinate a Creature to be God by Office not by Nature a God but of 1700 standing and this Creature God to be worshipped is not this downright Idolatry Herein we must go no farther than Scripture leads us for fear of going out of our Depth and losing our selves in the deep things of God many more things to our purpose I could say upon this Matter but for the present have no time nor place left to do 't But to come to a Conclusion of the whole and main Subject to all that hath been said I shall add this out of the Prophet where the Husband of the Church of the Gentiles that were to be call'd to communion with Christ is said to be the Lord of hosts Isa 54.5 the holy one of Israel the redeemer and the Lord of the whole earth In the whole Bible the true God of Israel never assumed unto himself higher names than these are nor ever did effect a greater outward work than to redeem his Spouse Now out of several places in the New Testament it doth appear how Christ is the Husband and Redeemer of the Church which he is said to have purchased with his own blood Act. 20.28 Eph. 5.25 and to have loved it and have given himself for it Thus this Prophecy is plainly fulfilled in Christ who is the Person therein described with those glorious Names and Attributes altogether incommunicable even the Enemies themselves being the Judges to any meer Man or Creature whatsoever Moreover every house is builded by some man Heb. 3.4 but he that built all things is God Nay the World and the Church were built by Christ and by whom also all things were created in the beginning and made of nothing and tho' we would grant which we do not to Socinians that that which is spoken of the Creation of the World is to be understood of the new Creation or Regeneration yet this very same doth import and require as Divine and Infinite a Power as doth the Creation of the World and if we may so say something more than to make something out of nothing here is no opposition nothing to hinder but to bring Light out of Darkness Good of Evil to drive away Darkness Blindness and Ignorance out of the Mind to remove perverse and corrupt Affections out of the Will and incline it to Good to change the stubborn and violent Passions of a Heart desperately wicked and deceitful above all things I say to create a new Heart and renew a right Spirit is every jot as great if not a greater Work than the Creation of the World which Christ by his own Power having done and doing it every day Day is an illustrious and ought to be an undisputable Proof of his Deity which is confirmed as by his Names and Attributes so by his other works and by that divine and glorious worship due and rendered unto him not on Earth only but chiefly in Heaven equally with the Father by the four Beasts the Elders and Millions of Angels who upon their Knees if I may so say for 't is written They fell down saying with a loud voice worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour Rev. â— 11 12 13 14. and glory and every creature which is in Heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I saying blessing and honour and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Amen But if after all these Enemies of Christ do refuse to joyn their Voice in this Heavenly Concert to give him Glory one day when they shall appear before him who is to judge the Quick and the Dead and he puts Questions to them concerning their impious disowning of him like the Man that came in without the Wedding-Garment Mat. 22.12 they shall be speechless they shall have nothing to say for themselves no more than the Sadduces and Pharisees for as then in the time of his humiliation no man was able to answer him a word v. 46. much more when he doth appear in his Glory shall his Enemies Mouths be stopped Luke 13.17 and all his adversaries ashamed as we read they were tho' now they be never so shameless and brazen-faced yet at last they certainly shall be confounded FINIS Books Printed for Rich. Wellington at the Lute in St. Paul ' s-Church-yard 1. THE Works of that Excellent Practical Physitian Dr. Thomas Sydenham wherein the List of acute Diseases are treated of after a new Method but also the safest and shortest way of Curing most Chronical Diseases Translated by John Pechey of the College of Physitians 2. A Discourse upon the Nature and Faculties of Man in several Essays with some Considerations upon the Occurrences of Humane Life By Tim. Nurse Gent. 3. A general History of the Diseases of Children Collected by the most eminent Practical Authors by John Pechey of the College of Phsitians 4. The Family Physitian being a choice Collection of Approved and Experienced Remedies to cure all Diseases incident to Humane Bodies useful in Families and serviceable to Country People By George Hartman Phylo Chymiâ—t Author of the Preserver and Restorer of Health Servant to Sir Kenelm Digby till he died
David's Son for if only upon some borrowed account or accidental reason he were David's Lord as may be some Power and Dignity above him then Christ's Argument would quite loose its strength which wholly lies in this if he be his Lord how can he be his Son Upon some extraordinary account and relation it may happen that a Son may become a Lord over his Father but here Christ is certainly asserted to be Lord over David and in some sense 't is impossible for David to become Lord over Christ which can be upon no other account but of his divine Nature besides that he was David's Lord in David's time and before his Birth of the Virgin Mary His Son he was according to the Fâ—esh and his Humanity and his Lord according to the Spirit and his Divinity The Fourth Argument whereby Christ is proved to be God's natural Son is taken out of the Words whereby he declares himself to be such a Son as is one with the Father not any other way to be understood than by Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this the Jews took to be his meaning and for that same cause called him a Blasphemer and would have stoned him and thereupon our Saviour did not go about to shew they were mistaken though his Life was concerned on the contrary he used Arguments to make 'em believe he was so though to them it seemed incredible and blasphemous Chap. 5. And in another Text he affirmeth himself to be such a Son of God as is of an equal Power with and can do the same Works as the Father so that what things soever the Father doth this also doth the Son likewise the Son doth nothing without the Father nor the Father without the Son by reason of their Oneness of Nature and Equality of Poweâ— Though the Jews out of these words of his v. 7. My father works hitherto and I work concluded he made himself equal with God yet though they were offended at it and he thereupon did run the hazard of his Life though he never was so uncharitable as to give any one just ground of offence nor so rash as unnecessarily to venture his Life yet he would not deny his Equality with the Father but on the contrary with several Arguments he confirms it from v. 19. to 22. and this not to be understood of an Equality only in some respects for the Unity of natural Power and Operation argueth an absolute Equality and as in Power so in Nature * John 10.30 I and my Father are one and v. 38. you may by my works believe that the Father is in me and not only so but I in him as for greater confirmation * ch 14.10 repeated out of that place of John I and the Father are one Augustine's †Pereant vaniloqui mentis seductores c. words are to be taken notice of let vain and Seducers Arrius and Sabellius perish Christ said not I and the Father am one but I and the Father are one when I say one let the Arian take notice of it and what I say we are let the Sabellian mind it let not the Arian divide one nor the Sabellian take away are one we refer to Nature are to the diversity of Persons The Fifth Argument is taken out of the Lord Jesus his own words and we know him not only to be true but truth it self †John 14.6 though he beareth record * c. 8.14 of himself this is when in a legal way being asked by Caiaphas and ‖ Mat. 26.63 64. adjured by the living God to tell whether he be the Christ the son of God * Mar. 14.61 62. the Christ the son of the blessed he owned it and said Thou hast said I am For which Confession he was accused of Blasphemy and condemn'd to death for said they to Pilate †Joh. 19.7 We have a law and by our law he ought to dye because he made himself the son of God so he suffer'd for owning himself to be the Son of God which Confession of his S. Paul takes special notice of in the Charge he giveth his Disciple * 1 Tim. 6.13 the meaning is that he was the true natural Son of God or else it would not have been accounted a Blasphemy for any Jew to have called himself Son of God no more than God's People Abraham's Seed by virtue of the Promises and Privilege of the Covenant and Grace and God they call their Father John 8.41 yet thought not they were Blasphemers for that therefore Christ's Words they took in another that is in a strict and proper sense Indeed the High Priest's Question was a Snare laid for Christ for though they sought false Witnesses and many came yet their Witness did not agree together wherefore they sought to have something out of his mouth wherewith to accuse him The Question was amongst other things grounded upon what our Saviour had said of himself in the Fifth and Tenth Chapters of John whether he was of the same Nature with God and in Power equal with him which is the same as to be natural Son of God and of the same Essence which he having affirmatively answered unto and said he was thereupon having gained their Point they rent their Cloaths and said What need we any farther Witnesses and upon this very Confession he was accused condemned and executed Hence I ask Socinians Did Christ speak the truth when he said he was the Son of God one with him or of the same Nature and to him equal in Power I farther ask whether the High Priest and the rest did not well apprehend this to be the true meaning of his words If so as certainly both are true if Socinians had been in the place of the Jews they would have used him as they did and would do the like if ever it were in their power for some of them when they write and give a Character of our blessed Saviour's Person they seem to take a pleasure to say he was by the Senate or Council of Scribes and Pharisees in Jerusalem condemned and executed for Blasphemy in that he had said he was the Son of God that he said so 't is most true out of John 10.36 but I ask again when the Lord said so did he speak the truth or not If the truth why do Men not believe him that is in the sense the Jews understood it true proper natural Son of God equal with God For this they took his meaning to be but if he was not what he owned himself to be then he must be supposed to have spoken a lye which is a Sin To such Blasphemers our blessed Lord speaks in defiance as once he did to the Jews * John 8.46 Which of you convinceth me of sin We know he suffer'd as a Blasphemer a Deceiver and a Transgressor but was he really so The Apostle saith †1 Pet. 3.18 He suffered the just