sun in which the same light abideth always which though it may be over-clouded and eclipsed yet not extinguished but so as after such overshadowings shines out in more full brightness as Mr. Peacock after a sad hour of darkness that had been upon his spirit broke out into that Divine expression the sea is not so full of water or the sun of light as God is of goodness in Christ Nay Plenitudo Deitatis the fulness of the God-head Col. 2. 9. of the whole Divine nature and all its properties and Attributes which being infinite cannot but infinitely more than fill up our greatest vacuities and emptiness But this leads me to a more particular view of this fulness of Christ which may be considered either 1. in regard of his person or 2. of his offices 1. For his Person if we consider it either quoad gratiam unionis or gratiam habitualem either the Divine Nature assuming the Humane into the same personal subsistence or that Grace which thereupon is from that Divine Nature communicated to the Humane for its compleat accomplishment there can be no less in one Christ than All fulness and perfection in himself and for all such as are united to him 1. For his Nature The fulness of the Godhead dwells in him and that Bodily Col. 2. 9. i. e. not as in the more empty shadows of the law but substantially personally that the same Person who is Man is God also and that Manhood assumed into the subsistence of the Godhead John 1. 14. The word was made flesh and then we beheld his glory as the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth that it's God who laid down his own bloud as a price of redemption for us Acts 20. 28. and that every way makes a supply to us And then how full must that needs be He would have us hungry But he is too greedy whom an Alsufficient Christ cannot satisfy That want is more than infinite which an infinite God cannot make up Do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord Jer. 23. 24. And cannot he fill thy heart For certain Jesus Christ who is God over all Rom. 9. 5. All in All Col. 3. 11. is able to fill all in all Ephes 1. 23. 2. And this leads to that Fulness of habitual Grace which from the Divine nature flowed into the Humane Not as though the essential properties of one Nature were communicated to the other and so his Humanity were infinite omnipotent or omnipresent as the Vbiquitaries would have it but that the spirit was given to him so above measure John 3. 34. that he became such a Fountain of Grace as was not only full in himself but overflowing to the full supply of all believers And this Grace in him though but a created quality and therefore not properly infinite yet so as not limited to any kind or degree and in that sense in a manner infinite And this grace was full not only in reference to Him and His state and condition for in that sense Mary is said to have been full of grace Luke 1. 28. and Stephen and Barnabas full of the Holy Ghost Act. 7. 55. 11. 24. namely as they were filled so far as was requisite to that condition and service to which God called them But Christ who is said to be full of the Holy Ghost Luke 4. 1. and full of grace and truth John 1. 14. was full also in reference to the Grace it self in that it was in him in the greatest extension both for Kind and Degree which the Blessed Virgin and the perfectest Saint fell short of as not necessary to their place and employment as it was to Christs who as he was in himself God-Man so he was to be Head to all Believers and Fountain and common principle of all Grace in them all which necessarily required it to be a compleat over-flowing fulness And this leads me off from this fulness of Christ in reference to his Person to 2. That in the second place which concerneth his Offices To which as God called him so he fully furnished him that he might as fully execute them and so fulfill all righteousness Matth. 3. 15. as Bezaleel when called by Name was filled with the spirit Exod. 31. â— 3. to prepare all the work of the sanctuory and amongst the â—eâ—t this was one in cutting of stones 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to set them or fill â—â—th V. 9. them as the word signifieth which were therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lapides impletionum Exod. 25. 7. because such preciouâ— stones so set by him did fill up the Pales and Ouches which they were set in Even such a Bezaleel was our Emmanuel compleatly filled with all grace for the rearing up and perfecting of God's Sanctuary and his so many offices were as so many Pales or Ouches of gold in which were set all those most precious graces and abilities of the spirit as so many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most precious filling stones by which he most compleatly fulfilled the whole work of his Mediatorship and of all his Offices They you know were three of Prophet Priest and King and he abundantly furnished with suteable Grace perfectly to fulfill them all 1. As Prophet In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2. 3. whereby he is most fully able to enrich our empty Heads and Hearts with that saving wisdom which is able to make us wise unto salvation And if Timothy by being much in Paul's Company came thereby fully to know his Doctrine 2 Tim. 3. 10. how much infinitely more must the Son by being in his Father's bosom come to know his will And as by a faithful John 1. 18. Treasurer what in this kind was laid up by him though hid from others yet is brought forth and imparted by him to his Servants Matth. 13. 11. This full fountain is dispersed abroad as his peoples occasions require And if Paul could say that he had fully Rom. 15. â—â— preached the Gospel how much more fully doth Christ both in his own Ministry and in his Servants both commissionated and enabled by him Oh! None teacheth like him Job 36. 22. None so convincingly clearly inwardly savingly There is an abundant over-flowing fulness in him as our Prophet to fill us even the most empty and ignorant with the saving knowledge of his will How eminently wonderfully have Idiots men of weaker parts and Rom. 1â— 14. Psal 19. 7. Making wise the simple Act. 6. 10. women of the weaker Sex not only been made wise to Salvation but also to silence and confound subtlest and most profound opposers which have not been able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which they spake both Scripture and Church Story fully evidence 2. As Priest according to the Hebrew Phrase his hands were filled in his full consecration to that office which he as fully executed as is fully cleared in the Epistle to the
Ranting Enthusiast-Gnosticks of this and former ages who of all men by reason of their abominable filthiness partake least of God and most of the beast and the Devil make yet greatest pretensions to whilest they give out that they are Godded with God and Christed with Christ such is their blasphemous gibberish Whatever either Fantastical or Diabolical trances such may have and divine illapses unions and communications they may vainly boast of yet I am sure that no evil dwells with an holy God Psal 5. 4. and that Christ is separate from such sinners Heb. 7. 26. What diviner raptures and heavenly ravishments I do not say a Platonick Philosopher in his speculations but an holy humble believing Soul may sometimes have in its holy meditations and devotions I neither envy nor now dispute only say with the Psalmist that it is good for me to draw near to God and that they are happiest who in a spiritual union and communion can get and keep nearest but to pretend to get so near as properly to participate of the essence of God flieth higher than Lucifer's pride Isa 14. 14. and is Antichristian Blasphemy 2 Thes 2. 4. I acknowledge some of the Fathers especially the Greek in their Rhetorical Hyperboles and desiring to express that lively image of God which his children have instamped upon them do indulge themselves a sufficient liberty as * Orat. 4. in Arrium Athanasius in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and †Orat. 42. p. 680. Basil orat 3. de sp Sanct. Nazianzen in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not as though they ever meant any such abolition of our nature and transformation of it into God's or participation of his essence which being in it self infinite is therefore to the finite creature incommunicable if Christs hypostatical union did not confound the natures and their properties much less will this mystical union of God and the soul work any commixtion or tranfusion of it into the Godhead 1. The three consubstantial persons of the Sacred Trinity only in common partaking if I may so call it of the Divine nature essentially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Christs humane nature not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nestorius blasphemed for so we partake of it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and personally which is his alone prerogative 3. It 's our highest honour and happiness that we may be made partakers of it by a participation of Divine Grace and image which is wrought in us by him and by which we are made conformable to him so far as the image of his infinite holiness is expressible in a limited and restrained being as the wax receives the impression of the Seal not the essence and that in a picture is called a face or hand which hath the likeness of it as he well expresseth it and as truly addeth that he who raiseth it Dr. Spurstow upon the Text. any higher must have swelling and lofty thoughts of the creature and low and most unworthy and dishonourable thoughts of God Thus Divines say we partake of the Divine nature accidentaliter per donum gratiae sanctificantis as we have Divine Grace wrought in us by the spirit of God which makes us like God But as for Cornel à Lapide's substantialiter which he adds as we are partakers of In Textum the spirit of God himself we shall speak of that by and by we are now dealing with Enthusiasts who as the Manichees of old held that by nature we are ex traduce Dei orti drops and And so as Caelestius said without Sin as God is Augustin de gestis Pelagii cap. ult beams and particles of the Deity so they conceit that in the way of their high attainments they are partakers of the very Godhead Godded with God and Christed with Christ as their blasphemous gibberish blunders it But how much more soberly and piously doth Cyprian express it Nostra ipsius conjunctio nec miscet personas nec unit substantias sed affectus consociat confoederat voluntates This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Divine nature is not the Divine Essence as they conceit it I acknowledge that * Tractat. de foedere in Gangraenâ doctrinae Anabaptisticae Clopenburgh and de †In Textum Dieu after him conceive otherwise and that as Jam. 3. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the nature of beasts signifieth Beasts and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the nature of man a man so here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Divine nature or nature of God may Oâ—thodoxally enough be taken to signify God as considered in his own nature and being but then that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or partakers is not here meant a transfusion or communication of They understand Communion rather than Communication the Divine Essence that in that sense we should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers of the Deity but only as Heathen Idolaters 1 Cor. 10. 20. are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have fellowship with Devils so true believers have not only a real communication of Divine Grace infused into them but also a true and blessed Communion with God himself and truly our fellowship is with the Father and the Son as the Apostle asserts it John 1. 3. Nor hath this exposition any thing in it which is contrary to piety or sound doctrine but yet this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sound a more inward and inherent communication of something and not only a bare communion and fellowship as one friend hath with another though that be included and of it some good Interpreters expound it 2. Others therefore interpret these words in reference to Christ as Ambrose and Oecumenius of his incarnation in which his humane Epist 38. nature was made partaker of the Divine because hypostatically united to it But 1. Therein the Son of God did more properly take part of our humane nature as is expresly said he did Heb. 2. 14. than we of the Divine 2. Besides that partaking was already in act ever since our Saviour's Cyprian saith divinae naturae communicamus per spiritum humanae per corpus de Nativitate Christi sect 7. birth and conception whereas this which the Apostle here speaks of was in part yet to be accomplished to believers in their several successions and further participation 3. And withall Thus all that have an humane nature might be said to be partakers of the divine which the Apostle here restrains to believers only 4. And therefore Cyril although he interpret it also with reference Catechis to Christ yet of our Symbolical partaking of him and so of God in the Eucharist This the Papists greedily swallow down as making they think for their Transubstantiation by which as they say they come to eat the very
say to his sons Why do you look one upon another get you down and buy for us that we may live and not dye Gen. 42. 1 2. And why then should we look here and there and like fools have our eyes in the ends of the earth to find out other vanities when Pro. 17. 24. did we but lift up our eyes and hearts to heaven we might both see and get that which will make us like the God of heaven I say not therefore as Jacob there of Egypt Get you down thither but get we up hither though it be with Jonathan and his Armour-bearer on our hands and keens with humblest prayers and earnestest endeavours though as with them up sharpest rocks through greatest difficulties and dangers But is it possible that a child of wrath by nature may become a Son of God and by Grace be partaker of the Divine Nature One in himself so much the Beast and the Devil be made like the blessed God And so I that am so vile and sinful may I become holy as he is holy perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect Then sure the happiness of it would not be more inconceivable than our neglect of it unexcusable Let us therefore up and be doing 1 Chron. 22. 16. 3. And this yet the rather upon consideration of what others even Heathens have attempted in this kind and when they have been so mantling the wing this way let them shame us if we take not a further and an higher flight How doth Plato up and down define the chiefest good of man to consist in a full conformity to God! and what a noise do they make with their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of their being God-like whilest they lived and Deifiâ—d when dead Oh that what we read in their Books we might find in our hearts and others may see in our lives that we might really be and do what they talked of At least for shame let us exceed what they did or could attain to whilst we do so much exceed them both for pattern and principle 1. Our pattern is more fair and our Copy far more clearly and legibly written before us in the word of truth than theirs in the dim light of nature It did more darkly discover to them the footsteps of God that by following him therein they might grope after an Vnknown God and so they fumbled about a poor conformity Act. 17. 23 27. 2 Pet. 1. 19. to him But upon us the day hath dawned and the day-star is risen in our hearts and the Sun of righteousness shineth forth which hath more fully discovered to us the image and nature of God in the face of Jesus Christ unvailed and clearly discovered to us in the glass and bright beams of the Gospel the Deity in its nature persons and properties evidently manifested nor ever could the holiness justice power truth and mercy of God be more fully declared than they are by Christ and as they are held forth in the Gospel In Christ God is manifested in the flâ—sh He being 1 Tim. 3. 16. Heb. 1. 3. â—ol 2. 9. the Brightness of His Father's glory and the express Image of his Person in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily and all grace which is this Divine nature in the Text emâ—nently and without measure for our participation imitation So that our better Abimelech our King and Father in his grace and life saith to us all as the other Abimelech did to his followers Judg. 9. 48. What ye have seen me do make haste and do like me The word was made flesh and dwelt among us that we might at a nearer John 1. 14. view behold his glory full of grace and truth and walkt among us on purpose that we should follow his steps In a word he being 1 Pet. 2. 21. God took upon him the nature and was made in the likeness of man that the like mind might be in us and that whilst Phil. 2. 7. 5. we have such a perfect pattern so near our eye according to our measure in likeness and conformity we might be made partakers of the divine nature And if the rich man thought that one coming from the dead would work so great matters with his brethren Luke 16. 30. what a transformation in our hearts and lives should Christ make who for this very purpose came down from heaven Our pattern in Christ is very fair And it very openly and clearly held out to us in the Gospel Whether by Christs own ministry he being the only begotten Son in his Fathers bosom could best declare him John 1. 18. And should we only consider his sermon on the Mount in the 5 6 7. Chapters of S. Matthew we may understand so much of God's nature and will that were our hearts and lives answerable we should therein very much partake of the Divine nature and in our measure be perfect as our Father who is in heaven is perfect as our Saviour there speaks Matth. 5. 48. Or should we consider the Gospel of Christ as dispensed in the writings or preachings of his Apostles or other servants Paul in the general speaks very full to our purpose 2 Cor. 3. 18. that we all with open face as in a glass beholding the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord. In which Text every clause is very strong and emphatical We all not only Apostles and Ministers as some would expound it but all true Christians for they are not only such as we call Divines that are made partakers of the Divine nature With open face 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not through Moses his darker veils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beholding the glory of God that is the glorious nature wisdom justice and mercy of God most fully and perfectly expressed and exposed and manifested in Christ And accordingly most clearly reflected and held forth in the glass and most clear mirrour of the Gospel This ex parte objecti medii But what ex parte subjecti is or should be the effect of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are or at least God expecteth that we should be changed into the very same image not only there to see and behold him but so as to represent him in speculo repraesentantes as Erasmus translateth it and so are transfigured into the same likeness tanquam secundariae quaedam imagines as Beza well expresseth it And that from glory to glory that is not only from one degree of glorious grace to another as most interpreters expound Beza Lapide it but as some add from the glory that is in God and Christ from this reflexion of it to a proportionable glory according to our manner and measure communicated to us by it And all this as by the spirit of the Lord that is so really and gloriously that nothing but the all powerful