}) ■4' 
 
 i 
 
 
 i 
 
 •^ 
 
sea 
 
' Jefus Chri^ God-Man . 
 
 OR, THE 
 
 CONSTITUTIO 
 
 O F 
 
 Chrift's Perfd 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 Evidence and Importance of the Dodrine of 
 his True and Proper Godhead. 
 
 Confidered in feveral Plain and Pradical 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 OnKOM. IX. 5. 
 
 "St"^ JoHhTGuYSE, Minifter of the Gofpel. 
 
 Gyox'o in Gratey and in the Knowledge of our Lord 
 and Saviour 'Jefus Cbrifi : to him be Glory both now 
 and ever. Amen, 2 Pet. 3. 18. 
 
 L O ND O N : 
 
 Printed for R. CRUTTENDtN, at the Bible and 
 Three Crowns in Chcapiide, near Mcrcers- 
 Chappel. I yip. 
 
THE 
 
 PREFACE- 
 
 TH E follovpwg Sermons were pre* 
 pdr'*d, in the Stated Conrfe of my 
 Miniflry^ only for the ufcofapri^ 
 vate Congregation z^ as I ffippofe 
 moji that know me will readily believe $ But 
 the uncommon Defires, and importunate 
 purfuing Injlances of many for a Pftblicati" 
 on of them^ have at length (contrary to my 
 own^ and it may he fome others Expirati- 
 ons) put Violence upon my Self Con fcionfnefs 
 of InfMciency for doing Jujlice to the noble 
 Caufe i plead, fubdited my Natural Re^ 
 lu^ance againU appearing in fo publick a 
 manner, and almofi forced me to yield to 
 my Friends^ who in this Cafe were unyield- 
 ing to me. 
 
 The Reafons of their Urgency 1 found were 
 taken from the Advantage, which, by the 
 Blejjing of God, thefe Difcourfes had mi- 
 nifiered to fever al of themfelves, aitd might 
 minifier to others^ and from the Seafonable- 
 nefs and Importance of their principal 
 Snb'jeB, together with the need of having it 
 recommended Qis I have attempted) to the 
 Hearts and Confciences, as well as to the 
 Judgments of thofe who propfs Chrifi't 
 Name. A 2 2hefe 
 
it The Preface. 
 
 Thefe roere ^07? ft derations too "weighty to 
 he dtfpijed. And therefore^ tho I had 
 WHch rather have feen fomethlng puhlifl^d on 
 this exalted Suhje&^ with pradical Plerps, 
 hj a better Hand Cwhich might have been 
 eafly found) I have, at lajl^ ventur'd to 
 bring my little Offering, as fame vpere al' 
 ^<^ , lorxPd to bring Goat's Hair, to the Service 
 55. '^.-"Of the Tabernacle, which^ in that Cor^jide- 
 *"• ration of it^ I trufi I prefent with a will- 
 ing Heart to the Lord 5 a^td hope hereby 
 to incourage others to bring their Gold and 
 precious Srones. 
 
 The Two Firfl Sermons are tahen up in 
 Explaining the Doclrine of ChrijVs Per/on 
 God' Man. The Five nexf^ in Proofs of 
 his real and proper Godhead. And the 
 Three laft in reprefenting the vajl Impor- 
 tance of th at Do&rine, which may be con- 
 fider^d as further Arguments for it, taken 
 from its great and manifold Advantages, 
 and from the proportional Difidvantages of 
 its contrary Error, Some Application is 
 likevoife added at the End of fever al of the 
 Sermons^ as the Time allovpd in the Courfe 
 of Preachih'g. 
 
 I have aim^d at managing the feveral 
 Parts of fvy Defign infuch a manner^ that 
 they may cali a. Light upon^ and ftrengthcn 
 one another^ to the making up a convincing 
 Evidence, as they do to me^ I hat Chrilt 
 rei'^yis, and can't but he^ in his Original 
 ^iature the only, true God, exclufve of all 
 
 who 
 
The Preface. iii 
 
 rcho are f70t by Nature God^ fo as to he 
 Divine Suhfijhvts in the one only God- 
 head. And indeed if, in the Coitrfi of this 
 Evidenccy any one Scripture Tefiimony Wit- 
 ncjfeth home to the Merits of the Caufe^ even 
 that alone is fnfjicient to determine it, 
 
 I have not defgnedly waved any Objedi- 
 on which 1 thought of Moment^ and have 
 indeavour'*d a fnir Reply to fnch as came 
 in my way. Several of thefe a^e ftafed as 
 Objcdions, and Anfvvers ^ Others are in- 
 terwoven in the Body of the Difcourfe by the 
 Particles Tho' and Yet, or by fame fnch 
 conceding and Adverfirive Forms of speech: 
 And others may be faund in categorical ex- 
 plaining Sentences leveWd againfi their Op- 
 fofite Opinions^ as Thofe, who are acquain- 
 ted with the Controverfy^ will eafily di- 
 fcern. 
 
 The mop: plau/ible Oppofttton I have ever 
 feen again ft /^e Supreme Deity of Chrifl^ if 
 founded on the many Scriptures which repre' 
 fent him under inferior Chara&ers. But 
 it feems plain to me^ that all the Oppoption 
 of this fort confifls in a very fallacious way 
 of Arguing, for, Ckrifi being a CompICK 
 Perjony viz. God- Man Mediator, very dif- 
 ferent Things muji needs be afcribed to 
 him under different Conjtderations of 
 him^ fame of which agree to him in one 
 of thofe Con filer ations^ and not in a- 
 not her : And fo there is no Inconfflen- 
 
 A ^ cy 
 
iv The Preface. 
 
 cy between thofe num^erous Pajfages which 
 reprefint him, in his Human Nature, or 
 in his Office Capacity, as inferior to the 
 Father^ and the great Multitude of other 
 Texfs^ which, in another Confideration of 
 him, as plainly reprefent him to he the Great 
 and true God over all, the fame in Na- 
 ture with, and equal to the Father, 
 Therefore to prevent the dangerous and too 
 common Mijlake of confounding thrijVs 
 different Charaofers, and of mi f applying 
 fho/e of the loweft fort to the his^heft Con- 
 federation of him, I have indeavbur^d on 
 all proper Occafons to reconcile his inferior 
 Titles and Works, which belong to him by 
 Difpenfation, with thofe of the mofi lofty 
 Jlrain, which belong Originally to his Di' 
 vine Nature, and to keep them diftindt in 
 the Reader s Mind. 
 
 Speaking of Chrijl in his Original Na- 
 ture y I have often called him the proper Son 
 of God, which I think feveral Paffages of 
 Scripture jujiify, under jianding a proper Son 
 to fignify a. Son of the fame Nature with the 
 Father^ brought forth by an inconceivable 
 Generation, in Oppojition to Sons of God, 
 in an inferior and apparently Metaphorical^ 
 Senfe, 
 
 In the more dired Proofs of ChrifPs 
 Godhead^ ^tis true I have inffted on the 
 ufual Topicks : But 1 have fet them in the 
 hefl Light I could, which in many Inflances 
 is either different from^ or farther than what 
 
 T 
 
The Preface. 
 
 / have met with. And whether 'th better 
 or worfe, is h-4mh'y fithmitteX to Confide* 
 ration, 
 
 1 have proceeded upon thefe Arguments- 
 hecaiife I thinh they are befi fuited to com- 
 rq '11 Capaciries, for which they are chiefly 
 defign^d : And however I have managed 
 them^ I cant but think the Arguments 
 the tnfe Ives are wo^'thy of the moji ferious 
 Regards of Men of Polite Literature.- And 
 K2oii of them feem to be equally flrong^ if 
 well urged ^ againft every Hypothefis which 
 has been advanced againfl the Supreme Di- 
 viftity of our Blejjed Lord :, efpecially Co far 
 as they maintain, that the very fame Things^ 
 which are /aid of and afcribed to the great 
 Jehovah, as peculiar to him only, are in 
 the fame proper Senfe faid of and afcribed 
 to Chrifl. This I take to be the main 
 Hinge on which feveral of the following 
 Proof r turn^ and therefore for the mojlpart 
 I have taken Care to keep it under the Rea- 
 der s Eye^ with a jufl Guard againfi the 
 Sabellian Error, 
 
 But after all, Thefe deep Things of God 
 are not fidaped for the Mould of our Reafon, 
 but for the Obedience of Faith. 'Ihcy 
 can^t but be too big for our narrow Grafp, 
 And fuppofing that fame intangling ^efii" 
 ons may be put relating to them, which 
 none can decide to the clear Convi&ion of 
 our Reafon^ becaufe we cant have adequate 
 Ideas of them 3 yet our Faith jhould refl 
 A ^ on 
 
VI The Preface. 
 
 on the hare Authority of God in his ReveU- 
 tion of them^ hecaufe we are fur e he pcrfe^- 
 ly knows hif^feif And what if God will 
 ftain the Pride of Man hy averring lofty 
 and inexplicable Truths concerning Him- 
 felf ? This only fets Him and the Creature 
 where they fhonld be, according to the juli 
 Reafon of Things, and the grand Defign 
 of Chriftian Religion, which is to exalt 
 God and make us humble. 
 
 ^Twould he ftrange indeed, if a Super- 
 natural Revelation from God concerning 
 himfelf, floould not have fame Strokes fuh- 
 lime enough to command a ReffeClion that 
 Pfal i^Q f^^^ Knowledge is too Wonderful for us, 
 6. * * it is high we can^t attain to it. IVho 
 would not expe& fuch Things in fuch a 
 Revelation > And who would, not fufpecl the 
 Divine Authority of it, if fuch things 
 were not in it .<? In this Account God gives 
 of himfelf there's a beautiful Variety of the 
 mojl ufeful and noble Attainables, to excite 
 our greateH Diligence, and to entertain^ im- 
 prove^ and fat is fy the mofi fir origan dfp read- 
 ing Thought^ without invading a Super- 
 Human Pro7jince» But it can be no Dif- 
 grace to the mofl free and rational Inquirer 
 f^A.iii, to fay. Lord, my Heart is not haughiy, 
 »• nor mine Eyes lofty 5 neither do I, with 
 prying Curiofity, exercife my felf in great 
 Matters, or in Things too high for me. 
 
 A prevailing Modefiy of Mind would re- 
 gulate our Refiarches after Sublime Truths^ 
 
 and 
 
The Preface. vii 
 
 and difpoft us to a hecowlng Adoration <?/* 
 Divbie Jncom'^rehertjibUs^ injlead of Ar- 
 rais^ning them at our Tribunal, and Sub- 
 jefting them to Scorn and Cavil^ becaufi 
 they Gut-jiretch our Line^ and are too Grand 
 to ftoop to the Inquifition of depraved Rea- 
 fon. Th^ fecret of the Lord is with them 
 that fear him. The meek he will guide ^'^^^ ^^' 
 in Jadgment, and the meek will he teach ^' '^' 
 his way. And to the lowly in Heart, / 
 can'^t but thinlz^ the Scriptures afford fuffici- 
 ent Evidence of Chrifi^s real and proper God- 
 head, 
 
 The two or three Authors I have efuoied 
 have treated thtfe Parts of the Subje^ more 
 at Urge J for which they are refer^d to. And 
 that I might enter as little as pofjible into 
 other Mens Labours., I have Jhortend my 
 Ttifcourfe on thofe Points as much as con- 
 veniently T could ^ and turned over the deader 
 to thofe better Authors for farther Satis fall- 
 en. And this is the Keafon of the Fifth 
 Sermon'' s being remarkably flwrter than the 
 
 I am free to acknowledge thaf^ in Ju- 
 ftice to the Argument ^ feveral Things could 
 not be avoided which haye been faid by c 
 thersy and having travelled but little over 
 their Writings.^ I may have faid more of that 
 fort than I am aware of An hijlance of 
 this has already occur d to me in a Book in* 
 titled^ Several Hundred Texts to prove 
 that Chrift is the moft High God. A 
 
 cpft- 
 
viii The Preface. 
 
 confiderahle Number of the Scriptures I hafje 
 mentjofid are there colleUed with brief Re- 
 fii;Ciions^ which infome Payticu^ars are wuch 
 the fame^ as I have more largely infttied on. 
 But I never faw that Book^ nor atiy other 
 managed in that plain Scriptural ^^ay^ ^till 
 mine was in the J?refs. And therefore what- 
 ever Agreement may be found injome of my 
 Thoughts and Exprefjions with that or any 
 other Authors^ ^tis chiefly owing to the uni- 
 form Evidence of Sacred Trurh, as that 
 fhines out in the Scripture, the common Source 
 of Divine Light* 
 
 It has been my Principal Care to confult 
 ' and Study the Word of God, and to ad- 
 jufi my Sentiments wholly by its with an 
 Eye to the great Prophet of the Church for a. 
 char and Spiritual Difcerning 5 that under 
 his Conduct I might be led unto ail F\i(hes 
 of the full AfTurance of UnderOanding 
 Col. 2. to the Acknowledgment of the Myilery 
 of God, and of the Father, and of Chrift. 
 And how fay he has gracioujly own"* d me here- 
 in^ is left to the Chrijiian Reader s Rejle&i- 
 on» 
 
 I have often inlarged mo(l on thofe Heads 
 and Scriptures, ivh'ch, as far as I havefeen^ 
 have been leafl infificd on, by them who have 
 gone before me. And fome After -I bought s of 
 this fort having offer'^d thcmfclves to my Mind^ 
 I have taken leave to infert them in proper 
 Places ^ but no where fo much as in the Eighth 
 Sermon^ which by this Meatus isfiretch'd to a 
 difpro^ortionate Length, f 
 
 z. 
 
The Preface. ix 
 
 I have Uhcvpife indnlged a pretty free Vent 
 in confiderations of the wofi praftical Ten' 
 dency^ fuch as are wore immediately fnited 
 to make the Heart and Life, i^s well as the 
 Head, better : It being my governing Aim^ 
 that the favour of tlie Knowledge of Chrift ^Cor.z, 
 may be made manifeft/^ thefe Sermons, a- ^^' 
 mong all that [hall thi^^h it worth their while 
 to look into ^em. And if a plain Scriptural 
 Acco2tntof the Evidence and Importance of 
 the grand Doctrine infijlcd on, doth but once 
 reach our Hearts, 1 am perfwaded that will 
 recommend it to tts, and fecure our Faith in 
 it, beyond all that the mojl elaborate Argu- 
 ments can do without if. And therefore^ I 
 have chofen a Method of reprefenting it to 
 anfwer that Defign, efpe daily in the Four or 
 Five laft Sermons 5 and have the Apoflle 
 John for my Pattern 5 whofe firU Epiflle^ 
 relating in great Meafure to this Subje^^ 
 manifeftly runs in that Strain^ efpecially in 
 Chap, 5. 
 
 It if a Principle with me, that ^tis beneath 
 the Dignity of this exalted Do&rine, to treat 
 it only in a way of dry Speculation^ and much 
 more to waftc our Zeal in litigious Contro- 
 verfles about it. It may, by the Blejfing of 
 God, turn to much better Account, to take 
 the Advantage of the Tyde, for attempting a. 
 Revival of fpiritual and powerful Religi- 
 on, by imprejjing thofe Truths on the Hearty 
 Vphich theprefent unhappy J unsure of Affairs 
 hath made the Subje^ of common and eager. 
 
 DebatCy 
 
X The Preface. 
 
 Dehafe, to the awakenitig a gemral Run of 
 Thoughts that way. And therefore I have 
 endeavoured^ as much as the Nature of the 
 Thing vpould allow y to hide the Air of IJif- 
 pufe^ and give it a more eajie familiar 7 urn 
 that the Mind may deal with the glorious 
 Obje^^ for ufefd Improvement in Spiritual 
 Knowledge, Grace, Comfort, and Holinefs, 
 And not for vain Jangling and Parry- Vido- 
 ry 5 lefi while we are fettling our Notions 
 about vit^l Truths^ we Jljou'^d lofe their vital 
 Powers 5 of which I can*t but have a con- 
 cerning Jealou/y, under formidable Appre- 
 henjions of its tremendous Qonfcquences on 
 Civil, Moral, and Religious Accounts in 
 this felf-fufficient and degenerating 4^e 
 
 My Thoughts of the DoStrine of ChriWs 
 real Divinity ^ as a Truth of a very high and 
 leading Ranky demand the mofi fervent Zeal 
 for it. It lies before my Mind with an Evi- 
 dence too flrong and touching^ to Juffcr an 
 Indifference in my felf about its being recei- 
 ved or rejeBed in the Chrijlian World But^ 
 as far as I dm acquainted with my own in- 
 mofl DifpofttionSy I heartily defre that all my 
 "Zeal this way may be govern' d by the Max- 
 James 3. /^j. ^j^fhc Wifdom that is from above, firfi: 
 ^^' pure, then peaceable .* And that 1 may 
 put away from my J elf and be the Means of 
 Eph. ^. putting away from others^ all Bitternefs, and 
 Wrath, and Anger, and Clamour, and evil 
 fpeaking, with all Malice ; lefl while we 
 fpeak for the Honour of Chrift^ the manner 
 
 of 
 
 31. 
 
The Preface. xi 
 
 of our doifig it (Ijou'd grieve the Holy Spi- ver. 30. 
 fit of God, whom I likemfe revere as God. 
 j^»d '/^ mj> hope, that nothing I have f aid 
 in the following Sheets, can hear a jnjl Con- 
 fir H^ ion to the contrary. 
 
 ^Tis to be expeofed, that fome wiU thinh 1 
 have fet the Importance of the Do&rine too 
 high, and therein bore loo h'^xd on its Ad^ 
 verfaries. To fuch 1 can only fay, I am^ 
 vpon the calmeft Deliberation ^ fully per- 
 fwaded in my own Mind that, in the Main 
 at leafl, I have not raifed it higher than the 
 Scripture plainly led n/e 5 And I con'd not 
 have been jitfl to the Suhje&, nor faithful to 
 My Trnfl as a Minijhr of Chrifl^ if^ with 
 thk l^erfwafion, I had faid kfs than I havcy 
 for fear of offending any Man. But it is 
 very grievous to me, that the great and fo' 
 lemn Weio^ht the Scripture lays on this Poinf^ 
 Jhou d li^ht fo heavily on the Oppofers of if. 
 And, tho"* fome may read with a difdainfkl 
 Smile what I am going to add, Vll never t he- 
 lefs vent the glowing concern of my own Heart 
 in a well-defynd H'^i/h, which can do them 
 770 harm ^ and that is^ That inftead of be- 
 ing offended, their Confciences may fall 
 under the Authority of God^s Word unto 
 ferious awful Convidions of the great 
 Danger that lies in a refolved Oppofifion 
 to the proper Deity of our only Saviour 5 
 and that thev may find him a better Savi- 
 our to themfclvesy than their Notions re- 
 prefent him to be to any. 
 
xii The Preface. 
 
 If fome Things I have offer d are not f ear 
 forPd to all the different Tafis of Readers, or 
 fiou'd be thought not Urong enough by them- 
 fel ves to fupport the Caufe pleaded for^ 1 niu^ 
 beg this Piece of Jnfiice^ That they may not 
 hepiclz'd out for Droll or Triumph, nor 
 prejudice the Alind again!! the rest 5 hut 
 that all may he humbly and impartially con- 
 ^ftderd together, as in the Si{^ht of God, by 
 I Cor.3. whom every Man's Work (hall be made 
 ^^' manifeft, and with a confcientious Applica- 
 tion to him^ for a foher and difcerning Judg' 
 ment of the grand Ijfne of the whole, ace or- 
 ding to %Q.x\'^X\x\t-Evidence* 
 
 The mutual AfpeB of the fever al Farts of 
 mfd.efgn on one another^ made it necejfary 
 to mention fome Scriptures move than once : 
 And after I have once vindicated the Senfe I 
 have of any difputed Texts ^ or taken it for 
 granted from the ConceJJlons of Adverfa" 
 ries^ in the Caufe before us^ 1 thought my 
 feif at Liberty, as Occajion afterwards of- 
 fered, to quote them again without any Com- 
 ment^ fomztimes with, and fometimes with- 
 out Referring to what had been [aid before. 
 But as I have moUly ufed them with fome- 
 what differing Views ^ Jo fever al of them are 
 fet in different, and yet I hope confident 
 Lights. And therefore I truii to the Read' 
 er*s Candour for an Excufe of what k de" 
 fgn'd for his Advantage. 
 
 Whatever Defe&s may be found in my way 
 of managing a Caufe fo much above the Com- 
 
 prehenfion 
 
The Preface. xiii 
 
 preherfpon of a Huwan Underfla}idwg^ artd 
 Much wore of one of my fmall Attawmevts^ 
 let that he charged on the incompetent Abili- 
 ties of the Author^ (^ in Reajon it ought J 
 and not on the Caufe it felf. 
 
 It may be, 1 had better confulted K7y 
 Nawe if I had ahfolntely refufed thk Pjibli' 
 cation. But one of my greatejl Ambitions 
 has been, for fome Time, to become cold to 
 CharaUer : And I think I am, by the Grace 
 of God, grown pretty eajy about it, any far- 
 ther than it may fuhferve the Honour of Re- 
 ligion, and the little U^q I may he of in the 
 World 5 and then that I my felf may never 
 flnr it by doing an nnchriftian, mean, or 
 indecent Ihing, Had not my Mind been 
 formed intofomething of this Temper, parti' 
 cularly with Regard to Printing thefe Dif- 
 courfes I believe no Argument scou^d ever have 
 prevaiVd with me to let ^ em fee the Light. 
 
 1 know Chrifl can fecure the Credit of his 
 own moft glorious Name by whom he pleafes:^ 
 and the more feeble the Inflrument is, the 
 Excellency of the Power ^ the more appa- 
 rently of Him, in all the God-like B-fjeBs 
 He produces by it. I therefore humbly dc' 
 vote this Jlender Attempt to his Honour, and 
 recommend it to his Bl'-Jjln^, And if if 
 may be ufeftl to recover any one, who has 
 departed from this Faith of the Gofpel, which 
 I haije earneftly, and I hope with a Chrijlian 
 spirit, contended for 5 Or to prevent any I"*^* ?• 
 jrom forfakingit \ Or to eftablilh and com- 
 
 pofe 
 
xiv The Preface; 
 
 pofe the Minds oj anj/, who had fome Sxru- 
 j)les^ and were wavering about it, thro the 
 Difficulties which others have thrnfl upon it ^ 
 Or to increafe the Knowledge of any^ who 
 wanted farther Acquaintance with it 5 Or to' 
 imprefs it on the Hearts of any^ who have 
 hitherto taken up with a hare do&rinal Per- 
 fwafiofi oj it, or with Difpnfes about it 5 Or 
 to revive <7r advance iis Power, Sweetnefs 
 and transforming E(!i:acy in any^ who\v2iVQ 
 receivM this Truth in the Love of \t^ as 
 it is in Jefus, / fimU rechon r?ty little Per* 
 for mance very highly honoured. And its an' 
 fwering thefe or fuch like valuable and defir'*d 
 Ends, won'^d entertain we with fuch a pre^- 
 Kant Satisfd&ion in wy felf as I think wou'*d 
 over- ball ance Reproach^ and carry me thro* 
 thdt^ and every thing elfe, which might o- 
 therwife make me repent this Effay, 
 
 If God fljall pleafe fo to favour it, that 
 any {Imll be profited by it, I earnejily defire 
 their profiting may appear in every fuitable 
 Effcd^, and among others in chearful Afcrip- 
 tions of all pofjible Glory to Him, that He 
 alone may be exalted in thk Labour, and its 
 Succefs, The only Return I requeji for my 
 felf ^, That when they are at the Throne of 
 Grace, they would think in a Chrifiian man- 
 72 er of an unworthy Servant of feftfs Chriffy 
 and hearty well-wifiier to the Souls of all 
 Men. 
 
 JOHN CUYSE. 
 
 S E R- 
 
(I) 
 
 SERMON I 
 
 ROM. ix. 5, 
 
 Whofe are the Fathers^ and of whom 
 as concerning the Flejh Chrift camey 
 who is over all^ God blejjed for 
 ever. Amen, 
 
 H E Apoftle begins this 
 Chapter with themoft pa- 
 thetick Expreffions ol- his 
 earncft Concern for the un-* 
 believinc?" Jews, who were 
 his Countrymen and Kin- 
 dred according to the flefh, 
 ver. 1, 2, 3. And the bet- 
 ter to ftir up his Affcdion to thetfi, and to ag^- 
 gravate their Sin and Danger, and his own 
 Grief on their account, he recites fcveral ex- 
 cellent Privileges that belong'd pecuHarly to 
 them, as they were Jfraelites, to xuhom pertaijzd v^i, 4I 
 the Adoption, and the Glorjj and the Covenants, 
 B and 
 
find the giving of the Law, and the Service of God, 
 and the Promifes : And in our Text he tells 
 them, 'Theirs -were the Fathers ; they being Def- 
 cendents not only of 'Jacob, from whom they 
 were call'd Ifraelites, according to his honou- 
 rable Name Ifrael, (which was given him, 
 when as a Prince he wreflled with God in 
 Prayer, and prevailed) but alfo of Abraham, 
 and Ifaac, and of many other holy and emi- 
 nent Men, among which were Kings, Priefts, 
 ajid Prophets, and Types of the Meffiah, 
 wliofe Names ftand recorded with honour in 
 the Word of God. And of them, either of 
 the Fathers from whom thefe Jews defcended, 
 or of them, viz,, the Jews or Ifraelites, i. e. of 
 their Stock and Nation Chrifl, as concerning the 
 Flejl), or fo far forth as he was the Seed of the 
 (Woman, came. The Greatnefs of. which Pri- 
 vilege he feis out by the infinite Dignity of 
 this Perfon in his Original Nature, Who is over 
 aU, God bleffed for ever • and this he ratifies by 
 a confirming Particle, Amen. This is the ge- 
 nuine plain Order and Conftruftion of our 
 Text ; in which we have a clear Atteftation 
 both to the true and proper Manhood, and to 
 the true and proper Godhead of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift. 
 
 - I. We have in thefe Words a clear At- 
 teftation to Chrift's Manhood, or Human Na- 
 ture, He came of the Jevjs, with this particu- 
 lar Reftriclion or Limitation, that it was con- 
 cerning, or with refpeft to the Flefj. He did 
 not come of them as to his whole Perfon in 
 both Natures, but only as to his Human Na- 
 ture, in that Part of it that was derivable 
 from them, which is call'd his F/^y^, to denote 
 the Reality of his human Nature, as he was 
 the Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of 
 
 Abraham^ 
 
(3) 
 
 Abraham^ of true human Race- And there- 
 fore, tho' no human Soul, but only the Body> 
 is properly deriv'd from earthly Parents, yet 
 the Denomination of a Human OflFspring from 
 the Body denotes a true Human Nature, which 
 confifts in the Union of a Human Soul with 
 that Body ; for otherwife 'tis not reckon'd a 
 Human Offspring. And to fhew that Chrift, 
 by deriving his Body or V\z{h ^xova. Abraham, 
 had true human Nature, his Flelh is fpoken of 
 in another place as the Seed of Abraham^ by 
 way of A.ntithefis to the Nature of Angels : 
 Forafmucb as the Children are partakers of Flejh 
 and Blood, he alfo h/mfelf took part ofthefame-^ 
 For verily he took not on him the Nature of Angels, 
 hut he took on him the Seed of Abraham y Heb. 2. 
 14, 16. This human Nature, as far as any 
 Individual of Mankind is derived from earthly 
 Parents, Chrift took from among the Jfiujj as 
 a Dcfcendent from Abraham, being in an ex- 
 traordinary Manner conceiv'd by, and born 
 of a Jewijh Virgin, who was of Abraham's 
 Race ; and fo he was as truly and properly 
 Man, in theSubftance of that Nature, as any 
 other Ifraelite or Defcendent of Abraham was. 
 
 2. We have as clear an Atteftation to his 
 
 true and proper Godhead; Who is over all. Cod 
 
 blejjedfor ever. Amen. Here he is, in diftinc- 
 
 tion from what he receiv'd from the ^e-ws, fet 
 
 out in his other Nature, which is his eternal 
 
 and proper Godhead, defcribed in its moft 
 
 high and glorious Charaders. With refped to 
 
 that he is call'd God : And that we might not 
 
 think he is only God in a Metaphorical Senfe, 
 
 as a made, or titular, or inferiour God, he 
 
 is called God over all, blejfed for ever ; even the 
 
 moft high God, poflefs'd of infinite BlefTednefs 
 
 in himfelf. Aud this is fpoken of Chrift, not 
 
 B 2 with 
 
(4) 
 
 with refped to his Office-Capacity, as all 
 things, fo confidering him, were put by the 
 Father under him ; but with refpeft to his 
 Nature as God. For the Form of the Apo- 
 lile's ExpreiTion fhews, that it is a Defcripti- 
 onof him in his Divine Nature, by way of an- 
 tithefis to, or in diftindtion from the Defcrip- 
 tion he had given of him in his Human Na- 
 ture i and not a Defer iption of his Office- 
 Poicer in Diflinftion from his Per/on ab- 
 ftradly confider'd. His Office-Power was 
 given him as God-Man in both Natures ; 
 whereas his being call'd God over all, hlejfed 
 for ever, is a Defcription of him only as to one 
 Nature, in diftindion from the other. To be 
 God over all, denotes that there is no Being 
 above him, conlidered as God : To be 
 hlejjfed for ever, denotes that he hath all eifen- 
 tial Bleflednefs in himfelf ; and 'tis the very 
 fame Charader which this Apoflle gives to the 
 
 Rom. I* o"^y true God, that made the World : Who is 
 
 z$. blejfed for ever. Amen ; and to God, confi- 
 deredin the Perfon of the Father, viho is blejfed 
 
 *i ? * f^^ evermore. This Expreflion is no where ap- 
 plied to any but to the only true 'Jehovah ; 
 and therefore when 'tis fpoken in our Text of 
 Chrift, with the addition of over all, it can't 
 but denote that he is that Jehovah. 'Tis like- 
 wife faid of God the Father in another place, 
 
 Epb.4.6. that he is over or above all : But I can't find 
 that both thefe Titles of over all, and bleffed 
 for ever, are unitedly apply'd in any one Text 
 to him; and fince they are united in this de- 
 fcriptive Enunciation of Chrift, they the more 
 flrongly aflert his true and proper Godhead. 
 
 The Enemies of Chrifl's Deity are fo fenfi- 
 ble of this, that they would fain flrain this 
 Uft Branch of our Text to another Senfc, and 
 
 read 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 read it, CpJj who is over ally be bleffed for ever ; 
 or, Wjo ii over all, God be blejfedfor ever. Amen. 
 And To wou'd have it a Doxology to God the 
 Father, and not a defcription of the Divine 
 Nature of Chrilh But the order of the words 
 in the Greek don't agree to this reading ; noc 
 is that order, that I can find, ever ufed to ex- 
 prefs this * Senfe, as fome of the Oppofers 
 of Chrift's Godhead have themfelves been for- 
 ced to allow. And when they have changed 
 the Order of the Words the moft they can to 
 their own advantage, they furthermore, to 
 make up their own Senfe, are forced to add 
 another Word f, or to fuppofe it to be under- 
 ftood, which is not in the Original. But it is 
 a known and juft Rule, that this is never to 
 be done without Neceflity, when the Senfe is 
 complete without it j and here there is no fuch 
 Ncceffity, becaufe 'tis perfed without fuch ad-^- 
 dition, as it is fairly rendred in our Tranfla- 
 tion .• And the Words are fo ftrong to enforce 
 our Reading, that I don't fee how it can be 
 alter'd, without the greatefl Violence and 
 Danger of Mifinterpretation. Befides, the 
 Apoftle ufeth this Expreffion in the Sorrow o£ 
 his Heart for the JevjSj and to aggravate theic 
 Sin and Mifery for rejeding this great God, 
 who honoured them fo far as to take his Hu- 
 man Nature from among them, as the Con- 
 text fhews ; and therefore a Doxology was 
 
 * I uv <£\or}i^»s is ufed only, as I can find, here, and 
 in 2 Cor. II. ;i. And with a little variation ot the 
 Verb in Roju i. 25. In all which places 'tis plainly a 
 defciiptive Enunciation. But when 'tis ul'ed as a Doxo- 
 logy, the Order of the Words is changed iiito aC^oQijTis 
 Gisf. Vide z Cor. i. 5. Eph. i. 3, i Fet. l, l, 
 
 T ssTTw, or fome fuch Word. 
 
 B I yery 
 
 <r* 
 
 
f 6) 
 
 very unfuitable to the Nature of that Defign ; 
 but a Defcriprion ot Chrifl: in the infinite 
 Dignity of his Perfon, was admirably well a- 
 dapted to it. This highly aggravated their 
 Sin, and his own Sorrow on their Account. 
 
 Upon the whole, it feems tome as if nothing 
 but a refolv'd Oppofition againft the proper 
 Deity of our blelTed Lord, cou'd ever put 
 any Perfon upon forcing and ftraining a Text 
 from its plain genuine Grammatical Conflru- 
 d:ion and Meaning, as the other Interpretati- 
 on doth. 
 
 The Scripture was written for the common 
 Ufe of all, and is generally to be underllood 
 in its moft eafy and obvious Senfe ; and if this 
 that I have given, is not that Scnfe of our 
 Text, Imuftdefpair of underftanding any one 
 Verfe delivered in the plaineft Terms imagi- 
 nable. 
 Do^. The Do(9:rine evidently contained in thefe 
 
 Words, is this. That Jefus Chrifl is God-Man ; 
 or, that he is in one Nature true and proper 
 Alan, and in the other true and proper God, e* 
 ven the ?nofi high and infinitely hlejfed God. 
 
 In fpeaking to this I fhall by Divine AfTifl- 
 ance attempt the following Things. 
 
 I. I, Lay down feveral Propositions to explain 
 
 the DoSirine, and fettle our Notions about 
 the Perfon of Chrifi. 
 
 II. II. Prove that he is the true and moft high 
 
 God. 
 
 III. III. Shew the great Importance of this DoElrine, 
 
 particularly as it relates to Chrift's God-z 
 lead. 
 
 With fome Application, 
 
 I. Lay 
 
(7) 
 
 I. Lay down feveral Propositions to ex- !• 
 plain the Dodrine, and fettle our Thoughts 
 about the Perfon of Chrift. 
 
 Prop. I . j^^y^ Chrifl is, in his Original Na- Pro^. i» 
 turti^ the only begotten prober eternal Son of Cod 
 the Father. 
 
 God, confidered in the Perfon of the Father, 
 ftanus in Relation to Jefus Chrift as his Son, 
 who by an unutterable and eternal Generati- 
 on, is begotten of him. Chrift in his Divine 
 Nature is not the Son of God the Father in a 
 Metaphorical Senfe, by Creation or Adopti- 
 on, as Angels and Believers are refpedively ; 
 but, as far as can be conceived, in a true and 
 proper Senfe, by eternal Generation. Not 
 merely, as I apprehend, by an Ad of his Will, 
 but by fuch a Neceffity of Nature as confifts 
 with fuch an Ad of his Will, as that whereby 
 he neceffarily loves himfelf. 
 
 Chrift \s not God's Son by Creation ; for aU 
 things vjere jpade by hiin, and without him iua£ not Joh.i.j, 
 finy thing made that ivas made ; and therefore 
 he himfelf, in that Confideration of him in 
 which he made all Things, cou'd not be made 
 or created ,• for that wou'd be to fuppofe that 
 he in one and the fame Confideration of him, 
 made himfs.lf,and exifted before himfelf,which 
 ^re the greateft Contradidions : And accord- 
 ingly his Sonfhip is diftinguifhed from that of 
 the Angels, as of another and nobler fort than 
 theirs : For to which of the Angels f aid heat any "^''•J* 5 
 time, 'Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten 
 thee ? 
 
 And he is not God's Son by Adoption ; for he 
 is fpoken of as his own Son, by way of em- 
 phafis and peculiarity, in diftindion from 
 thofe who are Sons by Adoption. The Apo- 
 ftle fpeaking of Believers, call§ them the Sons 
 
 S4 of 
 
(8) 
 
 Rom. 8. of God, who haue received thg Spirit of Adoption 
 H» '5' but fpeaking of Chrift a little after in that 
 Chapter, he diftinguifheth his Sonfliip from 
 li, V. theirs, calling him God's owyi Son : He that 
 t ra 'iJi'afP^'''^^ '^^^ ^•''^ oivnSon, or f his own proper Son, 
 ;/«. as the Word fignilies. And anfwerably to this, 
 Chrift called God his own Father, in fuch an 
 high and appropriate fenfe as feems to exclude 
 all Metaphor. The Father and he fpoke of 
 their Relation to each other juft in the fame 
 proper Terms as a Man and his only begotten 
 •Son ufeto do,when they would diftinguifli each 
 other from Fathers and Sons in Law. This is 
 my own Son fays the Father, and this is ray ozvn 
 Father fays the Son : And every one knows 
 what fuch diftinguifhing Appellations mean.* 
 John <i Chrift,as God, is the Father's ozvn Son in as pro- 
 i8. pe: a (cnk,di'vino more, as any Son of Man is the 
 Son of his Father that begat him ; and hence he 
 Mit.ir^is <:a.\ydby way of emphafis and fingularity,f/3e 
 i6. Son of the Living God, or that Son of that God, 
 Tonn 6, jj^g^j. Living God, as the Articles there ufed 
 ^* intimate, he is that Son that is begotten of 
 his Father's EfTence, as all living Things be- 
 get of their own Subftance ; and accordingly 
 he is frequently called the begotten, and the 
 only begotten Son of God, viz.- of the Father: 
 John T. U/e' beheld his Glory, the Glory as of the only be- 
 ^4> J5. gotten of the Father. And he is immediately 
 after called the only begotten Son, xvhich is in the 
 Bofoyn of the Father. See alfo John 3. 16, 18. 
 and t fohn 4. 9. And this only proper Son 
 of the Father was begotten of him from ever- 
 ] lafiing, before any Creature was form'd, as he 
 
 fpeaks of himfelf atlargeunderPerfonal Cha- 
 racters. Prov.S. 22-— 2 J. T'he Lord p off efs" d me in 
 the Beginning of his way before his works of old. 
 J ViM fet up frojn everlajling, from the beginningy 
 or ever the Earth was, fJ/Jjen there were no depths 
 
 I 
 
(9) 
 
 / ty/j-f brought forth ; zuhen there voere ne Fountains 
 abounding with IVater ; before the Mountains were 
 fettled, before the Hills -was 1 brought forth, &C. 
 All thefe Expreflions manifeftly fet outChrift's 
 Exiftence with the Father, as begotten by him 
 from that Eternity that is proper to God only, 
 as that Eternity is defcribed in like Exprefli- 
 ons in the Pfalms. Before the Mountains were pfj^oa 
 brought forth, or ever thou had^fiformd the Earth 
 and the IVorld, even from everlajling to everlafi- 
 ing, thou an God. Again, that very Perfon 
 who, with refpeft to his Human Nature, was 
 born at, or came forth out of Bethlehem, and with 
 refped to his Office is Ruler in Ifrael, had with Micali 
 refpecl to his Original Nature by eternal Ge- 
 neration, his goings forth from of old, from ever- 
 lafting. Which can be underftood of none but 
 Chrift ', and hence he fpeaks of a Glory, which Joh. 17. 
 he had with his Father before the World was ; S» 
 which (whatevf-r that Glory was) muft of ne- 
 ceflity import his Exiftence with him as his 
 Son then. Hence 
 
 Prop. 2. As Chrifl is the only begotten pro- Prop. 2; 
 per Eternal Son of the Father, the Divine 
 Mature or Efjence is communicated to him. « 
 
 The Father's begetting the Son, mufl in 
 the very Notion of it befpeak not a produ(flioi\ 
 out of Nothing, nor out of another different 
 Nature, but an Emanation of his Effence, tho* 
 in a manner inconceivable by us. Suppo- 
 fing the Term Beget to be figurative,* yet 
 'tis ufed with a defign to inftruct us by things 
 that we are acquainted with ; but it con- 
 founds inftead of inftruding us, and anfwers 
 jone of our Notions in the Cafe, unlefs wc 
 underftand it to befpeak the giving a Pcrfon- 
 ^l Subfiflence in the fame Nature to one that 
 
 is 
 
C 10 ) 
 
 is called an own proper Son, which appel- 
 lation of the begotten feems to enforce our 
 underflanding the Term begety in as pro- 
 per a Senfe as may be. If Chrifl is tru- 
 ly and properly the Son, and the only be- 
 gotten Son of God (as you have heard the 
 Scripture declares him to be) then he muft be 
 God of the fame Nature with the Father that 
 begat him ; for he that is properly begotten 
 hath the fame Nature with him that begat. 
 Father and Son among Men have the fame 
 Human Nature : tho' not the fame individual, 
 yet the fame complete kind of Being or Ef- 
 lence one with the other. And when this is • 
 apply'd to Godj fo as to anfwer the Concep- 
 tions we have of a proper Father and Son, i|C 
 niuft be underftood in a manner fuitable t^ 
 the fimplicity of his Being ; and therefore as 
 the Divine Nature is indivifible, and can't be 
 multiply 'd into particular diftind Subftances, 
 as Human Nature may and is ,* fo the Perfon 
 of the Son, he being the only begotten Son of 
 the Father, and his own proper Son, muft 
 partake of the fame individual Subftance, Na- 
 ture or EfTence, with his Father, or cifc he 
 can't partake of his Father's Nature at all, 
 and confequently can't be faid in any proprie- 
 ty of Speech to be his own Son begotten of 
 John 8. j^jj^^ ^j^^ fQ proceed forth, as well as to come 
 ^** from God, viz.. the Father. Hence he is 
 caird the Brightnefsj not of the Godhead's 
 Glory, and the exprefs Image, not of the 
 Godhead, which might import that he is fome- 
 thing different from the Godhead, but he is 
 a^^'i'^' t/je Brightnefs of the Father's Glory, and the ex- 
 .< frefs Image of his V^KSOi^i : Which imports that 
 / ' he is diflind in Perfonality, and yet the fame 
 in his glorious Elfence with the Father ; for 
 
 jione 
 
( II ) 
 
 none but he that is God can poffibly be efTen- 
 tiaily in himfclf, or manifeftatively to us, the 
 Brightncfs of the Glory, and the exprefs Image 
 of him that is God, as his Challenge ftrongl/ 
 intimates, To whom ivil/ ye liken me, and make 
 me equaly and compare me that zue may be like ? 
 Ija. 45. 5. As if he fiiould fay, no other Be- 
 ing can exaftly bear ray Likcnefs. And there- 
 fore it being fafd of Chrift that he is the ex- 
 prefs Image of the Father, the fame Infinite 
 Effence mull: be common to the Father and 
 him, fubfifting in their diflind Perfonalities. 
 And accordingly the Name 'Jehovah (as I may 
 hereafter fhew) is given to the Son, which is 
 a Name denominating God from his Effence, 
 as having a permanent Being in himfejf ; and 
 fuch an one Chrill reprefents himfelf, as the 
 Son, to be, when he fays. As the Father hath John 5, 
 Jjfe in himfelf y fo hath he given to the Son to have *^* 
 Life in himfelf. He hath given to him, that is, 
 by Eternal Generation hath communicated to 
 him to have Life in himfelf eflentially, as the 
 Father hath it in himfelf The weight I lay 
 on this Text don't barely lye in the Particles 
 fo and oiy but in the nature of the thing they 
 refer to, and that is Life in himfelf. For to 
 have Life in himfelf is inimitable, and an At- 
 tribute as incommunicable to any that is not 
 by Nature God, as to be alfolutely indepen- 
 dent and fupreme, which are indeed manifeft- 
 ly included in this Perfe<5lion of the Godhead. 
 For to have Life in himfelf effcntially, is to be 
 abfolutely Independent ; and to have Life in 
 himfelf efficiently, as the Author of it to all 
 others, is to have abfolute Supremacy over 
 them ; and yQt this higheft effential Property 
 of the Deity is faid to be given or communi- 
 cated to the Son, as the Property of his Na- 
 ture, 
 
ture, he being a Divine Subfiftent in the God- 
 head : And that, in this fenfe of the Expreffion, 
 he hath Life in himfelf, appears from the i ft 
 Chapter of Jojin^ where, when Chrift is fpo- 
 John I. ken of as Gody by vjhom aU things were made, and 
 *,i»?,4. without whom was not any thing made that was 
 made, we aret told, that in him was Life, viz, 
 ejfentially as God, and that Life zvas the Light of 
 Men, viz. efficiently, as he was the Creator of 
 them, exactly anfwering to what the Apoftle 
 fays of the felf-fufficient and all-fufficientGod, 
 A(3:s 17. he needed not any thing, feeing he giveth to all Life 
 ^5* and Breath, and all things. And elfewhere Chrift 
 
 John II. fpeaks of himfelf as the RefurreEiion and the 
 25. Life, thereby intimating that all renew d Life, 
 both of a natural and fpiritual fort, are alfo 
 from him as the Original Source and Author 
 of them i for the Context leads us to under- 
 ftand the word Life in that place, in both 
 thofe Confiderations of it. And as Chrift hath 
 Life in himfelf, which feems to be the fulleft 
 of ary one Expreffion of the Nature of the 
 Joh. 1 5. Godhead, fo he declared that all things that 
 'S» the Father hath are his. Sure he wou'd have 
 fpoke this with fome Caution, if his Father's 
 Nature and Eftential Attributes were not his, 
 But that he really did partake of thefe the 
 Apoftle aflures us when he faith. In him dwells 
 C0I.2. 9. all the Fullnefs of the Godhead bodily, or fub- 
 ftantially, which I may have occafion after- 
 wards to explain. And accordingly our blefr- 
 Joh. 10. fe^l Lord himfelf faid, I and my Father are one. 
 ^'^' One 'Thing, [Gr. 'iv tff(iif>'] as thofe words fignify, 
 not one Perfon,nor one Power or Will, which 
 feems to be an uncouth Expreffion, as apply 'd 
 to two diftinft Perfons, but one Being, Sub-r 
 fiance or Effence, tho' diftind Perfons in that 
 one Subftance. 
 
 An4 
 
f 13 ) 
 
 And, that the 'Jews underftood him to mean 
 that he and his Father were one in Nature or 
 Efl'ence, appears from their immediately tak- 
 ing up Stones to ftone him for Blafphemy, he- Joh. i©; 
 cauje he being a Man made him f elf God by what ^^' 
 he had then faid. In anfwer to which Chrift 
 don't at all difown their Senfe <5f his Words, 
 by telling them they miftook him, and that he 
 only meant that he and his Father were one in 
 Confent and Defign, or Power, as he was the 
 Father's Delegate, and aded by a Power deri- 
 ved from him, or that th«y were One only in 
 fome inferiour way, and that his Words were 
 to be taken not in a ftrid and proper, but only 
 in a loofe and general Senfe. If he had not 
 meant as they underflood him, or at leaft if 
 what they underflood him to mean was not 
 true, he wou'd certainly have faid fomething 
 of this kind to corrcd their grofs*Miftake, 
 and to do Juftice to himfelf and to his Father's 
 Honour. But fo far was he from this, that on 
 the other hand he confirm'd what he had faid 
 as a Truth in their Senfe of it, viz,, that he 
 was fo One with the Father as to be indeed by 
 Nature God as well as he. The firft Proof he 
 offers for this is taken from the Word of God. 
 'Jefm anfwer d them. Is it not written in your 34>?J,?6 
 Law, I faid ye are Gods ? If he caU'd them Gods ^"fes. 
 to whom the Word of God came, and the Scripture 
 cant be broken : Say ye of him whom the Father 
 hath fanBtfied and fent into the World, thou blaf- 
 fhemefl becaufe I faid, I am the Son of God ? The 
 Place firom whence this Text is quoted is Pfal. 
 82. 6. where thefe words are fpoken to 
 the Rulers of Ifrael, I have faid ye are Gods. 
 Thofe Rulers of Ifrael were in their Office' 
 Types and Shadows of the Meffiah who was 
 to come jorth to be Ruler m Ifrael j and they Mic.s.2^ 
 
 were 
 
(14) 
 
 were caird Gods, becaufe they were typically 
 reprefentative of that Ruler of Jfrael that ftiou'd 
 be the true God : Otherwife what can be the 
 meaning or force of thofe words which Chrift 
 immediately adds as the foot of his Argument, 
 and the Scripture cant be brokeuy unlefs to fhew 
 that their being call'd Gods by the Word of 
 God, as chat came to them and gave them 
 that Title, had a Reference to Chriff , and was 
 Prophetick that he fhould be indeed God, or 
 that he fiiou'd be in Reality and Truth, what 
 they were only in Shadow and Name. And fo 
 Chrift's Argument lyes very clear and ftrone ; 
 q. d. If the Rulers of old v/ere call'd Gods in 
 the Scripture, becaufe they were Types of me 
 the great Shepherd and Ruler of Ijmelj (un- 
 der which Charader he had fpoken of himfelf 
 in the former part of this Chapter) can you 
 imagine it to be Blafphemy, that I whom the 
 Father hath fandify'd and fent into the World, 
 as that Ruler or Shepherd whom they typifi'd, 
 Ihou'd fay I am the Son of God, as they in that 
 place were call'd the Children of the mofl H;gh ? 
 Or rather, is it not evident that to anfwer 
 thofe Types, I muft be that in Truth, Reality 
 or Subftance, which they were only in Name 
 and Shadow ? Don't the very nature of a Type 
 and its Antitype neceflarily import this ? If 
 therefore 1 did not really anfwer thofe Types, 
 the Scripture wou'd be broken ; but that can't 
 be, and confequcncly I muft needs be in a true 
 and proper fenfc God. This appears with 
 great evidence to me to be the moft genuine 
 ftate of Chrift's Argument in thofe Verfes ; 
 and there fcems to be fomething in the Pfalm 
 itfelf from whence this Teftimony is taken to 
 favour it. For when the Pfalmift gave thofe 
 Rulers the Title of Go^s, he tells them they 
 
 {hoiid 
 
(15) 
 
 fliou'd dye like Men, intimating thereby that 
 they were Gods only in Name and Shadow ; 
 and immediately he adds this Prayer refped- 
 ing, as I conceive, the Meffiah, Arjfe, O God, Pfa. 2u 
 judge the Earth ; for thou (hah inherit all Nations : ^> 7» S. 
 'viz.. Gentiles as well as Jews, according to 
 what is faid of Chrift, that he Ihoii'd have the Pfa.i. 8. 
 Heathen for his Inheritance, and the uttermoft parts 
 of the Earth for his Pojfeffion. From this Argu- 
 ment taken from the Word of God, Chrift 
 proceeds further to prove his Efl'ential One- 
 nefs with the Father from the famenefs of thofe 
 Works which he and the Father wrought, if Job. fo, 
 / do not the Works of my Father, [relieve mf not : 37> 58* 
 But if I do, tho ye believe not me, believe the 
 IVorks, that ye may know and believe that the Fa- 
 ther is in me, and I in him. He herein argues 
 not only from the famenefs of his Works with 
 the Father's for the Subftancc of them, but 
 moft efpecially from that God-like, fovereign, 
 felf-fujficient way in which he, as well as the 
 Father, wrought them ; which is the only 
 Confideration of them that fuited his Argu- 
 ment, and commanded a Belief that his Fa- 
 ther and he had a mutual effential in-being, 
 and had the fame Divine Nature as the Prin- 
 ciple of Operation in them both ; and accord- 
 ingly the Jezvs underftood him as hereby car- 
 rying his Argument unto an Aflertion of his 
 Onencfs in Nature with the Father, and fo 
 maintaining that he was properly God ; and 
 therefore they fought again to take him. 39. ver,'- 
 
 Thus as Chriil is the proper Son of God he 
 hath the fame Nature with the Father, and is 
 as truly and properly God as he ', for his be- 
 ing God, and the Son of God, are ufed as fyno- 
 nimous terms, or as words of the fame im- 
 port, in that Difcourfe of Chrifl's, which we 
 
 have 
 
( IM 
 
 have been now confidering, and in that place 
 in the Pfalms to which it refers, and the rea- 
 fon of their being ufed as Terms of the fame 
 import with refped: to Chrift, is becaufe by 
 Eternal Generation the Divine Eflence is com- 
 municated to him. Hence when the Evange- 
 lift John had call'd him God in a proper fenfe, 
 John I. th^ Word luaa God, he afterwards calls this 
 J, 14. Word the only begotten of the Father, to (hew 
 that he is truly and properly God, of the fame 
 Nature with the Father, as he is his only be^ 
 gotten Son, and fo hath his Father's Nature 
 by an inconceivable Generation. Yea, Chrift s 
 Divine Nature is fo intirely the fame with the 
 John 14. Father's, that /;f that hath feen him., or known 
 7, 9* him according to the manifeftations he made 
 of himfelf as the Son of the Father, hath feen, 
 or known, the Father alfo : Which imports that 
 they are diftinguifh'd from each other as two 
 Perfons, and yet are of the fame Nature or 
 Eflfence. For otherwife it wou'd not follow 
 in any fair fenfe of the words, fuitable to the 
 Spirituality of God's Nature, that he that 
 hath feen the Son hath feen the Father. And 
 accordingly the following Verfes expound it 
 of him and his Father, who as two diftinft 
 Perfons have an eflential in-being in each o- 
 ther, with a Confirmation of it by the fame 
 Argument as Chrift ufed to the fame purpofc 
 in '^ohn 10. Chapter, which hath been confi- 
 John 14. der'd at large. Believe m^y that I am in the 
 ' ' Father, and the Father in me ; or elf e believe me 
 
 for the very fj/brks fake. Hence, 
 
 Ffop. ?. p^p^ ^^ ^^ Chrift is the eternal proper Son 
 of the Father, and hath the Divine Nature or 
 Effence, neceffary Exr/ieme belongs to him. 
 
 He 
 
(17) 
 
 He is not brought forth merely as an efFeft 
 of the Father's IVil/, as all Creatures are, and 
 therefore his Exiflence is net arbitrary as theirs 
 is. Creatures, one and all, might, or might 
 not have had a Being. Every Creature that 
 hath a Being might never have had that Be- 
 ing, if it had fo pleafed God. There was no 
 neceffity of Nature why any of them fhould 
 be j all that they are or have is owing to an a6t 
 of Sovereign Pleafure, and fubfiils by it. For 
 thou haji created all T'hings^ and for thy Pleafure Rev. 4, 
 they are and were created. But we read nothing *^* 
 like this with refpeft to the Eternal Genera- 
 tion of the Son, and he being truly and by 
 Nature God, his Exiflence can't but be abso- 
 lutely neceflary. He can't but have a Being ; 
 he cou'd not but be from Everlafting, and 
 can't but be to Everlafting. His very Nature 
 as God includes neceflary Exiftence as elTen- 
 tial to him, and can't do otherwife without 
 the moft obvious Contradidion : And hence 
 Chrift call'd himfelt / amy which denotes the 
 neceility and eternal permanence of his Being. 
 Verily i verily, I fay unto you, before Abraham vcm John 8. 
 / am. He hereby claims the fame neceflary 58. 
 permanent unconfin'd Being, as the great Je- 
 hovah of Ifrael did by that Name, the mean- 
 ing of which is drawn out in the Pfalmifl's 
 Defcription of God i\\ his neceffary and eter- 
 nal Exiftence. From everlafting to everlafting Pfal. po, 
 thou art God. The Godhead can't be other- ^* 
 wife than it is. And as it fubfilts in Three 
 Perfons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, the 
 Subfiftence of each and all of thefe is equally 
 neceflary. So that (fpeaking with Reverence) 
 the Father can no more fubfift without the 
 Son than the Son without the Father ; the 
 non-fubfiftence of cither of them wou'd change 
 
 C the 
 
(18) 
 
 the Godhead itfelf, and make it infiniteJjr 
 dilJerent from what it is. And therefore the 
 Subfiftence of the Sou is no more avoidable 
 than that of the Father, becaufe the Siibfift- 
 ence of both equvilly (lands on the unchange-- 
 able Perfection of the Godhead itfelf Hcnce,- 
 
 Prop. 4. Prop. ^. As Chrifl necefTarily exifts in the 
 true Nature of God, he ?>, en to E/ence, equal' 
 to the Father, tho in ether refpeBs infer iotir t'O' 
 him, 
 
 Confidering the Fathef merely as the Fa- 
 ther, and the Son merely as the Son, Oi* only 
 in thofe Relations of one to the ather, and 
 fo it may be allowed that, accoifding to^ our 
 Notions of Things, the Soil, as the Son, is 
 inferiour to the Father, as the Father i thofe 
 Relations, abftradly confider'd as fuch, im- 
 plying it, tho'^ how far thofe Relations in the 
 £>ivine Nature imply it, is more thaa we can 
 pretend to fay ; and confidering Chrift as 
 Man, and as in his Office Capacity, and fo 
 he can't but be inferiour to the Father, as we 
 may fee hereafter. But yeuthis no ways hin- 
 ders but that, confidering the Son in his Na- 
 ture as God, he in that fenfe is equal to and 
 as great as the Father, being together with 
 the Father the mod High God ; and that for 
 this plain Reafon, becaufe the Nature or Ef- 
 fence of both is one and the fame, as you 
 have already heard. To fuppofe that one is 
 greater than the other in that refped: in whicb 
 they are ©tie and the fame, is to fuppofe the 
 greateft Contradidion that can be. And ac- 
 cordingly our Lord fpoke of himfelf as the 
 Son of God in fuch high Charaders of his 
 Godhead, that the Jews underftood him ta 
 sneaa, that he was in Nature equal to G©d ; 
 
 for 
 
(19) 
 
 for which they charged him with Blafphemy. 
 yefm anfwerd them. My father zuorketh hitherto, John ?. 
 and I work. 'Therefore the Jews fought the wore ^7» i8. 
 to kill him, becaufe he fa'td that God was his, or 
 (as 'tis in the Greek, and is reported by the 
 Evangelift as the import of Chrift's words) 
 his t own Father, making himfelf equal with t'^'nfjj 
 God. His calling God his own Father, they ''''"'•• 
 jiiftly underftood to fignify that he was of the 
 fame Nature with him. And Chrift was fo 
 far from difowning this Charge, or faying, it 
 was but a Cavil founded on a ftrain'd Criti- 
 cifm on his Words, that he in the following 
 Verfes confirm'd the Truth of this, which 
 f they, not allowing him to be what he really 
 was, imagined to be Blafphemy -, altho' he 
 likewife intermixt feveral things which fuited 
 with his lower Characters as Man and Media- 
 tor, as he often ufed to do. 
 
 Among other Particulars he tells them, 'The 
 Son can do nothing of himfelf, which may be ver. rp, 
 underftood of him as Man or as Mediator, 
 and fo belongs to his lower Charader; and in 
 this fenfe I allow he ufes a like Expreflion 
 afterwards in this Chapter, where he fays, / 
 can of ?nine own felf do nothing, ver. 30. He 
 feems by what he immediately adds in that 
 Verfe and the following to the end of the 
 Chapter, to talk more apparently of himfelf 
 according to his inferiour Charader, as Man, 
 or as the Meffiah. But in the Verfe we are 
 confidering 'tis quite otherwife ; for by the 
 next words he as apparently fpeaks of himfelf 
 according to his highcft Charafter as God, 
 and that as a Proof of this Affertion, as we 
 may fee anon, and fo confidering it we may 
 cafily underftand the meaning of it to be thus, 
 he cou'd do nothing of himfelf, or apart from the 
 
 C a Father, 
 
( 50 ) 
 
 Father, becaufe his Effence and his Father's 
 were the fame, and therefore they cou'd not 
 ' be divided in Operation, but jointly afted in 
 
 all things. The Divine Nature is the Princi- 
 ple of Operation in both, and therefore what- 
 ever one Perfon doth the other may be faid 
 to do too, tho' one of thefe Perfons may be 
 more immediate in the Operation than ano- 
 ther. And that this was the meaning of Chrifl 
 in this Expreffion here, ^^ems plain from what 
 he adds as the Reafon of it in the clofe of the 
 Verfe, for what things Joever he doth, these, not 
 only like thefe, but the very fame in every 
 particular, these alfo doth the Son likewise, or 
 in the fame mannerj in the fame fovereign 
 felf'fufficient way ; and therefore he adds in 
 a moft exalted and God-like Strain, equal to 
 that which belongs to the Father, a^ the Father 
 raifeth up the Dead, and qttickneth them, even so, 
 with the fame Power, the Son qukkeneth whom 
 HE wiLi, with an abfolute and unreftrain'd 
 Sovereignty, which he mention'd with refpecii 
 to himfeif, tho' he had paffed it by in filence 
 with refped to the Father. And can it be 
 imagin'd that he woii'd have taken fuch a 
 Lordly State on himfeif, and that whiift he 
 was fpeaking of the Father as well as of him- 
 feif, and that without expreffing the like So- 
 vereignty of the Father, if he was not indeed 
 in Nature equal to him ? Sure this as well as 
 other Pafl'ages in the fame Context, are a very 
 pregnant evidence that he did not blafpheme 
 when he faid God was his own J ather, mak- 
 ing or afl'erting himfeif to be equal with God. 
 And the Apoftle fays the fame thing of him 
 in the moft exprefs words, telling us, that he 
 Phil, 2. thought it not Robbery to be equal with God. This 
 ^. appears with good evidence to mc to be the 
 
 proper. 
 
Cm) 
 
 proper, faircft and moft obvious reading of 
 thefe words. Some have indeed laboured with 
 much Subtilty to turn the ExprefTion, who 
 thought it not E.obbery to be equal xoith God j to 
 fliew he did not covet, or was not greedy or 
 in hafte of being honour'd as God, which 
 they at the fame tinie (at leaft Tome of them) 
 have confefs'd is an unufual Phrafe ; and 'tis 
 indeed fo unufual that I can find nothirt'g like 
 it in all the Bible. And why ihou'd <ve admit 
 of that unufual Phrafe here, when this Apo- 
 illc himfelf hath taught us better in his own 
 ufe of the Verb that governs the reft of this 
 Sentence ? In this Epiftle and feveral others, 
 'tis often and conftantly ufed to iignify tofup- 
 fofe, think, count or reckon^ or fome fuch word. 
 Thus in this very Chapter, / supposed it ne- chap. 2. 
 ceffary : And in the next Chapter three times z?. 
 together, /counted Lofs for Chrifl : /count ^^^p. 3, 
 aU things but Lofs and do count them but '* ' 
 
 Dungy &c. In all thefe places 'tis the fame 
 Verb t with that in the Place under Confide-" 
 ration. 
 
 And as this is the moft genuine Senfe of 
 the Phrafe, fo it admirably fuits the Apoftle's 
 Defign in what he he here fays of Chrift, 
 which isi to excite us to the utmoft Humble- 
 nefs of Mind in our Regards to others, from 
 a Confideration of the infinite Condefcention 
 of Chrift, who in his Divine Nature claim'd 
 an Equality with God, but in his regards to 
 
 t ny'SfjLeu, and vid. Dr. Edwards's Preface to his Re- 
 fiedtioiis on Mr. Whijlgn^ where this Text is vindicated 
 at large, and feveral other Inftances are given of the ufe 
 of this Verb by the Apofties in the fenfe in which I 
 h^ve Mken it. 
 
 C 5 v^^ 
 
("J 
 
 us voluntarily emptied himfelf, or laid afidc 
 his Glory in the abafing Circumftances in 
 which he appear'd in Human Nature. And 
 therefore we ought to abide by this plain 
 Senfe of the Words, as they a{fert Chrift's 
 Equality with the Father, confidering Chrift 
 in his Divine Nature. 
 
 SERMON 
 
< 33 ) 
 
 SERMON IL 
 
 ROM. ix. 5. 
 
 — ' — Of whom as concerning the ¥lejh 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 I Have already fpoken to Four Propofitions 
 to explain the Obfervatioii I made from -^ 
 
 the Text, and to fettle our Thoughts a- 
 jbout the Perfon of Chrift : And now proceed 
 to a Fifth, which is this : 
 
 Prop. 5. It was frojn Everlafling, agreed be- Pror«5^ 
 fvoeen the Fdther and the Son, that the Son fhoiid 
 tijfnme Human Nature into Perfonal Union ivitb 
 bimfelfi and in that Nature be a Mediator between 
 iGod and Man, which is no way inconfiftent 
 iix}ith hii EJfential Equality en God, -with the Fa- 
 ther. 
 
 Chrift is not only fpoken of as pre-exiftent 
 in his Divine Nature to all Worlds, but as fee 
 up [_Heb. anointed] orconftituredas Mediator 
 from Everlaftingj in the Eternal Covenant be- 
 tween the Father and him. / was Jet up from ^xov, 8. 
 ^verlajling^ &c. And to ftiew that this had 13. 
 a refped to fome Tranfadions between the 
 Father and him, relating to the Work he was 
 to go through for the Sons of Men, 'tis added 
 in the fame Difcourfe, T'hen was I by hi?n ai one v.joji. 
 C 4 brought 
 
brought up ivith hlniy and I "was always his De- 
 light, rejoycing alviays before him : Rejoycmg in 
 the habitable fart of his Earth, a^d my Delights 
 were with the Sons of Men. Accordingly 'Job 
 fpoke of Chrift, about Two Thoufand Years 
 before his Incarnation, as his Redeemer who 
 Job 19. ]ivecl in that Office then. / know that my Re- 
 ReV 1%, deemer liveth, &c. He was then a Lamb /lain 
 i8. by Covenant Agreement, as well as Typical 
 Reprefentation : And without allowing of 
 that Covenant Agreement, I don't underiTand 
 2 Tim. fjow it can be laid, that Grace ivas given m in 
 Tif* ChrifH, and Eternal Life -waa promifed bfore the 
 ' ' ' j/j/orld began. In this Eternal Covenant the 
 Father, as the Firft Perfon of the Trinity, is 
 reprefented as propofing the Office of Medi- 
 ation to the Son, and the Son as freely and 
 voluntarily falling in with that Propofal. He 
 was not forced to it, it was a free K&, of his 
 Pral.40. Will. Lo, I cofne '.'—— I delight to do thy IViH, 
 7> S. o Tny God. By this Agreement the Son was to 
 take to himfelf an inferiour Nature, and in 
 that Nature to aft in fubjeftion to his Father, 
 as one that voluntarily made himfelf his Ser- 
 vant to accomplifh the great and glorious De- 
 lign of Salvation to all that the Father then 
 gave him : Hence the Father fpeaks to him 
 , as his Servant in this Work, in the Reprefeii- 
 ' tation that is made of this Covenant at large, 
 ' '; Jfa. 4p; Chap. . : 
 
 As this Difpenfation of Things well be- 
 comes the Order of the Perfonal Subfiftencies 
 in the Trinity, fo it no way interferes with 
 Chrift's Eflential Equality in his Divine Na- 
 ture with the Father. For Chrift don't here- 
 by ceafe to be what he was before, tho' he 
 becomes in another Confideration of him what 
 lie before was not. And nothing is mor'e 
 
 common 
 
f 55 ) 
 
 common than for Perfons that arc otherwife 
 equal to become inferiour one to the other by 
 Difpenfation or Agreement ; yea, fomctimes 
 a Superiour in other rcfpeds becomes an In- 
 feriour by Office and Service. An elder Bro- 
 ther fomctimes becomes a Servant to the 
 younger. A Husband, who in that Relation 
 is fuperiour to his Wife, fomctimes becomes 
 fubjcdt to her in another ; as in the late Reign, 
 Prince George, the Husband, was the Subjeft 
 and Servant of Qu^cen Af^ne, his Wife. Yea, 
 fomctimes a Parent, who is in that Relation 
 fuperiour to a Son, becomes in another, fub- 
 j'cd: to him, as an Emprefs Dowager becomes 
 the Subjed of her reigning Son. Yea, fomc- 
 times a Father himfelf may by Office become 
 inferiour to his Son, as a Lord Chancellor 
 may have a Father in Office under him, and 
 as in faft Jofeplis Father, and all his elder 
 Brethren, were fubjeft to him, and lefs than 
 he in Egypt j and it Superiours in other re- 
 fpeds may by Difpenfation and Office come 
 into inferiour Capacities, much more may 
 thofe who are in other refpeds equal, not- 
 withilanding that Equality, agree to put on 
 feveral Perfonages, and to become in diiferent 
 Stations one of them fubjeft to the other. And 
 in all thefe Inftances of one Perfon's becoming 
 inferiour to another by Difpenfation, they are 
 equal by Nature as Men, having the fame 
 EHcntial Nature and Properties which make 
 them capable of agreeing upon and afling in 
 thofe fuperiour or inferiour Capacities relpe- 
 aively. Now tho', in the application of this 
 to the Cafe in hand, wc mull: not fuppofe that 
 the Father and Son are two diftind Beings, 
 yet con/idcring them as two diftind Perfons it 
 icrves to illuftrate what I aim at ; 'viz,. Tiiat 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 the Son's becoming inferioiir to the Father by 
 Difpenfation and Agreement, in his taking 
 upon him our Nature, and becoming his Ser- 
 vant therein, is no way inconfiftent with his 
 Equality with the Father under another Con- 
 fideration of him as he is by Nature God ; 
 and will by no means bear an Inference that 
 Chrift was in his Divine Nature, and prior to 
 his Office, fubjed and inferiour to his Father, 
 as he is in that Office Relation, or that fuch 
 an infinite Diftance as muft be between th(p. 
 Eternal Father, and any that is not by Nature 
 God, was neceflary to that Subjedion and 
 Dependence on the Father, which Chrift in 
 our Nature and in his Office Capacity came 
 into. On the other hand, Chrift's higheft 
 Characters of abfolute Sovereignty and Power 
 as God, and his loweft Chara(51:ers of Subje- 
 dion and Dependence as Man and Mediator, 
 are often blended together in his Difcourfes 
 of himfelf, to /hew that in different Confide- 
 rations of him they are all very confiftent to- 
 gether, as a careful Reader may eafily obferve. 
 And the Father fpeaking of him as his Ser- 
 vant calls him at the fame time his Fellow, to 
 fhew that his Subjedion to him in one Nature, 
 and with refpeft to his Office, is not incon- 
 fiflent with his Equality with him in his o- 
 ther Nature, and abfolutely confider'd. Awake 
 O fword, againji my Shepherd^ and againjl the 
 Man that is my Fellow^ faith the Lord of Hofis^ 
 Zech. 13. 7- Hence, 
 
 Pfop. 6, Prop. 6. "The Son of God, according to hii vo- 
 luntary Agreement with the Father, did in the 
 Fullnefs of 'time ajfwne Human Nature into Per^ 
 fonal Union with himfelf, and fo became in One 
 Perfon God-Man, as truly Man as he was God. 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 He having agreed to be his Father's Servant 
 in Redeeming Work, 'tis faid, fuitable to that 
 Relation, that he prepay'' d him a Body, and he Heb. lo. 
 fent forth his Son^ 7nade of a WomaUy made under 5. 
 the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law. ^ ' ^' 
 And to fliew that the Son was at the fame ^^ 
 time active and voluntary herein, we are told 
 that forafmiich as the Children are partakers of "^°- J- 
 Flepi and Blood, he alfo Imnfelf took part of the ^' 
 
 fame — and he took on him the Seed of Abra^ ' 
 
 ham ; that is. Human Nature derived from 
 Al^raham, in diftinction from the Nature of An- 
 gels. He took on him not a Human Perfon 
 that had an antecedent or diftind Subfiftence 
 of its own, for then he wou'd have been two 
 Perfons ; but he took on him Human Nature, 
 and gave it a pecuhar and individual Subfift- 
 cnce in his own Divine Perfon, fo that both 
 his Divine and Human Natures have but one 
 Perfonal Subfiftence, and are together but one 
 Chrift. And this is that which our Text af- 
 ferts, that he was of the Fathers, or of the 
 Jewifh Nation, according to the Flejh, or as to 
 his Human Nature, even he the fame Perfon, 
 who is, in his other Nature, God ever all, bleffed 
 for ever. The Evangel iff John very fully cfta- 
 blifhes the fame Truth, when fpeaking unde- 
 niably of the fame Perfon he fays. In the be- Joh.i.r, 
 ginning was the Word, and the JVord was with '4* 
 God, and the Word was God ; and he, the Word, 
 was tnade Flejb and dwelt among us. And the 
 ApoRic fpeaks of this as the great Miflery of 
 Codlinefs, that Cod was manifejl in the Flejh, 
 juftifyd in the Spirit, feen of Angels, preached un- 
 to the Gentiles, believd on in the World, and re- 
 ceivd up into Glory. Thefe Expreflions all ma- 
 nifeftly relate to the fame Perfon, and they 
 are fuch as can't agree to the Father, or to the 
 
 Godhead 
 
(28) 
 
 Godhead abfolutely confider'd, but only to 
 God in the Perfon of the Son, of whom alone 
 it can be faid that he was juftifyd in the Spirit, 
 and receivd up to Glory. 
 
 That the Son of God was incarnate, and 
 fo became Man, is abundantly declared in the 
 Scripture. The Faft is clear and plain, tho' 
 the Manner of it is incomprehenfible and 
 puzzling to our weak Capacities, and there- 
 fore 'tis call'd a Miftery, 'the great Miflery of 
 Godlinefi. And how can it be but that this 
 wonderful Union of two different Natures in 
 one Perfon, together with the other wonder- 
 ful Union of three diftind Perfons in one in- 
 finite Nature, which this Union prefuppofes, 
 fliou'd be a Miftery ? fince all real and efpeci- 
 ally 'Vital Unions are fo, as to the manner of 
 them. 
 
 Natural Unions are all Mifteries, which the 
 wifeft of Men, and the moft acute and learn- 
 ed Philofophers, could never give a fatisfado- 
 ry account of None could ever tell how the 
 parts of Matter are united, or by what nexus 
 Tyes or Bands they hang together, or are fra- 
 med into their different Confiftencies : Why 
 one Body is folid and another fluid, one fofr 
 and another hard, or why all their Particles 
 don't fly afunder at every puff, like a heap of 
 loofe and fine'Duft. That different Bodies 
 are of different Contextures is undeniable Fad, 
 but how or whence it is that they are fo np 
 living Man can tell. And as to the Union of 
 our own Souls and Bodies, by what Bands or 
 Tyes they are knit together and make "up a 
 Human Perfon, none can pofTibly conceive or 
 tell ; or how the Soul that is an immaterial 
 Spirit afts upon the Body that is mere Mat- 
 ter, between v/hich two there is no Likenefs 
 ' ' in 
 
( 59) 
 
 in their abftraft Natures or Properties, ot how 
 the Body that is Matter afts upon and affeds 
 the Soul that is a Spirit, how they keep toge- 
 ther, and never (or at leaft don't ordinarily) 
 part till Death in an unaccountable way dif- 
 folves the uniting unknown fomewhat, is al- 
 together incomprehenfible. We by daily Ex- 
 perience know the FaA that it is fo, but can't 
 fo much as guefs with probability at the man- 
 ner of that Fact, how it is fo. And 'tis more 
 than likely that if Experience had not fix'd. 
 and commanded our Belief of thefe Things, 
 we fhou'd have reckon'd them Impoffibilities 
 and Contradictions, and have thought them 
 more abfurd, than 'tis now for us to imagine, 
 that a Stick or a Stone, continuing what they 
 are, fhou'd be perfonally united to an Angel 
 who fhou'd animate them, and make them 
 fpeak and aft, and be affefted with Pain or 
 Pleafure, according to the different Touches 
 and Impreffions which other Bodies might 
 make upon them. 
 
 How much lefs then can we poor, little, 
 fhallow, narrow-minded Creatures, pretend to 
 conceive or tell the manner of thofe Unions 
 that relate to the deepeft Things of God, or 
 to the incomprehenlible infinite Nature or 
 Eifence of God ? How three diftinft Perfons 
 are united and fubfift in one infinite Nature, 
 as it is in the adorable Trinity ; or how two 
 diftinft Natures are united in one Perfon, as 
 it is in the unexampled Incarnation of ihc Son ? 
 But when the Scripture hath fo often and 
 plainly told us upon the Authority of God, 
 who can't lye, that there are fuch Unions, for 
 us to deny or disbelieve them becaufe our 
 thoughts are not fo high as God's thoughts, 
 or becaufe we can't adjufl thefe Unions to our 
 
 own 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 bwn dark confiifed Notions, or conceive how 
 they can be, and thereupon to cry out they 
 are contrary to Reafon, and fcornfully call 
 them Mifleries that are fit to be receiv'd only 
 blindfold, is juft as if we fhoa'd deny, and 
 laugh at thofe that believe, that our Souls and 
 Bodies are united, becaufe we can't conceive 
 how they fhou'd be fo in a way congruous to 
 their refpedtive Natures ,• or that the Parts oF 
 Matter in ibiid Bodies are united, becaufe 
 we can't conceive the manner of their being 
 fo. As abfurd as this would be in one Cafe, 
 fo abfurd it is in the other ; fince the Tefti- 
 mony of God is at leafl as good an Authority 
 as that of ourSenfes,to be depended on. And 
 did we humbly and fairly confult what God 
 fays firft, and then regulate our own ways ot 
 reafoning by it in Divine Things, as we con- 
 fult our Experience firft, and regulate our own 
 ways of reafoning by that in Natural Things, 
 I am perfwaded we fhou'd never feek to ftrain 
 and force the Word of God from its moft plain 
 and genuine meaning, that we may make it 
 comply with our own fchemes or ways of 
 Thinking, inftead of making them comply 
 with that. And fure we owe more Deference 
 to God than we do to our fclves. 
 
 We are to believe this Miftery, that Chrift 
 is both God and Man in one Perfon, upon the 
 bare Authority of God's Word. That (as 
 you have already heard, and may hear more 
 hereafter) affirms with ftrong and repeated 
 Clearnefs, and in the moft proper Terms, that 
 He is God -y and it declares with like plainnefs 
 of fpeech, that the fame Perfon is Alany as all 
 the Texts mention'd at the beginning of this 
 Propofition fliew ; and it admits of ftill fuller 
 evidence, which I Ihall now a little farther, 
 
 4jho- 
 
r 31) 
 
 tho' but briefly, point to. The Accomplifh- 
 ment of all the ancient Prophefics of him as a 
 Man, as the Seed of the IVoman^ and of Abra- 
 ham, and Son of David, and the like, prove 
 him to be truly a Man ; and fo do the ac- 
 counts we have of his Conception and Birth, 
 tho' in an extraordinary manner, and of his 
 whole Life and Death on Earth, in which he 
 appear'd, afted and fuffer'd altogether as a 
 Man, and in ways peculiar only to a Man. 
 That he had a true Human Body appears not 
 only from its being call'd a Body, but from 
 the Dcfcription that is given of it, as Flefi ^^^- 2^ 
 and Blood ; the fame for kind with that which *^' . 
 the Children, redeemed by him, are partakers of. 
 And even after his Refurredion, he fpoke of 
 his Body as confifting of Flefh and Bones, and 
 of the Members proper to a Human Body. 
 Behold my Hands and my Fen that it is I my felf; L^k.zf, 
 handle and fee, for a Spirit hath net Flej/j and '^* 
 Bones a5 ye fee me have. 
 
 And that He had a true Human Sculis evi- 
 dent ; for he as Man increafed in Wifdom m *~^^ *• 
 rdell 05 Stature. This cou'd not be faid of his ^ 
 Godhead without a blafphemous Indignity, 
 but only of his Human Soul -, and that Soul 
 of his was fubjed to the fame Paffions of Joy, 
 Grief and Sorrow as ours are, only without 
 Sin. Hence we read of Chrift's rejoycing in ^"^' '®» 
 Spirit on one hand, and of his being grieved -j^J^^j^ g^ 
 find troubled, and of his Jigbing deeply and groan- n, 
 ing in Spirit on the other. At other times we Joh. 11. 
 are told, his. Soul ixiai exceeding forroivful unto ^l' ^ 
 Death, and he pourd out his Soul to Death, and jy^J^j. j' 
 gave up the Chofl. All thefe, and fuch like, Ex- i/i^. & 
 prefJions fhew that he had a true Human Soul is- )7« 
 as well as Body ; for the Divine Nature was J^^* 55» 
 incapable of being fubjed to any of thefe 
 
 Paffions, 
 
 12.. 
 
(32 ) 
 
 Pafficns, miich more to thofe that were To ve- 
 ry dolorous, that being wholly impoffible. He 
 was to redeem the Souls as well as the Bodies 
 ot Men, and therefore he mufl have a Human 
 Soul to go for their Souls ; and this we are 
 
 Ifa. 53* aflured he offer'd, M'hen thou jkalt make Im Soul 
 
 ■*"• an offering for Sin. To put this matter part all 
 reafonable Doubt, 'tis exprefly affirm'd that 
 
 Heb. 2. J^e ^;^ jy^ ^n things made like to his Brethren ; 
 
 *'* which is fpoken with refped to his taking our 
 Nature that he might be fit to ad therein as a 
 fuitable High Pricft for us Men, and therefore 
 imports that he is as truly a Man as any of us 
 '• are : And on this account he is frequently 
 call'd the Son of Man-^ as on the account of his 
 Divine Nature he is call'd the Son cf God. 
 Hence, 
 
 Prop. 7. Prop. 7. "The two diftinct Natures of God and 
 Man that are Perfonally united in Chri/I, continue 
 diflinB ai to their Subflame and EJfemial proper- 
 ties in him. 
 
 His Godhead is not turn'd into the Man- 
 hood, nor his Manhood into the Godhead : 
 Their Natures are not alter'd or confounded, 
 fo as to make up a third Nature between God 
 and Man ; for then he wou'd be neither God 
 nor Man, but of a Nature between both, and 
 fpecifically different from both : Whereas he 
 is both God and Man in different Confidcra- 
 tions of him, having the perfed Nature of 
 both united in himfelf, fo as thofe Natures are 
 Perfonally one, and yet Effentially diflind. 
 His being Man is no more inconfiflent with 
 his being God, than his being God is incon- 
 fiftcnt with his being Man, and they are nei- 
 ther of them really more inconfilfent with one 
 another, than 'tis that our Souls, which are 
 
 pure 
 
C 35 3 
 
 Jiure Spirits, are united with our Bodies ^ 
 which are mere Matter, and conftitute one 
 Human Pcrfon, without the leaftConfufionof 
 the Elibntial Nature or Properties of either of 
 them. 
 
 Chrifl's Divine Nature and Propef-ties ftill 
 continue the fame as ever they were ; they 
 lofe nothing by his becoming Man. With re- 
 fped to this Nature he is ftill as Eternal, Om- 
 nipotent, Omniprefeht, Omnifcient, Infinite 
 in Holinefs, Goodnefs and Truth, and all o- 
 ther Moral Attributes, and altogether as im- 
 paflible as ever, (as may be hereafter fhewn} 
 which can't be faid of him as Marij or with 
 refpect to his Human Nature. Hence his Hu-. 
 man Nature, and all its Eflential Properties, 
 are likewife the fame that belong to a true and 
 perfeft Man. This Nature was not Omnifci-* 
 ent and Omnipotent as his Divine Nature 
 was ; for fpeaking of himfelf as Man, he con- 
 fefs'd he did not know the Day of Judgment^ 
 Matthi 13. 32. and cou'd of his own felf do no- 
 things Joh. 5. 30. which* as has been hinted^ 
 is to be underftood of Chrift as Man. In his 
 Human Nature, when he was in his ftate of 
 Humiliation on Earth, he was fubjed to all 
 finlefs Infirmities of Human Life,and to Death 
 itfelf, as Well as other Men, (as the Hiftory 
 of the Gofpels fully iliew) but nothing of thii 
 can be faid of him as God over all, blefjed for 
 ever, or with fefped to his Divine Nature. 
 His Human Nature is finite and limited, even 
 in it^ exalted State in Heaven ,• tis only in 
 Heaven, whilft his Elfcntial Prefence as God 
 fills all Places. Thus the Angels fpoke of him 
 with refpeft to his Human Nature, when the 
 t)ifciplcs faw him afcending in that Nature to 
 Heaven, ABs i. 5?, 10, u. So that he is true 
 D ^ntl 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 and perfed God, and true and perfed Man^ 
 without the leaft Confufion or EfTential Iden- 
 tity of either of thofe Natures, or of their 
 Effential Properties refpectively. And yet, 
 thefe being fo united in Chrift as to be but 
 one Perfon, fometimes the Things that he did 
 immediately in one Nature are afcrib'd to him 
 when he is fpaken of in, or denominated by 
 the other. Thus on one hand, when Chrift 
 is call'd God, or denominated by his Divine 
 
 is/ ^°* N^f"^6> he is faid to furchaje his Church zoith 
 his oivn Blood, tho' 'twas only his Human Na- 
 ture that had Blood to fiied for it. And on the 
 other hand, when he was on Earth, and calfd 
 himfelf the Son of Man, which was a Deno- 
 mination of himfelf by his Human Nature, 
 
 ^-o^ n 3, ^^ ^^^^ j^^ ^^^ ^^.^ ^j ^^^ ^^^ .^ Heaven, tho' 
 
 'twas only with refped eo his Divine Nature 
 that he was fo at that Time, ana his common 
 Language of Heaven was, x\)heYe I am. This 
 Communication of Properties, (as 'tis nfually 
 eall'd) whereby thofe Properties^ that belong 
 to one Nature are afcribed, not to his othetr 
 • Nature, but to his Perfon when he is fpoken 
 6f in his other Nature, don't denote any 
 Change of thofe Natures into one an.other, or 
 any Confufion or Intermixture of their refpe- 
 dive Properties as H they paffed into one ano* 
 ther, but only prove that both thefe Natures* 
 with all their Eflential Properties, do really 
 and diftindly belong to him, and are Perfo- 
 jially united in him, whofe Perfon is, by an 
 adoreable and peculiar Conftitution, not on- 
 ly God, nor only M^K, bur both God and Man, 
 Hence, 
 
 Prop, 8. Prop. 8. In kth thefe Natures of God and 
 Many according to their reflective Principles and 
 
 Pr$f* 
 
(35) 
 
 Properties, Jefm Chrifl performs the Office of !^- 
 dintor between God and Alan. 
 
 As God and Man are the Parties at vah*- ' 
 ance that are to be reconciled, nonecou'd 
 mediate and make up the Breach between^ 
 'em, but one fo conftitated of both the.feNa-'j 
 tiires, as to be God-Man, By his being God 
 he was fit to treat with God ; for how cou'd 
 a mere Man pretend to deal with the great '. 
 and provoked God for Men ? And by his be- ' 
 ing Man he was fit to treat with Men • for 
 had he been only God, how ccu'd fuch finful 
 Men as we dare to approach him ? Unlefs he 
 had been Man, he cou'd not have been fubjeft 
 to that Law that was given to Man : He cou'd 
 not have perform'd the Righteoufnefs that 
 was due to it, by obeying its Precepts or fuf- 
 fering its Curfe for us Men. But Gcd fent Gal. 4; 
 forth his Son made of a Woman, made under the 4j 5' 
 Laijo-i to redeem them that vjere under the Lavi, ' 
 that TUtf might receive the adoption of Sons. 
 
 Unlefs he had been Man he cou'd not have 
 been a High Prieft or Sacrifice to make Attone- 
 ment for us Men. For every High Vriejl is taken Heb.5.1; 
 
 from among Men - -that he may o^er both Gifts 
 
 and Sacrifices for Sins. And Chrifl being a High 
 Priefl for Men, 'twas necejfury that he jhould have —8. 3, 
 fo?nethirig to offer for them : But this he cou'd 
 not have had but by having a trueHuman Na- 
 ture to offer. 
 
 And unlefs he had been God he cou'd not 
 have gone through the difficult Work which 
 his Mediation with an offended God for fin- 
 ful Men caird for ; nor cou'd he have given 
 what he did and fuffcr'd for them, Dignity 
 and Worth fufficient to anfwer the defign'd 
 and neceffary End, as may be fhewn more at 
 large hereafter. And therefore 'twas T-f"s' 
 D 3 Chrift, 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 Chrift, God-MAni that perform 'd the Office of 
 a l^ediator between God and Man. Hence 
 Ifa.p. 6. fjjQ Child borriy and the Son given to m^ to un- 
 dertake our Caufe and make Peace with God 
 for us, 05 a Prince cf Peace is call'd the Mighty 
 God, as even fome that deny his proper God- 
 head have own'd in the application of that 
 Text to Chrift. And the Name of this Perfon 
 that appeared and aded as a Mediator be- 
 tween God and Men is Emmanuel^ which takes 
 in both his Natures, as it iignifies God with 
 Mat. I. us. Behold a Vtygin jhall be with Child, and (hall 
 ^5' bring forth a Son, and. they fiall call his Name 
 Emmanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with 
 m. Accordingly he is ufually fpoken of as a 
 Perfon that did and fufiercd all for us without 
 the leaft appearance of excluding either of his 
 Natures from thofe Perfonal Ads. He gave 
 HIMSELF for us, (which plainly takes in his 
 whole PerfonJ is the common Language of the 
 NewTeftament. And in thofe Branches of 
 ' his OfFice-Performances, of which his fluman 
 Nature was undeniably the immediate Prin- 
 ciple, his Divine Nature is fpoken of as alfo^ 
 ijob. % concurring in a Perfonal manner. Hereby per- 
 ^^* ceive voe the Love of God, becaufe he laid down his 
 
 A£ls 20. i^jjTg JQY ^j ; And Feed the Church of God which 
 he has purchafed with his own Blood. Hence 'tis 
 Chap. 3. charged upon the Jews that they killed the 
 ^S' Prince of Life, and crucify d the Lord of Glory : 
 
 iCor.2. ^^J\^[QY^ are Denominations of Chrift in his 
 higheft God- like Charaflers, to fliew that his 
 intire Perfon was concern'd herein, tho' in a 
 different manner, fuitable to the different Pro- 
 perries of his two Natures. 'Twas Jefus ChriiU 
 God-Man in Office, that lived and dyed for 
 us on Earth, and intercedes for us at the Fa- 
 ther's Right Hand in Heaven. 'Tis the Son 
 ^ of 
 
 B. 
 
(37) 
 
 of God in Human Nature that, as our Great 
 High Prieft, is pafled into the Heavens tor us, 
 and is the Ground of all oar Encouragement 
 to come to the Throne of Grace for Help and 
 Mercy in every time of need, as the Apofljc 
 argues in HeL. 4. 14, 15, 16. Hence, 
 
 Prop. 9. Chri/Ts being the moji High and infi- ^''°P* &• 
 nitely Blejfed God., is to be underftood with 7-efpeH 
 to his Divine Nature, and only on that account. 
 
 Tho' he who is Man, and Mediator be- 
 tween God and Men, is the moil High and 
 infinitely Bleffed God ,• yet he is fo, not as 
 Man, nor iiS Mediator, but only as the proper 
 Eternal Son of Gody the fime in Nature or Ef- 
 fence with the Father. This Charafter is not 
 thp Charadrer of his Office, nor is it given 
 him on that account ,• but 'tis the Charadcr 
 of his Ellence as he is truly and by Nature 
 God, and is given him on that account. 
 
 He is not ftilcd God over all blejfed for every 
 with refpeit to his advanced Dignity by his 
 honourable and powerful Office^ as if he there- 
 by deferved this Charader, and was intitled 
 to it ; but he was really in himfelf what this 
 Title owns him to be, before he took this 
 Office upon him ; and his being fo was funda- 
 mental to this Office itfelf, for otherwife he 
 would not have been capable of it, as is here-p 
 after to be fbewn. Nay, fo far is he from 
 bearing this Tide on the account of his Office, 
 as fome fuggcit, that on the other hand all the 
 inferiour Charaders of dependence on, and 
 fubordination to the Father, which are given 
 him in the Scripture, do peculiarly belong to 
 him as confider'd in his 0^<:<?-Capacity, and 
 as the Son of Man, And fo confidering them, 
 they are no Contradiftion to his being in his 
 
 D 3 Divin? 
 
JPivinQ^atuYC God over al/ J blejfed for ever, as 
 I fhtw'd under the' Fifth Propofition. And 
 that he is indeed the mofl High and infinitely 
 Blefled God, willy 1 truft, farther appear with 
 very full Evidence in the Proofs I am to give 
 "of It under tne next General Head. But the 
 Confideration ^f that muft be defer'd to make 
 way for a little Improvement of what hath 
 been olFer'd in Explication of the Doctrine. 
 
 APPLICATlOI 
 
 V. 
 
 life I. We may hereby be furnifh'd with Jn- 
 Jwers to the mofl: plaufible ObjeEiions againft 
 Chrifl's real and proper Deity. 
 
 I, Is it Objeded/ That the diftind Perfo- 
 nalities of the Father and the Son in the un- 
 . divided EiTence, and the Perfonal Union of 
 two fuch infinitely dilFereiit Natures as God 
 and Man in Chriil, are altogether inconceiva- 
 hh and incomer ehenfible, and therefore are to 
 'be' rejected as unintelligible Mifteries ? The 
 Anfijuer is. All real, and efpecially vital Uni- 
 ons are inconceivable and incomprehenfible 
 as to the manner of thera, and much more 
 thofe that belong to the Infinite Nature of 
 God. The God that is comprehenfible by us 
 can be no God, and therefore the Incompre- 
 henflblencfs of thefe Unions that concern the 
 Godhead is rather an Argument for, than a- 
 gainfl them. Why then fhould we fay with 
 Joh.'.p, N;codemm in a lower Cafe, Hoiu can thefe thing^s 
 be .<* when the Word of God declares they 
 are. 
 
 2. Is it Objeded, That the very Notion of 
 a Son carries in it Inferiority to the Father, 
 and that therefore abfolute Supremacy don't 
 belong to Chrift in his highefl Nature ? The 
 
 Anfvier 
 
C 39 ) 
 
 Anftaer is. That tho' it muft be allow'd that 
 there is an Interiority in the Relation of the 
 Son, as the Son, to the Father, as the Father, 
 yet this don't deftroy, but eftablifties the 
 jfamenefs oF Nature in both. And confider- 
 ing the Son eflaitially as God, of the fame 
 undivided Nature or Eflence with the Father, 
 and fo he is not infcriour to, but equally fu- 
 preme with the Father, being, as well as he, 
 God over ally llejjed for ever, and ading by a 
 Power eflentially his own, as well as the Fa- 
 ther. 
 
 3. Is it Objeded, That the Son is begotten 
 of the Father, and fo deriv'd from him, and 
 that only the Father is unbegotten, and fo the 
 only underivcd or felf-exiftent God ? The 
 Arijvjer isy Confidering the Terms underiv'd, 
 or felf-exiftenr, as fignifying unbegotten, and 
 confidering unbegotten merely as a pgrfonal 
 or relative Chara&er, and fo 'tis allow'd to 
 be the peculiar relative Property of the Fa- 
 ther as the Father : And anfwerably, to be 
 begotten, and in that fenfe deriv'd, is allow'd 
 to be the peculiar relative Property of the Soia 
 as the Son. But confidering unbegotten a$ 
 fignifying felf-exillent, and confidering felf- 
 exiftent as an Elfential Property ot the God- 
 head asfueh, denoting its ncceflary felf-exiftf 
 ing unoriginated Nature or Eflfence, and fo it 
 belongs to the Son as well as to the Father, 
 that one Divine Nature or Eflence being e- 
 qually the fame in both Perfons, and theSub- 
 Mcnce of them both therein being equally 
 necellary. 
 
 4. Is it Objected, That the Father is feve- 
 ral times cali'd the God, as well as the Father 
 oi Chriit, and therefore is a diftin6t Being, as 
 well as a diflind Perfon from him ? The An- 
 
 D 4 f^ev 
 
(40 J 
 
 fiuer is, As Chrift is a complex Perfon, God- 
 jM^at)? including his Office of Mediator, thefe 
 Expreflions are to be apply'd to iiim different" 
 Jy, according to different Coniiderations of 
 him. The Father's being hii Father, refpefts 
 his Diving Nature particularly ; and the Fa- 
 ther's being his Cod^ refpeds his Human Na- 
 ture pr his Covenant Relation to him as Me- 
 ciiator and Head of the Church. And there- 
 fore I don't hnd tl)at the Father is any where 
 call'd the God of the Son, when the Son is 
 fpoken ot under the formal Confideration of 
 the Son, but only when he is fpoken of in his 
 complex Charader as the Chrift, or as God- 
 Jvlan and M^fliah. And 'tis very common to 
 have feveral things fpoken of Chrift together, 
 which are to be underflood as differently a^^ 
 greeing to him according to different Confi- 
 derations of him. Thus he is call'd both Da- 
 yfSiX.xz. 'vid's tord and Son, and the Root and Offipring 
 |6, 57. gf Pavid. And he is reprefented under the 
 CV.Z2. 'j'ypc pf Melchifedeck, as without Father, zvith^ 
 ^Jbo 7. put Mother : All which Expreffions, tho' fpo- 
 3V iken of his Perfon, are to be underftood and 
 
 apply'd to him in a different manner. Re-^ 
 fpeding bis Human Nature, he is without an 
 immediate Natural Father, and yet is remote- 
 ly the Son and Offspring of DaviJ, as a De- 
 fcendant from him. And refpeding his Di- 
 vine IvIaturCj he is without Mother, and is 
 David's Root and Lord. 
 
 5. Is it bbjeded. That Chrift is frequently 
 fppkeji of as. fent hy the Father, and as fub- 
 jed to hmi > The Anfwer is, 'that plainly re- 
 lates to his Office-Capacity in Human Na- 
 ture, and not at all to his Deity abftradly 
 l^ike 1. fonfider'd. He was likewife fubjeB to Mary 
 5^' his Mother and to lofe^h his legal Father, 
 . . " " : according 
 
(4t ) 
 
 according to the Flefh j but I prefume we fliall 
 not therefore conckide that they were in all 
 rtfpecls above him, or greater than he. 
 
 6. Is it Objefted, That Chriil: receiv'd his 
 Authority and CommifTion from his Father, 
 and fought his Father's Honour fupremely, 
 and not his own ? This liath a fpccial Rela- 
 tion to his Office-Capacity, and to that only, 
 in which it did not become him to feek his 
 own Honour fupremely or feparateJy from his 
 Father's j and therefore his ultimate regard 
 to his Father's Honour in that Office-work, 
 for which he receiv'd Commiflion from him, 
 is no way inconfiftent with his own being in 
 other refpeds equal to the Father in Power 
 and Glory, as has been illuftrated in fcveral 
 Inftances. 
 
 7. Is it Obje(5led, That Chrift was furni/h'd 
 and qualify'd for his Office, and upheld in it, 
 and carry 'd through it by the Father ? An- 
 fwer. This has a fpecial Relation to his Hu- 
 man Nature, which as it was afl'umed at the 
 Father's Appointment, and the Son's Agree- 
 ment to do his Father's Work or Bufinefs, it 
 was very decorous and fuitable to this Oeco- 
 nomy, that the Father fliould be fpoken of 
 as furnifhing Chrifl with all Abilities for, and 
 countenancing him in that Work to which he 
 
 fent him ; for ivho goes a warfare any time at i Cor.9. 
 his own charges ? But this by no means proves 7« 
 that Chrift was not of himfelf, taking-in his 
 Divine Nature, able to have gone through 
 that Work had it been feen ht in the Wifdom 
 of God fo to have ordcr'd ir. Nay, and tho* 
 For the adjufting his Chara(S:er as his Father's 
 Servant, he is often fpoken of as furnifh'd by 
 iiim for his Work, yet tiiat this might be no 
 Pifoara^emcnt to his higher Character as 
 • ' God, 
 
(40 
 
 God, he often behaved it in a felf-fufficient 
 independent way, and fpoke of himfelf, as 
 having Power of himfelf to do the mod diffi- 
 cult part of that Work which he, as his Fa- 
 ther's Servant, came to do at his Command. 
 Jocr. TO. 'j'jjsrefore doth my Fiithtr love me, becauje I lay 
 
 ^** ' down my Life that I might take it again. / 
 
 lay it down of my felf : / have power to lay it 
 dowiZy and I have power to take it again. 'This 
 Commandment have I receivd of my Father. 
 
 8. Is it ObjededjThat Chrift is exalted and 
 advanced by his Father to an exceeding great 
 Glory and Dignity in purfuance of his Obe- 
 dience and Sufferings, which he had not be- 
 fore ? Anfver, This only regards his Media- 
 torial Glory, which belongs to him in his 
 
 ..Office-Capacity and as Man, and is no way 
 inconfiftent with the Glory he had as God 
 before the World began, inclufive of which 
 at lead he fpoke when he pray'd, that that 
 Glory might be difplay'd to the utmoft in his 
 Human Nature, as foon as all the reafons of 
 its being vail'd in his State of Humiliation 
 JeK 17. fhould ceafe. And now Father glorify thou me 
 S» with thine own felf, with the Glory which I ha4 
 
 luith thee before the World was. 
 
 9. Is it Objected, That Chrift himfelf fays. 
 Job. 14. ^y Father is greater than I ? Anfwer, That 
 *^ plainly relates, as the Context Ihevvs, to his 
 
 Office-Capacity ; for he then fpoke of him- 
 felf as going unto the Father in the immediately 
 preceedmg words. And in that Senfe 'tis ve- 
 ry true, that his Father is greater than he ; 
 a Truth worthy to be noticed and obferv'd : 
 But a Truth that no way hinders but that 
 confidering Chrift as God, he and his Father 
 are equally great, lince one and the fame in- 
 finitely great Godhead is the undivided Na- 
 ture 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 ture or EfTence of both. Other Objedlons 
 may be fpoken to afterwards as they come in 
 our way. 
 
 Thus confidering Chrift under different 
 views, according to the Explication that in 
 Scripture Light hath been given of him, thefe 
 and ilich like ObjcAions againft his Godhead 
 may be fairly anfwer'd ; and we need not 
 ftumblc at them, or be fhaken by them in our 
 Faith of a Dodrine that fiiines with a. ruling 
 Evidence through the V/ord of God. 
 
 The Nature of the Things themfelves, and 
 the Contexts of thofe Places from whence 
 theie Objtdions are taken, lead us very na- 
 turally to underftand them in fuch views as 
 are very reconcileable to Chrift's Godhead in 
 another Confideration of him. And number- 
 lefs oiher places, and that in the fame Con- 
 texts, fpeaking oF him under that other Con- 
 fideration of him as God, do abundantly de- 
 moaftrate that he is neverthelefs in one of his 
 Natures true and proper God, even the moft 
 High and infinitely BklTcd God. 
 
 Ufe II. Let us behold and admire the ado* 
 rable Excellence and myfterious Conftitution 
 of Chrift's Perfon, God-Man. 
 
 Here is a mod noble Subjed for our Minds 
 and Hearts to fprcad and dwell upon. A 
 Subject every way worthy of our molt intenfe 
 ThoL^ghts, deepeft Rcfearches, eagereft Ap- 
 plication , and lofticft Admiration even to 
 Ailonifhment. Here is true and perfed God 
 and true and perfed Man united in one ado- 
 rable Perfon, for the accomphfliment of the 
 mod Glorious Work, which the Angeh^ like j p^^^ ,^ 
 Students greedy of Knowledge, defire to look \z, 
 imo. Here is God and the Creature, Infinite 
 
 and 
 
2 Tim. 
 
 2. 12. 
 
 (44) 
 
 and Finite, the Great and Eternal Jehovah 
 and a Child born, the perfcdly Blefled One 
 and a Man of Sorrows, brought together and 
 con/iftently join'd in one Perlon ; and by this 
 Perfon thus wonderfully conftituted. Divine 
 Juftice is fully and glorioufly fatisfy'd, and 
 Divine Mercy plentifully Iheds its beauteous 
 and refrefliing Rays upon us ; Sin is punifh'd 
 and the Sinner pardon'd ; God comes down 
 to us and we afcend to him. Here is bound- 
 lefs room and fcope for the moft exalted Ge- 
 nius to expatiate and difcover new and affed- 
 ing Glories. We can never exhauft the Sub- 
 Jeft, or be glutted with it. The more we 
 know of Chrift the more we fliall want to 
 know him, and the more we fhall be delighted 
 with him. The more we know him the more 
 we fhall fee of his ineffable Glory, and of the 
 Father's Glory in him, the more fatisfy'd wc 
 ihall be about him, who and what he is, what 
 Regards we ought to pay him, and what Con- 
 fidence we may and fhould put in him. The 
 more we know him the more we (hall adore, 
 admire, love and praife him, the more we 
 ihall value him for himfcif as well as for his 
 Benefits, and the more unfufpeding Satisfa- 
 dion and fteddy Confplation we fhall find in 
 our Acquaintance with him and Dependence 
 on him, till we may be able to fay with the 
 Apoftle Pauly J know in whom I have believed, 
 and I am perfwaded that he is able to keep that 
 which I have committed to him againfi that JDaj^ 
 
 SERMON 
 
(45) 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 ROM, ix. 5* 
 
 • Of whom as concerning the Flejh 
 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 THAT' Jefm Chriji is God-Many or that Doa. 
 he is in one Nature true and proper Many 
 and in the ether true and proper God j 
 even the moji High and infinitely Blejjed God. 
 
 I have explain'd this Do(5lrine in fcveral 
 Propofitions, to clear and fettle our Thoughts 
 about the Perfon of Chrift, And am now to 
 
 Prove that he ii, in his Original Naturet the \l. 
 True and mofl High God. Several things that 
 were deliver'd and clear'd up in the Explica- 
 tion of the Dodrine give Evidence to this 
 Truth I particularly when I ftiewed that Jefus 
 Chrjft, in his Divine Nature, is the only be- 
 gotten, eternal, proper Son of God the Fa- 
 ther ; that as fuch, he partakes of the Father's 
 Nature or Eifence ; and necefl'arily cxifts there- 
 in ; and confequently with refped to that 
 Nature is equal with the Father. Thefe things 
 among others were then confirm'd by plain 
 Scriptural Teftimonies, which are fo many 
 Atteftations to Chrifl's true and proper God- 
 head. Bur, 
 
(40 
 
 But, as this is a Truth of exceeding great 
 Importance, (as may be fhewn hereafter) and 
 as it meets with the moll artful and dange- 
 rous Oppofition from many, and as a fuller' 
 Confirmation of it will take in an Explication 
 of many places of Scripture^ and of fevcral 
 ufeful Points of Doctrine, it may by the B'ef- 
 fing of God be profitable on divers accounts 
 to enlarge in the Proof of it. And therefore 
 riiope none will think it tedious or unplea- 
 fant, ufelefs or unfeafonable, if I dwell a little 
 on the plentiful Evidence we have in the Scrip- 
 tures of this momentous Truth ; viz-. "That 
 yefm Chrift is in his Original Nature truly and 
 froperly God : Or, the infinitely Blejjed and incfl 
 High God. 
 
 Arg. I. Firft, This plainly appears from thofe Scrips 
 tures ivhich were in the Old T'eftament undeniably 
 fpoken of the only True and mo(l High God, and 
 are in the New interpreted of Chrift, and exprejly 
 apply d to him, ai that God. 
 
 The Scripture muft be allow'd to be the 
 befl Interpreter of itfelf, becaufe all its parts 
 2 Tim. were indited by one and the famie infallible 
 3* '^* Spirit ; and therefore wherever it explains it- 
 felf, or manifeflly determines its own mean- 
 ing, 'tis impoffible that that Interpretation 
 fliould be falfe, or that we Ihould be miftaken 
 by our taking up with it. If we will not al- 
 low and abide by God's own Explication of 
 his Word, nor believe the Senfe and Meaning 
 which he himfelf puts upon it, we muft at 
 once renounce his Wifdom, Truth and Au- 
 thority, and lay afide our Bibles, as altoge- 
 ther ufelefs. Now, God himfelf hath in fome^ 
 places interpreted thofe very Scriptures to be' 
 meant of Chrift, which none can doubt were 
 
 at' 
 
(4?:) 
 
 at firft fpoken of the great and only true Je^ 
 hovah. 1 might give you a great variety of 
 Inftances of this fort, but, to fave Time, fhall 
 confine ray felf to a few. 
 
 The firfti lliall take notice of is Numb. 21. 
 5, 6. where Mofes fpeaking ot "Jehovah (as 'tis 
 in the Hebre-u.) in this, and all other places of 
 the Old Teftament, where the word Lord is 
 written in Capital Letters) he fays, "The Lord 
 fent fiery ferpents aj'nong the people, and they bit 
 the people, and much people of Ifrael dyed. 'There' 
 fore the people came to Mofes, and faid. We have 
 find for we have fpoken againjl the Lord. Who 
 can doubt but the Lord here fpoken of, v/hom 
 Jfrael tempted at this as well as other times 
 in the Wildernefs, is the only true God of 
 Jfrael ? 'Tis their Jehovah, who by that Name 
 was diftinguifh'd from all that are not by Na- 
 ture God ; 'tis he whom Ifrael then fpoke a-- 
 gainft and tempted. And yet we are plainly 
 told in the New Teftament, that this Jehovah, 
 this God of Ifrael, whom they then tempted, 
 was Chrifl. Neither, fays the Apoftle, let m 
 tempt Chrift, as fome of them alfo te?npted, and ' ^°^* 
 were deflroyd of ferpe?its. 
 
 The only true Jehovah is again fpoken of 
 in the mod awful and iliuftrious Charaders in 
 Jfaiah's Vifion of his Glory. /, fays the Pro- ifa.(5, i, 
 phet, faio the Lord fitting upon a Throne high 
 
 and lifted up — and above it flood fix Sera- v. 2. 
 
 raphims and one cried to another and faid, v. j. 
 
 Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Ho/is, the -whole 
 Earth is full of his Glory 1 hen faid I wo v. 5. 
 
 is me- for mine Eyes have feen the King, the 
 
 Lord of Ho/Is '■ ' »u - And he fud, go and tell this v, 9. 
 people, hear ye indeed but under ft and not- '■■ ' 
 Atake their Ears heavy, and jlut their Eyes, /f/?v. 10. 
 they fee with their Lyes, and hear with thetr 
 
 Ears, 
 
( 48 ) 
 
 Kars^ and underhand -with their Heart, and coii^ 
 vert, and be heal'di 
 
 Methinks there can be no room to doubt 
 but 'twas the only true God who made this 
 grand Majeftick Djfplay oF his Glory, whom 
 the Prophet faw in that Difplay, and of whom 
 he there fpake. And this very God, whofe 
 Glory Ifaiah then faw^ and of whom he then 
 fpake, we are aflfured by the Evangelift ^obn 
 was Chrift. For, giving an awful account 
 why many of the 'Je-ivs did not believe on 
 Chrift, he quotes one of the PalTages I juft 
 now recited, and fays Ifaiah fpoke it when he 
 Job.^Tz. fa^v [lis Glory, and fpoke of hirri. "tbo he^ 
 
 'Ac 4^' "^'^^ C"^^^^^' ^^^^- ^^'^^ J^ many Atirades before 
 theniy yet they believd not on him • • "Therefore 
 they coud net believe, becauje that EfaiO/S [aid a- 
 gainy he hath blinded their Eyes, &c. Thefe things 
 Jaid Ejaiai when he jaw his Glory, and fpake of 
 him. That 'ti<: Chriil to whom the Evangelift 
 applies this Text, is plain both from the 
 foregoing Context, where be only is all along 
 fpokcn of ; and alfo from the next words^ 
 which are immediately conneiled with thefe> 
 
 V. 4:. and refer to the fame Perfon. Neverthelef a- 
 mong the chief Rulers alfo many believed on him ; 
 njizj. on the fame him mention'd m the pre- 
 ceeding Verfe, of whom 'tis there faid, that 
 Efaiai fail} his Glory, and fpake of him. Some,- 
 who deny Chrift's proper Deity, allow him 
 to be tht Perfon here fpoken of, but they un- 
 derftand this Glory to be the S/mhinah, which 
 they fay was the Son perfonating the Father, 
 and fo appearing in the Form of God before 
 his Incarnation ; and that accordingly all the 
 Glory of Chrift, which Ifaiah then faw, was 
 only as he was the Shechinah that reprefented 
 the Father, but not as really God, the fame 
 
 in 
 
(49) 
 
 in Nature with him. But the Evangelift don't 
 fay, Ifaiah faw the Shechinah, or Glory, and 
 fpake of that GJory ; but he faw his Gloryj 
 and fpake of him, whofe Shecbinah, or Glory, 
 it was : Which plainly refers not to the She- 
 chindb itfelf, but to the 'Jehovah there men- 
 tioned, who made him^lf known by that 
 glorious Appearance, and of whom Ifaiah 
 fpake when he faid. Mine Eyes have feen thi 
 LQrd, or Jehovah, c/ Hofls, 
 
 And this Jehovah the Evangelift fays was 
 Chrift, who then, as feems to me, appear'd 
 fitting upon a Throne high and lifted up, and 
 his Train hll'd the Temple, that being aPrse- 
 ludium to his Incarnation, when he would 
 come 06 the Lord to his 'temfUy zwd. fill that Houfe Mai, j* 
 with a Glory, which exceded all that went ?: 
 before it ; it being alfo a Reprefentation, that ^1*^* 
 the Son of Man jhotild come in his Glory and Mat*2j« 
 
 fit upon the "Throne of his Glory, and that as King Ji. 
 he (hou'd fit enthron'd in his Church, with re- 
 fped to which the Father fays to him, Thy Heb.i<8& 
 T'hrone-j O God, is for ever and ever. And ic 
 feems to be very uncouth to fay, as fome do, 
 that the Glory Ifaiah faw was the Glory of 
 God the Father, revealing to him the coming 
 of Chrift • fince it was the Glory of that Je- 
 hovah, who appear'd to him, and not the 
 Glory of another ; and 'twas the then prefent 
 Difplay of that Glory, which he faw, and not 
 a future Glory that fliou'd appear a long time 
 afterwards ; tho' it was a Prefiguration of that 
 future Glory. 
 
 Another Inflance tothefamepurpofe, where 
 the only true Jehovah moft plainly fpeaks of 
 hirafelf, is If aiah i:^<) . zi — 25. There is no God 
 elfe befidd me, a jufi God and a Saviour ; there 
 is tt9ne befide me. Look unto me and be ye faved, 
 
 E a9 
 
( 50) 
 
 all the Ends of the Earth ; for 1 am God, and there 
 is none elfe. I have fvoorn by my felf, - that 
 unto me every Knee fhall hw, every Tongue JJjall 
 fwear. Surely jhall one fay. In the Lord have I 
 righteoufnefs and flrength ; even to him JJmll Men 
 come, and all that are incenfed againjl hhn fhall be 
 ajhamed. In the Lordpmll all the feed of Ifrael 
 bejuffifed, and glory. 'Tis evidently the fame 
 Jehovah that fpeaks continuedly thro' all this 
 Difcourfe ; And can any thing be plainer than 
 that he, who here fpeaks in this manner of 
 himfelf, is the only Jiving and true God, in 
 oppofition to and diftinftion from all that are 
 not by Nature God ? And this is exprefly ap- 
 ply'd to Chrift, as that God who fpoke thefe 
 Words, as appears by the Apoftle's way of 
 IloiTi.14. arguing upon fome of them. IVe fhall aU fi and 
 li, la, before the 'Judgment Seat of Chrijt. For it is writ- 
 '3* ten, i/zz,. in the place now cited, 05 J live, faith 
 the Lord, every Knee jhall bow to me, and every 
 *Tongue [hall confefs to God : So then every one of 
 tti Jhall give account of himfelf to God. The whole 
 force of the Apoftle's Argument ftands on this, 
 that 'twas theSon, inclufively at leaft,who /xucr^ 
 by himfelf, or as I live, every knee jhall bow to 
 fne, &c. For, if we fuppofc it to be the Fa- 
 ther exclufive of the Son that faid, / fware by 
 myfelf, or as I live, every kneejJjall bow to me, Sec. 
 this would have been fo far from proving, as 
 the Apoftle intends and argues, that we Jhall 
 all fi and before the Judgment-feat of Chrijt, that 
 it would have proved juft the contrary ; be- 
 caufe Chrifl is not that God that there fwarc 
 by himfelf, and confequently not that God, 
 whom by that Oath we are obliged to fland 
 before, and bow the Knee, and confefs to. 
 But if Chrift is that God, who there fwore that 
 every knee Jhoiidbow, and every tongue confefs to 
 
 him, 
 
( 5« ) 
 
 him, then the Proof is cogent and unanfwera- 
 ble,that we all fhall ftand before his Judgment- 
 Seat. 'Tislikewife evident from other Scrip- 
 tures, that the reil: of the Things, which that 
 God fpoke in the Verfes quoted from i/<2i^^, 
 belong to Ciirift. He is God, and there is mm 
 elfe, in oppofition to all that are not by Nature 
 God ; he being effentially the fame God with 
 the Father and Holy Ghoft, fubfifting in the 
 fame divine Nature with them ; but in Perfon- 
 al diftindion from them, as has been fhewn 
 already, and may be farther proved hereafter. 
 He in the proper Language of the New Tefta- 
 ment, is our only Saviour, and there is none be- 
 fide him. Our Saviour Mo\wtQ\y,2in6. our Lord 
 and Saviour Jejus Chrijl, and Ged our Saviour, 
 are common Appellations of him. And his 
 JSIame is called Jefus i for he faves his People from Mat. i. 
 their Sins. Neither is there Salvation in any other; ii. 
 for there is none other Name under Heaven given ^"^ 4« 
 among Men whereby ive muft be faved. To him * 
 we Gentiles, the Ends of the Earth, as well 
 as the Jews, are to look by Faith for all Salva- 
 tion ; which Application to him in a way of 
 believing, was reprefented by Ifrael's looking 
 to the Brazen Serpent for healing of their 
 Wounds. In allufion to which Chrill: fays. 
 As Mofes lifted up the Serpent in the IVtldernef, John ?• 
 evenfo miifi the Son of Man be lifted up, that whc- i4> '5* 
 foever believes in him fiould not perijh, but have 
 everlafiing Life. And as 'tis faid of this Jeho- 
 vah, that in him we have Righteoufnefs, and 
 Strength ; fo 'tis anfwerably faidof Chrifl, 'This Jcm3.<5. 
 is his Name whereby he flmll be called the Lord, or 
 Jehovah, our Righteoufnefs. 'Tis by his Obedience ^°^* J* 
 that many are made Right eous,2ind he is madeRigh- , (]^or.i. 
 teoufnefs to us, and we are made the Righteoufnefs jq. 
 •/ God in him, i Cor. 5.21. And as for Strength, 
 E a we 
 
(sO 
 
 zCox, ^e have that in him too, whofe Crace is fuffL-^ 
 '^•9* cient foruSi znd who(cftrength is made perfeB in 
 jQ, * * our iveaknefs. So that we are ftreng in this Lord^ 
 Phil. 4. and in the Power of his Might ; and ma.y do all 
 *3» things thro Chriji, which flrengtheneth us. 'To hm 
 
 Jhall Men come, as the Difciples did to Chrift, 
 faying, Lordy to whom pall we go ? thou hajl the 
 IVords of eternal Life, John (5.68. And coming to 
 Chrift is ufed for believing on him, v. 3 5. And 
 all that are incenfed againfl him (hull be ajhamd. 
 Accordingly 'tis faid of Chrift, The S-one which 
 the Builders rejeBed is become the Head of the Cor- 
 ner. Whofoever jhall fall upOTTthat Stone (Jmll be 
 broken ,• but on whomfoever it fJixlll fall, it toiS 
 grind him to powder. Lute 20, ty, 18. To Con- 
 clude, in this Jehouah Jhall all the feed of Ifrael 
 he juflified, and glory : And 'tis in or by Chrift, 
 that all that believe are juftify'd from all things, 
 &c. ASis 13. gp. And the true Circtimcijion'-* 
 rejoice or glory in Chrifl yefm, and have no confi- 
 dence in the Flej'h, Phil. 3. 3. 
 
 Thus the whole of what the great Jehovah 
 fays in Ifaiah of himfelf, is interpreted in o- 
 ther places of Chrift ; and fome Parts of that 
 Difcourfe are moft exprefly and clearly appli- 
 ed to Chrift as that Jehovah. 
 
 Several other Inftances might be infifted on 
 of this fort. You may confult at your Lei- 
 fure, Pfal. 102. 25, 26, 27. apply'd to Chrift, 
 Heb. I. 10, II, 12. And Joel 2. 28 — 32. In- 
 terpreted of Chrift, ABs 2. 16, 17. 1 21. 
 
 33. and Rem. 10. 13, 14. And Ifa. 8. 13, 14. 
 applyM to Chrift, Luke 2. 34. 20. 18. Rom. p. 
 33. And Ifa. 40. 3. apply'd to Chrift, Matth. 
 3. I, 2. and 'John 3. 28. Kwdjer. 17. 10. ap- 
 ply'd to Chrift in Rev. 2. 23. 
 
 In all thefe, and divers other Places, the 
 very fame Things, which at one Time are un- 
 deniably 
 
( sO 
 
 deniably fpokeii of the only true God, fo that 
 none that reads them, where they are firft 
 mentio.i'ci, can doubt but they belong to the 
 great Jehovah oflfrael, are in other places in- 
 terpreted to be [poken of Chrift, as that Jeho- 
 vah I and therefore, if we may believe God's 
 own cxprefs Interpretation of his Word, Jefus 
 Chrifc iSi in his Divine Nature, Being or Ef- 
 fence, the only true or moft high God. If we 
 believe thefe Texts fpeak of that God in the 
 Old Teilament, why fliou'd we not believe 
 the fam;:, when by the fame Divine Authority 
 they fpeak of Chrift in the New ? 
 
 This way of applying thofe Texts to the Obj. 
 Son in fome places, that were fpoken of the 
 eternal Father in others, confounds the Per- 
 fons of the Godhead, and makes them one 
 Per/on as well as one Being, which is the Sa- 
 bellian Error. 
 
 The Texts I have quoted from the Old Te- Anf, 
 lament, as far as appears from the Places 
 where they are firft mention'd, fpeak of the one 
 great Jehovah of Ifrael absolutely as God, in 
 Oppofition to all other Gods, without menti- 
 oning any one Perfon of the Godhead more 
 than another ; and if the New Teftament ap- 
 plies thofe Texts to the Son, as the great Je-^ 
 hovah intended in them, we may very well 
 reft in that Determination that they were in- 
 deed fpoken ot him, and had a fpecial Re-" 
 fcrence to him, tho' without that Comment 
 of the Scripture on it felf, we might have had 
 more obfcure Apprehenfions of that peculiar 
 Reference, as we have with refpe^ to many 
 other Paflages of the Old Teftament, which in 
 has not pleafed God to caft a Light upon in 
 the New. What are we, that we fhould pre- 
 i:end to difputc a Point, which God himfejf 
 j£ $ jiath 
 
(54) 
 
 hatli determin'd ? Or fay that thofe Texts 
 belong only to the eternal Father, when he 
 hath told us they belong to his Son ? More- 
 over, as the Father and the Son have the fame 
 undivided infinite ElTence, I don't fee but the 
 very fame Things may, on different Occafions, 
 be afcrib'd to them both, without confound- 
 ing their Perfonalities. For the divine Eflence, 
 which is common to them both, is the Ground 
 of all Elfential Attributions, and the Prin- 
 ciple o£ all eternal Operations in both. 
 So that whatever is predicated of, or afcrib'd 
 to one, as belonging to his Effence^ and not 
 appropriately to his Perfonal Subfiftence^ may be 
 afcrib'd to the other : And what is done ad 
 extra, or toward others, by one, may be faid 
 to be done by the other. And this no more 
 confounds the Perfons of the Father and the 
 Son, or makes them one and the fame Perfon, 
 Joh, i6. than Chrift did, when he faid, All T'hings that 
 15. the Father hath are mine ; and %vhat things foever 
 Chi^.'i. fjg (the Father) doth, thefe alfo doth the Son like- 
 '^* luife. And tho' this may feem ftrange to us, 
 who can have no Inflances in a finite Nature 
 of two diftind Perfons in the fame individual 
 Subftance,and can't underflaiid what an infinite 
 Nature is; yet to help our Thoughts, we have 
 Inftances of Attributions of one and the fame 
 thing to different Perfons, who are forae way 
 imited. Particularly in the Cafe of joint Part- 
 nerfhip : where the Stock, Trade, and Profits, 
 being common to two or more, they all in that 
 i;efpe6l are One, and accordingly the Things of 
 that Partnerfhip are in common Language af- 
 cribed fometimes to one, and fometimes to 
 another, and fometimes to all together ; 
 and what is perform'd immediately by one of 
 them, is, on the account of their joint Partner- 
 ship^ 
 
C 55 ) 
 
 fiiip> often afcrib'd to another, without con- 
 founding their perfonal Diftindions from each 
 other. Why then may we not allow that the 
 very fame Things may be at different Times 
 afcribed to two or three different Perfons ; 
 and at other Times jointly to them all, as 
 Subfiftents in one and the fame infinite Na- 
 ture, without confounding their Perfonal Di- 
 ftinCtions from each other ? The many Scrip- 
 tures that fpeak of the Son, as a really diftind 
 Perfon from the Father, are fufficient to fecure 
 us from thinking like Sahelliam^ when we read 
 likewife in Scripture of the Unity of both thcfe 
 Perfons in other refpeds, and of the famenefs 
 of Attributions to them both. And finding 
 fo mucii of that Unity and Samenefs of At- 
 tributions, as we do, is fufficient to fecure us 
 from thinking like Arian.f, when we read of the 
 real Diftindion of their Perfons. 
 
 And what I have here offer'd to this Obje- 
 dion may ferve to anfwer all of the like fort, 
 that any wou d raife againft fome following 
 Proofs of Chrift's Godhead, to which I now 
 precede. Therefore, 
 
 Secondly, Many places of Scripture do plainly Arg. i. 
 ajfert the real and proper Godhead of Chrifl, by 
 giving him the fame dijlinguijliing Names and 
 ^Titles, as are peculiar to the only true God. 
 
 The Term God is frequently ufed in an ab- 
 folute Senfe, as the Denomination of the God- 
 head inclufive of all the Divine Perfons of it, 
 and equally applicable to all and each of them. 
 And io 'tis generally to be taken when it is 
 defcriprive of the only true God, in diftinfti- 
 on from Idols. Thus in the 45th Chapter of 
 ffaiah we have heard 'tis to be underftood of 
 fhe Son as well as the Father, when the great 
 E ^ Jehovah 
 
(56) 
 
 Jehovah there declares, T'here U no God elfe be^ 
 fde mey a juji God and a Saviour, there is none 
 bejide me — — — JPor I am God, and there is none 
 elfe, verfes 21, 22. The abfolute ufe of the 
 Word God is likewife often to be confider'd as 
 the Denomination of the Godhead,when Chrift 
 merely as the Meffiah is diftinguifh'd from it. 
 In this fenfe Chrifl: faid to his Difciples, Te be" 
 lieve in God, viz. the true God, believe alfo in 
 me, VIZ. as the Meffiah • for this is as neceffa- 
 ry for you as your Faith in the true God itfelf, 
 John 14. I. fo John 17. 3. At other times 
 the Term God is ufed as the Denomination of 
 the Father, when he as the firfl: Perfon is to be 
 diftinguifh'd from the Son, or Holy Spirit, or 
 from both. And it is very proper, that on 
 fuch Occafions this Denomination fhou'd be 
 apply'd to the Father, not only becaufe he is 
 the firfl; Perfon in the Godhead, from whom 
 the Son and the Holy Ghoft derive their Per- 
 fonal Subfiftencies in an inconceivable manner 
 in the fame Eflence, but alfo becaufe of the 
 Part he bears in the Oeconomy of our Salva- 
 tion as he is that Perfon of the Godhead, who 
 Jn a fpecial manner is reprefented, as ading 
 for the Deity, and afl'erting its Rights therein. 
 And 'tis with refpeft to that Oeconomy, that 
 the Father is fo often fpoken of by the Name 
 pf God abfolutely in the NewTeftament. And 
 yet to (hew that the Application of thisTerni 
 in an abfolute Senfe to the Father don't ex- 
 clude the Son from being as truly and really 
 God as he, it is at other times, without any 
 appearance of Metaphor or Inferiority, in as 
 proper and abfolute a Senfe apply'd to the Son^ 
 as to the Father. Thus he is call'd God in the 
 Sipgular number and abfolutely, without any 
 j^imiution or Not^ of Inferiority, in Joh. 1. 1, 
 
( 57) 
 
 In the Beginnini ivas the IVordy and the Word 
 luoi with Gody and the U/urd vjcu God. That 
 rhis is to be underflood in a true and proper 
 Senfe, is plain by xhcfamenefs oF the Title that 
 is given to him and the Father ; and by the 
 Eternity that is there afcrib'd to him, and by 
 the Works of Creation-, which are immediately 
 aFtcr laid to be made by him, v. 3. All things 
 were made by him, and without hi?n was not any 
 thing made that was made ; anfwerable to the 
 Mofaick Account of the Creation, In the Be-Gen.t.u 
 ginning God created the Heaven, and the Earth. 
 Hence Chrift isfaid to be Emmanuel — God with Mat. r. 
 m ; and Godmanifefled in the Flefi ; and God that ^ ~. 
 laid down his Life for m ; and God that purchafed -^^ ,^ * 
 the Church with his own Blood. At other times i John 
 he is call'd abfolutely ^^^ LorJ, as the true God ?• »<^« 
 is ufually caird. And this Name of Chrift is ^g^' ^^• 
 generally exprefs'd in the New Tellament by 
 that very word, by which the Septiiagintcon- 
 ftantly render'd the Word Jehovah in the Old, 
 I need not refer you to the Places where Chrift 
 is caird by this Name; they are fo very nume- 
 rousas to make them obvious to every Reader 
 of the New Teftamenr. And to fliew that this 
 Title is given to Chrift, not in a common or 
 fubordinate, but peculiar and higheft Senfe, as 
 to the only true God, he is ftiled King of Kings, ^itv, 10, 
 and Lord of Lords ; which is the very fameCha- 16. 
 rafter as the Apoftle defcribes the only true 
 God by. Who is the bleffed and only Potentate, the ^ fjin^ 
 King of Kings, and Lord of Lords • which by the 6, 15. 
 Context may be apply'd either to the Father 
 or the Son ; And who can reafonably doubt 
 but the only true God is ipokcn of, and de- 
 fcribed in his Nature and Supremacy by this 
 jofty Charader ? Chrift is King of KingSj 
 ^nd Lord of Locdsj whicli llicws that he, ef- 
 
 . fentially 
 
( ss ) 
 
 fentially confider'd as to his divine Nature, is 
 the blefled and only Potentate, and that as 
 John 5. God he cometh from above^ and is above all ; or 
 ^** according to our Text, is Cod over ally blejfed 
 for ever. Hence we find both Charaders of 
 Lord and God join'd together in Thomuis ap- 
 proved Confeffion of his Faith in him, faying, 
 Joh, ZG. My Lord, and my God. And he is call'd the 
 ***• Lord God of the Prophets ; Rev. 22. 6. T'he Lord 
 God of the holy Prophets f em his Angel tojkew unto 
 his Servants the things which inufl pjortly be done. 
 This Lord God of the Prophets, thatfent the 
 Angel, was I think very plainly Chrifr, who 
 fays a little lower, / fejus have fent mine Angel 
 to tefiify to you thefe 'Things in i he Churches, v. 1 6. 
 According to what was faid at the Beginning 
 of this Book, that 'tis the Revelation of Jefm 
 ' - Chrifi, he fent, and fignified it by his Angel to his 
 Servant John, Chap. i. i. Tho' 'twas given 
 by the Father to Chrift in his Office-Capacity, 
 as what he fii,ou'd reveal to his Servants, yet 
 'twas Chrift, and not the Father, that figni- 
 fy'd ii by his Angel to his Servant ^'o/jw. And 
 ftill further to fhew that thefe Titles belong to 
 Chrift in their raoft true and proper Senfe, he 
 • ^' js call'd emphatically the great God. Looking for 
 that blejjcd hope, and the appearing of the great 
 God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrifl, or the great 
 God, even our Saviour Jefus Chrift. For the 
 Difpofition of the Article in the Greek before 
 the great Cod, as common to that and our Savi- 
 our, fhews that both thofe Titles belong to one 
 and the fame Perfon, as that Form of Speech 
 is commonly ufed, and often tranflated ,• par- 
 ticularly when the Father is call'd the God and 
 T.ph.i.'i. Father of our Lord Jefas Chrift, which very 
 Rom.15. Phrafe at other times is render'd, God, even the 
 ^' ' Father of our Lord Jefm Chrift, So God, and 
 
 our 
 
 \' 
 
(59) 
 
 ouY Father, at one time, is render'd Cod, even ^lJ-'-J» 
 our Father, at another. The very fame Dif- 3/,^^/ 
 pofition of the Article, and Form of Expreffi- 
 on, is ufed in all thefe, and feveral other pla- 
 ces, with that in the Text under Confiderati- 
 on j and why fhoa'd we not imderftand this as 
 we do them, taking the laft Title as exegetical 
 of the firft, oras denoting who was meant by 
 the Great God, even our Saviour Jefus Chrift ? 
 This is the moll: genuine and ufual reading of 
 that Phrafe, and the Apoftle's fpeaking of the 
 appearing of this great God, determines us fo 
 to undcrftand it here : For he thereby evident- 
 ly means Chrifl's Second glorious Appearance; 
 and the Scripture never reprefents the Father, 
 as the Perfon who will make that appearance, 
 but conftantly and often appropriates it to 
 Chrift, who will come m all his Glory, and in 
 the Glory of the Father,- and appear the Jecond Heb. 9. 
 time without Sin to Salvation. Tho' Chrift will i8. 
 come in his Father's Glory, as well as his own, 
 yet 'tis not the Perfon of the Father, but of 
 the Son, that will then come, and make his 
 appearance, T'he chief Shepherd will appear ; i Pet. 5. 
 and Chrifl who is &ur Life /Jjall appear. Ten o- 1' . 
 ther Places might be added, in which that Ap- ° * •'<* 
 pearance is appropriated to him. And this is 
 the Perfon, that is ftiled the Great God, whofe 
 appearing we are to look for. 
 
 Still further, to remove all Jealoufy of any 
 thing figurative or improper in thefe Appella- 
 tions of Chrift, he is call'd the true God, not a 
 true God, as if there might be more true 
 Gods than one, but by way of emphafis, the 
 true God, as haying the true and only Godhead 
 in him. iVe, lays the Apoftle, are in him, that i Joh.j. 
 u true, even in his Son Jefus Chrifl. "This (or 2-0. 
 be iTtbO is the true God, and eternal Life, This 
 
 Son 
 
I. 
 
 (60) 
 
 Son oF God, whom he was (peaking of, is the 
 true God. The natural Order, and gram- 
 matical Conftrudion of the Words, lead us to 
 this Senfe, and his joining the Title of Eter- 
 nal Life with that of the true God, clearly 
 Points us to Chrift, as the true God here 
 fpoken of For this Title, Eternal Life, is' 
 given to Chrift as he in his OiEce-Capacity is 
 the procuring Caufe, and giver of it to us, and 
 is defcriptive of him in Diftindion from the 
 Father at the beginning of this Epiftle. T'hat 
 •which was from the begimiingj xohich we, have 
 ij jon.i. }j2ardi which zve have feen with our Eyes, which 
 we have looked upon^ and our hands have handled 
 of the Word of Life ; for theIJfewa5 manifejied, 
 and we have feen it, and bear xvitnefs, and Jhew 
 unto y 071 that Eternal Life, which was with the 
 Father, and zvas manifefled to tis. All thefe Ex- 
 preflions fliew 'twas 'that ChriH, whom the 
 Apoftles heard and converftd with on Earth, 
 who is call'd Eternal Life, and diftinguifh'd 
 from the Father by that Name ; who is alfo 
 in the third ver. diftinguifli'd from him by the 
 Name o£his Son Jefm Chriji. And as the Apo- 
 ftle began this Epiftle, fo he ends it with 
 thefe Titles of Chrift, his Son JefmChri/l, and 
 Eternal Life, and inferts between them, 'This 
 is the true God, that we might be fure not to 
 miftake, who he means thereby. I know no 
 other Senfe that can be put upon thefe Words, 
 without the moft apparent Force, or extrava- 
 gant Figures ; and therefore i( the plaineft 
 Words, taken in their genuine Senfe and Con- 
 nexion, are of any weight with us, Jefus 
 Chrift is declar'd to be the true God, to the ex- 
 clufion of all inferiour Notions of his Godhead, 
 as if it was really different from that, which is 
 the only true One. 
 
(^1 ) 
 
 But Chrlft feems to fpeak contrary to this, osj, i. 
 as if not he, but only the Father, is the true 
 God, when he fays, "This is Life eternal, that Joh. 17. 
 they might know thee, the only true God, andjefm '* 
 Clii-ift, whom thou hafl fent. 
 
 Eternal Life is evidently to be underftood Anf. 
 differently here from what it is in the Epiftle 
 oi 'John. For there 'tis defcriptive of a Perfon, 
 viz,, of Chrift, confider'd as the Caufe or Au- 
 thor of eternal Life ; and here 'tis defcriptive 
 of the Effed of our Knowledge of the true God 
 in his Nature, and of Jefus Chrift in his Of- 
 fice. And accordingly the Term God muft in 
 this place be underllood of God eflentially 
 confider'd, that he only is the true God in 
 oppo/ition to allfalfe Gods, and not cxclufive 
 of the Son or Holy Ghoft, but inclufive of 
 them, as Divine Perfons with the Father in 
 the fame Godhead. So the "frue God is plain- 
 ly to be underftood in i I'hef. i. 9 The 
 Heathen there fpoken of were turn'd from I- 
 «lols to Chrift as well as the Father. And the 
 word only, in feveral Inftances that might be 
 given, don't exclude others in Conjunftion, or 
 of the fame Confideration with him that is 
 fpoken of ; but only others of a difterent Con- 
 fideration from him. Thus when God faid. 
 Surely there Jhall not one of thefe Men of this evil 
 Generation fee the good Land,— five Caleb, Deut. 
 I. 3 5,3<5. this is not exclu five of 7''y^^^^> who 
 was a Man of the fame excellent Spirit with 
 Caleb, and faw the good Land with him, Numb, 
 14. 30. So when the Son is faid only to know 
 the Father, and the Father the Son, Mat. 1 1. 
 27. that don't exclude the Holy Ghoft from 
 knowing them -, for the Spirit fe arches all things, 
 yea, the deep things of God, i Cor. 2. lo. And 
 in two or three Verfes before the Text under 
 
 confide- 
 
(SO 
 
 Job. 16. confideration, Chrifl fays to his Difciples, Ye 
 
 5^* jhall be fcatterd every Man to his own, and fiaS 
 
 leave me alone : But his being alone was not 
 
 exclufive ot the Father, as he explains it in 
 
 the next Words, and yet I am not alone, hecatife 
 
 the Father is with me. See alfo this manner of 
 
 Speech in John 8. p. and i Cor. 2. 2. and Gal. 
 
 Ifa.45. ^■'^^- In this Senie the Great Jehovah is G^o^, 
 
 21. and there is none hefide him ; and he fpreadeth out 
 
 Job p.8. the Heavens alone. Which, as you have heard, 
 
 is applicable to the Son as well as the Father, 
 
 and to neither of them exclufive of the other, 
 
 but only of all other pretended Gods, that 
 
 are not really by Nature the true God. 
 
 Furthermore, Chrift in the place under Con- 
 fideration, fpeaks of himfelf in diftinftion from 
 the only true God, not withrefpcft to his own 
 Nature, as God • but with refped to his Of- 
 fice-Capacity, as he intimates by adding thefe 
 V/ords, TVtom thou hajl fent, viz. to be a Me- 
 diator and Saviour, the Knowledge of whom, 
 as fuch, is as neceflary to eternal Life, as the 
 Knowledge of the true God in diftinftion from 
 Idols. Confidering this Text in this Light it 
 perfedly agrees, and as far as I fee it can't 
 odierwife agree at all, with what the Writer 
 of this Gofpel aiferts in his Epiftle, that this 
 (Son of God^ is the true God, as well as the 
 Father. 
 Obj. 1. Is it farther urged, that Chrift is diftin- 
 guifh'd from the one God, viz. the Father, by 
 the Apoftle Paul, who fays, To us there is hut 
 I Cor.8. one God, the Father, of -ichom are all things, and 
 6, we in him ; and on? Lord J ejus Chriji,by whom are 
 
 all things, and we by him. 
 Anf. 'Tis very plain that the Apoftle in this place 
 
 is fpeaking of God in Oppofition to Idols ; 
 For he had lay'd down this Pofition, JVe know 
 
 that 
 
(6? ) 
 
 that an Idol is nothing in the ivorldy and that there i Cof,8. 
 is none other God but one. And he goes on to 4* 
 prove this Aflertion in the following Verfes ; 
 For tho there be that are called Godsy whether in v. 5, 
 Heaven or in Earthy as there be Gods many, and 
 Lords many ; But to us there is but one Gody &c. v. 6. 
 and one Lord Jef^ Chrifly Sec. Now to fup- 
 pofe that the Apoflle by one Lord, meant one 
 Subordinate inferiour God diflinft in Nature 
 from the one Supreme God, wou'd be to fup- 
 pofe him to overthrow his own Argument, or 
 to prove that there is but one God, becaufe 
 there are two ,• one Supreme, and another 
 Subordinate ; and at the fame time to have 
 ^iven the Heathens a flrong handle to defend 
 their Idols, and their VVorfliip of them. For 
 they, many of them, believ'd there was but 
 one Supreme God, but likewife tho't Divine 
 Worfhip was due to fome inferiour Deities ; 
 and therefore, if Chrift was not truly the moft 
 high God, and yet is to be worfhip'd, as mofl: 
 of the Oppofers of his Godhead allow, this 
 wou'd rather confirm than confute the Hea- 
 thens Opinion, that inferioup Deities may be 
 worfhip'd. 
 
 But iuppofe the Apollle here to fpeak of the 
 one God, according to two different Manners 
 of Subfiftence and Operation, viz,, the Father, 
 the Caufe of whom are all Things, and the 
 Son, the Caufe by whom are all Things, the 
 Father working by the Son according to their 
 Order of Perfonal Subfiftence in the Godhead, 
 and fo he argues fuitable to his Defign of pro- 
 ving that there is no other God but one, and that 
 all inferiour Deities are Nothing. 
 
 And admitting that he here alludes to the 
 way of the Heathens, who worfhip'd one Su- 
 preme Deity by other Inferiour Deities, as a 
 
 fort 
 
(64) 
 fort of Mediators, then his Argument fo faf 
 forth refpeds merely Chrift's Office, as he i$ 
 the only Mediator between the only true God 
 and fallen Man, which God is characlerifed 
 by the Father, becaufe Chrift mediates with 
 the Godhead in the Perfon of the Father. And 
 fo the Apofde fays nothing diredly of what 
 Chrift is in his Nature, confider'd abftradly 
 from his Office ; only in his Defcription of 
 him, he gives him the Title of Lord, which 
 anfwers to Jehovah, and afcribes the fame 
 works to him as to the Father, which was e- 
 nough to fecuri; his Character, relating to his 
 Original Nature, as the true God equally with 
 the Father, whilft he was fpeaking of him, as 
 in Office icferiour to the Father. 
 
 Thus notwithftanding thefe Objev9:ions, or 
 any of the like fort, we may abide by thofe 
 Scripture Appellations of Chrift, which in an 
 abfolute, proper and fupreme Senfe, give him 
 the Title of God ; as very good Proofs that 
 he is, what he is likcwife alfcrted to be, the 
 true God. 
 
 Yea, furthermore it feems to me, that he is 
 the Perfon fpoken of, whom the Apoftle Jiide 
 calls the only wife God. N'ow unto him that is 
 Jjidei/}, nble to keep you from fallings and to prefent you 
 2$. fault lefs before the Pre fence of hii Glory vjtth ex^ 
 ceeding Joy ; To the only wife God mr Saviour, he 
 Glory and Majejiy, Dominion and Power, kth now 
 and ever. Amen. By the moft natural Con- 
 ftruftion of thefe Words, 'tis the fame Perfon 
 that is fpoken of in both thefe Verfes. And 
 he is here calfd God our Saviour, which in 
 New Teftaraent Language is moft commonly 
 a defcriptive Charader of Chrift. 
 
 And 
 
f 65 ) 
 
 And he feems to be the Perfon chiefly fpokeri 
 of in the foregoing Context. The Difpofiti- 
 on of the Article leads us to render v. 4. dmy- 
 ing the only Lord God, even our Lord J^fus Chrifi, 
 which is call'd in a parallel Place, denying the 1 Pet. 2. 
 Lord that bought them. Chrift is likewife repre- '• 
 fented as one that will come with T'en thoufand 
 of his Saints to execute Judgment upon all, V. 14, 
 15. And Believers are exhorted to be looking 
 for the Mercy of our Lord Jefm Chrifi to eternal 
 Life, V. 21. Accordingly in v. 24. 'The Prefence 
 of his Glory may refer to the glorious Appear- 
 ance Chrift will make in his coining to Judg- 
 ment'; and his keeping us from falling, and pre- 
 fenting us faultlefs before that Prefence, may 
 refped his Mercy to eternal Life, which we 
 are to look for. And fo thefe Words feem 
 mdft naturally to relate to what was undoubt- 
 edly faid of Chrift in the foregoing Context. 
 
 And the Work here afcribed to him, is in 
 other places reprefented as the fpecial Work 
 of Chrift, who as the Saviour of the Body' 
 loved the Church, and gave himfdf for it, that he Epl^. 5. 
 
 might fanSi if y and cleanfe it ■ and prefent it to '^'^^ ^5» 
 
 himfeif a gloriom Church, not having fpot, or ^°' *^' 
 wrinkle, or any fuch thing ; but that it jhould be 
 holy, and without Blemijh. But nothing of this 
 kind is ever afcribed to the Father. And there- 
 fore Chrift is the only wife God here fpoken 
 ot, exclufive not of the Father and the Holy 
 Ghoft, who are other Perfons in the fame di- 
 vine EfTence with him, but of all that arc not 
 by Nature God, 
 
 I will add but one Name or Title farther, 
 which is given to Chrift, and that is Jehovah. 
 This is the peculiar incommunicable Name of 
 the only true God, and is never giv^en to any 
 but him, as is pofitively affirm'd in Pfalm 83. 
 
 F 18. 
 
C 66 
 
 1 8.' ■ ^/30«, nuhofe Name alone z> Jehovah, 
 art the mofi high over all the Earth. However 
 others may in Metaphorical inferiour Senfes 
 bear fome other Names that belong to the true 
 God ; yet he alone will have the Name of 'Je^ 
 hovah as his peculiar, and none but himfelf 
 Ihall be call'd by that Name, becaufe that 
 Name is expreflive of his Nature, as it figni- 
 fies Being abfolutely without Limitation. Hence 
 Ifa.4z.8. fays he, / am the Lord, \_Heb. Jehovah] that is 
 my Name ; my Glory, viz.. of this my Name, 
 as it may be underftood, tcill I not give to ano- 
 ther " And yet this Name Jehovah is given 
 to Chrift, and therefore he, together with the 
 Father, muft be the true and moft high God, 
 whofe Name alone is Jehovah, and who will 
 not give it to another. Chrift is call'd by this 
 Name, not only in thofe feveral places that 
 have been recited, wherein that which at one 
 time is fpoken of the only true God, under 
 the Title of Jehovah, is at another apply 'd 
 to Chrift, who is declar'd to be the Jehovah 
 there meant : But he is more obvioufly to every 
 ones apprehenfion call'd by this Name ; Zee. 
 
 2. 8 13. T'hus faith the Lord of Hvfis, after 
 
 the Glory hath he fent me to the Nations < > " • • ■ 
 and ye Jh all know that the Lord of Hojls hath fent 
 me. Here both the Sender and the Sent, 
 which clearly fignifie the Father and the Son, 
 are call'd Jehovah of Hofts ; and fo it follows 
 in the next Verfes ; Lo I come, and I -will 
 dwell in the midfi of thee, faith the Lord, [_HeI/. 
 
 Jehovah] and thou JJjalt know that the 
 
 Lord of Hop hath fent jne unto thee. And the 
 two next Verfes feem moft naturally to relate 
 to Chrift too, where he is again call'd that 
 Jehovah, who is raifed up cut of his holy Habi- 
 tation, rcfpeding, as I conceive, his Incarna- 
 tion 
 
(67 J 
 
 tfon for the Redemption of Ijrael. At other 
 times he is call'd Jehovah our Right eoufnefs, Jer. 
 23. 6. And again in Chap. 33. 16. where 
 fpeaking of 'Judah, 'tis faid. She jhall be called 
 the Lord our Righteoufnefs : But 'tis generally a- 
 greed that this is a very odd Tranflation o£ 
 that Text, which ought to be render'd f Hey 
 •who JJjall call her, is 'Jehovah our Righteoufnefs . 
 And fo the Lord, or Jehovah our Righteouf- 
 nefs, is defcriptive of Chrift by that Name, 
 which 'twas faid in the 23d Chapter he fhou'd 
 be call'd by. He is likewife call'd Jehovah in 
 Gen. I p. 24. and If a. 40. 3. compar'd with 
 Luke 3 . 4. And in all thefe Texts where the 
 Angel of Jehovah is call'd Jehovah, which can 
 relate to none but Chrift, the Angel of the 
 Covenant. 'Tis likewife very probable that 
 all thofe Places, where Jehovah is reprefented. 
 in the Old Teftament, as making a vijihle Ap- 
 pearancey and fpeaking audibly, are to be under- 
 flood of Chrift, and to be confider'd as fo ma- 
 ny Hints and Prefigurations of his future In- 
 carnation *. 
 
 Thus the Names or Titles of the only true 
 God are given in a proper fenfe to Chrift ; and 
 fome of them are fo peculiar to God that they 
 can be given in no fenfe at all to others. And 
 fure fince our bleflbd Lord is frequently ftiled 
 in Scripture, Lord, and God, "The Lord God of 
 the Prophets, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, 
 the great God, the true God, the only wife God, 
 God over all blefjed for ever, and Jehovah, he 
 muft needs anfwer thefe high Titles, and be 
 
 * VU. The tvue Scriprure Dodlriue of the Holy Tri- 
 nity by an Anonymous Author. Priated ioi George 
 Straham, at the Golden-Ball in Cornlnll. 
 
 F 2 by 
 
(68) 
 
 by Nature true and proper God. To fuppofe 
 otherwife, is to fuppofe that thefe higheft Ti- 
 tles, peculiar to the only true God, are ap- 
 ply'd to Chrift without their Meaning, to a- 
 mufe or deceive, and lead us into Miftakes ; 
 but as that wou'd be Blafphemy once to ima- 
 gine, fo the Names given to Chrift fhou'd ftand 
 in our Thoughts for the Things they are the 
 Signs of, and command our Belief, that he 
 really is what they declare him to be, the great 
 and true God, God over all bleffed for ever. 
 
 SERMON 
 
(^9) 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 ROM. ix. 5. 
 
 Of whom as concerning the Flejh 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 I Am proving that Jefus Chrifl is, in his Ori- 
 ginal Nature, the true and moft high God. 
 And the thirdArgument I Ihall advance to 
 this purpofe is this : 
 
 Thirdly, T'be Scripture defcribes our Lordyefm Arg. J, 
 Chrifi by the true Nature and ejfential Properties 
 <)j the only true God. 
 
 By the Nature and Properties or Attributes 
 jof God, I wou'd not be underftood to raeari 
 Things really diftind: from one another in 
 God ; For I take them to be in themfelves one 
 and the fame divine Eflcnce, confider'd under 
 -different Views. And therefore I ufe thofe Terms 
 only to exprefs what God is according to our 
 imperfed: way of conceiving of him. 
 
 If then not only the peculiar diftinguifliing 
 Names and Titles of the only true God, but 
 likewife the Nature and ejfential Properties of 
 ihat God do indeed belong to our Blefled 
 Lord, he can't but be, as to his Nature or 
 F 3 EdencCf 
 
( 70 ) 
 
 EiTencc, that only true God. As he that hath 
 the true Nature, and eflential diftinguifhing 
 Properties of Man, is in the propereft fenfe 
 true and real Man ; (o he that hath the true 
 Nature, and efTential diftinguifhing Properties 
 of the only true God, is in the propereft fenfe 
 the true and real God. 'Tis the greateft ab- 
 furdity and contradidion in Terms to fuppofe 
 otherwife. Now the Scripture alfures us, that 
 Col. 1,9. in Chrift dwells all the Fullnefs of the Godhead 
 bodily, or fubji ami ally. 'the Godhead, that is> 
 the Nature or Effence of God, yea, all the 
 Fullnefs of the Cedkead, which takes in all its 
 elfential Perfedions, Glory, and Bleffednefs ; 
 this not only dwelt, but dwells, that is, abides 
 conftantly and for ever, not only with him, 
 but in him. So that he has the fame Fullnefs 
 of the Godhead in himfelf, as the Father has, 
 which fpeaks him to be perfed God in the 
 fame Nature and eflential Properties equally 
 with the Father : And this is in him kdily, or, 
 as it is to be underftood, fubfiantially, or really, 
 in O^^oHtiomo Jigttratively, thereby denoting 
 the real proper Inhabitation of the Godhead 
 in itsPerfonal Union with the Human Nature 
 of Chrift. Thus in this very Chapter Body is 
 oppofed to Shadow, where 'tis faid, in oppo- 
 lition to Mofaick Ordinances, Which are a 
 V. I7« Shadow of things to come, but the Body is of Chrift ; 
 that is, the fubftantial Reality ofGofpel Myfte- 
 ries is in Chrift, in Oppoiition to the Shadows 
 of them in the Law. So Chrift in the fame 
 Reality, in Oppoiition to the figurative Repre- 
 fe'ntation of it by the Shechinah, hath all the 
 Fullnefs of the Godhead, the Divine Nature, 
 with all its eflential Attributes,dwelling or abi- 
 ding inhimbyPerfonalUnion with his human 
 Nature;, which well agrees with what himfelf 
 
 (aid. 
 
(71) 
 
 faid. All things that the Father hath are mine. John i6. 
 Accordingly all thofe Things that go into our '5« 
 Notions of God, and make up the beft De- 
 fcription we can have of him in his Nature 
 and effential Attributes, or of what he really 
 is, are throughout the Scriptures afcribed to 
 our Lord Jefus Chrift. And how ftiall we 
 know who is God, but by the Defcription his 
 own Word hath given of him ? This Defcrip- 
 tion of God is very well forra'd out of the 
 Scripture, and put together in the Affembly's 
 Catechifm, in anfwer to the Queftion, What 
 is God ? And it runs thus : God ts a Spirit, in- 
 finite, eternal, and tmchangeable in his Being, 
 Wtjdom, Power, HoUnefs, 'Juftice, Goodnefs, and 
 Truth. This has been generally thought to be 
 a good plain Scriptural Account of what God 
 is, according to our Capacities of conceiving 
 of him : And I fhou'd not for my part ftick 
 to own that he, to whom this Defcription in 
 all its Parts agrees, is the only true and moft 
 high God. And becaufe this Defcription of 
 him is very familiarly known to moft of us, I 
 fhall therefore go thro' it, and briefly fhew that 
 all its Parts agree or belong to Chrift, as he 
 is defcribed in the Word of God. There- 
 fore, 
 
 I. yefm Chrifl, as to his Divine Nature, is 
 a Spirit. If all the following Parts of this De* 
 fcription belong to him (as I am to fhew they 
 do) that is fiifficient of it felf to prove that 
 he is a Spirit ; for the Things therein fpoken 
 of, are abfolutely incompatible to any but a 
 Spirit. But I think feveral Paffages of Scrip- 
 ture directly witnefs to his being a Spirit : So 
 his Divine Nature feems to be call'd in Mark 
 2. 8. and immediately -when Jefm perceived in his 
 F 4 Spirit 
 
C72 ) 
 
 spirit that they fo reafond within themf elves, he 
 faid unto them. Why reajon ye thefe things in your 
 Hearts ? This Perception of their inmoft 
 Thoughts or Reafonings of their Hearts, is 
 moft properly to be underftcod of his Divine 
 Nature as the Principle of it. Accordingly 
 Mat. 9. the Evangelift Matthew exprefifes this Cafe by 
 4' his knowing their T'houghts, and faying, Wherefore 
 
 think ye evil in your Hearts ? Which he fpeaks 
 in fuch an abfolute mai^ner, as fhews it was 
 by his divine Nature that he fo knew their 
 Hearts ; for that Knowledge is . peculiar to 
 God only, as may be feen anon. So Ukewife 
 I Tim. he vjas juflified in or by the Spirit, which is 
 3. 16. fpoken of indiftinftion from his Human Na- 
 ture, mention'd in the foregoing Claufe, and 
 imports his Divine Nature , by which he ' 
 wrought Miracles in his Life, and raifed him- 
 Rom. I. felf from the Dead, and fo was juftify'd or de- 
 4. dared to be the Son of God with Pozver, according 
 
 to the Spirit of Holinefs, or Divine Nature, in 
 V. 3. Oppofition to what he was, as made of the Seed 
 I Pet. 5. of David according to the Flejh. And hence he 
 ^^' was faid to be ptit to Death in the Flejh, but qiiic- 
 Johnz. ken'dbythe Spirit, or his Divine Nature, by 
 Toll. 10. which in three Days he raifed up the Temple of his 
 iQ. Body, and had Pozver to take his Life again. 
 
 2. He as a Divine Spirit is infinite in his 
 Being, or He is an infi J( Spirit -, not limited 
 to, or circumfcribed in aplace, as his Human 
 Nature is, bat filling Heaven and Earth- with 
 his Prefence. When he was only on Earth, as 
 to his Human Nature, he was at the fame time 
 John], in Heaven by his infinite EiTence as God, cal- 
 f5» , ling himfelf T/;£' 5'o«o/ Tkf^//, lu/jfc/j IS IN Hea- 
 ven, and often fpeaking of Heaven, as the 
 Place of his then prefent Being. Where I am, 
 John 12. 26, and 17.. 24. And now he is iv\ 
 
 Heayen^ 
 
( 73 5 
 
 Heaven, as to his Human Nature, he is like- 
 wife on Earth by his Divine Nature, even in 
 all Places at once, wherefoever his Minifters, 
 or any AlTemblies of his People are engaged 
 in religious Worfhip, having laid to the firft, 
 Lo /am with you always to the endof the TVor/J ; Mat.io. 
 and to the othcrSyW/'ere two or three are gathered iB. 
 together inmy Name, there au I in tkemidfi of them, q^^'^ 
 
 3, He is ETERNAL ill his Being , and fo infi- 
 nite in Duration as well as Eflence. He had 
 neither Beginning of Days, nor End of Life, as Heb. 7. 
 was fhadow'd out by Mekhiz,edec his Type. ^* 
 
 He exifted before Abraham, yea, before every 
 thing elfe ; for he is before all things. But this ^o\, i. 
 has been fufficiently proved by fevcral other ^1' 
 Scriptures under the firft. explaining Propofi- 
 tion. 
 
 4, He is UNCHANGEABLE in his Being. This 
 Chrift aflerts of himfelf with the ftrongeft af- 
 fcveration ; Verily, verily, I fay unto you, before John 8. 
 Abraham was, I AM. He evidently {peaks 58. 
 this of himfelf, as one greater than Abraham^ 
 
 that had a real Exiftence before him ; 'tis mean 
 trifling to underftand it otherwife. And Chrift 
 don't fay before Abraham was, I was, but I 
 AM, denoting his eternal permanent unchange- 
 able Exiftence, both before and after Abra- 
 ham ; or that as to his Divine Nature, he is 
 ever and unalterably the fame, and challenges 
 the fame Stability and NecefTity of Exiftence, 
 as the great Jehovah of Ifrael did, when he 
 call'd himfelf by this Name, / am that I am, Exod. j. 
 aud/^7?/. This Title Chrift affumes to him- M* 
 felf, not merely as the Father's Name in him, 
 but as his own Name that belongs to, and is 
 defcriptive of himfelf, who, and what he is, 
 in his Being or EfTencc, the true / A M, or 
 ^lnchangeabIy exiftent Oncj as well as the Fa- 
 ther, 
 
(74) 
 
 ther. Hence the very fame unchangeablenefs 
 is afcrib'd to the Son, as had been afcrib'd to 
 the Great Jehovah of Ifrael. 'Thou Lord in the 
 Heb, I. Beginning haji laid the Foundation of the Earth, 
 "^0,11,12. ^^^ fjjg Heavens are the Works of thine hands. 
 They jhall perij}} but thou remaine/iy and they all 
 
 fiall wax old as doth a Garment y but thou 
 
 art the fame, and thy Tears Jhall not fail. The 
 whole Tenour of the Context, both before 
 and after thefe Words, plainly fhews they re-, 
 late to Chrift ; and they are a Defcription of 
 the eternal Sainenefs and Immutability of his 
 Beingy in the fame lofty Terms as the un- 
 changeablenefs of the only true God is de- 
 fcrib'din, in Pf. 102. 25, 25,27. from whence 
 Heb. 13. this is quoted verbatiin. Jefm Chrifl is the fame 
 8. Yefltrdajy to Day, and for ever. If he is fo in 
 
 the Efficacy of his Office, he muft needs be 
 fo in his divine Perfon, on which all that Ef- 
 Col. X. ficacy depends. He not only was, but is be- 
 17. fore all thingSy which denotes the unchangea- 
 ble Permanence of his Being, that he is, what 
 he always was, and will be. Hence he faid 
 Rev.i.8. Qf himfelf, / am Alpha and OmegUy the Begin- 
 ning and the Endingy > which is, and zvhich 
 wMy and which is to come, the Almighty. Some 
 of thefe are the very fame Expreffions that are 
 ufed of the Father, ver. 4. befpeaking him to 
 be from everlafling to everlafting immutably 
 the fame. And that this 8th Verfe, which I 
 have recited, is fpoken of Chrift, appears both 
 from what goes before and follows after it. In 
 the next preceding verfe Chrift is defcrib'd 
 in his appearance to Judgment. Behold he 
 ^' 1' cometh with Cloudsy and every Eye jhall fee him, 
 Sec. Immediately upon this 'tis added, to 
 ftrike us with the greater Awe at the Thoughts 
 of his Judgm.enp, / am Al^ha and Omegay the 
 
 beginning 
 
(75 ) 
 
 beginning and the ending Jaith the Lord -— ^^•'^ 
 
 Almighty. And in fome following Verfes, 
 Chrift is reprefented as fpeaking of himfelf m 
 fome of the very fame Charadtcrs, jciyingy I am Rev. i. 
 Al^ha and Omega, the fir fl and the lajL — Fear u, 17, 
 not, I am the frjl and the lafl ; I am he that li- 18. 
 'veth and was dead, and behold I am alive for e- 
 njermore ; which can be meant of none but 
 Chrift, and fhews 'twas he that call'd himfelt 
 Alpha and Omega, &c. in the 8th Verfe. But 
 that which feems to me to put the Cafe be- 
 yond fair Difpute is, that it isChriil, and not 
 the Father, who fpeaks, or is perfonated in 
 fpeaking, thro' this Book of Revelations, and 
 Alpha and Omega are conftantly ufed by him, 
 as his fpecial diftinguifliing Denomination. 
 In the beginning of this Book we are told, 
 
 'This IS the Revelation of Jefm Chrift — and Chap. i. 
 
 hefent, andfignifyd it by his Angel to his few ant ^• 
 John. And at the clofe of the Book, Chrift 
 calls himfelf Alpha and Omega, and adds, /Chapzz^ 
 Jefus have f em mine Angel to teftify to you thefe J3. 16. 
 things in the Churches. Tho' feveral tmngs are 
 faid of the Father in this Book, yet I can't find 
 that he ever calls himfelf, or is call'd Alpha 
 and Omega ; or that he is ever reprefented as 
 fpeaking at all in any other parts of it ; which 
 makes it highly irrational to fuppofe him to 
 be the Perfon fpeaking of himfelf under this 
 Character here. The only place elfe, I think, 
 that looks difputable, is Chap. 21. 5,6,7. and 
 even there, it hath been upon good 'Grounds 
 moft commonly underftood to be Chrift, and 
 not the Father, that fpeaks ; For it was he 
 that there faid to John, Write, -^wd faid to him, 
 it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
 and the end. I will give unto him that is a-thirfl 
 of the Fountain of the water of Life freely. All 
 
 thcfe 
 
(76) 
 
 t'nefe Things belong to Chrift, and moft of 
 them, if not all, are in other places fo pecu- 
 liarly, and in To diitinguiftiing a manner ap- 
 ply'd to him, that one wou'd think it impof- 
 fible to miftake him under this Defcripti- 
 on. 
 
 Obj. And whereas it may be objefted, that he, 
 
 who here fpeaks, fpoke of himfeif in the be- 
 ginning of the 5 th Verfe, as he that fate on 
 the 'Throne^ and faidy Behold I make all things 
 new ; and in the 7th Verfe faid, tie that over^ 
 comet h JJjall inherit all things y and I •will be hii God, 
 and he Jhall be my Sen ; which feems to be Lan- 
 guage peculiar to the Father. 
 
 Anf. This don't make fo ftrong againft, as the 
 
 other Characters make for our underftanding 
 Chrift to be the Perfon here fpeaking. For 
 Chrifl is often defcribed a.s fitting on his T'hrone 
 for Judgment ; and the foregoing Chapter 
 concluded witha Reprefentation of that Judg- 
 ment ; and thQ making all things nevjj is fpoken 
 of, as Chrift's fpecial Work, in 2 Pet,-^. 10, 1 3. 
 He is litSewife faid to give Believers Power to 
 become the Sons of God, John i. 12. But 
 the Truth is, that this place in Revelations 
 don't fo much relate to their adoption it felf, 
 as to the glorious Manifeftation of it, in all 
 the Honour and Bleflednefs that belongs to it. 
 And this the Scripture every where affigns to 
 Chrift, as his proper Work. And this promife 
 to him that overcomes, is the fame in Sub- 
 ftance and Meaning with all thofe mention'd 
 in the 2d and 3d Chapters, where 'tis undeni- 
 able that Chrift makes them, and fpeaks of 
 himfeif as the Perfon that will zvrjte the Name 
 of God, and his new Name on him that overcomes, 
 and tv7 II grant him to fit with him in his T'hrone^ 
 and advance him to all the glory contain'd ii^i 
 
 the 
 
(77) 
 
 the reft of thofe Promifes. See Cliap.j:. 7, 1 1> 
 17, 26. and Chap. 3., 5, 12, 21. 
 
 Upon the whole then, fince Chrift, and not 
 the Father, doth by way of peculiarity call 
 himfelf Alpha and Omega ; and fince he, and 
 not the Father, fpeaks throughout this Book, 
 'tis a convincing Evidence to me, that he is 
 the Perfon, who in the place under Confide- 
 ration fays, / am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
 and the ending, — , . . ix)hich is, atid which urns y 
 and "which is to come, the Almighty ; and fo he 
 as well as the Father is permanently and ever- 
 laftingly the fame. 
 
 Thus Jefus Chrift, as to his Divine Nature, 
 is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in 
 his Being. And I proceed to fliew, that he is 
 infinite (which includes his being eternal, and 
 unchangeable) in the other Attributes afcrib'd 
 to God in the Remainder of this Account of 
 him. Therefore, 
 
 5. Chrijl if infinite in Wisdom. He is faid 
 to know all Men^ and all T'hings, without the 
 leaft Limitation. 3^<?//« did not commit himfelf Joh. 2. 
 to them, becaufe he knew all Men, and needed ^4* 2-5. 
 not that any fjjould tejiify of Man ; for he knew 
 what was in Man. And now are we fure that thou 
 
 knowefl ALL THINGS hythis we believe thou Job. i<i 
 
 camefi forth from God, viz.. in thv Divine Na- 3o» 
 ture by eternal Generation • for they herein 
 take up Chrift's own Expreffion in the laft 
 Words he had fpoken, when to diftinguifh his 
 Eternal Generation from his Temporal Incar- 
 nation, he faid, I came forth from the Father, v. 28. 
 adding as a thing diftind: from that, and. am 
 come into the World. To return, Peter appeal'd 
 to him, as to the Omnifcient God ; Lord thou Joh. zr. 
 knowefl all things, thou knowefl that J love thee. i7« 
 This Knowledge of ^^ Things, and particular- 
 ly 
 
( 78 ) 
 
 ly of our Hearts^ is confin'd to God only, as 
 his Peculiar. For thou, {lys Solomon, {^tzk'm^, to 
 I Kings j.j^(^ great 'Jehovah of Ifrael, thou only knowefl 
 ^^* the Hearts «f all the Children of Men. And this 
 Jehovah himfelf claims this Knowledge, as his 
 own fingular Prerogative. / the Lord fearch 
 the Hearty and try the Reins ; which he fpeaks 
 in dired Oppofition to the abfolute Impofli- 
 bility of any other's knowing the Heart, as 
 the foregoing Verfe fhews, Jer. 17, 9, 10. 
 And yet we are aflured that Chrift had this ve- 
 ry Knowledge ; He kneiu what was in Man. 
 Mat. 9. He infpecls all Mens Hearts, he knovis their 
 4. T'houghtSy and the inward Reafonings of their 
 
 Mark z. Hearts. Yea, he knew before-hand, what 
 wou'd be the particular Inclinations of Perfons 
 Hearts, before thcfe Inclinations fprung up, 
 John 6. or were form'd in them. For 'Jefus knew from 
 ^^* THE Beginning, who they were that believed not ^ 
 
 and who jjjould betray hi?n. And when Peter had 
 prefent ftrong Refolutions in himfelf not to 
 forfake Chrift, and boldly avow'd them to 
 him, faying, T'ho' all jh all be ofiended, yet will not 
 
 Mark 14. /— if I jhotid dye with thee, 1 will not deny 
 
 »9, >!:• thee in any wife. Likewife alfo f aid they all \ yet 
 Chrift at this very time knew that all the reft 
 of his Difciples, and Veter with them, would 
 V.27 ;o, drop their Refolutions, and bafely defert and 
 50,68, deny him, as he then told them -, and the E- 
 l^\lh vent proved. He knew all the Principles of 
 ^*' their Hearts, and ixv what way and manner 
 they wou'd vilely exert themfelves contrary 
 to their then prefent Sentiments and Difpofi- 
 tions. He hath likewife a perfect Knowledge 
 of all Hearts on Earth, now he is in Heaven, 
 and hath left this peculiar Prerogative of the 
 Godhead fo clearly on Record, as pertaining 
 to himfelf, that it is become a common Prin- 
 ciple 
 
(79) 
 
 ciple of Faith, and a known Maxim in all the 
 Churches : For, fays Chrift, all the Churches Rev. 2* 
 jhall knozuy that I am hs, who fearchetb the Retns ^'^* 
 and Heart Si and I will give unto every one of you 
 according to your works. How exaftly doth this 
 afiert that Prerogative to be Chrift's, which 
 the great Jehovah claim'd as peculiar to him- 
 felf in the fame Form of Expreffion, Jer. 17. 
 10. Yea, fo infinite is Chrift's Knowledge, 
 that he, and he only, exclufive of all other 
 Beings, knows the Father, in the fame manner 
 as the Father knows him ; which fhews, that 
 his Underftanding as God is equally infinite 
 with the Father's. • — No Man knoweth f/?^ Mat. it. 
 Son, but the Father -, neither knoweth any man the i7« 
 Father, fave the Son, and be to tvhomfoe'ver the 
 Son will reveal him. And tho' Chrift fays in 
 the foregoing Words, All things are delivered 
 to me of my Father, and fointermixeth, as ufual, 
 his Office-Charafter with his higheft Chara- 
 cter as God I yet this his Knozvledge of the Fa- 
 ther is to bcconfider'd as the Foundation, and 
 not as the Effed of that Office-Charader ; 
 And fo John the Baptiji reprcfents k^ when he 
 lays Chrift's Knowledge of the Father on his 
 being his only begotten Son, and as fuch ac- 
 quainted with his Secrets, and capable of re- 
 vealing them. No man hath fesn God at any John i, 
 time ; the only begotten Son, zvhich is in the BofpmJ^- 
 of the Father, he hath declared him. And Ch^|*^|p 
 fpeaking of himfelf fays. Not that any man hatlj Chap. 6, 
 feen the Father, fave he which is of God, he hath ^^• 
 feen the Father. And ai the Father knoweth me. Chap. 
 even fo know I the Father. i°* '5- 
 
 But it may be faid, Chrift denies that he Obj. 
 had all Knowledge ,• for he fpoke of himfelf, 
 as not knowing the Day of Judgment, Mark 
 13.32. 
 
( §o) 
 
 Anf. 'Tis impoffible that this fiioiild be true of 
 
 Chrift, in that confideration of him as God, 
 which we have been fpeaking of For the in- 
 finite Knowledge we have heard he hath, as 
 fuch, abfoUitely excludes this Ignorance ; and 
 therefore, Chrift mufl be here underftood to 
 fpeak of himfelf as Man ; and fo the Context 
 leads us to under/land him. For he there 
 fpeaks of himfelf as the Son of Man, and in his 
 Judicial Character in Human Nature. Then 
 jhall they fee the Son of Man coming in the 
 Clouds iclth great Power, and Glory, and then 
 jlmll he fen ^ his Angels, Sec. ver. 26, 27. And 
 in the next verfe but one after the place ob- 
 jededj the Son of Man, is as a Man taking 
 afar 'Journey, &c. v. 34. And that Chriil in- 
 creafed in Wifdom and Knowledge asMan,and 
 fo hadnot all Knowledge in that Confideration 
 of him : And that f/;/j is no way inconfillent 
 with the Perfedion of his Godhead, was 
 fhewn in the Explication of the Dodrine. 
 
 It may be further objected, that Chrift de- 
 clared he fpoke thefe things to others, which 
 he had heard of the Father, John 8. 26, 28; 
 and therefore he was not of himfelf Omnifci- 
 enr, but derived all his Knowledge from the 
 Father. But 'tis plain from the Context, that 
 
 u*ift /peaks this of himfelf in his Office-Ca- 
 'r.nd of the Commiffion he therein re- 
 
 ^eci of the Father about the Things he in 
 [vOiHce Ihould reveal. Accordingly he 
 faidrro his Difciples, All things that 1 have heard 
 of my Father^ I have made known unto you, John 
 1.5. 1 %. which can relate only to the Commif- 
 fion he had receiv'd, as to the Truths he ftiou'd 
 reveal to them whilft he was with them. For 
 'tvvou'd be the greateft absurdity to imagine, 
 
 that 
 
 w *^ 
 
C8i ) 
 
 that Chrift acquainted them with every par- 
 ticular which he knew about the Father and 
 all Things elfe, or made them as knowing in 
 all Things as himfelf, and therefore this is no 
 Objection againft his Original abfolute Om- 
 nifcience as God. 
 
 6. He is infinite in Power. Omnipotence is 
 
 in the Son as well as the Father. Hence he is f^ ■ 
 called the mighty God in Ifa. 9- 6. and abfolutely 
 the Almighty \l •sFetvrtito^.rtii] in that Defcripti- 
 on of him in Rev. i. 8. which I think I have 
 proved with convincing Evidence, belongs to 
 him ; and I don't fee why we may not under- 
 iland him to be meant by the fame Appellati- 
 on of the Almighty J Rev. 1 5. 4. and 16. 7, 14.' 
 The firfl: of thefe Places being a part of the 
 Song of the Lamb ; and all of them expref- 
 fing fuch works, as do in a fpecial manner be- 
 long to him. Nothing is too hard for him to 
 
 do. • But this will fully appear, when I 
 
 come to fpeak of his Vi^ovks, as another Proof 
 of his Godhead. 
 
 7. He is infinite /k Holiness. This is very 
 evident from that folemn adoring Proclamati- 
 on of it by the Angels, which the Prophet 
 Ifaiah heard, when he faw Chrift's Glory. 
 They cryd one to another, and faid. Holy, Holy^ Ifa. 6. 5. 
 Holy, is the Lord of Ho/is. And that this re- 
 lates to Chril); I have already (hewn from the 
 Interpretation which the Scripture it felf has 
 given of it. Accordingly the Pfalmift fpeaks 
 
 of the Purity of Chrifi's Nature, and of the 
 ReEiitude of all his Adminiftration. 'Thy Throne, pfai. ^5. 
 O God, is for ever and ev?r, thi Scepter of thy 6, 7. 
 Kingdom is a right Scepter. Thou loveft R'lghteouf- 
 nefs and hateji JVickednefs. Which are Phrafes 
 much of the fame Import with thofethat are 
 ufed to exprefs the great Jehovah's infinite 
 G Holiuefs, 
 
( 8i ) 
 
 Pfal. 5, Hollnefs, T'hou art mt a God that hath pkafuri 
 4» 5» in •wkkednefs -, neither ^mll evil dwell with thee, 
 TT , — — 'Thou hatefi all workers of Iniquit^y. And 
 
 J ^ ' ' Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and 
 canfi not look on iniquity. So Chrift again i^ 
 Dan. 9. fpoken of, as The mofi Holy, and by way o£ 
 i4- Emphafis, as he that is Holy, Thefe things 
 
 ^^'^•^ '7' faith he that is Holy that hath the Key of 
 
 David. And I fee no Reafon why the Title 
 of the Holy One of Ijrael, which is fo frequent-* 
 \y given to God in the Old Teftament, may' 
 not in fevenil Inftances of it, be underiiood 
 of Chrill:, particularly when it is join'd (as it 
 often is) with the Characters of Ifrael's Hus- 
 band, Saviour and Redeemer, which in the moft. 
 proper and explained Senfe of the New Tefta- 
 ment, belong to Chrift, who by way of peculia- 
 rity is called the Husband and Saviour of the 
 Church, which he redeemed with his own 
 Blood. And the Apoftle Peter call'd him by 
 way of Eminence, "The Holy One. Te denyd the 
 Aft. 3. jjQiy One and the JuB, and fo did the Apoftle 
 ^^' John whenhefaid, Te have an unfl ion from the 
 Holy One, 1 John 2. 20. and the 27th Verfe 
 fliews, that that Holy One was Chrift. And if 
 what is called the Song of the Lamb, is al- 
 io w'd to fpeak of him (as^ is moft reafonable 
 to fuppofe) he is there called the Lord, that 
 only is Holy, Rev. 15. 4. which befpcaks him to 
 be Infinitely, Originally, and Eifentially fo, 
 as well as the Father. 
 
 8. He is infinite in Justice. He is not only 
 the Holy One, but' alfo with the fame Emi- 
 nence The Jus}, as he is ftil'd in the place lafl: 
 alleged from the Adts. He is likewife called 
 a 'JuFi God and a Saviour, Ifa. 45'. 21. which 
 has been fbewn to be interpreted of Chrift in 
 the New Teftament. He loves Righteoufnefs 
 
 and 
 
( 8? ) 
 
 and executes Judgment on his Enemies. Yea, 
 he is the Judge of the whole World. And 
 (Jyall not the Judge lof all the Earth do right ? 
 The Reditude of his Nature and Adminiflra- 
 tions is fuch, that there can be no Unrighte- 
 oufnefs with him. Hence he is called "The Lord, 
 the righteous Judge, who will give a Crown of 
 Righteoufnefs to all them that love his appear- 
 ing, 2 'Tijn. 4. 8. 'Twas likewife his infinite 
 Right eoufnefs, and his Love to k, as well as 
 his Love to his People, that made him fo 
 free and ready to fall in with his Father's Will, 
 in coming to fulfil all Righteoufitej's, and to 
 orfer up himfelf a Sacrifice to fatisfy Divine 
 Jullice, and thereby to hing in an everlafting 
 Right eoufnefs, that God might be glorious in 
 his Ju/iicey as well as in his Grace, in ju/iify- Rom. ^. 
 ing them that believe in Jejus. He delighted 25, 2.6. 
 to do this Will of God, becaufe his Lavj and P^al.4®' 
 his Righteoufnefs were within his Heart, as what * °* 
 he could not but approve ofi and be concern- 
 ed for. 
 
 9. He is infinite in Goodness. This ap- 
 peared in his giving Being to all Creatures at 
 iirft, and daily difcovers it felf in his Prefer- 
 vation of them, and doing them Good in the 
 conftant Courfe of his Providence, which may 
 be fhewn hereafter to be Ads perform'd by 
 Him ; and thefe Things are fpoken of as the 
 Dcmonftrations of God's infinite Goodnefs. 
 Thou art good, and dofi good, and T'he Earth is ^ \a 
 full of the Goodnefs of the Lord. But the moft ^?*, -* 
 fignal Proof of Chrift's Goodnefs lies in the ^* * 
 Work of Redemption perform'd by him. This 
 the Scripture every where fpeaks of as an Aft 
 of the higheft infinite Love, Grace and Mer- 
 cy to finners, and that particularly as it was 
 managed by our Lord Jefus Chrift, For ye 
 G a knovj 
 
(84 J 
 
 2 Cor. 8. kmiu the Grace of our Lord Jefm Chrijly that tho^ 
 9* he u'tw riehy yet for your fakes he became poor^ 
 
 that ye thro his poverty might be made rich. And 
 how he, who was Rich, thus in his Grace be- 
 came poor for our fakes the fame Apoftle re- 
 prefents, IVho being in the Form of God, thought 
 Phil. z. it not Robbery to be equal with God; but made 
 6, 7,8. hiwfelf of no ReputatioUy and took upon him the 
 form of a Servant, and wm made in the likentfs 
 of Men; and being found in faJJjion as a Man, he 
 humbled himfdf, and became obedient to Death, 
 even the Death of the Crofs. O what a ftu- 
 pendious Inftance of Love and Grace was 
 this, that fo infinitely glorious and excellent an 
 One fhou'd fubmit to fuch a low debafed State, 
 and to fuch exquifite reproachful fufterings 
 for fuch wretched, vile and obnoxious Crea- 
 tures as we are 1 fure we may well fay, with 
 I John the Apoflle John, Hereby perceive ive the Love of 
 5. i6. God; becaufe be laid down his Life for m. Here 
 is Goodncfs, Love, and Grace beyond all 
 Meafures or Bounds. Goodnefs and Love, 
 which when fearch'd into with the utraoft 
 Penetration and Enlargement of Mind, fpreads 
 infinitely higher, deeper, and wider than our 
 Grafp, and calls for farther Delires, that we 
 Eph. 5. may be able to comprehend with all Saints, vchat is 
 18, i$>. the Breadth, and Length, and Depth, and Height^ 
 and to know the Love of Christ, ivhich paf- 
 feth Knowledge. After all Comprehenfion of 
 fome of its Effed:s,/'tis Incomprehenfible in 
 itfelf; Hence he hath the higheft Doxologies 
 or Afcriptions of praife on that Account. To 
 ^^* *' him that loved us, and wajled us from our fins in 
 ' ' his own Blood, and hath made us Kings and Priefis 
 to God and his Father, To him be Glory and Do- 
 minion for ever and. ever. Amen. And the 
 effedual Application of Chrifl's Redemption 
 
 to 
 
{ 8s ) • 
 
 to US is a farther Demonflration of hh infinite 
 Orace. It is through [the Grace of the Lord 'Je- 
 fus ChriRy that we under the New Teflament 
 Difpenfation ^mll be favedy even as they under 
 the Old, A&.S 15. ii- And the Apoftle P^«/ 
 acknowledg'd with refpeft to himfelf, that the 
 ^race of our Lord was exceeding abundant with 
 Faith and Love, which is in Chrifi ^efusy he 
 v/orking tliofe faving Graces in him, i T'lm. 
 
 I. 14. And he pray'd for the "Thejj'alonians, 
 that God would fulfil all the good Pleafure of his 
 Goodnefs, and the work of Faith wlthPozuer ; that 
 the Name of our Lord 'JefiisChriU might be glorify d 
 in them, and they in him, according to the Grace 
 of cur Cod and the Lord Jefus ChriR, 2 Thef i. 
 
 II, 12. which reprefents the infinite Grace of 
 the Father and Chrift as equally the fame in 
 that work, fo as to Refled the highell Glory 
 of Goodnefs on Chrift's Name; hence The 
 Grace of the Lord Jefus Chrifi is ufually join'<i 
 with the Love of God the Father in the Apo- 
 ftolical Benediftions and Prayers; and Appli- 
 cations were made to Chrift, equally with the 
 Father, ^ov Grace, Mercy and Peace to be given 
 to the Churches, as is familiarly known, and 
 may be feen at the Beginnings and Ends of 
 moft of the Epifrles. Sure nothing can be a 
 greater [Demonflration of Chiiii's infintte Good- 
 nefs th.a.n thefe Things. The Praifesof it re- 
 found rhrougli Heavca and Earth, and are 
 plentifully difplaycd throughout the Gofpel. 
 
 It may be urged, Chrift difowns that the Qbj. 
 Characler of Good in a i^upreme Senfe belongs 
 to himfelf, when in Anfwer to the Young 
 Man, that came to him, and called him Good 
 Majier, he faid, Why callefi thou me Good ? there ^^^* ^P* 
 is none Good but One, that is God. By whi^h be 
 feems to deny that he is that Qod* 
 
 G 5 ' The 
 
. (86 ) 
 
 Anr. The plain and natural Account of that Place, 
 
 I take to be this. Chrift there aflerts nothing 
 of what he himfelf is^ one way or other, 
 John 10. whether he is Godj or whether he is Good or 
 ^'' ^^* no ; tho' at another time he call'd himfelf" the 
 good Shepherd, which is a Title equal to gt)od 
 Mafter j but he here only fpeaks to the young 
 Man that came to him, according to his own 
 Sentiments of him, which werefuch as Chrift 
 did not approve of having this Title Good 
 Mafter join'd to. 
 
 He probably took Chrift for a Rahbi, and 
 Complimented him with the flattering Title, 
 which was ufuaily given to fuch. In anfwer 
 to which, Chrift reproves the Vanity of that 
 Title fo apply'd, as an Aftedation of Divine 
 Excellencies, and as too big and lofty for the 
 Rabbi's, efpecially of that Day, who were 
 indeed generally fuch as had nothing of Good 
 in them, they not being of God, who only 
 is effentially and originally Good, and by 
 Derivation from whom alone any can be in 
 any fence Good. He hereby indeed took a 
 proper Occafion, fuitable to his Defign, to 
 tell the young Man what God is ; but did not 
 think fit at that time to fay any thing of him- 
 felf, what he was^ but kept himfelf under 
 Difguife, as he often did on other Occafionsj 
 becaufe for many Reafons his Time was not 
 yet come to make himfelf openly known to 
 ;he Feople f, 
 
 JO. Chrifi 
 
 t ^Tis pleaded that «V, the Adjeiftive ufed in this, 
 Mat.\^» 17. is the moit proper Expreffion of a Perfon, 
 and that therefore Chrili's wotas import that there is 
 none Good, huxone Ferfon, and that is God, thereby 
 iflUmatjq^ that there is but one l?<rfon in the God- 
 head, 
 
(8/) 
 
 lo. Chrifl 16 infinite in Truth. He is f/;^ Rev. 1.5. 
 
 Faithful witnefs. And alJ the Promifes of God ^ Cor.i. 
 are in him-, yea and in him Amen^ ratify 'd, and 
 fulfilled m and by him. Hence he is called 
 by way of Eminence, He that is I'rue as well Rev. ?. 
 as he that is Holy ; and T'he Amen, the fAith- 7» M* 
 ful and true IVitnefs. And accordingly he 
 Tpoke of himfelf, as a V/itnefs equally true 
 with the Father. T'he P bar ifees /aid to ^/?», johnS. 
 ^hou beared Record of thy f elf y thy Record is not 13,14. 
 
 head, v\z. The Father, as g>t«F@-, a Pronoun, being 
 apply'd to the Holy Ghoft, is reckon'd a good Argu- 
 ment to prove his Perfonality. In anfwer to this, I 
 wou'd briefly fuggeft, that the Nature of the Argu- 
 ment is very different in thefe Two Cafes. For trnvQ- 
 is apply'd to the Holy Ghoft, tho' it don't agree in 
 Gender with td "^-j/gy^, with which 'tis fomet.imes 
 join'd as the only J\ouii to which it relates, particular- 
 ly in John 16. i ?. 6;c«}'©" to TPfviMt, and there can be 
 no probable Reafon of this breacli of Grainmar, by aa 
 ^noinaly of Gender; but to denote the Perfonality of 
 the Spirit. Whereas 4'i is the only Gender that agreo 
 with dyaHvi or ^o(. in tlie place under confideration ; 
 and therefore without breaking the moft ftated Rules 
 of Grammar, no other Gender could be ufed here. Be- 
 fides, Ik^vQ- being a demonllrative Pronoun, it may, I 
 think, be allowed to be in its own Nature a more per- 
 fonal Sign than the Adjective «<. However 'tis certain 
 that eTf is not llridiy and always a perfonal Adjedivej 
 but is apply'd to other Things, even to inanimate 
 Things, when the Gender of the Noun fo requires. 
 Accordingly in the Septuagint we meet wi^h i )(^'a<*9^ 
 o M< one Basket, Jer. 24. 2. and r^yjt Si one iHjeeL 
 Ezek. I. 15. And I prefume none will lay 'tis a perfonaf 
 Adjedlive in thefe and fuch like Gaffes, to denote that 
 the Basket and U^/jecl are Psrfons. Many other Inltan- 
 ces of the like fort might eafily be given, which I 
 think utterly overthrow the mighty llrefs that foreie 
 have laid on this Adjective, and that at firft blufh, I 
 know, hath bwn fhocking to others; and therefore it 
 coming in my way, I thought my feif obliged to take 
 this IVutice of it. 
 
 G 4 m/^j 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 true. Jefus anfivered and faid to tlmn^ 'Tho I 
 hear Record of my felf ; yet my Record is True; 
 
 Ver. 16. /^^ ^ know whence J came and whether I go. 
 
 If I judge my Judgment is True ; fer I am not 
 
 Vet. 18. alone, but I and the Father that fent me. — I am 
 
 One that hear witnefs of my felf and my Father 
 
 Ver. 19. j.jj^f j'^yij. ^Q heareih IVitnefs of me. fe neither 
 
 know me nor my Father ; if ye had known me ye 
 jkould have known my Father alfo. How clearly 
 doth Chrift in this Difcourfe aflert the Truth 
 of his Witnefs on the fame Foot as he doth 
 the Fathers, as he, and his Father were Two 
 Perfons, and yet one in Eflence or Nature, in 
 fo much that he was not alone ; but he, and 
 the Father that fent him ^ and they were fo 
 One, that had they known him, they would 
 have known his Father alfo. And how clear- 
 ly doth this agree with what this Evangelift 
 John fays in his firft Epiftle, There are three that 
 y , bear Record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, 
 eK^ and the Holy GhofI, and thefe Three are One. 
 They not only agree in One, as the Spirit, 
 the Water, and the Blood do, as it follows in 
 the next Verfe, but they alfo are One, one 
 Thing, one Subftance, Nature, or Eflence, 
 tho' Three diflinft Perfons, and Witneffes. 
 And at the fame Time that he fpeaks of the 
 Onenefs of thefe Three Perfons, as to their 
 Efl'ence, he likewife ad'erts the equal Infalli- 
 biltty, and infinite Veracity of all thefe Per- 
 fons in their Witnefs. And fo our Lord Je- 
 fus Chrift, the Second Perfon, is infinite in 
 Truth, as well as the Father, The HarmO' 
 ny of what this Holy Penman here fays, 
 with what he has recorded in many Places of 
 Jiis Gofpel, is a, very flrong Prefumption that 
 ^ this Text is Genuine, tho* fome wou'd have 
 
 it accounted ipurious. For who fo likely as 
 
 be, 
 
(8? ) 
 
 he, whofe Thoughts were led To much into 
 this Truth, to aflert it as 'tis here laid down? 
 And unlefs we admit this Paflage to be genu- 
 ine, there feems to me not to be fo clear a 
 Conne&ion between what immediately goes 
 before, and follows after it. For the Three 
 bearing Witnefs in Earth, brought in with a 
 Copula, refers moft naturally to the Three 
 that bear Witnefs in Hea'uen, and fo the Refe- 
 rence is very beautiful, which otherwife feems 
 irregular. But it is not very likely to me that 
 an Interpolation to ferve an Hypothefis Ihou'd 
 mend the Connexion. And tho' this Paflage 
 is not found in fome ancient Copies ; yet it 
 hath been prov'd, by divers learned Men 
 from very early Antiquity, to be in others; 
 and 'tis much more juft and charitable to fup- 
 pofe that it might be left out by fome Tran- 
 fcribers thro' mere overfight, the beginning of 
 that and the next Verfe being fo much alike, 
 than that 'twas fpuriouily inferred by others 
 through the moft impudent and horrid Wick- 
 
 ednefs. But I ihall not enter farther into 
 
 this Debate, having refolved to confine my 
 felf to Scripture-Evidence, and plain Rea- 
 fonings according to it, throughout thefe 
 Difcourfes. 
 
 Thus I have gone thro' all the Parts of this 
 Defcription, of what God is in his Nature 
 and eflcntial Properties ; and fhewn that they 
 all, in the moft proper \3{q of the Words, be- 
 long to our Lord Jefus Chrift, and therefore he 
 muft needs be in his original Nature, the only 
 true and moft high God. Would any of you 
 doubt chat he is the only true God to whom 
 this Defcription fully agrees, or of whom 
 all this is plainly and often affirmed in the 
 Scripture } And fince you have heard that 
 
 Jcfus 
 
( 90 ) 
 
 Jefiis Chrift is all this, why iliould you doubt 
 his being that God ? 
 
 Obj. W it Ihould be faid, that Self-Origination, 
 Independency and Abfolute Supremacy are not in 
 this Defcriprion ot God, and therefore 'tis 
 imperfed, and Chrift may be all that it fpeaks 
 of, and yet not be the only true and moft 
 iiighGod. 
 
 Anf. 'Tis contrary to all our Notions of God, 
 and oi all other Bt;ings, to fuppofe that the 
 Defcriptfon I have gone over can pofTibly 
 agree to- any other but him ,• and this Ac- 
 count of him is fufficient to make him known 
 to us, fo as to diftinguiili him from all others. 
 But a perfect Defcription of him lies infinite- 
 Job 1 1.7 ly above our Reach. For who byfearching can 
 find out God ? iV/jo can find &iit the Almighty to 
 PerfeHion ? And as to Self-Origination and lu" 
 dependency^ thefe, confider'd as Perfonal Cha^ 
 raBersj are not proper to be put into our De- 
 fcription of the Nature and effential Proper^ 
 ties of God. And conlidering them, as effen- 
 tial Charaders, or Attributes, and fo they 
 are included in the Infinitenefs, Eternity and 
 Unchangeablenefs of God's Being and Attri- 
 butes, which this Defcription fpeaks of, and 
 have been (hewn to belong to Chrift. And 
 as to alfolute Supremacy, "that likewife runs 
 thro' this Account, and is included in his 
 Infinite, Eternal, Unchangeable, Being, Pow- 
 er, VVifdom, Holinefs, Juftice, Goodnefs, 
 and Truth: And in one of the Proofs of Chrift's 
 infinite Power, I have, I think, very plainly 
 fhown that he is exprefly called The Almigh- 
 ty [} -mvT^Ke^Twf] and have referr'd to fome 
 other Places, where, as I conceive, he may 
 be underftood as fpoken of by the fame Name, 
 And that Name is contended for hy the Ob-^ 
 
 jedors, 
 
(90 
 Jeftors, as peculiarly exprefliVe of God's Ab- 
 /blute Supremacy. What I have already 
 offer'd with Refped to all thefe Attributes in 
 the explaining Propofitions, and in the Appli- 
 cation of them, makes it needlefs to inlarge 
 farther upon them here. 
 
 APPLICATION, 
 
 Is Chrift by Nature the only true God ? ufe I. 
 Jlow indearing and ingaging then fliould the 
 Thoughts of his Incarnation be ? What an 
 infinite condefcending ftoop did this Great 
 Jehovah make, when he became Man, by 
 afluming mean deprefled and ruin'd Human 
 Nature into Perfonal Union with himfelf! 
 How diftinguifhing was the Grace that pafs'd 
 by the more excellent Nature of Angels, to 
 take hold on Ours ! And to what Heights of 
 Dignity is our Nature raifed hereby ! How 
 highly is it exalted above the Nature of An^ 
 gels ! How nearly is it ally'd to God, and 
 with what wondrous intimate Love and Grace 
 doth he embrace it ! God will now fucely 
 dwell with Men, and Men fhall dwell with 
 him. Our Nature is already in Heaven, where 
 Chrift, as the Fore-runner is for us entred j and „ t >- 
 as furely as he is now there, all his fhall go ^^^ * 
 thither to him. For where he is there jhall alfo John 12. 
 his Servants be. And there all his Saints and z6. 
 Angels fhall adore God in our Nature for ever. 
 O how raifing are thefe Tlioughts, and how 
 recommending of Chrift to us, as the Chief Cunt. 5. 
 of Ten Thoufandy and altogether Lovely! And 10, 16. 
 what BL;liever can help faying to him. Thou p . 
 art fairer than the Children of Men, ^ al.45. 
 
 Thefe Thoughts of him flhoii'd likzv^Kc in- 
 gage us to him, to feek his Honour above ail 
 
 Things, 
 
(90 
 
 Things, who hath put fiich an Honour upon 
 US; and not to admit of the leaft degrading 
 Thought of him, nor to do the leaft dilhon- 
 OLiring Aft againft him, nor to omit or grudge 
 any Thing we can do, be it little or great, 
 eafy or hard, to glorify him, who has put 
 fuch matchlefs Honour upon us. Yea, thefe 
 Thoughts fhould ingage us to value Human 
 Nature at a higher, and to treat it at a better 
 Rate ; to prefer the Good of Mankind before 
 all the reft of the Creation we converfe with ; 
 To abftain from all that is mean and brutal, 
 vile and debafing, or any ways unbecomini^ 
 the Dignity of that Nature, which Chrift 
 hath fo highly ennobled and advanced -, and 
 to reach after the rich adornings of Grace, 
 and of all that is truly fublime and beaute- 
 ous, fuitable to that Honour. 
 Ufe II. Is Chrift by Nature God ? What firm 
 Ground then hath our Faith to reft on, in all 
 its Dependencies on him } He is really, what 
 he is called, the true and great God our 
 Saviour j The Nature and Elfential Attri- 
 butes, as well as the Name of God are in 
 him. And what can Faith defire more, to 
 fecure its moft refolved and entire Depen- 
 dencies on him ! What infinite Perfeftion 
 and Value muft there be in that Sacrifice, 
 which he offer'd, when he offer'd up him- 
 felf! And what a Glorious, as well as Un- 
 exceptionable and All-fufficient Righteouf- 
 nefs muft that be, which he hath brought m 
 for us ! Who wou'd be afraid to venture his 
 ilanding before God in that alone for Accep-^ 
 tance with him ! Or who would think to add 
 any Thing of his own to it for that End, 
 as ii that was defeftive, and being made 
 ours, was not of it felf fuiEcient for Juftifi' 
 
 cation 
 
( 93 ) 
 
 cation to Life ! 'Tis the Right eoufnefs of God, ][^oj|^^ ^^ 
 of him who is God, as well as of God's xx. 
 appointment, that is, by Faith of Jefus Cbrift 
 unto ally and upon all them that Lelieve, ivithout 
 Difference. And who can except againft it, 
 or JLiitly doubt of Safety, Acceptance, Peace, 
 and BlefTednefs under its fhelter and adorn- 
 ings ? And fince he is God as well as Man, 
 he can't but be mighty to fave all that come 
 to him, and to the Father by him. We may 
 fafely truft him with our all for Time and 
 Eternity, and calmly truft in hi^ at all Times, 
 in all our Dangers, Straits and Difficulties. 
 For he is Infinite, Eternal, and Unchangeable, 
 always the fame, Teflerday, to Day, and for 
 Ever. He is Infinite in IVifdom to teach and 
 guide us ; Infinite in Power to help and fuc- 
 cour us ; Infinite in Holinefs to renew and 
 (andify us ; Infinite in Jufiice to avenge his 
 and our Enemies -, Infinite in Goodnef to fup- 
 ply all our Wants, and perfed our Felicity ; 
 and he is Infinite in I'ruth to make good all 
 his exceeding great and precious Promifes to 
 us. And tl^erefore they that knovi his Name 
 will put their truR in him, who never did, and 
 never will forfake them that feek him. 
 
 SERMON 
 
(94) 
 
 SERMON V- 
 
 ROM. ix. 5. 
 
 — Of whom as concerning the Tlejh 
 Chriji camcj who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 'Aving offer'd Three Heads of Argu- 
 ment in Proof of Chrifl's real and 
 proper Deityj I now proceed to a 
 4th, which is this : 
 
 Arg. 4. FoLirthl}^ T^/je Scriptures afcribe thofe Works 
 to Chriji, which they alfo affure us are peculiar to 
 the only true God, and none but he can do. 
 
 Our bleflfed Lord fpeaks of his joint Ope-* 
 ration with his Father, in. the fame abfoliite 
 and fovereign way with refped to all thefe in 
 John 5. general, when he fays, Aly Father zuorketh hi- 
 *7» 19* thertOy and I ivork- ' ■ and vjhat things foever 
 he doth, thefe alfo doth the Son likexvife, or in the 
 fame manner. I (hall a little confider fome of 
 thefe Works particularly, which the only true 
 God, and none but he can do, and fhew they 
 are in a proper Senfe afcribed to Chrift, as the 
 Efficient of them. 
 
 I. the 
 
(95) 
 
 I *fhe "work of Creating all 'Things is af- 
 cvihed in a proper Senje to Chr'ifl. The Scrip- 
 tures do abundantly appropriate this Work to 
 the only true God, as his peculiarly., and e»ir 
 elujively of all others. Thus fays the great Je- 
 hovah of Ifraelj / have m^ide the Earthy and Ifa. 45, 
 created Man upon it ; /, even my Hands have 12.. 
 firetched out the Heavens, and all their Hofl have 
 ■J commanded. And / am the Lord that maketh all Chap. 
 ^Things, that ftretcheth forth the Heavens alone, ^14* ^4- 
 that fpreadeth abroad the Earth by my self. 
 Accordingly he diftinguiflieth himfelf from all 
 that are not the true and living God, by this 
 Work of his ; T'he Lord is the true God, he is 
 the living God, and an everlafling King > < < < jer. j^^ 
 Thus frail yefay to thetn, 'The gods that have not 10,11,12. 
 made the Heavens and the Earth, even they fraU 
 perijh from the Earth, and from under theje Hea- 
 vens. He hath made the Earth by his Power, he 
 hath e/iablijhed the JVorld by his Wifdom, and hath 
 firetched out the Heavens by his Difcretion. In 
 thefe and feveral other places, the Work of 
 Creation is fo peculiarly and confinedly afcribed 
 to the great Jehovah only., as to exclude all 
 others from being fo much as Inftruments, 
 much more from being Principal Agents in it : 
 For he cou'd not be fa id to do it alone, and l^ 
 himfelf, if he employ'd any others in it. Cr(r- 
 ation is an immediate Effed of the Divine 
 Will, exerting abfolute Omnipotence ; and 
 therefore 'tis faid, Godfpakey and it was done ; pfal. n- 
 he commanded, and it flood fifi ; and he com- rp. 
 manded, and they, viz.. the feveral Ranks of ^^'^'•M^* 
 Creatures, were created. And throughout the 
 Hiftory of the Creation fet down by Mofes, 
 we are told, God faid let it be fo and fo, and it Gen. r. 
 u'rtj fo, immediately without any more ado. tf^'ou^/j- 
 
 And '"'• 
 
And indeed the Notion of an Agent Subordi- 
 nate to the Godhead in Creation- work, when 
 there was nothing for that Agent to work up- 
 on •, and the Notion of an infinite Power re- 
 iiding in, and exerted by any Being that is 
 not himfelf abfolutely infinite, fliocks all the 
 Principles of Natural Reafon, and carries the 
 moil open Face of an Impoflibility. And 
 therefore the Apoftle fpeaks of the Creation of 
 the World, as a clear Evidence and incontefti- 
 We Proof, and that to the very Heathens, of 
 the eternal Power and fiipreme Gcdheadoihxra. 
 
 Rom.i. that made it : For the invijible things of him 
 from the Creation of the World are clearly feen^ be- 
 ing underjiood by the things that are made, even 
 his eternal Fewer and Godhead ; fo that they are 
 •without excufe. From all this, we may ailii- 
 redly depend on the Truth of that Divine 
 
 Heb,3.4. Maxim, He that but It all things w God. 
 
 Now the Scripture doth in the plaineft and 
 propereft Terms affert, that Chrifl created all 
 Things ; for fpeaking of him, who is the e- 
 ternal Word, and is God, it tells us, that in 
 
 John I. the Beginning • ■ " all 'Things were made by him, 
 
 3, 10, ayi^ -without him was not any thing made that was 
 
 made 'He was in the world, and the world 
 
 •was made by hi?ny and the world knew him not. 
 That World into which Chrift came, and which 
 did not know him, was created by him, to- 
 gether with all Things that are in it, ^o that 
 without him was not any thing made that, was 
 made. How plainly doth this import that he 
 was not made himfelf; but was the true God, 
 who made all that is not God, and in the be- 
 ginning created the Heaven and the Earth, accord- 
 ing to Gen. I. I. And it may deferve Confi- 
 
 deration 
 
deration f whether God there mentlon'd is 
 not to be underftood in a fpecial manner of 
 the Son, as the ading Perfon of the Godhead 
 in the Creation of the World. For otherwife 
 he is not diftinftly mentlon'd in the Mofaick 
 account at all, which feems very improbable ; • 
 fince the Spirit, who is the Spirit of the Son as 
 well as of the Father, is exprefly taken notice 
 of therein, v. 2. and fince the Son is fo often 
 fpoken of in other Scriptures as a divine 
 Agent in the whole of that work. Thus the 
 Apoftle Paul expreOy extends that work of 
 Chrift's to all things of the upper and invifi- 
 ble, as well as of the lower and vifible World, 
 to all which he had a prior Exiflence. For by CoL t . 
 him were all things created that are in Heaveiti "* ^^* 
 and that are in Earth, vijible and invijihle, iche^ 
 ther they he T'hrones, or Dominions, or Principali- 
 ties, or Poivers ; all things were created by him, 
 and for him. And he is before all things. How 
 exprefs and comprehenfive are thefe Aflertions 
 of Chrift's creating all Things, and of his Ex- 
 iftence before any of them ? What can be 
 more fully or clearly faid in the Cafe ? They 
 were made by him as the firft Caufe, and/or him 
 as the ultimate end. And how agreeable is 
 this to what this Apoftle fays of God the Fa- 
 ther ? Of him, and thro him, and to him, are all ^^^'^^* 
 things. Again, we are told, that h ^^^^ ^^^ Htbi z 
 made the worlds -, which may either denote, 
 that the Godhead apply'd its efl'ential Wif- 
 dom, Power and Goodnefs to that Operation 
 by the Son, the fecond Subfiftent therein ,• or 
 it may denote the Co-operation ai the Son 
 
 f Vid. The true Sctij)ture Do^nne of the r»?w//y, print- 
 ed ioxStrahmi, p. 3^4 
 
 H with 
 
( 98 ) 
 
 with the Father in that work according to the 
 Order of their Subfiilences in the Godhead, 
 and not the Operation of the Father as the 
 principal Caufe by the Son as his Inflruraent 
 or Agent of a different Icv/er Nature, which, 
 as has been faid, feems to be abfokitely impof- 
 fible to have place in Creation- work. And 
 the Prepofition l^y don't infer otherwife ; for 
 the fame is ufed in the place juft no-w quoted 
 i'r om the Romans y to exprefs the Father's own 
 agency in the creating of all Things, which is 
 al.Iow'd to be abfolute and fupreme ,• anfwer- 
 abJy to which the great Jehovah fays he crea- 
 ted them ly himjelf, Ifa. 44. 24. God there 
 fpeaks of himfelf, as the Context fliews, in 
 Oppofition to all falfe Gods, declaring his 
 own Being and Operation inclufive of the Fa- 
 ther, Son, and Holy Gholl, and not reftric- 
 tively to either of them. And fo it may be 
 faid of each of thofe Divine Pcrfons, that he 
 did it by himfelf, without the Intervention of 
 any Agents of another inferiour Nature. And 
 by which foever of thofe Perfons the Deity 
 moft immediately put forth its Power in Cre- 
 ation, it was the Deity's creating by himfelf, 
 that is, by the only living and true God alone, 
 whofe Eflence is himfelf, in oppofition to ail 
 that are not by Nature God. And in this 
 refped the Deity's applying to this Operation 
 by the Sm, was a doing it by it felf, he being 
 a Divine Subfiflent therein. Yea, the Father's 
 doing it by the Son, was a doing it by him- 
 felf ejfentialhy the EfTence of both thofe Per- 
 fons being one and the fame. And ii we fup- 
 pofe that the Father, confider'd in his diftinft 
 SubfifU^nce from the Son, did adively and per- 
 fonally concur co-ordinately with the Son in 
 the Creation, he in that refped created all 
 
 Things 
 
(99) 
 
 Things immediately by himfclf, as well as in 
 other refpeds mediately by the Son ; And fo 
 this Prepofition Ij, is no ii'^n of Inftruraenta- 
 lity in that Agency. And in feveral other 
 Cafes 'tis frequently iifed to fignify the ad: off 
 the Supreme Caufe. Thus we are faid to be 
 call'd l^y God the Father : God is faithful, by i Cor.i. 
 •whom ye were called to the Feliowjhip of his Son 9. 
 Jefm Chrifl. And in another place, 'tis faid 
 the K^o^lts gave Commandments /bx the I.or<^ i xhef. 
 ^efm. But fiire the Apoftle's was not the 4. 2. 
 Principal, and the Lord Jefiis's the Subordi- 
 nate Authority in thofe Commands. Nothing 
 therefore can juftly be infcrr'd againfl Chrift's 
 creating the Worlds by his own proper Effici- 
 ency, from its bemg faid that God made them 
 by him ; which is e.ifily underflood without 
 any Derogation from his proper Godhead, 
 in either of the Senfes 1 have offer'd. And 
 furthermore, to prove that Chrift created thefe 
 Worlds by his own proper Energy and Effici- 
 ency, the ^Author to the Hebrews, in this very 
 Chapter, quotes a Text from thcPfalms, v^^here 
 the great Jehovah of Ifyael is fpoken of in his 
 Creating-work, and applies it to Chriff, as 
 that Creator. But to the Son he faith, "thy ^^■^ ^ 
 'Throne, God, is for ever and ever. ■ *And g^ 9' lo, 
 
 thou Lord in the Beginning hajl laid the FoJindati- 11, 
 on of the Earth, and the Heavens are the IVorks 
 of thine Hinds. They jhall ferijh, but thou re- 
 ?nainejl, &c. This is quoted verbatim from Pfil. 
 102. 25, 2(5, 27. where without all Controver- 
 {y the proper Work of the only true God, as 
 the firfl fupreme Caufe in the creation of all 
 Things, is fpoken of. And the whole Con- 
 text in the Hebrews fhews, that Chrift is the 
 Perfon to whom that Text, and the Efficiency 
 there fpoken of^, beloncjs ; for 'tis placed in 
 
 H 2 the 
 
( ICO ) 
 
 the midfl of a Difcourfe wherein the Father 
 all along fpeaks to the Son. Can any thing 
 then upon the whole be more plain, than that 
 Jefus Chrift is in his Original Nature the only 
 true and moft high Gad ; lince this Work 
 which is dene by that God himfdf and aloncy 
 and can be done by no other, is fo often in 
 fuch exprefs and ftrong Terms afcribed ta 
 the Son, as done by him. 
 
 2. T!he Preservation of aWfhifigus likewife 
 afcribed in a proper Senfe to Chrifi. Prefervati- 
 on has been commonly call'd a continued Cre- 
 ation ; and the Pfalmift favours fuch an Ex- 
 prefTion, when fpeaking of God's a6ts of Pro- 
 Kal.io4.vidence toward his Creatures, he fays, T'bou 
 3°* fsndefi forth thy Spirit ; they are created. And 
 the Scope of the Apoftle's Argument leads us 
 to underftand him to (peak of God as aPre- 
 ferver, when he calls him a faithful Creator^ 
 I Pet. 4. I p. The fame Power that made 
 the World, is necelfary to uphold it ; and ac- 
 cordingly God's Prefervation oi it is join'd 
 with his creating it, as a Proof of his being 
 Ke)i. 9. the only true God. Thouy even thcuy art Lord 
 ^' alone, "who haft made Heaven, the Heaven of Hea- 
 
 ruem, with all their Hofts, the Earth, and all things 
 
 that are therein and thou prefervefi them 
 
 all. And hence by way of Emphafis and 
 Pfal. 56. Peculiarity, the Great Jehovah is faid to pre-* 
 4* fer'ue Man and Beafl. 
 
 Now this peculiar Work of God is, with 
 
 great fulnefsand ftrength of Expreffion,afcrib'd 
 
 Col. I. to our blefl'ed Lord ; He is before all thingSi and 
 
 *7« by him all things conftjl. All thofe feveral Ranks 
 
 . and Individuals of Creatures of both the Vi- 
 
 iible and Invifible Worlds, which the Apollle 
 
 had faid in the foregoing Vcrfe were created 
 
 by him> he here avers do alfo confft by him, 
 
 or 
 
( «o«_ ) 
 
 or as it might be render'd, fland or continue in 
 him, according to what the f^me Apoflk 
 fpeaks of the only true God j In him ive live, ACs i7> 
 and move, and have our Being. An Expreffioti ^8* 
 of like import with this we have in Heh. i. 3. 
 where Chriil; is faid to uphold all things by the 
 ivord of his Power : Not of his Father's Power, 
 as if Chrift only borrowed and exercifed it, 
 as an Under Agent to him • but of his 
 (Chrift's) Power, intimating 'tis his own ef- 
 fentially in himlclf By this his Power he com- Pfa. iii; 
 mandsy and they jiandfaji, as is faid of the God^^.* 
 of Ifiael. His word, that gave them Being, 
 upholds them in it. He a6ls the God, or the 
 Part which God only can act, in his conftant 
 Energy to maintain the World, and all Crea- 
 tures in it, and fpeaks of himfelf as afting 
 herein jointly with, and in the fame abfolute 
 fovereign manner as the Father doth. My ' 
 
 Father worketh hitherto^ and I work ', vix,. in 3, 
 way of Supreme Providence, with a com- 
 manding Power and Influence on the Courfe 
 of Nature, which equally and at all times o- 
 beys n>e and him; as you fee by what I have 
 now done in making this impotent Man whole 
 by the word of my Power. And this the Jews 
 underflood him to fpeak in fuch an abfolute 
 ^rain, as befpoke him to be equal to their 
 only true God, and therefore fought to kill 
 him, as the next Words fhew. And Chrift 
 was fo far from going about to alter that Sen- 
 timent, that he vindicated himfelf by adding 
 feveral Things to prove that there was the 
 famcnefs of Power and Operation in him and 
 his Father, and confequently that their Senfe 
 of his Words was true, as you may fee in the 
 following Verfes, which have been already 
 j^onfider'd at large. Hence 
 
 H 3 3. MiRA- 
 
C IC2 ) 
 
 ' 3. Miraculous Works above, and contrary 
 to the Cciirfe of Nature, are ajcribed to Cbrift, as 
 done by his oxvn Power. 
 
 The bare Performance of a rrue Miracle, 
 is not of it felf a Proof, that the immediate 
 vifible Agent therein is himfelf God ; But it 
 always imports, that the Power of the only 
 true God is put forth to work it. And there- 
 fore, wh?it Nicodemm hid to Chriil, is a Max^ 
 im that approves it felf to the Rcafon 
 -Job. J. 2. and Confcience of Mankind : No Man can do 
 thefe Miracles, viz.. in the Caufe of God, that 
 thou dofl, except God be with him. The Prophets 
 and Apoftlcs did many Miracles ; but they 
 took care to declare by exprefsWords^or by the 
 plainly interpretative Manner of their Deport- 
 ment, that 'twas not by their own Power,"" but 
 only by the Power of another, that they did 
 fuch things. So that none cou'd, without the 
 moft ftupid Ignorance, niillakc them for God ; 
 and they fiil-fer'd none to entertain fnch exalted 
 Thoughts of them. But our great and blelfed 
 Lord behaved it, in the general Courfe of his 
 working Miracles, in a quite different man- 
 ner. And his high fovereign abfolute way of 
 afting herein, peculiar to the only true God, 
 is w^hat I intend in this Proof of his God- 
 head : And fhall obferve two Things to this 
 purpofe."- 
 
 (i.) He perform'd his Miracles in fuch a 
 Stile and Manner, as became the Great and 
 AU-fufficient Jehovah a/one, and plainly fhew'd 
 he was that Jehovah, who by his own Power 
 perform'd them.. 
 
 He ufually wrought his Miracles without 
 the ieaft appearance of a previous Application 
 to his Father, thereby praftically avowing to 
 the World, that he himfelf was fufHcient of 
 
 himfwif 
 
( JC9 ) 
 
 JiiiJirelf for them. With wlint SoveraJnty 
 and Authority did he command the Winds 
 and the Seas, and they obey'd him ? faying, 
 like the Lord of Nature, Peace, be Jlill, and Mark $. 4 
 immediately tJje Wind ceafed, and there was a ^9* 
 great Calm. And in what a lofty peremptory 
 God-like manner did he at his Pleafure com- 
 mand away Devils, Dn'"eafes, and Death ? 
 The Devils tre?nUed at his Prefence, and never 
 cou'd make a ftand againft him ; unlefs whea 
 he fufter'd himfelf to be tempted oi"" them in 
 the Wildernefs : (Which by the way, fhQws 
 under what a low and different Charadtier 
 Chrift adcd at fome times, to what he did at 
 others ; ) and yet even then, when he as Maa 
 dealt with Satan, he got the better of him. 
 But at otiier times, when he aded like himfelf 
 as God, Legions of Devils were agaft at his* 
 approach ; they dreaded the Confequences of 
 it, and were forced to own that he was the 
 Son of God, and could expel them from this 
 World, and Unit them up in full Torments 
 whenever he pleafed. This made them cry 
 OLit with Conflernation, Fear and Agony, as 
 foonas ever Jcfus appear'd in light of the Man 
 polfefs'd by a Legion of them : IVhnt have we Mat, 8. 
 to do xoith thee, 3^f/«-i, thou Son of God f Art ^9' 
 thou come hither to torment vn before the 'Time ? 
 And when he went to difpoffefs them, he, 
 fpjeaking to t\^z Chief of this Legion in the 
 Name of the reft, only faid, with uncontroul- 
 able Majefty, Come out of the Man, thou umlean Mark >. 
 Spirit, and they dar'd not difpute his Com- 8. 
 mand ; but all became trembling Supplicants 
 to him, that they might go into a Herd of 
 Swine, which they knew they cou'd not do 
 without his Leave ; and Chrift, to fhew his 
 abfohite Maftery over all their Motions, and 
 H 4 Cqu- 
 
C 104 ) 
 
 Condud, and for other wife and holy Rea- 
 fons, did for once permit them to do as they 
 defired. You may fee the account at large in 
 Mark$.i " " " 13. 
 
 In the fame foverain lordly way he rebu- 
 Mat.8. ked and healed Difeafes. / •wi/i, faid he to 
 '5' the Leper, be thcu deayi j and he was lo. And 
 &12.13. to the Man with a wither'd Hand, Stretch forth 
 thy Hand j and he flretcbed it forth^ and it was 
 rejiord whole like as the other. And to the inipo- 
 John 5. tent Man, Rifey take up thy Bed, and xvalk; and 
 ^3» 9- immediately he did fo. In thefe, and many 
 other Inflances of the like fort, there is not 
 the leaft appearance of his acting in a depen- 
 dent manner, or by any other Power than his 
 own. And to fatisfy us that his miraculous 
 Cures were wrought by his own Power, which 
 he had in himfelf, 'tis exprefly faid, in. the 
 Miracle he perform'd on the VVoman with a 
 Mark $. bloody Kfue, that Virtue went out of him, and 
 '^^'' healed her ; and tho' fhe came behind Chrift, 
 and touch'd his Clothes fo privately in the 
 Croud that none about him difcern'd it, yet 
 Chrift by his infinite Knowledge, as God, 
 perceived it, together with her fecret exercife 
 of Faith on him that attended it ; and by his 
 infinite Power, as God, he own'd her Faith, 
 and gave forth Virtue from himfelf to heal 
 her. For tho' he made her confefs all, that 
 the People might take Notice of his manner of 
 healing ; yet he himfelf certainly knew heir 
 Faith as well as her Cure before ; for he, by 
 the Virtue that went out of him, had heal'd 
 iier according to her Faith, when fhe touch'd 
 his Clothes, before he fpoke to her, vcr. 28, 
 29. And to fhew that this was not a peculiar 
 Cafe, but his common way of healing, we 
 arc loldj that the Multitude that came to hina 
 - were 
 
( 'C5 ) 
 
 were heal'd of their Difeafes, and freed from 
 unclean Spirits too, by Virtue that went out 
 qf him. And the whole Multitude fought to touch 
 h'vn ; for there went Virtue out of hinty and healed Luke 5, 
 them all. This plainly imports, that he him- i8j ^9- 
 felf was the Subject of that Virtue ; that it 
 was a Principle inherent m himfelf, which he 
 cou'd effectually exert whenever he pleafed ; 
 and that it was from himfelf that he healed 
 them. 
 
 The fame Almighty Soverain Power dif- 
 play'd it felf in his raifing Perfons from the 
 Dead. When he reftor'd jfrz/w/s dead Daugh- 
 ter to Life, he only took her by the Hand, and Mark ?.' 
 faid to her, 'Talitha Cumi, which is, Leing inter- ^^' 
 preted, Damfel I fay unto thee arife.. And at ano- 
 ther Time he only touched the Bier, on w^iich 
 one' lay, whom fome were carrying to his 
 Grave, and faid, Toung ?nan J fay unto thee arife ; Luke 7. 
 and he was immediately reftor'd to Life, to '"I* *5* 
 the Aftoniftment of all the People. What 
 Grandure, Majefty and Soverainty difplay'd 
 themfelves in this God-like way of exprefTmg 
 himfelf, and making the Dead to live at his 
 Word i The manner of it was fuch as none 
 but the great Jehovah wou'd pretend to in 
 fuch Cafes, and jufi: the fame as we muft own 
 he wou'd ufe on Suppofition of his ading vi- 
 sibly and immediately amongft us. It carries 
 the fame State, Supremacy, and Efficacy with 
 it, as he aded, when he created the World, 
 faying, let it be fo, and it was fo. He com- 
 manded, and it was done. Many other In- 
 ftiiices of this fort might bealleg'd to ftreng- 
 then this Proof of his Godhead : The Num- 
 bers and Extent of thefe his God-like A6ts, 
 are beyond account, according to John 21. 
 
 Tis 
 
( io6 ) 
 
 Obj. 'Tis no juft Objeftion againft all this, that 
 
 Chrift addrefs'd himrdf to his Father when he 
 was gOing to raife Laz.arus from the Grave, 
 AftC 'John II. 41, 42, 43. For we are exprefly 
 told, that he lifted up his Eyes, and [aid. Father 
 I thank thee, that thou hafi heard me ; not be- 
 caufe of any InfufHciency in himfelf, but be- 
 caufe of the People which (hod by, that they might 
 believe that the Father had fent htm, vcr. 40, 41. 
 He fuitable to his Character as a Man, and as 
 one Tent by the Father, made this Application 
 to him, that the People might be convinced 
 of the Wickednefs and Falfliood of their fre- 
 quent Blafphemies, whereby they accufed him, 
 Mat.Tz. as performing his mighty Works by a Confe- 
 *i» 2.3, deration with the Devil, or by a Power which 
 fob. 7 ^^^ Devil pofleiliDg him exerted by him. And 
 20/ * had they never heard him apply to his Father 
 &8. 48, onfuch Occafions, fome of them were cun- 
 ^* 5^* ning and malicious enough to have improved 
 ^^lo.io, ^1^^^ ^^ ^^^ Argument to confirm that blafphe- 
 
 mous Suggeftion, and others were weak e- 
 nough to have beiiev'd it ; and therefore, to 
 convince them that he indeed came not from 
 Satan, nor aded by a Diabolical Power j but 
 that as the true Melliah, he came from God, 
 and aded by a Divine Power, he, in the Pre- 
 fence of them all apply'd to his Father, as one 
 that own'd and approv'd of him in what he 
 was going to do. And yet that they might 
 not think he therein aded merely as a Dele- 
 gate in a dependent way, and not immediate- 
 ly by his own Power together with the Fa^ 
 -ther, he adds in the next words, and I kne'-jj 
 that thoiL hearefl me always, ver. 42. thereby in- 
 timating that his Will and the Father's were 
 always the fame, fo that he never will'd any 
 things but the Father will'd it likewife ; and 
 
 thete- 
 
( 107 ) 
 
 thereupon he in a Sovereign abfolutc Manner, 
 like the moft High God, fpoke in his oiun, 
 and not in his Father's Name, and cried luith 
 a loud Vouey Laz.arus come forth, and he came 
 forth immediately, ver. 43, 44. Thus the 
 Grandure and Reality of his Deity difco- 
 vered thsmfelves, even whilell he was inter- 
 mixing Expreffions and Behaviour of a. fi.:b- 
 mi/Tive dependent Afped. He managed this 
 whole Affair with admirable Skill, fuitable to 
 his different Charaders, as God on one Hand, 
 and as Man and his Father's Servant in Human 
 Nature on the other, and fo as ro fhew that 
 he really was the Mcffiah^ the Sent of God, 
 whom heown'd ; and at the fame time to iliew 
 what an infinite greatly McfTiah he was, 
 
 I might add, as a farther Proof under this 
 Head, the greateil Miracle oF ail that Chrift 
 wrought of this fort, and that was his raifing 
 himfelf from the Dead. This he fpoke of as 
 his own Act, Diftroy this I'em fie, and in three '^q\^x\ zi 
 
 Days 1 xuill raife it up. But he [pake of the 19, 21. 
 
 T'tmpk of his Body. And to fliew that he had 
 an inherent Power in himfelf, or of his own 
 fufHcicnt for this, heaffertcd that he had Pou-- John 10, 
 er 10 take hi^ Life again. This is fo evident a 18. 
 Proof his Godhead, that the Apo/lle took it 
 for a Demonftration, faying, he was declared ^o"'^* ?• 
 or demon flrated to he the Son of Gad with Pow- ^' 
 er, according to the Spirit of Holinefs, or his Di- 
 vine Nature, by the RefurreFlion fro7n the Dead. 
 
 (2 ) Chrift not only pcrform'd Miracles by 
 his own Power himfelf; but gave to the 
 Apoftles all that Power by which they pcr- 
 fbrm'd Miracles too. They were free to own, 
 and took all Occafions to declare, that all the 
 Power which accompanied them for Miracles, 
 v/as fimply and wholly a Power derived from 
 
 Chrift; 
 
( ic8 ) 
 
 Chrift; a Power intirely fm, and not at all their 
 Qwn, and that chey aded therein altogether iii 
 his Name, and in no Refpefts in their own. 
 Thus we find Peter openly declar'd firft to the 
 People, and afterwards to the High-Prieft, 
 Rulers, Elders, Scribes, and Others, that 
 'twas not by any Power of his own, but on- 
 ly by the Name or Power of Jefus Chrift, that 
 the Cripple was made whole. When the 
 Apoftle apply'd himfelf to this Cripple to heal 
 
 3-<!^s ?. him, he faid to him, Jn the Name of Jefus 
 
 ^> 7* Chrifi of Naz^areth^ rife up and vjalk -, and im-' 
 mediately his Limbs were reilor'd. The Peo- 
 ple greatly wonder'd at this. And when Pe^ 
 
 vcr, II. ^^y ^^^^ Ij.^ j^g faid„ Why marvel ye at this ? or 
 rohy look ye fo earneftly on ns, cm though by our 
 
 ver. 12. Qiuti Power or Holinefs zve had made this Man to 
 ■walk ? It is no fuch Thing, did not you hear 
 me fpeak to him in the Name of Chrifiy and 
 thereby afcribe the Power of this Miracle to 
 
 yor, i6. him } jlYid his Name-, through Faith in his Name^ 
 
 hath made this Manftrong in the pre fence of 
 
 you all. And when Peter was brought before 
 
 Chap. 4. ^j^g Rulers and Elders, he faid to them. If 
 
 f ? *^* lue this Day be examined of the good Deed done to 
 the impotent Many by what means be is mude 
 whole : Be it known to you all, and to the People 
 of Ifraely that by the Name of Jefus Chrif? of 
 Naz^areth — e'uen by him doth this Man /land here 
 before you whole.So wliQn^neas was miraculoufly 
 cured of the Palfy by Peters means, he faid to 
 
 Ads 9. j^-^^ JEneaSy Jefus Chif3 maketh thee luhole, 
 Anfe and make thy Bed ; and he arofe immediate-^ 
 ly. And when the Apoftle Paul cured a cer- 
 tain Damfel pofifefs'd with a Spirit of Divina- 
 
 A<3s 16. (ion. He turned and faid to the Spirit, I command 
 
 ' thee in the Name of Jefis Chrift to come out of 
 
 her ; and the Power of Chrift vyas as eftedlual 
 
 to 
 
C 109 ) 
 
 to that Purpofe, as if he himfelf had (poke 
 to her, for the evil Spirit came out the fame 
 Hour. 'Twas Chrill that put forth Power 
 with the Apoftle's Words to heal thofe whom 
 they fpoke to. The Miracles wrought by them 
 were properly C/;r//?'s, and not theirs. 'Twas 
 hey and not they, that healed all that were 
 healed by their means. They received their 
 Commiffion for thefe Works from him, and 
 all the Efficacy of it depended intirely on 
 him. And tho' this was more amply difplay'd 
 and extended after his Afcention to Heaven, 
 than before, as better fuiting his exalted State; 
 yet even while he was with his Difciples in 
 his humbled State before his Refurreftion, he 
 gave them Commiffion for Miraculous Per- 
 formances, and made it eftedual. Thus when 
 he fent out his Twelve Difciples, we are told 
 he, like an abfolute Lord, gave them power find l^j^^ ^ 
 Authority over all Devils, and to cure Difeafes. j^ 5. 
 And they departed and went through the Towns 
 preaching the Gofpel, anci healing cnjery where. 
 And afterward he m the fame independent 
 way gave the like Power to the Seventy. Go q^ 
 your ways; behold I fend you as Lambs among 10.5,9, 
 
 IVohes. heal the Sick, &c. And upon 
 
 their Return to Chrill, we find them telling 
 him, the Devils were fubjtS to them through his ver. 17. 
 Name. And on that Occafion, he by his 
 own Authority, renew'd and enlarg'd his 
 Commiffion to them for further miraculous 
 Performances. Behold I give unto you Power to ver, 19. 
 tread on Serpents and Scorpions, and over all the 
 Pozver of the Enemy; and nothing Jhall by any 
 means hurt yon. VVith what an abfolute Au- 
 thority doth he deal out thefe Commiflions in 
 his own Name, fpcaking of himfcif as Their 
 Principal, and as the Fountain of all the Pow- 
 er 
 
( no ) 
 
 cr they had for thofe marvellous Works ? 
 'Twas only by him as the fupreme Caufe, 
 working in the way of his own Appointment, 
 that they performed rhem all from firft to laft, 
 both before and after his Exaltation. And 
 when ever he fufpended his Power, and did 
 not own an Attempt to do any Thing in his 
 Namej all fuch Attempt was ineffedual, as 
 appear'd in thofe Seven Sons of Scez^a^ who 
 pretended to caft out Devils in the Name of 
 Chrift ; but the mention of his Name not be- 
 ing own'd by him on that Occafion, nor at- 
 tended with his Power, they were fo far from 
 fucceeding, that the Dev^ils prevailed againft 
 them and infulted them, A Sis ip. 13. — 17. 
 And if we fhould fuppofe that Chrifl at any 
 Time had difown'd or withheld his Power 
 from any whom he Commiffion'd, they wou'd 
 have been at fuch Scafons as infufficient as 
 others for fuch Performances; as in Fad they 
 proved, when they attempted to cure a Lu- 
 natick, and raifcarried thro' unbelief, and 
 thro' negle(fl of fuch fervent Prayer as was 
 proper in fuch Cafes, they not owning, nor 
 depending on the Pov/er of Chriif, as he had 
 appointed them to do, he did not own them, 
 to make that their Attempt cffedual. Mat. 
 ij. 14. — 21. 
 
 Upon the whole, we may confidently fay, 
 that none of the Difciplcs cou'd have done fuch 
 Miracles for the Confirmation of their Holy 
 Doctrine as they did, except God had been 
 with them. And the God who was with 
 them was Chrift. It was he that they expli- 
 citely and frequently own'd as the Perfon by 
 whom they did thofe Things in his Name. 
 
 Now fince Chrift wrought fuch great and 
 nuraberiefs Miracles himfelf, by his oiva in- 
 herent 
 
(Ill) 
 
 herent Power, and by the fame Power enabled 
 others to work the like too ; fure he rauft be 
 the only true God. For who but that God 
 could thus both immediately and mediately 
 over-rule, controul, and change the Laws ot' 
 Nature at his Plcafure, and make all its Pow- 
 ers yield to him, and obey his Word ? f. 
 
 t See this Argument purfued at Length, and the 
 Objedlioas againli it aafwer'd in Mr. Hughefs liffay. 
 Part I. 
 
 SERMON 
 
( iiO 
 
 SERMON VL 
 
 ROM. ix. 5. 
 
 — -Of whom as concerning the Flejh 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 IAm proving the true and proper Godhead 
 of Chrill from the Scriptures, afcribing 
 fuch Works to him, as it alfo affiires us 
 are peculiar to the only true God, and which 
 none but that God can do. The peculiar 
 God-like Works of the Creation and Preferva- 
 tion of all Things, and miraculous Performan- 
 ces, have been already infilled on as Works 
 which Chrift wrought by his own Power, I 
 fiiall now carry on this Fourth Head of Proof 
 in Two or Three further Inftances. There- 
 fore 
 
 4. Works 0/ GracCf loth Relative and Real, 
 are in a proper Senfe afcribed to Chrifl ai the An-' 
 thor of them, 
 
 Grace, Mercy, and Peace, ini their fal- 
 lefl Extent, are frequently fpoken of, as 
 coming equally from the Father and the 
 Son ; and accordingly they are very often 
 
 jointly 
 
C "3 ) 
 
 jointly apply'd to for them. 'Tis true In the 
 Oeconomy of our Salvation, in which Chrift 
 bears the Part of a Mediator, thefe BlefTings 
 are beftow'd upon us by him in that Capa- 
 city, and are faid to come to us from the Fa- 
 ther through the Son on that Account. And 
 yet to fhew that this dont at all detrad from 
 Chrifl's own glorious Godhead, they are af- 
 cribed in fuch a manner to him, as befpcaks a 
 Supreme and God-like Power in him, as well 
 as the Father, in giving them to us, or work- 
 ing them in US; and fo they ftrongly import 
 that he, who in fuch a high and Soverain 
 way performs fuch great Afts in his Office, 
 as are peculiar to the great God, is himfelf 
 that God. As a Man's performing, in any 
 Office he may bear, thofe Ads which are pe- 
 culiar to a Man, is fo far from proving that 
 he is not a true Man, becaufe he performs 
 them in, and by the virtue of his Office-Ca- 
 pacity, that on the other Hand it proves him 
 to be true Man ; becaufe othcrwife he could 
 not bear that Office, nor do thofe Ads in 
 that Office, which are peculiar to Man. So 
 Chrifl's fuftaining a mediatorial Charader, 
 and performing in that Office thofe Ads 
 which are peculiar to the only true God, is fo 
 far from proving that he is not the only true 
 God becaufe he doth them in his Office- Ca- 
 pacity, that on the other Hand it proves him 
 to be that God; becaufe othcrwife he could 
 not bear that Office, nor perform thofe Ads. 
 And therefore as fome of his Office-Ads de- 
 monftrate him to be true and proper Man, 
 becaufe they are Ads peculiar to Man. So 
 others of his Office-Ads do a like demon- 
 ftrate him to be the true and moft High God, 
 becaufe the Scripture tells us they are Ads 
 
 I peculiar 
 
C IH ) 
 
 peculiar to that God. And we may obferve 
 this with Refped to both Sorts of his Works- 
 of Grace, thofe that are performed toward 
 us, and thofe that are performed in us. 
 
 (i.) Chrifl performs JJ^^orks or ABs of Grace 
 of a Relative/or? toward us in a high and God- 
 like manner. Forgivenefs of Sins is claim'd by 
 If^^ .,^ the great Jehovah as his fpecial -Prerogative^ 
 15. /, fays he, even I am he that blotteth out thy. 
 
 Tranfgrejfons. Who can forgive a Debt but 
 the Creditor ? Or who can properly Pardon 
 the Affronts of Majefly, the Treafons and 
 Rebellions that are committed againft one's 
 Soverain, but the Soverain hin felf ? Much 
 lefs can any but the great God hirafelf forgive 
 the Debts we owe him, and the Rebellious- 
 Treafonable Tranfgreflions v/e have commit- 
 ted againft him. Hence 'tis a common and 
 rational Principle, that none can Authorita- 
 tively a.nd properly foi'givQ Sins, but God only, 
 Mark.z. ^^ thofe Jews fo far rightly thought, when 
 7, they faid, Z^-^jo can forgive Si fis but God only^ 
 
 And yet Chrift at that very Time, and in thac 
 very Senfe in which they fpoke, claim'd and 
 exercifed that Authority, and proved it was 
 his Right, by his taking oif the Erfed of Sin 
 KTark 2. ^" Healing the Sick of the Palfy ; iaying to 
 S.~i2. him, Son:> thy Sins he forgiven thee. The Scribes 
 that were prefent, hereupon reafon'd in their 
 Hearts, faying, PVhy doth this Man thus fpeak 
 Blafphemy ? IVho can forgive Sins hut Ged only ? 
 Chrift immediately fav/ thefe rcafonings with- 
 in their Bofoms ; and to take off the Charge 
 of Blafphemy, he did not tell them, that he 
 forgave Sins only in a declarative Senfe, or as 
 hisFather'sDelegate pronounced it in hisName, 
 but vindicates his Power of doing it in his owm 
 N^me, by his doing another God-like Work 
 
 ivs 
 
( "5 ) 
 
 in as Abfokite and Authoritative a way, 
 which alfo took off the Temporal Punifhmcnc 
 of the Sins he had then forgiven. But that ye may 
 know that the Son of Man hath Vower on Earth to 
 forgive Sins \he faith to the fick ef the Palfy) I 
 fay unto thee arife, and take tip thy Bedy and go 
 thy way into thine Hoiife. And immediately he 
 arofe, &c. Here is no Appearanceof his for- 
 giving Sins in a minifterial fiibordinate way ; 
 but all the Marks of Majefty and fupreme Au- 
 thority open'd themfelves in his manner of 
 doing it, as from himfelf : And in the like 
 Authoritative Strain he faid unto Mary, thy a^'^J* 
 Sins are forgiven thee. So that they who were ^ » ^^' 
 with him were aftonifli'd at the Grsndure of 
 his Behaviour therein, and faid, Who is this 
 that forgiveth Sins alfo ? And accordingly he 
 Commiffion'd his Apoftles to preach forgive- 
 nefs of Sins in his Namey which among other Lukei^^ 
 Things imports by his Power and Authority. "^'^* 
 And to fhew that this Blefling was abfolutely 
 at his Difpofe, he like a Soverain Lord im- 
 power'd them Minifterially to declare his For- 
 givenefs, afluring them of a Ratification of 
 what they fhould do therein by his Authority, 
 and according to his Word. As my Father ^^-^^^q^ 
 hath fent me, and fo aded as my Superior in ii, i5», 
 Relation to my OiKce-Capacity, which I re- 
 ceiv'd from him ; even fo with like Superior 
 Authority fend I you iVhofefoever Sms 
 
 ye remit, they are remitted unto the?n. Who but 
 he that is God would have aded in his Office- 
 Capacity in this Abfolute Soverain way, and 
 committed the Pardons of Heaven to his Of- 
 ficers to declare»them ? And now in his exal- 
 ted State he more fiilly difplays his Abfolate 
 
 Authority to this Purpofe, Being exalted ^^a«Ss<' ' 
 
 give'-''^fo"givenefs of Sins. And accordingly 5,^ 
 
 I 2 Stephen 
 
( »»6 ) 
 
 Stephen in his lafl Prayer apply'd to him in an 
 Abfoliite way for Forgivenefs of his Enemies> 
 faying, Lcrd yefus receive my Spirit, and he 
 kneeled downy and cried with a loud Voice, Lor dy lay 
 not this Sin to'their Charge ; juft in the fame Ab- 
 foliite manner asChrift, as Man, pray'd to his 
 great Father for his Enemies, when he hung 
 Lukeij, on the Crofs, Father forgiije them, for they know 
 34. not what they do. ' 
 
 He alfo, as well as the Father, juflifies 
 Sinners through Faith in his Name. By his 
 ^a. 53. f^yjQyjiQ(fgg^ or by the Knowledge or Faiih of 
 him, Jhall my righteous Servant jujify many. And 
 what is added, for he Jhall bear their iniqu-ties, 
 refpeds the only procuring Caufe and judicial 
 Reafon of a Sinners being \i\{ii^y^dy which 
 equally holds true with regard to the Father 
 as well as to the Son -, for no Sinner is julli- 
 fy'd by either of them but on that Account. 
 It may likewife refpect the Reafon why this- 
 Prerogative of God is in the Exercife of it 
 made one Branch of ChrilVs Office- Work. 
 And take it either way, 'tis a Proof of this 
 Divine Power's being in him. Accordingly 
 the Apoflle told the Corinthians, they were 
 xCor.6* ju/lifyd in the Name of the Lord Jefas ; which 
 '*• denotes his Authority in that A6t. And if 
 we are juftify'd by him as his Ail, he rauft be 
 Rom. 8. Q^^^ jr^j. ^^ ■, q^^ ^j^j^^ ^^^^ juftifies, it be- 
 ing fpoken of as his peculiar Prerogative. So 
 John I. likewife the Adoption of Sons is mention'd as 
 II. Chrift's A(?;. As many as receivd him, to them 
 
 gave he Power to become the Sons of God, even to 
 -them that believe on his Name. Accprdingly» 
 when he exerted his Divine Ppwer c^ forgiv- 
 ing Sins, he join'd this oi Adoption with i^ 
 Mat. 9. f^yfj^g^ Son, be of good cheer, thy Sins be forgiven 
 vtr.iiJ^^^' ^^'^ afterwards. Daughter k' of good 
 
 Comforti 
 
(H7) 
 
 €omfortj thy Faith Ifath made thee whole. Now 
 who but God himfelf can pretend to adopt 
 into his Family ? The Scripture every where 
 fpeaks of this, as his peculiar appropriated 
 Prerogative. % I will be a Father to you, and ye J Cor. 
 jball be my Sons and Daiight^'S, faith the Lord 
 Almighty. And I am not without fome 
 Thoughts that even this Place may be un- 
 derftood of Chrift. Forheftiles himfelf the 
 ■ Lord, which is the Name^whereby Chrift is 
 moft commonly denominated in tlie New Te- 
 ftament, and I have fhewn that he alfo fome- 
 times called himfelf the Almighty. It likewife 
 appears from the Context, that the Lord, 
 who is reprefented as fpeaking thefe Words, 
 is either he, who was call'd C/?n/?, v. 15. and 
 admitting that, the Cafe is determined. Or 
 'tis he, who dwells and walks in his Churchy v. 1(5. 
 and Chrilt is in a very diftinguifhing manner 
 reprefented under this Character, Rev. i. 13, 
 20- and 2. I. 1 
 
 To fay the leaft, ft may be un^erftood of 
 God effentiaBy confi^er'd, and fo inclufive of 
 Chrift as a Divine Subfifterit in the Godhead, 
 •if not as Vefted with Office-Power. 
 
 (2.) Chrifi performs U^orks of Grace in us, 
 which none but the only true God can be the Author 
 of. The whole Wbrk of 'C^race in us is 
 throughout the Scriptures afcrib'd to God, as; 
 the only proper efHcien:b Caii^e of it. And 
 'tis fet forth under fuch Names and Charad-' 
 ers, as prove it to be -fi Work of fuch infinite 
 Power, that none bit the great God himfelf 
 can ejfe;^ it. Particularly when 'tis call'd a 
 creafiMg /^, .ancL^ quickening, andraijing us from. Eph. %, 
 the Dead. i.And tkat we might underjland s, <5, 10. 
 thefe, not as Hypielbolizing infignificant, but ' 
 
 4S very apt and inftrufikive Metaphors, the 
 ■ I 3 Apoftle 
 
 t 'I 
 
 (■(';; 
 
( ii8 ) 
 
 Apoflle in fome foregoing Verfes had ex- 
 plain'd one of them in proper Terms, which 
 fpeak as magnificently ot this Power, as thefe 
 Cliap.T. Metaphors in their higheft Scnfe reprefent it, 
 »9. 2.0, calling it, T^he exceeding Greatnefs fif his (God's) 
 Power to us-iuard %uho believe^ according to the 
 •working of his mighty Power, which he wrought 
 ' in ChriiJ when he raifed him from the dead, dec. 
 Now this great and Almighty Work of 
 Grace is afcribed to our Lord Jefus Chrift, 
 as the proper efficient Caufe or Author of it. 
 Heb. iz. Jig J5 exprefly calfd the Author and Fini;her of 
 A£ts 5. ^^y Faith. And is faid to be exalted to gi've 
 31, Repentance, as well asRemiffion of Sins. And 
 
 his being exalted by God the Father in his 
 Office-Capacity to do this, is no Argument 
 againft his Power, as God for it ; but is ra- 
 ther a Confirmation of it, fince that Almighty 
 Power, which is neceflary for this Work, is 
 compatible to none but the true God. Had 
 he been only jMan, or any thing fhort of the 
 Deity, this Prerogative of the Godhead had 
 been incommunicable to him -, but fince he is 
 God as well as Man, it is committed 
 to him to be exercifed by him, in a God-like 
 manner, in his Office Capacity and exalted 
 State. And even before his Exaltation he ex- 
 ercifed this Power, tho' not fo extenfively as 
 he doth now. You have already heard, that 
 when he was on Earth, he in a proper Senfe, 
 and like the So'/erain Jehovah forgave Sins. 
 'Tis likewife as plain that he in as proper a 
 Senfe and God-like manner exerted the Power 
 of Heart-changing Grace. He fpoke . of the 
 giving of faving Grace as his awn Aft to the 
 Woman of Samaria^ wheii fpeaking of him- 
 Tol.n 4. felf ^^ f^i^ ^o her, Thou wwuldcft have asked of 
 10, 14. htrit) and he would have gii'en thee liviiig water j 
 
 ana 
 
( 1^9 ) 
 
 and vohojoever drinketh of the water that 1 fhaV 
 give himjhall neverl'birfl ; but the water ^ that I 
 jh all give bi7n, jhall be m him a Well of Water ^ 
 fpringing up into everlafting Life. He with a word 
 ipeaking changed his Difciples Hearts, and put 
 forth fiich Power with his word as made them 
 willingly leave all and follow him. Thus he 
 •fpoke effedually to the very Heart of Matthevj, 
 as he fat at the Receipt of Cuftom, faying, 
 Follo-jj mey and he arofe, and folloiud him. Mat. p. 
 What a Divine commanding and efficacious 9« 
 word was this ! In like manner he fpoke to 
 Petery and Andrewy Jamesy and John. ■ He ™P' 4- 
 did but call the?ny faying, Follow mey and im-" 
 mediately they obey'd him. What prevailing 
 God-like words of Spirit arid Life were thefe, 
 that inftantly made i^uch a thorough Change 
 upon their Hearts, as to leave all that they 
 had to follow fo defpifed and poor a Perfoft 
 as Chrifl: was in the Flefh, and that before he 
 was much, if at all, known by his Miracles 1 
 Who bur God could make his Call fo effedu- 
 al as to work up their Hearts at once to one 
 of the hardeft Leflons of ChriHianity, viz>. 
 to deny themfelves, and take up their Crofs 
 and follow him? Yea, by his very look he af- 
 terwards reach'd Peter's Heart, and wrote the 
 deepeft Repentance in him. He tiirned and \ J"^ 
 look'd upon Peter, after his Third Denial of * 
 him ; and immediately he remembred what 
 Chrifl hid faid, and with all the Relentings 
 of godly Sorrow for his Sin, xvent out and 
 •wept bitterly. And when Chrift was rifen from 
 the Dead, he not only open'd the Scriptures 
 concerning himfelf in a Dodrinal Way to his 
 Difciples, but alfo, as a diftinft work from 
 that, he opend their under/landings, that they 
 jni^ht underjlund the Scriptures, Luke 24. 41. 
 
 I 4 which 
 
C 120 ) 
 
 which agrees with what the Apoflle John fays, 
 pj/e know that the Son of God is cotne, and hath 
 given m an VndeYJianding that we may knoiu him 
 that is true, i John 5. 20. And this is the ve- 
 ry fame work that the great Jehovah of Ifrael 
 promifed in his Covenant to do j / will give 
 them an Heart to know me, Jer. 24. 7. And all 
 this fpccial faving Work of Chrifl upon the 
 Minds and Hearts of his People iSi in all the 
 places recited, fpoken of as his own proper 
 Ad and Deed, which hs perform'd by an in- 
 herent and foverain Power. And with rtfped 
 to this Work, as well as with refped to the 
 Refurredion of the Body, thofe Palfages may, 
 ■ I conceive, be underdood, where Chrift fays, 
 
 John 5. ^s^the Fdther raifcih tip the Dead, and quickeneth 
 
 \(.^^ them ; even fo the Son quickeneth whom hs will. 
 • Verily J verily, I fay unto y tit , the Hour is 
 coming, and now is, whtn the Dead fball hear the 
 Voice of the Son of God, and they that hear ihnU 
 live. For as the Father hath Life in himfelf, fo 
 hath he given to the Son to have Life in himfelf. 
 Sure thefe great and eftedual Works of Grace, 
 which are peculiar to the great God only, be- 
 ing perform'd by our Lord Jefus Chrift, are 
 a good Evidence that he is that God. 
 
 Obj. If it is objeded, that what Chrift did or 
 
 doth in this faving work, was and is done, 
 not by himfelf immcdiatelj'-, but by the Pow- 
 er of the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 Aiir. There is no mention made of the Spirit in ' 
 
 any of thofe Works : But admitting they were 
 wrought by him, the fame Objedion lies a- 
 
 fainft fuch Works being done by the eternal 
 ather ; becaufe it muft beallow'd, that the 
 Scripture, fpeaking of them as the works of 
 the Father, doth ajfo fpeak of them as per- 
 form'd by his Spirit. Both the Father and the 
 
 Son 
 
( 121 ) 
 
 Son are reprefcnted, as applying themfelves 
 to Operation on us by the Holy Ghoft, who 
 is the third Perfon of the Trinity, the fame 
 in Eflence with them, as the Scripture repre- 
 fents him. But that is not my prcfent work 
 to infill on ; I only mention it now for this, 
 to fhew that it may with equal Strength of 
 Argument be maintain'd, that the Works I 
 have been difcourfing of, are not the works of 
 the great 'Jehovah^ which the eternal Father is 
 on all Hands allow'd to be, becaufe he works 
 them by his Spirit ; as that they are not the 
 Works of Chrift, becaufe he works them by 
 his Spirit too; fince both the Father and the 
 Son equally work them by him. But as none 
 will allow this to be an Objeftion againft their 
 being the Works of the Father, no more 
 ought it to be allow'd of, as an Objeftion 
 againft their being the Works of Chrift. 
 
 This leads us to another Work, which 
 proves him to be God, and that is, 
 
 5. His fending the Holy Ghojl both for miracu- 
 lous and gracioHi Operations. AH the Arguments 
 the Scripture affords to prove the Godhead of 
 the Holy Ghoft, are fo many Appeals to our 
 Rcafon and Confcience, that none who is not 
 the great Jehovah, can fend him. And this 
 work is afcribed to Chrift in a proper fenfe as 
 well as to the Father. When the Father is 
 faid to fend him, he is faid to do it in Chrift's 
 Name, thereby joining the-^cja's with his own 
 Power therein. T^he Holy Ghoft., zvhom the Fa- Joh. i^ 
 ther zuill fend in my Name, fays Chrift, he JJjaS ^^' 
 teach you all things, &c. And Chrift after- 
 wards fpeaks of himfelf as a Principal as well 
 as the Father, as fending the Spirit jointly with 
 the Father, tho' in a manner fuitable to the 
 Order of his and his Father's Subfiftence in 
 
 the 
 
( 122 ) 
 Joh. 1$. the Godhead. When the Comforter is came , whom I 
 zuillfendunto you from the Father, even the Spirit 
 of Truth ywhich procedsth from the Father, he jhaS 
 teflify of me. And after that, he fpeaks of it 
 abfoiutely as his own ad, without mentioning 
 Chap, the Father in it — If I go not arcay, the Comforter 
 ^ 7* ijjill not come to you j but if I depart, / ivill fend 
 him to you. I don't deny but Chrift intermixes 
 feveral Things in his Difcourfc of fending the 
 Spirit, which fuit merely his Office-Charader 
 as Mediator, and in that Capacity he plainly 
 Chap, fpeaks when he fays, / will pray the Father, and 
 M- ^^r he fD all give you another Comforter. And it well 
 became him in that Capacity to reprefent the 
 Cafe in that manner. But this no way inter- 
 feres wifh his equal Power with the Father in 
 another Confideration of him, as you have 
 heard before. And it was proper that Chrift 
 fhou'd fpeak of this, as a Part of his Mediae 
 torial Work ; becaufe upon that the Million of 
 the Spirit, either from the Father or him in- 
 tirely depends. And yet, to fhew that this 
 falls in with our prefent Argument, Chrift in 
 this Difcourfe fpeaks (as you have heard) in 
 fuch abfolute and God-like Terms of his own 
 fending the Spirit, asftrongly import that this 
 great Mediator ads likehirafelf, like the great 
 God as he is, in this part of his work. And 
 accordingly he is fpoken of in both thefe 
 Characters, with regard to this his work : / 
 Zee. iz. "^ui II pour en the Houfe of David, and on the Inha- 
 Ip, bitauts ()} Jertffale??!, the Spirit of Grace and Sup- 
 
 plications, and they jkall look upon me whom they 
 have pierced, and mourn, 8cc. He that here 
 promifes to pour out his Spirit, is he who 
 was pierced, which denotes his Mediatorial 
 Capacity. And it is he, who is called Jehovah, 
 in ver. 8. which denotes his proper Godhead. 
 The Holy Ghoft is call'd in Scripture, 7'he 
 
 Spirii 
 
( 123 ) 
 
 spirit of, Cbrijij and the Spirit of the Son, as ^o^- 8. 
 well as the Spirit of the Father ; and all the O- ^ , ^ 
 perations oi that Spirit are reprefented to be 
 as abfolutely at Chrift's Difpofe, as at the 
 Father's. When Chrift honoured his Difci- 
 ples with his Prefence before his Afcention, 
 He breathed on them, and faid to them, Receive John 20. 
 ye the Holy GhoB ; thereby intimating, that he ^^* 
 was as able to give his Spirit to them, as to 
 breath upon them. And ,as foon as he got to 
 Heaven, and was in a State and Condition to 
 appear and ad like his great felf, in all that 
 Glory which he had with the Father before 
 the World was, and in the Grandure of his 
 Mediatorial Exaltation, he then like the great 
 Jehovah fi'ifd all things. In order to which, Eph. 4, 
 hefcnt or pour'd down the Spirit in the moft 10, 
 plentiful and aftonifhing manner, as the Apo- 
 ftle Feter declared, on the remarkable Day of 
 Pentecoft •• Being by the right Hand of God ex- A(Ss 2» 
 ahed, and having received of the Father the Pro- 33* 
 mi fe of the Holy Ghofl, he hath Jhed forth thii ivhich 
 you now fee and hear, &c. And tho' this was 
 in Purfuance of his Sufferings, and a Part of 
 that Glory, which the Father had promifed, 
 and then invefted him with in his Office-Ca- 
 pacity, on confideration of thofe Sufferings ; 
 yet it is fpoken of as his oiun Act, which he 
 managed in fuch an Auguft and Lordly man* 
 ner as plainly fhew'd him to be the only true 
 God. Accordingly 'tis obfervable, that this 
 Ad of his is declared to be a Performance of 
 an Ancient Prophefy of what the great Jeho- 
 vah vjo\xd do ; This is that ivhich v^as Jpoken v.16,17, 
 by the Prophet ^oel ; And it pall come to pafs in 
 the lafi Days, {faith God) I zvill pour out of my 
 Spirit upon all Flejh, and your Sons and Daughters 
 jhall Prophefy, d<c. He that did this, we are 
 
 exprefly 
 
( 124 J 
 
 exprefly told by the Apoftle Peter, was Chrift. 
 It was his Ad, and is denominated from him. 
 And he, who it was Prophefy'd in Joel, fhou'd 
 do this, is as exprefly cali'd Jehovah ; as you 
 may fee by confiilting the place, Joel 2. 27,— 
 32. And the gad Verfe is again apply 'd 
 to Chrifl as that Jehovah, m Rom. 10. 13, 
 
 14- 
 
 6. 1 he general RefuneBion of the Dead at the 
 
 laji Day, is in a prober Senfe afcribed to Chrijl a^ 
 a divine EffeEi wrought by him. 
 
 A Suppofition of the general Refurreftion 
 of the Body carries an open Evidence of the 
 Neceility of fuch an immenfe Wifdom, Domi^ 
 nion. Power, and Prefence, as infinitely ex- 
 ceeds all our Thoughts ; and for that very 
 Reafon the Dodrine it felf exceeds the Faith 
 of many, who can't tell how to think that God 
 himfelf can work thro' all the Difficulties, and 
 njafter all the Impoffibiiities, which they ima- 
 gine their Reafon can fuggefl againft it : Some- 
 thing fo awful, aftonifhing and incomprehen- 
 fible is there in that Effeft, according to the 
 Doftrine of the Scriptures. And we who 
 believe the Truth of that Dodrine which we; 
 find to be fo clearly and exprefly reveal'd ii> 
 the Word of God, believe it barely upon the 
 unerring Veracity of God's own Tellimony 
 concerning it, adoring his infinite Greatnefs, 
 who is able to make good his own Word with 
 refped thereunto, inftead of pretending tq 
 adjufl his Condud to our own inquifitive Rea- 
 fonings about it. It therefore muft needs ap- 
 pear altogether impoffible, that any but the 
 only true God fhou'd raife the Dead, tho' not 
 Eph. 3. impoffible that He fhou'd do it, luho is able to 
 do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or 
 think, according to the Power that worketh in Hi. 
 
 Hence 
 
 20. 
 
C"5) 
 
 Hence the Apoftle lays the Belief of this great 
 Article merely upon the Greatnefs of God, 
 when he fays to King Agrippay Why jhould it be 
 thought a 'Thing incredible with youy that GOD Ads 16^ 
 Jhould raife the Dead ? To fiippofe it to be done °* 
 by any other inferiour Being, is indeed of all 
 Things moft incredible ; but the Thoughts of 
 God's infinite Greatnefs alone, fhou'd recon- 
 cile our Faith to it. And yet this incredible 
 Thing, upon any other Foot than that of the 
 abfokite Power and Omniprefence of the God- 
 head, is familiarly fpoken of in the Scripture 
 as done by Chrift, and that by his own Pow- 
 er. Thus Chrift fpeaks of himfelf; 'This is the roj^f,^ 
 Will of him that fent me, that every one which feeth 59^ aq* 
 the Sony and believeth on himy may ha^ve everlafi- 44. 54^' 
 ing Life ; and I will raife him up at the laft Day. 
 And this he repeats four Times in this Chap- 
 ter, fpeaking of it all along as his own Ad, 
 / will raife him up at the lafi Day, Yea, he fpeaks 
 of himfelf as having equal Liberty and Power 
 with the Father for it ; For as the Father raifeth up Chap, j; 
 the Dead) and quickeneth them ; even fo the Son z-i. 
 'quickeneth whom he will. In what a foverain 
 Strain doth he fpeak thefe Words, even when 
 he is fpeaking alfo of the Father ? And with 
 what God-Iike Majefty and Authority doth 
 he tell us how he, the Son, will do this Work ? 
 Verily y verily y I fay unto yotiy the Hour is coming, y. ij. 
 and now isy when the Deadjhall hear the Voice of 
 the Son of Gody and they that hear Jhall live. Or 
 if thcfe Verfes fhou'd be fuppofed not to be . 
 primarily and confinedly meant of the Refur- 
 re5:ion we are fpeaking of ; yet none can doubt 
 but what follows in the like exalted Strain is, 
 where our Lord (having in the foregoing Ver- 
 fes fpoken of the great Authority that the Fa- 
 ther had given him as Mediator) fays, Mar^ 
 
 vel 
 
zJ. 
 
 ( 12^ ) 
 
 Joli. zS.-vel not at this ; and the Reafon he gives why 
 *^' they fliou'd not Marvel at it, is, becaufj he 
 was a Perfon every way equal to it, having 
 ftill greater Power in himfeif ; for the Hour is 
 coming, in which all that are in the Graves jhatt 
 hear his Voice, and jl all tome forth ; they that have 
 done Good, unto the RefurreElion of Life • and they 
 that have done Evil, unto the RefurreBion of 
 Damnation. And to afTiire us that the Power 
 which he'll put forth with this foverain com- 
 manding Voice to produce that aftoniQiing 
 Efteft, is properly his oivn Power inherent in 
 himfeif, the Apo(tle, fpeaking of the Second 
 Coming of the Saviour, the Lord Jefm Chrifly 
 fays. He jhall change our vile Body (or the Body 
 TPhil, :. q£ q^jj. Humiliation) that it may he faff^ion d like 
 unto his gloriom Body^ according to the working 
 luhereby he is able even to fuhdue all things unto 
 himfeif. With what magnificent lofty Signa- 
 tures doth the Apoftle there defcribe the di- 
 vine and abfolute Omnipotence of Chrift, 
 whereby he performs this work. And furc 
 fuch a Work, wrought by fnch a Power inhe- 
 rent in Chrift himfeif, is a pregnant Evidence 
 that he is the True and moil High God. 
 
 7. We may advance, as a farther Evidence 
 of this fort, I'he Confideration of the future judg- 
 ment, which is in a full and proper Senfe ajcvibed 
 to Chriji. He fi all judge the Qitick and the Dead, 
 at his appearing and Kingdom, 2 Tim. 4. i. For 
 the Father judgeth no Man, immediately or by- 
 himfeif, but hath com7nittcd all Judgfnent to the 
 Son, John 5.22. Hence we mnji all appear be-' 
 fore the judgment-feat of Chriji, that every one- 
 may receive the Things done in the Body, according 
 to that he hath done, whether it be Good or Bad, 
 2 Cor. 5. 10. 'Tis freely allow'd, that the 
 fpecial plenary Excrcife of all judicial Power 
 
 is 
 
is by Difpenfation from the Father committed 
 to the Son, in his Office-Capacity ; For other- 
 wife the leading Part of that Judgment wou'd 
 naturally fall into the Father's Hands, as the 
 firft Perl'on of the adorable Trinity. But my 
 Plea is. That the Nature of this Work it fclf 
 is fuch, as peculiarly belongs to the only true 
 God, and is manageable by none but him* 
 All our natural Notions, as well as the Scrip- 
 tures, refer this Work to the fupreme Godon-^ 
 ly. And therefore, hadnotChrifi: in his Ori- 
 ginal Nature been a divine Subfiftent in the 
 Godhead, and fo eflentially confider'd that 
 God, the full deciiiveunrepealableExercife of 
 this ultimate Judgment wou'd not have beea 
 committed to him. Hence, to Ihew that Chrift 
 who judgeth the World is the only true God, 
 the Apoftle cites a Text from 7/"^. 45. 23. where 
 the great Jehovah oilfrael undoubtedly fpeaks^ 
 and applies it to Chrift, as a Proof, that lue 
 jhall all /land before his judgment-feat, in Rom, 
 14. 10, II. The Force of which Argument 
 wholly depends on Chrift's being that Jeho- 
 vah, before whom we are to ftand for Judg- 
 ment, as has been fiiewn under the firft Head 
 of Arguments. And who indeed but the on- 
 ly true God can judge the World ; Devils, 
 and Men ? Who but He can exadly and per- 
 fectly know the Secrets of all Hearts, in the 
 innumerable Thoughts that are continually 
 fpringing up there, and in the different Princi- 
 ples and Ends that govern them all, and de- 
 termine their Moral Nature refpeftively ? And 
 who but he can have the like Knowledge of 
 all the numerous intricate Trains of VVords 
 and Afts of a Moral fort, that will have run 
 thro' all the Generations of Myriads of Men 
 from the Beginning of the World to the Con- 
 
 fummation 
 
( n8 ) 
 
 fummation of all Things, which together with 
 their Thoughts are necefTary to be critically 
 and perfeftly known by him that is to judge 
 them ? What Mind but his^ that is abfolutely 
 infinite, can penetrate deep enough to iind 
 ,^ them all out, or be comprehenfive enough to 
 take them all in, and to know them exadly 
 and infallibly in their feveral Orders, Relati- 
 ons, and Circiimftances, and pafs right Judg- 
 ment according to them ? Befides, it feems 
 to be infinitely beneath the Dignity of the 
 Godhead to commit the full, final and irrever- 
 fible Decilion of all its Rights, with regard to 
 us, to any that is not God. Who but he that 
 is God, fliaii be an abfolute Umpire and Judge 
 for God ? 
 
 8. Something of the like fort may be urged 
 Srom the Pozver of eterh'al Life and Death that is 
 in Chrifl's Handi. The great Jehovah fpeaks 
 Deut.32. of this, as his peculiar Prerogative -, /, even I 
 39' am hey and there is no Gcd xoith me. I kill , and 
 
 Intake alivey &c. And Chrift fpeaks of the 
 Mat. 10. only true God as he alone, who is able to deftroy 
 ^^' loth Body and Soul in Hell. And yet this Pow- 
 er of Life and Death is fpoken of as in ChrilVs 
 Hands, and the Exercife of it as Ads per- 
 Jolin JO. form'd by himfelf : / (i\ys he of his Sheep) 
 28, 20. ^jruQ jijjto the?n eternal Lifey and they jhall never 
 ferijh, neither f^all any Man [Gr. Vi any] puck 
 them out of my , Hand. And my Father that gave 
 ' them me, is greater than all, viz. than all that 
 wou'd deflroy them ; which he mentions as an 
 acknowledg'd Principle ; and thereupon, to 
 fhew the abfolute Safety of thofe to whom he 
 gives Eternal Life, he adds, / and my Father 
 are one : One Thing, or Being, or Eflence, as 
 has been (hewn. Was he not God, 'tis very 
 Clocking to imagine, that he Hiou'd have the 
 
 Enjoy- 
 
( 129 ) 
 
 Enpyment of God at his Difpofc, to give it 
 at PJeafure to others in fuch an abfolute way 
 as he doth. In what a foverain Strain did he 
 fay to his Difciples, I appoint unto you a King- I-ukeij, 
 dom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ? What *9* 
 Majefty and Authority is there in thefe Words, 
 whereby he afTumes to himfelf the fame abfo- 
 lute Power of appointing to them a King- 
 dom, as his Father cxercifed in appointing 
 to him, as Man and Mediator, his King- 
 dom ? 
 
 It iSy I conceive, of no weight toObjeft, in Oh]. i« 
 the prefent State of the Argument, That this 
 Power of giving Life to others, peculiarly 
 belongs to Ghrift as Mediatory and is exercifed 
 by him only in the Virtue, or on the account 
 of fome of his other Office-Performances. For Arif. 
 it is equally true, that God the Father gives 
 the Polleflion of Eternal Life to no Child of 
 Adamy but only in the Virtue, or on the ac- 
 count of thofe Office-Performances of Chrift 
 as Mediator. But as the Father's abfolute fo^ 
 •verain loay of giving it on Chrift's account, is 
 a Proof of his Codhead ; (o ChrilVs abfolute 
 foverain way of giving it on his own account, 
 is a like Proof of his Godhead too. 
 
 Nor will it any more affeft the Nature of Obj* i* 
 this Argument to Objed, That this Power is 
 given to Chrill by the Father, as himfelf ac- 
 linowledges, faying to his Father, 77;o« ha/i jo\iniyl 
 given him (thy Son) Power over all Flehy that z, 
 he jhould give eternal Life to as many as thou haji 
 given hint : And that agreeable to this he de- 
 clar'd, in anfwer to the two Sons oiZehedeey To Mat. lO. 
 ft on my Right handy and on my Left, ti not tnine to '^l' 
 give ; but (or unlefs, or fave, or except, as 
 this Particle fometimes (ignifies) to them for 
 v/hom it is prepared of my Father. So the Text 
 
C rjo ) 
 
 Ii^s^ in the Greek; and the words, it IhallBt- 
 given, are needlefly, not to fay injurioiifly, 
 Anf. added by the Tranflators. This^ I fay, don't 
 at all weaken the Force of my prefent way oi 
 arguing, which is, that this work is too big 
 and God-like to be committed to Chrift in his- 
 Office-Capacity, if he really was not God, it 
 being a Work appropriated to the Divine Be- 
 ing ; and that he manageth it in a way too^ 
 Grand and Soverain for any btit the only true- 
 God. 
 
 In botfi th€ Places objeded 'ti5 aHow'd to- 
 be very plain, that Chrifl fpeaks of himfelf m 
 his Office-Capacity. And as he t4ierein aded 
 as his Father's Servant in Human Nature, he 
 had his Power from him ; the Nature of that 
 Office requiring it fhou'd be fo. And as he 
 therein agreed with the Father whom to favCj^- 
 'tis very true that, he eou'd nor, m Mediator,. 
 by Virtue of his Office, difpofe of the hea- 
 venly Manfkins other\'7ife- than according tor 
 that Agreement, or than as the Father in his 
 Eternal Counfels had prepared them, and al- 
 lotted particular Perfons to them. And, ac- 
 cording to that Occonomyy the Fame may be 
 faid of the Father too, that he cou'd not, con- 
 fiftent withhis own Counfels and Agreements- 
 with the Son, fave any by him, but according 
 to thofe Counfels and Agreements. But a.^ 
 this don't derogate from the Fathers abielute 
 Fower of giving Eternal Life to others, ir- 
 refpeftively to- the Decree and Compact •, no* 
 more doth it derogate from the Sons absolute 
 Power ©f doing it as God, irrefpediveiy tG>' 
 the fame. And fuch is the Greatnefs of Chrifi 
 in his Office-Capacity, that none hath eternat 
 tife but tho(e to whom he gives it ; and he 
 gives it to all that the Father has given himv,. 
 
 and 
 
( 131 ) 
 
 and for whom he has prepar'd it. And this 
 he doth as one that has a full and abfoliite 
 Right as God, as well as a delegated and pur- 
 chare<:i Right as Mediator fo to do. Hence 
 he has given all his the llrongeft Afliirance, 
 that when he fhall come again, He II receive Joh^i4; 
 them to himself J that rohere he is, there they may ^' 
 be alfo. Then he'll appear like his great felf, 
 like the Lord of Life, and be glorified tn /;;^zThef. 
 Saints, and admired in all them that believe. And ^' '*^' 
 at the fame time he'll appear in all his divine, 
 juft, and difmaying Terrors , in not only 
 fentencing the Wicked to eternal Death, but 
 in executing that Sentence himfelf upon them 
 with his own crufhing Arm : For the Lfird Je-^ v. 7,8,9^ 
 fus jhall be revealed from Heaven^ with his mighty *^» 
 Angels, in flaming Fire, taking Vengeance on them 
 that know not God, and that obey not the Go/pel of 
 our Lord Jefus Chrift, vjho fhall be punijhed with 
 everlafling De^ruEiion from the Prefence of the 
 Lord, and from the Glory of his Power ; when he 
 JJjall come to be glorified in his Saints, 8cc. What 
 a grand and awful Account is this of his Al- 
 mighty, infupportable and confuming Wrath 
 upon his Enemies ! Their Banifliment from his 
 bleifed Prefence, and the Weight of his aven- 
 ging Arm everlaftingly upon them, will make 
 up the Pains of Lofs and Senfe, which are ge- 
 nerally allow'd to be the agonizing Torments 
 of an Eternal Hell. Thus he hath the Keys o/Rev. 1; 
 Hell and Death ; and 'tis he that hath the Key ^^' 
 cf David ; he openeth, and no man Jhutteth ^ and ^ _^* 
 Jhutteth, and no man openeth. And fure he that 
 is equal to, and fit to manage fuch a Poll as 
 this, and that ads in it with all the Grandurc 
 and Soverainty of the Deity muft needs be 
 himfelf by Nature GOD. 
 
 K 3 Thefe 
 
( r?i J 
 
 Thefe Things feverally might be more en- 
 larged on ; but I truft what I have ofFer'd is 
 fufficient to make out this fourth Argument, 
 taken from Chrift's performing the peculiar 
 Vv'orks of the only true God, to prove that 
 he is that God. 
 
 APPLJCA'flOKf. 
 
 Vit r. We may hereby fee the great Danger of re- 
 jefting Chrift, and going on in Sin againft 
 him. To make no Ufe of fucb a great Saviour 
 as Chrift isj to lye out fram him by Unbelief, 
 either not feeking after Salvatiort at all, or 
 feeking it in any other way than alone by him, 
 or defpairing of obtaining it from him ,• and 
 to go on in fin, inftead of betaking thy felf, 
 O (inner, to Chrift for Deliverance from it, is 
 a moftinexcufable Contempt of this greatGod 
 our Saviour, and a provokmg A^'ront to him. 
 All this, if thou perfifteft in it, will inevita- 
 bly turn with utter Confufion upon thine own 
 Head. For there is Salvation in m other, and 
 Ails 4. there is no ether Name under Heaven gil/en ajnong 
 2z« Men vjherehy ive muji be faved 5 and therefore, 
 he that finneth ngainfl him wrongs his own Soul ; it 
 Prov. 8. is at thy own utmoft Peril ; And how can ic 
 5<5. be otherwife ? fince he is the Mighty God 
 that hath all Power in his Hands ; the God 
 that made thee, and by a word fpeaking can 
 either kill, or keep thee alive, and can deftroy, 
 or fave thee. Soul and Body for ever. Thy 
 final haftening Judgment for an endlefs Eter- 
 nity of Bleflednefs or Mifery is in his Hands ; 
 And how dreadful will it be to have him a- 
 gainft thee ? The Judge ftands at the Door, 
 and he may be upon thee before thou art a- 
 ware, 'Tis certain 'twill not be long beforer 
 he'll appear in all his awful Majefty and terri- 
 
 bb 
 
( 135 ) 
 
 ble G\ory to Sinners, to execute an avenging 
 Judgmen- upon them, /or all their ungodly Deedi Jud^ij, 
 and hard Speeches againfl him. How dangerous ^ 
 
 is it to provoke fuch a refiftle!s Soverain, and 
 to blow up his flaming Vengeance againft fuch 
 dry Stubble as thou art ! 0\ kifs the Son lefl he ^^^^ «* . 
 be angry y and you. perijh from the way, when his 
 IVrath is kindled tut a little j l^lejfed are all they 
 that put their Truft in him. He now holds out 
 a Scepter of Grace in the Gofpel ; there he 
 breaths nothing but Peace, and Pardon, and 
 all Salvation, thro' Faith in his Blood, which 
 be filed to obtain them for Sinners. And there, 
 with all the ingaging Tendernefs and com- 
 manding Authority of a great and compafli- 
 onate Saviour, he fpeaks to them to come in 
 by Faith to him for them. But fee that ye re- Heb. tz, 
 fufe not him that fpeaks ; for if they efcaped not^ z 5/ 
 ivho refufed him that fpake oh Earthy ?nuch more 
 Jhall not we ef cafe, if we turn away from him that 
 fpeaks from Heaven. He is able as a Judge to 
 avenge himfelfin his Jufliceupon them here- 
 after, that wont accept him in his Grace for 
 their Saviour now. And he will certainly do 
 it ; For if the word fpo ken by Angels wct6 Jiedf aft. Chip, i, 
 and every Tranfgrefftoti and Difobedience received a *> S» 
 jnji Recommence of Reward ; How fiall we efcape^ 
 if we negleci fo great Salvation, which at the fir fl 
 began to be fpoken by the Lord ? Sec. This is 
 Uiention'd on the account of the Greatnefs of 
 Chrifl's Perfon, as God, which had been dif- 
 courfed on, in the foregoing Chapter. And 
 where there is a wilful contempt of Chrift in 
 the Dignity of his Perfon, and Efficacy of his 
 Sacrifice, attending the Sinner's rejeding him, 
 there is the greateit aegravation of Condem- 
 nation that can be. For he that defpifed Mo- Chap.io, 
 fcfi Law died without Mtrcy^-^—Of how much ^^» ^^' 
 
( »34 ) 
 
 forer PumjJjJnent) fap^^fi y-) fi^^^ ^^s he thonght 
 ■voonhyj who hath truden under foot the Son of God, 
 and hath counted the- Blood of the Covenant inhere' 
 •with he (Chrift) wasfanBijied, an ttnholy thing. 
 jjre II. We may hereby fee the Safety and Ha^pinefs of 
 " thofe that are in Chri/i^s Hands as a Saviour. They 
 
 are in the Hands of him, who hath all things 
 elfe in his Hands to ferve his gracious Purpo- 
 fes toward them. All 'the Works of Nature 
 and Grace are at his command ; and he II take 
 care of thee, O Believer, whocommiiteflthy 
 felf and thy all to him, whoever elfe he neg- 
 leds. He hath a conftant watchful Eye upon 
 thee for Good. Nothing can befall thee, re- 
 lating to this World or the next, without his 
 Leave ,• and he both can and will over-rule 
 and turn all Things to thy advantage in their 
 laft IfTues. Tho' dark and difmaying Provi- 
 dences may befall thee ; yet Chrift, thy all- 
 working Head and Saviour, fits at the Helm 
 to fteer them for thee, and to give them a 
 bright and comfortable upfliot. Tho' Temp- 
 tations may bear hard upon thee, yet all the 
 Pevils in Hell are at Chrift's Command ,• and 
 his Grace is fiifficientfor thee, and hisftrength 
 Ihall be made perfect in thy weaknefs. Tho* 
 thou may 'ft befometimes wrack'dwith jealous 
 Sufpicions and tormenting Fears, that thy weak 
 Grace will fail thee, and thy remaining war- 
 ring Corruptions will prevail againft thee, or 
 that Satan and the World wi.^1 prove too hard 
 for thee, and makj thee Mifcarry at laft ; yet 
 thou being in the Hands of Chriil:, who is 
 God, he'll fubdue thine Iniquities in thee, and 
 per fed all that concerns thee in thy ufe ol: the 
 Means of his appointment, and will bear thee 
 above, and carry thee thro' all Dangers and 
 Difficuldesj till he lands thee fafe in Heaven, 
 
( 135 ) 
 If thou hadfl no other Security but thy own 
 Refolutfons and Strength, or any Creature 
 •Help, thou mightelt well defpair of the lii'acs 
 of thy Combats, and of thy intermixed Hopes 
 and Fears .; but thy Security, O Believer, is 
 -firm in Chriil: God-Man, who gives to b.s Shee^ 
 eternal Life^ and hath allured them ihcy jhall 
 nevi-r per/jhy neither jhail mi^y pluck tbcm out of his 
 Hands ; and bis Father^ that gave him tbenh i^ Job. tq. 
 greater than ell, that wou'd deftroy them ; and 28, 19., 
 he and bis Father are one in Nature or Effence, ^^ 
 and therefore one in Confent and Operation .; 
 and fo the Father will jointly with the Son 
 ,take care of them, and none fhall pluck thens 
 ,©ut of the Father's Hands. O Happy, hap- 
 py Souls that are thus fafe in the Hands of 
 thrift for Time and £ternity, if we indeed 
 belong to, and are intcrefted in this great and 
 .all-iiifficie-nt Saviour, we are under his Al- 
 :mighty Car-e and Influence here, to fecure and 
 ,iit us for everlafling Abodes with him in his 
 Glory hereafter. And all -the great and blef- 
 ;fed Things he doth for us in this VV'^orld, arc 
 but Samples and Earnefts of iiiiConceiveably 
 greater Eleffings flill, which he will certainly 
 bellow upon us in the next. Here he gives us i C^r.i^ 
 -Grace; but there he'll give us Glory. Here9>-«i. 
 he gives us a Dawn of Spiritual Light, by 
 which at beft we iee darkly, and know but in 
 part ; but there he'll give us the Light of 
 Noon Day, and we [nail fee him m he isy and 
 know as we are known. Here he gives us Faith ; 
 but there he'll ^vji& us Vilion. Here we fit 2X 
 his Feet in an Ordinance ; but there we fliall 
 /it with him in his Throne. Here he now 
 and then meets us, and gives us a fmile; but 
 .there we (hall always behold his glorious Face, 
 and be for ever with him. Here he frees us 
 li 4 from. 
 
C i5« ) 
 
 from the Power pf Sin ; but there he'll free us 
 from all the indwellings of it. Here he deli- 
 vers us from the Kingdom of Satan ; but there 
 he*ll deliver us from all his Temptations. Here 
 he begins, and carries on the work of Grace 
 in us ; but there he'll raife it to Perfeftion in 
 ^s full Conformity to himfelf as poffibly can 
 be. Here he fandifies Affliftions to us ; but 
 there he'll deliver us from all our Troubles, 
 and make us reap the bleflbd and fandify'd 
 Fruits of them for ever. Here he fupports and 
 comforts us agamft the Fears of Death ; but 
 there he'll fet us beyond the reach of Death 
 John 14. it felf, and we fliall dye no more. Becaufe he 
 f9' ^ lives ive jhall live alfo ; and when Chri/l, who is 
 '^'^' our Life., foall (i^pear-, we fiall alfo appear with 
 him in Glory. All this fafety, bleffednefs and 
 Pfa. 149. honour have all his Saints, becaufe they are in 
 ?• Chrift's Hands as a Saviour. And they may 
 
 and ought in a way of Trull: in him, and ho- 
 ly walking before him, to be looking with 
 humble Confidence, and joyful Defire, for the 
 blejfed Hope and glorious Appearing of this great 
 God, even our Saviour ^efiis Chrifl, and for his 
 Alercy unto eternal Life. And whilft he fays. 
 Surely I come quickly, their Hearts fliou'd eccho 
 back J Amen, even fo come Lord J efm. 
 
 Tit. 
 
 z. 
 
 ^?. 
 
 
 Jude 
 
 ZI. 
 
 Revc 
 
 22. 
 
 *o. 
 
 
 SERMON 
 
C 137) 
 
 SERMON VIL 
 
 ROM. ix. 5. 
 
 ■ Of whom as concerning the Flejh 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen. 
 
 I Have gone through Four Heads of Argu- 
 ment to prove the true and proper Godhead 
 of Chrifl, or that he is in his Original Na- 
 ture the true and mofi High 6cd, to which I 
 ihall add a 5th : Therefore 
 
 Fifthly, 'Thefame Religious or Divine IVoyjhij) 
 is demanded for Chrift, and given to him in Scrip- 
 ture, which is appropriated to the moB high and 
 only true God, as peculiar to him. 
 
 Worfliip in General is the Rcfped or Hon- 
 our we pay to another on the Account of his 
 Excellence or Superiority, when this is ap- 
 ply'd to a Creature as its Objed, denoting 
 the inward Eftecm or Veneration we have of 
 him, and that the outward ExprelTions of Re- 
 fpet5l we pay him, it is civil Worfhip, and is 
 always fubjedto proper Limitations, anfwer- 
 able to the limited Excellence or Superiority 
 pf its Objed. But when it is apply'd to the 
 infinitely great and Perfc<3: God, as its Ob- 
 
(138) 
 
 ycd:^ denoting the Adoration of our Hearts 
 and fuirable ExprefTions of it in our Words 
 and Actions, 'tis properly Religious or Divine 
 Worfhip, and admits of no Limitation, be- 
 ing founded On the abfoiute Supremacy, and 
 all other infinite unlimited Perfections of the 
 Divine Nature, as the formal Caufe or Rea- 
 fon of it. Hence where there is not this pro- 
 per formal Caufe of Divine Worfhip, there 
 it ought not to be given, and 'tis idolatry to 
 offer it ; for 'tis a giving that Glory to ano- 
 ther which is due to God alone, and which 
 he, in his Jealoufy for his own Honour, hath 
 Ka. 48. folcninly declar'd againft, faying. How Jhould 
 ii. and wy Name be polluted ^ I will not give my Glory 
 4^. 8. to another. Upon this Foot the Religiou? 
 Worfhip paid by Pagans and Papijht to any 
 that are not truly and by Nature God, has 
 been confuted and condemned as Idolatrous, 
 with great Strength and Evidence of Argu-r 
 ment, by the generality of Proteftants. But 
 where there is the proper formal Caufe of 
 Divine Worfhip, there it ought to be paid, 
 4nd 'tis Atheijm to withhold it. That Chrill 
 is poffefs'd of thofe truely Divine Perfedtions, 
 which intitle him to Divine W^orfliip, has 
 been, I hope, fufficiently evinced in fome 
 foregoing Confiderations of him according 
 to the Scriptures. And that Divine Worfhip 
 belongs to him, and ought to be paid him, is 
 now to be proved, and managed as an Argur 
 ment a pofteriori that, the Scripture being 
 Judge, He is the true and moft high God, 
 To fee this Evidence in a jufl Light, 'tis ne- 
 ceffary to prove two Things, 
 
 I. That Divine Worfliip is peculiarly ap- 
 propriated in Scripture to the only true and 
 ^noft high God. And 
 
 ?. Th^l 
 
( 139 ) 
 
 2. That that Worfhip, which is fo appro- 
 priated to the only true and moft high God» 
 IS by Scripture Warrant given to Chrift, and 
 required to be paid him. 
 
 I. I am to fhew that Divine WorJJiip is fo ps- 
 culiarly appropriated in Scripture to the only true 
 and mcjl high God, that ^tis to be given to none 
 but him. This is To plainly cxprefled in rhs 
 fird Commandment, that there is no juft Rea- 
 fon to doubt oF it. And 'tis fet at the Head 
 of the Moral Precepts, as fundamental to 
 all the reft, fo fundamental, that without it, 
 they wou'd lofe their Moral Nature and Ob- 
 ligation upon us. For if we may have any 
 other God, and pay Divine Worfhip to him 
 as God, then whatever that fuppofed God 
 fhould command would claim our Faith and 
 Obedience, as parts of that V/orfhip wc owe 
 him. And if the Commands of that other 
 God fl:opJd happen to be contrary to what 
 the true God hath commanded; Yet fo far 
 forth as wc own that fuppofed God to be our 
 God, and Worftip him accordingly, we muft 
 receive his Commands as Obligatory upon 
 us, and the true God muft fo far be no lojiger 
 a God to us, and confequently his Commands 
 as contrary to thofe of the other God, whom 
 we own as our God, can be no longer thoughp 
 to oblige us. For not to believe or obey the 
 Commands of any God, is in Fad not to 
 own him for God, and not to worlhip him 
 as fuch. 
 
 Now in the firft Command, Divine Wor-r 
 fhip is exprefly appropriated to the great Je- 
 hovah, who excludes all others from it; Thou Exoi. 
 Jbah have no other Gods before me. And that ^^* 3.« 
 this refpects his being the alone Objed: of 
 tl^ir Worfliip, is plain from the next Com- 
 
 mand 
 
( 140) 
 mand, which fpeaks of the manner of our 
 worfhipping him. The fame Command is re- 
 peated afterwards with farther Light and Eq- 
 Deut. 6.1argement, Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord our God is 
 4» 5> J 5* one Lordy one Jehovah, one Self-exiftent Ori" 
 ginal Being, and with regard to him 'tis ad- 
 ded, "Thou jhalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 Chap, thine Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all 
 xc! ' ''* ^^y ^'S.^^^ 'T'hou jhalt fear the Lord thy God, 
 
 and ferve hinty &c. And again. The Lord your 
 
 Cod, is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords — - 
 
 'fhou jhalt fear the Lord thy God, him jhalt thoH 
 ferve, &c. And to fhew that this Command 
 is of continuing eternal Obligation, and is 
 exclu/ive not only of the Gods of the Hea- 
 thens, but of all that are not the only living 
 and true God, Chrifl hath recited it again 
 with a flill more exprefs and evident Limitati-'- 
 Luke 4. on of it to that God alone. It is written thotf 
 S, and JJjalt worjhip the Lord thy God, find him only 
 ^*^* 4* [halt thou ferve. Thefe words of Chriil are m 
 Anfwer to Satan's Propofal that he fhould//^ 
 ver.p. down and worjhip hi?n. The worfiiip Satan de-r 
 maiiJtd was of a RtligiomCon, otherwife this 
 Anfwer of Chrift, taken from God's Law, 
 would have been nothing to the Purpofej 
 for that Law only refpe6ted Religious Worfhip. 
 And yet the Religious Worfhip Satan deman- 
 ded feems not to be that of the higheft an4 
 molt abfolute Kind, bur only of a Relative 
 and Subordinate [ort ; For the Reafon or Ground 
 of his Demand was his Pretence, that he 
 ves. 8,9. j-Q^j}^ ^^^^ [Q Chrift all the Kingdoms cf the 
 IVbrld and the Glory of them. But he did not 
 pretend that he could give them, as things 
 that were Originally his own, but as things 
 that were depoftted in his Hands to be at his 
 Difpofal, as the Evangeliil Luke reports it. 
 
( I4« ) 
 
 ^he Devil f aid iinto him aU this Power will I give L^ke 4, 
 thecy and the Glory of them {viz,, of the King- 6, 
 doms of the World) /or that is deliver'd unto 
 ntey and to whomfoever I will I give it. So that 
 he fpoke of himfelf only as a conjlituted God, 
 and demanded only a worfhip fiiitable to that 
 Character, which might be pretended would 
 ultimately and redudively terminate on the 
 true God, who gave that Power to him. 
 Now Chrift, in anfwerto this, don't fay (as he 
 juftly might) that the Devil's Claim of that 
 Power was but a vain and h\(z Pretence, or 
 that Chrilt was himfelf a greater Perfon than 
 Satan could pretend to be. But he tells the De- 
 vil,that even on fuppoficion that what he alle- 
 ged was true (which Chrift did not then think 
 fit to Difpute with him) yet he ought not to 
 be worfhipped for this plain Reafon, becaufe 
 he was not that only true God, who had faid, 
 'Thou Jhalt worjhif the Lord thy God, and jhalt 
 ferve him^ which Text Chrift quotes according 
 to the real Senfe and Meaning of it, and to 
 make that Scnfe more evident and convincing 
 ftill, adds ow/y to it. Him oiii^x jJmlt thou ferve i 
 thereby filencing the Devil at once, and de- 
 termining in words as exprefsas can be, that 
 the only true God is only to be worfhipped. 
 The Devil was io confounded with the Ma- 
 }t&.y and Evidence of this Argument againft 
 him, that he had not the Face to renew his 
 Attack ; but like one convided beyond all 
 Contradidion immediately left him. With 
 this Anfwer of Chrift's to Satan, the Apoftle's ver. ir. 
 Account of the Idolatry of the Heathens well 
 agrees ; when reminding ihtGalatians of their 
 former Heathenifm, he tells them. They did g * ^* 
 fervice to them, which by Nature are no Gods. 
 The Strength and Emphafis of the Apoftle's 
 
 Argument 
 
( 145 ) 
 
 'Atgument to Ihew the blind Idolatry of their 
 Gentilifm lies in the Objed of their Worfhip, 
 that they ferv'd not the true God, who is 
 by Nature, and Originally fo, but God's of 
 another fort, who, however they came to be 
 Gods, were not fo by Nature, and therefore 
 had not that in them, which is the only pro* 
 per Ground and formal Reafon of Divine 
 [Worfhip. And here, by the way, we may 
 obferve, that this Argument of the Apoftle's 
 lies very ftrong again ft the Worfliipping of 
 Chrift himfelf, on fuppofition that he is not 
 hy Nature God, the want of that in the Ob- 
 jed Worfhipped, being made the formal Rea- 
 fon of Idolatry in the VVorfhipper. Hence if 
 Chrift is not indeed by Nature God, the Ga^ 
 latians might have retorted the Argument on 
 the Apol^le, and faid, you Worfliip Chrift, 
 and have taught us to do fo too, and there- 
 fore by your own Argument, both you and 
 ■we are guilty of the like Idolatry ftill in 
 Worlhipping one that is not by Nature God. 
 We have only changed the Objed, but are ftill 
 committing the fame Sin againft the only true 
 God. But fure the Apoftle did not argue at fuch 
 a Rate as would have overthrown the whole 
 Worfhip of the Chriftian Church, fuppofing 
 Chrift to be then Worfhipped by it, as we 
 Jhall fee anon he was ; and therefore by this 
 very Argument we may be afliired that he be- 
 lieved and preached, that Chrift is by Nature 
 God. But to return. This Apoftle's Charge 
 of idolatry at another time on the Heathens, 
 as a Sin againft the Light of Nature, ftands 
 on this Foot, that they Worfhipped fome- 
 thing elfe befi^es the only true God, who 
 created the World ; they v^OYJJiippcd and ferved 
 the Creature more than [or befides, Greek T(«f*] 
 the Creator y luho is blejjed for e'ver. Amen. This 
 
 plain- 
 
( 143 ) 
 
 plainly (hews that the Worfhipping the moft 
 High God, who by his own proper Efficien- 
 cy made the Heavens and the Earth, don't 
 excufe from Idolatry, if any other Being how- 
 excellent foever is joyn'd with him, and is 
 Worfhipped beddeshim. So fully poflefs'd were 
 the Apoftles with this fundamental Principle 
 of all true Religion, that when any pretend- 
 ed to offer Religious Worfliip to them, they 
 utterly rejeded it, and that with Indignati- 
 on. Thus when Peter apprehended that Cor- 
 nelius meant him Religious Worfhip, by his 
 falling down at his Feet, he immediately puc 
 a full flop to him on this Ground, that be 
 was only a Man, and therefore no Religious 
 Worlhip was due to him ; Peter took him up, \ ^V^' 
 fdyiy^gi jiandupy Imyjelf alfo am a Man. And ^' 
 when the Apoftles Paul and Ba/nabas were 
 treated with Religious Rites at Lyfira, becaufe 
 of the miraculous Power God had there put 
 forth by one of them, with what Deteftation 
 and Abhorrence did they rejeft that Affront 
 to the Deity ? direding them to pay all Reli- 
 gious Homage to the great God only, who 
 made the World. They rent their Clothes^ and 
 ran in ainong the People, crying out, and faying, Chsp, 
 Sirs, v:hy do ye thefe Things ? lue alfo are Men of '4* *"?> 
 like Pa^ffions with you, and preach unto you, that ** 
 ye Jhould turn from thefe Vanities unto the living 
 God, 'xho made Heaven, and Earth, and the Sea, 
 and all things therein. 
 
 The Holy Angels likewife are as tender of 
 God's Honour in this Refped ; and therefore 
 when one of them appear'd in a glorious and 
 exalted Charader to the Apoftle John, and he 
 cither offer'd him civil Worfhip, which the 
 Angel miflook for Religious Worfhip (for the 
 Angels are not Omnifcient) or the Apoftle, 
 iniftaking this Angel for Chrift, the Angel of 
 
 the 
 
( M4 ) 
 ttie Covenant, offer'd him Religious Wor'fhip 
 (for the Apoflles were infallible only whilft 
 they were under fpecial Infpiration, which 
 there is no Proof that the Apoftle yohn was 
 under then, at leaft as to this particular.) I 
 fay, when in one of thefe Circumftances, the 
 Apoftle ofltjr'd to Worfiiip the Angel, he for- 
 bid him for this Reafon, becaufe he was not 
 l» God, and direded him to pay that Honour 
 
 jQ. * to God only. See thou do it noty I am thy fel- 
 
 iew Servant. WorJIiip God. Thus you fee 
 
 that Divine V/orfhip is by the DoArine of the 
 Scriptures to be confin'd wholly and alone to 
 the only true God, or to be given to him, and 
 to none befides him. And yet, 
 
 2. "this Divine jVorJJjip, "which is thus peculiarly 
 appropriated to the only true God, is by Scripture 
 JVarrant given to Chrifl; and required to be paid 
 to him. 
 
 Thofe Angels who refufe Divine Worihip 
 from others, becaufe they are not God, pay 
 5t to Chrift becaufe he is God. When the Fa- 
 ther brought his Son into the World, he faidy 
 Heb. t. Let all the Angels of God vjorjhip him; and to 
 <5. fliew that his Deity was the formal Reafon of 
 
 that their Worfhip, the Father immediately 
 calls him by a Title expreflive of it, faying 
 ver. 8. jQ the Son, "Thy Thycue, OGod, is for ever and 
 ever. Good old Jacob worfliipped him be- 
 fore his Incarnation, when as he lay on his 
 Death- Bed he apply'd to him for Bleffings on 
 yofeph''s Sons, faying, "The Angel zvhich redeemed 
 me from all evil, blefs the Lads, which could b® 
 none but Chrift, the Angel of the Covenanr. 
 Not to infift on other Inftances in the Old 
 Teftament, when Chrift was here in the Flefh 
 he admitted of Divine Worfhip as his due, 
 and never made the leaft Objedicn, or en- 
 tered 
 
 •■^"^ 
 
^ *45 ) 
 
 tcr'd the leafl: Caution agafnft it, or put the 
 leaft Reftraint upon it. And can we fuppofe 
 that he fhou'd be lefs careful of his Father's 
 Honour, than the Angels or his Difciples 
 were j or that he wou'd not have protefted a- 
 gainft all Tenders of Divine Worfhip to him* 
 if 'twas not his due ? But we never meet with 
 the fmalleft Hint this way. He readily ac- 
 cepted all the Divine Honours that were of- 
 fer'd him of this kind. We are exprefly told 
 of feveral who came to him to be healed of 
 their Bodily Difeafes, and fell down, and 
 worfhip'd him* And that many, if not all of 
 thefe Irtftances, are to be underftood of reli- 
 gious Worfliip, appears from their Faith ex- 
 prefs'd in him at the fame Time, as in one 
 that was able to do whatever they wanted ; 
 which Faith in hiili was it felf an exalted Ait 
 of Divine Worfhip. Thus, ainong dthers, 
 *There came a Leper and woYjhJp'd him, faying, Mit. Si 
 Lord, (ufing therein the Title by which the 2-. 3« 
 Septuagint always rcnder'd Jehovah) if thou 
 wilt, thou canfi makd me clean. And Chrift 
 own'd this worfliipping Faith in him, imme- 
 diately faying, like God, I will. Be thou clean. 
 See like Inftances in Mat. p. i8, 27, 18. Atid 
 when Peter was call'd to go to Chrift on the 
 Water, arid found himfelf ready to fink in that 
 attempt, he cry'd Out to Chrift with fome, 
 tho* weak, Faith in his Power, faying. Lord ^^t. 14^ ' 
 fave me ; and Chrift was fo far from reproving so. 
 him for this ad of Worfliip, that he reproved 
 him for being no more ftrong and confident in 
 it, faying unto him, O thou of little Faith, where- ver, 3I1 
 fore didji thou doubt ? And when he came into 
 the Ship, and had by his God-like Power 
 ftill'd the Wind, the whole Company join'd 
 with Peter in worfliipping him, as the Son 
 
 L ' of 
 
( «4« } 
 
 Mat. 14. q[ Qq(J . «77j^^ j/j^^ j;,^f ^gyg j.^ ^jj^ ^ij-.p ^^j^^ 
 
 and v:Qr[fyipped him, faying. Of a truth thou art 
 the Son of God. And when Chrift was rifen 
 from the Dead, andappear'd to his Difciples» 
 Mat.iS. vve are told, fome voorjhifd him while fome 
 '7* doubted. They that worfliip'd him did theic 
 Duty ', and 'twas the Sin of thofc that doubt- 
 ed. And who can reasonably qiieffion whe- 
 ther this was Divine Worfliip ? linee by that 
 his appearance to therti, he proved his God- 
 head, according to what he had toJd them, that 
 he wou'd raife himfelf again > And as foon as 
 *fhomai faw the Proofs of his Refurreftion, he 
 worftiip'd him in an Addrefsof Faith, faying 
 Joh. zo.^0 him. My Lord, and my God. And Chrift 
 ^^* commended that adoring ExprcHon of his- 
 
 Faith. 
 Cbj. If it is faid, That Chrift refufed religious 
 
 Worfhip, which was offer'd him by Mayj^ 
 when he faid, 'Touch me not ; for I am not yet 
 John 20. afcended to my Father ; intimating^ that he was 
 *^* not to be warfhip'd till after his Afcenfion, as 
 if his Exaltation was the proper Ground of, 
 it. 
 Anf. There is no mention of Worfliip, nor any 
 
 appearance in the Context, that Mary then 
 deiign'd to worfhip him in a religious manner j 
 but only that ih^ intended a joyous and affcdi- 
 onate Embrace of a civil Nature, vyhich her 
 Ecftafy at his appearance ran her into.; or that 
 fte wou'd have prov'd by her Touch that it 
 was really he, and not a Phantom. But Chrift 
 put her off for the prefent, that fhe might not 
 wafte Time, he having another work of Im- 
 portance, which required fpeed, for her then 
 to do, and that was to go and acquaint his 
 Difciples with his Refurredion, as the next 
 words fliew. But ^0 to my Brethren) and fay 
 
 unto 
 
( 147 ) 
 
 unto thenty I afcend to my Father and your Pather, 
 and to my God and your God. And the Reafon 
 he gave why fhe fhou'd not then ftay to touch 
 him, for lam not afcended, was to comfort her 
 with the Expedarion, that fhe might after- 
 wards have the Opportunity of his Compa- 
 ny, and of being farther fatisfy'd about the 
 Truth of his Refurredion, in the Forty Days 
 in which he at Times appear'd to, and con;?,-; 
 verfed with his Difciples. And even admit- 
 ting that Mary defign'd to pay divine Wor- 
 ihip to Chrift, he prevented her doing ittherii 
 only becaufe it was an unfeafonable Time for 
 it, when fhe ought to be cmploy'd in another 
 Duty ; and not becaufe that Honour was not, 
 on proper Occafions, to be paid him. All his 
 Difciples join'd in their Adorations of him as 
 he was afcending to Heaven : While he blefs'd Luke24^ 
 themy he was fatted frQm them, and carried tip m- S'f 5i-. 
 to Heaveny and they xvorjhifd him. 
 
 And after Chrifl's Alcenfion to Heaven, 
 and his Effufion of his Spirit from thence, {oy 
 which the Evidence and Glory of his God- 
 head appear'd in greater Luil:re than was con-' 
 fifttnt with his humbled State) the Scripture 
 fpeaks abundantly of the Divine Worfhip that 
 is paid him, and demanded for him. He as 
 well as the Father is reprefented as the Objtft 
 of our Faith, Love, and Obedience. And 
 with the Exercife of fuitable Graces, our 
 Prayers, and Praifes, and (iacramental Dedi- 
 cations, are to be made to him jointly with 
 the Father. 
 
 (i.) He i.( the OhjeB of Vnyer equally zvith ^^^'^^» 
 the Father. Stephen in his laft Moments, and ' * 
 when he was full of the Holy Ghofl, direded ^ 
 his Prayer to Chrift, faying, Lordjefeti, receive ^^^\l[ 
 La m) * ' 
 
( 148) 
 
 my Spirity and he kneeled down, and cried with ci 
 Imd Voice-i Lordy lay not this Jin to their charge f 
 which isexadly for Matter and Form the fame 
 kind of Prayer that Chrift, as Man, made 
 ultimately to the Father in his lalt Moments, 
 Luke 2^. faying, Father f&rgive them, for they know not 
 
 34,46. la/jat they do '-*— - and into thy Hands I commend 
 
 my Spirit. The Apoftle Paul likewife apply 'd 
 in a dired, and as far as appears, in an ulti- 
 mate manner to Chrifl, as the proper Objeft 
 of Prayer. For this thing (fpeaking of Satan's 
 2 Cor. AfTault on him) I befought the Lord thrice, that 
 'vV 8, 9. it- might depart from me. And he f aid unto me. My 
 Grace is fufficient for thee ; for mj Rrengtb is 
 made perfeii in iveaknefs. Mcfi gladly therefore 
 wiH J rather glory in my Infirmities, that the Porv^ 
 er of Chrif? may reft upon me, according to this 
 my Prayer to him, and hisanfwertome. And 
 the Apoflle ^ohn, fpeaking of the Son, faysy 
 l:his is the confidence that we have in him, that if 
 iDe ask any thing according to his M^ill, he hear- 
 etl) m. And ifv^e know that he heareth ta, whatever 
 w'e ask, we know that we have the Petitions that 
 wedefiredof him, i John 5. 14, 15. We here-' 
 by fee 'twas the common Practice of Believers 
 to pray not only to the Father, but likewife 
 to the Son, as the adequate ultimate Obje<fb 
 of their worfhip ,• as to one who they believ'd 
 both heard and anfwer'd them. And hence 
 'tis made the diftinguifhing Character of Chri- 
 flians as fuch, that they are thofe who call 
 upon the Name of Chrift, which includes 
 the whole of religious Worfliip, and Prayer 
 particularly as a leading Part of it. Thus the 
 f Apoflle s Defcription of them is, that they call 
 
 t Com. ^^^^ (ifg j^ame of Jefm Chrifl our Lord. And Ana- 
 *• nicis, fpeaking to Chrifl of Saul's Commillioii 
 
 Aas9. againfl his People, faid, He had Authority from 
 14, * the' 
 
( M9 ) 
 
 the Chief Priefts to hind all that call on thy Name, 
 And as Toon as Saul became Pauh and Preach- 
 ed Chrift, all that heard him were amazed, and 
 /aid. Is not this hethat dejirofdthem, which called v. it, 
 on this Name in Jerujakm ? And that their cal- 
 ling on Chrifl's Name was in a way of fuprenje 
 Adoration, us the Name of the great Jehovah 
 of Ifraii was call'd on, appears from Joel 2. 
 32. compared with Rom. 10. 13, 14- where 
 that Paflage, which in Joel undoubtedly ffjeaks 
 of the great Jehovah of Ifrael, is apply'd to 
 Chri/l as that Jehovah to whom that Worfhip 
 is to be paid. For luhofoever pall call on the 
 Name of the Lord jhall be fiveft -, and that Chrifl 
 is the Lord here intended, is plain from the 
 following Words : How JhalL-they call on him 
 jy} whom they have not believed ? And how jhall 
 they believe en him of whom they have not heard ? 
 &.C. which anfwers to what the Apofllefaysof 
 Chrift; He was preach'' d to the Gentiles^ and be- iTiiii.j, 
 lieved on in the world. To fhew ftill farther, *^'' 
 that Chrift was addrefs'd in Prayer in the fame 
 manner with the Father, they are frequently 
 join'd together in the fame Petitions, without 
 the leaft appearance of a higher Honour gi- 
 ven therein to one than to fhe other. Now God J Thef, 
 himfelf, and our Fat her , and our Lord J ef us Chrift ?• >»• 
 direci our way unto you. And at another time ; 
 Now our Lord Jefus Chrift himfelf, as his own ^ Thef. 
 afl, whiclj as God he is able of himfelf to do, z. 16,17, 
 
 and God even our Father comfort your Heart Sy 
 
 and ejiablijh you in every good word and work. And 
 here Chrift is named before the Father, to 
 Ihew that the Father's being at other times 
 named before him, is no Argument for a dif- 
 ference in the Kinds or Degrees of the Wor- 
 ihip that is jointly paid them, when the Son 
 is cpnfidcf'd in himfelf as God. Many Inilan- 
 J- 3 ' ce§ 
 
( 150 ) 
 
 ces of this Joint Worfhip of the Father and 
 Son, in a way of Prayer for Grace, Mercy, 
 and Peace, are to be found at the Beginning 
 and Clofe of moft of the Epiftles. And fome- 
 times Grace is ask'd from Chrift abfolutely, 
 I C'ir. without any Notice taken of the Father. 77^? 
 f 5. ^^' Grace of the Lord 'Jefm ChriH be with you, and 
 Gal. 6. ivithyour Spirit. And the Prayer of the whole 
 i8. Church to Chrift, and the Apoftle's Prayer to 
 him for them, fhiits up the Canon of the Scrip- 
 Rev. 2Z. ture. Surely, fays Chrift, / come quickly. Amen, 
 10, zi. fays the Church, even jo come Lord Jefpu. 'The 
 'Grace of our Lordjefus Chrift, fays theApoftle, 
 be with you all. Amen. What can more plainly 
 exprefs the famcnefs of this kind of Worfhip, 
 which is offer'd to the Son, with that which is 
 offer'd to the Father ? 
 
 (2.) Chrift is the OhjeEi of Pralfe equally with 
 ■ the FatPoer. They are join'd together in thefe 
 ads of Adoration with equally lofty and exalt- 
 ed Strains. I beheld, fays the Apoftle 'John, and 
 Rev. 5. J heard the Voice of many Angels round about the 
 11^12,13. 'T/jrone, and the Beafts, and the Elders, and the 
 Number of them was Ten thoufand times ten thou- 
 fand, and thoufands of thoufands ; faying with a 
 loud Voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to 
 receive Power, and Riches, and JVifdom, and 
 Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Bleffing, 
 (all forts of the higheft Adoration and Praife). 
 And every Creature which is in Heaven, and on the 
 Earth, and under the Earth, and fuch as are in 
 the Sea, and all that are in them, heard I, faying, 
 Bleffmg, Honour, Glory, and Power, he unto hijn 
 that fttteth on the Throne, and unto the Lamb, for 
 ever and ever. Here every Creature without 
 exception, is reprefented as paying this fo- 
 lemn fupreme Homage equally to the Father, 
 and to the Lamb ; which plainly exempts 
 
 Chrift 
 
C»5i) 
 
 Chrift from being a mere Creature, flncc he, 
 together with the Father, is the ObjeSiy and not 
 the Offerer, of this Adoration. And tho'Chrift, 
 confider'd merely as Man, is a Creature, and 
 did worfliip as Tuch in his humbled State, 
 which call'd for fuch a Deportment,- yet in 
 this other Reprefentation of Things, I con- 
 ceive with Submiffion,his Human Nature is to 
 be confider'd as exempted from paying Divine 
 Homage, by its Perfonal Unioa with the Di- 
 vine Nature, and by its Advancement, anfwer- 
 able to the Honour of that Union, to fuch a 
 State of Glory as fwallows up its inferiour ^ 
 Characters in the Grandure of the Deity, 
 which Deity is as really the Son's as the human 
 Nature is with which 'tis Perfonally united, 
 and both together are undividedly himfelf, 
 who in his highell Exaltation, behaving it 
 fuitably to his higheft Nature, is the Objed, 
 and not the Offerer of Divine Adorations. So 
 again fays this Apoftle, J beheld, and lo a great 
 Multitude, which no Man could number, of all Na- Chap. 7; 
 tions, and Kindreds, and People, and 'Tongues, ^* °* 
 fiood before the Throne, andhefore the Lamb, 
 faying. Salvation to our God, zuhich ftteth on the 
 Throne, and unto the Lamb. If the Expreffions 
 in thefe Places are underftood as Afts of the 
 moft adoring fupreme Worfhip when apply'd 
 to the Father, why fhou'd they not be fo un- 
 derllood when apply'd to the Son ? fince they 
 are offer'd to thera jointly in the fame Breath, 
 and iu the fame fublinie manner, without any 
 appearance of different Degrees of Regards to 
 them refpedively. When thefe, and fuch like 
 Expreffions, are apply'd only to the Father, 
 none doubts but they are A6ts of fupreme A- 
 doration ; ai;d why flipu'd they not be thought 
 
 L 4 fo 
 
( >50 
 
 fo too, when the very fame are apply*d only 
 to the Son, as they ofpen are, without menti- 
 oning the Father, as the Object intended by 
 2 Pet. 3. them ? Grow in Grace, and in the kmvcledge of 
 ^8- our Lord and Saviour j[efus Chrijf, • to him he Glo- 
 
 ry both now and for ever, A?fjen, And to him 
 Rev. I. that loved ns, and wajhed us from our Sins in his 
 
 ^t ^* own Blood, to him be Glory and Dominion, for 
 
 ever and ever. Amen. Thefe and the like 
 Doxoligies, which are apply'd to Chrifl:, are 
 exadly of the fame Strain, and in the very 
 fame Words, with thofe apply'd to the Father 
 in Phil. 4. 20. and i Pet. 5. 11. where none 
 doubts but they are Expreffions of fupreme 
 adoration. 
 
 (3.) Chrifl is the OhjeSi of Sacramental Dedi- 
 
 cations equally with the Father. 'Tis to the 
 
 Faith, VV'orfhip, Obedience apd Profeflion of 
 
 Chrifi, as well as of the Father, that we are 
 
 obliged by the Ordinance of Baptifm, as is 
 
 plain from our being baptized into his Name 
 
 Kft iP. equally with the Father's : Bnptiz^irig them in 
 
 |2? \_Gr, ifi into] the Name of the Father, Son, and 
 
 Holy Ghoft. And at other times mention is 
 
 made of Perfons being Baptized into the 
 
 Name of Chrift, without any Notice taken 
 
 pf the Father ; which at leaft imports, that 
 
 he is as much concern'd in this folemn dedica- 
 
 Afls IS?, ting ad of Worfiiip as the Father. T'hey were 
 
 5» ' baftiz,ed in [Gr. In into] the Naine of the Lord 
 
 Jefm. 
 
 And as to the Lord's Supper^ it needs no 
 Proof that chat was inftitutcd in fpecial Ho- 
 nour to our Lord Jefus Chrift ; and that he 
 in a very peculiar manner is theObjed ot our 
 Worfhip therein ; and that we arc peculiarly 
 f ngaged to be, and profeflionally do become 
 his thereby. The Nature of that Ordinance 
 
 fufHciently 
 
fiifficiently demonftrates all this. Tluis the 
 fame fupreme Wpifhip, in the Principal Bran- 
 ches of ir, is given and belongs to the Son 
 equally with the Father, and confeqiiently he 
 muft be God equally with the Father, lince 
 no Divine V/orfhip, and much lefs that which 
 is Supreme, is to be paid to any bup God 
 only. 
 
 If it is faid. That other Places of Scripture Obj, i, 
 fpeak of our coming to God thro' Chrift, ajid 
 of worfiiipping him in Chrift, and therefore it 
 feems Chrift is to be worftiip'd only in a Sub- 
 ordinate way, and the Father ultimately thro' 
 him. 
 
 Confider Chrift a§ God, and fo he is to be Anf, 
 worfhip'd with fupreme and ultimate Worfhip 
 equally with the Father. And the Places that 
 have been mention'd, may be very well re- 
 ferr'd to him under that Confideration of him, 
 ^s the original Ground or formal Reafon of 
 the wojrfliip paid him, tho' 'tis not, nor was 
 it needful that it fhou'd be, always exprefs'd, 
 ^ut confidering Chrift merely as Mediator, and 
 in that Capacity, as the Way and Medium pf 
 all the converfe that finful Creatures, as we 
 are, have with God, and fo he is not the ulti- 
 mate fupreme Object of our Worfhip ; but we 
 worfhip the Godhead in and by him- And ac- 
 cording to the Oeconony of our Salvation, we 
 in a particular manner apply to the Godhead 
 in the Perfon of the Father, as the flrft Perfon 
 of the Trinity, and lirft Mover in the work of 
 our Salvation, thro' the Mediation of Jefus 
 Chrift, God-Man, placing all our confidence 
 in what this great Perfon has done for our ac- 
 ceptance with, and obtaining BlefTmgs from 
 the Father ; and this we do by the Ailiftance 
 of the Holy Ghoft, E^b. 2. i8. Confider- 
 
( 154 ) 
 
 iBg Chrift as God, we call upon his Name • 
 and confidering him as Mediator, we call up- 
 on the Name of Father in and thro' him, 
 or call upon the Father in his Name. 
 Obj. 2. It may be farther Ob/eded, That all the 
 Honour we pay to Chrift, is only on the ac- 
 count of his high and advanced OiEce, and 
 of his Authority over us, and Beneficence to 
 us therein ; which he feems to give as the 
 John 5. Reafonof it, when he fays, I'he Father judgeth 
 J?.2.,z3. no Mart', but hath co?nmjtted all judgment to the 
 Son ', T'hat all Men fhould honour the Sony even as 
 they honour the Father. And which feems far- 
 thermore to be denoted, in that the Praifes 
 that are given him peculiarly refped his Of- 
 fice, and the Benefits he beftows upon us there- 
 in ; and therefore don't prove that he is the 
 only true God. 
 ■l^nC. I . Thefe words in ^ohn aflert what is plead- 
 
 ed for, 'Viz., That the fame Divine Honour is 
 to be given to the Son as to the Father. The 
 NeceiTity of which is fo great, that the Father 
 thinks himfelf not honour'd where this is de- 
 y, 25, nied : For he that homureth not the Sony honour- 
 eth not the leather, "which hath fent him. 
 
 2. Thefe words may refer to the whole pre- 
 ceding Difcourfe, where (as has been fhewn) 
 Chrift among other things reprefents his equa- 
 V. iS. ijfy ^u/f/j the Father, zs one that doth whatever 
 V. 19. the Father dothy in the fame fupreme Manner ,• 
 V. 21. and quickens whom he iviSy ^ith the fame Sove- 
 
 "v. 25. rainty, 'That all Men fnould honour the Son even 
 
 m the Father. And confidering thefe Words in 
 that Reference, they are a Confirmation of, 
 inftead of an Objedion againft, Supreme Wor- 
 Jhip being paid to the Son equally with the 
 Father. 
 
 3. Sup- 
 
(155 J 
 
 3. Suppofing they refer to the words imme- 
 diately preceding, then Chrift's faying, T'be 
 Father hath committed all Judgment to the Son, 
 that all Men jhould honour the Son^ &c. is not to 
 be undcrflood, as if the Father's giving all 
 Judgment by fpecial Difpenfation to the Son, 
 was the Origiital Ground, or formal Caufe of 
 this Honour's being paid him ; But may be 
 confld^.r'd as a Notification of Chrift in fuch a 
 manner as might be a moft effeftual Moti'ue or 
 Argument to engage us fo to Honour him, 
 tho' he then appear'd and aded in meaner 
 Charu^Sers. And accordingly all the mention 
 which IS made in other Places, of his redeem- 
 ing Love and Grace in the adoring Praifes 
 that are oftlr'd him, are to be confider'd as 
 Motives or JnducementSj and fpecial Matter of 
 Praife; but not as the Original Ground or for- 
 mal Reafon of it. Thus every Indance of 
 God's Benefits to us is a Motive to our Prai- 
 fes, and Ihould make up a great Part of our 
 Song ; but our Songs ought to be of God, 
 whether we had rcceiv'd thofe particular Mer- 
 cies to ingage us in that manner to exprefs 
 them or no, Ifrael fung the Praifes of God's 
 Goodncfs in delivering them out of Egypt. — • 
 JVi-)0 is like unto thee, Lord, among the Gods Exod.iy; 
 voho is like thse, glorious in Holinefs, fearful in ^'"^^^ 
 Praifes, doing Wonders ? &c. And God en- 
 join'd them Obedience to his Law, as the ^hap. 
 Lord their God, that brought them out of the Land 
 of Egypt. And he afterwards faid to them, 
 7hou jhalt jear the Lord thy God, him jhalt thou Deut.ioJ 
 ferve. — — He is thy Praife, and he ts thy Cod, ^°* ^^» 
 that has done thefe great and terrible T'hings for 
 thee" " Therefore thou Jhalt Love the Lord Chap, 
 thy God and k'jep his Charge, &c. They wor- *'• '• 
 ihip'd God with Praifes for thefe Bleillngs, 
 ' and 
 
( 156 ) 
 
 and he reminded them of them, and made 
 himfelf known by them, as Motives to their 
 ferving him ; but not as the Original Ground or 
 formal Caufe of it. For they were bound to 
 ' , adore and ferve him on the Account of his 
 own Excellencies made known to them, whe- 
 ther he had fo deliver'd them or no. So, 
 tho' the Confiderations of Chrift in his Office 
 Capacity, as our Redeemer and ^udge, are in- 
 deed indifpenfible Obligations and binding 
 Motives or Arguments to us to pay him Divine 
 Worfliip, and therein to Honour him, even 
 as we Honour the Father j yet if he had not 
 redeemed Men, and was not to be, by fpeci- 
 al Difpenfation from the Father, their imme- 
 diate Judge, we were bound to have paid all 
 poffible Adoration to him on the Account of 
 his Divine Nature and Excellencies in every 
 Difplay of them. Hence the Angels exalt 
 him in their loftieft Adorings, together and 
 equally with the Father, in fome qf the Pla- 
 ces that have been recited, tho' his being 
 flaini and his executing 'Judgment don't irnme- 
 diately relate to them. They indeed put the 
 Confideration of him, as a Lamb (lain, into 
 their Song of Praife, becaufe of the Glory 
 of Divine Grace, and of all other Perfedion's 
 of the Godhead, which was difplay 'd thereby. 
 And fo they brought into their Song of Praife,. 
 the Confideration of God, as the Creator, be- 
 caufe of the Glory of his Wifdom, Power 
 and Goodnefsthat fhone forth in the Creation 
 Job ^8. ®^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ World, When thofe Morning 
 7. Stays fang together, and all thofe Sons of God 
 
 fiouted for Joy. But fure they were oblig'd to 
 have Worfhip'd God in their highefl Adorati- 
 ons, if he had created nothing but thcmfelvejf. 
 Hence ^ 
 
 ^. Th<? 
 
(157) 
 
 4- The Relations Chrift bears to us, and , 
 
 the Benefits he beftows upon us therein, could 
 not be a fufficient Motive or Obligation for us to 
 pay him Divine Worfhip, and therein to hon- 
 our him as ive hdnour the Father, unlefs he had 
 the Divine Nature and Properties to be the Foun- 
 dation or formal Caufe of that Worfhip. 
 
 Some Men ftand in Superior Relations, and 
 are therein highly beneficial to us ; as Fathers, 
 from whom we derive our Beings, Mainte- 
 nance and Inheritance ,• and good Princes, by 
 whom we are proteded in them ; but yet we 
 jtre not to Honour them with Divine Wor- 
 fliip, becaufe they are not God. 
 
 And tho' the Angel, that appear'd to the 
 Apoftle John, aded in an inconceivably great 
 and exalted Charader toward him, and made 
 the mod glorious and beneficial Difcoveries to 
 him ; yet, he not having the Divine Nature 
 and PerfeAions, 'twas not a juftifiable Mo- Rev-. 19. 
 tive to pay him Divine Worfhip. No, not ^^' 
 tho' he was prefent with the Apoftle. Hence 
 how dignify 'd foever we fuppofe Chrifl to be 
 in hisOIHce, and how Beneficial foever in his 
 Difcharge of it to us; yet if he was not pof- 
 fcfs'd of the Divine Nature and Attributes, we 
 ought not to pay Divine Worfhip to him. 
 For, as you have heard, that is the only pro- 
 per Bafis of Divine Worfhip ; and the formal 
 Nature of immediate dired Idolatry lies in 
 Worfhipping any that is not by Nature God. (ja| ,,g^ 
 And if it is faid, that the Reafon why we 
 mufl: not Worfliip Men or Angels on the Ac- 
 count of their Relations and Benefits to us is, 
 becaufe they are dependent therein rhemfelves* 
 and don't ad toward us Originally from 
 thcmfelves ; which is indeed the true Reafon 
 of it. The fame may be faid of Chrift confi- 
 
 der'd 
 
( 158 ) 
 
 der'd merely as Mediator, and indeed in eve- 
 ry other Confideration of him according to 
 the Notions of the Oppofersof his real Deity. 
 And therefore, if there was not fomething 
 elfe in Chrift to make him Independent and Su^ 
 freme^ and fo to be the Ground of our wor- 
 Ihipping him, what he isy and doth in his 0/- 
 jicey zs Mediator J and what he is in the higheft 
 Confiderations of him that the Enemies to his 
 proper Godhead will allow of, cou'd not be 
 SLJuJt Motive to, much lefs cou'd it be the /cr- 
 mal Caufe oi that Divine Worfhip. And there- 
 fore fince, whatever are the Motives to it, all 
 Men are obliged to honour the Son, even oi they 
 honour the Father, he muft be in Nature and 
 Divine Excellencies, the fame with the Fa- 
 ther. Or fince we are to worfliip him with 
 that Divine Worihip, which is founded in the 
 Nature and Excellencies of God, and is peculiar 
 to the only true God, he muft needs be that 
 God. And fo I have gone thro' the Proofs 
 I intended of the Doctrine of Chrift's true 
 and proper Godhead. And all the ufe I fliall 
 make of this laft Proof, fhall be only to re- 
 commend it briefly to your Pradice. There- 
 fore, 
 
 APPLICA'flON. 
 
 Is Divine VVorfhip to be paid to Chrift as a 
 Proof of his Godhead ? Then let us bring that 
 Tribute to him in acknowledgment ofit. 'Tis 
 not enough for us to own that Chrift is God, 
 and that all poffible Reverence and Homage 
 is due to him as fuch : But we Ihou'd make 
 Confcience of paying him that his Due, by 
 frequent lively fpiritual Addrefles to him in a 
 way of Prayer^ and Praife, and Self-Dedica- 
 tion. 
 
( 159 ) 
 
 tlon. Let us, who make a Profeflion of himi 
 call upon his Name, as God equal with the 
 Father, in every Circumftance of Life ; and 
 call on the Name of the Father in him, as our 
 only Mediator. In the firft confideration of 
 him, he as well as the Father is the ultimate 
 Objed of our Worfhip, and in the fecond he 
 is the next Objed of it. We may and ought 
 to go immediately to Chrift, as God-Man Me- 
 diator. We need none to introduce us to 
 him ') he being Man to admit of the Addref- 
 fes of Men, and God to render him worthy of 
 them. We mufl: not go immediately to the 
 Godhead, abflradly confider'd : But thro* 
 Chrift's Mediation, as the only Ground of our 
 Acceptance with God, we may withfafety and 
 holy confidence go to God, confider'd in all* ' 
 or each of the Divine Subfiftents of the God- 
 head, and therein deal either jointly or di- 
 ftindly and explicitely with them all, and with 
 regard to the Oeconomy of our Salvation, ul- 
 timately with the Father, as the Father, who 
 in that Oeconomy is to be conceived of, as 
 the firft Giver of all the Grace, Mercy and 
 Help we ftand in need of Let us likewife of- 
 fer the higheft adorinj^ Praifes to Chrift, as 
 God equal with the Father i and thro' Chriftj 
 as our Mediator, (in whom alone we, and 
 what we do, can find acceptance) let us offer 
 the Sacrifice of Praife to God continually ; 
 and yield our felves Servants to the Son toge- 
 ther with the Father, in all Obedience unto 
 Rightcoufnefs, or true Holinefs. All this Re- 
 ligious Homage ought to be paid by every 
 one to Chrift., and efpecially by thofe that 
 pretend to own him as God, and to believe 
 in him as their Saviour. He is thy Lordj and PW. 45. 
 ivorjhip thou him. Worfliip thou him, not in a ^'* 
 
 Com- 
 
( i6o ) 
 
 Complement, not fn Word and outward Be- 
 haviour only ; but in the moft intenfe and clofe 
 Engagement of Heart ; in the moft inlarged 
 Exercifes of Faith, Love and Obedience to 
 him, and in the deepeft Proftration of Soul 
 before him, crying out in the adoring Senfe 
 
 Job. 10. of thy Heart, as T'homa^ did. My lordy and 
 
 z8. my God, 
 
 SERMON 
 
( i6i ) 
 
 SERMON VIIL 
 
 ROM. ix. 5. 
 
 — -OjF whom as concerning the Flejh 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ God 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 THat Jefus Chriji is God Man ; or Do^, 
 that he is in one Nature true and pro- 
 per Man, and in the other true and 
 proper God j even the mofi high and 
 infinitely blejfed Cody 
 
 I am now to fhew the great Importance of III. 
 this DoBrinCy particularly as it concerns ChriJFs 
 true and proper Godheads 
 
 "Twou'd be eafy to i-eprefent its momentous 
 Confequence, as it refpeds Chrift's being true 
 and proper Man, as well as true and proper 
 God, For by his being Man he anfwer'd> 
 and could not otherwife anfwer, the Ancient 
 Prophefies of the only Mefftahy which fpoke of 
 him as a real Man. He hereby became nearly 
 relatedto Men, and fit to perfonate and redeem Men, 
 to ad to ward God for thera,and to aft from God 
 toward them ; was capable of offering a Sa- 
 
 M crifice. 
 
( l62 ) 
 
 crifice, and of" having a Sacrifice to offer for 
 Men; of Obeying and Suffering in a legal 
 way, in the room and ftead of Men, and 
 after the manner of Men, as _God's righteous 
 Law requir'dj and became truely and humanly 
 compaffiQnate to Men, and a proper Example 
 for Men. Hereby the Addrejjes of Men to 
 God are imbolden'd thro' Faith in his Name. 
 Hereby that Nature triumphs over &«, Satan 
 and the Grave^ which was conquer'd and cap- 
 tivated by them ; yea, degraded Human-Na- 
 ture is ennobled above the Angels, and 
 eroivndwith Glory and Honour ; and one in that 
 Nature, which (Nature) had provoked God, 
 and brought Darknefs and Difgrace upon all his 
 Attributes, has fo fully appeafed, and pleafedy 
 Sind glorified Wimy that the Deity opens again 
 to our View in more bright and gladning 
 Rays than it ever difplay'd before. 
 
 On tliefe and feveral other Accounts that 
 might be mention'd, the Reality of Chrifl's 
 humane Nature in perfonal Union with the 
 Godhead, is of the greatefl Moment, and 
 ought to be entertain'd as fuch. But my prc- 
 fent Delign is to reprefent fomething of the 
 vaft Importance of the Doftrineof his real and 
 infinite Godhead^ without which that of his 
 Manhood wou'd iofe all its Worth and Effi- 
 cacy. 
 
 Firft. 'Tis of great Importance -with refpcB 
 to the other Perfons of the Adorable 'Trinity ; yea, 
 and with refpeB to the Godhead it felf. 
 
 1. If Chrift is not properly, and by Nature 
 God, as the Eternal only begotten Son of 
 the Father's Elfence ; then the Father is only in 
 a Metaphorical la>: feme, and not at all /« a jtriB 
 
 vr 
 
C J^? ) 
 
 or proper Soifey the Father. For to be truly 
 and properly a Father neceflarily imports the 
 having a true and proper Son of his ovm 
 Nature by Emanation from him ; and to deny 
 that Chnll: is fuch a Son of God the Father, 
 under pretence of honouring the Father, is 
 really to deny the Father, as the Father^ and to 
 dijhonotir him, by taking from him his fpecial 
 diftinguifhing Charafter and perfonal Property 
 which he delights to be known by, as appears 
 from his fo Frequently calling Chrift the Son, 
 his own Sony and his only begotten Son, and 
 from his Son's calling him his o^vn Father. 
 Hence, fays the Apoille 'John, Wno is a Lyar, i John 
 but he that deny s that Jefm is the Chrifi ? 'the'^'^'^' 
 Chrifi or that Chrifi emphatically, which Peter, 
 in this Apoftle's hearing, and with his Con- J^^^* 
 fent, confefs'd to be the Son of the living God. 
 To deny him to be that Chrift, who is that 
 Son of God, is to deny the Diftindion of his 
 and his Father's Perfons, in the fame Efl'ence. 
 And he that doth this is called Antichrifi-, 
 that denys the Father and the Son, becaufe he ' J°"" 
 denys the true Meaning of the diilinguifhing 
 Charaders of both. Upon which he adds, ^ . 
 l^hnfoever denyeth the Son, the fame hath not the 
 Father. Either he has not the true Doctrine of 
 the Father, he has not right Sentiments of 
 him and of his Son ; or, which is worfe, he 
 hath not an Interejl in the Father, or in his 
 Favour, whilft he denys the Son. And our 
 Lord himfclf has afifured us, his and his Fa- 
 ther's Honour are fo undivided, that he that 
 honours not the Son, ev en as he honours the Fa- 
 ther, honours not the Father himfAf. By taking [ohn 5. 
 that Glory from the Son, which belongs to ij. 
 him as the Son of the Father s EJfence, we take 
 that Glory from the Father, which belongs 
 
 Ma to 
 
(i64) 
 
 to him as the Father. Tho' T'urks and Jetus 
 pretend to pay all poffible Honour to the Fa- 
 ther ; yet in Reality they don't honour the 
 true Father, nor doth he think himfelf hon- 
 our'd by them, while they deny and fo difho- 
 nour his Son. If we fink the Son's Charadef 
 we neceflarily fink the Father's too. But if 
 we do Juflice to the Son's Character, and 
 have right Conceptions of what he is by Na- 
 ture, we fhall likewife have the mofl honour- 
 able Apprehenfions of the Father, according 
 to the true Import of that relative Denomi- 
 nation. 
 
 'Tis only by the true Knowledge of the 
 Son that we can know the Father in that De- 
 nomination of him. Hence faid Chrifl to the 
 John 8. Jews, Te neither know me nor my Father ; if ye 
 19. had known me, ye jhould have known my Father al- 
 fo. And after the fame manner he fpoke to 
 his Difciples. If ye had known me^ ye fjould 
 ^"^P* have known my Father alfo ; and from henceforth 
 ^' ye knoiv him, and have feen him. How had 
 they known and feen the Father ? Philip put 
 Ver. 8. a Queflion to Chriil, which fliew'd he did 
 not underiland how. In Anfwer to which 
 Chrifl tells him he had known and fo feen the 
 Father, by knowing and feeing him ,• becaufe of 
 the mutual efl'ential Inbeing of the Father 
 Ver. 9. and him. Hafi thou not known me Philip ? he that 
 10,11. hath feenme, hath feen the Father -^ andhowfayejl 
 thou then, (hew us the Father ? Believejl thou 
 not that I am in the Father^ and the Father in 
 me ? The Father that dwelleth in ms, he 
 
 doth the TVorks. Beliive me that I am in 
 the Father, and the Father in me, or elfe 
 believe me for the very Works fake. How 
 juft and clear is this way of Chrift's Arguing, 
 while vve confider him as the fame in Eflehce 
 
 and 
 
and Operation with the Father, and in Per- 
 fonality diilind from him, as he its the Bright' jj ^ 
 nefs of the Father s Glory ^ and the exprefs Image , 
 of his Ptrfon. If we know fiich a Divine 
 Perfon as the Soit, who, and what he is in his 
 Original Nature, we can't but know the Fa- 
 ther, who, and what he is too, in that Confi- 
 deration of him. But if we lofe the true 
 Knowledge of Chriff, of what his Nature is 
 as the Son, we lofethe true Knowledge of the 
 Father as the Father, and difhonour him as 
 v/ell as the Son, by deftroying the Dignity of 
 both their Relations to one another in the 
 fame infinite Efifence. But how dark and un- 
 intelligible is all this Difcourfe of Chrift, 
 unlefs we conceive of him under this truly Di- 
 vine Charader as the eflential Son of the Fa- 
 ther^ for then we might know him, and yet 
 not know the Father, becaufe their Natures 
 would be infinitely different from each other. 
 To fay we know the Father, by knowing the 
 Doftrine Chrifl reveal'd concerning the Father, 
 or the Miracles he wrote by the Father's Pow- 
 er, and not his own, is to put a great Force 
 andlmpropriety on theExpreiTion,which fpeaks 
 of knowing Chrift himfelf j and 'tis to aflert 
 nothing peculiar to him that might not alfo 
 be faid of the Apoftles, who likewife by Di- 
 vine Infpiration reveal'd the Father in their 
 Dodrines, and by Divine Power confirm'd 
 thoie Doftrines with Miracles. But how im- 
 proper would it be to fay, that by knowing 
 the Apofiki we know the Father ? They never 
 fpoke any thing like this of themfelves. And 
 hpw this Inbeing of the Father and Son may 
 be diftinguifh'd from what Chrift afterwards 
 fays of his Difcipks being in hint, and he in 
 
 ^l ^ them 
 
( i66 ) 
 
 them, may be confider'd when we come to 
 fpeak of their Union with hira. 
 
 2. If Chrift is not properly and by Nature 
 God, -ive lofe the Deity of the Hdy Ghojl. For 
 to fuppofe the Holy Ghoft to be Gcdy and to 
 precede from the Son, or tobcfent by the Son, 
 and yet the Son himfelf not to be God, is 
 |he greatefl Debafement of the Deity, and a 
 Hioft blafphemous Conception of it. 
 
 Who but God fhall pretend, together with 
 the Father, to give ncceflary Subfiftence to a 
 Divine Perfon ; or to have Power to fend him 
 that is God ? What Creature, or Being below 
 the Godhead, how highly foever raifed and 
 dignified by his Nature or Office, fhall dare to- 
 Arrogate this Honour to himfelf? Or how 
 can it poffibly coniifl with the infinite Superi- 
 arity of God above the moft Excellent Being 
 He can produce? To deny then the Godhead 
 of Chrift, unavoidably runs us upon a Denial 
 of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit, and con- 
 fequently upon putting a low and flau Senfe oa 
 the Numerous Texts that allcrt and plead 
 it. 
 
 But if Chrift is by Nature the true God, 
 the Holy Ghoft'sproceding from, and being 
 fent by the Father and him, is no more in- 
 confiftent with the proper Deity of the Holy 
 Ghoft, than the Son's being begotten of the 
 Father and fent by him, is inconfiftent withi 
 the Son's Deity, -And this I have ftiewn beij 
 fore is no way inconfiftent. 
 
 I know the Denial of the Father and the 
 Holy Ghoft, in the manner that has been re- 
 prefented, is of little Weight m the Opinion 
 of thpfe who deny the real proper Godhead 
 both of the Son and Spirit, But I am per- 
 fwaded thefe are things of great Importance 
 
 in 
 
( '«7 ) 
 
 in themfelves, and will be thought To, by thofe 
 who believe the true Divinity of both thefe 
 Perfons, and adore the Father as the Sorfs 
 oivn Father, and have felt the God-like Po-vr- 
 er of the Holy Spirit upon their Hearts, or 
 live under a convidive Senfe of the Neceffr- 
 ty of it to fubdue them to the Obedzeme of 
 Faith. 
 
 5. If Chrift is not properly afld- by Natn^f' 
 the true God, voe lofe the Unity of the God/ 
 or, there are more Gods than one. 
 
 To fay Cbrifi: is in no Senfe God, isdired- 
 ly to unfay the exprefs Words of Scripture, 
 which often call him Godj and fometimes the 
 true God, the Great God, and God over all blef- 
 fed for ever. And, I think, moft of thofe who 
 in our Day deny him to^be by Nature the only 
 trueGodjdoneverthekfsallov/ him in Tome pe- 
 culiar fcnfe of their own, to be the true God. And 
 admitting that he is in fome Senfe the true God, 
 he muft be either the fame God in Nature with 
 the Fathef, and diftind in Perfonality from 
 him ; or the fame God in Nature and Perfon 
 with the Father, fo as that Father and Son are 
 only different Names of one and the fame 
 Perfon \ or the Son is a God of a different Na- 
 ture from the Father. 
 
 To (i\y he is the fame God in Ejfence, anci^ 
 in that refpect one with the Father, tho' db-^ 
 ftindin Perfonality from him, is to grant wJiat* 
 we plead for, according to the Scripture, viz. 
 that he is by Nature the only true and mofi high 
 God ; for this is on all hands allow'd to be the 
 Nature of the eternal Father. To fay he i^ 
 cne Perfon as well as one Nature with the Fa-^ 
 ther^ is to deftroy their mutual Rdation, and 
 to confound their different Perfonal Charafters 
 a^jd Properties, and Perfonal A^^s toward one 
 M 4- ano- 
 
( i68 ) 
 
 another, by which the Scripture hath often an4 
 moft evidently diflinguilhed them from each 
 other. And to fay that Chrift is the true God, 
 and not the fame in Nature or Elfence with 
 the Father, is to fay, he is the true God of a difr- 
 ferent Nature from the only true Qod, fince to 
 be the only true God, is that Nature of the 
 Father, from which the Son's is hereby fuppo- 
 fed to be diiferi^nt:. To fpeak of the Son as the 
 0^4c God, whofe Qri^ipal Nature is different 
 ft.orA the only true God's, looks like a Contra-f 
 di<9:ion in Terms, and at th? fam? time repre- 
 fents him to be a Being as really difdncl from 
 the only true God as an}- of us are, And if 
 to afiert that any Being is God, which is di- 
 ftind in Nature from the only true God, is not 
 to aifert more Gods than one, I know not what 
 can bean Aflertion of ir. 
 
 If, to guard againft the Contradidion in 
 Terms,any fhou d <ay thtFarher andSon are not 
 two Gods in the fame Stiu. of the Expreilion, 
 This is in effed to fay, that one is prof erly, and 
 the other only fyuratti.h God ; and to call 
 both thefe the true Go/L y: lo play with the 
 Terms, and to abufe Xvlankind, by putting 
 fuch a Senfe upon them, as is contrary to their 
 common a.nd fcriftural Acccpuzion. And this 
 is ilill more ftrongly to afftrt an intire Diftin- 
 ftion in Nature and Kind between thefe Gods, 
 Hence fuch a Diftindion of Gods is a mani- 
 fefl Revival of the Ancient Polytheifm of the 
 Gentiles, who had diftind Deities of a Supreme 
 2i.nd. Subordinate Ymd. And farther, tofuppofe 
 that the Son is fuch an inferiour God, as is in 
 the highefl Favour with the Supreme Gpd,and 
 ads as a middle Deity between the fupreme 
 God and us, and is very beneficial to us, is 
 flill farther cq eftablifii that Polytheifm, with 
 
 reiped 
 
( i69) 
 
 refpeft to which the Heathens had juft fuch 
 Notions of their inferionrGods. 
 
 To pretend, as fome do, that Chrift is an 
 infinite God, and hath many Perfedionsof the 
 Godhead in the fame Fulnefs oF them as the 
 only true God has 'em, and yet is not that 
 God, is to contradifl all our natural and dear- 
 eft Notions of the Godhead, which have al- 
 ways been, that none of its Perfeftions can. 
 be fo fully in another, as they are in its felf ; 
 and that no otherBeing can ever pretend in fuch 
 a manner to vie with the only true Deity in any 
 one particular whatfoever. And while thefe 
 Divine Perftctions, which the Son is fuppoftd 
 to have, are look'd upon as not mnnericallyxho. 
 fame with the Father's, the Father and Son 
 raufl ftill be confider'd to be as really two di^ 
 fiinci Gods, as two Individuals of the fame 
 Human Nature are tivo diflinB Men. And 
 furthermore, to fuppofe that Chrift is fuch an 
 infinite God, as is likewife in his Original 
 Nature a Jubordinate dependent God, and ac- 
 accountable to another God, is to take away 
 with one Hand what we give him with the 
 other. For his Subordination-, Dependency^ and 
 being nccountable, feem to lye in direiSt Oppo- 
 fition to his being properly infnite ; becaufe to 
 be properly infinite, is to be abfolutely perfeB ;. 
 and to be abfolutely perfcd, is wholly incon- 
 fiftcnt with the ImperfeBions of Dependen- 
 cy, &C. 
 
 Hence, to fpeak fuch Things as make the 
 Son to be a diftind God from the Father, is 
 to reHed the highclt Difhonour on the one on- 
 ly fuprcme Deity : It is to deftroy its Unity, 
 and fet up a Compeer with the great God ; at 
 Icaft in fevcral Particulars, in dired Oppofi- 
 pon to the whole Current of the Scripture, 
 
 which 
 
( 170 ) 
 
 Marku. which afTures us, that the Lord our God is on^ 
 29, Iz. Lord. ""-^ For there is one God, and there is mns 
 other but he. And the great Jehovah hyst I 
 lh.^6.9. am God, and there is none eife ; I am God^ and 
 Chap, there is none like me ; and / am the Jirft and the 
 44. 6, 8. i^fj . ^-^j^ befides me there is no God — Teay there 
 ii no God ; I know not any. And — 1 am he ; 
 Chap. before me there luas no God form'dy neither Jhall 
 43* »o. ^^-^^^ yg ^j^igy jj^^^ ^H thefe Expreilionsj with 
 many more of the like fort, maintain the JJ- 
 nity of the Godhead to the Exclufion of all, 
 who are of a different Nature, from being in 
 any proper fenfe God, or comparable to hira. 
 And thefe woii'd exclude the Son, as well as^ 
 others, from being properly God, if he was 
 not a Divine Subliftcnt in that infinite Nature. 
 For all thefe Propofitions being afirmatively 
 reftriSlive to the only one Deity, and negative- 
 ly tiniverfal, and fo exclu(i%ie of all other Beings, 
 they hold equally ftrong againft every God 
 that is diftind in NAture from the only true 
 God, as againft the Gods of the Heathens; 
 tho' the immediate Occafion of fome of theni 
 was to exclude the Heathen gods. 
 
 To fay this one God only refpeds the one 
 Supreme Governour of the Univerfe in diflindi- 
 on from all Others, and to apply that Notion 
 of the Deity to the Father, and deny it to the 
 Son, is to deny what I hope hath already been 
 fufliciently proved to belong to Chrill equally 
 with the Father, confidering Chrift in his O- 
 riginal Nature as God. And even the deny- 
 ing this to the Son, tho' 'tis an infiinte Affront 
 to him, and is intended to overthrow his fu- 
 premely divine Nature, yet I conceive 'tis ra- 
 ther a Denial of his Relation to the Oeation, 
 than an immediate Denial of his Divinity con- 
 fider'd in it felf. For the Gonfideration of 
 
 God, 
 
C >70 
 
 God, as the fupreme Governor of all Things, 
 is a confideration only of his Relation to the 
 World, and not of what he is inhimjelf ; and 
 to fpeak of the Rtlation he bears to the Works 
 of his Hands, is notdireiftly to fpeak of what 
 he is in his^ own Nature, only as tkts may be 
 gather'd by Dcdddion from that. Much lefs 
 doth the abfolute Being-i Nimire^ or EJfence of 
 God, at all confift in that Relation ; for be- 
 fore the World was made, and confequently 
 before this Relation cou'd exift, he was Ori- 
 ginally in himfelf all that he now is, or ever 
 has been^ or will be, lince he form'd it, and 
 became the actual as well as rightful Gover- 
 nor of it. Hence this fupreme Government 
 adds a new extrin/ic Relation to God, found- 
 ed in his creating all Things ; but makes no 
 alteration in his Nature or Effence. His infi- 
 nite Godhead is fundamentally ejfential to his 
 being Supreme Governor j but his being Su- 
 preme Governor is not his EJfence) in anycon- 
 lideration of it. However, to fuppofe that 
 Chrift is fuch a God, who is not one in Eflfence 
 with the Father, nor is in conjunftion with 
 the Father, the fupreme Governor of the 
 World, is flill to maintain, that there are 
 more Gods than one ; for it fuppofes there is one 
 God, who is fupreme Ivf and another of a diffe- 
 rent Nature, who is only in a Subordinate man- 
 ner Governor of all Things. 
 
 But if Chriff is by Nature God, the fame 
 in Effence with the Father, the Unity of the 
 Godhead is fecured, and there ts no other God 
 but one. For'tho' the Father and Son are two 
 diflind Perfons, as the Scripture reprefents 
 them ; yet they can't be reckon'd two diflindt 
 Godsy becaufe (as jias been fhewn before) one 
 gild the fame individual Nature is the Nature 
 
 9i 
 
C 172 ) 
 
 of both, and is the 7mdivided Principle of Do-^ 
 minion and Operation in both. The pecu^ 
 liar Divine Manner of its Exertion by thefe 
 Perfons feverally, doth indeed furpafs all oup 
 Thoughts ; but i^ any are difpofed to cavil 
 at it on this account, let them firB anfwer 
 Job 11.7. Zophars Demand j Canfi thou byfearching find 
 out Gody can ft thou find out the Almighty to Per^ 
 feiiion ? 
 
 4. If Chrift is not properly and by nature 
 God J "the Godhead it felf mii{i he infinitely dif^ 
 ferent from what the Generality of Chriftians, led 
 by Scripture Lights have taken it to be ; and its 
 Glory muii be exceedingly obfcurd and 4iminijh'4 
 in the IVork of our Sahation. 
 
 Men might have Notions of the Unity of thq 
 Godhead by the Light o'i Nature, without a 
 Revelation. And this is confirm'd by Revela- 
 tion, with this farther Illuftration or Explica- 
 tion of the Nature of God, as One Effence 
 fubjifting in three different relative CharaElers and 
 Perfonal Properties ^ vix,. The Father begetting. 
 The Son begotten^ and the Holy Gho{)i proced-^ 
 ing. According to this Revelation, 'tis the a- 
 dorable Perfection of the Godhead, as eifen- 
 tial to it as any other Perfeftion, that th^re are 
 three complete Perfons or Subfiflents in that 
 infinite undivided Nature, and that each of 
 thefe hath the whole Nature in him, without 
 confounding their Perfonalities. But ii Chrift 
 is not really by Nature God, how different is 
 the Godhead from this Scripture account of 
 it } This is indeed a fublime and incompre- 
 henfible Reprefentation of God : But whjcl;'- 
 fhall we think is the moft jufl Account of him i 
 that which we have from th? Light of Na- 
 ture, and our own dark Reafonings about 
 him i or that which w? hav? from his owa^ 
 
 JleveU-ff 
 
( «73 ) 
 
 Revelation of himfelf, who, and what he is ? 
 And who (hall pretend to fay, there are no o- 
 thcr Perfedions oFGod but what might be 
 known by Natural Light ? Surely we honour 
 , him more, when on his bare Authority, we 
 with a humble modeft Faith believe he is what 
 he declares himfelf to be, tho' we can't adjafi: 
 it to our curious indulg'd and perpJex'd Rea- 
 fonings about him, than when we only believe 
 him to be juft what thofe nice, and yet confu- 
 {edy Reafonings reprefent him. He that re-Johaz* 
 ceives his "Tejlimony, fets to his Seal that God is ^^* 
 true. This way of believing as God fpeaks, 
 and becaufe he fpeaks, may indeed humble and 
 abafe us moft, which makes too many loth to 
 give into it ; But it furely honours the incom- 
 prehenfibleGod moil: ; which fhou'd make every 
 one heartily approve of it, and humbly ac- 
 quiefce in it ; efpecially confidering, that the 
 •world by PVifdom knew not God ■■■■■' and the ' ^o""^- 
 
 Foolilbnefs of God is ivifer than Men that no ^*' ^** 
 
 Fle[}i Jhould glory in his Prefence. 
 
 Befides, The Glory of the Godhead, as that 
 fhines out in the Work of our Salvation, which 
 is the brightefl Glory it ever difplay'd before 
 us, fuffers an inglorious Shade and Detraciion, 
 if Chrift is not a Divine Subfiftent in it : For 
 on that Suppofition all the immediate Glory of 
 Redemptton, and of the Application of it to us, 
 is remov'd from the Godhead, and given to 
 others; the firft being immediately perform'd 
 by the Son, and the other by the Spirit. And 
 what a provoking Sacrilege mull; it be againft 
 God, to rob him of thebrighteft Jewels of his 
 Crown, and to eclipfe that Glory, which the 
 chief Counlbis of Heaven, with refped to us, 
 and every Letter of the Gofpeh ultimately 
 de/ign to illuftrate ! But i^ the Son and Spirit 
 
 are 
 
C 174 ) 
 
 are the fame in Nature with the Father, then 
 ali the Glory of thefe Works is referved and 
 fecured intirely to the Deity \ and God alone 
 Ihall have everhifting Praifes for them. The 
 whole of our Salvation then, and only then,will* 
 appear to be of God, to whom we are whol- 
 ly obliged for all and every Part of it. And 
 the Godhead, fubfifting in the Perfons of the 
 Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, fiiall be exalt- 
 ed in its own Glory, and in the eternal Hal- 
 lelujahs of Saints and Angels, according to the 
 joint and diftind Parts thofe adorable JPerfons 
 bear therein. And I think this can't appear 
 a little or an indifferent Thing in our Eyes. 
 
 Secondly, The Doftrine of Chrift's Godhead 
 is of great Importance with RefpeB to his own 
 Per/on. 
 
 If Chrift is not the true and mofl high God, 
 we know not what to make of him ; and 
 whatever elfe we account him to be, he is 
 infinttely infer iour to God. We may think we 
 hear Chrift faying to us, as he did to his Dif- 
 
 Mat. 16. ciples, when he was here in the Flefii, IVhom 
 
 ^^' do men jay, that /, the Son of Man-, am ? Some 
 faid he was one thing, and fome another : 
 
 V' ^4' Some faid he was John the Baptifl, fome Elias ; 
 and others, JeremiaSy or one of the Prophets. They 
 cou'd not tell what to make of him ; but 
 Chrift putting the Queftion to his Difciples, 
 
 V. 15. J^/hom fay ye that I am .<* Peter, under the fpe- 
 cial Teachings of God, faid the Truth con- 
 cerning him, in his honourable ConfefTion of 
 
 V. 16. him, ihou art Chrijl, the Son of the Living God. 
 
 V. 17. Upon which Chrift pronounced him blejfed. 
 And the reft of the Difciples join'd with Pe- 
 ter in their aftured Confidence of this, which 
 
 he 
 
( 175 ) 
 
 lae faid in their Name as well as his own : And John 6, 
 •we beltenje, and are fure, that thou art that Chrifl, ''-9- 
 that Son of that LwJing God. 
 
 The fame fort of Inquiry may be made in 
 this our Day ; iVhom do Men fay^ that Chrift^ 
 the Son of Alan, is ? Some fay he is ff^erely 
 a Man : Others, he is God by Ojfice : Others, 
 he is a SupsY-Angelick Creature : Others, he is 
 like to God in all things, but not the fame in 
 EfTence with him : Others, he is like him on- 
 ly in Will : Others, he is an infinite Being, ha- 
 ving all the Perfedions of the Godhead, ex- 
 cept Self-Origination, Independence, and abjohite 
 Supremacy ; and therefore is in himfelf /^«- than 
 the Father, and is a fort of an infinite they 
 know not what or how j but not by Nature 
 the only true and mofl high God, of the fame 
 ElTence with the Father. Others fay, he and 
 the Father are one and the fame Perfon : O- 
 thers, he had not a human Soul, but a Body 
 inhabited by fome thing more Divine ; fome 
 of which fay, that Body was turnd into that 
 Divine Siibjiance which inhabited it ; others 
 fay other unaccountable and dijbonourable Things 
 of him. Thus they know not what to make 
 of him. 
 
 But, if the Qiieftion is put to us, as it was 
 to the Difciples, Whom fay ye that Chrift is > 
 let us fay as Peter did, and according to what 
 appears to be his Senfe therein, T'hat he is the 
 true and proper Son of the Living God, and jo in 
 Nature, Being, or Effeme, the only true and mojl 
 high God. 
 
 When Chrift: was on Earth, the common 
 Faith of the Jevos concerning the Mefftab was, 
 that he wou'd be the Supre?ne God, and bear the 
 Title of the Son of God. Their Scriptures 
 were full of Light about the different Subfift- 
 
 ents 
 
C >7« ) 
 
 ents of the Godhead, as is learnedly argued 
 in 'Tie true Scripture DoSlrine of the Trinity be- 
 fore rekr'd to. And the frequent Appearan- 
 ces their great Jehovah had made among their 
 Fathers in Human ForfjiSy and in the illuflrious 
 Shechinahy were flrong Prejigurati'ue Indications 
 that the true Jehovah himfelf would be their in- 
 Ifa. 7. c^rnate Mejjiah. And their plaiiaeft Prophefies 
 14. & of this Meffiah exprcfly call'dhim, fometimes 
 8. 8. Immanuel ; at another time The mighty God ; 
 Chap. 9. j^j^^ y^^y Qftei-j Jehovah, as has been fhewn in 
 pVal. I. ^^veral Inflancesj and at other times God's 
 7.14. Son. This laft Appellation of him fully de^ 
 tcrmin'd which fuL-fiflent in the Divine Na- 
 ture this Jehovah, Immamiely or mighty Gody 
 the Mefliah v/ould be, viz^. The Son of God. 
 Hence all thefe Terms, asapply'd totheMef- 
 iiah, were in the Jews Account /7M^ expreflive 
 of his Divine Nature; and accordingly by The 
 Son of God they iinderftood One equal to the 
 Father, as is plain from their concluding 
 is. " ^' agreeable to this Sentiment, th.-.t Chrlft made 
 himfilf equal to God, byfayinr, God was Im own 
 Father. There could be no pretence for this 
 Conclufion, from thefe words, had it not^ 
 been a common Principle among them, that 
 the Son of God, whom they expeded for their 
 John 8. Meffiah, was the fame in Efjence with, and 
 ^** fo equal to the Father- for they therafelves 
 
 call'd God their Father in an inferiour Senfe. 
 I've have one Father, even God. 
 
 Their Prejudices againft Chrfft were not be^ 
 caufe He claim'd a Character too high for the 
 Meffiah, when he called himfelf the Son of God, 
 fo as to make himfelf equal to God ; For 
 their Expeftations of him to be fuch a Son of 
 God, as is himfelf the great Jehovah, prepa- 
 red them to receive him under that or any o- 
 
 ther 
 
( ^77 ^ 
 
 ther Title expreffive of his Deity , in cafe they 
 admitted him to be indeed the Mejjtah. And 
 therefore when John the Baptifi reprefented 
 '^cfm as the Cbriily and called him ths oyily be- John i. 
 gotten Sony which is in the Bofom of the Father, '"> H« 
 and bore Record, that this is the Son of God, 
 All that believ'd him to be the Meffiah, rea- 
 dily embrac'd him under this Chara^fter -, none 
 of them ever ftiimbled at it. And among all 
 the Cavils which others made at Johns Doc- 
 trine, we hear of none that were fiiggefted a- 
 gainfl: his joining together the Titles of the 
 Chrijl, and the Son of God in the ftrongeft Senfe 
 of the ExprefTion. They knew very well that 
 the Grandure of the laft of thefe Titles be- 
 long'd to him, who could jullly claim the 
 firft. None fcrupled to own it, and the High 
 Priell: fpoke of it as a known thing, when he 
 put this Qijeftion to our Lord, Art 'thou the^^^^ 
 Chrifi, the Son of the Blejfed} M- ^^^ 
 
 But their inveterate Rage againft Jefus of 
 JSIuz^areth was, becaufe he fet up for the Me//?- 
 ah. Their grofly miftaken, blind and felriih 
 Interpretations of thofe Prophefies, which 
 fpoke of the exalted Glory of the Mejjiab's 
 Kingdom, fili'd their Heads with the pom- 
 pous Notions of a Deliverer s coming to ZioHy 
 with all the Royalties of outward Magnifi- 
 cence and temporal Dominion, to free them 
 from the Roman Yoke, and make them Lords 
 ot' the Univerfe, and the carnal Temper of 
 their Hearts made 'em very fond of fuch Ex- 
 pedations. But when Jefus came among them 
 in all the Meannefs of his known Parentage, 
 and of" his obfcure Circumftances and Beha- 
 viour, and yet pretended to be their Saviour, 
 they were offended at htm. His State of Humi- y^^^y 5^ 
 liation neither anfwer'd their prejudicate 3. 
 N Opinions 
 
Opinions about the manner of the Deliverer's 
 Appearance, and the Nature of his Kingdom ; 
 nor was it at all likely to anfwer their worldly 
 Views, which they were moft intent upon, 
 and therefore they were refolv'd, right or 
 John 7. wrong, to bear him down as a Deceiver and 
 ^^* Blafphemer ; while fane /aid he was a gcod Man, 
 others f aid naji but he deceiveth the People in pre- 
 tending to be what he is not. And in oppo- 
 fition to thefe, others faid, When Chrifi co?J2es, 
 will he do ?nore Miracles than thefe, which this 
 V. 31 • Man has done? And when he was brought be- 
 fore the High-Prieft and Counfel, and in an- 
 fwer to the Qiieftion, Art thou the Chriji, the 
 Mark Son of the Bkjfed ? He faid, / am. The High- 
 ly- 2, pyiefi yc}2t his Cloaths and charged him with 
 ' Blafphemy — — — and condemn d him to be guilty of 
 
 Death for pretending to the Divine Charafters, 
 which were peculiar to the MciTiah. He char- 
 ged the Blafphemy on Jefus, which only him- 
 felf and the reft of the Jews were really guilty 
 Luke 22. q£^ while they blafphemoujly [poke againji him. 
 And in this Senfe the Apodle Paul, fpeaking 
 of his former State in 'Judaifm, defcribes him- 
 felf as one who before was a Blafphemer. He 
 I Tim. ^^g ^ Blafphemer againji the true Mejfuih, by the 
 Indignities he had put upon him : And 'twas 
 this fort of Blafphemy, as I take it, which 
 Chrifi was falfcly accufcd of, as if he put the 
 higheft Indignities on the true Mefliah by af- 
 ferting himfelf to be Him. Had they not coun- 
 ted him guilty of this Blafphemy, they wou'd 
 never have charged him with any other, fince 
 all that he faid of his Divine Greatnefs did not 
 excede their Expedations of what their Mef- 
 fiah would be. 
 
 And i^ thofe prejudiced Jews underftood 
 that the Perfon, who is the Son of God, is 
 
 the 
 
C ^79 ) 
 
 the moft high God, equal to and of the 
 fame Effcnc'^ with the Father j why fliould 
 not we believe that the Difci pies fpoke ac- 
 cording to this fublime prevailing Sentiment, 
 when they own'd Jefus to be the Mefftah or 
 the ChriR, and accordingly faid, 'Thou art the 
 So}2 of the living God <* furely, if this Exprefli- 
 on of Chrift's Title, according to the com- 
 mon Faith of that Day, did not really in the 
 fulleil: Senfe of it belong to him, he would 
 have reproved them for it, or fet their 
 Thoughts right in an explain'd Senfe of it, 
 inftead of pronouncing them blejjed on that 
 Account, and laying fo much Weight upon it 
 as he did. And their religions Behaviour to- 
 ward him under this Title, /hews they had 
 this Lofty Idea of him ; inafmuch as they, and 
 the reft of the Difciples, readily paid Divine 
 iVorjhip to him, as the Son of God; and this 
 is the more remarkable, becaufe at that time 
 they had been brought up in and fully pof- 
 fefs'd with Principles moft abhorrent of all Ap- 
 pearances of Idolatry. Thus, to repeat but 
 one of the feveral Inftances I have before gi- 
 ven, when they faw his God-Jike Works in 
 ftilling the flormy Winds and Waves of the 
 Sea by his bare word of Command, they IVoy" 
 Jhip'dhim as God, and exprefs'd their Convic- 
 tion of his Deity, by faying, Of a Truth thou vr^' ^^" 
 art the Son of God^ 
 
 And that this Title Is indeed expreffive of 
 Chrift's true and proper Godhead, appears 
 from the Explication the Apoftle 'John gives 
 of it ; who, aker he had in a continued Dif- 
 courfe call'd him the Son, and the Son of God 
 above Ten times in the compafs of a few Ver- 
 (cs, concludes the whole with this Interpreta- 
 tion of his Meaning, T'his, viz,. Son of God, 
 
2,0. 
 
 I John is the true God. And in the next Words he 
 fiiuts up that Difcoiirfe v/ith a foieran Charge 
 againft making to our felves falfe Gods. Lit- 
 tle Children keep your [elves fro?n Idols, ver. 21. 
 Idols fometimes iignify the falfe Gods that are 
 reprcfented by Images, as well as the Images 
 themfelves. The Apoftle Paul, fpeaking of 
 Gods many, and Lords many, gave them the 
 Name oF Idols, faying, IVe know an Idol is 
 nothing in the World, and that there is none other 
 God but one, i Cor. 8. 4, 5. and afterwards he 
 fpoke of thofe Idols as Devils, Chap. 10. ip, 
 20. And unlcfs we underftand the Apoftle 
 John to mean by Idols, thofe that are not by 
 Nature Gods, in oppofition to the true God, 
 as he had call'd Chrift in the immediately 
 preceding Verfe, his Caution againft them 
 (as far as appears to me) is unaccountably 
 abrupt, without any Connexion with, or re- 
 lation to the reft of the Epiftle, This Epiftle 
 is believ'd to be written in oppofition to the 
 degrading Notions of the Ehiomtes and Cerin- 
 thtans, who deny'd the true Deity of Chrift ; 
 and the Apoftle having in a very pathetick 
 Difcourfe, efpecially in this 5th Chapter, af- 
 ferted his true Divinicy with the vaft Impor- 
 tance of itj clofes the whole with this Cauti- 
 on, Keep yourfehes from Idols. And I humbly 
 offer that, underftanding Idols in the Senfe I 
 have given, this ferious Caution is very well 
 connedled with, and a feafonable inforcing of 
 what he had been delivering, in the following 
 manner. Keep your fehes from Idols, or take 
 heed of fuch debafing Thoughts of the Son 
 of God, as fink him into an Idol. He is fo 
 the Son of God as to be by Nature the true 
 God. As fuch you ought to regard him ; the in- 
 finite Dignity of his Nature, and the grand de- 
 
 fign 
 
( i8i ) 
 
 fignof Chriflian Religion demand thofe high 
 Regards from you. But if you take away the 
 only true Deity from him, you thereby fling 
 him down to the Rank of an inferior Deity, 
 like the Idols of the Heathens, and^ your 
 Worfhiping him under the inferior Notion of 
 him, as one who is not by Nature the true 
 God, is leally to commit Idolatry againft the 
 only true God. And therefore whatever you 
 do, don't make a contemptible Idol of this 
 true God of the Chriftian Religion, which I 
 have fhewn Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, to 
 
 When 'Thomas call'd him his Lord and hisj^i^n^o^ 
 Cod, we are immediately told, with Reference z8. 
 to this and other particulars, Thefe Things are 
 writteiii that ye might believe that 'Jefus is the 
 ChriR, the Son of God. To fay 'tis written^"* ^'* 
 that he was own'd to be Lord and God, that 
 we might believe he is the Son of God of a 
 different Nature from, and lefs than the only 
 true God, is a way of arguing altogether a- 
 bove my Comprehenfion. But if Lord and 
 God, and the Son of God, when apply'd to 
 Chrift, are Terms of the fame import with 
 refped to the Reality of his Godhead, the 
 Reafoning is very juft. And 'tis only in this 
 View that I can underftand how the Record 
 of Thomas's Faith in Chrift, as the Lord Cod, 
 can induce our Belief that he is that Chrift, 
 who is the Sen of God. Accordingly this E- 
 vangelift, fpeaking of his Original Nature, 
 firft calls him Absolutely God, by whom all John r. 
 Things vjere made, and then in the fame Dif- ^-^^ J* 
 courfe. The only begotten of the Father, and the"^'^"^'^^ 
 only begotten Son, that when we hear of him 
 under thefe, or fuch like Charaders, we 
 might confider them as Denominations of 
 N i bi«i 
 
(i80 
 
 him from the Godhead, as he is the fecond 
 Subfiftent therein. 
 
 Hence the Father himfelf, fpeaking of 
 Chrift under the Title of the Son, joins that 
 of God to it, which leads us to regard him 
 as God the Son, dillinguilh'd only in Perfo- 
 nality from the Father and the Holy 
 Heb. i» Ghoft. 'to the Son he faith, thy throne, God, 
 8. is for ever and ever. The two moft remark- 
 
 able Teftimonies of the Eternal Father to 
 ChrijR: as his Son, were at his Baptifm and 
 Mat. 5. transfiguration, both of which were by a Voice 
 17- & from Heaven, faying, this is my beloved Son, in 
 J 7" 5' ijjhom lam well f leafed. At his Ba^tifm, the 
 Grandure of the Appearance was fuitable to 
 his Divine Perfonality -, the Father and the 
 Spirit concurring to own him as fuch in an 
 extraordinary manner. And at his trartsfigu- 
 ver. z. ration, his Face Jhone as the Sun, and his Rai- 
 ment was white as the Light, or (as another E- 
 Luke p. vangelift reports it) wm xvhite and glittering, 
 which feems to have been effe(3:ed by the 
 fplendor of his Deity opening it felf on that 
 Ocqafion, and diftufing fuch fhining Rays of 
 Glory thro' his human Body, as probably 
 equall'd, ii not exceded the luminous Body, 
 commonly call'd the Shechinah, in v/hich If- 
 rael's great Jehovah ufed to appear of old. 
 And the Voice which came on that Occafion 
 from Heaven, and proclaimed him to be God's 
 beloved Son, naturally fuggefts to our Minds, 
 that the Father thereby own'd him to be that 
 Son, who is that true Jehovah, which formerly 
 made fuch Appearances in a premonitory way. 
 'Tis true, Chrift was therein likewife own'd 
 to be the real Meffiah, as well as God's Son, 
 but this auguft manner, in which he was 
 own d under the Title of the Son, was as 
 
 ^rand 
 
 ^9 
 
C i83 ) 
 
 grand as could be expeded on fuppofition that 
 the Father defign'd thereby to afliire us, that 
 this was/o his Son as to be the fame God in 
 Nature with himfelE And who but fuch a Son 
 was fit to receive Aich Honour and Glory from 2 Pet. r, 
 God the Father y lohen there came fuch a Voice to *7* 
 him from the excellent Glory^ declaring him to be^ 
 in the Language of a Father to his only Be- 
 gotten, by way of Eminence and pecuharity, 
 his Beloved Son, in whom he ii To "well pleafed^ 
 that for his fake he accepts and is well plea- 
 fed with all that are in him, having made us ^ ^i. i. 
 accepted in the Beloved <* And who but fuch a 6. 
 Son was fit to have all our Obedience tnrn'd 
 over to him by the fame magnificent Voice, J^J^^^J- 
 faying, Hsarye him ? Furthermore, his Trans- 5. 
 figuration being within about a Week after 
 Peters ConfelFion of him as the Son of God, ^^^' '7* 
 This Voice from Heaven, which own'd him p*,e^ 
 in fuch a glorious manner under that Titlr, witii 
 was afpecial Confirmation of Peters and the Ch'p.rff, 
 oth.r Difciple's Faith, that he really was *^* 
 God's Eflfential Son according to the exalted 
 Senfe of that Day concerning the Meffiah. 
 Accordingly Peter and "John, two of the Eye- 
 WitneCs of this Glory, took notice of it as 
 the fliining forth of Chrift's Divine Majefty 
 for the Confirmation of their Faith ,• one fay- 
 ing in reference to it. We have not follovjd 
 cunningly devifed Fables, when we made known to ^ ' ' 
 you the Power and coming of our Lord yefm Chrifl ; ig' 
 b-ut were Eye-Witnejfeii of his Majefly, &C. And 
 the other fay.irig, IVe beheld his Glory, the Glory T°^" 
 as of the only begotten of the Father. All this ^"^* 
 confider'd together, carries good Evidence to 
 me, that thefe Tedimonies of the Father to 
 Chrifl, as his Soiij were Teftimonies to his /«- 
 N 4 prems 
 
 I. 
 
( >84 ) 
 
 preme Godhead, as he is the fame In Nature 
 with hirafelf. 
 
 Our Lord likewife fpeaking of himfelf and 
 his Father (which necefl'arily imports his Re- 
 John 10. lotion to him as his Son) exprefly fays, / 
 30, and my Father are One, thereby (hewing that 
 
 as he was the Son he was the fame in Being or 
 Ejjence with the Father, fo as to be on that 
 Account God', for thus the Jews underllood 
 him to mean, and therefore took tip Stones to 
 •^,11 -17, Stone him for Blafphemy, becaufe he thereby 
 made himfelf God, while they judg'd him to be 
 a Man, and nothing more. And Chrift (as 
 has been fhewn at large before) own'd this to 
 be the fair Senfe of his Words, and vindica- 
 ted himfelf from their Charge of Blafphemy, 
 by proving the 'Jufinefs of the Claim, which 
 he made to the Deity, in his faying, accor- 
 ding to the true Senfe of the Words they ca- 
 V. ?6. vil'd at, / am ths Son of God. And fo in the 
 winding up of his Argument, he makes that 
 Title equivalent to his faying, as the Jews 
 underllood him and he maintain'd, that he 
 was One in Nature with the Father, and there- 
 by truly God. And this apparently evinces 
 that to be Gcd, and the Son of CocI, were 
 both in the Judgment of the Jews, and in 
 the Truth of the Cafe, one and the fame 
 Tking as they are apply'd to Chrift ; Or 
 that this Title, the Son of God, denominated 
 him to be indeed God, the fame in Effence with 
 the Father. Hence he afferted that the high- 
 efi Honour, Perfections, and Operations of 
 the Godhead belong to him, confider'd un- 
 der the Charafter of the Son, telling us, that 
 John 6. all Men jhould honour the Son, even as they 
 *^' ^ honour the Father ; And the Son hath Life in 
 himfelf^ as ths Father bath Life in himfelf; and 
 
 THE 
 
 V 
 
( i85 ) 
 
 THE Son quickens lobom he nsiilh in the fame 
 Soverain God-like manner as the Father ^*^^* 
 doth I with many other PafTages to the like 
 purpofe. Agreeably to this, when he fpoke 
 of fuch of his Ads toward the Churches of 
 Afiay as were moft fignally peculiar to the 
 Supreme Deity, he gave himfelf the Title of 
 the Son of Gody to fhew that this is the De- 
 nomination of his Divine Nature, by the 
 Power ot which he perform'd them. T'hefe ^^^ 
 thiyigSy faith the Son of God, ixiho hath his i^/ 
 Ey s like tihto a Flame of Fire ■ ■■ - / know thy v. 19. 
 IVorks a:iA Charity^ and Service and Faith « ^* i>» 
 and all the Churches jhall know, that I am he 
 (the great Jehovah to whom this work is 
 conjimdly aicrib'd in the Old Teftament) 
 luhich fearcheth the Reins and Hearts i and I will 
 give unto every one of you according to your 
 "works. 
 
 Once more. It is very probable that the 
 Devils, who once were Angels of Light, un- 
 derfland the Divine Nature, or what God is, 
 better than we do. On fuppofition there 
 are more Perfons than one in the Godhead, 
 'tis mort likely that they can't but know it ; 
 and it feems to me, as if Satan, in his firii 
 Temptation of Chrift, when he apply'd to 
 him under the Title of the Son of God, de- 
 fign'd to try whether he really was the true 
 God or no, and therefore he put him on 
 giving Proof of his Godhead by doing a work 
 of Omnipotence in a Soverain manner like 
 the mofl high God ; faying to him. If thou 
 art the Son of God, command, not pray to^at. 4. 
 the Father, but do thou thy felf by thy own ab- ^' 
 folute power command, thatthefe Stones be made 
 ^read, which carries a very ftrong Implicati- 
 on, that the Devil himfelf underftood that 
 
 this 
 
this Name, the Son of God, was exprefllve of 
 a fub/iftent in the only true Deity ; and that 
 Chrift was the AU-fufficient God, in cafe the 
 Title of the Son of God did indeed belong to 
 him. And who can think that the Legion of 
 Devils had Icfs Apprehenfions of Ch;ift af- 
 terwards under this Character, when they 
 Mat. 8. trembled at his Prefence, crying outy What 
 zp. ^ have we to do with thee, 'Jefm-, thou Son of God ? 
 Art thou cojne hither to torment m before our Time ? 
 What could they have faid more to exprefs 
 their infiipportable Dread at the Approach 
 of the great Jehovah himfelf ? 
 qIjI It iSy I conceive, no jiift Objedion againfl 
 
 Luke I. all this, to urge that this Name, viz,, the Son 
 IS' of Cod, was order'd by the Angel Gabriel to 
 . a^ be given to Chrift at his Birth ; or that God 
 j,y faid, with a Refped to his RefurreBion, Thou 
 art my Son-, this Day have I begotten thee. As 
 if his being call'd the Son of God was owing 
 to the Extraor dinar inefs of his Birth, and the 
 glorious Dignity which enfu'd on his Refurredi- 
 on. For, 
 ^n(; Neither of thefe are to be confidered as 
 
 the formal Reafon of that Title, but as pro- 
 per Occafions of declaring it. The firft was a 
 JSIotification of his real Name, fuitable to his 
 Divine Sub/iftcnce in his Original Nature, and 
 to the Ancient Prophecies concerning him ; 
 and 'twas likewife an Intimation of the per- 
 fonal Union, which that Holy Thing, that was 
 born of the Virgin, had \?j\t\s.ihe Son, it hav- 
 ing no fubfiftence of its own diflind from that 
 of the Son. Hence as he was the Son of the 
 Virgin, (he was to call his Name ^ejm with a 
 Relation to his Office, Luke i. 31. compar'd 
 with Mat. I. 21. But as that Holy Thing, 
 which Ihoiild in fuch an unexampled manner 
 
 be 
 
( '8; ) 
 
 be born of her, was one Perfon with the Son 
 of God, who thereby became Emanuel, God 
 with fiij in that Confideration of it, it was 
 by Communication of Names, to wear the 
 higheil Title of that Perfon relating to his 
 Original Nature, fo as to be like wife called the 
 Son of God, Luke i. 35. compared with Mat. 
 I. 23. And why may not this wonderfully 
 conftituted Perfon, when fpoken of in his 
 Human Nature, be denominated by his Di- ^ 
 vine Nature, and fo be called the Son of God, 
 as well as at other Times, when he is fpoken 
 of in his Divine Nature, he is denominated 
 by his Human Nature, and fo is called the Son J^hn j. 
 of Man? Thus when he was on Earth hecal- '^* 
 led himfelf, I'he Son of Man, which is in Hea- 
 njen. Befides, The Son of God, in the con- 
 fideration we are fpeaking of, is the Son of 
 the Father who fent him, fo he is ufually 
 called. But if the Appellation of the Son abfo- 
 lutely, or of the Son of God belong'd immediate^ 
 ly to his Human Nature, or was given him on 
 the Account of the extraordinarinefs of his 
 Birth, He would more properly be called the 
 Son of the Holy Ghoji, He being the more im- 
 mediate Father of Chrift's Human Nature, by 
 his coming upon and over/hadowing the Virgin, 
 that Ihe might conceive it ; accordingly 'tis '^^ *"- 
 faid Jhe was found with Child of the Holy Ghofi jjj'^^ ^ 
 • f or that which wai conceived in her, wa6 18. to' 
 of the Holy Ghofi. 
 
 And as to Chrift's RefurreSiion, that was a 
 farther publick Demonfiration of the ^ujlnefs of 
 this Title {The Son of God) that He really was 
 what it befpoke him to be, he being there- 
 by (according to the Apoftle's Interpreta- 
 tion) declar'd to be the Son of Cod with Pow- Roin."r. 
 er. And its being faid on that Occafion, 4. 
 
 T'hts 
 
(188) 
 
 T'his Day have I begotten 'thee, is no more than 
 the Scripture f on different Occafions often 
 fays of the Generation of the Son, and may 
 be faid of it, whenever it is fpoken of. For 
 that Expreffion only denotes the unchangsahle 
 JPermanence of the Father's begetting the Son, 
 J*'"* '• which is like the Father himieif, with whom is 
 no variabienefsj nor Shadow of turning ; 'tis a 
 begetting without Degrees, Beginning, or 
 End, always Perfed, and never ceafing, ever 
 abiding, and holding fuU Proportion with 
 God's unfucceffive Eternity, which is everlafl- 
 in^ly the fame, and of which it ever was, isy 
 and will be faid TO DAY. Hence Chrift 
 in his Original Nature really was the Son of 
 God by Eternal Generation before his hwnan- 
 Birth, and RefurreB'ton from the Dead. He 
 was that Son^ by whom God (in the manner 
 Heb. I. that has been explain'd) iTiade the Worlds at 
 *• the firft Beginning of all Things. And, over 
 
 and above the feveral other places which have 
 been formerly alleg'd, Solomon put a Queftion, 
 with refpeft to the unfearchable Nature of 
 God, importing there v/as then a Son as un- 
 Prov. fearchable as that Nature, IVbat is his Namcj 
 30. 4. ^yid what is his Sons Name, if thou canfJ tell > 
 This Title, as we have ften, was familiarly 
 known among the Jews to belong to the Mef- 
 fiah ; yea, the Notion of it as expreffive of a 
 Divine Perfon, was got among the Heathens 
 (I fuppofe by their Converfation with the 
 Jews) as may be gather'd from Nebuchadnez.- 
 z.ars faying, when he faw another Perfon 
 I^an. ^ vvith Shadrach, Msjhach and Absdnego in the 
 ^^* firy Furnace, "Ttoe Form of the Fourth is like the 
 
 •j- Pfal. z. 7« Ads 13. 35. Heb. i. 5^ and $. 5. 
 
 Son 
 
( >S9 ") 
 
 Son of God. 'Tis very probable this was in- 
 deed the Son of God, who then appear'd, as 
 he often did, in the Form of a Man, and 
 thereby prcfigur'd his Incarnation ^ and it 
 was that Son of God, who in the jullnefs of 
 'Time really became Man, when Godj viz,. Gal, 
 The Father, fent forth his Son^ made of a Wo- 4. 
 marii &c. which ftrongly implies that he was 
 the Son before he was fent, and before he was 
 incarnate. 
 
 Thus from what has been faid, and more 
 of the like fort which might be added, it 
 appears very plain to me, that this Title 
 ftndly belongs to Chrift s Original Nature, 
 and denotes his true and proper Godhead ; 
 and that when we read or fpeak of him as the 
 Son of Gody it fliould be with this Apprehen- 
 fion of him, that he is a Divine fubMent in 
 the Godhead, and fo by Nature the only true 
 and jnofi high God. His being call'd the Son of 
 God, only refpeds the inconceivable manner 
 of his having the Divine Nature, and that 
 can't be juflly pleaded to be an Intimation 
 of the Difference of his Nature from the Fa- 
 ther's. For, tho' the Reality of a Thing, and 
 the manner of it are different Confiderations, 
 yet the manner of it is fo far from being a 
 denial of the Reality of it that it neceffarily 
 fuppofes that Reality. Effence and Perfonality 
 may be differently conceiv'd of j but we can't 
 conceive of Perfonality without fuppojing Ef- 
 fence, becaufe Perfonality mufl have Nature or 
 Effence to fubfift in. And therefore when we 
 think of a Divine Perfonality, it naturally 
 leads us to conceive of the Divine Effence, as 
 that in which itfubfifls. 
 
 Tho' Chrifl is the Son, and that Relation 
 to the Father may imply fome fort of Inferi- 
 ority 
 
( »9o 3 
 
 ority as to the Order of his SubMence ; yet 
 (as has been fhewn) he is fuch a Son, who 
 is himfelf the great Jehovah, of one and the 
 fame infinite Effence with the Father, which 
 imports a necejjary Derivation from him in 
 fuch a God-like manner, as lies infinitely 
 above all our Thoughts. And however they, 
 who deny his Supreme Deity, will not admit 
 this; yet fince they themfelves allow, that 
 the manner of his Derivation from the 
 Father is altogether inconceruable by us, me- 
 thinks 'tis a very nide a.nd prefum^t nous way of 
 treating him, for any fuch little Creatures as 
 we are, to pretend boldly to affirm, that he is 
 in Naturey or any ejfmtial Attributes inferior 
 to the Father, on the Account of that altoge^ 
 ther unknown Emanation from him. This is 
 1 Tim certainly to determine without underftanding 
 1.7. ' luhat ive fay, or whereof we affirm, and is to 
 fpeak definitively about fuch things, relating 
 to the Eternal inexplicable Generation of the 
 Son, as all rauft be forced to own we have no 
 Notions of. Here the Men of Reafon give up 
 to implicite Faith, and run themfelves upon 
 the Abfurdity of believing what they are ig- 
 norant of, that they may fecure a rational 
 Faith. For nothing can be more evident to 
 them, than this is to nis, that they hereby over- 
 throw their own governing and beloved ^iz.-x.- 
 iva.'oi believing nothing, kit luhat they have clear 
 and diftinB Ideas of; it being impofTible they 
 fhould have fuch Ideas of what Inferiority 
 fuch a Derivation, as they are wholly unac- 
 quainted with, implies. But if we would 
 all content our felves to think jnodeftiy of the 
 unfearchable infinite Nature of God, which 
 is indeed to think moft rationally, confidering 
 the prefent Weaknefs and Darkncfs of Hu- 
 man 
 
(191) 
 
 man Minds ; and if we would fpeak about 
 the Son of Gody as the moft obvious Senfe of 
 Scripture guides us by its moft exalted At- 
 tributions to him equally with the Father, 
 and by what it reprefents to be the true 
 meaning of this Title, when it was ufed by 
 the Eternal Father, by Chr/Ji himfelf, by hi.s 
 Difciplesy and by the Jevos, yea, and by the 
 Devils themfelves ; then we rauft think and 
 fpeak of Chrift as fiich a Son, who is the 
 Supreme God equal to the Father, as he is 
 cne in Nature with him. 
 
 A few of the Things I have here mentio- 
 ned in Proof of this Point are fcattered a- 
 bout in other Parts of thefe Difcourfes. But 
 as I take it to be a Truth of confiderable mo- 
 ment in it felf, and with refped to forae re- 
 maining Branches of my Defign, I thought 
 it proper to lay hold on this Occa/ion to re- 
 prefent it in this flronger and more united 
 Light. But to return. 
 
 Unlefs we allow this Son of God to be of 
 the fame Nature or Efl'ence with the Father, 
 whatever elfe we Account him to be, we 
 make him infinitely inferior to God. For fup- 
 pofing him not to be truely and by Nature 
 God ; He, as far as I fee, can be nothing but 
 a Creature, there being no Medium. Every Be- 
 ing, according to all the Notions I am capa- 
 ble of, is either the increated God, or fome 
 way 7nad€, and whatever way that is, the. 
 E^'eB is really a Creature, and in its Nature 
 nothing more. And let a Creature be ad- 
 vanced to the utmoft Height of Excellence 
 and Eminence that can be imagined. He can 
 bear no Proportion to the infinitely Great, 
 Self-fufficient, and Self-Exiftent God. There 
 can be properly no more Equality between 
 
 hiiu 
 
( 192 ) 
 him and God, than there is between the mea- 
 neft of all Creatures and that God. 
 
 For all Creatures, of the higheft as well as 
 of the loweft Rank, are alike infinitely be- 
 neath God, as He is abfolutely Independent in 
 his Being and Attributes, and they intirely 
 Dependent in theirs j as He hath a Necejfaryy 
 and they but a contingent Exiftence, which 
 (fetting afide his Decree to the contrary) He 
 could deftroy at Pleafure, and crufh as the 
 Moth ; and as they are infinitely obliged to him, 
 and he not at all to them. Hence a Worm of 
 the Earth, yea, a Stone in the Street, or the 
 Din we tread upon, is infinitely nearer to an 
 Equality with the Higheft Seraphim, Arch-An- 
 gel, or Superangelick Creature, than that Crea- 
 ture is to an Equality with the great and infi- 
 nite 'Jehovah. Between a Creature and a Crea- 
 ture there is always fome Proportion, becaufe 
 their Diflance can't be abfolutely Infinite ; 
 But between the moft exalted Creature and 
 the (Creator, there can be no Proportion, be- 
 caufe their Diflance is abfolutely Infinite. The 
 Agreement of Creatures in their common De- 
 pendency, Contingency, Finitenefs, and Obligati- 
 ons to God, fets them infinitely more upon a 
 level with one another, than the mofl incon- 
 ceivable Excellencies in any of them can (tt 
 them on the level with the only true God, on 
 whom both they and all Things elfe intirely 
 depend, and who is no ways obliged to any 
 of them, but they all to Him. He is effen- 
 tially Being, and in comparifon with Him all 
 Things elfe are nothing ; and between infinite 
 Being and Nothing there can be no Propor- 
 tion. 
 
 See therefore how contemptibly the great 
 God fpeaks of the whole Creation compared 
 
 with 
 
( m ) 
 
 with himfelf. Behold the Nations are as a drop Ka. 40. 
 of a Bucket y and are counted as the fmall Dufi '5, i7» 
 of the Ballance- 'All Nations before him are 
 115 Nothing) and they are counted to him lefs than 
 Nothing, and Vanity. I'o whom then luill ye liken 
 God? orivhat likenefs will ye compare unto him ? 
 And who in Heaven can be compared to the Lord ? ]^[^\^29<, 
 who among the Sons of the mighty can be liken d 6. 
 unto the Lord ? Behold he charged his Angels with J^^ 4' 
 Folly or Vanity, and Behold he puts no trufi in J^ ' ^" 
 his Servants nor in his Saints or Holy Oncs; ' 
 Teay the Heavens (which includes all the Inha- 
 bitants of the Heavens, befides this God 
 himfelf, and fo includes Chrift, unlefs He is 
 that God) are not clean in his fight. They are 
 all as Nothing-, lefs than Nothing, and Vanity 
 before him. And even a Heathen King was 
 forced to own this infinite Greatnefs and in- 
 comparable Excellence of the moft High God 
 above all Creatures, and their Nothingnefs 
 before him, faying, All the Inhabitants of the Dan. 4^ 
 Earth are reputed oi Nothingy and none in Hea- ^''' 
 ven or Earth can flay his Handj or fay unto him^ 
 ivbat doji Thou .<* - ^ 
 
 Now if Chrift is not in his Original Na- 
 ture this moft High God, He, among the 
 reft of thi$ God's Creatures in Heaven and 
 Earth, is thus infinitely beneath him. He on 
 this debafing Suppofition, is comparatively 
 Nothings and lefs than Nothing, whatever 
 Terms Of Honour he is complemented with 
 by fome, who deny him to be by Nature the 
 only true God, and though it lliould be al- 
 low'd that there never zuas a ti?ne when he had 
 not a Being ; yet, as far as I can fee, if God 
 had fo pleafed, he might have been fdr ever 
 Nothing, and might have been reduced to No- 
 
 O thing 
 
. ( 194 J 
 
 thing after Me was brought into Being, and 
 depends on God to keep Him from fink- 
 ing into Nothing. Yea, (with Reverence be 
 all this fpoken) He, on this Suppofition, is 
 Vanity in eomparifon with the moll: High 
 God. O who can eafily admit fuch infinitely 
 degrading Thoughts of the Perfon of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift^ who we are told is the great God 
 cur Saviour, God over all Blejfedfor ever ! What 
 Chriftian Ears would not tingle, and what 
 Chriftian Hearts would not tremble, if they 
 really perceivd how our bkfTed Lord is placed 
 in this in finitely deprejjing Inferiority to the only 
 true God, by his being difown'd to be that 
 God ? 
 
 T'lmdly, The Doarine of Chrifl's Godhead 
 is of great Importance with Refpeci to the Fa- 
 thers Ju^icej and his Love to Sinners, in fending 
 his own only Son to die in Human Nature for 
 them. 
 
 I. His unyielding vindidive j^w/Z/c^ againft 
 Sin appears moft grand and awful by the 
 Scripture Account, that it would not allow of 
 any Sinner's Pardon, but by and on the Ac- 
 count of the Death of his own only Son. If 
 this Son was not his Son in a proper Senfe, 
 and fo by Nature God, an infinitely [mailer 
 offering, infinitely kfs valuable in it felf, and 
 infinitely kfs dear to the Father, was accepted 
 as a Satisfadion to Divine Juftice for Sin, than 
 if he was indeed his own proper Son, the fame 
 in Nature with Him. How excellent a Be- 
 ing foever Chrifl may be fuppofed to 
 be J yet if he was not in his Original 
 Nature the true God, the delivering Him 
 up to Death for Sinners in his alTumed Na- 
 
 ti]re> 
 
( »9^ ) 
 
 ture, was comparatively Nothing, and the 
 Satisfadion made by him was infiniteJy fhort 
 of what it isy on the Siippofition of his be- 
 ing that God. And the unalterable Reluc- 
 tances and Righteous vindictive Refentments 
 of the Holy and Jufl God againft Sin, can 
 never be Reprefenced in fo firong and clear 
 and affeBing a Light, as by his delivering up 
 to Death his ouin oyily Beloved proper and ejfe mi- 
 ni Son to appeafe them. What an awful Re- 
 verence of Divine 'Jtiftice muft our Minds be 
 poiTefs'd with, when we hear the great Jeho- 
 vah faying, Awake Sivord againfi my Shtp- Zee, ij. 
 htrd, againR the Man that is my Fellow I ^' 
 
 2. The Father's Love to Sinners is moft 
 glorioully enhanced and recommended to us 
 hereby. It would indeed have been an Ad 
 of great and undeferved Love to have faved 
 fuch wretched iinful Creatures as we are at 
 any Rate, or by any means, that fhould have 
 become the Wifdom of God. And that Love 
 would have commanded exceeding Admirati- 
 on and Praife in putting to Death fo excel- 
 lent a Creature for us, asfome fuppofe Chrift 
 to be, if the Death of fuch an One could 
 have been effedual to have faved us. But 
 what is that to the Love, which would freely 
 ^ivt up fuch an infinitely great and glorious, 
 beloved and only Son, who is really Godj the 
 fame in Effence with the Father, as Chrift is ? 
 To have Him abafed in the loweft Degree, 
 and treated in the moft infamous manner, 
 and put to the worft of Deaths in our Na- 
 ture, which He had made a Part of himfelf ; 
 and for the Father himfelf lo deliver him up to . ^ 
 all this, and to ftretch out his own Hand a- 3^^ ^* 
 gainft him to bruife him and put hiin to grief ifa. 55. 
 that he might Honourably extend the Riches 10. 
 O 3 of 
 
of his Grace to Sinners; this Aggrandizes his 
 Love to us above all Things elfe. Had the 
 whole Creation, befides us, been facrificed 
 for usi Would have been but a faint difplay 
 of God's Love to us compared with this ; be- 
 caufe all the Creation taken together is »«^• 
 thir.g in it felf, and nothing in the Father's Ac- 
 count, compared with this his well-beloved 
 and only begotten Son. Surely as God faid 
 to Abraham, when he withheld not his Son, 
 Gen.zi. his only Son Jfaac from him, Now I know that 
 *^* thou feareft me. So his People have the higheft 
 
 Reafon to fay to Him, with admiring Praife 
 and Holy Confidence, Now we know that 
 thou loveft us, feeing thou haft not withheld 
 thy Son, thine only and beloved Son from us. 
 How infinitely great and glorious doth his 
 Love appear in giving up fuch a Son to the 
 moft ignominious Death for us 1 
 
 And 'tis obfervable, that when God in the 
 Scriptures would fet out his Love in its 
 higheft and moft indearing Strains, he often 
 lays a fpecial Emphafis on this, that 'twas his 
 Son, his own Son, and his only begotten Son, 
 whom he gave to die for us. Godfo loved the 
 John 1. Ij/orld that he gave his only begotten Son, 
 ^ y V &c. And in this wui manifejled the Love oj God 
 ^, p^ 10. ?oxu/tr(i us, becaufe that God fent his only be- 
 gotten Son into the World, that we might live 
 through him. Herein is Love, not that we loved 
 _ God, but that he loved tis, and fent nisSoii tubs 
 
 g^ * * the Propitiation for our Sins. And God commen" 
 deth his Love toward m, in that while we were 
 yet Sinners Chrifl died for m. And further, to 
 fet out this Love, the lofty Divine Charafter 
 of the Perfon dying, as well as the bafe Qiia- 
 lities of the Perfons for whom he died, is ta- 
 ver. 10. ken Notice of. For when we were Enemies, we 
 
 wers 
 
C »97 ) 
 
 v: ere reconciled to God by the Death ^ his Son. 
 This commends God's Love beyond Dtfcrip- 
 tion ; And From this inconceivable matchlefs 
 Inflance of his richeft Grace to his People, the 
 Apoftie concludes that; he'll withhold nothing 
 from them, ftill laying the Emphafis on this, 
 that 'twas his own proper Son whom he deli- 
 ver'd up for them. He that /pared not his own Yio'Xi. 8. 
 Son, but deliver d hitn up for m all-, hew JhaU \z, 
 he not zuith him alfo freely give vn all T'hings ? 
 Since then the Scripture frequently puts fuch 
 Weight upon this, and the Nature of the 
 Thing fo fully falls in with it, to demon- 
 Urate the Love of God in its higheft Strains 
 to us, the Coniideration of Chrift, as God's 
 own only begotten Son, the Son of the Fa- 
 ther's Efl'ence, can't but be of great Impor- 
 tance with refped to that Love. 
 
 Fourthly, The Doftrine of Chrift's God- 
 head is of equal Importance with refpeSi to 
 his own Condefcention and Love, in giving him- 
 felf to die for m. He loved my and gave hint" 
 felf for usy is the common Language of the 
 Scripture, and it frequently fpeaks of this as 
 his own free Ad, to which he was under no 
 Conftraint ; yea, as fo freely his Ad, ;:hat he 
 had a Liberty or Power Originally in him- 
 felf to do or not to do it. 'Twas his own 
 Choice before it became his Obligation : Hence, j , 
 faid he, 'Therefore doth my Father love me, becaufe I \^ ,g^ 
 lay down my Life, that I might take it again. 
 No Man [Gr. 'Ou/«f none] taketh it from me, 
 but I lay it down of myself. / haveVowEK 
 to lay it down, &c. He that thought it not Rob- Phil, i, 
 bery to be equal with God, made himfelf of no 5>^>or 
 Reputation, and humbled himfelf to death, even 
 the death of the Crofs, and 'twas his own Mind 
 that led him tp all this. Now how much 
 O 3 moie 
 
( 198 ) 
 
 more doth this demonftrate the Love of 
 'Chrift in dying for us, than [^ he had been 
 but a 'Creature or dependent Being, For 
 then He could not have been at his own 
 "DifpOfe, nor have had an abfoUtte Soverein- 
 'ty over his own Life : but 'twould have been 
 intirely due to that God to whom He was 
 beholden for it, and He would have been 
 obliged, by the flrongeft Engagements of 
 the Law of his Nature, to refign it up at 
 God's Call (as may be Teen hereafter) and fo 
 TDuty to God, and not Love to us, as the 
 Scripture puts it, would have been the reigning 
 'Glory of his Death. 
 
 Belides, Had he been merely a Creature, 
 tho' ever fo excellent, he might in a proper 
 Senee,have got f^ch Glory and Ad v^antage to 
 himfelf by his K: filiation and Death, as 
 would have made it inluiitely worth his while, 
 for his own Intereft's Sake, to have under- 
 gone them : He might have been a real gain- 
 er by a Death from which he was to be raifed 
 to fuch high Degrees of Glory as are the 
 Confequences of it. For real Honour and 
 Advantage may undouljjtedly be added to a 
 mere Creature, by the Office-Dignities and 
 Powers it may be veiled with, beyond what 
 it had before. And therefore whatever Love 
 might be exprefs'd to God in his Death ; yet 
 ii what he did was really for his oiun Advan- 
 tage as well as ours, that would take off from 
 the infinite Greatnefs and Glory of the Love 
 he might be fuppofed therein to have for m. 
 But confider him as the true and mod High 
 God, and fo He is infinitely glorious and 
 bit/Ted in himfelf, and aothing can be really 
 added to Him ,• He can properly get nothing 
 by all that He doth for \Js, or by all that we 
 
 do 
 
(^99 ) 
 
 do in return for Him; no real acce/s of Glo- 
 ry or Advantage can by any means be m^de^ 
 to- Him, who is exalted in Himfelf al>ove 
 all Bleffing and Praife. 
 
 And tho' Chrift's Humane Nature is a Crea- 
 ture; yet his Perfon being infinitely more than 
 a Creature, t\i2i^ infinite Perfon was uncapabJe 
 of real additions of Glory or Bleflfednefs to 
 Himfelf. Hence he could not be profited by 
 all that He did and fuffer'd in Human Nature 
 for us; becaufc all the Glory He hath Pur- 
 fuant thereto is the Glory of that infinite 
 Perfon. Yea, and I may add, that the Glo- 
 ry due even to his Human Nature, by its Per^ 
 fonal Union with the Deityj may be fuppofed 
 to be inconceiveably greater than all the Glo- 
 ry of his OfEce, and I humbly conceive that 
 the infinite Honour, which the Deity put on 
 his Human Nature in its Perfonal Union with 
 the Eternal Word, fhcds a greater Glgry on 
 his Office, as that is managed in Human'Na- 
 ture, than the Office doth on his Human Na- 
 ture it felf Hence the Love, even of that 
 Human Nature muft vaftly excel all that can 
 be imagined to be in Chrift under any conr 
 fideration of him that denies his proper pci- 
 ty, fince his Human Nature was heartily wil- 
 ling to fubmit to a Deprivation of that Glo- 
 ry and BlelTednefs, which was due to it imme- 
 diately upon its Perfonal Union with the Son, 
 and to fubmit to the utmoft Difgrace, Sor- 
 ro\v*s. Sufferings and Death for Sinners, and 
 fince he would have been equally Happy with- 
 out the eminent Station he is now raifed to in. 
 Purfuance of his Sufferings, and fince the Glo- 
 ry of his Office now in Heaven derives it felf 
 more from hi?n, than ^^ his Glory from thar. 
 And yet after all, I fuppofe 'twill be thought 
 
 O 4 to 
 
( 2O0 ) 
 
 to be no Difparagement to the exceeding great 
 and indearing Love of Chrift as Many to fay, 
 that his Love as God is infinitely greater 
 itill. 
 
 For fuch a great and glorious God as he is, 
 to condefcend fo low as to become Man, and 
 in that Nature to perform all humble and 
 fuffering Obedience to the Law in the Form 
 of a Servant, even to Death for us, doth in- 
 deed demonftrate and inhance his Jingle Re- 
 gards to our Interefls, without any poiTible 
 Aim at Advantage to himfelf, and difplays 
 inch. 2l generous dijinterefied God-like "Lovt to us, 
 . as none but his infinite great felf is capable of. 
 ' And hence the Apoftle brings in thefe Aftings 
 of Chriftj under the Con fide rat ion of him as 
 the mo^ high Gody as the noblelf Inftance that 
 Phil. z. can be imagined of looking not to our own Things, 
 4> 55 6» i-Kf the 'things of others ; and propofes it as the 
 ^' mofl perfect Pattern for our Imitation. Let 
 
 this Mind he in you, which -was alfo in Cbriji Je-' 
 ffis, V)ho being in the Form of God, thought it not 
 Robbery to be equal with God j but made hi?nfelf of 
 no Reputation, ■ ■■ " • and being found infajhionas 
 a Man, he humbled hitnfelf, and became Obedient 
 to Death, even the Death of the Crofs. 
 
 Add to all this, that if Chrift is not God, 
 
 he is not the Party againfi whom we Jinnd. 'Twas 
 
 not his Authority that we defpifed, nor his 
 
 Goodnefs that we abufed, nor his Rights that we 
 
 invaded, nor his Glory that we flur'd, nor his 
 
 Law that we tranfgrefs'd, the Offence and 
 
 Provocation of our Sins are not immediately 
 
 I Joi^n againft him. For Sin is a Tranfgrejfon of the 
 
 L^nu of God ; 'tis only the great God that is the 
 
 Pfal. SI. formal Objed: againfi whom, Sin, as Sin, is di- 
 
 ^. ' redly committed. Againfi thee, faid Da'vid, 
 
 THEE ONi-y have J Jinnd i and how jhall I do this 
 
 great 
 
( 201 ) 
 
 great Wicks dnefsy faid 'Jofeph, and Sin againfl Gen. 59, 
 God ? And it' Chrift is not the Party ofFen-9» 
 ded, or the Objed againft whom our Sins 
 were committedj fiirely every one fees there 
 was not fuch a Bar in the way of his Love to 
 us, nor (fpeaking after the manner of Men) 
 fuch a Difficulty in himfelj to bring his Heart 
 toward us, and to lay himfelf out to the ut- 
 moft for our Salvation, and confquently not 
 fo furprifing a Greatnefs in his Condefcention 
 and Love to us, as if our Sins were really and 
 direftly committed againft himfelf. 
 
 But Chrift being truly and properly God, the 
 fame inEflence with theFather,an ourNumber- 
 lefs and aggravated Sins are as immediately 
 and diredly againft him, as againft the Father. 
 They are committed againft God as God, 
 againft the Godhead in all the Perfons of it, 
 and fo againft the Son as well as the Father, 
 he together with the Father being Lord of jyjj^f jj, 
 the Law, as his being Lord of the Sabbath Day 8. 
 imports, fince by his Lordfhip over the Sab- 
 bath, he could interpret his own Law con- 
 cerning it, and transfer the Obligation to 
 obferve it from the Seventh to the Firft Day 
 of the Week. Yea, the Author to the He- 
 brews fpeaks of Chrift, as that God who gave 
 the Law at Mount Sinaiy W^jofe Voice then ^^^* '^• 
 jhookthe Earth, according to the awful Ac-^ 
 count of that fhaking at the Delivery of the 
 Law, which was defcribed in fome foregoing 
 Parts of the Chapter. And the whole Con-"*^-^^»*9i 
 text fhews that this Voice was Chriji's. Hence ^^' *** 
 the Rebellions, Murmurings, and Provoca- 
 tions, which T/r/e^-/ committed againft God in 
 the Wildernefs, whereby they tempted him, 
 are fpoken of as committed againft Chrift, 
 and as a tempting of him ; on which Foot the 
 
 Apoftlc 
 
( 202 ) 
 
 Apoftle cautions us to take heed of the likq 
 
 1 Cor, Sins againft him. Neither let us tempt Chrifi^ 
 
 'o. 9- as fomeof them alfo temptedy and iLere dejlroyed of 
 
 rov. 8, ^gyp^yi^s^ Accordingly Chrift fays. He that 
 
 Jinneth agamfl me, virongs bis own Soul. 'Tis 
 
 againft Chrift, as God, that all our multiply'd 
 
 Tranfgreffions, Treafons, and Rebellions 
 
 have been committed in Heart and Life, and 
 
 how great and heinous in their Nature and 
 Circumftances, and beyond all Account in 
 Number have thefe been ! 
 
 Now tho' all thefe Abominations have work" 
 ed within us, and been aded by us againft 
 
 • him, whofe Nature is infinitely Pure and 
 Holy, and can't but hate and abhor them, 
 
 .and who perfectly knew how vile and crimi- 
 nal we fhould make ourfelves by them ; his 
 Love was neverthekfs fo iniinitely great to 
 his Church as to die for them, that he might 
 erfectually redeem them from all their Iniqui- 
 ties, and advance them to a confummate 
 
 JBleflednefs in the full Enjoyment of himlelf 
 with his bleffed Father and Spirit to an end- 
 lefs Et;^rnity. He who thus loved us unto , 
 Death, that we thereby might inherit eternal 
 Life, is the Prince of the Kings of the Earthy 
 which is a Charader of like import with his 
 being King of Kings and Lord of Lords, which 
 
 1 have fliewn denotes his real Godhead, and 
 iat the fame time it leads us to confider him 
 as the God againft whofe Law and Govern- 
 ment we have finn'd. And whilft he was 
 confider'd and fpoken of under this exalted 
 Character, how fweet an Accent muft this. 
 
 Kcv. r. give to that Song of Praife, Unto him that /cjx/- 
 
 5, t. ved usy and tvajj'd us from pur Sins in his oivn 
 
 Bloody and hath made us Kings and Fritfts unto 
 
 God and his Father ; To him be Glory and Domi- 
 
 nion 
 
C 203 ) 
 
 nion for ever and ever. Amen. This illuftrates 
 his dying Love in Tuch amazing and afFefting 
 Strains as norhing elfe can. Hereby perceive we ? J° "* 
 the Lct^eof God; what Life and Force is there 
 in this ExprefTion ! becaufe he (God) laid dovin 
 'his Lfi for us. And what are we whom God 
 in his Love laid down his Life for ? we were 
 Sinners againft that God, as the Apoftle had 
 reprefented us in fome foregoing Verfes, Who- ^' ^* ^• 
 foever ccmmitteth Sin tranjgrsjfeth alfo the Law : 
 
 and jg knoiu that he was mamfejled to take 
 
 away 'our Sim ; and he that ccmmitteth Sm is 
 
 of the Devil for this Purpofe the Son of God 
 
 was manifefledy that he jnight deflroy the Works v. 8. 
 of the Devil. 'Twas the Son of God, who 
 is himfelf God, and fo the Being againft whom Rom. 5. 
 we w^QTQ Jinners, enemies and ungodly, that died 6 — 10, 
 for us. And when the Apoftle would recom- 
 mend the Church to the affeftionate Care of 
 its Elders, he doth it by this Argument, that 
 *tis the Church of God, which he redeemed with A£t$ zo. 
 his oiun blood. And in all the Encomiums of 28. 
 Xhrift's Love, the Accent is generally laid on ^P^* 5- 
 
 1,25. 
 
 "his giving himfelf for us ; and certainly the q^^. 
 higher Thoughts we have of his great felf, 
 the more glorious and engaging that Love 
 muft needs appear to us : Hence the Apoftle, 
 cxprefTing this Love of Chrift, calls him the 
 .'Son of Cody who loved him, and gave himfelf for 
 him. The grcatnefs of his Perfon enhanced 
 his dying Love, and 'twas the Confideration. 
 of him as God that made him appear fo ami-* 
 able to his Difciples as he did in his Incarna- 
 tion, and in all the Condefcention and Grace 
 he difcoyer'd therein. "The wordy which ly^ij 
 God, wcii made Flefhy and dwelt among usy and 
 we beheld his Glory, the Glory as of the only Be- 
 gotten of the rather, full of Grace and "Truth, 
 John J. i^. 'Twas 
 
 2.10* 
 
'Twas wondrous Love and Grace that Co 
 infinitely high and excellent an one^ as the 
 great God our Saviour isy fhould look with 
 any Favour upon fuch mean deteftable Mif- 
 creants as we are. But what unutterable ftu- 
 pendious Condefcention, Love and Grace was 
 here, that fuch a great offended God as this 
 fhould come into a, mediatorial Capacity in our 
 Nature, and die in that Nature to reconcile 
 fuch worthlefs Criminals, as we are,. to God, 
 whofe Rights in the Oeconomy of our Salva- 
 tion were held in the Father's Hands, that he 
 on behalf of the Godhead might maintain 
 them, and receive the Satisfadion which this 
 great Mediator fhould make to them ! Surely 
 then the Dodrine of Chrift's Godhead muft 
 be of great Importance with refped to his 
 own Condefcention and Love: And it looks 
 like the blackeft Ingratitude in us to turn the 
 raoft indearing and aftonifhing Inftances of 
 this fort, into the moft difgraceful Implica- 
 tions againft his proper Deity, Is this the 
 ungenerous Requital we make him for his 
 Grace to us ? Is this our Kindnefs to our 
 beft of Friends > fhall we make a handle of 
 his matchlefs felf- humbling Compaffions to- 
 ward us, to take from him the Glor^ of his 
 Love, and of his Godhead too ? Methinks an 
 ingenious Shame fhould fhed a Blufh upon our 
 Faces whenever fuch a Thought ftarts up in 
 our Minds. 
 
 APPLICA'TION. 
 
 I. TVe may hereby make fome eflimate of the 
 
 Worth of our immortal Seuls, and learn to be 
 concernd about them. 'Tis true our Souls, 
 like the reft of God's Works, are as Nothing 
 
 and 
 
. C 205 ) 
 
 and Vanity^ compared with him; But compa- 
 red with many other Things, and with all 
 Things here below, they are of ineflimable 
 •worth, and they are fo in God's Account, and 
 therefore fliould be fo in our's. They arc 
 the moft excellent Part of this lower World, 
 the Dignity of Human Nature lies in them ; 
 they are fpiritual Beings of Noble Birth, and j^^j,^ j^^ 
 call God Father, as they refemble his fpiritu- 9. 
 al Nature,, and are his moft immediate 
 Workmanftiip ^ they were at firft created in 
 his moral Image., and are capable of being 
 reftored to it again ; they only, or we by 
 them are capable of moral Government, of 
 Sin or Obedience, or of Rewards or Punifh- 
 ments; and They only have the Stamp of Im- 
 mortality upon them, with Powers fitted to 
 know and glorify him that made them, and 
 to enjoy the all comprehending Goodnefs, 
 which alone is able to fatisfy them. Hence, 
 of all this lower World *tis only we who 
 have immortal Souls, that needed a proper 
 Redemption, or were capable of being pro- 
 perly Redeemed. And God has put fuch a 
 Value on Human Souls, that fince nothing 
 elfe (as far as we know) could redeem them, 
 the Son of God, who is himfelf God, be- 
 came incarnate and died in his afl'umed Na- 
 ture for that purpofe. What a vaft Price 
 hath he put upon thefe Souls, and laid down 
 for their Redemption ! And what an infinite 
 Concern for them and Love to them hath he 
 exprefs'd thereby ! and fiiall we our felves neg- 
 left and defpifc them, and be unconcerned a- 
 bout them ; or prefer an Indulgence of our 
 irregular Appetites and the Senfitive brutal 
 Entertainments of a perijhing Body before them ! 
 Shall we debafe thefe precious Souls, and call 
 
 them 
 
( 206 ) 
 
 them away, yea, and purfiie their Eternal 
 Ruin 1 What an Affront is this to God! What 
 an Al^ufeof his Care and Kindnefs i How in- 
 decent and unworthy a Contempt is this of 
 his Judgment about them, and of" the infinite 
 Price he has put upon them 1 How jnfJ wili 
 his Vengance be on thofe, who after all this 
 have no touching Care or Heart Solicitude 
 about their own Souls ; but heed icily aban- 
 don them to all that is vile and miferable, 
 flight and refufe the only Saviour, and neg- 
 led the appointed Means of conveying his 
 great Salvation to theml And what a dread- 
 ful and irreparable Lofs will this be to them- 
 Mat.i^. felves for ever I Forzvhat is a Man profited, if he 
 x6. fh all gain the whole World and Ufe his own Soul? 
 or what ji)all a Man give in Exchange for his Soul ? 
 ^^» Let Believers learn fro?n hence to return 
 
 all foffihle Love and Obedience to the Father and 
 Son, for their infinite Lf^veto them. How fliould 
 the free and undeferveu Love of the Father in 
 fending the Son, and the like Love of the 
 Son in coming to redeem us, affed our Hearts, 
 and make them glow and flame with the moft 
 I Tohn ^^'^^^"^ Love and Affeflion toward them ! we 
 A.19, ftould love them, becaiife they frfl loved us. 
 We were utterly unworthy of their Love, but 
 they are infinitely worthy of ours. 'Twas in- 
 finite Condefcention in them to love us at all, 
 but 'tis our Glory to love them more than all. 
 They can't profit themfelves by loving us, but 
 our loving them is our own highefl Advan- 
 tage, the Felicities of Heaven it felf confift in 
 great Meafure therein j Heaven would be no 
 Heaven, if Love was not there. We had infi- 
 nitely provok'd them to abhor us for ever, but 
 they have infinitely obliged us by all the Tyes 
 of Grace as well as Authority to give them 
 
 our 
 
( 207 ) 
 
 our Hearts, They have manifefled iht'ir Love 
 to us in tlie moft aflonifliing Methods furpaf- 
 fing all our Thoughts ; and we fhould jhew 
 our Love to them in all the ways and by all 
 the means we are capable of exprefling ic 
 Our whole Lives fhould proclaim it in a con- 
 ftant Courfe of cheerful and unrefervd Obedi- 
 ence, even to Death it felf The Bonds of 
 Love are upon us to conftrain us to thefe Re- 
 turns to the Son as well as the Father. For Rom.14- 
 to this End Chrifl both died, and refey and revi- 7> 8, 9» 
 ved, that he might be Lord of the Dead and Liv~ 
 ing. And therefore let none of us live to himfelj 
 or die to himfelf, as if we were our own Lords ; 
 but let us uife our Lives for his Service, and re- 
 fign them up at his Appointment, and in fuch 
 a way as he may be moft glorify 'd by, reckon- 
 ing with our felves that ivhether ive live, we live 
 to the Lord j and whether we die, we die to the 
 Lord ; and whether we live or diey we are the 
 Lord's 
 
 SERMON 
 
( ao8 ) 
 
 1 Tim. 
 z. $. 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 ROM. ix. $. 
 
 whom as concerning the Tlejh 
 came^ who is over all^ God 
 
 -Of 
 Chrift 
 blejjed for ever. Amen. 
 
 Am confidering the great Importance of 
 the Doftrine of Chrift's true and pro- 
 per Godhead in feveral Refpects, and 
 now Ihall reprefent it. 
 
 Fifthly, With Refpe^ to his great Office and 
 Work of Mediation, 
 
 ■ "That Chrift in our Nature is the only Me- 
 diator between God and Man is the current 
 Doftrine of the Scriptures, which ailbre usy 
 'There is one Cod and one Mediator betiween God 
 and Men, the Man Chrift Jefus. The Apoftie's 
 diftinguifhing Chrift from God in this Place, 
 ; isnot to be underftood with Refpeft to their 
 Naturesy as i^ the Father and he (confidering 
 Chrift in his Original Nature) were in that 
 Refped diftind from one another, or as if 
 Chrift was not by Nature really God, tho' in 
 Perfon diftinft froi;n the Father ; for by the 
 
 fame 
 
C 209 ) 
 
 fame Reafon he would not be really Man, be- 
 caufe he is h'kewife diftingiiifli'd from Men. 
 But he is here fpeaking of the Oecommy or 
 Difpenfation o't God, with Regard to the Re- 
 conciliation of God and Men; in which Coi 
 is confider'd as the offended, and Man as the 
 offending Party ; and Cbriji is fpoken of as a 
 middle Perfon between them, partaking of 
 both Natures, to reconcile them. And he is 
 here denominated by his i7«7»<«K Nature, be- 
 caufe in that Nature he perform'd the Work of 
 Mediation ; and becaufe we Men might be 
 the rather incouraged to expeft Salvation by 
 him, who as Man was fit to take the part of 
 Men. And what the Apoftle here fpeaks of 
 him under the Denomination of Man, is at 
 other times apply'd to him in his whole Per- 
 fon, and when he is fpoken of as God as well 
 
 as Man. We have a great High-Prieft 
 
 Jefus the Son of God, and he is calfd ^efus the ^^^' ^' 
 Mediator of the Netu Covenant. And this Me- Heb. iz. 
 diator is he ivhofe Voice we are told, [book the 24. 
 Earth, viz.. when he gave the Law at Mount ver. i6, 
 Sinai', and this was the great Jehovah, as 
 appears from Exod. 19. 18. 
 
 And how he who is God (tioxx A be a Mediae 
 tor with God for Men, is ealily underftood 
 and reconciled, by conlidering the relative 
 Properties of the Godhead, whereby the Fa- 
 ther and Son are two dijlinB Perfons, tho' one 
 in Nature and effential Properties, and by con- 
 fidering that rhefe two Perjons by voluntary 
 Agreement fuftain different CharaSiers in the 
 Work of our Salvation ; The Father, that of 
 Supreme Lawgiver on the behalf of the Deity, 
 and the Son, that of Mediator in Human Na- 
 ture, which he aHumed into Perfonal Union 
 with himfclf, that he might therein perform 
 
 P the 
 
( 210 ) 
 
 the whole of his Office of Mediation in a 
 way of Subordination to the Father. And, 
 to help our Thoughts in this Gafe, there 
 are Inftances among Men, in which Perfons 
 may acl in difl'erent Charaders toward one 
 another, tho' they are in other Refpeds one 
 and the fame. As in the Reign of the great 
 King IVilliarn and Queen M^^ry the Regal Dig- 
 nity was one and the fame in both, and they 
 v/ere even one Per/on in Law-Ccnlideration, 
 tho' different in their Natural SubMences, 
 and confequentiy every Crime committed 
 againft one, in that Confideration, Vv'as e- 
 qually a Crime committed againll them botlj. 
 And yet it would not have been inconfi- 
 ftent for the Qjieen to have mediated with the 
 King for the Remiffion of Crimes committed 
 againfl the Regal Dignity, which was com- 
 mon to them both. Why then fnou'd it be 
 thought inconfillent that the Son fhould ad in 
 the Quality of Mediator toward the Father, 
 as he af[erte,d the Rights of the Godhead, or 
 even toward the Godhead it felf, in which the 
 Son was a Divine fiibfiftent, fince the Father 
 and the Son are two diflind Perfons, tho' one 
 in Efl'ence and Original Dignity, and fince 
 the Son aflum'd an inferior Nature to Exer- 
 cife this inferior Oillce in } 
 
 And truly the Difficulty and Honour of 
 this Work of Mediation is fo great, and fuch 
 an immenfe Glory redounds to the Perfon 
 who performs it, and is to be afcribed to him 
 for ever, that none but he who is God could 
 be equal to the Performance, or worthy to 
 wear the Honour of it. If he was not God, 
 'twould have been very unfit that he fliould be 
 our Redeemer, becaufe by his Purchafe we 
 iliould be his that boi^ght us. Our Redeemer 
 
 muft 
 
(211) 
 
 mufl: be our abfoliite Lord as well as Saviour, 
 For none of ns liveth to bhnfelfy and no Man di^ 
 eth to bimjelj ; for luhether we live ivejive to the 
 Lord, and iv bet her tue dk we die to the Lord i 
 whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords. 
 For to this End Cbrif? both died, and rofe and re- 
 vived, that be might be Lord both cf the Dead 
 and Living, Rom. 14. j, S, g. But 'twould 
 leflen the Rights of the Deity, if we fcould 
 thus become the abfohite Property and Ser- 
 vants of any but God, to whom alone we 
 owe our felves, and all the abfolute Obedi- 
 ence we are able to pay. And God's Jealou- 
 {y for his own Glory would never fuffer the 
 Communication of this Divine Honqur to 
 any, who is not by Nature the only true 
 God. 
 
 Moreover, The proper >Deicy of our great 
 Mediator, is a neccflary Foundation of his 
 high Undertakings and Performances as fuch, 
 and of all the Virtue and Efficacy whereby 
 they are brought to a fafe and bleflcd llilie, in 
 the Eftablifliment of a righteous and Lifting 
 Peace between God and Man. , If he had not 
 been God, he could nor have been The won- j^^^ ^ 
 derful Connfellor, to have agreed with the Fa- 
 ther before all Worlds about the way of Re- 
 conciliation, or to have undertaken the Work 
 of Mediation on the behalf of thofe whom 
 the Father then gave him. For who but he 
 that IS God could have been with the Father 
 to tranfad with him, and engage for them as 
 owe fet up from everlafling, from the Beginning or P-^ov.8. 
 ever the Earth was ? Nor could he have been ^^* 
 fit or able to Infwer his Charafter and En- 
 gagements as Mediator, when in the fullnefs of 
 'time, God, viz.. the Father, according to thofe q^|^ .^ 
 prior Agreements, fent forth his' Son- made cf a 
 
 P 2 Woman, ^' ^ 
 
( 912 -) 
 
 jVomayij made under the Law, to redeem them 
 that were under the Law, that ive might receive 
 the Adoption of Sons. The Glory and Efficacy 
 of his Mediatorial Office and Work depend 
 on his being true and proper God, as well as 
 true and proper Man. Hence the grand De- 
 sign of the Epiftle to the Hebrews is to de- 
 monftrate that the vaft Dignity of Chrift's 
 Perfon is the Ground and Reafon of the Effi- 
 cacy of his Office, as a careful Reader may 
 eafily obferve. And the Truth of this may 
 be feen with refped to the Three great Bran- 
 ches of that Office, which are ufually, ac- 
 cording to the Scriptures, divided into thofe 
 of a Prophet, Priejij and King. 
 
 I. The Dodrine of Chrifl's Godhead is of 
 great Importance -with refpecl to his Prophetick 
 Office. 
 
 if he is not God he can't be fuch a Prophet, 
 as the Scripture defcribes him to be, and as 
 Col. 2.5. T^ve dark and ignorant Creatures need. In him 
 are hid all the Treajures of JVifdom .and Know- 
 ledge : And it was necefTary that our Prophet, 
 in whom we muft ultimately confide, as in 
 his own Authority fhould have thefe Treafures 
 in himfelf not merely by Revelation as other 
 Prophets have them, but as the Son of God, 
 who is in the Bofom of the Father, and origi- 
 nally of himfelf knows him and all his Coun- 
 fels, as they are in themfelves, tho' in the Dif- 
 penfation committed to him, he reveals them 
 to us only, according to the Extent of his 
 Commiffion. Hence his being the only begot- 
 ten Son of the Father, who is in his Bofom, is 
 fpoken of as the Foundation of his prophetick 
 Office, fobn i. 18. and 6. ^6. And hence, 
 
 tho' 
 
C 213 J 
 
 tho' fometimes, as he was Man, and his Fa^ 
 ther's Servant, it was proper he fhould behave 
 it and fpeak of himfeJf in his Prophetick Of^ 
 fice in a way of Inferiority to his Father; 
 yet at other times, and for the moft part, 
 he fpoke and behaved it like the moft High 
 God, like one, who had originally in himfelf 
 all the Light and Knowledge hecommuniirated 
 to others, and who deliver'd his Dodrineslike a 
 fe/f-fufficient independent all-knowing Perfon in 
 his own Name. Our great Prophet muft be one 
 that did not ufe to wait for an Infpiration, and 
 preface what he faid with ^T'hus faith the Lord, 
 as the Prophets of old generally did in their 
 Prophcfies; but he muft be able to fay, as 
 Chnft's ufual God-like way was, Verily, ve-r- 
 rtly I fay unto you. None of the Prophets or 
 Apoftles ufed fuch Soverain Forms of Speech 
 ia the Delivery of their Meffage. Thefe only 
 became that great Prophet of the Church, 
 who is, as he call'd himfelf, the Light of theJf^^nS, 
 Worldy felf-fufficient for Doftrine and Prophe- ^^* 
 fy, and could deliver them whenever he plea- 
 fed, and always alike infallibly as from him^ 
 felf, in fuch a way of fupreme Authority, that 
 the People ivere afionijhed at his DoBrine ; For he ^ 
 taught them as one having Authority. 2,3 20.' 
 
 Yea, the great Prophet of the Church muft 
 be one from whom the Prophets of old had all 
 their Inftrudions, as their Original Source of 
 Light, Thoufands of Years before his Incar-r 
 nation ; For what they taught and prophefy'd 
 of Thing? to come, was only as they w re 
 pnder the Infpiration of his Spirit. By hiS 
 Spirit he went and preached to the Old Wcrii i Pet, 3, 
 in the Days of Noah ; and by his S;Mrit he '9. 
 teftify'd in and by the Ancient P.ODtuts 
 the Things cpncernijig himfelf, which wcv«? 
 
 P 3 after- 
 
( 214 ) 
 
 afterwards to be more fully reveal'd, i Pet. i. 
 II. He muft likewife be the Fountain of all 
 the Knowledge the Apoftles had themfelves, 
 or were the Means of conveying to others 
 about fpiritaal Things. And accordingly 
 when he left his Difciples, he aflur'd them he 
 would fend his Spirit to them, who fhould 
 John 1(5. take of his thingSy which were properly his 
 *4) i5« own as well as the Father's, and jhevj them 
 unto them. And from this Prophet muft pro- 
 cede all thofe ordinary mternal Jllmninations 
 of the Hearts of his People, without which 
 all external Revelations by the Word would 
 1 John be ineffedual. Hence he is faid to have come, 
 5* 2.0. and given them an Under/landing to kmvj him ; 
 wliich exadly Anfwersto whatthe great Jeho- 
 Jer. 14. ^'^h fpeaks of, as his Work, and promifes in his 
 7. Covenant, Iv:illgive thej-n an Heart to knowmcy 
 
 as you have already heard -, with more to the 
 fame Purpofe. 
 
 Now if Chrift is not God, he could not 
 be fuch a great and complete Reprefenrative of 
 God to the Church ; nor could he difcharge 
 his Prophetick Office in this Authoritati've, 
 Ahfolutey Selj-fu^cient, Extenjtvey Conftant^ Spi- 
 ■ ritual and Infallible manner. He could nei- 
 ther do it immediately by himfelf, nor mediate- 
 ly by his Spirit ; for to do it by his Spirit, 
 as plainly imports his Godhead, as to do it 
 by himfelf, as has been fhewn. A truly Di- 
 vine Greatnefsy Omnifciencei and Omniprefence 
 is abfolutely necelfary to that Prophet, who 
 in this fiipr erne transforming and e^ecrua I ma.n- 
 ner teaches his Church in all the Members 
 of it, in all Ages, and in all Places where 
 they are widely fcatter'd throughout the Earth, 
 and that at one and the fame time. Surely 
 none but God can be capable of doing this.- 
 
 And 
 
( 2<5) 
 
 And if Chriil is not God he can't be Aich a 
 Prophet to us. Wcmiift not receive what he fays 
 barely upon his own Authority, and the whole 
 Inftrudion of the Church muft be precarious 
 as it depends on him : But if he is by Na- 
 ture the 0}j/y wife Gody he has aJl Light origi- 
 nally in himfelf, fufficient, i\v the difcharge 
 of his prophetick Office, to difcover the Di- 
 vine Nature and Will to us, as far as the No- 
 tices of them are needful for us j to irradiate 
 our dark Minds with All-faving Knowledge, 
 to guide us in all our Soul-Concerns, and to 
 dired us with his unerring Counfel in the 
 whole courfe of our walking before God here, 
 till he lliall receive us to his Glory. 
 
 2. The Dodrine of Chrift's Godhead is of 
 great Importance with ref^ccl to his Prieflly 
 Office. 
 
 This may be confider'd in its tv^ principal 
 Branches ; Oblation and Imsrcejjton. 
 
 (i.) 'Tis of great Importance with refpe^ 
 to the. Sacrifice he offer d. The Rights and Hon- 
 our of God's judice, tlolinefs, Veracity, 
 Law and Government require that a proper 
 legal Satisfadion be made for Sin, in Cafe any 
 Sinners are faved i and becaufe as far as we 
 can underftand, no fiich Satisfadion could be 
 otherwife made, Chrift became our great High 
 Prieft, and offer'd up himfelf as an expiatory 
 Sacrifice for us. But unlefs Chrift is God, the 
 Sacrifice he offer'd could not anfwer its End 
 in fatisfying Divine Juftice, and fo obtaining 
 eternal Redemption for us. The Notion of 
 a true and proper Satisfadion neceflarily inis- 
 ports two Things, vi'z... That Reparation be 
 made equal to the Offence ^ and that the Per- 
 
 V ^ foil 
 
( ai6) 
 
 fon who makes it did not owe it on other Ac^ 
 counts to the offended Party. And the real 
 Godhead of Chrift was neceflary to both 
 thefe. 
 
 \_l.^ SatisfaElion imports that Reparation le 
 made equal to the Offence. Whatever is admit- 
 ted fhort of this is Mercy and Gracey and to 
 fay that Jujftice is fatisfy'd by yielding to 
 J Grace, and giving up its Rights to an Ad of 
 Grace, Teems to be a great Impropriety and 
 Contradidion in Terms, and a dired oppofiti- 
 on tQthe Apoftle, who fays in the Cafe before 
 Kom. ;. us, God hath Jet forth Chrtfi to be a Propitiation 
 *5' through Faith in his Blood, to declare his Righ- 
 
 • TEOUSNESS,- ' -that he might be Just, and the 
 '^ujlifier of him that believes in J ejus. But if 
 Chrift was not God, he could not make this 
 full Reparation to the Law and Juftice for our 
 Tranfgreffions. For Sin is an Offence objec- 
 lively inji^te, as 'tis committed againft an in- 
 finite God, and is the highefl: Treafon and Re- 
 bellion againft his Crown and Dignity. And 
 therefore proper SatisfaSiion for it muft be 
 fome way infinite too, or elfe it is not pro- 
 portioh'd to the Offence. And no Satisfacti- 
 on can be any way infinite, but either by an 
 infinite Continuation of it, or by it's infinite Dig- 
 iiity. For want of in^nite Dignity or Worth, 
 it muft be continued to an infinite Duration, 
 on which account thofe who are not interefted 
 in Chrift'sSatisfadion muft fuffcr to an end- 
 lefs Eternity to idxh^y Juftice, as far as they 
 are able, for thernfelves. The Eternity of 
 their Sufferings can't, as I conceive, be re- 
 concil'd to the Juftice and Gobdnefs of God 
 on any other Foot then that Juftice demands 
 ^n infinite Satisfaction for Sin. But where 
 there is an infinite IVorth and Value in the 
 
 Satisfadi- 
 
( 317 ) 
 
 Sarisfadion it felf, there it needs not to be 
 continued infinitely For Duration ; for that 
 would be to over do it, becaufe fuch Satis- 
 fadion is infinite without that Duration. 
 
 Now that Chrift's Sufferings are not con- 
 tinued infinitely in Duration the Scripture 
 fully allures usj for according to them, he liv- 
 ed in a State of Sufi^ering but a little while on 
 Earth, rofe the Third Day from the Dead, 
 and is now in Heaven in a State of the high- 
 eft Glory and Bleflednefs, having offer'd him- 
 felf but once for all^ and after he had offer d one Heb. lo. 
 Sacrifice for Sins for ever, he fat down on the 10,12,14. 
 
 Right Hand of God, •^—•'For by one Offering 
 
 hi hath ^erfeEled for ever them that are fayiBifyd. 
 And therefore the Satisfadion he made hy 
 that one Offering, could be no otherwife in- 
 finite than by its own intrinfick Worth and 
 Value ; and this intrinfick Worth it could not 
 have unlefs from the infinite Worth, Dignity, 
 or Excellence of his Perfon, who gave Him- -^l'^* 5* 
 SELF /or us — and offer d up Himself to God, — ^^^^ g 
 and luho HIS own Self bare our Stns in his own ,^, 2,6. 
 
 Body on the Tree and put away Sin by the Sa- i Per. 
 
 crifice of Himself. Tho' thefe Expreflions ^* ^^' 
 hav^e a peculiar Reference to his Human Na- 
 ture; yet his Deity in Conjimdion with it 
 muft go into our Idea of himfelf. He fometimes 
 fpoke of his Body as himfelf, Behold my Hands 
 and my Feet, that it is I my felf — for a Spirit 
 hath not Flejh and Bones, as ye fee me have, Luke 
 24. 3 p. But as this Account of himfelf did 
 not exclude his ^o«/ (which animated it, and 
 made it a living Body) from being himfelf 
 likewife: No more doth the Scripture's fpeak- 
 ing of his Human Nature as himfelf, which he 
 offer'd up, exclude his Divine Nature (which 
 gave the Dignity to that offering) from be- 
 ing 
 
(2l8) 
 
 ing himfelf too. His whole Perfon taking in 
 his Divine and Human Nature, Body and 
 Soul, is Himfelf. 
 
 And tho' ftridly fpeaking 'twas only Chrifl's 
 Human Nature that futl-er'd and died, his Dei- 
 ty being abfoluteiy impailible ^ yet that Hu- 
 man Nature being perfonally united to the Di- 
 vine, and fo become himfelf:^ his Sufferings in 
 that Nature were the Sufferings of' himfelf, 
 and rofe in Value and Dignity in Propor- 
 tion to what he was who underwent them. As 
 fuppofe a Perfon ftrikes his Soverain, he 
 don't properly flrike his Dignity, for that is 
 impoiiible, it not being fubjedt to corporal 
 ImprefTions -, he only ftrikes his Body ; and yet 
 the Injury done thereby is rated by the Digni" 
 ty of the Perfon more than by the Natural Hun 
 of his Body, which was no greater than the 
 fame ftroke might have done to the Body of 
 his raeaneft Vaffal, if it had light on him. 
 But the Difference of their CharaBers makes 
 fuch a vaft Difference in the Laws Account of 
 thefe Wounds, that one is reckon'd High Trea^ 
 fon to be punifii'd with Death, and the other 
 hardly criminal enough to be punifh'd at all, 
 or at moft but very flightly. This very well 
 lerves to illuftrate the infinite Evil of Sin, as 
 'tis committed againft the infinitely great God, 
 and it like wife leads our Thoughts into the 
 true way of rateing Chrift's fufferings, and the 
 Satisfaction made thereby, which I now 
 principally intend by it, as it fhews that 
 tho' Chrift's Dignity could not fuffer -, yet the 
 true Rate or juft Eftimate of his Sufferings ari- 
 fes from the Dignity of his Perfon, who was 
 the Subjed of them. 
 
 Accordingly, as his Perfon is, fo are his fuf- 
 fmngs. j If his Perfon i^ not of infinite Worth 
 
 and 
 
( 219 ) 
 
 and Dignity, 'tis impoffible his temporary 
 Sufterings, and the Satisfaction made thereby 
 (hoiild be fo. And this infinite Dignity could 
 not be in his Perfon ,• unlefs he is properly and 
 by Nature God. For according to all the 
 Notions 1 hav^e of infinite, the true God only 
 can be properly fo. And let us advance the 
 Character of Chrift as high as we can, yet if he 
 is not by Nature the only living and true God, 
 he is (o far from being infinite in Dignity, 
 that he' is infinitely lefs Worthy and Excellent 
 in himfelf than the infinite God is ; and con- 
 fequently every one muft fee how impofTible 
 it is that his Sufferings, andSati5fadion there- 
 by, fhould be fuhje^ively 'mBnitQ, after the like 
 fort as our Sin is Ol^jcolively fo. The Indig- 
 nity being committed againll: the only true 
 God, mufl: be infinitely greater than the high- 
 eft Dignity that can be found in the Sufterings 
 of any who is not that God, and the Satis- 
 faftiOn made thereby, can't^be infinite in fo 
 high a Senfe, as the Guilt of our Tranfgref- 
 iions is : But if Chrift is in his Original Na- 
 ture God, his Suff^-ring in our Nature, and 
 his Satisfaftion thereby, is Sii'ojecli'vely as in- 
 finite, as our Sins are ObjeEiivcly fo i and confe- 
 quently Reparation is thereby made every way 
 equal to the Offence, and no Sins can be too 
 great or many for (uch a Sacrifice to make a 
 complete Attonement fop them. 
 
 Hence the Scripture fpeaks of Chrift in his 
 higheft Character as God, when it difplays . 
 the Dignity and Efficacy of his Sacrifice. 
 He is reprefented as the Brightnefs of the Fa- 
 ther's Glory, and the exprefs Image of hi-; Perfon, "*=t).i.3. 
 and upholding all things by the ivord of hii Power, 
 who BY HiMsiLT- purged our Sins, And 'tisvery 
 obfervable than the main Defign of the Au- - 
 
 thor 
 
( 220 ) 
 thor to the Hebrews being tx) demonflrate the 
 infinite Perfedion, and never failing Efficacy 
 of Chrift's moll excellent Priefthood and Sa- 
 crifice, he made his way to that Defign by 
 lirmly eflablifhing his higheft Charader as 
 God, throughout the firft Chapter of that E- 
 piftle. He, like a wife Mafter-Builder, care- 
 fully lays the Doctrine of Chrift's Godhead, 
 as the Foundation on which he builds the 
 whole Glory and Virtue of his Priefthood 
 and Sacrifice in the following Parts of the 
 Epiftle. The Demands of Divine Juftice 
 were too high, and the Price of our Redemp- 
 tion was too great, for any but he who is 
 God to pay : Accordingly the Redeem'd are 
 Aclszo. call'd T'he Ckurch of God-, which he (God) pur- 
 a8. chapd with his own Blood. 'Twas this God'$ 
 
 own Blood:, not as all Things elfe are his own 
 by his Propriety in them, and Dominion over 
 them, as rightful Lord of all ; for in that 
 Senfe the Blood of Bulls and Goats might • 
 have been called his own Blood, who fays, 
 Pfjil. $0. E'usyy BeaB of the Forefi is mine, and the Cattel 
 JO, 12. tipon a I'houfand Hills, ■ ■ and the PVorld is ?Kine, 
 and the Fullnefs thereof. But Chrift's Blood is 
 fpoken of as his own Blood, in oppofition to 
 the Blood of Goats and Calves. Neither by 
 the Blood of Goats and Calves, but by his own 
 Blood he enter d into the Holy Place, Heb. 9. 
 12. And therefore .this Blood, by which he 
 fedeem'd his Church, is in a raoft peculiar 
 Senfe his own, as 'tis the Blood of his Hu- 
 man Nature in Perfonal Union with his God- 
 head, and fo is Naturally and Perfonally hi$ 
 own Blood, who is God. This is the only pro- 
 per diftinguifhing Senfe of the Expreilion. 
 And hence his Righteoufnefs, which was per- 
 fected by his Sacrifice, is call'd the Righteouf- 
 nefs 
 
( 221 ) 
 
 tiefs of God, of which he is the Author and Rom. j. 
 Original Subjed, as well as which God ap- ^^* 
 pointed and accepts, which is by Faith of 'Je- 
 fm ChriR unto and upon all them that believe. 
 And the Mifcarriage of the Jews is laid upon 
 this, that they, thro' Unbelief and Ignorance 
 of the Righteoufnefs of God's Nature and 
 Law, fuhnitt-ed not themfelves to the Righ'teouj- Chap, 
 nefs of God, which only was fufficient to an- 'O' 3>4* 
 fwer for them, as Chrift who is God, be- 
 came the End of the Law for Righteoufnefs to 
 every one that believes. Hence the Apoflle 
 fpeaking of the deplorable State of Condem- v 
 
 nation by the Law, and of the utter Inabili- 
 ty, into which we are funk by Sin, to obtain 
 Righteoufnefs by our own Obfervance of it, 
 according to its ftrid and high Demands, 
 tells us, What the Law could not do, in that it 
 wa6 weak thror-igh the Flefj, or through our 
 corrupt fallen Nature, God fending his own ^o^* ^• 
 Son in the likenefs of fiyiful FleJI:, and for Sin ^» ^' 
 condemned Sin in the Flejh, viz,, of his own 
 Son, that the Righteoufnefs of the Law might be 
 fulfilled in us. He lays the Emphafis on this, 
 that it was God's own Son, or his own prof er ^^^' ^^* 
 Son as he afterwards calls him, who was fent 
 in the Likenefs of our finful Flefh, tho' with- 
 out the finfulnefs of it, and by the Sacrifice 
 of his great Self, in his Flefh, fuffer'd the Con- 
 demnation, which Sin defcrv'd unto the full 
 Expiation of it. Accordingly at another time 
 he lays the EfKcacy of Chrift's Redemption . 
 on the Grcatnefs of his Perfon, as he is God's 
 Son. When the Fullnejs of L'ime wm come, God 
 fent forth his Son, made of a Woman, mads un^ 
 der the Law, to redeein them that were under the 
 Lniu, that we ?night receive the Adoption of SonSy 
 Gal. 4. 4, 5. 
 
 If 
 
( 222 ) 
 
 If Chrill was not God, he could not by 
 'one Offering in To fmall a Time fatisfy for the 
 Sins of* one, much lefs could he bear the Sim of 
 manyy and make full Satisfaftion for the 
 whole Church, which confifts of vaft Num- 
 bers of Perfons who are all Sinners, and 
 moft of whom had numberlefs and moft ag- 
 gravated Sins to be fatisfy'd for. He could 
 not redeme them from the Eternal infupport- 
 able Mlferies that were due to them one and 
 all. And much lefs flill could he purchafe an 
 Eternal Inheritance of Glory and B.'elTednefs 
 jfor them all, and that more full, excellent and 
 confirm'd than what they lod by Sin, as the 
 Inheritance which Chriil: hath purchafed for 
 them is. In vain we imagine that fuch aii 
 infinitely valuable Satisfaction has been made 
 by Chriil for us ; unlefs he is indeed in one 
 of his Natures the only true'God. But ad- 
 mitting him to be that God, noxhing can be 
 wanting to make his Satisfaction valuable 
 enough to anfwer all thefe high and glorious 
 Ends. 
 
 [2.] SatisfaBion imports that the Perfon, who 
 makes it^ did not ozve that, by which he 7nakes it, to 
 the 0^ ended - Party en other Accounts, or was 
 bound by prior Obligations to pay it. For all that 
 fuch an one doth is only a paying the offended 
 Party with what was his own before, and an 
 anfwering Obligations and Demands of a dif- 
 ferent fort from fhofe, which fatisfadion for 
 an Oifence requires j and to pay many Debts 
 of diferent Kinds, by the Payment of oiie of 
 thc/fe Kinds, deftroys the Nature of Satisfacton. 
 Much lefs can one pretend to (uis^y for ano- 
 ther by yielding-that, which could be deman- 
 ded from himfelf on his own Account, and/ 
 which it would be his Sin to refufe. 
 i Now 
 
( 225 ) 
 
 Now if Chrift is not truly and by Nature 
 the Supreme God, he owed himfelfy and all' 
 that he is or has to God, and was infinitely 
 obliged, as an intire Dependent on him, to 
 do or fuftcr all that he could for his Honour, 
 and at his- Command. He had no Pretence 
 of Right to refufe or decline it ; but it was 
 his Duty to do or fuffer whatever the Sove- 
 rainGodiliouldcall for,and it would have been 
 his Silly and dcjlrucli've to himfelfy to have de- 
 fignedly neglefted it. By yielding to it he 
 did but pay the Debt, which he himfelf 
 owed to God's Supremacy, and therefore that 
 could not anfwer for others, much lefs could 
 it be a Payment of their Debts of that and a 
 diflerent Kind too, which they owed to God's 
 Jujlics, as well as to his Suptemacy. 
 
 And how excellent a Being foever we fup- 
 pofe Chrift to be, yet if he is not by Nature 
 God, it don't at all help the Matter. For 
 that vaft Excellence of his Being, if he owes 
 it to God, and is obliged to him, and de- 
 pends on him for it, is fo far from diflblving 
 this Obligation to do his utmoft for God's 
 Glory, efpecially at his exprefs Call to it, that 
 it really Increafes that Obligation, and makes it 
 fo much the more his Duty. For the more any 
 receives from him, the more he is indebted to 
 him ; and (if the Cafe admits of more or lefs) 
 he is the lefs at his own Difpofe. The Subor- 
 dination of all God's Dependents on him, in 
 the Conftitution of their Beings neceffarily 
 imports all this. So that on fuppolicion 
 Chrift was not really and properly God, all 
 that he did and fuffer'd for his Father's Glo- 
 ry wzs. unavoidable by him, and was rather a 
 Proof of God's abundant Grace to him, in 
 giving him fuch vaft Capacities and Inclina- 
 tions 
 
iChron. 
 
 ( 224 ) 
 
 tions to glorify him, than a Satisfa(51:ion to 
 his Juftice for others. And Chrift might have 
 faici of himlelf in that Cafe, as David {aid of 
 himfelf, and of the PeopJe of Ifrael in ano- 
 ther. Now thereforei our God, zee thank thee, 
 and praife thy glorious Name, But vjho am /, 
 and what is my People y that we jhculd be able to 
 o^er fo willingly after this Sort? For all Things 
 ,4^ ' come of thee, and of thine Own have we given 
 thee. Surely the Offering that might be pre- 
 fented to God with fiich Sort of Language as 
 this, is infinitely far«from being a SatisfaBion 
 to Divine Juflice for our Sins. 
 
 But if Chrift was in his Original Nature 
 triiely God, and neceflarily exifted in that 
 Nature, he was Lord and Miijier of himfelf, 
 and fo was accountable to none, and owed 
 Obedience to none antecedently to his own 
 Will and Choice. He might or might not 
 have afliiraed human Nature, he was not o- 
 blig'd to do it ; and when he had aflumed it, fet- 
 ting afide his Agreement with the Father to the 
 contrary, he might have refus'd to fubmit to 
 that State of Humiliation, which was necef- 
 fary to make Satisf3(3:ion for Sin. It could 
 not have been impofed upon him without his 
 own free Choice. His Will determin'd his 
 Obligation to this Obedience, and not his 
 Obligation his IViU. His IVtll was to do this 
 Will of his Father, before it could be faid he 
 ought to do it. The effential Rights of his 
 proper Godhead plainly import all this, and 
 his abfolute Supremacy thereby fo fully ex- 
 empts him from all Original Obligations to 
 debafe himfelf in order to a difplay oF the 
 Glory of vindidive Juftice in his Redemption 
 of loft Sinners, as makes his voluntary Suf- 
 ferings iv\ our Nature for that purpofe truely 
 
 Satisfa<5tory. 
 
( 235 ) 
 
 Satisfadory. Accordingly he fpeaks with re- 
 fped to his dying in the Nature he had aflli- 
 med, as one that was Soverain Lord of his 
 Life, and had it at his own Difpofe, which 
 made his refigning it up at his Father's com- 
 mand to be a pleafing and acceptable Sacrifice 
 for his Sheep. Ai the Father kmiveth me, even 
 fo know J the Father ; and I lay down my Life for ]o\in lo. 
 
 the Sheep. "Therefore doth my Father Love me, '^» *7' 
 
 becaufe I lay down my Life.'^ " — None taketh it 
 from me ; hut I lay it down of my felf ^ / have 
 Power to lay it down. How doth he fpeak like 
 one that was Originally upon equal Terms 
 with his Father about the Difpofe of his Life; 
 but yet would not ftand upon his Prerogative, 
 but frankly waved it, that he might recom- 
 mend his own Love to the Faj:her's Love, by 
 freely doing what he knew would be delight- 
 ful to him, and by doing it in fuch a /oiy State 
 of Subjedion and Obedience to his Com- 
 mand, as fhould make it an acceptable expia- 
 tory Sacrifice for his Sheep that they might 
 never perifti ? Upon thefe Confiderations it 
 plainly appears to me, that to deny the Abfo-- 
 lute Supremacy of Chrift's Godhead, is alfo 
 unavoidably to deny his Satisfaction. And 
 this is fo evident, that they who deny one, 
 have ufed likewife exprefly and profejfedly to 
 .deny the other. 
 
 If therefore we would not lofe the Satis- 
 faEiion of Chrift, and all the Hopes of Salva- 
 tion that are founded upon it ; If we would 
 not run the defperate Risk of having the Righ- 
 teoufnefs of God's Nature, Law, and Go- 
 vernment againft us ; If we would not ven- 
 ture to Anfwer for our felves to an wifatisf/d, 
 tinappeafed, and provok'd God ; The Dodrine 
 of ChriiVs Godhead can't but be of the grea- 
 
 Q^ teft 
 
( 226 ) 
 
 teft Importance to us, with regard to his Sa- 
 tisfaclion for us. Hence 
 
 (2.) 'Tis of great Importance with refpeB 
 to his Inter cejjlon for us. For all the Prevalence 
 of this depends on the Value of his Sacrifice. 
 His Interceffion is the Plea of his Blood, as a 
 Righteous Advocate for us. If any Man Sin 
 J . ' we have an Advocate xvith the Father, y(^fiti 
 2,, I 2, ChnR the Right ecus , and he is the Proditiation 
 Heb. 9. fcr our Sins. He ente/d into the Holy Place by 
 iz. /j,/j Qyjyi Blood. And appears in Heaven as a 
 Kev.5.6. £^^^ //^/;2, prefenting the Virtue of it before 
 the Throne of God for us. If therefore that 
 Blood hath not fatisFy'd Divine Juftice, and, 
 purchafed all Bieflednefsfor us, his Interceffi- 
 on can be of no eftedual avail to us, fince 'tis 
 only by the Intereil of that Blood that he in- 
 tercedes for us. But if that precious Blood 
 was truly Satisfadory 1 If its real value isun- 
 exceptionably infinite, its Pleas for us at the 
 Throne of God can't but fecure our Inteiefts 
 there ; Juftiee it felf will readily admit them, 
 and yield to Mercies Triumphs in all the In- 
 flanccs of gracious Vouchfafements that are 
 needful for us. 
 
 . Beiides, his Intercefiion at the Father's- 
 Right Hand fuppofes that now, while he is 
 in his Human Nature there, he hath an infi- 
 nitely perfeB Knowledge of iall the Perfons for 
 whom he interceeds, and of all their Cafes, 
 of all the fecret Thoughts of their Hearts, of 
 all the Diftreifes they labour under, and of 
 all the fuitable Supplies of Mtrcy they want 
 in every time of need. He could not have 
 this Omnifcience neceilary to his IntercefTion, 
 unlefs he was God -, But if he is really God, 
 all our Wants and Straits are conftantly un- 
 der his Eye, and none of our Groanings are 
 
 hid 
 
Heb. ^, 
 
 ■'> 
 
 C 227 ) 
 
 hid from him. Hence the Apoftle, encourag- 
 ing us to come in all our Straits and Troubles 
 to the Throne of Grace, draws his Argu- 
 ment from the Greatnefs of our High Prieft, 
 as the Son of Gody that is palled into the 
 Heavens for us, and fo knows all our Wants, 
 and is able to Succour us -, as well as from the 
 Confideration of his being in our Nature well 
 afteded toward us. Seeing then that we have a i7 
 great High PrieFiy that is pajfed into the Heavens^ id. 
 yefus the Son of God.- -■ Let us therefore 
 
 come boldly to the 'Throne of Grace, that we may 
 obtain Alercy, and find Grace to help in Time of 
 need. 
 
 And add to this. The manner of his Inter- 
 ceilion, that 'tis in a God-like Strain, in which 
 he fpeaks like God to God, like one Pcrfon of 
 the Godhead to another, making his Demands 
 upon his Father, in a way of Right and Au- 
 thority, for the complete Glory and BleiTed- 
 nefs ot all that were given to him as Media- ., , 
 tor, faying, Father I will that they alfo whom |^^ '' 
 thou haft given me be with me where lam., that they 
 may behold my Glory. In what a peremptory 
 Lordly way doth he here fpeak to his Father ? 
 And can it be fit for one, that is not God 
 equal with the Father, to take upon him fuch 
 an Air of Soverainty, even when he is fpeak- 
 ing to the Eternal Father ? What infolenc 
 Language would this look like from any but 
 his Equal ? So that to deny Chrift's true and 
 proper Godhead, is to vacate his Intercejjion as 
 well as his S.-icrifce, and to take away all the 
 Glory and Efiicacy of his Priefthood. 
 
 3. The Dodrine of Chrift's Godhead is of 
 great Importance with refped to his Kingly 
 Officey which may be confider'd both.as to his 
 'Legijlative and Executive Powers. 
 
 Q^z (i.;With 
 
(i.) With refpeft to his Legiflative Power as 
 King in his Church. Chrift is our Soverain 
 Lord and King, who hath in his ovjn Nartie, 
 as well as in the Father's, given all the Laws, 
 Ordinances, and Officers of his Houfe ; and 
 commands our abfolute and fupreme Obedi- 
 Mat.ii, gj^j,g^ Qy^Q Is ouY Mafier^ even Chrift. Hence 
 Tohn'iS. ^^ fpeaks of his Church, as His Kingdom. 
 5^. My Kingdom is not of this World. 'Tis his King- 
 
 dom by way of Eminence and Peculiarity, in 
 which he hath abfolute Power to Enad Laws> 
 to which none may add, which none may re- 
 fufe, and which none may alter, and in which 
 Kingdom he is to have our intire and unre- 
 ferved Obedience. 
 
 This Authority he has over us, arid this 
 Obedience we are to pay him, is not of art 
 inferior Sort, like that which may be given 
 to a Creature ; but of the higheft Kind, which 
 ought to be given to God only. In this re- 
 fped he is diftinguifii'd from, and fet infinite- 
 ly above Mofesj the Subordinate delegated 
 Law-giver of Ifraely and is fpoken of as God 
 in his Legiflative Capacity, as that God who 
 fram'd or built allThings relating to his Church. 
 For this Man ivas counted worthy of more Glory 
 Heb. ?. f/j^^ Mofes, inafmuch as he, who hath builded the 
 >» "i* 5» UQiife hath ?mre Honour than the Houfe. For e- 
 usry Houfe is builded by fome Man ; but he that 
 built all 'Things is God. And Mofes verily was 
 faithful in all his Houfe as a Servant. ■ - ' ' But 
 Chrift as a Son over his own Houfey whofe Houfe 
 are we, &c. . This Man who built the Houfe, 
 is called that God who built all Things, which 
 here in a fpecial manner relates to the Things 
 of his Church and Kingdom in all Ages. The 
 Church is called by way of Eminence God's 
 Buildlngi I Cor. 3.5?. and the Houfe of God y 
 
 I Tim. 
 
( aa? ) 
 
 I Tim. ^. 15, and i Pet. 4. 17. and here we 
 are told 'tis Chrift's Houfe, he being the 
 God that built it. He is not a Part of the 
 Houfe, or a Servant chat Ads miniflerially in 
 it, as Mofes was; but the Supreme Builder of 
 the Houfe it felf^ and Soverain Lord in it, 
 who crcd^d it for himfelf, and by his own 
 Authority fettles all the Fajkion, Laws, Ordt^ 
 nau c: and Officers of it, changing thofeof the 
 Old into thofe of the Neio Teftament Difpen- 
 fation, according to his Soverain Pleafure. 
 And with refped to this Houfe he is called a 
 SoUi in Oppofition to Mofes's being a Servant, 
 to (hew that, tho' by his Condefcention he 
 became a Servant in our Nature to his Father ; 
 yet according to his Original Dignity as the 
 Son of God, he hath all the Authority and 
 Lordfhip of fuch a Son over this Houfe, which 
 he himfelf built for himfelf. And his Autho- 
 rity therein is fo unlimited aiid abfolute, that 
 our Faith may reft intirely uport it, and pay 
 the moft abfolute Obedience to it, in what- 
 ever he hath commanded. Hence he is called 
 God abfolutely, as well as the Son, with Refe- 
 rence to his Royal Dignity. To the Son /'^chap.il 
 faith, T'hy Throne, O God, ts jor ever and ever, 8. 
 If Chrift is really God, we can't but be fe- 
 cure in our higheft Regards to hiin as our 
 King, His Godhead being the Original Ground 
 of that Office, and a juft Foundation for fuch 
 Regards to him in it. But if he is not God, 
 we muft regard him only as a Divine DdegatCy 
 and always be upon the Referve in the Hom- 
 age we pay him, which ig to fink his Charac- 
 ter, and embarafs all our Ads of Faith and 
 Obedience to him as our King. 
 
 (2.) We may confider this with refped to 
 Chrift's Executive Power, \yhich for the Ex-^ 
 
 0,3 tent 
 
( 230 ) 
 
 tent and Manner of it's Exercife requires he 
 Ihopld be God. 
 
 [1.3 The Extent of his Kingly Power is fo 
 great and unlimited, that it reaches to the 
 Mat 18. ^hoie Creation. All Power in Heaven and in 
 Epii. I. ^^^^^ ^^ given himy and he is Head over all 
 zi. Tubings to the Church. He has a univerfal Lord- 
 fhip over all, Angels, Devils, and Men, as the 
 foregoing Verfe Ihews, and over all the Ani- 
 mate, and Inanimate Creation, having all 
 things under his Feet, that he may rule and or- 
 der, reftrain or influence them for the Service 
 of his Church. They are all put into his 
 Hands as Mediator, that by means of them 
 he may give Subfillcnce, Defence, or Aid to 
 his Church in the feveral Ages of the World, 
 and fo fecure it that the Gates of Hell fhall 
 not prevail againft it. Now Ablblute Omni- 
 fotence, Omnifcience, and Omniprefence, thofe 
 peculiar Perfections of the Godhead, are evi- 
 dently Neceffary to fuch an extenjive Rule ; 
 and therefore this being Chrift's own work as 
 King, if he was not God he could not be 
 capable of it. The Father himfelf doth no- 
 thing herein but by the Son, and he would 
 not put the Government of all into infuffi- 
 cient Hands. Take away Chrift's Godhead, 
 and you take away his Dominion over all. 
 But allow his Godhead, and this Branch of 
 his Kingly Office ftandsonthe fureft Grounds. 
 Hence the Pfalmift fpeaks of him as the great 
 Jehovah, when he reprefents this his exten- 
 live Dominion. Allthe Ends of the Earth jhali 
 
 P al. 2 2. remember, andttirn unto the Lord, For the King- 
 
 *7» 2. 5. ^Qjjj j^ f/jQ j^Qy^'s^ and he is the Governor among 
 the Nations, &c. 'Tis that Jehovah to whom 
 the Gentiles fhould turn, who has this univer- 
 fal Dominion ; and the Scripture ufually, and 
 
 the 
 
( 231 ) 
 
 the Pfalms particularly, interpret this of 
 Chrift, and this Pfalnji is in the greateft part 
 of it a Prophc/y of Chrift, where, after ^ 
 long and lively Defcription of him in his Suf- 
 ferings in the former part of it, he is in the 
 latter Part fet-out in his Kingly Power, and 
 fui table to that, is call'd Jehovah, whofe is the 
 Kingdom J nnd who is the Governor among the Ma- 
 tions. When Sion's Tribulations and Threat- 
 ning Dangers are fwelling upon her, i^ /he 
 fliould hear that her King is not God, into 
 what trembling Confufion and Aftonifhment 
 would thofe fadning Tidings fink her ? But on 
 the other hand, How beautiful upon the Moun^ 
 tains are the Feet of him that bringeth good "Tid- 
 ings y that puhlijleth Peace, ' ■ ■■* and Salvati- 
 on 'y that faith unto Zion, I'hy God reignethi 
 Ifa. 5 2. 7. And this feenis to be fpoken with a 
 reference to Chrifi, as Sions reigning God^ by 
 the Apoftle's applying this Text to the Mini- 
 ftry of the Gofpel of Peace, as that brings the 
 good "Tidings of a Saviour, 'which is Chrifi the 
 I^ord, Rom. 10. 15. compar'd with Luke ?. 
 10, II. 
 
 ^2.] The Spiritual manner of Chrift's exer- 
 cifing his Kingly Power on our Hearts an4 
 Confciences requires he fhould be God. He 
 manages and rules our Souls not only by out- 
 ward Means, but alfo by inward Power and 
 Influence, which is abfolutely neceflary for 
 the Support and Advancement of the Spiri- 
 tual Interefts and Glory of his Kingdom. 
 Alafs ! how could any, or all of his Servants 
 prevail to brinq over the Heart of one Sinner 
 effedually to Chrift, or to keep and build up 
 one Saint in Chrift, if He Ihould withhold 
 his Soverain efficacious Influence ; Who is i Cor. j^ 
 Paul, or who is Apollo, but M:nifters by whom h 
 
ZI. 
 
 ( 232 ) 
 
 ye believed, evm as the Lord gave to every 
 Man ? 'Tis He that fills all Orciinances with 
 Efncacy, and captivates our Souls to the Obedi- 
 ence of Faith. He turns them from Sin and 
 A(Ss II. Satan to God. His Hand was with them that 
 Preach'd him, and a great Number believed and 
 turned to the Lord. He raifeth them that are 
 bowed down in Spirit, Succours them that 
 are Tempted, Relieves them that are perplex- 
 ed with hateful impetuous Ebullitions of in- 
 dwelling Sin ; he ftrengthens them againft it, 
 gives them Vidory over it, and quickens 
 them in his way, that they may live to him, 
 and walk with Pleafure in his Holy Com- 
 mandments. For thefe, and fuch like Adls 
 of his Kingly Office, he hath, and mud needs 
 have an immediate Power and Soverainty over 
 Confcience, andmuftbe always fully acquain- 
 ted with all the inward DiftrelTes, Fears, Con- • 
 flicls, and Wants, which his People in all Places 
 labour under, and with all the proper Me- 
 thods of their Relief. 
 
 And who but the only true God can be equal 
 to fuch a Work as this ? If Chrift is not God, 
 he muft be excluded from all this Soverain 
 Authority and efficacious Influence on our 
 Souls ; in vain we exped it from him, in vain 
 we pretend to be partakers of it, and do but 
 dream of Impoffibilities, while we plead for 
 fuch vital Powers as the glorious Realities ot 
 Chriftian Religion. And to take up fuch No- 
 tions of Chrift, as fupercede thefe neceflary 
 Powers, is to enervate the whole Efficacy of 
 all his Offices, and to reduce Chriftian Reli- 
 gion to an outward languid and lifelefs Form. 
 Thus then the Dodrine of Chrift's Godhead 
 is of great Importance with refped to his 
 great Office and Work of Mediation in all the 
 JBranches of it. If 
 
C 235 ) 
 
 ir it is faid that all Chrifl's Mediatory Obj. 
 Power is to be deliver d tip to the Father at the p 
 laft Day, and the Son h'nnfelf Jlmll be fubjeB to jj^ ^. 
 him^ v ' that God may be all in all, and there- 28. 
 fore the Son can't be himfelf the true and 
 moft High God. 
 
 'Tis freely allow'd that this prefcnt Oeco- Anfvir, 
 nomy or Difpenfation, in which all Admini- 
 ftrations are committed wholly to the Son, is 
 taceafe, as to the manner of thefe Admini- 
 ftrations, when all their Ends fiiall be fully 
 accomplifhed ; and then Chrifl fhall refigh his 
 Adminiftration, and become Stibjed to the 
 Father. But this, ?ls the Place objected inti- 
 matesj-and the Reafon of the Thing fhews, 
 is to be underftood of Chrift only in that 
 Confideration of him, in which ajl Things 
 are now by Difpenfation committed to him or 
 put under him, and that is only as he is Me- 
 diator in our Nature. Then all the Power he 
 received in that Capacity fiiall be refign'd up 
 again to the Father to make way for the fur- 
 ther Adminiftrations of the Kingdom of 
 Glory, that all Things may return to their 
 Natural Original Order, and not the Father 
 only, but God, as the ExprciTion is, God ejfen-' 
 tially confider'd may, according to the Order 
 of the Divine Perfons, be all in all foi ever. 
 And fo ChrilFs ejfential Kin^rdom as 6'o^fliall 
 abide, tho' his Mediatorial Kingdom, and i*is 
 Adminiftrations therein as God-Man Media» 
 tor fiiall ceafe for ever. Aiid as this Reiigna- 
 tion of the Sdn's Mediatorial Power to the 
 Father, and his farther Subjeftion to him with 
 refpcd: thereunto in that Capacity, is no 
 Proof againft his being equal to him ni his Di- 
 "jine Nature and eflential Perfedionsj fo the 
 full Adminiftration of all Things being wholly 
 
 pus: 
 
C 234 ) 
 
 put into his Hands now, is a good Proof that 
 he is indeed by Nature equal to the'Father ; 
 otherwife the Father would not have divcRed 
 himfelf of that Honourable God-like work, 
 and Chrift would not have been capable of 
 managing it, like the only true God, as has 
 been fhevvn. And its being faid that he fliall 
 be Subj'ed: to the Father ;t/;^«, plainly imports 
 that he is notyo Subjeft to him now, which 
 befpeaks his prefent Power to be managed in 
 a way of fupreme Lordfhip, as well as by fpe- 
 cial-Difpenfation, and therefore infiiutely too 
 great for any, that is not by Nature God, to 
 have. 
 
 SERMON 
 
C 235 ) 
 
 S E R M O N X. 
 
 ROM. IX. 5. 
 
 — Of whom as concerning the ¥lejh 
 Chriji came^ who is over all^ Ood 
 blejjed for ever. Amen, 
 
 I Have Reprefented the great Importance 
 of the Dottrine of Chrift's real and pro- 
 per Godhead in Five Refpeds, and fhall 
 carry on that Dcfign in a few further 
 Inftances. Therefore 
 
 Sixthly) 'Tis of great Importance xvith re- 
 fpeEt to our Faith and 'Tmfi in Chrifi as Me- 
 diator. 
 
 If his Mediation is enervated and over- 
 thrown, as has been fhewn, by the Denial of 
 his Godhead, what Faith or Confidence cah 
 we have in him as our Mediator to make 
 our Peace with God, or to bring us into Safe 
 and Happy Terms with the Deity ? Or how- 
 can we commit our felves and our All for 
 Time and Eternity into his Hands, with 
 that calm and refolved Satisfaction, as the 
 Apoftle did when he faid, J know whom I have 
 ■'"■', l;elievedy 
 
C 236 ) 
 
 z Tim. helie'ved-, and am peyfwaded that he is able to keep 
 I, 12. that, which I have committed to him, againjl 
 that Day ? If Chrift is not God, how (hall 
 we be fure that we don't excede in our Truft 
 in him, or that he will not difappoint our 
 Expedations from him ? What JDependance 
 can we have on his Righteoiifnefs as really fuf- 
 ficient to anfwer for us and recommend us to 
 God's Favour ? Or how can we be afiur'd that 
 he knows our Wants; and hath Wifdom and 
 Power enough to fupply them all, to guide 
 us with unerring Counfel thro' this Land of 
 Snares and Darknefs, to bear us up and carry 
 us thro' this Field of Battle, and thro' the 
 formidable Regions of Death it felf, and at 
 z Pet. laft to give us a triumphant Victory over all 
 !• I r. our Enemies, and an abundant Enterame into 
 his everlafling Kingdojn ? All the Foundations 
 of our Faith in him are fapt and undermin'd, 
 our Rock crumbles under our Feet ; and all 
 our Confidence in him muft degenerate into 
 mifgiving Fears and di/lreffing jealoufies, if 
 his Deity is taken from him. When Guilt 
 ftings and loads the Confciencc, when Sin ap- 
 pears in its multiply 'd Aggravations, and God 
 appears in his righteous Terrors to us, what 
 a hard and diiEcult Work do we then find it to 
 believe in Chrift for the Remiffion of our 
 Sins ? Unbelief fuggefts and urges a Variety 
 of plaufible Arguments to difcourage us, and 
 Satan inforces them with the moft artful So- 
 phiftry, and if at fuch a time they can but 
 get Judgment to pafs within us againft Chrifl's 
 Godhead, their Point is gain'd, his Attone- 
 ment will immediately appear in the Eye of 
 Confcience as infufficient, and 'twill not dare 
 to truft in him alone for Salvation. But a 
 Hrm Belief of Chrift's Godhead will r^iife our 
 
 Account 
 
( 237 ) 
 Account of the infinite All-fufficient Virtue of 
 his Sacrifice, and imbolden our firmeft De- 
 pendance upon it. This duely entertain'd in 
 the Confciencc, will banifti its guilty Fears, 
 and command a f\<^eet and delightful Calm 
 within ; For if the Blood of Bulls and of Goats^ Heb. 9. 
 and the Ajhes of an Heifer fprinkling the unclean 3^^* *^* 
 fanSiiffd to the purifying of the Plejh of thofe 
 that were ceremonially defiled, Hovj much 
 more fiall the Blood of ChriR, who thro' the 
 Eternal Spirit offer d himfelf without fpot to Gody 
 purge your' Confcience from dead JVorks to ferve 
 the living God ? 
 
 God's being manifefted in the Flefh, or the i Tim. 
 Incarnation of God the Son, and his {uccq(s-'^* "^* 
 ful Mediatorial Aftings in our Nature, is the 
 Ground of his being believed on in the World. 
 'Tis the Righteoufnefs of God our Saviour, 
 or God our Saviour confider'd with his Righ- 
 teoufnefs, that is the Objed of juftifying 
 Faith. Hence the Apoftle Peter writes to them z Pet. i. 
 that have obtained like preciom Faith through, or *• 
 as it may be render'd, in the Righteoufnefs, 
 [Gr. cir Xiy^iojt/y»~\ of God, even our Saviour Jefti 
 Chrifi, denoting the Objed of that precious 
 Faith which they obtain'd; accordingly Chrift 
 is called Jehovah our Righteoufnefs, to ftiewjer.z;, 
 what firm Bottom Faith has to reft upon, in 6, & 3?, 
 believing on him for Righteoufnefs. And^*^* 
 'tis Prophefy'd of, as the common Language 
 
 of the Faith of Gofpel Times, Surely ^n^l'^l' 
 
 the Lord, or in Jehovah, have I Righteoufnefs ^' 
 and Strength. And in Jehovah Jhall aS the Seed 
 <f If'^cl l^e jufiifyd, and glory. Still 'tis under 
 the Confideration of Chrift as God 7Hanifelled 
 in the FlejJ), and therein going thro' the work 
 of Redemtion for us, that Faith centers up- 
 on him, and trufts in him as Mediator, for 
 
 Pat- 
 
( 538 ) 
 
 Pardon, Juftification, and all Salvation. It 
 confiders him as God our S^iviour, and there- 
 fore with Holy Confidence and Joyful Expec- 
 tation looks for his Second Appearance to per- 
 fect all our Blcffednefs, according to 'litm 
 2. 13, 14. 
 
 And 'tis very remarkable that in the Ac- 
 counts we have of thofe who believed on him 
 as the Meiliah, we have a great many Inftan- 
 ces, in which particular and explidte mention 
 is made of their believing in him as the Son of 
 God, which fhews their Faith in him as the 
 Mefliah refled ultimately in his Godhead, 
 as eflential to that OiHce; for to be the Son of 
 God, and to be God, were in their Judgments 
 Terras of the fame import, as has been fliewrt 
 in fome preceding Parts of thefe Difcourfes. 
 Thus fohn the Baptif^ believed on him and 
 Tohn I. preached him to others as the Son of God. 
 34. * / f^"^i ^^'^^ he, and bare Record, that this is 
 the Son of God : And accordingly he fpoke of 
 Chap. 5. him as one that comcth from above, and is ab»ve 
 31- all. Nathaniefs Faith receiv'd him under the 
 Chap. I. ^^^^ Charafter, faying, Rabbi, Thou art the 
 ^ Son of God, thcu art the King of Ifrael. And 
 
 when Chrift put the Queflion- to Martha, 
 Whether flie believed that luhoever belieueth in 
 Chap. ii. jjjj^ p^^ii nt'ver die -, She anfwer'd. Tea, Lord, 
 ' J believe that thou art the Chrif?, the Son of Cod, 
 
 which Jhould co7ne into the IVorld. And in An- 
 fwer to other Queflions concerning himfelf, 
 Teter and the fefl of the Difciples faid,'at 
 two different tirats. Thou art Chriflthe Sonof the 
 Mat. 16. ii^ui^jg Qod, and IVe believe and are fare that 
 Tohn 6. ^^•'^^ ^^^ ^^^^ Chrifl, the Son of the living God. 
 68, 69. And at another time, Of a Truth thou art the 
 Mat. 14. Sonof God. So likewife when Philip Preach'd 
 ^5' Chrift to the Eunuch, and enquir'd concerning 
 
 his 
 
( 239 ) 
 
 his Faith, He anf-werd and fai(^, I I'elieve that a(\s 8. 
 Jefm ChriR is the Son of God. In all thefe, and 57. 
 other Inftances which might be given, their 
 Faith refted on this Meffiah, under this for- 
 mal Confideration of him as the Son of God, 
 who was tniely God, the fame in Nature 
 with, and equal to the Father. They ac« 
 counted his Go(lhQ3.d fundamental to his being 
 their Meffiah ; and becaufe he was God as well 
 as Man, therefore they received him and tru- 
 fled in. him for all Salvation. Accordingly 
 *Thoma6 expreifed his Godhead ftill more 
 plainly and immediately in his Confeffion of 
 Faith in him, faying, Aly Lord, and my God. Yea, ]o\\x\iOn 
 Chrift propofedhimfelf to the Faith of others ^^* 
 under this Charafter of himfelf, as the Son 
 of God, faying to the Man that was born 
 blind, whom he had cured, Dofi thou belie'ue on Chap. 9. 
 the Son of God? And we are told that the great * 
 End of all that was written concerning him 
 was. That -we might Mieve that Jefm is the Chap.io. 
 Chrifl, the Son of God, and that believing we ?'• 
 might have Life thro' his Name : This likewife 
 was the way of the Apoftle Paul's Faith in 
 Chrift, by which he lived all his Days. T'he Oal. 2» 
 Life, fays he, zvhich J now live in th; Flefh, I zo. 
 live by the Faith of the Son of God. And he 
 prcach'd him under this Charafter as the Ob- 
 ject of Faith, that we might regard him as 
 fuch, when we believe on him as the Mefliah. 
 He preach'd Chrijl in ths Synagogues, that he is A(fts o, 
 
 the Son of God,-' poving that this /V zo, zz, 
 
 very Chrift. 
 
 But what had become of all thefe Perfons 
 Faith in the Meffiah, if the Confideration of 
 him as the Son of God, and fo by Nature the 
 only true God, had been taken from it ? They 
 certainly neither could, nor would have 
 
 dared 
 
C 240 ) 
 
 dared to rcceiVe and mift in him as their only 
 Saviour. The low defpifed and afHicied Fi- 
 gure he made in the World, was (o un- 
 fuitable to their Notions of the Meffiah, that 
 they would never have receiv'd him as fuch, 
 and that in the Face of the moft apparent 
 Hazard of all their temporal Intereib, had 
 not their Faith regarded him as God, and 
 raifed their Expectations on that Foot of ob- 
 taining Spiritual and Eternal Salvation thro* 
 him. They would have had as little Confi- 
 dence in him with regard to the next World 
 as to this. But if he is really God, we have 
 no room to fear, but he is infinitely able to . 
 Anfwer, and f^-i^ct^^ our largeft Faith in him. 
 This Conliderat:on of him carrys fuch uncon- 
 troulable Evidence of his Allftfffictenc) for his 
 faving Work, that Confcience may be em- 
 bolden'd, under all its guilty Terrors and di- 
 flrefling Apprehenfions of Unworthinefs, 
 2j Want, and Danger, to exped effedual Relief 
 
 on his Account, and" in a way of Depen- 
 dance on him for it. For what can be too 
 Great for God our Saviour to obtain for us, or 
 to bellow upon us ? 
 
 Seventhly. The DoSrine of Chrift's God- 
 head is of great Importance with ref^eti to the 
 luhok Wcrfiip of the Church. 
 
 If he is not truly God, The Church in all 
 Ages hath been guilty of Idolatry, in their 
 Worfliipping him, becaufe they therein Wor- 
 C^, 4. fhipp'd One who is not by Nature God, which 
 ^« the Apoftle fpeaks of as the formal Reafon ot 
 
 the Idolatry of the Heathens in their Wor- 
 ship. The Command of God to Worfliip 
 Chrift don't excufe them from Idolatry in 
 
 that 
 
( 241 ) 
 
 that Worfhip, unlcfs they Worfhip'd him un- 
 der that formal Coniideration of him as the 
 true Gody which is the only Ground of that 
 Command. It is undoubtedly the Cont77tand 
 of the great Jehovah that we fhould V/orfiiip 
 himfelf But if we fhould VVorfliip him as a 
 glorious Crcaturey or only as a great Benefaclor 
 to us, and not under the Coniideration 
 of him as God, none can doubt but that 
 Worflirp would be Idolatry ; becaufe 'twould 
 be an infinite diflionour to him, and a tak- 
 ing away that from him, which is the only 
 proper Ground of his Command that we 
 ihould Worfliip him. When Ifracl Worfhip'd 
 'Jehovah under the Form of the Golden Calf, 
 their IVorjhiping him was warranted by his 
 Command ; but their Worfliipin^ him under 
 that Notion of him, as if he could be repre- 
 , fented by that Calf, was Idolatry : And how 
 much more would it have been fo, if they had 
 been fo brutifh as really to imagine that that 
 Calf was the great Jehovah. So, tho' we are 
 commanded to Worfliip Chrift i yet if we 
 Worfliip him as a moft exalted Creature, and 
 liberal Benefidor, and not as by Nature the 
 only true God, we commit Idolatry in every 
 fuch kdi of Worfliip ; becaufe, as has been 
 fhewn, his real Godhead is the only formal 
 Caufe of that Worfhip we are commanded 
 to pay him. Had he not been Co^/, this Di- 
 vine Honour would never have been ordered 
 to be given him, and our offering it without 
 a Refped to his true and proper Divinity, is 
 to Worfliip an Idol of our own Imagination 
 under the Pretence of a Command, which 
 really refpcds an infinitely different and 7nQre 
 glorious Objecl. 
 
 R I 
 
( 242 ) 
 
 I humbly conceive the formal Nature of 
 direft Idolatry don't lie in the breach of a 
 fofnive Arbitrary Command ; but in its Incon- 
 gruity and Contradiciion to the eternal Reafon 
 and unalterable Nature of Things, and to a 
 moral Precept founded therein, I'iz,. Thcufialt 
 have no other Gods before me. It is in it felf the 
 utmofi Incongruity to pay Divine Homage to 
 any that is not by Nature God ; It can't con- 
 fift with the Honour of the Divine Perfecti- 
 ons, nor with the Relation of the Creature to 
 God, that we fhould pay the fame kind of 
 Worfhip to the moft exalted of all other Be- 
 ings, as we pay to himfelf. And it feems to 
 be the higheft Abfurdity to fuppofe that God 
 fhould command it on any Account whatever; 
 for this would be to deny himflfj which, in 
 another Cafe, we are affured he cannot do, 
 2 I'm. 2. 13. 
 
 And on the other Hand, if we have Wor- 
 fhip'd Chrift as the true God, according to 
 what appears to be the only juft Ground or 
 formal Reafon of the command fo to do, and 
 he really is not that God, which we took him 
 to be, we have likewife been committing Ido- 
 latry in every fuch Aft of Worfhip, by mak- 
 ing a God of him who really is not fo. And 
 therefore which ever way you take it, Idola- 
 tors we muft be, as far as I apprehend, while 
 we pay Divine Worfhip to Chrift, in Cafe he 
 is not m his Original Nature the only true 
 God. 
 
 And in the Church's Worfiiiping the Father 
 as the proper Father of the Son, the fame in 
 Effence with him, they have Worfhip'd an 
 unknown God, a God that hath no fuch Sub- 
 fiflence as they imagine. And the like may 
 be faid of their Worfhiping the Holy GhoR, as 
 
 the 
 
( 243 ) 
 
 the other Pcrfon of the Godhead. In aj/ 
 this woffliip they have miflaken the proper 
 Objed of" it. They have Worfliip'd a Deity 
 that hath no fuch Perfedion as Three diftind 
 Siibfift^nces in one infinite Nature or ElTence, 
 as they have fiippofed, and apply'd to in their 
 Worfliip. They have Worfliip'd a Figment 
 of their own Brains, an Idol of their own In- 
 vention, inifead of the living and only true 
 God. All their Faith, Love, Adoration, 
 Prayers, Praifes, and Obedience have been 
 mifphiced ; and they have given that Glory to 
 others, which is due to the great Jehovah 
 alone ; and all that they have pretended to 
 give to that Jehovah hath been under a falfe 
 Notion of hnn, which reprefents him to be 
 quite another fort of Being, at leaft as to 
 fome of his moft Adorable Perfedions, than 
 he really is, i^ Chrift is not by Nature God, 
 the fame in that his Original Nature with 
 the Father, and the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 But can it be imagined that the infinitely 
 Wife and Holy God wojld lead his Church in 
 all Ages into fuch a grand and fatal Miflake 
 by that word whofe Defign it is to reveal him 
 to us, and to acquaint us how we ought.^to 
 Worfiiip him? or that he fliould fo fpeak of 
 himfelf in that Word which he has eiveii 
 us to be our only Rule of Faith and Practice, 
 that 'tis impoffible but the generality of Chri- 
 ftians fliould midake him, and that none but 
 the moft artful Criticks, and a few bright 
 and free Rationalifts, as they love to be 
 thought, fhould be able to undetftand who, 
 or what he is, and what they Worfiiip? The 
 Scripture it felf States the Cafe quite other- 
 wife, when it tells us, "The Foolifbnefs of Cod is * ^o*"' *• 
 luijsr than Men, and the JVeaknefs of God is ^^' ^.s! 
 R 1 Jlmiger j.<^\ 51. 
 
( 244 ) 
 
 Jlronger than Men. For ye fee your Calling-, Br e^ 
 threUi how that not many luife Men after the F/e/b, 
 not many Mighty, not many Noble are called ; 
 But God hath chofen the foolijh T'hings of the 
 World to confo7ind the Wife ; and God hath cho- 
 fen the weak T'hings of the World to confound the 
 "Things which are mighty ; and bafe Things of 
 the Worldy and Things which are defpifed, hath 
 God chofen, yea, and Things which are not, to 
 bring to nought Things that are; that no Flejh 
 
 Jhould glory in his Prefnce, and that according 
 
 as it is written. He that glorieth, let him glory in 
 the Lord. Surely then, the Scripture is ac- 
 commodated to the Underftandings and cal- 
 culated for the Inftrudion of Perfons of thefe 
 low Charafters, and not to indulge the pry- 
 ing Curiofity and bold Reafonings of Selt- 
 fufficient Minds. Or can we fiippofe that 
 the great God, who is fo jealous of his Glo- 
 ry, as the Scripture reprefents him to be, would 
 afford his gracious Prefence and BlefTlng to 
 the Church, i^ they thro' Stupidity and xvant 
 of Confideration, or which is worfe, thro' Ob- 
 jlinacy and Unyieldingnefs to Scripture-Light 
 and Evidence to the contrary, periilted in 
 thefe Idolatrous Pradices ? Or that he, who 
 is fo gracious to us as well as jealous of his 
 own Glory, would fuffer his Church in all 
 Ages to err fo grofly, fo dijhonourably to him- 
 felf, and fo dangercufly to themfelves, as they 
 have done in their Faith and Practice, with 
 refpeft to the Obje6l of their Worfliip, if 
 Chrift is not by Nature God ? To fuppofe 
 thefe Things is to take up really irrational 
 and unbecoming Notions of God, and to 
 put the ftrongefl Difcouragements on his Wor- 
 fliip it felfj It is to fupplancthat Honour of 
 his Name, and to attempt the Banifhmeat of 
 
 all 
 
( 245 ) 
 
 all Religious Worfhip out of the Chriftian 
 World, or at leaft: to make us unrefolved in 
 our fclves about ity for fear we fcould Wolr- 
 fhip an Idol of our own Fancies inftead of 
 the only true God, or fliould not Worfhip 
 him according to the Difcoveries he hath made 
 of himfelf in his Word to direft our Wor- 
 fhip, that it may be accepted of him ; and 
 fo fliould be guilty of as great a Provocation 
 by attempting to Worfhip him contrary to 
 his Word, as by negleding to Worfhip him at 
 all. 
 
 But if Chrifl is indeed by Nature God, as 
 the Scriptures reprefent him to be, we are fe- 
 cure as to the Objed of our Worfhip ; we 
 know who and what we Worfhip, and how 
 to find Acceptance in it ; and have the high- 
 eft Encouragements to make our Applications 
 to Chrift, as God, and to the Father thro* 
 |iim, as our great Mediator. 
 
 Eighthly. The Dodrine of Chrifl's God- 
 head is of great Importance with refpeEl to 
 the Believer s Union and Communion with God. 
 
 I'hey that are fav from hint [hall perijh. All Pfal. 75. 
 our BlefTednefs is in God himfelf, and our ?-7* 
 Participation of it confifts in our being in a 
 gracious Manner fome way united to him, and 
 converfant with him. In our Union with him 
 there is fomething Relative 2ind Something Vi- 
 tal. It is Relative, as we are thereby hon- 
 oured with the gracious Relation of Chil- 
 dren to God as our Father. And this is 
 brought about by the Intervention of our 
 Union with his Son. Having predefiinated m 
 to the Adoption of Children by Jefin Chrifi to^^^-^*^'. 
 himfelf ; and hence the Apofile tells the be- 
 R ^ iieving 
 
( 346 ) 
 
 Gal. 5. Heving CaJatians, Te are all the Children of God 
 
 z6, by Faith in Chrtft Jefiis. But if Chrift was 
 
 not God's Son by Nature, his true and 
 
 proper Son, how could our Union with hini 
 
 bring us into the Relation of Son's to his 
 
 Father ? The Apoftle kcms to lay Weight on 
 
 Chip. 4. ^^^Sy when he fays Gcdfnt forth his Son 
 
 4, 5, that we might receive the Adoption of Sons. 
 
 And as to our Vital Union, the manner of 
 it is in great Meafure inexplicable, as I have 
 fhewn all real and efpecially Vital Unions are. 
 It may be fuppofed to be fomething like that, 
 which Man had with God whilft he flood in 
 his Original Reditude ; but 'tis not my pre- 
 fent Bulinefs to enlarge in the Explication of 
 it. Whatever it is. The Scripture fpeaks 
 much of it as fundamental to our BlefTednefs, 
 and reprefents it as a certain fort of very in- 
 timate Conjundion effedled between God and 
 Believers in Chrift, as the Center of it, or 
 as the uniting Medium between them, and 
 yet fo as to maintain the Diftindion of our 
 rerfons and eflential Properties from God, fp 
 that we are neither one Perfouy nor one Effence 
 with him. 
 
 The Conftitution of Chrifl's Perfon God- 
 Man, or the Perfonal Union of the Divine 
 and Human Natures in him brought thofe 
 Natures together, and is the Foundation of 
 that fpiritual gracious Union which is be- 
 tween Believers and him, and between God 
 and them in him. The Word's being made 
 Fiefh, and dwelling in that Flefli amongft us 
 Men, is the Ground^ Pledge and Evidence of 
 Man's being taken up to God. The. Son of 
 God dwelling in our Nature made way for his 
 dwelling in our Hearts by Faith, and for the 
 f^cher § dwelling therein with him, and for 
 
 pur 
 
C 247 ) 
 
 our dwelling 'liJcewife in them, which Chrift 
 fpeaks ofj and introduces on the Foot of his 
 own ejfential Inbeing in the Father as funda- 
 mental to it. At that Day ye ftjalt know that ]o\inij^^ 
 I am in my Fat her ^ and you in me^ and I in'^^y ^5. 
 you - " -If any Alan love me, he will keep my 
 words y and my Father will love himj and we will 
 come unto him-, and make our abode with him. 
 This Union between Chrift and Believers 
 being exceeding near and myfterious, is illu- 
 ftrated by the higher and clofer Union be- 
 tween the Father and the Son. But to fhew 
 that thefe are really different Unions, Chrift 
 don't fay, Youfhall know that I am in the Fa- 
 ther and you ; and you i\\ me and the Father ; 
 as if his Union with the Father and them 
 were Unions of the fame fort. But he fpeaks 
 of them dillindly; Te jJiall know that J am iif 
 my Father, and you in me, and I in you. And 
 ftill further to fhew that they are different kinds 
 of Union, Chrift in fome foregoing Verfes 
 fpoke fuch Things of his and his Father's, as 
 can't agree to a Believer's Union with him. 
 Speaking of his Union with his Father, he 
 faid, he was fo m the Father and the Father 
 in him, that he that /^xu or knew the Son, jaw ver, 7,5^, 
 or knew the Father alfo, which denotes their 
 Onenefs in Nature and Operation, as has 
 been already fhewn. But he don't fay, nor 
 is it ever faid, nor can it be faid in like man- 
 ner with Refpefl to the Union that is between 
 him and Believers, that he that has feen Be- 
 lievers has {^Q\\ Chrift, as i'c they were in 
 Being or Eifence and Operation the fame.. 
 So that 'tis only a Similitude, and not a fame' 
 nefs or Equality of Union with that which he 
 has with the Father, that Chrift here, and in 
 fome other Places, intends, when he com- 
 
 R 4 pare? 
 
( 248) 
 pares Believers Union with himfelf to it. 
 And his plain Deiign in fpeaking of their 
 Union with him in allufion to his own with 
 the Fathef, was to comfort his Difciples with 
 the Thoughts of the exceeding incomprehen- 
 (ible N^nrnefs that is between him and them, 
 and between the Father and them, as he is 
 the Medium of their Union with the Fa- 
 ther. 
 
 All that living Spiritual gracious Union we 
 have with Qod, fince our Apoftacy from him? 
 is only in and by our Lord Jefus Chrift. 
 Hence he is frequently fpoken of as the Head 
 that effectually communicates all vital Influ- 
 ence to his Members, as the Natural Head of 
 a Human Body doth to all its Members. 
 See Eph. 4. 15, 16. Col. 1. ip. And at other 
 times he reprefents himfelf as the Vinei and 
 Believers as the Branches in him, that can't 
 live, or bring forth Fruit, or do any thing of 
 a Spiritual Sort in a Spiritual manner, other- 
 wife than as they abide in him, and derive 
 quickning Virtue from him. Abide 'in me^ 
 „ , fays Chriil, and I in you, as the Branch canmt 
 
 ^^' -^ ■ bear Fruit of it felj except it abide in the Vine ; 
 no ?Hore can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the 
 J/ine, ye a.re the Branches ; He that abideth in 
 me and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much 
 Fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. Thefe 
 jlrong Metaphors, and their lively Applica- 
 tion to reprefent the Union of Chriit and his 
 Church, would lofe their Beauty and Gran- 
 dure, and fink into a very jejune low and 
 mean Senfe, if we were to underfrand them 
 to fignify only a legal ox a Political, or a ino- 
 ral Union. According to the juft Laws of 
 Metaphors they mufl needs denote fomething 
 i^itah whereby Chrift conveys ci Divine Lif.: 
 
( 249 J 
 
 to the Church, and they live in or hy him. 
 Hence he is faid to be our Life, and to Hve 
 in us. According to v/hich the Apoftle fays, 
 / live ; yet not I but Chrijl liveth in me, and Gal. i, 
 the Life I live in the Flejhy I live hy the Faith of ^' 
 the Son of God. And ChriH: is faid to diuell ^^' 
 in our Llearts by Faith. The Loftinefs ot thefc 
 Expreffions feems not to be anfwer'd without 
 allowing a Vital Union between Chrift and 
 us. But if Chrift is not God as well as Man, 
 I cannot fee how we could be thus united to 
 iiira, who as to his Human "Nature is only in 
 Heaven ^ or how he can become Life to us 
 and in us, as he \s declared to be in many 
 other Places belides thofe that have been 
 mention'd ; or how he can be the Medium of 
 a vital Union between God and us. For if 
 he is not truly a Divine Subiiflent of the God- 
 head, our Union to him might leave us ftill in 
 a State of the furtheil Diftancc and moft dan- 
 gerous iSeparation from God the only Origi- 
 nal Fountain of all Life and Bleflednefs. But 
 if Chnft is really God, an infinite Spirit him- 
 felf, or one that hath the Djfpenfation of the 
 Holy Ghoft, who is infinite, this Union may 
 be accounted for, and we may without much 
 Difficulty underftand, that our Life is hid with cdl.^.i, 
 Chrifl in God, that it is hid with Chrift by our 
 vital Union with him, who js in God the Fa- 
 ther by an eflential Union with him. And 
 accordingly the Apoftle John tells us, that 
 •whoever jhall confefs that fefus is the Son of God, y , 
 as one that is by Faith united to him, God . i^^ 
 dv)elleth in him, and he in God. 
 
 From this Union refults our Communion with 
 God in Chrift, which confifts in his gracious 
 Regards and Communications of all Bleffings 
 10 usp ux\<i in our fuitablq Returns of Faith, 
 
 J-ove 
 
(250) 
 
 Love and Obedience to him. He makes us 
 Epb. I. accepted in the Beloved. His infinite well-plea- 
 ^ fednefs in his Son, is the ground of his Well- 
 
 pleafednefs in us, who are in him. And our 
 Delight in God, is thro' Jelus Chrifl, for we 
 joy in God thro our Lord Refits Chrifi^ Rom. $. 
 II. and our Hearts rife up in joyous com- 
 placential Regards to him as he is the God 
 and Father of Chrif]:, and our God and Fa- 
 ther in him. Hence are thofe repeated Dox- 
 ologies, Blejjedbe the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrifiy &c. 2 Cor. 1.3. Eph. i . 3 . i Pet. 
 1.3. 'Tis only in Chrift the Son of the 
 Father, that he bkjjeth us with all Spiritual 
 ^j^ j^ Blejjings in heavenly Things. And 'tis only in 
 and thro' him that we have Holy and Spiritu- 
 «. , al Accefs to God for Communion witli him, 
 J^ ^ For he is the Way, the Truth and the Life ; No 
 Eah 2 Man cometh to the Father hut by hiniy But thro 
 ,g^ * ° him we both Jews and Gentles have accefs by one 
 Chap. 3. Spirit unto the Father. And in him we have 
 ii» Boldnefs and Accefs with Confidence by the Faith 
 
 of htm. All this Coni^erfiblenefs of God with 
 Man, all the Fellowfliip and Communion we 
 are admitted to with him, is founded upon 
 the Incarnation of his Sbn. For the word was 
 John 1. inade Flejh and dwelt among us {and we beheld hii 
 ?1> >^» Glory i the Glory as of the only begotten of the Fa- 
 ther) full of Grace and Truth."" ' -And of his 
 Fullnefs have all we receivd Grace for Grace. 
 And this Holy Penman \\\ his Epiftle fpeaks 
 ot Chrift as the word of Life, and as that Eter^ 
 1 John nal Life that was from the Beginning with the 
 1. 1, z, Father, and was manifefied to Pti, and by means 
 ^' of that Manifellation of him who as God was 
 
 with the Father from the Beginning, 'tis ad- 
 ded, and truly our FellowJJjip is with the Fa- 
 piper, and vjiih his Son Jfus Chrifi. ••c,^> 
 
 God'§ 
 
( 251 } 
 God's being manifefted in the Flefli, is a 
 good Alllirance given to us that he will dwell 
 with Men, and commune from a Mercy-feat 
 with them. So Solomon took it to be, and 
 fpoke of it with Thankfulnefs and Aftonifh- 
 miint, when it was reprefented only in its 
 Type, by the Shechi'tiah, or Glory of the Lord 
 that -appear'd, and by the other Tokens of his 
 Prefence, which were placed in the Temple 
 he had built for him. Jbe Prie/is brought in the i Kings 
 Ark of the Covenant of the Lord unto his place, 8.6,io,iu 
 into the Oracle of the Houfsy to the moR holy place, 
 
 even under the Wings of the Chen(,bims. And 
 
 it came topafs, ivhen the Priefls were co?ne out ,of 
 the Holy Place, that the Cloud filled the Houfe of 
 the Lord ; fo that the Priefls could not (land to mi- 
 n'fler, because of the Cloud ; for the Glory of the 
 Lord had filled the Houfe of the Lord. Hereupon 
 Solomon begins his Prayer, and in the midft 
 of it breaks out into this rapturous Admirati- 
 on, But ivill God indeed dwell on Earth ! And v. ^^o 
 proccdes to addrefs himfelf to God as graci- 
 ouOy converfible with Men, as a Qod that 
 would commune with them from his Mercy- 
 feat, as the following Verfes fhew at large. 
 This Temple, according to theexplain'd fenfe 
 of the New Teftament, was a Type of Chrift's 
 Human Nature ; and the glorious Appearan- 
 ces and Tokens of God's Prefence in it, may 
 be conlidcr'd as figurative Reprefentations of 
 God's dwelling Perfonally in that Nature. And 
 'tis reafonable to believe, that Solo?non had 
 fome hints of this, which added the ftrongefl: 
 Accents to his Joy, and gave him a holy Con- 
 fidence that God would mercifully converfe 
 With Men. And furely now God is indeed 
 7nanifeftedin the Plefi, now the Word hath come 
 and been made Flejhj and dwelt among m, we 
 
( 252 ) 
 
 may be fatlsfy'd, that God will commune 
 with us Men from his Mercy-feat or Throne 
 of Grace, which he hath ereded in him, laho 
 Rom. 5. is fet forth to be a Propitiation thro Faith m his 
 '^* Blood. And we may come boldly to the 'Throne 
 
 Heb. 4. of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy f and find 
 16. Grace to help in time of need. Hence 
 
 Ninthly, The Dodrine of Chrift's Godhead 
 is of great Importance with refpeH to our final 
 Salvation. 
 
 This necefTarily follows from fome of the 
 foregoing Confiderations. For it, in cafe 
 Chrifl is not God, the whole of his Mediati- 
 pn is ineffedual, both in his adings with God 
 for us, and from God to us ; and if, on that 
 Suppoficion, he can't be a proper Objed of 
 Faith, nor the Medium of our Union and 
 Communion with the infinitely blcifed God, 
 then our Eternal Life can't be in Chrifl, he 
 can't poHibly be the Author and Giver of E- 
 ternaJ Salvation to us ; And i'c we have not 
 Salvation in and by hirn, we can never have 
 «,r^g it at all : T'here is Salvation in no other, for there 
 li. i^ ^one other Name tmder Hsavsn given among 
 
 Men whereby we mufi befavsd. Take away the 
 proper Deity of Chrifl, and as far as I fee, 
 you take away the Bafis of all Chrifiian Reli- 
 gion, and disjoint its whole Frame, to the 
 utter Subverfion of its fpiritual Excellence and 
 vital Power, and to the utter Difappointment 
 of all the Hopes of Salvation that are built 
 upon it. Hence the Dodrine of Chrifl 's God- 
 head is made the Foundation of his Church, on 
 which all its Safety and Bleflednefs depends, 
 as Chrifl himfelf has alTur'd us. When Peter 
 CQnfefs'd him under that Charader, j^/^ an- 
 
 fwered 
 
( 255 ) 
 
 fwered and faid unto hirny Blejfed an thou SimOti Mat. i6. 
 Bar-'Jona ; for Flejh and Blood hath not re'vealed x8. 
 it to thee ; l/ut my Father^ which is in Heaven. 
 Upon this Rock I will build my Church., and the 
 Gates of Hell jimll not prevail againft it. The 
 Rock here fpokcn of, is generally allow'd, 
 and hath been often proved, by Protedanrs, 
 to be the Dodrine of Peters Confeflion of 
 Chrift, or to be Chrift, as Peter then confefs'd 
 him. And that Confeflion was an explicite 
 owning of him as that Meffiah, who was in 
 the mod proper Senfe the Son of God, and 
 fo by Nature God, as I have already fhewn 
 at large that ExprcfTion is to be imderftood, 
 T'hou art Chrifl^ the Son of the living God. Chrift v. i6. 
 the Son of God, is the Rock of the Church's 
 Salvation, by Faith in whom alone, as fuch, 
 they can be blefled. He being God, will 
 confound all the Policy, and bear down all 
 the Power of Hell, that they fhall not prevail 
 to the utter Extirpation of his Church out of 
 the World, or to the eternal Deftruftion of any 
 one Soul that is built by Faith upon him. He 
 is the Rock of Ages, laid in Sionfor a Founda- ^^a* ^^' 
 tioKj a St one J a^ tried Stone, a precious corner ^ ?^' 
 Stom, a jure Foundation ; and he that believethin with 
 him pmll not be confounded. Accordingly the i Pet. Zii 
 Apoftle tells us, Other Foundation can no man lay ^' 
 than is laid, ivhicb is J Jus Chn(i. And th^ *Cor. 3. 
 Strength and Firmnefs of this Foundation is 
 Chrift's proper Deity ; For who is a Rock, five rfal. i3. 
 our God .<* Remove Chrift's Godhead, and you 5i. 
 fap this Foundation, and leave it infufficient 
 to bear the infinite Weight that is laid upon 
 it. And if the Foundation is deftroy'd, the 
 -whole Building muft totter and fall into a 
 Heap oF Ruins, and our highcft Expedations 
 from Chrift are like to prove but golden 
 
 Dreams^ 
 
( 254 ) 
 
 Dreams, from which we may awake in eternal 
 , confufion. But if he is by Nature God, we 
 are abfolutely fafe in our Truftin him, and in 
 all the momentous Interelts we thereby com- 
 mit to him ; the Gates of Hell are over- 
 match'd, and fhall not be able to prevail a- 
 gainft us. 
 
 Hence he is call'd the true God, when he is 
 call'd Eternal Life, i John 5. 20. to fhew that 
 his real Godhead is eflential to this Title, or 
 that his being the true God is abfolutely ne- 
 ce(fary to his having eternal Life oyiginally in 
 himfelf, and (which feemstobe more di red- 
 ly intended) to his being eternal Life meritO" 
 viou(lj and efficiently to us. Accordingly, Tbi^ 
 
 1 Job. J. ^s the Gofpel Recordy thai God hath given to m 
 
 II. eternal Life ; and this Life is in his Son, who 
 
 being the effential Son of God, and fo by 
 Nature God, was fit, and cou'd not other- 
 wife be fit, to be a Fountain of Life to us ; 
 and therefore 'tis added, He that hath the Son, 
 
 to", 12. hath Life ; and he that hath not the Son of God, 
 hath not Life. And throughout this Chapter 
 the Efficacy of our Faith in him to Salvation, 
 is laid on this fpecial Confideration of him as 
 the Son of Cody and fo the true God. iVho is be 
 
 V. 5. that over comet h the Worldy but he that bdieveth 
 that Jefus is the Son of God ? 7'bere are 
 
 V. 7* three that bear Record in Heaveny the Father, the 
 JVord, and the Holy Ghofi ; and thefe three are 
 
 V. 9« one^ This is the ivitnefs of God, lohicb be 
 
 V. 10. hath teflifyd of bis Son. He that believeth on the 
 Son of God, hath the IVitnefs in himfelf ; he that 
 believeth not God, bath made him a Lyar, becatife 
 he believeth not the Record that God gave of his 
 
 V, 13. •^'^i^' — "Thefe Things have I written to' you that be- 
 lieve on the Name of the Son of God, that ye may 
 knovi that ye have eternal Life, and that ye may 
 
 believe 
 
( 255 ) 
 
 believe on the Name of the Son of God. '• " And 
 we knoiu thai: the Son of God is come, and hath y. 20, 
 given us an Under (landing that lue may know him 
 that is true ; and we are in him that ts true.^ even 
 in his Son Jefm ChrijL I'his is the true God, and 
 eternal Life. His being the Son of Cod, and 
 the true God, are ufed as Terms of the fame 
 Import throughout the Chapter ; and a pecu- 
 liar weight and emphafis is all along laid upon 
 this Character, as that which fecures and ^ij^^s 
 blefled Iflues to our Faith in him. Accord- 
 ingly the prefent State, and the final Salvation 
 or Deftrudion of all Men, is faid to turn up- 
 on their believing or not believing in him un- 
 der this Confideration of him. For God fo John. 5. 
 loved the IVorld, that he gave his only begotten Son, '*^» ^^» 
 that whofoever believeth m him flioud not perifoy 
 
 but have ever la fling Life. ■ He that believeth 
 
 on him, is not condemned ; but he that believeth not, 
 is condemned already, becaufe he hath not believed 
 in the Name of the only begotten Son of Cod.-—^ 
 He that believeth on the Son, hath ever lajling Life ; 
 and he that believeth not the Son, fball not fee 
 Life ; but the JVrath of God abideth on him. 
 Hence 'tis the grand important Defign of the 
 Gofpel-Revelarion, that we fioilld believe that lohnzoi 
 yefiis is the Chrijl, the Son of God, and that be- Si. 
 lieving we might have Life thro his Name. 
 
 Yea, at other times the mod unexception- 
 able Exprcflions of his fupreme Deity are 
 made the Reprefentations oF him, as the Ob- 
 ject of faving Faith. Chrift calling himfelf 
 Jehovah, fays, T'here is no God elfe hefide me, a Ifa. 4^, 
 jufi God, and a Saviour ; there is none bejide me. ii, ii* 
 Look unto me, and beyefaved, all ye Ends of the 
 Earth. And to fliew that effedual Faith fliou'd 
 take its Incouragement from him, and apply 
 to him under this exalted Chara^^er, he fub- 
 
 joins, 
 
(255) 
 
 joins, for I nm God, and there is mm elfe. And 
 
 accordingly the Genius of that Faith is de- 
 
 fcribed in the next Verfes, as taking in this 
 
 highefl Confideration of him : Surely jhall one 
 
 V. 24. fay. In the Lord [Jehovah} /j^x-^ / Righteoufnefi 
 
 and Strength : even to him jhall men coine. And 
 
 to fhew the faving EffeB of that Faith, he 
 
 V. z5. adds, — In i/?^' Lor^ [Jehovah] Jhall aH the Seed 
 
 of Ifrael be jiiflifyd, and glory. In like manner 
 
 thfc Apoftle, (peaking of true faving Faith, 
 
 reprefents Chrift zs' tht great 'Jehovah, and 
 
 pronounces Salvation to them, who uath Faith 
 
 call upon him under that Charader. For, 
 
 Rom. 10. having proved by the Scripture, that vjhofoever 
 
 n. helievtth on him jhall not be ajhamed, he gives this 
 
 farther Evidence of it, and Explication of 
 
 r.11,15 the Object of Faith, For the fame Lord 0- 
 
 a^. ver all, is rich unto all that call upon him. For 
 
 vjhofoever fiall call on the Name of the Lord, Jhall 
 be faved. How then Jhall they call on him in whom 
 they have not believed ? That this Lord here 
 mention'd is the great Jehovah, and that this 
 Jehovah is Chrifl, hath been fhewn before. 
 And he being propofed under this Jupreme Ti- 
 tle to be believ'd on for Salvation, for us to 
 exped Salvation from him, by callint^ upon 
 his Name, and believing in him, as one who 
 is in all Refpe^s infinitely lefs than the great 
 Jehovah, feems to be a very rafli and adven- 
 turous way of acting in an Aifair of fiich in- 
 finite and eternal Confequence. 
 
 Since then the Scripture fo frequently incul- 
 cates, and lays fuch Strefs upon our believing 
 in Chrift as God, or as the Son of God, (whi<:h 
 I have fhewn is a Denomination of him from 
 hi5 fupreme Godhead) How hazardous a Ven- 
 ture muft they run, who depreciate this his 
 glorious Dignity } How can they be fccure 
 
 of 
 
( 257 ) 
 
 of that Life and Im7nortality he hath brought to sTim.r, 
 L^ght by the Gofpel, while they renounce that '^* 
 Faith which, according to that Gofpel, is ne- 
 celTary to it ? And how difmal and irretrieva- 
 ble mull: their Difappointment be at laft, if 
 after all, Chrift fhou'd prove to be the moft 
 high God, and fhou'd re jed: them the;i for 
 tlieir rejefting him under that Charafttr «o-a;, 
 - contrary to his plain Revelation of it, and of 
 its vaft Importance to our felves ? 
 
 But on the other hand, fuppofing (what I 
 think in it felf impoffible) that we now be- 
 lieve Chrifl: to be greater than he really isy yet 
 we are as fafe as thofe who think more mean- 
 ly of him, having ftill m povjerfiil a Saviour 
 as they have, and having, as appears plainly 
 to mc, much more unforced and plentiful Evi- 
 vidence/or his true Divinity, and fuch as lies 
 more open to common Underflandings, than 
 that which they pretend to have againft it. 
 And furely there can be no danger in believ- 
 ing that lenfe of Scripture relating to Things 
 of the greateft Moment, which bed futes the 
 mean Capacities of fuch Perfons, v/ho, as the 
 fame Scripture afiures us, and the Experience^ 
 of all Ages confirms, are^ by far the greateft 
 number of thofe that under the Inl.ghtnings of 
 the Divine Spirit will be eternally favcd by its 
 Means. Chnft will never rejed us for giving 
 that Supreme Honour to him, which he him- 
 felf has exprefly demanded from us. And for 
 the fame Reafon, the eternal Father will not 
 be offended at it ; efpecially confidering that 
 all the Divine Honour we pay to the Son is 
 under the formal coniideration of paying it to 
 the only one Deityy and fecures many glorious 
 Attributions to it, which wou'd otherwife be 
 
 S Given 
 
C 258 ) 
 
 given away from ft ; and confidering that we 
 thereby rcfledt a perjonal Luftre on the Father. 
 For by thus honouring the Son, we honour the 
 Father alfo ; it being the higheft Glory we can 
 give to that Name, to fay it imports a Relati- 
 on to fuch an infinitely perfed Son, as wc 
 fuppofe Chriil to be. But hethat honoureth not 
 John 5. the Son, even as he honour eth the Father y homurs 
 31. not the Father himfelf, who has fent fuch a mag- 
 nificent Son to be our Meffiah, and fo he 
 becomes obnoxious to the Refentments of 
 both. 
 
 Nor is there any poifible Danger m making 
 the moft we can of Chrift with refped to 
 the Dignity of his Mediatorial Performances, 
 or in our trufting wholly in zv.y of thofe Per- 
 formances, as our only all-fufHcient Righte- 
 Rom. 5. oufnefs for ^uftification of Life j fince we at the 
 TT , fame time maintain, that luithout Holinefs no 
 5 4. ' * Man f mil fee the Lord ; and that a ferious ear- 
 neft purfuit of it in Heart and Life, is indif- 
 fenfably necefl'ary to Salvation ,• tho' not to 
 juftify us before God ; yet for many other ve- 
 ry beneficial and noble Purpofes. And there- 
 fore even fuppofing it fiiould prove at laft, that 
 we expected more from Chrilf and hisRighte- 
 cufnefs, than he'll really anfwer j yet ftill we 
 fliall have as much from him, as they who ex- 
 peded lefs than we do. And we have the 
 fame perfonal Righteoufnefs as others truft in ; 
 yea, we plead for more Spirituality and divine 
 Agency in it, than many others either own or 
 concern themfelves about. And without all 
 Controverfy, 'twill be no Blemijh to our own 
 Righteoufnefs, nor any Bar to its Acceptance, 
 that it is over-fpread with fo much Humility as 
 to make us own it to be wholly of God, and 
 
 utterly 
 
( 259 ) 
 
 utterly renounce all Truft and Confidence in 
 it, that we may gather in our undivided De- 
 pendencies to Chrift, and the rich Grace of 
 God in him, intending thereby that the true 
 God alone {hall be exalted in all that we are, 
 have, or hope for. But i£ it fliou'd prove at 
 the great Day of Account, when xve mtifl all z Cor. 5; 
 appear before the 'Judgment -feat of Chrifl, that *o» 
 Salvation becomes ours no other wife than thro* 
 the infinitely perfed Righteoufnefs of Jefus 
 Chrift made over to us in a way of effectual 
 Faith in him, as fuch a MefTiah, who is the 
 moft high God as well as Man, what a dan- 
 gerous Cafe are they in, who have never re- 
 ceived or trufted in him as fuch, and fhall noC 
 have his Righteoufnefs to anfwer for them ? 
 
 From all this it appears to me, that this Do- 
 drine of Chrift's Godhead is of the moft 
 concerning Moment with refpeft to our high- 
 eft and eternal Interefts. The utmoft Safety 
 lies on this fide, and all the Haz,ard on the 
 other. According to the Nature of Things^ 
 and the unchangeable Conftitution of theGof- 
 pel, nonQ but thQ great God our Saviour can be 
 Sin all-fuficient and ^'/d-Hw^/ Saviour to us. 'Tis 
 only as he is fuch a Saviour, that he is able to r^^^.^. 
 keep m from falling, and to prefent mfwltlefs be-j^^^ 
 fore the Prefence of his Glory with exceeding Joy. 
 And therefore, to this only wife God our Saviour, 
 be Glory and Majefiy, Dominion and Povjer, both 
 mvj and ever. Amen. 
 
 APPLICAT'ION. 
 
 We may hereby fee how complete and fui table a tTfe I. 
 Saviour Chrifi is for us Jtnful Creatures, He be- 
 S 2 ing 
 
C 260 ) 
 
 ing God as well as Man, nothing that we want, 
 or are or ever fhall be capable of, can be too 
 great for him to obtain and do for us and 
 in us. The moft ignorant Creature may find 
 faving Illuminations and infallible guidance 
 Col. z. 5. in him to eternal Life ; for in him are bid all 
 the Treafures of iVifdom and Knowledge, which 
 he can eafily deal out to us as far as is need- 
 ful for us. The moft guilty Creature may find 
 complete Redemption, and everlafling unex- 
 I Pet. z.ceptionable Righteoufnefs in him, ivho his oivn 
 24. felj bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree; 
 Heb. 10. and by his one Offering hath perfeBedfor ezer them 
 ^4* ^ that are fanBifyd ; and whofe Righteoufnefs is 
 ■Kom. t' ^y^j-Q^ ^^d upon all them that believe^ without Dif- 
 ference. The raofl: weak and impotent Creature 
 zTiii5.2. may become firong m the Grace that is in Chrifi 
 I. yejptiy and in the Power cf his might j Co as to 
 
 Eph. 6. '^Q ^11 t/jif2gs thru* ChriR which frrengtheneth hitn. 
 Phil. 4. '^^^ rao^ polluted Creature may have its Heart 
 13. purified by Faith ; may be renew'd VLwdfan^i- 
 Ads i^. fied by Faith that is in him, and receive of his 
 ^\ Fiilnefs grace for grace. The mod captivated 
 
 26.^^*8. Sinner may be fet at Liberty by him ; for // 
 John I. the Son fhall make you free , ye jhall be free indeed. 
 i<5. The moft tempted Soul may be fuccour'd by 
 Chap. 8. iifjYij v/hofe Grace is fufficient for «r, and whofe 
 I Cor. fhength is made perfeEi in weaknefs. The moft 
 12. 9. dejeBed and dfcoyfolateSouX may find a firong 
 Heb. 6. Confolation m Chrift, by flying for Refuge to lay 
 *"• hold on the Hope fet before us, and in hifn, though 
 
 I Per, 1. '^"'^ we fee hi}}i not, yet believing, we rejoice with 
 8, 9. Joy unfpeakable and full of Glory ; receiving the 
 end of our Faith, even the Salvation of our Souls. 
 And they who are groaning under the compli- 
 cated Miferiesof this burdenfome mortal Life, 
 Gal.r.5, "^^7 Securely depend on this Lord 'Jeftis Chrifi, 
 4. ' who 
 
06' ) 
 
 who^^^gii^s hmfiif for our Sins^ that he might de- 
 liver Mi from- ihis'prefent evil IVorld, accerding to 
 the Will of God and our Father, and never fails 
 them who truft in him, but wilJ deliver them iTim.j. 
 from every evil work, and will preferve them unto ' °' 
 his heavenly Kingdom, that where he is they may joh. 14. 
 be alfo, in a State of confummate BleiTednefs ?. 
 in Soul and Body for ever. For he jhall change Phil. 5. 
 their vile Body, that it may be faJJjiond like unto ^^' 
 his glffrious Body, according to the working where- 
 by he is able even to fubdue all 'Things to him^ 
 
 Here is aJSaviour every way worthy of the 
 VVifdom of God to conftiture for us, and 
 worthy of oi^r fulled Truft and unfiiaken Con- 
 fidence m him. A Saviour tryd by God and 
 Man, and always found to be as he can't but 
 be, £aithful to him that appointed him, and 
 to all thofe who commit themfelves to him, 
 according to that Appointment. A Saviour 
 in whom all the Concerns of God's Glory, 
 and the Sinner's Salvation, are jointly and eife- 
 <5tually fecured -, yea, all God's Attributes 
 advanced in our Recovery, according to the 
 joyous Acclaniations of the heavenly Hoft, 
 when they uftier'd Chrift into the World, fing- 
 ing. Glory to God in the higheft, and Peace on Luke 2. 
 Earth, good Will toward Men. And he is a *4« 
 Saviour that can't but be equal to his great 
 Work J One Mighty to fave -, yea, the Mighty Ifa. 51 5. 
 God, who in our Nature is become the Prime 
 of Peace ; One who by his Sufferings unto 
 Death, and rifing with Vidory over the Grave, 
 has gone thro' all the difficulty oi obtaining, and 
 j^now lives in all his State and Gandure, like 
 his great and infinite felf, to enjoy the Glory 
 and the Pleafure of commanding Salvation for us. 
 tS 3 Let 
 
( I62 ) 
 
 jl. Let us hold faB the DoBrine of Chrift's fnpye?ne 
 
 Godhead, as mofl important and ujeful for Faith 
 and PraSiice. You have heard fome of the 
 plentiful Evidence the Scripture affords to this 
 Truth, and to the great Importance of it. 
 Let us therefore abide by the Scripture Ac- 
 count of it, and not give it up to the fubtle 
 Artifices of Men, as if it was a Fable, or an 
 amufing ufelefs Conjedurc ; but hold it faft as 
 a Doftrine plainly reveal'd to a humble Mind, 
 and nearly concerning the Glory of God, and 
 the invaluable Life of our own Souls. Let us 
 not be foon fliaken from this Faith of the Gof- 
 pel, becaufe of fome of its inexplicable and 
 incomprehenfibleMifteriesjOr becaufe of fome 
 puzling Difficulties whicif may be flung in its 
 way by a fuperior Genius. For what Truth 
 muft we not part with, if we fet it to Sale up- 
 . on thofe Terms ? The plained Things in the 
 Word of God may be perplexed by the Le- 
 gerdemain of dexterous Management. And 
 'tis much eafier to confound, than 'tis to clear 
 its eftabliftied and well confirm'd Dodrines, 
 efpecially in Things pertaining to the infinite 
 Nature of God. If therefore we have more 
 prevailing Evidence for Chrift's proper Deity 
 than againH- it, and if the Advantage lies on 
 the fide of our Evidence, for the glory of God 
 and the good of our own Souls, methinks we 
 fliould be at no Lofs to determine which fide 
 to take. And certainly, we ought to demand 
 the cleareft and mod conviftive Scriptural- 
 Arguments to the contrary, before we part 
 with a Truth fo rcell attefted, and of fuch infi- 
 nite Moment, to embrace an Error (o highly Suf- * 
 ficious in it felf, and of fuch dangerous Confe- 
 quence as the Denial ©f Chrifl's real and proper 
 Godhead appears to be. 
 
 'lis 
 
'Tis the Lord of Glory ^ who was Crucify 'd, 
 that we fhoLild determine td know, if we 
 would not be among them who make his 
 Death Fooliflinefs ; but would have it the 
 VVifdom of God and the Power of God to 
 our Salvation, as the Scope of the Apoftle's 
 Difcourfe on that Subjed flicws. IVe preach i Cor. i. 
 Chrift crucify di to the Jeivs a flumbling Block, ^^^ ^^' 
 and to the Greeks Foolijhnefs ; But to them that 
 are called Chriji the pGWcr of God, and the 
 
 IV/fdom of God ; Becaufe the Foolifhnefs of God 
 is wifer than Men, and the Weakne[s of God is 
 
 Jlronger than Men. 1 determin d not to know Chap. 2. 
 
 any 'Thing among you, fave Jefm Chriji and him 2. 
 
 crucify d That your Faith Jhould not jiand in v. 5, 6, 
 
 the IVifdom of Men, but in the Potver of God. 
 Howbeit wefpeak IVifdom among them that are 
 
 perfeci which none of the Princes of this World v. 8. 
 
 knew ; for had they known it, they would not have 
 crucify d The Lord of Glory. 
 
 The true Divinity of our Saviour, as he is 
 the Lord of Glory who was crucify'd for us, 
 is an everlafting Security to our Faith in him. 
 It can't mifcarry by building upon this Rock. 
 And the keeping this in view will imbolden 
 our intire Dependences on him while we live, 
 and when we come to die. This, realized 
 and apply^d to by Faith, will bear us up in 
 all the Conflicts of Life ; will make up an 
 Anfvver to many a Charge of Law and Confci- 
 cnce againft us, will filence many a difcourag- 
 ing Temptation, and will bring in feafonable 
 Relief in the midft of anxious diftrefling 
 Fears about our own Salvation. And in a 
 dying Hour, when the Thoughts of immedi- 
 ately appearing before Cod the Judge of all will 
 try our Faith, ^his will be its fupport, and 
 S ^ incou- 
 
, ( 2<54 ) 
 
 iiicourage its lafl Ads, whereby ft commits 
 the departing Soul to Chrill, as Stephen did, 
 faying, Lord Jefpti receive my Spirit^ Ads 7. 5p. 
 But on the other Hand without Chrift's God- 
 head, I, for my part, fhould think my Faith 
 in him would be vain. And I believe 'twill 
 be ordinarily found to be true, that when 
 Confcience is awaken'd under a touching 
 Senfe of Sin and the Judgment to come, 
 and efpecially of the near Approaches of 
 Death, totranfmit the Soulto that Judgment, 
 a bare Jealoufy, that Chrift is not God, will 
 be cruel m the Grave. This will fenfibly 
 Ihock all its Faith in him, llrengthen its un- 
 believing Fears, which were too ftrong be- 
 fore, and plunge it into all the Confufion and 
 Agonies that the Apprehenfions of a Difap- 
 pointment in Things of the highefl: and eter- 
 nal Confequence can heap upon it. 
 
 And the PraSiice of all Gofpel HoUnefs and 
 Obedience (lands on this Truth. The Principle 
 and Exercijs of Grace with which we per- 
 form true Evangelical Obedience ; the Light by 
 which we perform it j a great part of the Stih- 
 -. Bance of the Performance ,• The End to which 
 
 z^j we perform it, that we may Honour the San even 
 
 Chap, as vje Honour the Father, and fo may glorify 1 he Fa- 
 i *• I ?• ther in the Son ; and the Acceptance of the Perfor- 
 mance ', all depend on the real Godhead of 
 Chrift. And i£ we lay afide or exclude thofe 
 Things from our Gofpel Holinefs and Obe- 
 dience, all our Pretences to them will be but 
 a lifelefs Name and empty Form,, neither well 
 pleafiiig to God, nor profitable to our felves. 
 Let us not therefore be Children infpiritiial 
 Knowledge and Grace ; tho' we ought to be Co 
 in Meeknefs and HumihtVi and may be fo in 
 
 what 
 
( a6s ) * 
 
 w!iat is called rational Knowlec%e, and may 
 be fcornfLillydefpifed by fomeaslilly Wretches 1-0^^,- 
 that knoiu not the Law ; Yet let us henceforth be ^(^^ 
 no more Childreny in the blameabli Senfe of the 
 Exprefllon, tojjed to and frOf arid carry d about ^ph. 4, 
 with every IVind of DoElrine, by the flight of^^'> ''• 
 Men^ and cunning craftinefs, whereby they lie in 
 wait to deceive ; But [peaking the T'ruth in Love 
 grow up into him in all 'Things, which is the Head,, 
 even Chrifl ; From who?n the vihole Body fitly 
 joind together, and compared by that which every 
 '^oint fupplieth, according to the effeSiual Working 
 in the ?neafure of every part, maketh Increafe of 
 the Body unto the edifying of it felf in Love, 
 
 Let us, who profefs ChrijTs Name, endeavour jjj 
 never to b~' afiamed of h,m, nor a JJjame to him. 
 He is the great God our Saviour, God over all 
 bhffed for ever; and . therefore is infinitely 
 worthy to be own'd by us in that and every 
 pther Charafter, which for our fakes he ap- 
 pear'd and aded in. However fome may de- 
 ny him DoBrinally and others PraBically, Hel\5.5. 
 and fo put the Son of God to open Shame, Let 
 him be honour'd in the Houfe of his Friends. 
 Let us not be afhamed to own him, but, like 
 thofe who love our Lord fefus Ckrijl in Sincerity 
 and 'truth, endeavour both DoBrinally and 
 PraSiically to reflcd a Glory upon his Name, 
 and to maintain! a conflant and hearty, toge- 
 ther with a profeJfedSubjeB ion to him. Let us 
 not be fliy of avowing him as our God and 
 Saviour ; but on all prudent and proper Occa- 
 /Tons, though in the Face of Profanenefs on 
 one Hand, and of Derijion on the other, pro- 
 fefs our firm Adherence to his Perfon, Doft- 
 rines, Ordinances and Ways, in Meeknefs in- 
 Jlriicling thofe that oppofe themfehesj if God per^ 
 
 adventure 
 
C 26^ ) 
 
 adventure will give them Repentance to the ac-^ 
 kmwledging of the 'Truth. 
 
 But let us not think that our giving into 
 the Dodrine of his Supreme Godhead, and 
 being Zealous for it, is all the Honour we 
 owe him ; or that a profefftonal owning him in 
 his highefl Character will attone for praBical 
 Abufes of his Authority over us ,* or that 'twill 
 fanftify or fcreen an irreligious or immoral 
 Condud. Thefe are vain delufive and per- 
 nicious Imaginations, which overthrow 
 
 , themfelves, and make up a Compofition of 
 
 the moft inconfiflent monftrous Deformities, 
 and to live under their vile Influence would 
 be to cheat our felves with barren Speculations, 
 
 . and to ^iwQ the Lye to our own Profellion. 
 
 Yea, this would be to fling the fouleft Difgrace 
 on Chrift's glorious Name while we pretend 
 to Honour it, and to pay him only a formal 
 Compliment while we are really acting the 
 Traitor againft him. God forbid that his 
 
 ' Name fhould be in this manner blafphemed 
 
 f' thro' any of us. 
 
 Let us therefore on the other Hand labour 
 by his Grace, to fill up our ProfefTion of him 
 with fuch a continued Courfe of unfeigned 
 Faith, Love, Humility, Beneficence, and 
 Obedience, as fhall adorn the DoEirine of God 
 
 Tit. 2. our Saviour in all Things, and fliew to the 
 
 lo. World ixjhofe we are, and whom we ferve. This 
 
 will fhed a becoming Beauty upon our Profef- 
 fion, and fo exemplify the Power of Chrift as 
 Cod in our Hearts and Lives, as to recom- 
 mend and Ifrengthen every other Evidence of 
 his real Godhead, and in the mofl: winning 
 Manner to convince Gainfayers that vital 
 Religion thrives upon this Principle. And 
 
 in 
 
( 267 ) 
 
 in this way, we our felves may comfortably r . 
 look for the Mercy of otir Lord Jefm Chrifl to eter- "* * 
 
 nal Life, who will make his fecond Appea- 
 rance in his oivn Glory, and in his Father s, and 7^ ^' 
 of his Holy Angels, as one that will not be ajhn- g. an/* 
 7ned of us then ; but nuill confefs or own us in Mat. lo. 
 their Prefence, and join us to the Heavenly S^* 
 Hoft, that we may fhare in their Tranfports, 
 and bear a part in that Melody of Joy and R^y 
 Praife, which confifts in afcribing equal Blef- ij. ' 
 Jtn^, Honour, Glory and Power to hirn that ^tteth 
 upon the 'Throne, and to the Lamb for ever and 
 eyer. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
The Reader Is defir'd to excufe the fmaller 
 ERKATA, and to mend the following, 
 which afFed the Senfe. 
 
 PAge 12. Line z^ for the Godhead r.God. P. 21. 1. 5. 
 t". to (hew r. i7Uo. p. 32. 1. 2. r. impaffible. p. 36. 
 1. 5. after peace r. , p. 59. 1. 1. dele viufi. p. 43.I.18, 
 f. that r. fome. p. 54. 1. 11. x. external, p. 67. Marg, 
 
 r. upn:; mn*' nb b^npi nu;^ n\. p. up. 1.27. r. 
 
 wYOvght. p. 12(5. 1. 1. Marg. r. John 5. 28, 29. p. 1 37• 
 l. 20. dele ?/;^^ p. 182.1. 16. f. Pe)fonality r. Perfon, 
 p. i88, 1. 5, dele only. p. 221. 1, 27. r, noihoundt 
 
BOOKS Printed for R. Crutten- 
 den, at the Bible and Three 
 Crowns m Cheapfide, nearM^v- 
 cer'j Chapel. 
 
 D IV I N I rr. 
 
 J. rnpHE Pfalms of David imitated in the 
 \ Language of the New Teftament and 
 apply'd to the Chriftian State and Worfhip. 
 Price Bound 2S. 6d. 
 
 2. HoraLyrica. Poems chiefly of the Lyric 
 Kind in Three Books, i. Sacred to Devoti- 
 on and Piety. 2. To Vertue, Honour and 
 Friendfliip. 3. To the Memory of the Death, 
 the Third Edition, Price Bound 3 s. Both 
 thefe by the Reverend Mr. Jfaac JVatts, 
 
 3. A Colledion of Tunes fitted to Mr. 
 Watts Imitation of the Pfalms, to which is 
 prefixed the Gamut or Scale of Mufick. 
 Price 6d. 
 
 4. A Method for Prayer, with Scripture 
 Exprcilions proper to be ufed under each 
 head, the Fifth Edition, Price Bound in. 
 Sheep 2 s. 
 
 5. The Communicants Companion, or In- 
 ftru(5lions and Helps for the right Receiving 
 
 • the 
 
the Lord*s Supper, the Seventh Edition, 
 Price Bound in Sheep 2 s. 
 
 6. Direftions for Dayly Communion with 
 God, in Three Difcourfes, fhevving how to 
 begin, how to fpend, and how to clofe every 
 Day with God, the Third Edition, Price 
 Bound I s. 
 
 Thefe Three by the Reverend Mr. Matthew 
 Henry. 
 
 7. An Account of the Life and Death of 
 Mr. Matthew Henry, Minifter of the Gofpel 
 at Hackney, chiefly colleded out of his own 
 Papers, and faithfully publifh'd by the Re- 
 verend Mr. IVilliam Tongy Price in Odavo 4 s. 
 in 1 2S. 2 s. 
 
 8. Memoirs of the Life of the Reverend 
 Learned and Pious Mr. T. HaUihurtouy Profef- 
 for of Divinity in the Univerfity of St. An- 
 drews in Scotland, in Four Parts, whereof 
 Three were drawn up by himfelf, the Fourth 
 colleded by his Friends from his private Pa- 
 pers and his dying Lips, with a large Re- 
 commendatory Epiflle by Mr. Ijaac U^attSy. 
 the Second Edition, Price Bound 2 s. 
 
 9. The Doftrine of Juflification Explain'd 
 and Apply'd, in Eight Sermons, Price Bound 
 is. 6d. 
 
 10. The Chriftians Joy in finifliing his 
 Couife, Price Bound i s. Thefe by the Re- 
 verend Mr. T'homas Bradbury. 
 
 JVhere may be had all his other Occafional 
 
 Sermons. 
 
 \ ii.lhe 
 
11. 'The Confeffion of Faith, together with the 
 Larger and Shorter CatechifnvSj compofed by 
 the Reverend AflembJy of 0ivines fibdng at 
 Wtjlminfler, prefented to both Houfes of Par- 
 liament, again Publifh'd, with the Scriptures 
 at large, and the Emphafis of the Scriptures 
 in a different Charader, together with the TH- 
 redory, and all other Additions that have been 
 hitherto printed, the 5th Ed ition, price Bound 
 4 s. 6 d. 
 
 1 2. A ftedfaft Adherence to the Profefllon 
 of our Faith, recommended in feveral Ser- 
 mons, by the late Reverend Mr. R.Traiky with 
 a Recommendatory Epiflle by Mr. T'ongy Mr. 
 Nesbit, and Mr. CUrk. 
 
 13. The Righteoufnefs of God through 
 Faith upon all without Difference who believe, 
 in Two Sermons on Rom. ^.22. By N.Mather. 
 Second Edition, Price Bound i s. 
 
 14. The Signs and Caufes of Melanc holly, 
 with Directions fuited to the Cafe of thofe 
 who are afflifted with it. CoUeftedout of the 
 Works of Mr. R. Baxter. By S. Clifford^ with 
 a recommendatory Preface by the Reverend 
 Mr. To«^, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Brown, ^r.Evans, 
 Mr. Bradbury, Mr. Harris, Mr. Grofuener, and 
 Mr. Upright. Price Bound is. 6 d. 
 
 HIST'O RT, t^c. 
 
 I. Bihllotheca Politica, or an Inquiry into 
 the Ancient Conftitution of the Englijh Go- 
 vernment, with refped to the juft Extent of the 
 Regal Power, and the Rights and Liberties of 
 the Subjcd ; wherein all the chief Arguments 
 both for and againft the late Revolution, are 
 impartially reprefented and confider'd. By 
 'James 'Tyrrell, Efc]; Price i 1. is. 
 
 2. A 
 
■2. A Voyage into the Levant, performed hy 
 Order of the late French King ; containing the 
 Ancient and Modern State of the Iflands of 
 the Archipelago^ as alfb of Conflantinople, tlie 
 Coafts of the Black Sea, ^r;;7i?«m, Georgia, the 
 Frontiers of Perjia] and Afia Minor. With 
 Plans of the Principal Towns and Places of 
 Note ; an Account of the Genius, Manners, 
 Trade and Religion of the refpedive People 
 inhabiting thofe Parts. And an Explanation 
 of Variety of Medals and Antique Monu- 
 ments. llluRrated with full Defcriptions, and 
 curious- Copper Plates of great Numbers of 
 unknown Plants, Animals, &c. And feveral 
 Obfervations in Natural Hiflory. By M. 
 T^oHvncfort of the Royal Academy of Sciences, 
 Chief Botanift to the late French King. To 
 which is prefixed. The Author's Life, in a 
 Letter to M. Begon. Asalfo his Elogium pro- 
 nounced by M. Fomenelky before a Publick 
 Affembly of the Academy of Sciences. Adorn'd 
 with an accurate Map of the Author's Tra- 
 vels, not in the French Edition. Done by Mr. 
 Sene. The whole in Two Volumns 40. Price 
 
 ll. I OS. 
 
k'*. 
 
.Aa 
 
 
 w_^ 
 
 ^ '%. 
 
^1 
 
 i K 
 
 ^^ PRINCETON, N. J. or 
 
 ■71/0 
 
 Division r r.. : :.: :...'.. ' O 
 
 
 -VV. ^MKF^VIW? . MWMrX? 
 
 !i« j^.<^ ^ :/". ^vum*?.