I I WORD, or Chrift's Divine Nature, is inferior to the Very God. Such are thefe which follow. And ye are Chrift's and Chrift is God's, 1 Cor. 3. 23. But. to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom are all things, and we by him, 1 Cor. 8. 6. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Chrift; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Chrift is God, 1 Cor. 11. 3. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be deftroyed is Death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he faith, all things are put under him, it is manifeft that he is is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things fhall be fubdued unto bin, then fhall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all, 1 Cor. 1. 15. 24- -28. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that though he was rich, yet for your fakes be became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich, 2 Cor. 8.9. Now that he afcended, what is it but that he alfo defcended into the lower parts of the earth? He that defcended, is the fame alfo that afcended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things, Ephef. 4. 9, 10. For both he that fanctifieth, and they who are fanctified (viz. as you your felf (d) explain it, Chrift and all good Chriftians) are all of one (viz. as you rightly fay, of God) for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Heb. 2. II. For it is not poffible that the blood of bulls and of goats, should take away fins. Wherefore when I Texts. becometh into the world, be faith, Sacrifice and offering =thou mouldeft not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and facrifices for fin thou haft had no plea Jure: Then faid I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. Above, when be faid, Sacrifice, and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering for finthou wouldeft not,neither hadft pleasure therein, (which are offered by the law) Then faid he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the fecond. By the which will we are fanétiified, through the offering of the body of Jefus Chrift once for all, Heb. 10.410. : { • . Thus alfo are thofe Texts to be understood, in which the Very God is ftyled the God, the Father, or the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 15. 6. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, 2 Cor. 1. 3. The God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which is bleffed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not, 2 Cor. 11. 31. Bleed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Christ, # who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places in Chrift, Ephef. 1. 3. That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of him, v. 17. We give thanks to God, and the Father of our Lord Fefus Chrift, praying always for you, Col. 1.3. Bleffed be the "God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which according “ to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead, I Pet. 1.3. And bath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen, Rev. 1.6. 150169 Lol! Thus alfo is our bleffed Savior himself to be understood in these remarkable Texts. Jefus faith unto ber, Touch me not: for I am not yet afcended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I afcend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God, John 20. 17. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and be fhall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerufalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name, Rev. 3. 12. To thefe I may add the following Paffages; And be was cloathed with a vesture dipt in blood: and his name is called, The Word of God, Rev. 19.13. And out of bis mouth goeth a fharp sword, that with it be should smite the Nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the wine-prefs of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, v. 15. I confefs, there are fome other Particulars affirmed of our bleffed Lord with refpect to his Human Nature, which have been too commonly underftood of the WORD or his Divine Nature; and which wou'd, if that Interpretation were juft, fairly prove, that the WORD or Divine Nature of Chrift, is inferior to the Very God. Upon these therefore I fhall beftow a few Obfervati ons. Our Lord is called the Image of the Invisible God, and the first born of every Creature, Col. 1. 15. But how does it certainly appear, that thefe Phrafes relate to the WORD or his Divine Nature? God is faid to have created Man in his own image, Gen. 1. 27. and he is accordingly the image and glory of God, I Cor. 11. 7. particularly as he is the Reprefentative of God, exercifing Authority in " + 3 God's God's Name in this lower World and thus is Chrift the image of God, 2 Cor. 44. even the imagè of the invisible God, Col. I. 15 by being, even in his Human Nature, God's Reprefentative; becaufe, 1. His preexiftent Soul did in the old Times perfonat the Divine Majefty; and 2. The Man Christ Jefus does now exercife God's Dominion over the whole Creation. And accordingly 'tis ob fervable, that the Apoftle ftyles Chrift the Image of the invisible God, plainly intimating, that the Image it felf is visible; and confequently that 5: Phrafe must be understood as I have already explained it. And as for the other Phrafe, the Man Chrift Jefus is moft certainly the first born of every creature, not only, 1. becaufe his Human Soul was created before all other Creatures, as I have (e) already faid; but alfo, 2. because he is now insta ted in the actual Poffeffion of the Jus Primogeniti (which the WORD, or his Divine Nature, is effentially incapable of receiving) as being actually conftituted, and in Fact become, what he was not before his Exaltation, viz. the Governor of all created Beings. ! 1 (e) Chap. 7. p. 89. (f) Reply to Bifhop Gaftrell, p. 283. Again, 'tis affirmed of Christ, Col. 2.9. that in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead was (that is, not as we tranflate it, bodily; but as oua is opposed to oxid, v. 17.) really or truly. Now this may be moft justly affirmed of the Man Chrift Jefus. For if the Fulness of the Godhead fignifys the WORD or Divine Nature; it really and truly dwells in the Man to whom 'tis perfonally united. But if See fignifys the Dominion of God, as you (f) con tend tendit does; tis certain, that the Man Chrift Jefus does actually exercise it at present in the most ample Manner, as God's Vicegerent in his Kingdom of the Creation, 25 Again we read, that God hath in thefe last days Spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also be made the worlds. Who being the brightness of his Glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our fins, fat down on the right band of the Majesty on high: Being made fo much better than the Angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For unto which of the Angels faid be at any time, Thou art my Son, this day bave I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first born into the World, he faith, And let all the Angels of God worship him. And of the Angels be faith, Who maketh his Angels fpirits, and his minifters a flame of fire. But unto the Son he faith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a a fceptre of righteousness is the fceptre of thy kingdom: Thou baft loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning haft laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the Works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remaineft: and they all shall wax old as doth a Garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the fame, and thy years Jhall not fail. But to which of the Angels faid be at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all minifring Spirits, fent forth to minifter for them who shall be beirs of Salvation? Heb. 1. 2 14. 71 E ben Now, |
