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Son of God; for inheriting is both a Sign and a Right of Sonfhip: If Sons, then Heirs. By this the Apoftle tells us, he was made better than the Angels, having by Inheritance obtain'd a more excellent Name than they; for to which of the Angels faid he at any time as to him, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? Heb. 1. 3, 4, 5.

But tho ail thefe are high and eminent ways and degrees of Sonfhip, yet they are not fo peculiar to our Saviour as to denominate him his only Son: for Adam was the Son of God, without any intervening Act of Generation; and the Angels are fo his Sons, as to have no other Father but him. Tho Chrift be faid to be the First-born from the Dead; yet there are others follow him in the Refurrection, and are therefore likewife ftyl'd the Sons of God: and tho Chrift by virtue of his Sonship be made Heir of all, yet we are faid likewife to be Heirs of God, and Co-heirs with Fefus Chrift, having a Portion too in our Father's House, and made Sharers of the Inheritance, which rather follows Sonfhip than makes it.

So that there remains yet a higher and more peculiar ground of this Relation; whereby he is in a fingular manner above all others faid to be the only Son, and the onlybegotten Son of God. And what is that? Why, for the understanding hereof, we must proceed,

Secondly, To confider our Saviour, with respect to his Divine Nature; and by that means we may difcover fomething of that high and eminent Relation of Sonship that is peculiar to Chrift alone; by virtue whereof he is the onlybegotten Son of the Father, in a way that never was or can be affirm'd of any other. To which end we must obferve,

1. That Chrift had another Nature or Being before and befide that which he receiv'd from the Bleffed Virgin; for the Scripture affures us, that he was truly in Heaven, and came down from thence before he was begotten of her, and that he after afcended to the place where he was before; John 6. 62. John the Baptift declares that Chrift was be fore him, tho he was born and came into the World after him; John 1. 15. Yea, we find himself declaring, Before Abraham was, I am; John 8. 58. meaning that he had a real Being or Exiftence before Abraham had any, and confequently before he himself was born of the Virgin, which was many hundred Years after: And elsewhere he peaks of the Glory

be

be had with his Father before the World was. By which it appears,

2. That the Being which Chrift had before his Conception and Birth of the Bleffed Virgin, could be no other than the Divine Nature; for 'tis faid to be before all Worlds, that God made the World by him, and that all Things were made by him and for him. All the Acts of a Divine Power, fuch as forgiving of Sins, raifing the Dead, healing all manner of Difeafes with a word's fpeaking, and the like, are frequently in Scripture afcrib'd to him; yea, all the incommunicable Properties of the Deity, fuch as Eternity, Immenfity, Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omniprefence, are all attributed to him; which plainly prove the Divinity of his Nature and Perfon. To this we must add,

3. That Chrift had not this Divine Nature originally from himself, but from another. Hence we find the Son often confeffing, that he is not of himfelf, that he fpake not of himself, that he could do nothing of himself: all which Expreffions fhew that he deriv'd his Effence and Power from another.

4. Therefore the Son receiv'd this Divine Nature by an eternal Communication of it from the Father; by virtue whereof he truly faid, All things whatsoever the Father bath, are mine; John 16. 15. meaning, that both have the Fulness of the Godhead, and neither can have any more, upon which account Chrift declares, I and my Father are one; and elsewhere, that he thought it no Robbery or Ufurpation to be equal with God, as having the fame Divine Nature; but yet with this difference, the Father hath it originally from himself, the Son by Communication from the Father. In which respect we find him declaring, My Father is greater than I; the one being as it were the Original, the other the Copy, the Image and Reflection of the Deity: fo the Apostle ftyles him, The Brightness of the Father's Glory, and the express Image, or Character, of his Perfon; Heb. 1. 3. He is the internal Word or Mind of God, the Life, Wifdom, and Power of the Father: for as the Father bath Life in himself, fo hath be given to the Son to have Life in bimself. And from his deriving both his Effence and Power in this ineffable manner from the Father, he is truly and properly ftyl'd the Son of God. Moreover,

Laftly, There being no other that ever had the Godhead in this manner communicated to him, he is therefore faid to be the only Son, or the only-begotten of the Father.

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None befide him could ever fay, I and my Father are one, that the Father is in me, and I in him, and that I came out from the Father. Thefe Expreffions betoken fuch a Communication of the Divine Nature to him, as could never be affirm'd of any other. Indeed, the Unity of the Godhead forbids us to believe any farther Multiplication of the Divine Effence; and as no Reafon of ours could inform us of Christ's being thus begotten of the Father, fo no Revelation hath recorded the like or the fame of any other for tho Christ be sometimes ftyl'd the First-born among many Brethren, and for that reafon is not afham'd (as the Apoftle tells us) to call us Brethren, yet that is to be understood not of a like Communication of the Godhead, but of their Adoption to the fame Inheritance: And tho the Holy Ghoft hath likewife the Divine Nature communicated to him, by which he is faid to be one with the Father and the Son; yet that is not by the way of a Natural and Eternal Generation, but by an unaccountable way of Proceffion, which makes him not the Son, but the Gift of God.

And now we are arriv'd as high in the Knowledge of this great Mystery as our prefent State and Circumstances will admit; having fhew'd how Chrift is the Son of God, both as to his Human and Divine Nature.

In respect of the former, he is fo by Generation, as begotten of him; by Commiffion, as fent by him; by Refurrection, as rais'd from the Dead by him; and by Inheritance, as being made by him Heir of all Things. Some of which, being common to him with others, he is in a fenfe common with them denominated the Son of God.

In respect of the latter, he is fo by an ineffable and eternal Communication of the Godhead: which being peculiar to him alone, he is thereby ftyl'd the only Son of God, and the only begotten of the Father.

All that remains, is, to fhew what Influence the Belief hereof ought to have upon our Minds and Practice. And,

1. From Chrift's being in this eminent manner the Son of God, we may reft abundantly fatisfy'd in the Value and Sufficiency of his Sacrifice for tho we ourselves, by reafon of the meannefs of our Perfons, could not make a fufficient Compenfation for the breach of the Divine Laws, nor thereby appeafe an infinite and offended Deity; yet he who was of the fame Nature and Substance with the Father, was able to effect all this for us. The Dignity of his Perfon

put

put an infinite worth and efficacy into his Atonement: and tho we could merit no favour at the hands of God, nor fatisfy for the leaft offence committed against him, yet he is worthy for whom he fhould do this and far greater Things. Nor is it to be wonder'd at, that the Blood of his deareft Son, in whom he is well-pleas'd, fhould be fo precious in his fight; for what Offence can be fo heinous, that his Blood cannot wash away? or what Debt fo great, that the Son of God cannot fatisfy? Hence the Apoftle tells us, that tho the Blood of Bulls, or of Goats, or indeed, of any mere Man, cannot do away Sin; yet the Blood of Chrift, the Son of God, purgeth us from all Sin.

2. From Chrift's being the Son of God, we learn what Honour and Adoration is to be paid him; for being thereby one in Effence, and equal in Majefty with the Father, We are to honour the Son, even as we honour the Father. We read, that all the Angels in Heaven were call'd upon to worship him, and that all things in Heaven and Earıb, and under the Earth, are to bow the Knee, and do him Reverence. How much more ought we to afcribe Honour, and Praife, and Glory to him that fitteth upon the Throne, and the Lamb for evermore?

3. We learn hence, the infinite Goodness of God, in giving his Son, his own darling and beloved Son, for our Redemption: God so loved the World (faith St. John) that he gave his only-begotten Son, that we might live thro' him. This is fuch a high inftance of Love, that the Apostle is at a lofs how to exprefs it. Nor is the Love of the Son less than that of the Father, who gave himself for us, and not only undertook, but compleated the great Work of our Redemption; which fhould engage us to the great Duties of Thankfulness, Truft, and Affiance in both for if the Father Spar'd not his own Son, and the Son fpar'd not his own Life, bow Shall they not with him freely give us all things?

Laftly, From what hath been faid, let us learn to confirm our Faith and Hope in the Son of God; the ftedfast Belief whereof will be a Matter of great Benefit and Comfort to us: for whofoever shall confefs (fays St. John) that Jefus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God; 1 John 5. 5. As he by taking our Nature dwelt with us, fo we by believing in him partake of his Divine Nature and dwell in him. This Faith will carry us above the World, and give us the Victory over our ghoftly Enemies: for who is be that overcometh the World (fays the fame Apoftle) but he that

believeth

believeth that Fefus is the Son of God? 1 John 4. 15. For this is the Victory that overcometh the World, even our Faith. Yea, this Belief will inroll us in the number of the Sons and Children of God: for as many as receiv'd him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even as many as believed in his Name; John 1. 12.

let us

In a word, being hereby inftructed in the Knowledge of this Myftery as far as 'tis reveal'd, and confequently as far as our Capacities on this fide the Grave can reach ; here ceafe any farther enquiry into the Manner of it; fubmitting our Reason to Faith, and being content to believe and admire it, tho our fhallow Underftandings cannot at present thorowly comprehend it.

H

DISCOURSE X.

2

TIM. i. 2. latter

part.

And Chrift Jefus our LORD.

AVING fhew'd the Relation that Chrift Jefus beareth to God the Father, as his only begotten Son:

I proceed now to the Relation he bears to us as our Lord: of which I fhall treat from these words, which are part of St. Paul's Salutation to Timothy: Grace, Mercy and Peace from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord. Where we may observe,

That as the Name of God is fometimes in a peculiar manner attributed to the Father as the Fountain of the Deity, and the first Perfon in the Bleffed Trinity; fo the Name of Lord is fometimes peculiarly_afcrib'd to the Son, as being next to the Father in the Rule and Government of his Church; call'd therefore the Lord Jefus, or Chrift Fefus our Lord. And to call upon the Name of the Lord Jefus, is in Scripture made the Character and Cognizance of a good Christian: None being able to call Chrift, Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 12. 3. In treating therefore hereof, I muft enquire,

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