that age and generation in which Christ should appear in the flesh; called by him, a wicked, adulterous, and faithless generation; the wickedness then risen both in the Gentile and Jewish world, was such as not to be declared; and particularly the barbarity and cruelty of the Jews, in putting Christ to death, and persecuting his apostles, were such as no tongue and pen could fully de

clare.

I have not, in my treatise on the Trinity, insisted on Mic. v. 2. as a proof of the eternal generation of the Son of God; of whom it is there said, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting; though this has been, and still is, insisted on by great and good men, as a proof of it: but when he is said to go forth from the Father, it may seem, as it does to some, rather to intend his mission in time, or as coming into the world; not by change of place, but by assumption of nature, John xvi. 28. besides, the phrase is plural; goings forth; which seem to denote various acts; whereas that of begetting is a single act: to which may be added, that that is an act of the Father; these seem to be acts of the Son; and therefore may seem rather to be understood of his goings forth in the covenant, in acts of grace and love towards his people, and delight in them; in approaching to God in a covenant-way, and asking them of his Father, and all blessings of grace for them; in becoming their Surety, and engaging to be their Saviour and Redeemer. However, these words are a full proof of the eternal existence of Christ; or otherwise these things could not be predicated of him and his existence so early, under the relation and character of the Son of God, and that previous to his goings forth in a mediatorial way; as before proved. Yet, after all, I see not but that the divine generation of Christ may be included in those goings forth; and be the first and principal, and the foundation of the rest; since the contrast in the text is between the Deity and humanity of Christ; or, between his two births and sonships, divine and human; and the phrase of going forth, suits very well with the modern notion of generation, before observed; and the word Ny is frequently used of generation, Gen. xlvi. 26. Isai. xi. 1. and xlviii. 1, 19. and, indeed, in the very text itself. But,

The text in Psal. ii. 7. though some have parted with it, as a proof of this point, I choose to retain, The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee; which are the words of the Messiah, the Lord's anointed; against whom the kings of the earth set themselves, 2. the King set and anointed over the holy hill of Zion, 6. and who says in the beginning of this verse, I will declare the decree; which he speaks either as King, signifying that, he would, as such, declare and publish the laws, statutes, and judgments; so the word signifies; by which his subjects should be ruled and governed: or as a Prophet, who would declare the covenant, as the Targum, the covenant of grace, the things contained in it; and none so fit as he, who is the messenger of it: or the counsel and decree, as we render it, the scheme of man's redemption and salvation by himself; or the gospel, called the whole counsel of God, Acts xx. 27.

for this respects not what follows, the sonship of Christ; though that is 'the ground and foundation of the whole gospel-scheme; but that depends not on any decree, counsel, or will of God, but is of nature; and the mention of it is introduced, to shew the greatness and excellency of the Person spoken of in the context; and so to aggravate the wickedness of his enemies; since the King they opposed, is no other than the natural and proper Son of God; and in like manner are these words quoted in Heb. i. 5. to shew the pre-eminence of Christ to the angels: and as for the date, this day, it may well enough be thought to be expressive of eternity, since one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and as eternity itself; and which is expressed by days of eternity in Mic. v. 2. as the eternal God himself is called the Ancient of days, Dan. vii. 9. and, indeed, this passage is applicable to any day or time in which Christ is declared aud ma nifested to be the Son of God; as at his incarnation, Heb. i. 6. 1 John iii. 8. and at his baptism and transfiguration, Matt. iii. 17. and xvii. 5. as it is to the time of his resurrection; when he was declared to be the Son of God, Acts xiii. 25. Rom. i. 4. And agreeable to this sense of the words, as it respects his eternal generation, and his being the natural and proper Son of God, he is after treated as his heir, and bid to ask what he would for his inheritance, 8, 9. and is represented as the object of religious worship and adoration, and of trust and confidence, 12. which belong to none but a divine person. So Justin Martyr? interpret this passage of the manifestation of Christ's generation to men.

The text in Prov. viii. 22. though a glorious proof of Christ's eternal existence, yet I formerly thought not so clear an one of his eternal generation. But, upon a more close consideration of it, it appears to me a very clear one; as the phrases in this, and some following verses, being possessed, brought forth, and brought up, clearly shew; much darkness has been spread over it, by a wrong translation in the Greek version, which renders the words, the Lord created me, &c. and which has led into more erors than one. Arius from hence concluded, that Christ, as a divine person, was created by his Father in some instant in eternity, and that he was made by him, not of the same nature with him, but of a like nature to him; and is his first and most excellent creature, and whom he made use of in the creation of others: but if the Wisdom of God, the person here speaking, was created by God, then God must be without his Logos, word, and wisdom, until he was created; whereas, he was always with him; and besides, he is the Creator, and not a creature; for all things were made by him, John i. 1-3.

Some, of late, have put a new sense on these words, equally as absurd as the former, and interpret them, of the creation of the human soul of Christ in eternity; which, they say, was then made, and taken up into union with God. But to this sense it must be objected, 1. That the human soul of Christ is not a person, nor is even the whole human nature, which is called a thing, and not a person, Luke i. 35. it never subsisted of itself, but always in the Person of the Son of God; and there are wise reasons, in the oeconomy and scheme of man's

Dialog. cum. Trypho. p. 316.

salvation, that so it should be; whereas wisdom here speaking is all along in the context represented as a Person, I Wisdom, verse 12. the Lord possessed me, verse 22. I was set up, verse 23, &c.—2. The human soul of Christ is only a part of the human nature; whereas Christ has assumed a whole human nature, a true body, and a reasonable soul; and both were necessary to become a sacrifice; as they have been, Isai. liii. 10. Heb. x. 10. According to this notion, Christ assumed the human nature by parts, and these as widely distant as eternity and time; one part assumed in eternity, another part in time; what a sad mangle is this of our Lord's human nature? is this to be made in all things like unto his brethren? of the two, it would be more agreeable that the whole human nature was assumed so early; but was that the case, it would not be the seed of the woman, nor the seed of Abraham, nor the son of David, nor the son of Mary; nor would Christ be a partaker of our flesh and blood; and it should be considered, whether this would have been of any avail to us.-3. But what of all things is most absurd, this human soul is said to be created in eternity, or before time; which is a contradiction in terms, time being nothing else but the measure of a creature's duration; as soon as a creature was, time was; time begins with that, let it be when it will; and therefore cannot be before time: suppose a creature to be made millions of ages before the common date of time, the creation of the world, time must be reckoned from the existence of that creature; but what is worst of all, is the fatal consequence of this to divine revelation; for if there was any thing created before time, or before the world was, whether an angel or a man, or a part of man, the human soul, or the whole human nature of Christ, our Bible must begin with a falshood; and then who will believe what is said in it afterwards? which asserts, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth; that is, in the beginning of time, or when time first began. And this is so agreeable to reason, that Plato' says, Time and Heaven were made together; and Timæus Locrus', God made the world with time; and Plato defines time thus', Time is the motion of the sun, and the mea. sure of motion; which was as soon as a creature was made; the first things that God made were the heavens and the earth; and therefore if any thing was created before them, this must be an untruth. How careful should men be of venting their own whims and fancies, to the discredit of the Bible, and to the risk of the ruin of divine Revelation. Should it be said, Were not the angels created before? I answer, No': surely no man, thinking soberly, will assert it: how can it be thought, that the angels of heaven, as they are called, should be made before there was a heaven for them to be in? Should the text in Job xxxviii. 7. be produced in proof of it, let it be observed, that it is far from being clear that angels are there meant, since they are never elsewhere compared to stars, nor called the sons of God; rather good men are there meant, to whom

In Timeo, p. 1052. * De Anima Mundi, p. 10. Ed. Gale, Definitiones, p. 1337.

Vid. Theodoret, in Gen. Qu. 3.

both epithets agree; but be it understood of angels or men, it is not to be connected with 6. nor respects the time of laying the foundation and corner-stone of the earth; but the phrase in 4. is to be repeated at the beginning, Where wast thou when the morning-stars sang together, &c. and so refers to some early time after the creation of the heavens and the earth; and to a meeting, whether of angels or men, in which the praises of God, on account of his works, were celebrated, before Job had a being. No, neither angels nor men, nor any other creature, were before time; this is peculiar to Jehovah; this is a claim he makes, and none else can put in for it; Before the day was, I am he, Isai. xliii. 13. that is, before there was a day, before time was, I existed, when none else did; none existed in and from eternity but Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; not an angel, nor an human soul: it is a notion of Origen, condemned by Jerom" as heretical, that the soul of the Saviour was, before he was born of Mary; and that this is that which, when he was in the form of God, he thought no robbery to be equal with God.

What has led men into this notion of the human nature of Christ, either in part, or in whole, being created before time, or in eternity, is another error, or mistake, as one error generally leads to another; and that is, that Christ could not take upon him, nor execute the office of Mediator, without it; whereas, it is most certain, that a divine Person can take upon him an office, and execute it, without assuming an inferior nature; as the holy Spirit of God has; he, in the covenant of Grace, took upon him the office of applying the grace and blessings of the covenant, the things of Christ in it, to the covenant-ones; in doing which he performs the part of a comforter to them, and a glorifier of Christ; and yet never assumed any inferior nature; and this without any degradation of his person: and it is easy to observe, among men, that when two powers are at variance, one, even superior to them both, will interpose as a Mediator, without at all lessening his dignity and character. Christ, as a divine person, could and did take upon him the office of Mediator, without assuming human nature; it was sufficient for his constitution as such, that he agreed to assume it in time, when it was necessary; and there are several parts of his mediatorial office, which he could and did execute in eternity without it; he could and did draw nigh to his divine Father, and treat with him about terms of peace and reconciliation for men; he could and did covenant with him on the behalf of his elect; which to do, no more required an human nature in him, than in the Father; he could and did become a Surety for them in the covenant, and receive promises and blessings for them; and agreed to do all for them that law and justice could require: and to make such terms, agreements, promises, &c. of what use and avail would an human soul, or the whole human nature, have been unto him? There are other parts of his office, indeed, which required the actual assumption of the human nature; and when it was proper for him to perform them, then, and not before, was it necessary for him to assume it; such as obedience to the law,

Apel. Adv. Rufin, fol. 73, a. tom. 2.

shedding of blood, and suffering death, to make peace, reconciliation, and atonement for his people.

Wherefore, if this translation of Prov. viii. 22. He created me, is to be retained, it is better to interpret it of the constitution of Christ in his office, as Mediator, as the word create is used in common language, of making a king, peer, judge, or one in any office: but this is rather meant in the following verse, I was set up, or anointed, invested with the office of Mediator; anointing being used at the investiture of kings, priests, and prophets, with their office, is put for the act of investiture itself; for Wisdom, or Christ, proceeds in this account of himself, in a very regular and orderly manner; he first gives an account of his eternal existence, as the Son of God, by divine generation; and then of constitution, as Mediator, in his office-capacity; this latter is expressed by his being set up, and the former by his being possessed or begotten; so the same Greek version renders this word in Zech. xiii. 5. and it may be rendered here, the Lord begat me, and so possessed him as his own Son, laid a claim to him, and enjoyed him as such; for this possession is not in right of creation in such sense as he is the possessor of heaven and earth, Gen. xiv. 19, 22. but in right of paternity, in which sense the word is used, Deut. xxxii. 6. as a father lays claim to, possesses and enjoys his own son, being begotten by him, or signifies possession by generation, Gen. iv. 1. the following phrase in the beginning of his way, should be rendered without the preposition in, which is not in the text; for Wisdom, or Christ, is not, in this clause, expressing the date of his being begotten, but describing him himself, who is the begotten of the Father; as the beginning of his way, of his way of grace; with whom God first begun, taking no one step without him, nor out of him; his purposes of grace being in him, the scheme of reconciliation formed in him, the covenant of grace made with him, and all grace given to the elect in him; in whom they were chosen: and all this before his works of old, the works of creation; of which Christ is the beginning; the first and co-efficient cause, Rev. iii. 14. and this sense of the words, as understood of the begetting of Christ, is confirmed by some other phrases after used, as of being brought forth, 24. as conceived, as the vulgate Latin version; or begotten, as the Targum and Syriac version; so the Greek version, of 25. is, he begat me; and the word is used of generation in Job xv. 7. Psal. li. 5. and is repeated, 25. partly to excite attention to it, as being of great moment and importance, and partly to observe the certainty of it; the eternal generation of Christ being an article of faith, most surely to be believed: Wisdom further says of himself; Then was I by him, as one brought up with him, 30. being begotten by him, and being brought forth, he was brought up with his Father, which expresses the most tender regard to him, and the utmost delight in him. The word as may be rendered, carried in his bosom", as a son by a nursing father, Numb. xi. 12. sce John i. 18.

*Noldius, No. 1884. Coccei Lexic. col. 43.