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CHA P. IV.

Of the Generation of the Son of God, and the Conftitution of his Perfon.

HA

AVING investigated the natures which exist in our Saviour's perfon, fhewed that this perfon is the Son, the begotten Son of God, and proved that he poffeffes this character as he is God-man; we go on to explain more particularly his wonderful generation, and the conftitu tion of his complex perfon thereby produced. This will illuftrate and confirm the account of his Sonship we have given, and delineate the perfon of that glorious Immanuel, on whofe perfon and mediation are built all our hopes of everlasting happiness. It will alfo fhow us how far, and only how far the analogy holds between the generation of the Son of God and of the fons of men,. and guard us against pufhing the refemblance beyond its juft and proper bounds. A full difcuffion of this fublime fubject is indeed impracticable for what mortal can fully inveftigate and declare the generation and conftitution of this Son of God! We know little of our own nature, we know much less of the divine, and how can we know perfectly that glorious perfonage that contains both?

But though an adequate comprehenfion of this fubject is impoffible, fuch a knowledge of it is attainable as is neceffary for our falvation: and for this our gracious God hath fufficiently provided by the revelations he hath given us. In,

compliance

compliance therefore with the defign of these revelations, we fhall endeavour shortly to delineate this fubject, by fhewing, 1. What Chrift was before his generation, and what he must farther be, to become the begotten Son of God. 2. Give an account from Scripture of his actual generation according to these principles, and 3. Defcribe the conftitution of his perfon as God-man, the Son of God.

I. The generation of the fons of men, to which that of the Son of God is reprefented as ́analogous, confifts in the connexion of the preexiftent human principle of the Father with the. additional fubftance, neceffary to the completion. of its perfon, derived from the mother. Similar muft be the generation of the Son of God. From his two different natures united in one perfon, he is at once the Son of God and the Son of man; and therefore his generation muft confift in the unition or constitution of these natures into one perfon. The conftituents of this complex perfor are the divine Logos and a perfect human nature; both these we have proved to exift in our Saviour's person, and therefore these must have been perfonally united in the generation of it. The firft and chief conftituent of our Saviour's com-` plex perfon is his divine fubfiftence, called in Scripture the Logos or Word of God. Aoyos in the Greek language fignifies both reafon and fpeech: applied by the infpired writers to the divine perfon of Chrift, it fignifies fomething analogous, though greatly fuperior to thefe. In the firft fenfe, it fignifies that this divine perfon is an intelligent perfonal fubfiftence in the divine effence, as effential to the Deity, as reafon is to a rational nature, and as infeparable from the other perfons in that effence, as reafon is from mind or

fpirit

"

fpirit. In the second sense it implies, that by him were the divine wifdom and power in a fpecial manner exerted in the creation of the world, and the will of God revealed in after ages to his reafonable creatures. The firft relates more to his perfonal, the fecond more to his oeconomical character. Yet none of them are meant to represent him, as a mere quality or virtue of the Deity; but as a divine perfonal fubfiftence poffeffing every perfection intellectual and active, and exerting them in conjunction with the other perfons in the Godhead. By this divine Word the Jewish revelations affirm all things to have been created, Pfa. xxxiii. 60. And from these the Jewish and Chaldean Paraphrafts held the sop, Memra, and the Greek writers the Aoyos, Logos, to be that divine agent by whom all things were made. By this term, fo long and fo generally understood, St. John denominates this divine perfon; and confirmsthe general belief, by affirming that "in the begin

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ning was the Word, and the Word was with "God, and the Word was God; all things were "made by him, and without him was not "any thing made, that was made," John i. 13. And farther to fhow us that he is neither the general Deity under a different name, nor a mere power of that Deity, but a perfonal fubfiftence in the tri-une Godhead, he affures us, that " there. << are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, "the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three "are one," I John v. 7. This fecond perfon of the Trinity is the original principle and grand conftituent of the Son of God. Like the original principle in human generation, this divine fubfiftence had co-exifted with the first perfon, by the fame neceffity of nature as the firft, diftinguished from him as another perfonal fubfiftence, yet pof

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feffing

feffing with him the fame divine effence. Superior to the originating principle in human generation,this divine principle was not only of the fame fpecific, but of the fame numerical effence with the Father; and was equally a complete perfonal fubfiftence in that effence, and poffeffed equally every perfection the other perfons do poffefs. This was the original character of him who afterwards appeared as the Son of God, and this is the juft foundation of all those divine names, perfections, and honours, that we have fhowed the Scripture uniformly afcribes to him, equally and in common with the other perfons in the Godhead. In this divine effence he had co-exifted with the Father, and the confubftantial fpirit from eternal ages, poffeffed of the fame divine perfections and glory, and happiness. He had been co-partner with him in all the counfels of his wifdom, with regard to the world, and man, before the foundation of the world, Ephef. i. 3, 4.1 Peter i. 20 He had been a co-effential and conjunct agent with him in the creation of all things, for by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things confift, Col. i. 16, 17. Poffeffed of the divine nature and all its perfections, he needed no other nature, nor any additional perfection to make his character more perfect. Having all the fulness of God, he needed nothing more to complete his happinefs; and united with his Father in the fame divine effence, he could have no relation to him nearer or more endearing. But though he could have no clofer connexion with God, he qight have a closer connexion with his crea

tures;

tures; and though by affuming an additional nature, his divine nature could neither be made more perfect nor more happy; yet fuperior honour and happiness might be derived to the creatures he hath made. This the divine wildom and goodness before all worlds had ordained. With the co-effential Logos, were all things decreed, and by him, as the Almighty Word, were the beings decreed to be created. As by him in a special manner all things were decreed and created, fo he was to be the grand medium, through whom the fubfequent bleffings of the divine goodness and grace were to be conveyed to his creation. He had been effentially connected with God, and was God from all eternity; but the divine counfels had determined that this confubftantial Word fhould by a perfonal union with a created nature, effected by a divine generation, become God-man and the Son of God, the bond of union between pure Deity and his created intelligent children, and the glorious mediator through whom the divine government fhould be adminiftered and the bleffings of his goodnefs be difpenfed to his creatures. This must be done by the affumption of another nature into perfonal union with the divine Logos, and the affumption of it in fuch a way as correfponds to the general law of generation among human beings, and would conftitute the complex perfon produced, the begotten and proper Son of God. The nature to be affumed was the human, that abridgment of creation, and the fpecies of being for whofe benefit the generation of Meffiah's perfon was in a fpecial manner decreed and effected. This human nature confifts of a finite created fpirit, called the foul, and a material human frame, called the body; the one connecting us with the spi

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