Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth, and that every Tongue should confefs that Jefus Chrift is the Lord, to the Glory of GOD the Father +

(f) We must not look upon Chrift, as in the Nature of a General, or an Ambaffador; but of the Only Son of GOD, impower'd and imploy'd to deftroy the Enemies of his Father's Kingdom; and tho' refigning his Commiffion, when the Work fhall be accomplish'd, yet still the Only Son, and the Heir of all things in his Father's Houfe; never to relinquith his Dominion over those whom he has purchased with his own Blood; never to be depriv'd of that Reward which was affign'd to his Sufferings. For if the Prize which we expect in the Race of our imperfect Obedience, be a Crown that fadeth not away; if the weight of Glory which we expect from Him be Eternal; then cannot his perfect and abfolute Obedience be crown'd with a fading Power, or He cease to rule over us, who has always reigned in us. We shall for

+ Phil. ii. 8, 9,

ever reign with Him, and He will make us Priests and Kings, but fo, that He fhall for ever remain High-Priest, and King of Kings. Thus fhall the Promife fo expreflly made to David, Thy House and thy Kingdom fhall be establish'd for ever*, be fulfilled in Him, to whom the Lord ball give the Throne of his Father David, and who shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever, and of whofe Kingdom there fhall be no end t. Nor is this clearer in Gabriel's Explication of the Promife, than in Daniel's Vilion of the Performance: Who faw, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the Clouds of Heaven; and came to the antient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him: and there was given Him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People and Languages fhould ferve Him: His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and his Kingdom which shall not be deftroyed *.

10. II.

*

Tis farther obfer vable, that on account of this ProChrift is called David; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24

2 Sam. vii. 16.

mife to David,

+ Luke i. 32, 33.

Dan.vii. 13, 14.

(g) We were first Servants of the Enemy of GOD; for him we obey'd, and his Servants we are whom we obey t: † Rom. vi. 16. When Chrift thro' Death deftroy'd him that had the Power

of Death, that is, the Devil, and delivered us *. He spoil- *Heb. i. 14. ed Principalities and Powers, and made a few of them, open

ly triumphing over them t. But, contrary to the custom + Colof. ii. 15. of Triumphant Conquerors, He did not fell, but buy us;

F

because,

A&ts iii. 15. + 1 Cor. ii. 8.

2 Theff. ii. 14.

+Rom. vi. 6, 13, 19.

20.

because, while He faved us, He died for us, and that Death was the Price by which He purchased us.

(b) He hath not only bought us, but He provideth for us: Whatever we have we receive from Him, as the Mafter of the Family: We hold of Him all Temporal and Eternal Bleffings, which we enjoy in this, or hope for in a better Life. He is the Prince of Life, and by Him we live; He is the Lord of Glory t, and we are called by his Gofpel to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord *.

(i) Men were not only fold by others, in antient times, but often by themselves: And whofoever of us truly believe in Chrift, have given up our Names unto Him. In our Baptismal Vow we bind ourselves to his Service; that henceforth we will not ferve Sin; but yield our felves unto GOD, as thofe that are alive from the dead, and our Members, as Inftruments of Righteousness, unto GOD: That, as we have yielded our Members Servants to Uncleanness and to Iniquity, even fo we should yield our Members Servants to Righteoufnefs, and to Holiness +.

The Neceffity of believing and professing our Faith, in this part of the Article, appears :

1. In the discovery of our Condition. For by this we know that we are not our own, either in our Perfons, or our Actions. Know ye not (faith St. Paul) that ye are not 1 Cor. vi. 19, your own? for ye are bought with a Price *. Christ took on Him the Form of a Servant; and to give us a perfect Example of that Condition, He tells us, I came not to do ✦ John viii. 38. mine own Will, but the Will of Him that fent me . We cannot therefore do our own Wills, but His whofe we are; and must conclude with the Apostle; That none of us liveth to himself, and no Man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live, therefore, or die, we are Rom. xiv. 7, 8. the Lord's *.

2. In that it enforceth, and invites us to Obedience: enforceth us, as He is the Lord; invites us, as Chrift is the Lord. The Terrors of his Power are not more prevailing, than the Engagements of his Kindness.

When

GOD

GOD gave the Old Law with Fire and Thunder, the affrighted Ifraelites defir'd to receive it by the Hands of Mofes, and made the most ready and chearful Promise of exact Obedience: Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our GOD fhall fay; and speak thou unto us, and we will bear it, and do it +.

How fhould we be invited to the Deut. 5. 27, fame Promife and a better performance, who, by an infinitely greater Favour, have receiv'd the whole Will of GOD from the Son of Man, as our Instructor, and Lawgiver, and are accountable to Him as our Judge! He who first took our Nature upon Him, to become our Brother, that with fo near a Relation He might be made our Lord! If the Patriarchs did fo chearfully live in the Land of Goshen, fubject to the Power and Command of Egypt, because that Power was in the hand of Fofph their exalted Brother; Shall not we, with all Readiness of Mind, fubmit our felves to the Divine Dominion, now given to Him who gave Himfelf for us? Shall all the Angels worship Him, and the Archangels bow down before Him, and shall not we be proud to join with them?

3. In the regulation of Earthly Power and Authority, in refpect both to thofe that rule, and thofe that obey. Hence the moft abfolute Monarchs learn, That not only their People, but themselves are the Subjects of a greater Prince. Upon this St. Paul grounds his Admonition to Masters; Give unto your Servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye alfo have a Mafter in Heaven; Co. iv. t. And his Charge to Servants; Obey in all things your Mafters according to the Flesh; and whatsoever je do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto Men; knowing that of the Lord ye ball receive the reward of the Inheritance; for ye ferve the Lord Chrift +.GOD permitted the Ifraelites to make hiredServants + Col. iii. 22, of their Brethren, but not Slaves; and He gives this Reason 23, 24. for the Interdiction, For they are my Servants, which I brought forth out of the Land of Egypt *.

What Ten-Lev. XXV. 426

derness then fhould we ufe towards those who are the Servants of our Common Lord, who has redeem'd them and us from a harder Bondage, and purchas'd with a higher Price?

Rom. x. 12.

4. In our Comfort and Encouragement under all Dangers and Conditions. Since the fame Lord over all, is

rich unto all that call upon Him †. The Lord whom we ferve is able to deliver us: Or, If we fuffer with Him,

Tim. ii. 12. we shall also reign with Him *.

AR

ARTICLE III.

Which was conceived by the Holy Ghoft, born of the Virgin Mary.

Which was conceived by the Holy Gholf,

Affent unto this, as a moft neceffary

and infallible Truth, that the Onlybegotten Son of GOD (a), begotten by the Father before all Worlds, very GOD of very GOD, was Conceived and Born, and fo made Man, taking to Himself the Human Nature (b), confifting of a Soul (c) and Body (d), and conjoining it with the Divine, in the Unity of his Person (e). I am fully affur'd, that the Word was in this manner made Flesh, that He was really and truly conceiv'd in the Womb of his Mother; yet not after the manner of Men, but by the fingular, extraordinary, Influence of the Holy Ghoft (f), whereby a Virgin was beyond the Law of Nature, enabled to conceive, and that which was conceiv'd in Her was originally and completely fanctified (g).