DISCOURSE I.

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PART IV.

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HEREFORE God alfo bath highly exalted him, and given bim a Name, which is above every Name: That at the Name of Jefus every Knee should bow, of Things in Heaven, and Things in Earth, and Things under the Earth; and that every Tongue fhould confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. In these Words the Apostle fets before us the exceeding great Glory to which God the Father exalted Chrift, as the End and Reward of his great Humility and Sufferings: Words which very well deferve our ferious Attention and Confideration, as instructing

us in the true Reason, and discovering to us the true Foundation of the Honour and Worship and Glory, which the Chriftian Church has ever, and still continues to give and pay to our bleffed Lord.

There is indeed a Difficulty in conceiving how any Acceffion of Glory or Honour should be made to him, who was, before his coming into the World, in the Form of God, and, as fuch, was in Poffeffion of the Majefty and Glory belonging to the Form of God; and yet the Apoftle's Argument feems to fuppofe an Acceffion of Honour to be made to him upon his Exaltation, as the Reward of his Humility and Obedience. For thus the Argument ftands: Jefus Chrift, who was in the Form of God, and in Poffeffion of divine Glory, laid afide the divine Glory, and took upon him the Form of a Servant, being made in the Likeness of Men; and, appearing as mere Man, he submitted to Death, even the Death of the Crofs: Wherefore God, as a Reward to his Humility, has more highly exalted him, (for fo the original Word fignifies,) and given him a Name above every Name. This Glory therefore, according to the Strain of the Apostle's Reasoning, ought to be a more excellent Glory than the firft Glory; for, if

God

God gave him nothing but what he had a Right to, according to the very Excellency and Dignity of his Nature, how did he reward his Humility? To exalt a Man for his Humility, is to raife him to a Station above what he had before his Humility: According to Parity of Reafon, therefore, the Glory to which Chrift was exalted, as a Reward to his Humility, ought to be a greater Glory, than that which he had before his Humility.

But how can thefe Things be? you will fay: How can he, who is the Brightness of his Father's Glory, the exprefs Image of his Perfon, how can he be exalted in Glory? or, what greater Glory can we conceive than the Glory of the Only-begotten of the Father? efpecially confidering that Chrift himself, in praying for Glory for himself, prays for no other Glory, than that which he had before the World was: And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf, with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was. John xvii. 5.

To fet this Matter in a true Light, you muft confider, That the Glories of Nature and the Glories of Office are very different and diftinct Glories; that the Apostle, in

the Place before us, fays nothing of Nature or Effence; he fpeaks of the Perfon Jefus Chrift, and confiders him as the fame Perfon, in all his different States, of Glory, Humility, and Exaltation: The fame Nature which he had being in the Form of God, the fame he had in his State of Humiliation, and now has in his State of Exaltation So that the Apostle does not confider him, in his Exaltation, as having an higher Nature, or greater natural Powers and Dignities, than he had before his Exaltation; and it would indeed be very abfurd to fuppofe he did; for the Exaltation of any Perfon does not confift in a Change of Nature, or natural Powers, but in acquired Honours and Authority. When a Man is raised to be a King, he is ftill a Man, has ftill the natural Powers of a Man, without Increase or Diminution, though he receives new Honour and new Authority.

The Apoftle's Argument then does not infer that the natural Powers and Dignities of Chrift Jefus were increafed, or that they were capable of being increased; but only, that, in confequence of the Redemption, God put all Things immediately under him, making him Head over all, and confe

quently