the univerfal Race of Mankind with eternal Death, and Butterly have deftroy'd it, (for this is the most proper and higheft Senfe of imputing Sin,) yet God was wil ling to spare the World; and fo being reconcil'd by the Death of Chrift, was willing to make with all Mankind a New or Second gracious Covenant, call'd the Gospel. Wherefore 4ly, It is chiefly to be obferv'd, that I whereas Chrift's Satisfaction did actually effect only thus much in order to our Salvation, that God should enter with all Mankind into the gracious Covenant of the Gofpel; and whereas the faid Covenant confists, not only of meer Promiles on God's Part, but also of Jeveral Things requir'd by God on Man's Part; hence it follows, that no One can have Right to the Benefits or Promises of the Gofpel, unless he has first perform'd the Conditions requir'd in the Gofpel-Covenant on Man's Part; and therefore that no One is juftify'd, ipfo facto, by Chrift's Satisfaction alone. Part II. Chap. 3. XXVI. fect or Benefit of In fhort, it is repugnant both to the Juftice and Ho- A fummary Aclinefs of God, to justify any One, and fo to give him count of the EfRight to eternal Life, unless he be actually adorn'd chrift's Satisfawith (at least) Evangelical Righteousness, i. e. unless he &ion. Sincerely and with all his Strength follows after Righteousness. To which end our Saviour by his Death obtain'd of God the Father that fignal Bleffing, viz. the Grace of the Holy Spirit, that the faid Grace being freely offer'd on God's Part, and thankfully receiv'd and duly made ufe of by us, we might thereby be enabled to perform the Righteousness requir'd by the Gospel.. Further, as a Reward of fuch our Righteoufnefs, our Saviour obtain'd, that on account of his Satisfaction God fhould vouchfafe freely unto us thus living righteously the Forgiveness of our Sins afore committed; and also on account of his Merits fhould freely bestow on us eternal Life, as much as if we were molt perfectly and abfolutely Righteous. In a word, the Merits of Chrift were not defign'd to free us from performing the Condition of the Gofpel-Covenant, as Faith, Repentance, Good Works, &c. but on our performing that moft equitable Condition to make us Partakers of Salvation; Part II. Chap. 3. XXVII. Salvation; and alfo to obtain Grace for us, whereby we might be enabled to perform the faid Condition. To conclude this Chapter. If it be enquir'd, On Chrift's Satisfa- what Account fo great a Value was fet on the Blood of ly on his Divinity. Christ by God the Father, that the Shedding thereof fhould make Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World, Etionfounded chief The Doctrin c. I answer, that it was partly on this Account, viz. that the Shedding of Chrift's Blood carry'd in it an ineffable Love to Man, and Submiffion to God the Fa ther; partly, because thereby the Glory of the Divine Attributes, efpecially God's Juftice and Mercy, fhone forth in the most wonderful and ftupendous Manner; but the principal Account or Reason was the tranfcendent and altogether infinite Dignity, i. e. in one word the Divinity of the Person whofe Blood was fhed. Whence it is that the fame Hereticks that wholly deny Chrift's Satisfaction, deny alfo his Divinity. Wherefore fince the whole Salvation of Man depends on Christ's Satisfaction, and Chrift's Satisfaction depends on his Divinity, it is of the highest Concern for us, firmly to believe the Divinity of Chrift. Of which therefore I fhall treat in the next Chapter. Of the Divinity of Chrift. HE Doctrin of Chrift's Divinity, or true and ching the coin, Treal God (hip, may be redue'd to thefe following cerning Deity reduced to five Heads. of Chrift may be Heads. Firft concerning Chrift's Pre-existence, and that not only before the Virgin Mary, but even before the World it felf, inafmuch as all Things were created by him. Secondly concerning the Confubftantiality of Chrift, or that He as God the Son, is not of any Created or Changeable Effence, but of altogether the Same Nature with God the Father, and fo Very God. Thirdly concerning the Co-eternal Exiftence of Christ, as God the Son, with God the Father. Fourthly concerning the Subordination of Chrift, as God the Son, to God the Father, as being the Fountain or Origin of the the Godhead of the Son, who is therefore said in the Nicene Creed to be Very God (not of Himself, but) of Very God. To the four Heads foremention'd may be added as a Fifth, the Neceffity of Believing, that our Lord Jefus Chrift is Very God. Part II. Chap. 4. II. Virgin Mary. That our Saviour had an Existence before he was of Chrift's Preconceiv'd of the Virgin Mary, is fufficiently afferted existence, and that 11 Cor.10. 9. Neither let us tempt Chrift, as fome of them first before the allo tempted, and were deftroy'd of Serpents. For as what is faid in the latter part of the Verse refers to the Ifraelites in the Wilderness in the days of Mofes, fo the most natural Expofition of the Text is this, viz. Neither let us tempt Christ, as fome of them tempted Chrift, &c. And agreeably hereto it is the general Do&trin of the Primitive Fathers or Writers, viz. that it was God the Son that all along appear'd to Mofes in the Bush, and Cloudy Pillar, &c. and not only fo, but that appear'd to all the Patriarchs before Mofes, even Eto Adam prefently after his Creation. It would fwell this Treatife to a Bulk too large for the Defign theretof, to infert here the Teftimonies of the Primitive Wri ters. It will be fufficient to my Purpose to acquaint the Reader, that he may find the faid Teftimonies laid together by Bishop Bull in his Defence of the Nicene Creed, viz. Chap. 1. of Sect. 1. of his faid Defence. I shall only add here, that the Truth of what is here afferted concerning God the Son's appearing all along to Mofes, may further be prov'd beyond all reasonable Doubt from another place of Scripture it felf, viz. Hebr. II. 26. where it is faid of Mofes, that he esteem'd the Reproach of Chrift greater Riches than the Treafures in Egypt. Whence evidently follows one or both of these two Inferences, viz. 1ft, that Mofes himself knew, that the Divine Perfon that appear'd to him, was the Same that in due time was to become Flesh and be born into this World, i. e. was Christ; or else at least 21y, that the infpir'd Writer of this Epiftle knew fo much. And it being most reasonably judg'd, that St Paul was the Writer of this Epiftle to the Hebrews, hence it is further confirm'd, that when St Paul fays, 1 Cor. 10. 9. Neither Part II. Chap. 4. III. World or All-crea ted Beings. Neither let us tempt Christ, as fome of them (viz. the Secondly, of I proceed now to fhew likewife from Scripture, that Chrift's Pre-exi- it was the fame Divine Perfon or Christ that made the flence before the World. And this is plainly afferted by St John in the very Beginning of his Gofpel; which according to the Tradition of the Primitive Writers was writ by him to this end among others, viz. to teach the true Divinity of Chrift, or his Exiltence before any Created Being. To which end he begins his Gospel thus: In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The fame was in the Beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was Not any thing Made, that was Made. By which laft Text is afferted in as plain Terms, as can poffibly be made ufe of, the Existence of Chrift before the Creation of the World, or before the Exiftence of any Created Being, which is the fecond Particular that was to be prov'd concerning Chrift's Pre-exiftence, before he took on him our human Nature. The fame is the general Doctrin of the Primitive Writers, as may be feen in Bishop Bull's Defence of the Nicene Creed, Sect. 1. Chap. 2. IV. Of Chrift's Con- I proceed to Chrift's Confubstantiality, which may fubftantiality with likewise be most clearly prov'd from the forecited Be the Father. ginning of St John's Gofpel. For St John having af ferted, v. 1. that the Word (or Chrift) not only was in the Beginning, but was with God, and even Himself was God: St John go's on v. 2 and 3. to explain what he meant by the Beginning, and what by God, viz. that by the Beginning he meant Before the Existence of any Created Being; and that by God he meant Him by whom all Things were made, that were made, i. e. who created All created Beings, and was therefore Himself Uncreated; and fo of the fame Divine Effence with God the Father, which is what is denoted by Christ's Confubftantiality with the Father. This Doctrin, as it Part II. is fo clearly afferted here by St John, (to mention no other places of Scripture,) fo no wonder that it was Chap. 4. therefore the general Doctrin of the primitive Church, as may be learnt from the primitive Writers or Fathers thereof; whofe Testimonies to this purpose may be feen in Bp Bull's Def. of the Nicene Creed, Sect. 2. Chap. 2, 3, 4, &c. As the primitive Writers are wont to illuftrate the Generation and Confubftantiality of the Son, by comparing them to that of a River in refpect to its Spring-head, or of a Ray in respect to the Sun, or the like; fo the Simily they most used, was that of a Ray and the Sun. And the Reafon feems to be, because this is no other Simily than is used or imply'd in Scripture it felf, viz. Hebr. 1. 3. where Chrift is faid to be the Ray (for fo the Greek Original Word properly fignifies, which we render there Brightness) of bis, viz. of the Father's Glory. Whence it is that the Nicene Fathers made choice of this Simily, viz. Light of Light, to infert into their Creed, for the Illuftration of the Generation of the Son from the Father, and his Confubftantiality with the Father. Father. V. VI. Come we in the third place to the Co-eternity of the of Chrift's CoSon with the Father. And this neceffarily follows from eternity with the his Confubftantiality, or being of the Same true Divine Effence or Nature with the Father. For on this account all the Attributes that belong to the Divine Ef fence or Nature, of which Eternity is one, must belong to the Son as well as to the Father. Hence this is the Doctrin of the primitive Fathers, as may be feen in Bp Bull's Def of the Nicene Creed, Sect 3. Ch.1, &c. The fourth Head relating to Chrift's Divinity is his Subordination, even as God the Son to God the Father. ordination to the For the very Notion of Son-fhip implies in it a Sub. Father. ordination to the Father, tho' there be an Identity or Equality as to all Attributes effential to the Nature of the Father and the Son. Befides, the Father is God of Himfelf, being made of None, neither Created nor Begotten, as it is explain'd in the Athanafian Creed: whereas the Son is God of God, (viz. of the Father) as it is exprefs'd in the Nicene Creed; forafmuch as tho' R he Of Chrift's Sub |