his filiation; and justly after we have acknowledged him to be the Christ, do we confess him to be "the Son of God;" because these two were ever inseparable, and even by the Jews themselves accounted equivalent. Thus Nathanael, that true Israelite, maketh his confession of the Messias; Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel," John i. 49. Thus Martha makes expression of her faith; "I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world," John xi. 27. Thus the high priest maketh his inquisition; "I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God," Matt. xxvi. 63. This was the famous confession of St. Peter; "We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God," John vi. 69. And the Gospel of St. John was therefore written, that "we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," John xx. 31. Certain then it is that all the Jews, as they looked for a Messias to come, so they believed that Messias to be the Son of God, (although since the coming of our Saviour they have denied it) and that by reason of a constant interpretation of the second psalm, as appropriated unto him. And the primitive Christians did at the very beginning include this filial title of our Saviour, together with his names, into the compass of one word. Well therefore after we have expressed our faith in Jesus Christ, is added that which always had so great affinity with it, the only Son of God.

In these words there is little variety to be observed, except that what we translate the only Son, that in the phrase of the scripture and the Greek church is the onlybegotten. It is then sufficient for the explication of these words, to show how Christ is the Son of God, and what is the peculiarity of his generation; that when others are also the sons of God, he alone should so be his Son, as no other is or can be so; and therefore he alone should have the name of the only-begotten.

First then, it cannot be denied that Christ is the Son of God, for this reason, because he was by the Spirit of God born of the virgin Mary; for that which is conceived, or begotten, in her, by the testimony of an angel, is of

the Holy Ghost; and because of him, therefore the Son of God; for so spake the angel to the virgin; "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee (or, which is begotten of thee) shall be called the Son of God." And the reason is clear, because that the Holy Ghost is God. For were he any creature, and not God himself, by whom our Saviour was thus born of the virgin, he must have been the Son of a creature, not of God.

Secondly; it is as undoubtedly true that the same Christ, thus born of the virgin by the Spirit of God, was designed to so high an office by the special and immediate will of God, that by virtue thereof he must be acknowledged the Son of God. He urgeth this argument himself against the Jews; "Is it not written in your Law, I said, Ye are gods?" Are not these the very words of the eightysecond psalm? "If he called them gods," if God himself so spake, or the psalmist from him, if this be the language of the scripture, if they be called gods" unto whom the word of God came," (and the scripture cannot be broken, nor the authority thereof in any particular denied)" say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world," whom he hath consecrated and commissioned to the most eminent and extraordinary office, "say ye of him, Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?" John x. 34, 35, 36.

Thirdly; Christ must therefore be acknowledged the Son of God, because he is raised immediately by God out of the earth unto immortal life; for "God hath fulfilled the promise unto us, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Acts xiii. 33. The grave is as the womb of the earth; Christ, who is raised from thence, is, as it were, begotten to another life: and God, who raised him, is his Father. So true it must needs be of him, which is spoken of others, who are "the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Thus was he defined or constituted, and appointed "the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead :" neither is he called simply the first that rose, but with

a note of generation, "The first-born from the dead," Col. i. 18.

Fourthly; Christ, after his resurrection from the dead, is made actually heir of all things in his Father's house, and Lord of all the spirits which minister unto him, from whence he also hath the title of the Son of God. "He is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" Heb. i. 3. From all which testimonies of the scriptures it is evident, that Christ hath this fourfold right unto the title of the Son of God: by generation, as begotten of God; by commission, as sent by him; by resurrection, as the firstborn; by actual possession, as heir of all.

But beside these four, we must find yet a more peculiar ground of our Saviour's filiation, totally distinct from any which belongs unto the rest of the sons of God, that he may be clearly and fully acknowledged the only-begotten Son; for although to be born of a virgin be in itself miraculous, and justly entitles Christ unto the name of the Son of God; yet it is not so far above the production of all mankind, as to place him in that singular eminence which must be attributed to the only-begotten. We read of Adam "the son of God," as well as Seth the son of Adam; and surely the framing Christ out of a woman cannot so far transcend the making of Adam out of the earth, as to cause so great a distance as we must believe between the first and second Adam. Besides, there were many while our Saviour preached on earth who did believe his doctrine, and did confess him to be the Son of God, who in all probability understood nothing of his being born of a virgin; much less did they foresee his rising from the dead, or inheriting all things. Wherefore supposing all these ways by which Christ is represented to us as the Son of God, we shall find out one more yet, far more proper in itself and more peculiar unto him, in which no other son can have the least pretence of share or of similitude, and consequently in respect of which we must confess him the only-begotten.

To which purpose I observe, that the actual possession of his inheritance, which was our fourth title to his Sonship, presupposes his resurrection, which was the third; and his commission to his office, which was the second, presupposeth his generation of a virgin, as the first. But I shall now endeavour to find another generation, by which the same Christ was begotten, and consequently a Son, before he was conceived in the virgin's womb. Which that I may be able to evince, I shall proceed in this following method, as not only most facile and perspicuous, but also most convincing and conclusive. First, I will clearly prove out of the holy scriptures, that Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, had an actual being or subsistence before the Holy Ghost did come upon the virgin, or the power of the Highest did overshadow her; secondly, I will demonstrate from the same scriptures, that the being which he had antecedently to his conception in the virgin's womb was not any created being, but essentially divine; thirdly, we will show that the divine essence which he had, he received as communicated to him by the Father; fourthly, we will declare this communication of the divine nature to be a proper generation, by which he which communicateth is a proper Father, and he to whom it is communicated, a proper Son; Lastly, we will manifest that the divine essence was never communicated in that manner to any person but to him, that never any was so begotten besides himself, and consequently, in respect of that divine generation, he is most properly and perfectly the only-begotten Son of the Father.

As for the first, that Jesus Christ had a real being or existence, by which he truly was, before he was conceived of the virgin Mary, I thus demonstrate. He who was

really in heaven, and truly descended from thence, and came into the world from the Father, before that which was begotten of the virgin ascended into heaven or went unto the Father, had a real being or existence before he was conceived in the virgin, and distinct from that being which was conceived in her. This is most clear and evident, upon these three suppositions not to be deniedfirst, that Christ did receive no other being or nature

after his conception before his ascension, than what was begotten of the virgin; secondly, that what was begotten of the virgin had its first being here on earth, and therefore could not really be in heaven till he ascended thither ; thirdly, that what was really in heaven, really was; because nothing can be present in any place, which is not. Upon these suppositions certainly true, the first proposition cannot be denied. Wherefore I assume-Jesus Christ was really in heaven, and truly descended from thence, and came into the world from the Father, before that which was begotten of the virgin ascended into heaven, or went unto the Father; as I shall particularly prove by the express words of the scripture. Therefore I conclude, that Jesus Christ had a real being or existence before he was conceived in the virgin; and distinct from that being which was conceived in her. Now that he was really in heaven before he ascended thither, appeareth by his own words to his disciples; "What and if you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?" John vi. 62. For he speaketh of a real ascension, such as was to be seen or looked upon, such as they might view as spectators. The place to which that ascension tended, was truly and really the heaven of heavens. The verb substantive, not otherwise used, sufficiently testifieth, not a figurative but a real being, especially considering the opposition in the word before. Whether we look upon the time of speaking, then present, or the time of his ascension, then to come, his being or existing in heaven was before. Nor is this now at last denied, that he was in heaven before the ascension mentioned in these words, but that he was there before he ascended at all. We shall therefore farther show that this ascension was the first; that what was horn of the virgin was never in heaven before this time of which he speaks; and being in heaven before this ascension, he must be acknowledged to have been there before he ascended at all. If Christ had ascended into heaven before his death, and descended from thence, it had been the most remarkable action in all his life, and the proof thereof of the greatest efficacy toward the disseminating of the gospel. And can we imagine so divine an action of so high concernment could have passed, and none of Div. No. XIV. Р