their nature: so if we think of one divine person, this neceffarily infers another divine person. Of this Nature's light discovers nothing, but fhews one Godhead, and but one, infinitely diftinguished from all other beings by itfelf, and that another God is impoffible. Scripture revelation leaves this entire and full, and afferts it fully; but unto this it adds the idea of perfonality, which implies in it more fuch perfons than one, and reveals three perfons in this one Godhead, mutually related, and acting distinct parts, with relation unto one another, (which could not have been acted by one fingle perfon, or by any but divine perfons); and that in a work wherein the one Godhead and divine attributes fhine forth more than in any other work of God, and unto which all the other works of God are fubfervient. Nature's light could not difcover this; but cannot contradict it: for though we use to infer diftinct natures from diftinct perfons among men, finite creatures, among whom alfo there is no neceffity for one's be ing two perfons, feeing another may be made to answer all the purposes for which that man could be fuppofed to be two perfons; yet fuch an inference cannot be applied unto the Deity, without measuring infinite by finite, and intruding into those things which we have not feen, and using Nature's light unto a purpose unto which it was not defigned, and which it cannot answer; yea and without a contempt of this glorious discovery of the Godhead made in this revelation.

Thus it is evident, that whatever notions we have of the Deity naturally, he that "denieth the Son," the fame "hath 66 not the Father; " and he that "knoweth not" that divine perfon the Son, "knows as" little of the Father. The Jews efteemed themselves free in the house or church of God, and held themselves for the children of God, which yet they could not be any otherwise but by being the children of the Father of Jefus Chrift; and his children they were not, as appeared by their unbelief and enmity against his Son the Chrift: yea they did not know the Father; though by calling themselves the children of God, they called the Father of Jefus Chrift their God; fince none are the children of God but they that have the Father of Chrift for their father; and God is not the God of any but them to whom the Father of Chrift is a father, John viii. 41. 42. and 54. "It is my "Father that honoureth me, of whom ye fay that he is your

"God," y 55. "Yet ye have not known him." The fame

thing, with the fame view, may be faid to the adverfaries of the true Godhead of Jefus Chrift. They pretend mightily to

honour

honour the Father, and claim interest in him, and in his church; while, in the mean time, they dishonour the Son, whom the Father honoureth, and would have all men to honour, even as they honour him; and hereby it is evident they have not known the Father, and that they really honour the Father as little as they honour the Son.

And thus they do indeed make void fcripture-revelation, while they pretend to receive it, by fubjecting it to Nature's light, and holding themselves for mafters of that light. But here they tell us, we can, upon occafion, ufe as much freedom with the fcriptures, and make as much use of reason in explaining them as they, in fome cafes; and fo fall under our own cenfure and they infift much on these two instances, God's fpeaking of himself as having bodily parts, and the matter of tranfubftantiation.

:

As to the first of these : That manner of speaking, as if God had bodily parts, is abundantly juftified in the great myftery of godlinefs, God manifeft in the flesh, and has a fufficient foundation in his taking part with us in flesh and blood. And it was no way unbecoming God, to speak thus of himfelf, after the manner of man, with a view to this great myftery, in the revelation of which he is moft gloriously manifested.

And as for transubstantiation, it had never entered into the minds of men, if it had not been upon occasion of the revelation of that spiritual mystery, of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man. The Jews, who took up that fpiritual faying of our Lord in a carnal fenfe, conceiving that he spake of his body in the fame manner as the Ifraelites eated the manna, the type of it, thought this impoffible, and fo rejected the revelation. But others came after them, who, profeffing to own the revelation, found themfelves obliged to own, that there is an eating of Chrift's body, and drinking of his blood, in his fupper. They knew nothing of the spiritual mystery of faith in this matter; and fo were forced to have recourfe to the notion of the unbe. lieving Jews, about eating this flefh, though against our Lord's express declaration, John vi. 63. For they could not make a better of it: they were obliged either to reject the revelation, as the Jews; or embrace that carnal notion, (which is indeed inconfiftent), for want of a spiritual discerning of the truth. Even as they that believe not the true Godhead of Jefus Chrift, not having faith's difcerning of the mystery of the Trinity, are forced to maintain a fuperior and inferior God,

C 2

fuperior

fuperior and inferior divine worship, a fuperior and inferior creator, and to imagine fomething between God and the creature, which is neither the most high independent God, nor a creature; or to ascribe the divine properties to a creature: all which is repugnant both to fcripture and reason. For what can they do? They find themselves fome way obliged to own the truth of the fcriptures; they have not, or will not have the faith of this mystery, and fo they must take up with fuch notions about it as they have. Thus they that will not believe divine myfteries, because they cannot reach them with their reason, are forced to take up with more unreafonable inconfiftent opinions, receiving therein the recompense of their error; fo "profeffing themselves to be wife, they be "come fools."

When thofe men harden themselves in their unbelief, or seek to diminish the great importance of this article of our faith, by fignifying, that this doctrine is not exprefsly declared in fcripture-revelation, and that it is fuch a doctrine, that unless it were very exprefsly revealed, they cannot be fo much condemn. ed for not believing it, they bring to mind that paffage which we have John x. 24. 25. "Then came the Jews round about "him, and faid unto him, How long doft thou make us to

doubt? If thou be the Chrift, tell us plainly. Jefus an"fwered them, I told you, and ye believed not." It was a very hard matter for the Jews, confidering their prejudices, to believe that fuch a man as Jefus was their Christ, and a matter of the utmost importance it was for them to know him to be the Chrift; and when they got figns, they wanted clearer, more evident figns; when it was told them, they wanted to be more plainly told; they complained of the darkness of the revelation of a point fo important, fo fhocking to them, and that it was never told them plainly, so as they could not, by interpreting words and phrafes, have it to fay, that the words wherein it was told them were capable of fome other meaning; yet they died in their fins, because they believed it not. God hath revealed this great doctrine fufficiently for enlightening the minds of his people, and making unbelievers inexcufeable; though not in fuch terms as fuch unbelievers would have it propofed unto them, nor with that fort of evidence which they would defire who flight and oppofe the evidence that God thought fit to give. Jefus anfwered, I told you, and ye believed not." When he answered the chief prieft and his company as plainly as they defired, they condemned him for a blafphemer. And

though

though this doctrine be revealed in the most suitable manner, for begetting and increafing the faith of it in the minds of them that are ordained to eternal life; yet if it were revealed in any way wherein it could be now supposed to be decla red, we might promise upon these men, continuing in the difpofition wherein they feem to be, that they would either distinguish away the sense of that revelation, and cry for a clearer ftill, or utterly reject the revelation. But we may yet have a farther view of the perfon of the Meffiah from the prophecies of the Old Teftament. For,

These prophecies alfo fet him forth as the object of religious worship; fo that Jefus confeffing himself to be that promised King, does thereby acknowledge, that he is the object of that worship; and therefore the only true God. We find the angels, that fort of creatures that (in the regard of idolaters) poffeffed the room only due to him, the Mediator, who is indeed God, and who are therefore called Gods, are commanded "to worship him," who is Jehovah, the true God, the glorious King of the church, Pfal. xcvii. 1.—7. compare Heb. i. 6. And in Pfal. cii. where he is declared to be the creator of the world, we have him also pointed out to us as the object of religious worship, prayer, and praise in the church, on account of the glory of his Godhead, appearing in his great work of redemption, and in his building of the church, and in the glorious acts of his reign, from

15. to 23. See to this purpose Pfal. xcv. xcvi. xcvii. xcviii. xcix. c. all prophecies of the Meffiah and his kingdom. See likewife Pfal. ciii. 19.-22. Pfal. lxv. 1.—5. and Pfal. xlvii. &c. &c.

The fcripture makes no diftinction in the bufinefs of religious worship, but afcribes it only and wholly to God, on account of the Godhead manifested in the glorious works of creation and redemption. And if there are not higher expreffions of religious worship in fcripture, than those that are used in the prophetic calls, to worthip this glorious King, the Meffiah; his glorious Godhead, manifefting itself in his works of creation and redemption, and in his glorious kingdom to be set up in the fullness of time, is plainly given as the reason why he should be worshipped in his kingdom the church by angels and men. The typical redemption of the nation of Ifrael out of Egypt, and bringing of that nation through the wilderness into the promised land, carried in it fuch a diftinguifhing difcovery of the glorious Godhead of the worker of it, as intitled him to the religious worship of Ifrael, and made them

them wholly without excufe in worshipping any other God befides that God that fo fulfilled his promife to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. Therefore this God fpake thus from Si nai: "I am the Lord thy God which hath brought thee out "of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou "fhalt have no other gods before me." This voice was the voice of the fame whose blood speaketh to us from heaven, Heb. xii. 24. 25. 26.

The Father never appeared, never spake, but in and by the Son; his word and his fpirit was with him, If. lxiii. 9. 10. 1 1. Hag. ii. 5. Of old the Father appeared, and fpake by him more darkly, while he was only forefhewing his incarnation in his appearances, and in divers figures, and fhewing beforehand in dark promises, and manifold earthly types, the glorious heavenly things of the New Teftament; but now, be. ing incarnate, and having come in his kingdom, the Father is more clearly manifeft, and speaks more clearly in him, "the brightness of his glory, and the exprefs image of his "perfon;" and being partaker with us in flesh and blood, he is alfo to us inftead of the prophets, by whom he spake of old to the people of Ifrael, Heb. i. t. 2.

It was he then that appeared of old, and the Father never but in him, "the angel of his prefence," or, "his face." Mofes knew well to diftinguish this face of God, this angel of God's prefence, from any created angel. See Exod. xxxiii. Thus the angel in whom is God's name is the fame that spake to Mofes in the bufh, faying, "I am the God of "Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob," and that spake to him in Mount Sinai, Acts vii. 38. and whofe voice was conveyed to the people of Ifrael by the miniftry of angels that ministred to him there. And he faid, "I am the Lord thy God; thou "fhalt have no other gods befides me." Neither was it any idolatry in the Ifraelites to fay to him, "Thou art the Lord our God that brought us out of Egypt; we will have no god befides thee." And there was no fear of worship. ping another befide the only God, in worshipping him, as there would been in worshipping any created angel, however commiffioned by God, however fpeaking in his name.

This

is he that led Ifrael out of Egypt into Canaan, and therein manifested himself to be the only true God, befides whom Ifrael was to have no other god: for "the Lord alone led 1f"rael, and there was no ftrange god with him," Deut. xxxii. 12.

Now, if that typical and earthly redemption of the nation