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Perfonall

à Patre eft

ed by their inward and personall actions. guilbed by The Father did from all Eternity com. Inward municate the a living Effence of God to actions. the Son, in a moft wonderfull and glori- a Vita Dei ous way; Now it is cleare that the Father eft effendid not beget himselfe; and therefore the tia vivens, vita fubfiSon is another Person truly distin& from ftens, quæ the Father,and yet equall to the Father,be- vita ut in cause he is begotten in the Unity of the Patre à fame Godhead, and hath life in himfelfe, nullo eft, fic in Filio John 5. 26. the living Effence of God who is life it felfe being communicated to him by an eternall generation. The unbegotten Father is clearly diftinguished from the only b Nihil begotten Son. But I dare not fay as fome fimpliciter do that the Father is Active, and the Son æternum dici poteft Paffive in this eternall generation, because fuiffe in this generation is eternall. For nothing potentia, which is eternall, can be truly said to be in a & proinde Paffive Power to any thing, much leffe can generatio it be faid to be in a Paffive Power to be. non eft diThe Son hath life in himselfe, is life it felf, ftinguenda hath life effentially, and as he is the fame in activam Effence with the Father, is of himselfe, and & paffivã. hath all that is effentiali from that very Ef. Commufence, but that Effence is communicated to Eflentia the Son by the Father, and therefore the objectivè, Son is faid to receive all from the Father. quia eft id But then we must confider that the Son re- quod com. ceives nothing from the Father as from an tur: Parris

æterna

nicatio eft

munica

autem

Activè, quia Pater generando Effentiam communicat. externall

d

externall caufe but as from an intrinfecall d Filium à Principle rather the cause, for the Son doth Patre,imò not depend upon the Father as an Effe& ex ipfoPa upon its Caule; And I call the Father an te, & in Intrinfecall Principle of the Sons Subfiftence, ipfo Patte because the Father doth beget the Son of, genitu intelligimus and in himself in the unity of the fame eft enim Fi- Godhead; their Divine Nature is one and lius Con the fame, and their Perfons are Coequall fubftantia and Coeternall, because they are Coeffenlis, Coef tiall. This is the very Mystery of Myste& proinde ries which corrupt and wanton Reafon dePatti cox rides, but prudent Faith admires and adores. qualis. Si

fentialis,

Filius fit pir Deo, par Patri ergo eft ei coæqualis; fi unum cum Patre,ergo etiam Coeffentialis, 1 Johan. 5.7.

The Grand The Socinians tell us, that they cannot beObjection. leeve, that the Father did beger a Son of his owne fubftance, because God is eternall and unchangeable; the fingle effence, of God is indivifible, and being moft fingu larly one is incommunicable; part of the Divine Effence could not be communicated (fay they) to the Son, because the effence is impartible,indivisible;and the self fame whole Effence cannot be communicated, because it is móft fingularly one, and therefore incommunicable. Effentia que eft una Numero eft incommunicabilis.

To this grand Objection I fhall return a The plaine plain Anfwer out of pure Scripture, and Answer deliver it in certain Propofitions or Con

clufions, that the Anfwer may be more
direct,cleare and fatisfactory.

Conclufions concerning the eternal
generation.

Pfal. 2.7.

1. The Father did beget his Son; the Father himself bears witneffe to this truth, and his witneffe is full, and clear, and true. Jehovah hath faid unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, Pfal. 2.7. Hebr. 1.5, Nay, the Father declares this truth to men and Angels as a Practicall truth that they may direct and regulate their worship according to this Mystery. The Apostle proves that Chrift is more excellent then Angels, because he hath a more excellent Name then they; For, unto which of the Angels faid he at any time, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son, Hebr.1.4, 5. Here's a double proof of the point, he hath a more excellent name, because he is the Son of God in a peculiar fenfe, and hath the divine nature communicated to him, as fhall be fully proved ere we conclude this point; for the name of Son is not an empty Title, he hath the divine nature of his Father in him. Now that he is the Son of God, is teftifyed again, and again, faith the Apostle,verse 5. And he begins the fixth verse thus, And again, &c. You fee how he doth inculcate

Matth. 3.17. Matth.

19.5.

this point, how he beates upon it again and againe; and the reafon is, becaufe this truth is Fundamentall both of Faith and Worship,as is moft evident in the fixth verfe of that chapter. And again when he brings in the first-begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the Angels of God worship him,

Hebr. 1.6.

You fee this Myftery of the unbegotten Father, and the only begotten Son is held forth to men and Angels in order to worship that their worship may be direct ed to Jefus Chrift as the Son of the living God, and to God the Father, as the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. God declared this truth after a glorious manner from heaven, that it might be more diligently confidered. And lo a voice from heaven, sayings this is my beloved Son, Matth. 3. 17. when he was baptized and the like we read of when he was transfigured in the presence of the Disciples in the holy Mount. And the Apostle doth take notice of these solemne declarations from heaven, and layes them down as Fundamentals of the Chriftian Religion, 2 Pet. 1. from the 16. verfe to the twentieth. All the glorious Miracles wrought by our Saviour, lohn 5: 36. and his refurrection from the Dead bear witnesse to this fundamental truth,thatChrift is the first begotten, and the only begotten Son of the living Gods be pleased to compare, Atts.

13.32,33. with Romans 1.4. and it will be evident that he was not made, but onely declared to be the Son of God at the time of his Refurrection.

e

II.

e Revel

nis crea

2. The Father did beget his Son from all eternity before his works of old; I (faith the Son who is the wildome of the Father) 18. was fet up from everlasting, when as the Colof.i.gi highest part of the duft of the earth was primoge not made, when he prepared the heavens nitus om. I was there, &c. Prov. 8. from 21 verfe to tura phra the 31. his goings forth were of old from the & Hebræa dayes of eternity, Micah 5.2.Iohn 1,12,3.he dicitur, was with God, he was God,before the beginning qui ante he had glory with his Father before the world was, Iohn 17.5. Relata § fimul sunt.

omnes cre aturas ge nitus. f Relata

fimul funt: Deus Pater & Deus filius funt relata coæterna; Pas ter æternus generat fliun coæternum;

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3. The Father did beget his Son in the unity of the Godhead; the Scripture fpeaks expreffely that Chrift is the Proper or 5. 18. you Naturall Son of God; he fpared not his for Rom. own Son, or his Proper Sonne; Rom. 8 32. Pros 8. 32. God is the Father of Chrift, bus prium opown Father, Iohn 5. 18. the lewes did well ponitur a understand the importance and force of lieno quod that expreffion, for fay they, in that he effentiam faid God is his own Father, he hath made A. 3. 12. himself equall with God; and therefore VideD,4% that Phrafe doth import that he is the Na- ting Expli, Catec.par turall and Coeffentiall Son of God, else he

could

eft extra

2.qu. 33. pag.177.

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