THE TRUE SONSHIP O F CHRIST INVESTIGATED, &c. NR O article of the Chriftian Faith is of greater importance than the Sonship of Chrift. Upon this depend the whole mediatorial character, dignity and offices of our Bleffed Redeemer, the falvation by him that as Chriftians, we expect, and the duty that as Chriftians we owe to him. But no article perhaps of our holy religion has been more the fubject of controverfy in every age of the Christian Church. That Jefus, is the Son of God, is fo clearly declared in every part of the word of God, that all Chriftians have acknowledged it. But in what fenfe he is the Son of God, and is affirmed in Scripture to be fo, has long been matter of much unhappy contention and debate. As Chrift in his complex perfon poffeffes two natures, the divine and the human, fome have held him to be the Son of God from the generation of his divine perfon by the Father from all eternity, and fome from the fupernatural formation of his human nature in the fulness of time. Others thinking the firft opinion too high to confift with real divinity, and the fecond too low to fupport thefe diftinguishing characters, B God's God's begotten and his only begotten Son, have held him to be the Son of God from his office of mediator, or the honours God has beftowed on him in raifing him from the dead, and exalting him to be heir and Lord of all. The difpute, though long agitated, is not over; which fhows that the point is not yet placed in a light and established by evidence which produce general conviction. It has revived of late in the Proteftant Churches, and begins to be canvaffed with a degree of free enquiry lefs known in former ages. The belief of it required by God in order to our falvation, makes it prefumable that he hath revealed it with fufficient clearness; if we carefully and impartially attend to his revelations. Our Saviour's character and offices intimately connected with his Sonship, the hopes we entertain from him, and the juft honours we ought to pay to him, give this article an importance that entitles it to the most serious attention of every Chriftian; and which ought to excite every friend to Christianity and to mankind, if poffible, to establish this truth upon its true and fcriptural foundation, and to confirm it by evidence which every candid and judicious perfon must acknowledge to be decifive. But this, though a capital part, is not the whole of our defign. The proper explication of the Sonship of Chrift will include a delineation of his general perfon, his natures, and offices. These are all related parts of this great fubject, and the elucidation of them is neceffary to unfold fully his character as the Son of God our Saviour, and to fhow how he is thereby qualified for the offices he executes and the whole will be proper to juftify the wisdom of God in this wonderful conftitution, and to give us those just sentiments of this this glorious perfon in his whole character, that will at once direct the facred regards, that as Christians we owe to our divine Saviour and Lord, and fupport the high hopes we juftly repose in him. With this view I fhall endeavour to purfue the following plan, which bids faireft for a juft decifion and explication of this important subject. I shall I. Prove that in the complex perfon of Chrift there are two diftinct natures, the divine and human, united and co-existing in one person. II. Show that this perfon is in Scripture called the Son of God, his begotten, his only begotten Son, fix the proper notion of generation, and reprefent the improper and unfcriptural fenfes in which this character has been afcribed to him. III. Eftablish the Sonship of our Bleffed Saviour, on what feems plainly to be its proper and fcriptural foundation. IV. Explain more particularly his generation, and the wonderful conftitution of his perfon. V. Represent the dignity, excellence and glory of his perfon and character. VI. Treat of the great offices for which he was intended by his Father, with his effectual performance of them. VII. Unfold the high honours and rewards to which he is exalted, with his juft claim to them. And VIII. Conclude all by pointing out, and recommending the great duties which we owe to himin his whole glorious character. CHAP. I. That in the complex Perfon of Christ there are tavo Natures, the Divine and Human, or the Second Perfon of the Trinity, and a buman Soul and Body, all co-existing in one Perfon. HE perfon of Chrift is the foundation of all the characters which in Scripture are afcribed to him; and a proper knowledge of his person must be the beft method of afcertaining in what fenfe the characters attributed to him in Scripture muft be understood. Before we proceed then to determine his Sonfhip, unfold his dignity, or reprefent his offices; let us take a view of his perfon in general, and of the natures contained in it. Now, if we confult the record that God hath given us of his Son, we fhall find that there are · two diftinct natures affirmed of him in Scripture, the nature of God and the nature of man. In other words, the complex perfon of Chrift is compofed of the fecond perfon of the Godhead, a glorious created fpirit called his foul, and a real human body, all united and co-existing in one general perfon. These things we shall evince in order. I. The first and the highest nature which the Scriptures afcribe to our Bleffed Saviour is the Divine; and this we fhall find affirmed of him with an evidence clear and convincing, as the truth to be eft blifhed is great and important. That there is one God, or divine, infinite, all perfect perfect effence, is the firft principle of all true religion, and the joint dictate of reafon and re velation. But revelation farther affures us of what unaffifted reafon could not have difcovered, viz. that in the unity of this Divine Effence, there coexift three diftinct perfonal fubfiftences, fo dif tinguished from each other as to entitle them to distinct personal names, characters and offices, yet not fo different but that their nature is numerically the fame, they being diftinct perfons, fubfifting in one common undivided effence. "For there are three that bear record in Hea"ven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy "Ghoft, and thefe three are one," 1 John, v.7. This is the fundamental article of revealed religion, the foundation of the whole chriftian fcheme, and therefore revealed with inconteftable evidence. By the fame authority by which the Scripture affirms the unity, of the Divine Effence, it affirms that effence to be diftinguished into three personal fubfiftences. By all the fame arguments by which it proves to us the existence and divinity of one Supreme Being, it proves the divinity of all these persons which it affirms to be in the Godhead. And by whatever arguments it proves the divinity of any other perfon in the Godhead, by the fame does it evince the divinity of Chrift. The Supreme God, or any perfon in the Godhead, the Scripture demonftrates by calling him. God, or giving him the names expreffive of true and Supreme Deity; by attributing to him perfections that are effential to, and characte- riftical of the true God; by afcribing works to him which the true God alone can effect, and religious worship which the true God alone can And by all thofe topics of proof does it evince the divinity of the Son our Saviour. 1. Chrift receive. B 3 |