PREFACE.

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HE Author of the following Trea tife ever hath been of opinion, that as divine Revelation is the only and the perfect rule of revealed religion, fo, by the general voice of Revelation, every capital article of our religion is declared, and that, therefore, to establish these articles, we must confult the Scriptures at large, and be fatisfied that we have their univerfal and harmonious teftimony in proof of them. Upon these indubitable principles, he has been at pains to examine the chief articles of religion, which have been generally received in the Christian and protestant churches, and is happy to find they are fo well fupported. One article, however, he greatly apprehends, has not been examined and determined by this unerring ftandard, even the Generation and Sonship of our Bleffed Saviour. As this is an article of capital importance, and has been long a fubject of controverly in the Chriftian church, the Author refolved to inquire into it with the greater attention. The appellation, Son of God, he eafily perceived

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perceived must be a perfonal character and fo must be applied to Chrift, in one of these three refpects, viz. as he is God, the second perfon of the Godhead, begotten by the first from all eternity; or as he is Man, created by the divine power, or laftly, as he is God-man, generated by the unition of both thefe natures in one. complex perfon. This is evidently an article of revealed religion: and as the fairest way to determine it, he refolved to confult every paffage in the Old and New Teftaments, in which our Bleffed Saviour is held forth as the Son of God, and examine to which of these explications they would most naturally apply.

He has done fo; and after a careful collection and candid examination of the many texts of Scripture, which represent our Saviour as the Son of God, he could not find any general or convincing evidence, that this character belongs to him, either as he is God only, or as he is man only; but that the general, unanimous, and confiftent voice of revelation, declares him to be Son of God, as he is God-man, begotten of the Father, by the unition of the Divine Word with human nature in his incarnation. This capital point fixed, he proceeded to confider the accounts given

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in Scripture of the generation of the Son of God, the perfonal excellence and dignity he poffeffes, the offices he bears, and the honours he enjoys, and to examine whether they alfo would beft apply to this notion of his Sonship, which he found they do.

Thefe enquiries gave rife to the following Difcourfes. The Author has delivered the greatest part of them to a numerous congregation, who were univerfally fatisfied that the explication given of this matter, is the Scriptural and just one. He has fubmitted them to fome of the most judicious and learned of his brethren, who have all acknowledged the evidence of their truth; and urged the publication of them, as what might be of real fervice to the interests of Chriftianity. Whether the evidence he has produced in proof of his explication of our Saviour's Sonship is decifive, the impartial world will judge. The Author fhall only fay, that the explication of it here given ftands clear of thofe difficulties with which all others are attended, and is fupported by much stronger evidence, than any other that hath yet been proposed. He knows of no bad,,confequence it can have, and hopes" may have good ones. Reconciling our Savi

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our's proper Sonship, with his fupreme Deity, it will be no unfeasonable antidote to those Arian and Socinian errors which continue to pefter the Chriftian Church, and which have all along fprung, in a great degree, from miftaken notions of our Saviour's Sonship. Containing an explication of the chief article of revealed religion, it will be a general key to the Bible, by which many parts of it will be better understood. And as it not only establishes the proper Sonship of Chrift, but delineates the dignity of his perfon as Son of God, unfolds the important offices for which he affumed that character, and points out the duties we must perform to him, if we would have the benefit of thefe offices, it contains an abridgement of the Christian scheme, and fhews its expediency for the honour of God, and the happiness of his creatures, and the neceffity of our compliance with it, if we would obtain that falvation for which it is appointed.

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