-.. - • .1' · ·Ch~p. I ,Sect, I Looking a;;to ·:}if m. Book n. 57 Jittlc before, the Lord pof[effed me in the beginning of hh· mry, b(- Prov. 8.:~:23• fore his work.! of old, I Wtt>S Jet up from everlafling, from the beginning , or ever the world wM, that is to fay, from eternity; for,beforethe world was made, there was nothing but eternity. It may be alleadied co the contrary, th:tt the fayiug of Godthe Father, thvu art my Sonne, this day have I begorten thre, is Pfal. 1. 7 • expounded by P auf of the time of Chrifis refurreCl:ion,. And we ACl: du.'fareu.nto you glad tydings (faith Paul) how that the promife SJ5·P>Jl whit·h WM made unto the fathers, qod hath fulfilled the fame unto us their children, in that h: bath raifed 11p Jefm al[aine, M it iJ alfo writ t en in the fecond P[ttlme, thou art my S onne, this day have I begotten thee. But we diH:ingui!h betwixt generation it felf, and the manifefiation or declaration of it . Jefus the Sonne ofGod from all eternity was begotten, but when he was incarnate,and efpecially when he was raifed again from the dead, then was he mightily declared to be Gods Sonne by nature. And of chis declaration or manifeH:ation of his eternal generation is that of the Apofile underfiood, 3. Forthe'manner of this generation of Jefus the Sonne of God, underfrand, there be two manners of begetting, the one is carnal, and outward; and this is fubjeCl: to corruption, alteration, and time; the other is fpiritual , and inward, and fuch was · the beginning of the Sonne of God, of whofe generation there is neither corruption, alteration, nor time. Bur alas! h~w fho'!ld Ifa. 53 .s. we drc!are hi.i generation ? 0 my foul, here thou mayefi admtre, . and adore with Paul and 'David, and cry our, 0 the depths of Rom 1 ' ·B· the riches both of the wifdome and ~nowledge of God! how unf earch.tble are hiJ judj!,ements , and his wayes paft finding out? There is no fearching for us into the fecret cqunfelsofGod,whi~h he never revealed in his Word , but fo farre as he hath revealed himlelf, we !hall in fobriet'y according to the light of the Scriptures, endeavour a difcovery of ~he manner of this fpiritual generation of the Sonne ofGod: as thus,--, We mull: conuder in God two things, r. That in God there is an underfianding. 2. That in God this underfianding everlaftingly aCl:s or works. For ~he firfi, that God hath a moil excellent underH:anding~or that he ts undedlanding it felf in the higheft·degree,is very clear; for,he.that gives underftanding to all his intelligible creatures, I muft
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