Of the IVJorvledg of .ijod the Father, ~ And this is the more neceffary ( though it be largely handled by others) in re– BooK 11. lation unto thole firange and monfirous Opinions, which, as touching tbe Perfon ~ of Cbrifi, .this Age hath produced. Satan being let loofe, hath preach'd over his old Sermons and Notions, read over a-new, and refined hts old LeCl:ures which he had read to thole great Herefiarchs in the Primitive Times: Wh~ joining Philofop\Jical.Notions about My~, the, Word, (as Philofophers had fpoken of him) with what the Jewtfh Cabala had alto fatd concernmg him, made up another Chrirl than whom the Apo(\]es preach'd. And truly, the Bot– tom-Caufe of Mens embracing Errors about this, bath been the feducement of that fpecious and alluring Principle unt~ Man's Nature, of being one.with God himfelf in the htghefi manner that Mans vam Heart could find ambtuon wtthm it ft:!f to afpire unto. Mifiakes of Union have eaufed Men to fhal'e out fuch a Chriir, as might ferve to thetr attammg that htgh and mcornmumcable Union with God, which they have fancted to themfelves the Creature fhal! at· rain : and hence look, as we formerly obferved; that to the End, they might make way for this, the mofi hellifh Blafphemy that ever was uttered, That the Creatures were, and fhould become all one with God himfelf; partakers of the Divine Nature. They therefore throw down the three Perfons in the Na– ture of God, as alone poffefling that Priviledg; as thole that fiood in their way to this Preferment: Whtch done, they thmk each of thetr Perfons may be God, as well as they have been voic'd to be. So, out of the fame Principle, they in like manner ferve our Lord Jefus Chrifi's Perfon ; for there mu(\ be no Prdcrment in Heaven left, which they mufi not be capable of, and railed up unto. They muft Ire Chrifl too, and afcend to the heighth of his Throne. Xet, 2. There being three Perfous in that Divine Nature; the Man Chrifl JeflJS was capable of being one Perfon with one, of thefe: the Perfona!ity, or to be one in Perfon, might be communicated unto a Creature, although to be one with God in Nature could not; and that is the highefi Union with God, the Creature is capable o£ And had there not been three Perfons in the Nature of God, this high Union with God had not been neither. And then this Uni– on with one of thefe Perfons, is the Foundation of all our Unions ; and by virtue of it it is that God detcends to communicate himfe.\f to other Creatures, (the We in the Text ) even by uniting himfelf perfonally to one Creature, the Man Chrifi Jefus ; and fo fetting him up the Lord and Chrifi, and chufing us in him; and he in that his Perfon, undertaking for, and bearing, and reprefent· ing our Perfons, thereby we become one with him, and through him with God, in our meafure, and in a fubordination to him; according to that John 14. 20. •dt that Day )'C fbaU k_now that I am in my Father, And Y''" in me, and ] in )011. Now in order to clear this _Difiinction of Union with God on Chrifi's part, from that of ours through Chnfi: As I have !hewed, God was an infinite pure Being, difiinCl: from the Creatt~re, and !landing out from .thole Dregs of the Creatures, tnto whtch the Fanctes of Men would drench lnm and mingle him with their Mud : So we mufi now extricate the Perfon of Chrifi alfo fi·om the like Entanglements, and vindicate the tranfcendency of his Union with God, and difiance of his Perfon from ours. And then all Unions left below him are left free for us to attain, and !hall be obtained by us. And for the difc~very hereof, I am fir(\ in purfuit of thi1, What the Perjim of Chr!ft is ; what he con· fifis of. · The great weight and moment of the true and right Knowledg of the Perfon of Chrifi, will be evident by a confideration of thefe two ·Texts of Scripture compared together; Mat. 22. 42. feftH .faid unto thJm, What thin/zJe of C'-r~ft? WhofeSon is he ? compared with .M~tth. 16. 13, 14, 15, 16, q, 18. When jeftH can1e mtothe Coaft' of Cefarea Phthppt, he a1k_ed hi1 Difcip!C!, JilJ•ing, Whom do Men (ay, that I, the Sun_ of Man, am? And they foid, Some foy that thou art John t'iie Baptijl, fome Ehas, and other! Jeremias, or one of the Prophett. Fie jilith rmto them, B11t wh0111 fay ye that I am? And Simon Peter anfwered and fuel, Thou art Chrifl the Son of the Living God. .ilnd Jefiu anfwered, and foid 11nto '""'' Bleffid ort tho11 Sm1on Bar·Jona ; for Flejb and Blood bath not revealed tt ttnlo
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