Of the I(no'!J1ledg of (jod the Father, - --- --- "-.Afl fore it is fignified by filence, or omiffion, there. being nmhing in the Sta– Bo o K ll, ry tlm hints his Origmal or Begmmng ; and fo It was, as If h~ had had no ~ beginning : And it being fetly and on P';lrpofe .done, It had mtenttonally this fecrer Myfl:ery in it. There was nothm& m Chrtfl:, but Come Type or other was ordained fame way or Other·to jbadow It. And when rhe Matter was fuch as cot1!d not in the kind or reality be perfonated, it was done by that which might mofl: nearly fhadow it. As the Sacrifice of his Body was by the Burnt-Offerings of Bcafls ; but for the Sacrifice of his reafonahle Soul under the Wrath of God, there was not any thing in the Sacrificing of a Beafl:, of like kind, which could fhadow it out, ·yet God appointed that which was as near in refemblance as might be; And that was the pouring fort~ of the Blood, in which was the s.oul or Life, fignifymg the pourmg forth of hts Soulas an Otferm& for Sm, as ljazah !peaks, lfo. 53· 10, 12. ~ow fo here there bemg nothmg m refpetl: ofany real Exiflence from Eternny that any Man was capable of; therefore an Htflo– r;cal Eternity is given him, by way of Silence, concerning his Birth, &c. So as he !VIIS (as the Text there bath it) made li~ to the Son of God; that is, rcndred in refpetl: of what ufeth to be the Courfe and Manner of Story like to Non endo & him in this refpeil:. As in Law, Things that appear not, are in value as if they no·t~Jparentia were not; fo hue. Now in that it is faid, He was 111ade li~e to the Son of God; f:1 j~;';:""'"' It imports him to have herein been the Shadow, the Piil:ure of Chri!l:, who is the Body and Subflance. God having his Son, and all he was and fhould be in his Eye, did all along the Old Teflament draw his Piil:ure in the Examples of all Eminencies in any Perfon that was extraordinary and tranfcendent; Chrifl: be– ing really the Abfl:rail: of them all. Some pieces, or Limbs, one Patriarch af– fording, others another ; and thts of Etermty was Melchifedeck_s lot to hold forth, and that in the manner fpecified. Now that he fhadowed out the Eter-· nity of Chrifr's Perfon and Pritfrhood, for Time to come, all acknowledg, SocimH himfelf. Therefore alfo in the Eternity of his Perfon for Time pafl:, for that is as well put in, ·withoHt Begitming of Days, as witho11t End of Life. And Co thefe other Attributes, without Father, as a Man, with011t Mother as God. And 711ho con tell hi< Generation? faith lfaiah, !fa. 53· 8. All which not only import, what he was in refpett of his Prieflhood, but of his Perfon; for the things be takes for him, are fuch as are common to all Men's Perfons, as they are Men. As when he fays, he wao with011t Father or Mother; lnfomuch that whereas AdarM was without Father or Mother, yet we read of the beginning of his Days; it is recorded,and his end of Life ; but not fo ofMelchifedeck_; and fo reprefented in all things differing from all the Men that ever were or !hall be. And further, If that had been his only Type, it had not been material to !hew the Eternity of his Priefl:hood, to fay he was without Father: For if Mofes had fet down his Father's Name, and withal had fhewn that his Father was not a Priefr, it had been all one as to that Point: So as thefe are fpoken chiefly in refpetl: ofhis Per– Con, the Subject of this Priefl:hood ; yea, and if his Priefrhood were from Everla!ling, his Perfrm mufl: exifl: from Ever!a!ling; for thefe two are joined, Heb. 5· 6. Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten thee ; and thOJt art a Pricji for ever after the OrdeJ· of Melchifedeck. If therefore it fignifies the Ever· lafl:ingnefs of the Pridlhood, a parte ante, or from Time pall:, that that hath bee for ever, ( and it mull fo fignify, if that other oppofite, without end of ~ays, fignifiesthe Eternity of ?is Priefl:hood ~or Time to come) then withat It mufl: tmport the Etermty of hts Perfon, and htmfelf to have been without be· ~~of~ . La(l}y, add to this, that in Mich. 5· 2. Bltl thou Bethlehem·Ephratah thOHgh tho11 be little among the Thoufands of Judab, Jet 0111 of thee jhal/ He come f;,.,h unto me, that. H to be Ruler in Ifrael: whofe goings forth h~ve been from of Old, frolll Everl.ifimg. Where he evtdenrly fpeaks of two Births Chrifl: had under the Met-. •hor of going forth ; one as Man at Bethlehem in the fulnefs of Time, the orher as Son of God from Everlafling. Which latter is added on purpofe, up– on occalion of the propheCy of that other, to prevent· that thought, that he had nm cxifled afore he was Born or Conceived at Bethlehen•; and his Birth is exprefied by that Phrafe, of going or coming forth, in both refpetts. His Birth, as
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