-------~~----~~~---~~~~~-------------~ and hi! Son !fejt4s Chri(l. 9i And one great oecafion of their aptnefs to be deceived, is the finlplicity that ~.., is in the Perfon of our Chnft; not only m hts humane Nature, a c,rpe11tcr's Chap. 5· So 11, a cr11cijed Man, a Chrift in Flefh, but that ~vhen befides for his Divine ~ Nature, they think the~ have heard and known already well enough what God's Nature is, by what is find of htm m the.Old Tertament, and fa 111 _the Father, and to know but the fame over agam mChnft; tlm ts no great adduton to their knowledg. And that no other thmg can be affirmed of htm, but t!m he is God and that to think that he fi10uld have but .the fame fimple mcompounded Nat~re that God bath, and not be di{tinct from God therein. They think they are but as wife as they were in this, and fo are.apt to lirten afte!· fuch Reprefentations of a Chrirt, as fhew htm to be fome \)tvme Sptrtt that comes out of God differing from God, which they 6ncy will afford matter- of fame new and manifold Wifdom, befides that knowledg they have of God by other means. And thus the fimplicity of his Perfon (as they erteein this) is apt to eaule them to lirten after fome other Story of him. Whereas the Glories and Wifdom which arifeth from that Union of God and Man in one Perfon, is fuch, as tranfcends all other Imaginations, though never fo railed with-either Angels, Men, or Devils, have or could for ever invent concerning him. And the Deceits and Trains that Satan lays herein,he compares to thofe where· with the Serpent deceived Eve, Left a1 the Serpent beguiled Eve, 6-c. He put it into their Heads, that there was an h1gher Knowledg they might attain, than iti that keeping to God's· Law, they had already, or _could attain thereby: And further, that themfdves fhould be Gods; fo fedncmg them from God. And thus here, there is not only a Promtle ofan h•gher and more fpiritual Knowledg, than that fimple Story of Chriji God-Nl.m affords. Bm that themldves fhould be Chrirts. And they ti·ame fuch a Story of Chrill, as fhould lerve to perfwade this, and their Capacity of this advance._ For a _Chrirt in FleOJ, whi~h this Man 'jefw is, fay they; you fhall have a Chnrt m Spun. For a Chnlt mthout you, that is, God fubrtamially, you fhall have, every one of yon, a Chrirt withia you: yea, and if need be, they will not rtick to affirm, yonr fdves !hall be God fubrtamially ; and not be united only to God and Chrirt, but fo united, as to exill in the form of God, and to be one and the C1me with God. Snch or the like Workings of this Myrtery of I~iquity, deforming and perverting of the true ChriO: into another, you find in Paul's Tirt1e amongft the Corinthun1, or of which from falfe Teachers then gone abroad, they were in danger of. Some thing anfwerable, or hke to thiS, ~he Church at Coiojfin alfo were in danger of. Thofe Philofophical Teachers, which, Chap. 2. 8. he gives them warning of; Beware left any Man J}01! )'Oit through 'Philofophy, and vain Dcctit, after the Tradition of Men, after the RudimmtJ of the World, and 1101 after Cl rift. Their Doctrines perverted not only the _punty of the Wodhip of the Gofpd, but were intended to the mifreprelenung the Perfon of Chrift, as appear; by many Characters; Both, I. m that m the very next words, For in him dwe!lelh aU tbe jitlnejof the Godhead bodily. He gives them a perfect definition or de– fcription of the Perfon of Chrift, as in himfelf confidered, and in his fulntfs tci us, verJ 10 . And )'e are compleat in him, which i1 the Head of aU 'Principality and 'Power. And this in a direct oppofitJOn, (as the coherence fhews) unto their Philofophica) Chrirt, which they for Wifdom and Excelkncy would needs compare with the Aportle's Chrirt. And, 2. in oppotition to their Counterfeit Chrirt, it i•, that he nlfo fets out his Chrirt in all his Perfonal Excellencies and Fulnefs, the like no where in all his Epiflles, Chap. r. verf I 5, 16, 17, 18; And then alfo of his Gofpel, which is the Revelation of him, ve>f 23, 26, 27, to the end. And as it is the Myrtery of God the Father, and of Chrift, Chap. 2. 2. In who~J are hid all Treaji~reJ of Wifdom a11d Knowledg. Exhorting, that as they had recetved Chnrt, fo they would walk m h1m, verf 6. as in Matter of Order, fo for Faith. Fo.r unto both thole that Exhortation is directed, as appears by the coherence with verf 5· but efpecially in their Faith about the Perfon of Chrict, with which he therefore begins, verf 7· Stablijhed in the Faith, ,u J' have bee;, t<mght, abo1mding therein with tba1Jk1givi11g, being thankful to God, he had re– vealed fuch a Chrirt, his Chrirt to them; For they could not have a better, or another. And then follow thofe words, Beware left any Ma11 floil )O" thro11gh N 2 Philofophy,
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