Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v2

a11d his Son !fejus chrifl~ 121 r. 1 8. None fbould have done it without him; none can fee God its he dotr,~ nor is capable of it. . . . . . ~ And, fecondly, by meansof thts limon wtt!l, and commumcatton unro this , one reafonable Creature, there ts way made for God m, and for hts fJke, to communicate him(df unto other Creatures, who are made his Fellows, as he is God's Fellow; and this in an higher way, than by the meer Law of Creation any Creature could have attained. Others of the Sons of Men united to Chrirt; come to be united to God thereby, more nearly than othehvifc, or any other way they fhould have been. For this, let me put in by the way, It was not fit, or meet, fame fay not poffible, to have united and affumed all, or many Men, to his Union; however, not meet. It was a Dtgmty too great to be made common; lt became not the great God, who is one in Nature, to communicate this Dianity, but unto one. And this being fuppofed, as for us, the Vitlgus of thofe C~eatures, whom God meant to communicate himfelf unto, there was no way for their behoof like unto this, That God fhould take one o( them up to himfelf, and by their Union with him, and for his fake, to give forth himfelf to the relt. Firlt, To marry Man's Nature in fome one individual Man in this incommunicable way, and then to marry us of the fame Nature unto him; and fo thereby making him firfl: partaker of the God-head in a tranfcendent way, as his natural due; And then when once be was (o united, for his f.1ke, and in re– fpeCl: of our Relation. to him, to. admit us to the nearefl: Union, in a fuper– natural, or (uper-creatton way, whtch meer Creatures are capable of, .and which but for him, he never fbould have vouchlafed unto us as meer Creatures by any Law, or Covenant of our Creation. And thus through this Humanity, as through a Sacred Brefl:, we do, Larfare Dietatem, (as one ofthe Fathers fpeaks). And although our Redemption by Chrifl:, as we are Sinners, is an infinite Bene– fit; yet his Perfon thus given us, is more worth than all thofe his Benefits, EJi aliq11id ill Chriflo jormoji111 Salvatore. And then by our lnte:efl: in his Perfon, we come to inhertt God wtth htm, to be Hetrs, and Cohetrs wtth Chrifl: of God, in fuch a way communicated, as but for this his Union with God firft, we fhould never have attained. I will give but one lnfl:ance to illufl:rate this, as I did bring but one for the ietting forth the former : Power was the Attribute I pitch'd on, as manifefted in this A!fumption, in the foregoing Head; and Wifdom fba!l be the Attribute I tingle out, to illufirate this other of God's communicating himfelf the highefl: way. And thefe two I infl:ance in, becaufe Chrifl: is both the Power of God, and the Wifdom of God. Would God commumcate and make known 'UntO his Creatures reafonable, the Depths, theRiches of his Knowledg and Wifdom, as the Apofl:le fiiles them ; and commumcate the Treafures of them to the utmofl: they are communicable. Now by means of taking up one Creature reafonable, a Man, into this highefl: Union, il1all thi,s be effected the highefi way that could be fuppofed. . Firfl:, To that Creature Co united; for it is his due to know more at the firll: infl:ant of that his Union than all the Angel:, blow up their Underfiandings, and fill them to the utmofi wtdenefs. For by vtrtue of that Union, he is prefemly in his Father's Bofom; as it is peculiarly laid of him, John I. r8. No Man hAth fien God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is iJJ the Bofor;t of the Father, he hath declared him. He is made there, by hts Place, God's Privy Counfellor; The Mighty Co,nfellor, Ifa. 9· 6. , Tis his place by Inheritance; He bath right to know all God's Secrets; He is God's Eldefl: Son, hi< FeUow. And therefore it is f.1id, that God lay up all the I reajitres of Knowledg in him, Col. 2. 3· Be– cau(e (as ttJollows) the Godhead dwells bodi!J inhim; and thereby he comes to have the Spmt above meafure, and that Spmt fiarcheth the deep Things of God, If God f~id of .Abraham, How fba/1 I hide from Abraham what I mean to do? Gen. r8. 17. Much lefs can he keep it fecret from Chrilt; God can hide nothing from him_which he means to do; and indeed, to k10w, it is his due. He draws nearer to God infinitely than Mofes did, or Angels ever did, or fball. Mofes (his Type) was faken up into the Mount, where God appeared, and Angels up into Heaven; bl)t Mofes was not taken up into this Mount, the highefl: place of Honour; of pcrfonal lil)ion, fianding upon which, this Man R · bath

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=