Of the l(nowled_g of (jod the Father, ~ di;;ely fubjoins and pronounceth this as common to rhe Jews, and thernfel;;s BooK !11. now in the Times of the New Tell:ament; We believe, that thro11gh the Grace of ~ the Lord ']ejMChriji, zve jiMII be foved even "'they, ver( I r. that is, they and we both alike are Cwed, by the Grace of the Lord Jefus Chrill:. Yea, and further, this their Salvation is attributed to his Death; which though once, as a Sacrifice, offered up in the End of the World, Heb. 9· 26. yet was offered up for Sms pajl; Rom. ~· 25. Whom God hath Jet forth to be a Propitiation, thr011gh Faith in his Blood, to declare his Righteoufnefl for the 'l(emi/fion of Sins that are pa{l, thro11gh the forbearance of God. And that under the Old Telbment, faith, Heb. 9· t 5· .And for this cauft he is the Mediator o( the New Tejhtment, that.bJ means of Death, for the redemption of the Tran.J8re!fwns that were under the frjl Tejlament, they which are called might receive the Promife of the Eternal lnheri– tcmce. And as there is this double Influence, fo anfwerably, a double Exifience may be conceived of him. · A Virtual Exill:ence, which is affirmed of him in that Speech, when he is l:tid to have been the Gtme ChriO: Yeflerday as well as to Day, to all Believers; . Htb. q. 8. ']ejia Chriji, the .fwte Yejlerday, to Day, and for e·ver. Yea, and his Death, in refpel.l: of the virtue of it, bath exifled from the beginning of the World; as that Speech, Rev. 15. 8. evidently imports, The Lamb flain fro1Jt the beginning of the World. Let us firO: fee what the Text will fpeak in fitvour of this Interpretation; yea, let us but compare Phrafe with Phrafe, as things are fpoken of him in this Text, he is faid to be the Firfi·Bom fi'om the Dead; and I Cor. I 5.20. The FitJI· Fmits of them that flept; in fo much as, verf 23. of that Chapter, the priority of Order in rifing again, is given to ChriO:, But every Man in his ow~t order, Chrijl the Firji-Frttits, afterwards they that are Chri{l's. But is it fo, that ChriO:, in re– fpel.l: of an al.l:ual Priority, was the firO: of all the Elell: that rife again; fo, as none of them afore him, though you know Lazarw, and divers others at his Death, role out of their Graves ? and yet, !\ill he is the Firfc-Born, the Eldeft Son, whom that Womb of the Earth gave up, the Fir!\ Fruits that Soil brought forth, which therefore muO: nece!farily be underO:ood of a Virtual ExiO:ence . and Priority; and fo, as becimfe by virtue of him, all others do and have rilen again. Then you may, by tbefe and the like Parallels, eafily conceive how this Aflertion is to be underO:ood, that aU Things were cr<ntrd by him, as God-Man, and as that one Lord, or ChriO:; as alfo, that there is not a neceffity to afcribe all fuch Things fpoken of him, or to put the account of his being Second Per· fon alone, as abll:rafred from ,the conuderarion of his being Lord, and ChriO:, becaufe faid to be done by him afore the Humane Nature exifled. And fo the plain f'enfe of this Alfertion is this, That the Son of God, perfo· nally and al.l:ually exiO:ing as the Son of God, with God, afore the World or any Creature was made ; he undertaking, .and covenanting with God, to be· come a·Man, (yea, that Man which he bath now taken up into one Perlon with bimfelf) as well for this End, as for other Ends more glorious, God did in the virtue and fere-knowledg thereof, and in the a!furance of that Covenant of his, proceed unto the creating ali Things which he bath made ; and without the intuition, or having this in his Eye, he would not have made any Thing which he bath made, !!. The lecond Particular is, the adding fome Cautions touching the under– O:anding of this A!fmii:m: . . r. It is not to be underO:ood, as if I meant, that God had not fuflicient Power, or ablolu~e Sovereignty, to have created, unlels the Son of God had be· come Man, God was God, plef!ed.for ever, and all-lufficienr in himfelf, with· ottt this Defign about Chrifl:.. fo as it adds no new Power to him, which he had not in himlelf afore. . Ji'hus take that Power which is io God to fan/J:ify us now, when fallen imo-sin, .,and,which is in the Holy Gholl: to effeCl: it in us, is one and the fame clfenlial Power, -which is in God as God, out of which he made Man at firO:, and created him in Holinels, and _no other; and Chrifl's Redemption,
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