· and M Son !fefus Chri.ft. the Beginning, the Exiflen.,.eofhisPerfon, and his being God, and with God C"'--''-f' the firii Verfe holds forth; but his Exiflence alfo with God tanquam,as the Word: Ch•r~ 1 2 • or Mediator, this the fecond holds forth; and that as a Preface unto that which ~ follows, concerning the Creation. VerC 2. The fome wtUin the Beginning with God. r. It imports, that the Second Perfon, belides his perfonal El<iflence, lpoken ofverf r. and Relation of a Son which he flood in towards God; did then beA tween Him and His Father, fuflain, and rook on him another Relation, or Perfori of the Mediator: and nor only undertaking it, bur further, even then earring upon the Office of it, and aCting the part ofit, fuflaining the Pl'J!'e and Re- ~ putarion of it. ) ·2. He was fo in God:s repute or efleem, as we ufe to fay, one is fo or fo, with another one ; or, he is AD in ADwitb him. Such Speeches import not only a real Exifrence, but alfoa-being filCh or foch in real Repute and Efteem with another. Thus, that Second Perfon (who alfo perfonally then exifled, and was with God, ;S and in God,and one with him) was in God's real repute and efleem th~ Word,and j fuflained that Name, and Relation, the Word wtU with God; that iS, He wa. ' with God, the Word. God had that account or honour for him ; and in their ·~ aCl:ual Converfes, God own'd him a<jtrh, and himfelf took it on him to be foch, ) afore God, and with God: in which Senfe the Man Jefus praying for the Poffeffion ofthat Glory he bath now in Heaven, urgeth that he had it with God afore .the World was, when yet the Man aCl:ually exifl:ed not, John I7·5· It is.the fame Phrafe there and here.And there it is neceffarily to be underflood of the Glory of God-Man,which he had in God's Decree and Defignment; and the Second Pcrfon then exifring and raking the Name and Thing upon him, God convers'd with him under that Title, &c. F.or it was that Glory which during 'the Term ofhis Humiliation, after the Man had been allualfy united to the Perfon of the Son; was fufpended until now the time of his Praying. And therefore he prays to have it as then beflowed in the real Poffeffion of it, according to the Model which was in God's Heart and Defign about it before the World was; That fo be might be exi!lently and really poffeffed ofit in and with God, as he had been ordained to it, and bore the repute ofit with God. This to be the meaning of that his Petition, and ofthat Phrafe with God, I have at large elfewhere handled upon that Text. · And when I fay in repute with God, I underfl:and it thus, it was among the three Perfons, and their Converfes afore the World was made; as if three Men, who purpofe to ereCl: a Company, or to found a Colledg, !bould in their Contrivements, long before they fet upon the Work, take feveral Relations on them, and Offices aforehand, which they mean executively to bear, when that Corporation is ereCl:ed,or the Adventure begun; one ofthem being reckoned Treafurer or Purfer t<1 lay out all; another Mafler, or Governour, &c. and according they before-hand efleem and call each other fuch, in their Speech of, and to each other ; and in the very fir(! fou~ding that Colledg, the Tre:!furer lays out the Money out of his Purfe as Treafurer and fo manageth it afierwards. 3· The Words are to be underflood that he did then Virtually exifl as fuch,as being conlidered the Foundation ofthofe Works that follow Creation, and the like. Thus in the like Phrafe of Speech he is faid to be, The Lamb jlain fronz the beginning ofthe World, Rev.q.8. that is, from the Fall, for (o the Phrafe [from the begimting J there is taken; the meaning of which is, thatChrifl:'s Death was confidered from that time, as virtually exifling as if it had been pafl:; in that upon the confideration of that his Death, God faved Eve, yea in that refpefr Chrifl did exifl: as Mediator, during all the Days of the Old Tefl:ament ; Jefus. Chrifhhe fame to Day, Yeflerday, and for ever: In like manner may Chri!t be faid then in the beginning to be the Word, as virtually under that confideration, being the Foundation olthe World, and all God's Works therein. So then, it · was pot onlv.an Exiflence in God's Decree, as in like manner that Glory he is faid to have had with the Father afore the World was, is not fpoken fimply in Job 1 Decree, for the like Speech is no where faid ofany EleCt-Man or Angel, nor is · 7 ' Bb~ com-
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