Of the 1\!zoTPledg of Cjod the Father, ~ gives inrtance in the Creation; and the like, 'john 1. 3, 4· A/J Thing1 were made Boo~ b;·him, and without him w,u not any Thing made that wa1 made. In him WtH Life Lf and the Lifewa1 t~e Light of Men. ' We find, I Cor. 1. 24. that Chrill is faid to be, The Power of God, and the Wiji/om of God : Both which are fpoken of him, not as they are elfential Attri. butes in God's Nature; for the Perfon of Chrill, is as a Perfon dillintl: from the Attributes, which are common to all Three; and fo, be ii not fiiled the Attri· bute of Wifdom, but they are thus fpoken of Chrill manife!tatively, and infhu– mentally, and executively, and as he is from God, and made ufe of by God towards us, and in things that concern us, to be the whole Scene and Manifetla– tion of God's Wifdom and Subjlratumof his Counfels concerning us, and fo alto the executive Power by whom God effects all he doth. And that this is the meaning, is evidently interpreted by th.at which fo~lows verfult. God hath made him to "' Wifllom, &c. And although It be a Maxim applyed to that particular of preaching the Gofpel unto us Men, which is the Wifdom and Power of God to our Salvation; yet it is a general Maxim brought in to confirm that Particular. Such Generals the Apollle often ufeth to alledg upon particular Occafions, asin Ron1. 8. 29. our Pr~de!tination to be conformed to Chrifi's Image, is brought upon occa1ion of Affiifrions; fo then Chrill, in relation to what he is as a Me– dium between God and us, w·ho are Creatures, is both the Wifdom of God and the Power of God. Neither is it laid of him limply a~ Second Perfon, bu; as Chrirt, God·Man, for fo only he is made thefe to us. Now thefe two, which as there fpoken ofChrill, in what he is to us as Saints, ( which is the !tritt [cope of the Apollle there) ferves yet fummarily and par· ticularly toexprefs, what he is as he is termed o My@>, or the Word; by John ( as that Title relates to the.~anifeftation of God by him, and inllrumentality of htm to us) both that he ts the Wtfdom of God, and the Power of,Goil. 1. That it exprelfeth him to be the Wifdom ~f God, and is congenial with the proper import of the Word o Myzy 1 Ratio, Concepttl!, the Mind orCounfel of God about the Creatures, or to be manife!ted to the Creatures ; thofe that are verfed in the Languages the Old and New Tefiament were written in, will uni· verfally acknowledg, and the correfpondency that Title of Wifdom, Prov. 8. with this of 'john, is an abundant confirmation of it. 2. And that the executive Power of God, as erected and put forth in the Creatures, is therein litly comprehended alfo; and thereby intended, that Ob· fervation evidently demonrtrates, which Camero.n, and many others, have made, by comparing Mofes, Gen. I . and this firll of'john together, which many things parallel lead tO : That whereas Mofes in the Crea.tion mentions God the Father, and the Spirit, two of the Perfons. That he vails the Son under that fo often repeated Speech ufed of the Creation, that, God faid, Let there he Light; God foid, Let there be a Firmament, which could not be without My!tery; and what other than that Chrill was that Word by whom God created all Things; whom therefore when 'john fpeaks, referring to Mo.fe/s in the beginning; and of the creation of all.Things he terms o My@>; the Word; God's Power was erefred and put forth by his Word, Pfalm, I8. 4, 5· He commanded, and th'J' were created: As, where the Word of 4 King it, there it Power, Ecclef. 8. 4· So God's Word, and his executive Power, are all one. When therefore Chrill is termed the Word of God ; the meaning is, be is the Power ofGod, in being his Inftru· ment and Agent in all he cloth, or means to do. I !hall therefore ditlinfrly infill on thefe two; 1. How Chrirt, as thus God-Man; the Word, is the Wifdom of God. 2. How he is the Power of God. And then proceed to add an Interpretation of the fore·part of this Chapter, unto vcrf I 4· which is all of Chri!t. . I. He is the Wifdom of God; and that in a double refpefr. 1. In refpect to the Manifefiation of God unto us; for Chrill confidered as · God-Man, and through his afiuming Humane Nature, was to be the fum of that Wifdom or Revelation, by which the God·head would make it felf known, that whereas
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