anJ hiJ So1t yeftl'sChrifl. whereas the Perfons and Nature of th~ God-head were .invifible, they ihould be ~ Uttered or revealed in him, as the 'Myri!Y, or th~ Wor~ bf God; ind fo ,he~~ by taking on htm thts Perfon of God,M;m, becam~ God sWifdom, or bell Image to exprefs his Mind by, My@- ejlme,ntiilmago, the. Image of God's Mind and .Thoughts. Now as,that Chnft fhould be ~od-Man, was the firll grea.t and moll: comprehenfive thought of God to ~xprefs btmfelf ~y; fo he a!fummg, or taking upon himfelf foro be, dtd accordmgly become.1\oy@', o: the l»•age of. God who was in1Jijible, but m htm made vtfible, as hath been explamed Col. r. I). This I take to be John's meaning, as appears by verf I8. '?f this lir.ll Chapter,. :J(f Man bath fien God at any time, tbe only begotten So11, who is in the Bofo/JJ of the Father be bath declared bim. . And, fecondly, His being thus conf.tituted ihe Wifdom of God, asGod-Man then with God, imports how all God's Counlels, Thoughts, and Purpo(es which God took up, and from all Eternity was contriving of towards his Elecx, they all depended and .hung upon this as their Foundation, that he would become i-.oy@', the Word, or God-Man, to manifell God. Thus in Ephef 3· as to that part of his Counfel, the Gofpel ; the whole Model of it, Iron! firft to ]aft, ver( I O. is called, the nw1ifold Wifdons of God; verf I I. is laid to be purpo.fid from Eternity in JefM Cbri~; becaufe he from Eternity took on him that Perfori of being the Chnft.; and fo m. htm confidered as fuch, dtd God proceed to frame all his other Counfds, the whole frame of them depending upon that one Engine; thus God elected us, and befl:owed all Things upon us before the. World was, even in Jeflu Chrift, ( EpheC I. 4·) as then bearing this Perlon of God-Man. And thus all the Promifes which the written Word of God contains, were made for us unto Chrift, as really bearing that Perfon; and 2 Tim. 1. 9· They were given M in Chrijl before the World began : So that Chrift then, as ru– fraining the Perfon of God-man, ( wttb promtfe one day to become Man) be– tween him and his Father, was the Original Word or WtjiJom to be revealed to us, and fo more truly called Myc;#', than the Word written, by how much the Original in God's Breafr defcrVe,~ the Name, better than the Extract or Copy. Notable to this pnrpofe is \hat place; Tit. L 2, 3· where the Aponie firll fays, That God promifid Eternal Life before the World be[; a". A Promife is a Word given forth, and is more than a Purpofe with ones Celf, for it i~ to another ; there was a Promife made to Chrifr as then with him: Now as meerly Second Perfon, he is capable of no Promifes, but only as be is God-Man. It is the Son of God as he is Jefus Chrift, in whom all Promifes are, Tea, and Amen. 2 Cor. I. I9, 20. FortbeSonof God, jeJMChrift, who wa1 preached among you -by Ill; even by me, and Silvanus, and Timotheu~, waJ not Yea and Nay, b11t in him, w.u Tea. For all the PromiftJ of God in him, are Yea, and in him, Amen, 1l1JIO the Glory of God by fu. Setondly, The Apollle in _that pl:ice to Tlt1i1, adds, That God bath in hi1 due time manifejled [ bi1 Word J through preaching. By Word is meant, that Original Word then given before the World began, which was founded on.Chrifl, and his Undertakings for us: and further, as he did then fuftain a Perfon, to whom the Promifes for us were made, as a publick Perfon bearing our Perfons, fo was he likewife the Thing ptomifed, and in both thefe refpects called 1\ciy@', the Word; and fo is termed by Jobn, I Epift. Chap. r. verC 1. the Wm·d of-Life; in Ttt'"• it is termed, the Promife of Eternal Lift; (for all Promifes and Counfels of God were rooted in him, Ephefi. 4- ) and fo , moll properly called a My@-', then but frill as God-Man confidered, thus he was the Word, in refpect of the Elect; even as he was the Wildom of God. I!. But, fecondly, He was the Word alfo, as he was the Power of God, in a general relation to all the Creation. This follows here, John I. 3· .All Thingr were made by bim, and without him war not any Thing made that war made. And there– fore, I Cor. I. 24. as he is called the Wifdom of Goclto be revealed to 111, (o the 'Power; which though there fpecially brought in to the preaching of him in the Gofpel, and the efficacy thereof, yet is a general Maxim applied, and fpecified to that Particular. The Power ofGod, that is, as undertaking to execute, and acxually executing all that 9od ever meant to do, and in this relpect as under– taking to be God-Man, and as bearing that part, he is tern!ed Gocl':r Arm, lfo-53·!. ond
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