Atz Expofition of the Epiftle ~-----o-t_h_e~r.-A-s-:u:-ro-m:'-. -=thc::.e_A-:-n-ge-:1:-s,-:To which of all the AJJgets did be /ay, Thot< art my Strm. 11. So 11 , this day bave I begottett thee?Heb.t. and fo from all Creamres. For whore– ~ as Job, 1.18. he is termed the o11ly begottm So11, m d!!hnchon therefrom all Cteatures,which are faid to be but made,ver. 1 + and Believers to have rece•ved powerfrom him to be S01u, v.n. In fine,he is infotch a refpechhe Son ofGod, and . begottm of God; as being Man he was the So11 of 'David, becaufe out of his · loyns. Thus Matt,22-42, And that he was thtu the Son of God, is the main and mofr.j111tdam_e1Jtal poim of the Go/pet, Rom.L ~' 4• c?mpared; and therefore is fiill brought m as the conclufion of' all thofe feveral dtfcourfes of the lafr. Evan– gelifr. his Gofpel, beginning at thefirfr. Chapter, verfn t8, and 49· ch.j. 16. and foon toch,2o.ult. where, in the conclufion of his Book, he profelfeth this to haveheen the intended fcope of the whole; Thefe things are writtm that ye might believe that .7efiu is the Chrifi the Son of God, and that believing (thus of 'him) ye might have life through his 1wme; through that 11ame of his that he is the So11 of God, and thereby the fountain of life and Sonfhip to us; for up– on this very roe/<orfou~tdatioiJ, Chrif/ told his Difciples, he would build his Church. T1o;oNuivi. tic:1,nottwo Sonfhips. 2. As Man and Son of Ma11 God was his Father, that forementioned profef– fion and anfwer in the name of all the refr. of his Difciples was fetly pitcht upon thl's in Chrifr.s quefr.ion as punaual thereunto; Whom do mm fay that I the So~< of Mmz am? That was Chrifr.s quefr.ion : He anfwers thereupon, The So11 of the tivi11g God. Therefore as Man he was the Son of the living God. The like ye have uttered by Chrifr. himfelf, (for 'twa£ that point he died upon) Mar.14. 6' ,62. compared. But then as to this !aft point the quefr.ion !s, How it is to be tmderftood that as Mall he was the Son of God; whrtber 011/y but as other men, or in any tranf– cendent priviledge above us? Or thus, whether as Mall he WIU bul the adopttd So11, tU the Saillts are; or whether 11ot the 11gtural So11 ofGod? Which is fo1ved by thefe conftderations, I, That the fubjeCl: of this relation as Son to God, or the Termi1111s of it, is not either his 11atttre Divine or Human, but his perjim; for Sonlhip is a perfonal property, not of the nature. Il, Hence Secondly,in the pufon of Cbrift there are aot two Sons, or two Sonlhips or relations of Sonlhips unto· God as a Father 1 but as God is but 011e, fo the Perfon of the So11 but one, and fo but one Sonfhip in him. IH. HenceThirdly,Chrijl as Mmz is but' one and the fame Son of God; that he is as he is God, that is, his ftyle and honour is' to be the natural Son of God, even as Man. The Sonlhip of the Man Chrifr. Jefus doth coalefce ioro one Son– lhip with the Son of God, eYen as in like manner the Man is taken up into One perfon with the Son of God, Lukt t. 31'. That holy tbi11g which jballbe born of thee (fpeaking of Chri!ls conception .to the Virgin Mary) fba/1 be caUed the Sotz of God : for look as though he was Man·, yet that Man was never a perfon of itfelf, but fubfifr.ed from the firft in the perfonality of the fecond Perfon : fo that Son of Man was never called or accounted a Son to God, of himfelf, as fuch; but his Sonfi1ip was that of the Perfon, which he was taken up into. Only with this difference, That he is the Son of God as God, in that he was begotten of the Fathers fubfr.ance, but fo the Son of Man was not; but this Son of man becoming the Sonof God, who was begotten ofthe fubfr.ance ofthe Father by Perjo11al tmio11, he th~ Man by being made one perfon with him wears that dignity. The one isper ef{emitl! commu11icationem, the other per rmio11em mm per(imti• . iV, Hence Fourthly,he is not as Man the Son of God nat11rally or ef{e11tially; but he is the Son of God perjo11ally : if we take 1wtttrtzl for effential, fo he is not as man Gods natural Son; but take natural as in oppofition to adoption, and fo he is Gods natural Son: and not by Adoption, this being the title and honour he had ji-om bis conception and birtb. And from his union with the perfon of the natural Son, ns you heard from the Angel , That holy tbi11g 'll!:bich jballbt bonz of thee, !hall be called the S01: of God, (and God calls things as they are.) And more difr.inaly, Gai.J+ God fmt fortb hi: Son m!Jde of a Wo– m,m, made mu/er the Law, that we migbt receive the adoptio11 of SoilS, where evidently
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