and in8 Son !feJus chrifi. 53 Firft, We find him to have exif'ced, juft afore he came into the World, the~ Jnflanceofhis Conception, Heb. 10. 5· in thefe Words, Wherefore when he comes Chap. 1. into the World, (ays he, A 'Body h4ltho~t prepared me. VerC 7· La, I come to do~ thy WiU 0 God. Here is a Perfon diflinCl: from God the Father, a [ Me], an [I], dlflinCl: a!Co from that Human Nature he was to alfume; .w?ich he terms a 'Body prepared. A Perfon he is that fpeaks to God, as one knowmg and underfianding what he was about to do; yea, and how it was written ofhim, that he {hould do In the Voht11m ofthy Boo/zit is written ojme, .verC 7· Therefore beGdes and afore'that Human Nature, there Was a Divine Perfon that exifled, that was not ofthis World,but that came into it[when he cometb into the World, hefap,&c.J 10 become a part of it, and be manifefled in it. . Secondly, We find him, to have exified aforeJohn the Baptiff, though_7ohn was conceived and born Come Months afore htm. I note thefe feveral Jomts of Time, becaufe theScripture notes them, and hath fet a fpecial Mark upon them, Joh.I.I 5· Johnbare Witnefl ofhim, and cryed, faJ'ing, Thit wm he ofwhom I JPak,f, He that contcth after me, it preforred befor~ me, for he w,u before me. This Priority of Exitlence is that which John cloth fpecially give witnefs unto. And it is Pri– ority in Exiflence,for he alledgeth itas a Reafon why he was preferred afore him; For he wm before me. And therefore, thefe latter Words do not note out a Prio– rity in Dignity, for that were to prove Idem per idem. And this Reafon hofds firong; for he is fuch a Perfon as exilled afore he was made Man or Flelh, afore as Man he was born ; and fo mull: be more than a Man or Creature. And then again he doth not lay, He i1 beforeme; but fpeaks in the Time pafl, He"'"" before me: 'And yet vet f. 30. he exprelfeth it thus, There cometh a Man (the fame John (pe3king ofChrift) which it preferred before me: for he w,u before ?Jte. Still he runs upon this Priority: And yet as a Man he was not afore John; for John was the tlder as Man. Therefore as fome other Per!On, namely, the Son ofGod, (as ·he bad entitled him, verj. I4.) or as the Word, (as he had fiiled him verf I. and fo oo) . Thirdly, we find him exifling when all the Prophets wrote and fpake. I Pet. 1. 1I. The Spirit ofChrifl is C1id to have been in all the Prophets; even as Paul; who came after Chrifr, alfo fpeaks, Youfeelza proofofChrijlJleahjng in me, 2 Cor. 13. 3· And therefore, he himfelfwhofe Spirit it was, or whom he fent,mull needs exifl as a Perfon fending him. And particularly of the Prophet lfaiah, it is faid, when he faw his Glory, lfa. 6. I. Which Job. 12. 41. js applyed to Chrifi, and verf 5· fays lfa!ah, I am 1mdone, for mine Eyes havefeen the King,the Lord ofHoj/J, which was Chnfi. Fourthly, We find him exifling in :/11ofo/s time, both becaufe it was he that was tempted in the Wildernefs; I Cor. Io. 9· Neither let "'tempt Chrifl, m fome ofthenz alfo tempted,and were dcflroyed ofSerpentt. And it was Chrifl that was the Perfon (aid to be tempted by them, ~swell as now by us, as the Word xal [m th'ey •lfo] evtdently !hews. And tt pomts to that Angel that was fent with them Exod. 23. 20, 2r. in whom the Name ofGod was; and who as God, had th; Power of pardoning Sins, verC 2I. Beware ofhim, provok.f him not, for he willnot pardonJOitr Tranjgrejfiont: for my Name it in him. .And him that .J/1ofet calls Je– hovahor God, Stephen calls an .Angel. And there ts none to whom are given the Name ofan Angel, and ofGod, buttoChrifl. And Stephen fays, Al:h 7· 35· That .Jt.1ofu wa< a Ruler and Dclrvcrer m the Land of the Angel which ~ppeared to him in the Bnjb. And in Heb. I2. 26. there is a comparifon made between Mofe 1 and Chrifl: and Chrifl is there faid to be he whofe Voice then jhook,_the Earth, verG 26: and ver( 25· He is termed the Speak,fr from Heaven, alluding to that place; Exod. 20. 22. God faid, Y011 have feen I have talfl.d with JOlt from Heaven. So then, Chrill then exilled, and alfo is God. Yea further, it is he ofwhom it is there alfo faid, that hit Voice thenjboofzthe Earth. Even as he who now under the Gofpel fpeaks from Heaven, and whofe Voice !hakes both Earth and Heaven under the Gofptl. The fame Jefus therefore then exif'ced in his Power, that now. Fifthly,We find him exilling in and afore Abrahanis time: Job. 8. 58. . Veri&; verily I foy unto)'Oit, before Abrahamwm, I ant. The Jewt had undervalued him unto .Abraham, verf.53. Art thou greater than our Father Abraham? And whereas he had faid thereupon, verC 56. That Abraham rejoiced to fee hit day; which A· braham
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=