98 SERMONS upon Serm,a a; This may be expounded two ways. 1. Froth thy Effenge, by Eternal Generation. `.2: By thy Command, as Mediator. If you tafte thefotmet fence, it (heweth that the Authority of Chri(t, and of his Father, Were equal, he came out from him. If you take the latter, it denotes their equal Charity and Love : the Father Pent him; and out of the fame Love,the Son came out frrim the Father; he affutned Flefh, emptied himfelf, and performed the Office of a Mediator, comttdtted to him by the Father. Which is to be preferred ? Some fay the firft, meej.. ax i fti atv, It is a word proper to the natural Generation of the Son ; Micah 5. 2. Whole goings forth have been of old from Everlaffing. The Spirit's Proceffion is expreffed by c&,e7rogóty -ray as the Generation of Son by t egxtrai. It is laid of none of the'Saints, that they come out from God. But tho this Eternal Generation mutt not be excluded, yet that which is chiefly in- tended here is, that he came ono by the command of God as Mediator ; as is clear by that place, John 16. 28. I came forth from my Father, and am come into the World; again Ileave the World, and go unto the Father. It is applied to his appearing as Mediator be- fore Gad. Obferve ; The great Love of Chrifi, in that he came oat from God for our fakes. 1. Confider fromwhom he came, from the Father, from his Botbm, from the full Fruition of the Godhead, from the Center of Rett, the Seat of Bleflednefs. We (hall know what place the Bofom of the Father is, when we thall come to Heaven, and (hall öe glorified with Chrifl. 2. How he came; not in Pomp, or the Equipage of a Prince, but in the Form of a Servant. He was Lord, of all things, but he came now as the Servant of Gods De- crees. John 6.38. 1 came down from Heaven, not to do mine own Will, but the Will of him that feat me. Hé was God's Servant, not upon Terms of Grace, his Covenant was a Covenant of Works. Ifa. 53. tt. He fliall fee of the travel of his Soul, and fhall be fatiified 5 by his Knowledg 'Ball my Righteous Servant juflify many. He was fubjeft to worldly Powers, it Servant of Rulers, Ifa. 49.7. He voluntarily fubmitted himfelf to worldly Powers. Nay, he came to be our Servant : Mat. 20. 28. Even as the Soil of Man came not to be min J1red unto, but to miniffer, and to give his Life a Ran - jrx for many.. He came to ferve in the Miniflry of the Gofpel, to lay aide all the In- terefos of his Humane Nature : Rom. 15.3. Even as Chrifi pleafed not himfelf. 3. For whom he came, for wtetched Men, to feat us in the vacant Places of fallen Angels. 2. [..End they have believed that thou haft feet me.] There is a Miffion on God's part, as well as Obedience on Chtift's. Obferve ; The, Love of God in fending Chriff, and giving him a Charge concerning us. This fending, implieth Diftinftìon, but not inferiority. Perfont equal, by mutual Content, may fend one another. The Father fent him, becaufe in the Bufinefs of Sal- vation, the Original Authority is Paid to retitle in God the Father. God would not ttuft an Angel with jour Salvation, but fend his own Son. t John 4. 9, 10. In this tvas suanifefted the Love of God towards us, becaufe that God feet his only begotten Son into the World, that we might live through bien. Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and feat his Son to be the Propitiation for oar Sins. He thought nothing too dear nor too near for us: His Son was not Cent to treat with us, but to take our Nature, to be fubftituted into our room and place. But this Point, of God's fending thrift, hath fallen utrdet our confideration id handling other Verles of this Chapter. SERIVI.
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