of the PERSON of CHRIST. 149 Lion ofthe effe&s andlikenefs of thefame image unto us, which was ef!'en- tiallyin himfelf. D. We were by nature the Sons of God. We flood in relation ofSons unto him by virtue of our creation, the communication of his image and likenefs, with the preparation ofan inheritance for us. On the fame accounts the angels are frequently called the Sons of God. This title, this relation unto God, we utterly loft by fin, becoming aliens from him, and enemies unto him. Without a recovery into this eftate we cannot be reftored, nor brought unto the enjoyment of God. And this cannot be done but by adoption. Now it feems convenient unto divine wifdom, that he fhould recover our Sonihip by adoption, whowas himfelf the effen- Dial and eternal Son of God. [g. The fumm ofwhatwe can comprehend in this great myftery, arifeth from the confederation of the order of the holy perfons of the bleffed Trinity in their operations. For their order herein doth follow that of their fubfiftence. Unto this great work there are peculiarly required, au- thority, love and power, all direfted by infinite wifdom. Theft original- ly reticle in the perfon of the Father, and the a&ing ofthem in this mat- ter is conftantly afcribed unto him. He fent the Son, as he gives the fpirit, by an aft of fovereign authority. And he fent the Son from lais eternal love i he loved the world, and fent lais Son to die. This is conftantly afligned to be the efl'e£t of the love and grace of the father. And he wrought in Chrift, and he works in us, with refpe& unto the end ofthis myftery, with theexceedinggreatnefs ofbis power, Ephef. i. a8. The Son who is the fecond perfon in the order offubfiftence, in the order ofoperati- on, puts the whole authority, love and power of the Father in execution. This order offubfiftence and operation thereon, is exprelly declared by the apoftle, t Cor. viii. 6. Unto us there ie but one God the Father, ofwhom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jefus Chrifi by whom are all things, and we by him. The Father is the original fountain and fpring, ì{ á from whom, whofe original authority, love, oodnefs, and power, are all theft things. That expreffionfrom bim, peculiarly denotes the eternal original ofall things: But how are thisauthority, goodnefs love and power in theFather, whence all thefe things fpring and arife, made effe&ual, how are their effeds wrought out and accomplefhed? There is one Lord, even Jefus Chrifl, a difinft perfon from the Father, b1 é, by whom are all things. He works in the order of his fubfiftence, to execute, work and accomplilh all that originally proceedeth from the Father. By the Holy Spirit, who is the third perfon in order of fubfiftence, there is made a perfefting application of the whole unto all its proper ends. Wherefore this work of our redemption and recovery, being the ef- pecial effeft ñf the authority, love and power of the Father, it was to be executed inand by the perfon ofthe Son, as the applicationof itunto us is made by the Holy Ghoft. Hence it became not the perfon of the Father to aflame our nature; it belonged not thereunto in the order of fubfif- tence and operation in the bleffed Trinity. The authority; love and power whence the whole work proceeded, were his in a peculiar manner. But the execution ofwhat infinite wifdom defigned in them and by them, belonged unto another. Not did this belong unto the perfon of the Holy Spirit, who in order ofdivine. operation following that of his fubfiflence, was to perfeet the whole work, in making application of it unto the church when it was wrought. Wherefore it was everywayfinted unto divne wifdom, unto the order of the holy perfons in their fubfiftence and operation, that this work fhould be undertaken and accomplished in the P p perfon
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