Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .O8 1721

P R E F A C E. And the Myflery is well expreffed by Maxentius, Biblioth. Pate. par. prima. Non confundimus narurarana diverfitatem vcruntamen Chriftum non ut tu aliens Deum fa&um, fed Deum fa&um Cluiflum confitemur. Quia non cum pauper effet, dives fa&us eft, fed cum dives effet, pauper fa&us eft, ut nos divi- tesfaceret; ncq; enim cum cat in forma fervi, formai Dei accepit ; fed cunt effet in forma Dei, formai fervi accepit; fimiliter etiam nec, cum elles caro,. =bum eft fa&um; fed cum effet Verbum caro fa&um aft: Wedonot confound the diverfity of the natures, howbeit we believe not what you affirm, that Chrifl was made God, but we believe that God was made Chrid. For he was not made rich when he was poor ; but being rich, he was made poor, that ,he might make us rich. He did not take the formof God, when he was in the form of a frvant ; but being in the form of God, he took on him the form ofa frvant. In like manner, he was not made the Word when he wasflefb ; Inc being the Word, he was madeflefh. AndHicront (peaking of the effetis of this myflery, Comment. in Ezekiel, cap. 46. Ne miretur Lc&or fi idem & princeps elm & Sacerdos, Sr vifulus, & aries, & agnus ; cum in Scripturis San&is pro varictatc caufarum legamos cum Dominum, & Deum & hominem, & Prophetam, & virgam, & radicem, & florem, & prmcipem, Sr Regem natum, & Juftitiam, Apoftolum, Sc Epifco- pum, Brachium, Servum, Angelunt, Paftorem, Filium, & Unigenitum, & Pri- mogenitum, Ottium, Viam, Sagittam, Sapientiam, & multa aliá. Let not the Reader wonder if he find one and thefame to be the Prince and Pried, the Bullock, Ram and Lamb ; for in theferìpture on variety of caufes, we find him calledLord, God andMan,the Prophet, a Rod, andthe leoot, the Flower, Prince, Judge, andRighteous King ; Righteoufnefs, the Apoftle andBifhop, the Arm and Servant of God, the Angel, the Shepherd, the Son, the only begotten; thefirft begotten, the Door, the Way, the Arrow, Wfdom, and fundry other thin s. And Ennodius bath as it were turned the pafage of 'Hierom into ver e. Corda domat, qui cun&a vides, qucln cuneta trernifcunr ; Fons, via, dextra, lapis, vitulus Leo, lucifer, Agnus ; janua, fpes, virtus, verb; n fspjéntia, vacs; Oltia, virgultum, pallor; mons, rete, columba, Fiamma, gras, aquila, fponfus, patientia, nervus, Filius, excelfüs, Domino, Deus; omnia Chriftus, In natalem Papa Epiphanii. Quod homo eft, elfe Clarifias volait ; ut Sc homo polfit elfe, quod Chrilfus eft, faith Cyprian. de T'anitat. Jude. And, Quod eft Chriftus erimus Chri- ftiani, fi Chriftum fuerimus fecuti, ibid. And he explains his mind in this expreffon by wayofAdmiration, Serin. de Eleemofyn. Clarifiashominis filius effe volait, ut nos filios Dei faccret ; humiliavit fe, ut populism qui pries jace- bar, erigerer ; vulncratus eft, ut vulnera nitra fanarer. Chap. .. That he was the foundationof all theholy counfels of God, with re[pea unto the vocation, faníïification, juflifcation; and eternalfalvation of the church, is in the nextplaceat large declared. Andhe wasfo ona three- fold account. (r.) Of the ineffable mutual delight ofthe Father andthe Son in thole counfels from all eternity. (z.) As the only way and means of the accomplifhment of allcha e counfels, and the communication of their cleats unto the eternalglory of God. [3.) As he was in his own erfn as incar- nate, the idea and exemplar in the mind of God, of all that grace andglory in the church, wich was defigned unto it in thofe eternal counfels. As the taule ofallgood unto us, he is on this account acknowledgedby the Ancients. Obsi d

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=