34 LA 'Declaration of the Glorious MYSTERY 2. Withrefpect unto his divine perfon as the Son of the Father ; the on- lybegotten, the eternal Son ofGod. Thus he receives as hisperfonality, fo all divine excellencies from the Father ; fohe is the efential image of the Fa- ther's perfon. 3. As he took our nature upon him; or in the All'umption ofour nature intoperfonal union with himfelf, in order unto the work ofhis mediation. So is he the only reprefentative image of God unto us ; in whom alone we fee, know and learn allthe divineexcellencies, fo as to live unto God, and be directed unto the enjoyment ofhim. All this himfelfinftrufts us in. He refleas it on the Pbarifees as an .effect of their blindnefs- and igno- rance, that they had neither beard the voice of God at any time, nor feen be flape, John v. 37. And in oppofitiomhereunto he tells his difciples, that they had known the Father andPeen him, chap. xiv. 7. And the rea- fon he gives thereof, is becaufe they that knew him, knew the Father alfo. And when one ofhis difciples not yet fufficiently inftrufted in this myfiery, replied, Lord thew us the Father and it fufueth us, v. 9. His anfwer is, Have I beenfo long time withyou,and hall thou not known me? he bath that Peen me, bathfeen theFather, v. to. Three things are required unto the juftification of this alfertion. (n) That the Father and lae beof the fame nature, havethe fame offence and being. For otherwife it would not follow, that he who had Peen him, hadfeen theFather alfb. This ground of it he declares in the next verfe, the Father is in me, and I am in the Father. Namely, becaufe they were one in nature and offence. For the divine nature being fimply the fame in them all, the divine perfons are in each other by virtue of the onenefs of that nature. (2.) That he be difiinaa from him. For otherwife there cannot bea tee- ing of the Father by the feting of him. He is feen in the Son as reprefen- ted by him, as his image; the word, the Son of the Father, as he was with God. The unity of nature, and the diftinaion of perfon is the ground of that affertion of our Saviour; He that bath feen me, bathPeen the Father alto. (3.) But moreover the Lord Chrift hall a refpe& herein unto himfelfin his entire perfon as he was incarnate, and therein unto the difcharge of his mediatory work. Have I been fo long time withyou, andhaft thou not known me? Whilft lae was with them, dwelt among them, converfedwith them, he was the great reprefentative of the glory of God unto them. And notwithftanding this particular miftake, they did then fee his glory, the glo- ry of the only begotten ofthe Father ; John i. t ,. And in him was manifeft- ed the glory of the Father. He is the image ofthe invifible God. In him God was, in him he dwelt, in him is he known, in him is he worfhiped according unto his own will, in him is there a nearer approach made unto us, by the divine nature, than ever could enter into the heart of men to con- ceive. In the conftitution of his perfon; of two natures, fo infinitely di- ftina and feparatein themfelves, and in. the work it was defigned unto, the wifdom, power, goodnefs, love, grace, mercy, holinefs and faithfulnefs of God, are manifefted unto us. This is the one bleffed image ofthe invifible God, wherein we may learn, wherein we may contemplate and adore all lris divine perfe$ions. The fame truth is teftified unto, Heb. i. 3. Godfpake unto us in theSon, who isthe brightnefs ofhis glory, and the evprefs image of his perfon. His divine nature is here included, as that without which he could not have made a perfeft reprefentation of God unto us. For the apoftle fpeaks of him, as ofhim by whom the worlds were made, and who upboldeth all things, by
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=