PROPOSITION XXI. 199 The only difficulty lies in this, that several places of the New Testament seem to make a belief of Christto be the Son of God necessary to salvation ;. as John xx. 31. " These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name." 1 John v. 13. 'O These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God ; that ye may know, that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John iv. 15. " Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him." 1 John ii. 23. " Whosoever denieth the Son, the same bath not the Father." Now the objectionruns thus t If we are required to believe that Christ is the Son of God, then we must know and believe what is this relation of sonship to God the Father in order to salvation, and this seems to be,tnore than a mere knowledge and belief of his offices, and his all-sufficient capacity to fulfil them. In answer to this objection, I have shewn in a particular dis:: course, which I had once designed to publish at the end of this book, what appears to me the true meaning of this name,." Son of God ;" and upon the best judgment I can make; by.a com- parison of scriptures together, I am inclined:to believe that this name Son of God. signifies, " That glorious person .who has,ia general some peculiar and sublime relation to God the Father,. and is appointed to be the Messiah or Saviour ;" and the chief things included herein .are hisoffice and his divine fitness and ea, pacity to fulfil it ; and it is under this notion Christ was preached to the Jews, and believedon by the disciples. It is this that ren- ders him directly suitable to the necessities of perishing sinners, and amgst proper object for the exercise of, a saving faith, 'Phis therefore is the most natural and probable sense of this title, " the Son of God," in the general use of it in. the New Testa- ment ; and especially in those places where our salvatióu is made to depend on the belief of it. This imperfect idea or conception of some glorious and pe- culiar but unknown relation to, God, seems to be the utmost which at that time the disciples could well arrive at concerning his Sonship. How far they could be apprized of his true godhead, I make not the matter óf my present enquiry : Their faith of that sometimes at least seemed to be fluttering and dubious. "But as to their notion ofhis sonship, they seem to have no certain idea whether it related to his body, or his souIR to his divine nature, or his office, or to several, of these together. It is hard to suppose, that the eternal generation of the Sou of Clod, asa distinct person, yet co-equal, and consubstantial, or of
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