DISSERTATION IF:. 281 Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory ; John i. 1, 2, 3, 14. There are many other places also, which may be fairly and reasonably interpreted concerning our blessed Saviour, as ex- pressed by the term Logos, which Mr. Fleming reckons up " Christology," volume I. page 155, &c. As, John v. 58. re have not the Word of God, or Logos, abiding inyou; for whom the lather has sent, him ye receive not ; Titus i. 2, 3. God who hath promised eternal life of old times, hath nowmanifested his Word, or Logos through preaching; Heb. iv. 12, 13. The Logos or Word of God is quick and powerful, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of theheart: Nor is there any crea- ture that is not manifest in his sight ; 2 Pet. iii. 5. By the Lo- gos"or. Word of God, the heavens were of old ; and by the same Word the heavens and earth, are now kept in store, reservedunto .fire; 1 John v. 7. There are three that bear recordin heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one: With some other texts. SECT. II. f1 Dculty mentioned, with a Proposal for the Solution of it. Now concerning this " Logos," or the pre-existent nature of Christ, or rather concerning Christ, or the Logos, in his pre- existent state, there are such glorious ascriptions given to him, as seem to raise him above the character of all creatures, viz. That he was God ; John i. 1. that all thingswere created by hint and for him, whether in heaven or in earth, that he is before all things, and by him all things consist: Col. i. 16, 17. " that he upholds all things by the word of his power ; that all the angels of God must worship him ; that his throne, as God, is for ever and ever; and that in the beginning he laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of his hands, &c." Heb.i..3, 6, 8, 10. Yet in these very places of scripture, as well as in several other texts, there are some expressions, which seem to represent him, even in his pre- existent state, below the dignity of godhead : As, when he is called the Son of God, and said to be-begotten of the Father; which seems to denote too much derivation and dependence for pure deity : When he is said to be appointed the heir of all things by his Father : When he is called the first-born of every creature, and the beginning of thecreation of God ; whenhe is said to be sent by his Father, not to dó his own will, but the will of him that sent him, that he had a body prepared him by the Father, that the Son can do nothing of himself: And many expressions of the same kind: Now here lies the .difficulty, how shall we interpret all these expressions in a consistency with each other ? This has been a perplexing and laborious enquiry in all ages of chu istianity.
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