452 QUESTIONS CONCTRNI*O JESUS. Page 29. This excellent author, represents this transaction, between the Father and the on before the world was in -a way. of dialogue r He supposes the Father to say, " My Son, here be a company of poor miserable souls that have utterly undone themselves, and. now lie open to my justice ; justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy- itself in the eternal ruinof them. What shall be done for these souls ?" And thus Christ replies : " O my Father! Such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their surety ; I will rather chose' to suffer thy wrath than they should suffer it ; charge their debt all upon nie, I am able to discharge it : And though it impoverish all my riches, and emptyall my treasures, (for so it did indeed ; 2 Cor. viii. 9: Though he re-erer rich, pjetfor our sakes he became poor.;) I am content to undertake it." . Here I again desire my reader to observe, I cite not the words of that great and excellent man to refute them,, for I greatly approve Of almost every expression ; Much' less woutd I expose that venerable author, whose memory and writings i sin= cerely reverence and honour ; but'my design is'to shew what is the usual languageof our best divineson this-subject, for I might cite passages of the like nature out of a multitude of excellent Writers. This is only a specimen of one for the rest. Now in reading over such accounts of stipulations and con- tract between the Father'and the Soil before the foundation of the world, what proper conceptions can we frame, or what clean ideas can we possiblyhave, .whilewe suppose nothing but Christ's divine nature transacting this affair with the Father ; and While at the saline to n e,:we believe the-divine essence, perfections and powers the understanding, will,- thought and consciousnessof the Father and of the Son tobe numerically one and the same, since in the godhead or divine nature, they are but one and the same infinite Spirit 2 The mere personalities, viz. paternity and filiation, cannot consult and transact these affairs in away. of iontract,.proposal and consent.: It is nothing but two distinct consciousnesses and two distinct wills can enter into such a covenant ;. but in the common explication of the 'I'rithity, the distinct .personalities of the Father and the Son clo, ínot make, any real. distinct consciousnesses or distinct wills in the one in- finite Spirit. And -let it be further noted also, that according to several of the articles of this covenant, one of these beings or persons co-, venanting, seems to be inferior to the other, and to.be capable. of receiving orders, commission,;:support and recompense from the other.: But if only the deity of- Christ existed at that time, . and the deity of Christ, and of: the Father have but one and the same numerical consciousness and volition, one and the same numerical power and glory, what need of orders and commis-
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