610 VIE GLORY OF cnnear as GOD-MAN. to imply derivation and dependency : and perhaps the sonship of Christ, and his being the only begotten of the Father, may be better explained by attributing it to his human soul existing by some peculiar and immediate manner of creation, formation, or derivation from the Father before outer creatures were formed; especially if we include in the same idea of sonship, as. Doctor Goodwin does, his union to the divine nature, and if we add also his exaltation to the office of the Messiah asKingand Lord of all ; which some zealous Trinitarians suppose to be the chief thing meant when God saith, verse 5. Thou art my, Son, this day have I begotten thee. Now this matter being set in a fair and full light, and established by just arguments from scripture, would take off the force of many Arian pretences against the Trinity, viz. such pretences as arise from the supposed derivation of one person from another in pure godhead, and a supposed eternal act of generation producing a co-essential son, which things are not plainly expressed in any part of the bible, and which are acknowledged on all sides to be great and incomprehen- sible difficulties. Hab. i. 3. Perhaps these words, the brightnessof his Fa- ther's glory, and the express image of his person, may be better explained, if we suppose the divine nature of Christ to be united to his pre- existent soul, when it was first created : This human soul of Christ was then like a glass through which the godhead shone with inimitable splendor in all the perfections of it, wis, . dom, power, holiness and goodness ; thus Christ was his Fa- ther's most perfect image, or copy, both in his own native excellencies, bearing the nearest resemblance to God as an only-begotten Son, and he was also the brightness of his glory ; because the perfections of the Father shone through him with more illustrious rays than it was possible for any mere crea- ture torepresent or transmit them, who was not thus united to a divine nature. I cannot forbear to illustrate this by a similitude which I think has been somewhere used by Doctor Goodwin : Suppose it possible for ahollow globe of chrystal to be made so vast as to inclose the sun ; this globe of chrystal considered in itself, would have many properties in it, perhaps resembling the sun in a more perfect manner than any other being :, but if it were also inhabited by the sun itself, and thus transmitted the glories of the sun to men, how express an image would it be of that bright luminary, and would it not be the most happy medium by which the sun.could exert its powers of light and heat ? Such is Jesus the man, who is the Son of God inhabited by the divine nature, and the fairest image of God. - Besides, let it be yet further considered, that when Christ is called in Colossians i. 15. the image ,>./. the invisible God, and
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