650 'APPENDIX. itwas necessary to make thesense plain, and to connect the senteít- ces : So that both the sentiments and the language areall hisown. In chapter I. page 95. He lays the foundation of his dis- course on Col. i. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. and transcribes all the verses. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature: for by himwere all things created that are in eaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: All things were created by hint, and for him : And he is before all things, and by him all thingsconsist : And he is the head of the body the church who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead: that in all things he might have the pre -eminence: For it pleased the Father that in hint should all fulness dwell. Then he writes thus, All this fulness, and the particulars thereof men- tioned in this text, are attributed to Christ as God- man, either as actually united or to be united in one person. To take off prejudices, saith he, it is meet the reader should know how that holy and greatest light of the reformed churches Calvin inter- prets the first passage, He is the imageof the invisible God, viz. " It is he alone by whom God, who is otherwise invisible, is manifested to us : I know how the ancients are wont to expound this, because they had a controversy with the Arians, whyheld Christ " to be a merecreature ;" they urge this place for Christ's being of the same essence or nature with the Father ; but in the mean time they omitted what was the chief thing in the words, namely, how the Father bath exhibited himself in Christ to be known by us." Then the Doctor adds, page 101. That all and every one of these particulars before rehearsed are those glories which as so many several pieces do make up this pre:eminence, and are parts of that fulness which is said to dwell in him : and the apos- tle makes all this fulness to reside in Christ by an act of God's good pleasure. Hence I infer of all these parts and pieces, that they must be understood of him as God-man ; for had they been spoken of him singly as God, they are natural to Christ, and not at all subjected to God's good will, page 102. But take all these as spoken of Christ as ordained to be God-man, all this might indeed be the object of God's decree and the act of his good pleasure, and it was the highest act of grace and God's goodpleasure to ordain that mati to such an union. Chapter 1I. pages 103, 104. Christ is the image of the invisible.God, which words are resolved into thisassertion, That hi that man Christ Jesus, by virtue of his union with the god- head, there is inherent a fulness of all divine perfections, which may make up an image of the attributes of the godhead, in so transcendent á way of excellency and eminency, as is incompa tíble and incommunicable to any mere creature remaining such. The godhead of Christ is as invisible as the godhead of the Fa- ther ; but Christ is such an image as makes the godhead manifest
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