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fubject to him that did put all things under him, that God may be all in all: And from these Words of my Text, where it is plainly faid,

First, That all Chriftians know that there is but one God.

Secondly, That this one God is the Father. And,

Thirdly, That this God the Father is diftinguished from our Lord Jefus Chrift by this Character, that he is God, 8, from whom are all things. But our Lord is only he d, by whom are all things, and that God the Father, is the Chriftians one God, Chrift their one Lord.

Hence Chrift fpeaks thus for the Encouragement of Chriftians to fuffer for his Sake. To him that overcometh will I give to fit upon my Throne, even as I overcame, and am fat down with my Father on his Thrane, Rev. iii. 21. Where,

First, I obferve that the Throne of Chrift is plainly reprefented as diftinct from the Throne of God the Father.

Secondly, He is faid to be fet down after his Victory upon his Father's Throne. Neither of which things can agree to one who is of the fame numerical Effence with the Father. And v. 12. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God: And I will write upon him the Name of my God, and of the City of my God, which is new Jerufalem,

..

which cometh down out of Heaven from my God. Now it is abfurd to affirm, that one and the fame God fhould fo often call himself his God.

If it be here objected, that 'tis fufficient that our Lord Jefus Chrift is in these Epiftles faid to be God, to wit, Rom. ix. 5. And Tim. iii. 16. Concerning Rom. ix. s. I have given a full Account elsewhere. And as to the Words in Timothy, God was manifefted in the Flesh, 'tis plain that the Word, God, there, though it fignifie one who was truly God, by having a true Dominion over all things in Heaven and Earth, imparted to him, and having all Perfections requifite to the Exercise of that Dominion, yet cannot it fignify that self-exiftent God, whofe Power is abfolute and underived, not only because he cannot be faid to be juftified in, or by, the Spirit, (who, faith our Saviour, fhould convince the World of Sin, becaufe they believe not on me, and of Righte oufness, because I go to (my) Father :) But likewife because he is faid to be received up into Glory.

DIS

DISCOURSE II.

JOHN xiv. I.

Te believe in God, believe alfo in me.

UR bleffed Lord in the former Chapter is represented, as knowing the Father had given all things into his Hands, v. 3. That he had committed all Judgment to the Son, Joh. v. 22. And fo had all Power in Heaven and Earth committed to him: Hence he speaks to his Disciples, who always believed in God, and trufted in him for a Deliverance in all Exigencies and Diftreffes, exhorting them now to believe in him also, as having all Authority and Power imparted to him by the Father, and being the very Person whom he (the Father) had given to be Head over all things to the Church, Eph. i. 22.

Here therefore we have evidently two dif tinct Persons reprefented as the Objects of our Faith and Truft; to wit, the Person here called God, viz. the fupreme God, and Father of all things, and Lord of Heaven and Earth, in whom the Jews always trufted: The Second, our Lord Jefus Chrift, invefted with all Judgment, Power and Authority from the Father, whom the Jews never owned before, and in whom, the generality of them, after all his Miracles done in Confirmation of his Miffion, would not believe. And this, or a like Difrinction feems very evident, not only in the Epiftles, but alfo in the Holy Gospels. Viz,

First, In thefe Words of Chrift, Joh. xii. 44. He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that fent me. And,

Secondly, Mark ix. 37, Whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, but him that fent me. Where, first, obferve that both thefe Texts speak not only of the Effence, but of the Perfon alfo of the Father and the Son, as is evident from those Pronouns, me, and him, that fent me. Secondly, it is alfo extremely evident, that they cannot both be interpreted fo as to fignifie one and the fame numerical Effence, feeing that would infer this abfurd Sense: He that believeth in me, who am one and the fame in Effence with the fupreme God, believeth not in me who am the fame with the fupreme God, but in him who is the fame with

me,

me, and that fent me. And, Thirdly, hence it would follow, that the fupreme God fent the fupreme God, that is, himself, into the World.

Thirdly, This feems plainly to follow from thefe Words, Job, iii. 16. God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting Life. And again, 1 Joh. iv. 9, 10. In this was manifefted the Love of God towards us, because that God fent his only begotten Son into the World, that we might live through him. Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins. For first, the Love here mentioned, is manifeftly the Love of God the Father. Secondly, This Love is manifefted in fending not himself, but his Son, his only begotten Son, into the World. And Thirdly, This Son is fent to be the Propitiation for our Sins, that is, to make Atonement to God for them. Whereas were he the fame with the Father, he must make an Atonement to himself.

Thirdly, This may farther be confirmed from many Paffages in the 6th Chapter of St. John. For first, our Lord there faith, This is the Work of God, that is, that which is now required of you as moft acceptable unto him, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent, v. 29. And throughout the whole Gospel, this is affigned as the End of all the Miracles he did, or God did by him, that they might be I 2 lieve

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