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merely in Mary, as the medium of his existence on earth, and not of her substance; hence he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, which came upon her, and was begotten by the power of the Highest, which over-shadowed her; and therefore the Holy Ghost was the real and true Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24. Then as the Son of God was neither begotten, conceived, nor brought forth, before the first Adam, but long after, according to the time appointed, and as he was called the everlasting Father, pertaining to man's redemption, and proceeded and came forth from an everlasting parentage; therefore it was not the Son, but the Holy Ghost, unto whom the Lord God said, at the beginning of the old creation, Let vs make man in our image, after our likeness.

25. Father and Son do not imply the perfection of that order in which God created man at the beginning, and which is manifest in the visible creation; and much less can those attributes of Father and Son imply the perfection of that order which was essentially in the Deity, and was relatively signified by the order in which God created man at the beginning, when it was said, God created man in his own imagemale and female created he them.

26. And without this relative distinction in the order and perfection of the Deity, as the true first cause of man's existence, the things that were created, could only in part, claim a relation to the Creator, while a very important part must exist without relation to any correspondent cause. Hence would partly be justified, that inconsistent expression of a modern poet, "He said to Nothing, Let it be, and Nothing brought forth all." And according to others, "The work of Creation is, God's making all things of Nothing."

27. And therefore, upon this supposition, God is only acknowledged in one part of his true attributes; consequently the things that were created, must have sprung partly from God, and partly from Nothing; which is at least partly Atheism, or partly denying the very being of God. For it will be granted, that God is distinguished by the title of FATHER, in rela

CHAP. 11.

CHAP. tion to man, and that man, in the perfection of his order, includes more than Father.

II.

23. The first man Adam was the first natural Father of all the human race; but he was not alone, his manhood was made complete by the woman, who was flesh of his flesh, and they two were called Adam ; and the woman was called The mother of all living.

29. And if the attribute of Mother pertains to man, in the perfection of his order, from whence could this attribute flow or with what did it correspond? If the attribute of Father and Mother, in the creation of man, can flow from Father alone, the effect is superior to its cause, and Mother must flow from where Mother is not, and the female part of creation can know no corresponding cause of her existence.

30. But as Father and Mother, or male and female, do exist in the creation of man, and are essential to the glory and perfection of that order, and are declared to have been created in the image and after the likeness of God; therefore, if no such relative distinction is admitted in the first cause of their existence, then it plainly follows, that the perfection and glory of the creature, is as much superior to that of the Creator, as all that is made out of Nothing, is superior to Nothing. This inconsistent, and absurd supposition would place, even fallen man, above all that is called God.

31. But the truth is, that as God created man male and female, in his own image and likeness, and called their name Adam-two in their order and manner of operation, but perfectly one in their nature and union, constituting one entire Man, perfect and complete in the order of his manhood; so Man in his first creation, in both parts of his manhood, relatively showed forth the order, glory, and perfection which essentially constituted the first cause, and was a pattern of that order and perfection which was to be revealed by Christ in the new creation..

32. But man, in his natural state, could never know the perfections of the invisible first cause, until they were revealed in the new creation, by Christ in his first and second appearing; in which the Father is revealed by the Son, and the Mother by the Daughter; and the true order and perfections of JEHOVAH

are made known by those things that are created, revealed, and made manifest, in which God becomes all in all.

33. Therefore, by the first appearing of Christ, in and by the Son, was the revelation of God, pertain ing to the true order of the Father, who was everlasting before all worlds; and by the second appearing of Christ, in the Daughter, is the revelation of the Holy Ghost, pertaining to the true order of the Mo ther, who was with him that was Everlasting.

34. As the name Almighty, expresses the substance, but not the order of the Father; so the name Holy Ghost, expresses the substance, but not the order of the Mother. And as the true order and office of the Father was not known, until revealed by the Son; so the true order and office of the Mother was not known, until revealed by the Daughter.

35. And therefore, by whatever name the Holy Ghost was called, under the dispensations which preceded her revelation, she is unchangeably one with the Father, in union and essence, and is distinguished by her co-operations, everlasting with the Father, before ever the world was, or the ages set in order: which is according to her own testimony of unchangeable truth, under the title of Wisdom.

CHAP.

II.

18, 19.

36. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold Prov.. upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens."

37. "She standeth in the top of high places, by chap. the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors: Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men."

38. "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The feat of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth do I hate. Council is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth."

39. "I lead in the way of righteousness, in the

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CHAP. midst of the paths of judgment: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance and I will fill their treasures. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was."

40. "When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world."

41. "When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depths; when he established the clouds above; when he strengthened the fountains of the deep; when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment; when he appointed the foundations of the earth :"

42. "Then I was by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him: Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not."

CHAPTER III.

The Nature and Manner of the Coming of Christ.

COMING has a twofold signification: First, when

any thing is brought forth in the order of the visible creation, it is said to come. In this sense, every thing that has life, is said to come into the world. Second, when a thing removes from one place to another, it is said to come to that place to which it

removes.

2. In this sense, created visible objects move to and fro, in relation to each other, and can exist only

III.

in one place at one and the same time; whereas in CHAP. the former sense, an object may come, and exist in a thousand places, at one and the same time; as is plain from the coming of the day, the summer, or the harvest. And as Christ is not a local being, circumscribed by any particular bounds or limits; but is properly, God manifested in the flesh, so long as the work of redemption continues; therefore it is in this sense, that he is said to come.

Mat.xxiv

Ezek.vit.

3. Hence the figures that are used to describe his Mal iv. 2 coming: "Behold the day cometh, that shall burn 32. John as an oven.-Ye know that summer is nigh.-Say not iv. 35. ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harv- 2. est? The harvest is the end of the world-An end, 11. the end is come upon the four corners of the landOn whom the ends of the world are come."

4. Then as the coming of Christ is compared to the day, the summer, and the harvest, and every one knows that such things in nature, are not material bodies, that go from place to place; therefore it is evident that they must be grossly mistaken, who look for Christ to come into the world from some other part of space, in some visible form or bodily appearance.

5. But as the day is brought forth in its order, and succeeds the night, in the revolution of things; and as summer and harvest succeed the fall and fruitless winter, in the order of the seasons; so is the coming of the Son of man, and the entering in of that divine influence which shall make an end of sin, and establish everlasting righteousness. Such is the nature of Christ's coming, from which the manner of it may be clearly understood.

6. The manner in which Christ first came into the world, hath been briefly stated in the preceding chapter; from which it is evident that he did not come from some other part of space, in a pompous appearance, as many expected; but was brought forth by the Word, according to the times and seasons appointed of the father, and through the instrumentality of second causes.

7. To illustrate this subjeet more clearly, it may be proper to observe, a little further, the analogy between the first and second Adam. Each was created in his

1 Cor. X.

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