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the head of the Church; the beginning, the first-born from the dead, having the pre-eminence; and the being in whom it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell. " If we join," remarks the Doctor, "the expressions of the first and second chapters to the Colossians we may explain the one by the other." He then quotes, Col. ii. 9. "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;"and afterwards adds, "All the Godhead dwelt in him as a spirit, or spiritually before the incarnation." Nothing could have been more inappropriate to our author's design. Paul does not intimate that all the Godhead dwelt in Christ's pre-existent human spirit; but that it dwelt in him bodily. Neither does he affirm that Christ was the image of the invisible God, before he was born of a virgin, but that now, when the apostle wrote, after the incarnation, he is the image. Neither is it said that he was, but that he is the first-born of every creature. The apostle changes the tenses to say "by him WERE all things created;" and "it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell," to wit, "the fulness of the Godhead, bodily," when a body should be prepared for him.

According to our notions of the one PERSON of Christ, which was from everlasting, and is to everlasting, without any creation; of the two natures that belong to this person; and of the mediatorial offices of this one person; there is nothing dark or very difficult in these texts. Paul speaks of him after his death, resurrection and ascension, and says, the God-man-mediator, in all his attri butes, is an exhibition of the true character of the deity, is the image of the invisible God. If men would have correct notions of God, they must look upon the only image which it is lawful for them to worship, they must study the character of Jesus Christ. He is, as it respects his human soul and body, and the union of his human nature to the divine, the creature of God; for God made his human nature, and effected the union between it and the divine, so that this one Jesus, has two natures in his one person. Considered thus as a creature, Christ excells all other creatures in dignity and honour. He is the first born of every creature. That the expression the first-born, is a term of honour, to denote the most-eminent, has been

proved by many biblical critics. Had it been said, he was born first, it might be urged with some degree of plausibility, that in some sense he was actually born, before he was born of the virgin.

By Christ, acting as the divinely appointed Mediator; by Christ, and for him, as the Son of God, were all things created; and he is, as a person, and as a Saviour by covenant, before all things; and by him all things consist. Considered in this character, he is the head of the body, the church. He is, in his election to the Messiahship, the beginning of the church of God; and the most glorious, the first-born, possessing the highest distinction and pri vileges, of any that have been, or shall be raised from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence; for it pleased the Father, that in him, as a Mediator, should all fulness dwell; and that all the fulness of the Godhead should bodily, dwell in him, after the incarnation.

Dr. W. quotes, as favourable to his scheme, Rev. iii. 14, in which Christ is styled the beginning of the creation of God: but the same book represents him to be, not only the beginning but the ending (ch. i. 8.) and it would have been as fair to have inferred that the human soul of Jesus was the last thing formed, as that it was the first.

Heb. i. is next adduced as a dark passage to be illuminated by this new doctrine of a pre-existent human soul. "When he is called a Son, a begotten Son, this seems to imply derivation and dependency." He thinks the same of his being appointed heir of all things, of his being made so much better than the angels, obtaining an inheritance, and being anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows; and of his being called the brightness of his Father's glory, and express image of his person. All these expressions, if applied to a pre-existent human soul united to the divine nature, Dr. W. could easily understand.

The doctrine of an eternal generation he denies, as does Dr. Emmons, and many "zealous Trinitarians” of our day. We shall not enter into any discussion of this topic, at present;* but setting it aside, remark, that

*On this subject, our readers can consult Ridgely's Body of Divinity, edited by Dr. James P. Wilson. Ridgely opposes the doctrine of an eternal generation of the Second Person in the Trinity; but Dr. Wilson has given us in a note, Dr. Hopkins on the other side of the question.

Christ as God-man-mediator, after his appearance in our world, is represented as the Son of God, among other reasons, for these;-because as Mediator his office was designed and decreed of the Father;-because in saving sinners he was elected to act the part of a Son in doing the will of the Father;-because he was supernaturally begotten of the Father in the womb of the virgin;—and because, as a man, Christ had no other father than God; and Jehovah no other Son among men, immediately begotten like Jesus. From Psalm ii. 7, it appears, that Christ was begotten to the office of a Saviour by the decree of God, before the world was. "I will declare the decree," saith the Son, "the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." When the covenant of redemption, therefore, was made in the counsels of the Godhead, then the Son, the second person in the Godhead, already subsisting, was begotten in the official character of a Redeemer. The publication of this decretive generation of a Saviour, Paul quotes, Acts xiii. 32, 33, as a promise, which he says, God hath fulfilled, in that he hath raised up Jesus again. The same passage is quoted by the Apostle in Heb. i. 5, to show that Christ is as far superior to any angel, as the office of a Saviour is superior to that of an angel, or messenger; for saith he, "unto which of the angels said he [God] at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" Surely, "to none of them," is understood; but God said so to Jesus; and therefore it is manifest, that Christ as mediator is "made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they;" to wit, that of "the only begotten Son of God;" which denotes him to be possessed of the most distinguished office, next to that of the Father, in the economy of redemption. Heb. v. 5, proves that we ought to understand Psalm ii. 7, as we do, for "Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest, but he" glorified him, by appointing him to the office of Saviour, "that said unto him Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten

thee: as he saith also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec."

There is no need, then, of supposing that the human soul of Christ was created before his body, in order to make a proper application of the terms, first and only begotten Son of God. Christ Jesus, as our Saviour, before the epistle to the Hebrews was written, had been by the counsels of heaven, appointed heir of all things, had ascended the throne of Zion as her king, had ruled in righteousness, and while a king had humbled himself, so far as to be obedient unto death, for which reason God had anointed him, as Mediator, with the oil of gladness above his fellows. Every thing which the Son of God, having become a Surety and Saviour by his own covenant engagements, received, he merited; and hence the Holy Spirit gave him, in his exhalted and glorified human nature, more abundant glory and felicity, than will fall to the share of any of his brethren, ransomed by his blood.

Proverbs viii. 22, 23, contain a passage which Dr. W. thinks greatly assisted by his scheme of pre-exisience. Wisdom says, the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before his works of old: I was set up from everlasting. The Doctor cannot conceive how Jehovah possessed this Wisdom, and how he was set up from everlasting, unless the human soul of Jesus was created, to be possessed, and set up. In reviewing Dr. Gray's Fiend of the Reformation we have sufficiently explained this passage. The mediatorial person and office, are the work and the possession of the Godhead. Hence Christ is God's property: for he was set up, that is, was anointed a covenant head, by the counsels of Jehovah, from everlasting.

We shall quote several passages, which Dr. Watts cites, and give our view of them, without taking the trouble to show how he misapplied them.

John v. 19. "The Son," acting as a Saviour, the servant of the Godhead, by his own consent, "can do nothing of himself."

Matt. xxiv. 3, and Mark xiii. 32. "But of that day, and that hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Dr. Macknight, and others have proved, that the most correct VOL. I.

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translation of this passage obviates every difficulty. It should be rendered thus: "But that day, and that hour, no one maketh known; no, not the angels which are in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father." The Father reserved the revelation of the end of the world to himself; and if he has subsequently made known when it shall be, it is in the book of Revelation.

Heb. v. 8. "Though he were a Son," while in a state of humiliation on earth, "yet learned he obedience," as a God-man-mediator, "by the things which he suffered," through the instrumentality of his human nature. Although the man Christ Jesus occupied the highest official station in the Universe, next to that of the Father, yet he humbled himself, so far as to increase in knowledge by painful experience.

1 Cor. xv. 24-28. "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up," or publicly presented as com plete, "the Kingdom to God, even the Father;"-" and when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself," in his mediatorial person and office, "be subject unto him, that puts all things under him," as fully and perfectly as he always was in his state of humiliation. The divine nature never was subject to the di vine nature, in any other sense than this, that one person, of a divine nature, covenanted to take human nature into union with himself, and sustain the office of a divine Mediator, between God and man.

John xv. 28. "The Father is greater than I," in the official character which he sustains in the covenant and work of redemption; for it is his province to appoint the Son to the office of Mediator, to give him a people, and to prescribe the terms of ransom; whereas the Son, by office acts as a Son, an Elected person, a Messenger of the covenant, or the Angel-Jehovah.

Gen. i. 26, 28. "Let us make man in our image, af. ter our likeness.-So God created man in his own image;" which image consisted in mental faculties and powers, knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness.

Zech. xiii. 7. "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow [or neighbour, adds Dr. W.] saith the Lord of hosts." Christ was appointed to the office of a Shepherd, and therefore the

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