So that he concludes, that there is no doubt but they intended created; and he farther fays, if it were granted that the Word might be created, he thinks we fhould grant no more than might conveniently enough be interpreted according unto St. Paul's Expreffion in Coloff. 1. 15. and I believe fo; for, How can he be the Firftborn of every Creature, if he was not a Creature the first created of any? Or how could he be faid properly to be the (o) beginning of the creation of God, if he were not the firft created of the Creation? For, as God, he was the Beginner of the Creation, therefore it must be as Man that he was the Beginning; but if he be not the first Creature he cannot be the Alpha of all Creatures, or firft Letter in the Book of Creatures, which he most certainly is, or in all Things he has not the (p) Pre-eminence; fo that the me (q) poffeffed is the me created in the Beginning of God's Ways, before his Works of old, and fo confiftently is the I fet up. For it is very inconfiftent to affert that God is fet up, but very proper of the Man, a Creature; and I believe the firit Sence of fetting up, is the uniting of it, the Man, unto the Son of God, or the Hypoftatical Union.

2dly, SET UP, fignifies advanced to Honour and Dignity above others, thus this I, the Man, was fet up. For God cannot in any Sence be fet up above what HE is. I conclude then it was this Man, that was the Head fet up over all

(9) Rev. 3. 14. ( p ) Col. 1. 18. (q) Prov. 8. 22, 23. created

created Beings, and fo Head over Angels. This Man to be Head over them, this they could not like, or fubmit unto, but like thofe Men in the Wilderness, rife up before him, and againft him; and I think from the Confequence of their Sin, and their being coupled together, we may conclude, that they faid to this Man fet up over them, as thofe Men did to Mofes and Aaron, whom the Lord had fet up over Ifrael.

Ye take too much upon you, &c. So might Angels fay, What thou, a Man, Head over us! Why we are as holy as thou, as good as thou, as great as thou, yea, more Noble Creatures than thou art, thou takeft too much upon thee; Wherefore doft thou lift up thy felf above all? This is held forth in their not fubmitting unto him as fet up over them, fo by Pride and Rebellion kept not their (s) firft Eftate of Purity, Order, and Subjection, but left their own Habitation of Light and Glory, and true Happiness, and then like thofe Men, they fet up one of their own Nature, one of themfelves, to be their Prince, Chief, or Head over them, even (t) Beelzebub: Thus refufing Subjection unto the Man in God, fet up by God as Head over them, which was a denying of the only Lord God, and of one Lord Jefus Chrift, and a defpifing of his Dominion, and a fpeaking evil of his Dignities that appertained unto him, either as God or Man. For tho' it was the Man that was fet up, yet that Man was

() John 8. 44. (t) Matt. 9. 34. 12. 24. Luke 11. 15.

in

in Union with the Son of GOD. But I muft forbear fpeaking any farther of this Matter at this Time, and pass by what might be faid of the Sin; or Sins, of Sodom and Gomorrah; and fhew a little farther the Sin, or Sins, of thefe ungodly Men, these filthy Dreamers. Their Likeness as Ungodly, I have fpoken to from the 4th Verfe, fo that I fhall only speak a little to their filthy Dream, here at the 8th Verse, said to be a despifing of Dominion, and a speaking evil of Dignities: This may be understood of Civil Magifrates, or of Jefus Chrift, and I believe of him chiefly, for he is (~) KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS, for this He is the Word, and his Name is called the (w) Word of God, or Son of God, or Second Perfon of the Three-ON 1, as the Word Name does import, as I have fhewed before.

THEN thefe ungodly Men_that deny Jefus Chrift is GoD equal with the Father, in all the glorious Properties of his Nature, and fo dream of him as a Creature only, and that's a filthy Dream, and fo dream he has no Dominion but what is given him, and that's a filthy Dream; for as Creator he has a (x) Right of Dominion over his own Works, as is very plainly expreft in hofe Texts.

THAT fefus Chrift is GOD, Creator of all Things too, is as plainly and as fully fet forth in

(u) Rev. 19. 16. (w) Rev. 19. 13. ( x ) Matt. 20. 15. Rom. 9. 20, 21. Ifai. 45.9. Fer. 18. 9. E

the

the Scriptures, as may be feen in thefe (y) Texts. And he is God over all bleffed for ever. Rom 9. 5. All Things are created by him, as GOD, for him, as Mediator, they for him (≈) to dispose of as he, Go-Man pleafeth; and therefore to deny him fuch Dominion is the higheft defpifing of the highest Dominion that is or can be. And to conceit that Jefus Chrift has no Dignities, or Titles of Honour and Glory belonging to his Perfon, but what is conferr'd on him, is to dream a filthy Dream, as will appear if thefe (a) Scriptures be but duly confidered.

HERE is two forts of Titles (Secret, or Wonderful) proper unto his two Natures, GOD and Man, which makes him here to be called Wonderful Counfeller, Mighty God, thefe are Titles which belong to him as GoD, the other as Man; but I recommend to your Confideration only thof as belong to him as Go D, for it is thofe that thefe filthy Dreamers speak evil of, he is said to be Glorious in Holiness, or Holiness in the higheft Perfection belongs unto him: Therefore this Title or Dignity is equally afcrib'd to each of the moft Glorious Three-ONE, and to Jefus Chrift in particular. Now to speak flightly or contemptuously of them, as belonging to him, is to fpeak evil of his Dignities, and to deny them as

(y) Job. I. 1, 2, 3. 15, 16. (a) Ifai. 9. 6. Prov. 8. 14. Fer. 32. 19. Rev. 1. 8. 15. 3. Exo. 7. 150 4.

Col. 1. 16. Heb. 1. 2, 3.
Judg. 13. 18.
Epef. 1. 11.
15. 11. Ifai. 6.3.

(2) Prov. 8,

Fob 12. 13.
Gen. 17. I.

Rev. 4.

8.

Rev. 3,

his, is to rife up before him and to rebel against him; and to give them unto a meer Creature, is to do as thofe in the Wilderness, in faying, Let us make us a Captain: And as the Angels in fetting up Beelzebub. Yet all this thofe Ungodly Men, thofe Filthy Dreamers have done and do; yea, tell their Dream for an infallible Oracle, and wonder every one does not believe their filthy Dream, fo that the Apoftle might very well liken he one with the other, by faying, likewise these ilthy Dreamers: He having thus fet them forth n their proper Drefs, both in their abufing of the Grace of GoD by turning it into Lafcivioufress, nd their abominable Errors in the Doctrine of he Son of God, and in defpifing of his Domiion, and in fpeaking evil of his Dignities, he In the 11th Verfe fays, Wo unto them, for they ave gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily fter the error of (b) Balaam, &c. and John tells hem of whom Cain was (even (c) of the Devil) nd what was his way, even Murder, and why e did it.

THEY are farther defcrib'd in the 12th and 3th Verfes by feveral metaphorical Expreffions, Spots, that is, Stains to the Name of Chriftinity, clouds without water carried about of inds, that is, Perfons that feem to themfelves

their Dream to have abundance of weighty fatter, yea, when they tell their Dream un> fome, it seems to be wonderful Matter; but,

(b) 2 Pet. 2. 15. Rev. 2. 14. (c) 1 Fob. 3. 8, 12. Job. S. 44.