Queft. 1. How has God the Father glorified Jefus Chrill? Anfw. 1. Declaratively; by his declaring the glory of Jefus Chrift. To glorify, fometimes means, to manifeft or make known the excellency of a perfon. Thus we are faid to glorify God, when we do in word or deed fhew forth the praife and furpaffing worth and excellency of God. Thus alfo God is faid to glorify himself, when he gives a difplay and manifeftation of his own infinite perfections. And in this fenfe, God the Father has glorified Jefus Chrift, by giving an open and evident testimony to the glorious dignity and excellency of Jefus Chrift. And thus God has glorified Jefus Chrift feveral ways. 1. By owning Jefus Chrift for his Son. Our Lord Jefus Chrift is the Son of the living God; the only begot ten Son of God. This filial relation of his to God, is a moft glorious relation. Fob. i. 14. We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. It is the peculiar glory and dignity of Jefus Chrift, to be the eternally and only begotten Son of God. Now, this divine Sonfhip of Jefus Chrift is what God the Father moft evidently and miraculously acknowledged from heaven, once and again. Thus he did at the baptifm of Jefus Chrift. Matth. iii. 17. And lo a voice from beaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleafed. Thus alfo he did at the transfiguration of Jefus Chrift. chap. xvii. 5. And behold a voice out of the cloud, which faid, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am wellpleafed. By this teftimony, God the Father glorified Jefus Chrift, by manifefting to the world what a glorious perfon he was. Thus 'tis faid, 2 Pet. i. 17. For be received from God the Father, honour and glory, when there came to him fuch a voice from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. The world defpifed him as a mean perfon, of poor and low parentage, looking upon him as no more than the fon of a carpenter: but God honoured him with an immediate immediate and audible acknowledgment of him, as his beloved Son, in whom he takes utmost complacency. 2. By his commanding men and angels to worship Jefus Chrift. God the Father will have all men to bonour his Son Fefus Chrift, as they bonour himself. Joh. v. 23. He requires of them, to honour him with religious worfhip. Pfal. xlv. 11. He is thy Lord, and worship thou bim. The whole church of believers are herein called of God the Father, to worship the Lord Jefus Chrift. And the fame injunction he has laid on all the Angels of heaven. Heb. i. 6. When he bringeth in the First-begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the Angels of God worship him. God the Father will have every creature in heaven and earth to bow the knee to Jefus Chrift. Phil. ii. 10. He demands the highest respect and reverence to be shewn unto him. Herein God the Father glorifies Jefus Chrift, by declaring him to be an object worthy of religious worship; and fo, one that is equal to himself in glory and dignity. The command he gives for worshipping Jefus Chrift, is a glorious testimony of Christ's being a divine perfon, poffeffed of all the adorable excellencies of the Godhead. 3. By working miracles for the confirmation of his doctrine concerning himfelf. Our Lord Jefus Chrift in his publick miniftry, declared unto the world many great things concerning himfelf. He teftified to the world, that he was the Son of God, equal with the Father; that he was the Meffiah, promifed from the beginning of the world; that he was a Prophet, fent of God to reveal the mind and will of God to the world; that he was the only Saviour of the world, &c. Thefe things the generality of men believed not. And many accounted him a deceiver and impoftor. However, God the Father ratified the truth of all that he preached, by annexing thereunto the feal of miraculons works. Heb. ii. 3, 4. How shall we efcape, if we neglect Jo great falvation ? which at the first began to be fpoken by the Lord, and 20 is confirmed unto us, by them that heard him: God alfo baring them witness, both with signs and wonders, and Y 4 with with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghoft, according to his own will. By thefe extraordinary works, God gave a fenfible and open teftimony to the truth of that doctrine taught by Jefus Chrift and his apostles.--- And in thus doing God glorified Jefus Chrift, and vindicated his name from all the wicked afperfions caft upon his perfon and doctrine. Thus fays the apoftle Peter, A&t. iii. 12, 13. And when Peter faw, that the people greatly. wondred at the miraculous cure of the lame man, he anfwered unto the people, Ye men of Ifrael, why marvel ye at this? and why look ye fo earnestly at us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk ? The God of Abraham, and of Ifaac, and of Jacob, the God of our Fathers hath glorified his Son Fefus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the prefence of Pilate, when be was determined to let him go. They delivered him to be crucified, denying him to be the Messiah, and disbelieving his doctrine; but God by this miracle wrought on the impotent man, glorified and put honour upon Jefus Chrift; thereby attefting him to be a faithful and true witnefs in all that he preached, and that the apostles who preached in his name were true witneffes. After 4. By fending the boly Spirit in Chrift's name. the afcenfion of our Lord Jefus Chrift into heaven, the holy Ghost was poured out upon the apoftles, in a moft plentiful measure. The holy Spirit conferred upon them moft admirable and extraordinary gifts and powers. Now, the holy Spirit was fent, to communicate those things to them, by God the Father. Joh. xiv. 16, 17. The Father fhall give you another comforter, even the Spirit of truth. And it was in the name of Jefus Chrift, that the Spirit was thus fent of God the Father. Job. xiv.. 26. But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend in my name, he shall teach you all things. To fend the Spirit in Chrift's name, is to fend Him for Chrif's fake, on the account of his merits and inter-ceffion. Now, God the Father's fending the Spirit thus in Christ's name, is a glorifying Chrift. This manifeftly declares J declares the infinite vertue of his facrifice, and the most glorious efficacy of his interceffion in heaven. A&t. ii. 33. Jefus Chrift therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghoft, be bath fhed forth this, which ye now fee and bear. This effufion of the Spirit in fuch a miraculous way, was a demonstration of the glorious prevalency of his interceffion with the Father, by whofe right hand or power he was exalted. The coming of the Spirit from heaven, was a putting honour upon Je fus Chrift who was entred into heaven, to intercede for the miffion of the holy Spirit. % * 5. By giving most wonderful fuccefs to the gospel of Jefus Chrift. Before our Lord left this earth, he gave a commiffion and charge to his apoftles, to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mar. xvi. 15. These orders of his they strictly obferved, going from place to place, from one province to another, and from one nation to another, preaching the gospel of Chrift wherever they went. And their ministry was marvellously fuccefsful. The word of Chrift in their mouths mightily prevailed, to the bringing over multitudes to the chriftian faith. Now, it was God, who crowned their miniftry with fuch fuccefs, and caufed it to be fo effectual. Act. xi. 19, 20, 21. They which were fcattered abroad, upon the perfecution that arofe about Stephen, travelled, preaching the Lord Jefus. And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord. The hand or power of God, gave efficacy to the word preached by them. Herein God greatly glorified Jefus Chrift, in caufing nations to run unto him, upon the call of the gofpel. God manifefted the glory of Chrift to them, as of his only begotten Son, and the Saviour of the world, whereby they were brought to believe on him. 6. By his deftroying the enemies of Jefus Chrift. Our Lord Jefus Chrift had many inveterate and implacable adverfaries in the world, efpecially among the people of the Jews. They were moft obftinate in their oppo fition to Jefus Chrift, endeavouring with utmost rage and malice to prevent the propagation of his golpel among the Gentiles. They perfecuted the apostles, themselves; and followed them from place to place ftirring up the Gentiles also against them, Now, these perverse enemies of our Lord Jefus Chrift were made the remarkable objects of divine vengeance. Our Lord told them, that God would deftroy them, Luk. xx. 16. And he told his difciples, that God would bring fuch great tribulation on that obftinate nation, as was not fince the beginning of the world to that time; no, nor ever fhould be. Matth. xxiv. 21. And accordingly it came to pafs. Fiery indignation from God devoured thofe adverfaries, and wrath came upon them to the uttermoft, and continues upon them to this day. Herein God has glorified the Lord Jefus Chrift, in that he has fo fignally and feverely punished thofe that dishonoured Chrift. This is a providential vindication of the name and glory of Chrift. This is an open teftimony, which divine juftice gives, to the dignity and excellency of the perfon of Jefus Chrift. The majefty of heaven pleads his caufe, in making all his enemies to become his footstool...Thus for the first answer. Anfw. 2. God the Father has glorified Jefus Christ really; by conferring real, pofitive glory upon him. To glorify, fometimes means to make glorious. Thus God is faid to glorify his people, Rom. viii. 30. i. e. to bestow real glory upon them, fuch glory as they had not before. In this refpect alfo, God has glorified Jefus Chrift and that feveral ways. 1. By preparing for him a finlefs bumanity. That human nature which the Son of God affumed into his perfon, was prepared for him by God the Father. Heb. x. 5. A body haft thou prepared me. God miracu loufly formed for him an human body, animated by a rational foul. This human nature, framed for him and affumed by him, was altogether finlefs. perfectly free from all fin, fpotlefly innocent. refpect his human nature was truly glorious. It was In this Perfect moral |