that is in the person of our Christ, not only in his human nature, a carpenter's son, a crucified man, a Christ in flesh, but that when besides for his divine nature, they think they have heard and known already well enough what God's nature is, by what is said of him in the Old Testament, and so in the Father, and to know but the same over again in Christ; this is no great addition to their knowledge. And that no other thing can be affirmed of him but that he is God, and that to think that he should have but the same simple uncompounded nature that God hath, and not be distinct from God therein. They think they are but as wise as they were in this, and so are apt to listen after such representations of a Christ, as shew him to be some divine Spirit that comes out of God, differing from God, which they fancy will afford matter of some new and manifold wisdom, besides that knowledge they have of God by other means. And thus the simplicity of his person (as they esteem this) is apt to cause them to listen after some other story of him. Whereas the glories and wisdom which ariseth from that union of God and man in one person is such, as transcends all other imaginations, though never so raised, which either angels, men, or devils have or could for ever invent concerning him. And the deceits and trains that Satan lays herein, he compares to those wherewith the serpent deceived Eve, Lest, as the serpent beguiled Eve,' &c. He put it into their heads that there was a higher knowledge they might attain than in that keeping to God's law, they had already, or could attain thereby and further, that themselves should be gods; so seducing them from God. And thus here there is not only a promise of a higher and more spiritual knowledge than that simple story of Christ God-man affords; but that themselves should be Christs. And they frame such a story of Christ as should serve to persuade this, and their capacity of this advance. For a Christ in flesh, which this man Jesus is, say they, you shall have a Christ in spirit. For a Christ without you, that is, God substantially, you shall have, every one of you, a Christ within you; yea, and if need be, they will not stick to affirm, yourselves shall be God substantially; and not be united only to God and Christ, but so united, as to exist in the form of God, and to be one and the same with God. Such or the like workings of this mystery of iniquity, deforming and perverting of the true Christ into another, you find in Paul's time amongst the Corinthians, or of which from false teachers then gone abroad, they were in danger of. 6 6 Something answerable, or like to this, the Church at Colossus also were in danger of. Those philosophical teachers which, chap. ii. 8, he gives them warning of, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.' Their doctrines perverted not only the purity of the worship of the gospel, but were intended to the misrepresenting the person of Christ, as appears by many characters; both, 1. In that in the very next words, For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.' He gives them a perfect definition or description of the person of Christ, as in himself considered, and in his fulness to us, ver. 10, And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.' And this in a direct opposition (as the coherence shews) unto their philosophical Christ, which they for wisdom and excellency would needs compare with the apostle's Christ. And, 2. In opposition to their counterfeit Christ, it is, that he also sets out his Christ in all the personal excellencies and fulness, the like nowhere in all his epistles, chap. i. ver. 15-18. And then also of his gos 6 pel, which is the revelation of him, ver. 23, 26, 27 to the end; and as it is the mystery of God the Father, and of Christ, chap. ii. 2, 'In whom are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' Exhorting, that as they had received Christ, so they would walk in him, ver. 6, as in matter of order, so for faith; for unto both those that exhortation is directed, as appears by the coherence with ver. 5, but especially in their faith about the person of Christ, with which he therefore begins, ver. 7, Stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving,' being thankful to God he had revealed such a Christ, his Christ to them; for they could not have a better or another. And then follow those words, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy, after the tradition of men, rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.' Some of the teachers of those times, finding in philosophers (then in credit) in Plato, Orpheus, Hesiod, Pythagoras, and in the Jewish traditions, many divine things about λóyos, the Word, and of emanations, and genealogies, and descents from God, as Irenæus shews, of him from God, and of the creatures from him, they dressed up a Christ and a divinity with those philosophical clothes, and colours, and paint, which, the apostle says, was not after Christ,' as you say a false picture of a man is not after the man, being not taken from him, nor resembling his person, but another clean. They were descriptions of him, not taken from the life or truth that was in him. Whom, therefore, Paul sets out in the substance of him, ' In him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,' or (you shall give me leave to translate it) 'personally.' And so it was another Christ. And therefore, chap, iii. ver. 19, these are said not to hold the head, that is, him, ver. 10, he had styled 'the head of all principalities and powers;' and, chap. i. 18, the head of the body of his church,' they having clean perverted him to another Christ. And as it was then, so it is now. Men have gone about to bring Paul's, the ScriptureChrist, to Plato's; and as such would obtrude him on the saints. 6 Thus it was in Paul's time; but John lived longer, after all the apostles, and saw these seeds and buddings then sown come to a greater ripeness, and open and more gross discovery, from blade to ear; and writing that first epistle to the Christian Jews in a more special manner, he seeing what Christ had foretold should fall out about the time of Jerusalem's destruction, both afore and after it, to be fulfilled, doth therefore, chap. ii. ver. 18, give this warning: My brethren, it is the last hour' (because the last period of time afore that fatal overthrow of that nation), 'for even now there are many antichrists' (as our Lord had foretold), whereby we know that it is the last hour,' we seeing it thus fulfilled. And, ver. 22, 'Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is, o Xgorós,' the Christ, the sole and only Christ? And he is an antichrist that denies the Father and the Son, the distinction of these two, and the personalities. 'And whosoever 6 denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.' And, 1 John iv. 1, Many false prophets are gone out into the world.' And what was the great false point of odds which they endeavoured to sow and diffuse? ver. 3, They confessed not that Jesus Christ was come in the flesh,' and that Christ was God; and therefore the catholic faith of all true believers, in opposition to those errors about his person, he gives us; chap v, 20, And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.' They had other doctrines about their Christs whom they held forth, which were a full denial of all this. You have the like in his second epistle, ver. 7, 9. 6 And to obviate those errors about the person of Christ was it that he wrote those epistles, and his gospel of John, after all the other evangelists and epistles written, exhorting them to hold fast to that Christ whom they had heard and known from the beginning, as himself and the holy apostles had set him forth, chap. i. ver. 1-3, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.' And ver. 24 of chap. ii., Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall also continue in the Son, and in the Father.' The like Epistle ii. ver. 9, declaring those that fell into such errors, and continued in them, to be such apostates as never had truth of grace: chap. ii. ver. 19, They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us;' and hints how some of them so sinned therein, as that withal they sinned the sin unto death, never to be recovered, chap v. ver. 16, 17 (though not all; those words ver. 16 do imply), ' If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." And of all he judgeth them such, as, without repentance, the saints should have no communion with, Epist. ii. ver. 9, 10, 11, Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed: for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evil deeds.' Of this consequence is true faith in this doctrine. Now, as it was then, so it is now; those times, and the occurrences which then fell out (foretold by Christ) among Jews and Christians afore Jerusalem's destruction, being types of what should now fall out in the last days afore the end of the world; and we have yet but the buddings of what perhaps will grow up to greater ripeness and spreadings, as then they also did. Multitudes of those that are orthodox in their opinions, or speculative judgments about the person of Christ, yet perish, because they know not, apprehend not, this true Christ, as he is in himself really and spiritually. They know not the truth as it is in Jesus,' as Eph. iv. 20, 21, the apostle speaks. And this hath and doth fall out amongst all that live in the church. But others begin to err about the very notion of his person, coining other Christs, by diminishing from or adding unto the person of him, as they would represent him to us. And this is as easy as it is dangerous, even as it was an easy thing to make another gospel, and to entertain it, as in the Galatians' example appears, Gal. i. 6, 'I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel.' And in that forementioned 2 Cor. xi. 15, the apostle speaks the like of preaching another Christ, considering men's aptness to err herein; it is no great thing (says he), though great in respect of the moment of it, yet easy and soon done. And that is the apostle's scope in that speech. And again, as some churches then embraced another gospel (as the Galatians), so upon other churches the devil endeavoured to obtrude another Christ. And he is soon (in the doctrine about him) made another Christ, either by taking away from him, or adding to him. 1. By taking away from him, as if you take away his Godhead, this alters the person quite, as taking away the reasonable soul from the body of a man, takes instantly away the man, and leaves a brute beast in his room. It turns him into the carcass of a Christ; let him be set forth in words never so gorgeously or gloriously, the substance of his person is stolen away. Or else, 2. By adding to him; for if the joining works to Christ's righteousness, in matter of justification, made another gospel, as the epistle to the Galatians shews, then surely adding the persons of all the saints to the individual one Lord, one husband, Christ, and that they all should be Christ as well as he, equal with him, their union with God the same that he is, this is to un-Christ him. BOOK III. Of the glories and royalties that belong unto Jesus Christ, considered as Godman in one person (besides what accrued to him from his performance of the work of our redemption), and which were appointed for him, by his Father, from all eternity.-The apparent manifestation of the divine attributes in the person of Jesus Christ God-man.-The designation of him in God's first decrees, as the end for whom all the creatures were made. The part that he bore as God-man in the creation, as by him all things were created.—The appointment of him by God to be one Lord over all, under him one God; and to be in a more special respect the head of the elect, on whom they were to hold the tenure of all the blessings bestowed on them above the dues of creation. One Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.- CHAPTER I. A preface giving a short scheme or draft of the ensuing discourse. — An exposition of Col. i., from verses 15 to 19; all that is spoken there of Christ must be ascribed to him as God-man. We have had the person of our Lord set out unto us, what and who he is. This text, in more general words, leads us next unto the consideration of the glory and royalties of this great person, who, as God-man in one person, is sovereign Lord over all; and also, who hath 1. An universal influence and efficacy into all things: Through whom are all things.' 2. Specially into the salvation of the elect: And we by him.' Neither doth the text attribute these to him, as he is singly that second person, the Son of God; but as he is constituted Lord by his Father. And therefore necessarily as considered the Son of God, personally united to that man Jesus, as hath been set out. And of him thus considered, I desire, may be understood all that follows, as that which is the proper subject thereof. It hath been no small diminution of Jesus Christ (as he is God-man), that men's minds having been intent upon him as a redeemer from sin and wrath (they being sinners, the consideration and burden of that hath lain nearest them, and pressed upon their spirits), and that having once given them ease, they have in a manner only given him the glory thereof; whereas there is in other respects as great a revenue of glory from many other contributions due to him, even from whatever God himself can be supposed to challenge glory from. The subject of these following sections is, the glory of his person, and |