them;' as Acts iv. 24. Lord thou art God which hast made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that in them is ;' that is the world, the making whereof is expressly assigned unto the Son, Heb. i. 10. Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands.' And the apostle Paul to secure our understandings in this matter, instanceth in the most noble parts of the creation, and which if any might seem to be excepted from being made by him, Col. i. 16. For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by him, and for him.' The Socinians say indeed, that he made angels to be thrones and principalities; that is, he gave them their order, but not their being; which is expressly contrary to the words of the text; so that a man knows not well what to say to these persons, who at their pleasure cast off the authority of God in his word: By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth.'

What now can be required to secure our faith in this matter? In what words possible, could a divine revelation of the eternal power and Godhead of the Son of God, be made more plain and clear unto the sons of men? Or how could the truth of any thing more evidently be represented unto their minds? If we understand not the mind of God, and intention of the Holy Ghost in this matter, we may utterly despair ever to come to an acquaintance with any thing that God reveals unto us; or indeed with any thing else that is expressed, or is to be expressed by words. It is directly said that the Word, that is Christ, as is acknowledged by all, was with God,' distinct from him, and was God,' one with him; that he was so 'in the beginning,' before the creation; that he 'made all things,' the world, all things in heaven and in earth; and if he be not God, who is? The sum is, All the ways whereby we may know God, are his name, his properties, and his works. But they are all here ascribed by the Holy Ghost to the Son, to the Word; and he therefore is God, or we know neither who, nor what God is.

But say the Socinians, these things are quite otherwise,

and the words have another sense in them than you imagine. What is it I pray? We bring none to them, we impose no sense upon them; we strain not any word in them, from, besides, or beyond its native, genuine signification, its constant application in the Scripture, and common use amongst What then is this latent sense that is intended, and is discoverable only by themselves? Let us hear them coining and stamping this sense of theirs.

men.

First, They say that by 'in the beginning,' is not meant of the beginning of all things, or the creation of them; but the beginning of the preaching of the gospel. But why so I pray? Wherever these words are else used in the Scripture, they denote the beginning of all things, or eternity absolutely, or an existence preceding their creation. 'In the beginning God created heaven and earth;' Gen. i. 1. 'I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was;' Prov. viii. 23. Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth; Heb. i. 10. And besides, these words are never used absolutely any where for the beginning of the gospel. There is mention made indeed of the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ;' Mark i. 1. which is referred to the preaching of John Baptist. But in the beginning' absolutely, is never so used or applied. And they must meet with men of no small inclination unto them, who will, upon their desire in a matter of so great importance, forego the sense of words, which is natural and proper, fixed by its constant use in the Scripture, when applied in the same kind; for that which is forced, and strained, and not once exemplified in the whole book of God. But the words they say are to be restrained to the subject matter treated of. Well, what is that subject matter? The new creation by the preaching of the gospel. But this is plainly false; nor will the words allow any such sense; nor the context; nor is any thing offered to give evidence unto this corrupt perverting of the words, unless it be a farther perverting of other testimonies, no less clear than this.

For what is according to this interpretation the meaning of those words, 'In the beginning was the Word?' that is, when John Baptist preached, and said, 'This is the Lamb of God,' which was signally the beginning of the gospel, then

he was. That is, he was when he was, no doubt of it. And is not this a notable way of interpreting of Scripture, which these great pretenders to a dictatorship in reason, indeed hucksters in sophistry, do make use of? But to go on with them in this supposition; how was he then with God, 'the Word was with God.' That is, say they, he was then known only to God, before John Baptist preached him in the beginning. But what shall compel us to admit of this uncouth sense and exposition. He was with God,' that is, he was known to God alone. What is there singular herein; concerning how many things may the same be affirmed? Besides, it is absolutely false. He was known to the angel Gabriel who came to his mother with the message of his in carnation; Luke i. 35. He was known to the two angels which appeared to the shepherds upon his birth; Luke ii. To all the heavenly host assembled to give praise and glory to God on the account of his nativity, as those who came to worship him, and to pay him the homage due unto him; Luke ii. 10. 13, 14. He was known to his mother, the blessed Virgin; and to Joseph; and Zachariah; and to Elizabeth; to Simeon and Anna; to John Baptist; and probably to many more to whom Simeon and Anna spake of him; Luke ii. 38. So that the sense pretended to be wrung out and extorted from these words, against their proper meaning and intendment, is indeed false and frivolous, and belongs not at all unto them.

But let this pass. What shall we say to the next words, 'And the Word was God.' Give us leave without disturbance from you, but to believe this expression which compriseth a revelation of God, proposed to us on purpose that we should believe it, and there will be, as was said, an end of this difference and debate. Yea, but say they, these words have another sense also. Strange! they seem to be so plain and positive, that it is impossible any other sense should be fixed on them, but only this, that the Word was in the beginning, and was God, and therefore is so still, unless he who is once God can cease so to be. But the meaning is; that afterward God exalted him and made him God, as to rule, authority, and power. This making of him God, is an expression very offensive to the ears of all sober Christians, and was therefore before exploded. And these things here, as

all other figments, hang together like a rope of sand. In the beginning of the gospel he was God, before any knew him but only God. That is, after he had preached the gospel, and died, and rose again, and was exalted at the right hand of God, he was made God, and that not properly, which is absolutely impossible, but in an improper sense. How prove they then this perverse nonsense to be the sense of these plain words? They say it must needs be so. Let them believe them who are willing to perish with them.

Thus far then we have their sense; In the beginning,' that is, about sixteen or seventeen hundred years ago; 'the Word,' that is, the human nature of Christ before it was made flesh, which it was in its being; was with God;' that is, known to God alone; and 'in the beginning, that is afterward, not in the beginning, was made God; which is the sum of their exposition of this place.

But what shall we say, to what is affirmed concerning his making of all things, so as that without him, that is, without his making of it, nothing was made that was made; especially seeing that these 'all things' are expressly said to be the world, ver. 10. And all things therein contained, even in heaven and earth; Col. i. 16. An ordinary man would think that they should now be taken hold of, and that there is no way of escape left unto them. But they have it in a readiness. By the 'all things' here are intended all things of the gospel, the preaching of it, the sending of the apostles to preach it, and to declare the will of God; and by the 'world,' is intended the world to come, or the new state of things under the gospel. This is the substance of what is pleaded by the greatest masters amongst them in this matter, and they are not ashamed thus to plead.

And the reader in this instance may easily discern what a desperate cause they are engaged in, and how bold and desperate they are in the management of it.

For,

First, The words are a plain illustration of the divine nature of the Word, by his divine power and works, as the very series of them declares. He was God, and he made all things; for he that made all things is God; Heb. iii. 4.

Secondly, There is no one word spoken concerning the gospel, nor the preaching of it, nor any effects of that preach

ing, which the apostle expressly insists upon and declares afterward, ver. 14. and so onwards.

Thirdly, The making of all things here ascribed unto the Word, was done in the beginning. But that making of all things which they intend, in erecting the church by the preaching of the word, was not done in the beginning, but afterward; most of it as themselves confess, after the ascension of Christ into heaven.

Fourthly, In this gloss, what is the meaning of 'all things?' Only some things, say the Socinians. What is the meaning of 'were made?' that is, were mended? By him,' that is, the apostles principally preaching the gospel; and this in the beginning; after it was past; for so they say expressly that the principal things here intended, were effected by the apostles afterward.

I think since the beginning, place it when you will, the beginning of the world, or the beginning of the gospel, there' was never such an exposition of the words of God or man contended for.

Fifthly, It is said he made the world,' and he came into it; namely, the world which he made; 'and the world,' or the inhabitants of it, knew him not.' But the world they intend did know him; or the church knew him, and acknowledged him to be the Son of God. For that was the foundation that it was built upon.

I have instanced directly in this only testimony to give the reader a pledge of the full confirmation which may be given unto this great fundamental truth, by a due improvement of those other testimonies, or distinct revelations which speak no less expressly to the same purpose. And of them there is not any one, but we are ready to vindicate it, if called thereunto, from the exceptions of these men; which how bold and sophistical they are, we may in these now considered, also learn and know.

It appeareth then that there is a full sufficient revelation made in the Scripture of the eternal Deity of the Son of God; and that he is so, as is the Father also. More particular testimonies I shall not at present insist upon, referring the full discussion and vindication of these truths, to another season.