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Authority, and being made the great Governor of all created Beings.

From this Afcenfion therefore we muft date his Exaltation; the Space between his Refurrection and Ascension being, tho' not a State of Suffering, yet nothing more than an Introduction to immenfe Glory, and a gradual Difcovery of that excellent Brightness, which would foon break forth in its full Luftre. And accordingly in this intermediat Space, be fpake of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, Acts 1. 3. And beginning at Mofes and all the Prophets, be expounded unto them in all the fcriptures, the things concern ing bimfelf, Luke 24. 27. Then opened be their underStanding, that they might understand the fcriptures; and faid unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remiffion of fins fhould be preached în bis name, among all nations, beginning at Jerufalem, V. 45, 46, 47. Then did he, I prefume, revele to them his Divine Nature, and the Excellency of his Perfon; infomuch that when St. Thomas was affured it was the bleffed Jefus himself, he gave intire Credit to all that the Brethren had reported concerning him, and without any Hefitation cryed out, My Lord and my God, John 20. 28. as he might justly do, when he knew that the WORD was in him, of which St. John affirms (I do not as yet inquire in what Senfe) that it was God, John 1. 1.

CHAP.

CHA P. X.

Of our Savior's not knowing the Day of Judgment.

HA

AVING thus prepared the Way, by the Proof of the two foregoing Propofitions, let us now examin the fecond of thofe Texts, which are fuppofed to teach, that the WORD or Divine Nature of our Lord Jefus Chrift, is inferior to the Very God. Our Lord fays, But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in beaven, neither the Son, but the Father, Mark 13. 32. From hence it has been inferred, that fince the Father, viz. the Very God, does know the Day of Judgment, and the Son does not know it; therefore our Lord Jefus Chrift, who is the Son, and confequently the WORD or Divine Nature of our Lord Jefus Chrift, is inferior to the Very God.

For the clearing of this Difficulty, I offer the following Particulars.

1. Mere Man can't by the Light of Reason know the Day of Judgment. And confequently the Man Christ Jefus, had he been neither united to the WORD, nor illuminated by the Holy Spirit, muft neceffarily have been ignorant of it.

2. Tho' an inspired Man may know the Day of Judgment, if God reveles it to him: yet plain Fact proves, that 'tis very poffible for an infpired Man to be ignorant of it. For no infpired Perfon ever yet knew it. Nay, tho' our Lord Jefus Chrift, who is the Son of God, received the Holy Spirit without measure; yet he himself affures us, that he did not know it. That Expreffion therefore does by no means imply, that the Man Chrift Jefus became

L 4

ftrictly

ftrictly Omniscient by the Revelation of the Spirit: but only imports, that the Spirit was given to him in a moft plentiful manner; that is, in a manner fo plentiful, that never did any other Mortal enjoy the like; tho' not fo abfolutly plentiful, but that God himself might have communicated fomething more to him, had it pleafed him fo to do. For the Father, viz. the Very God, who knew it himself, was certainly able, had he judged it fitting, to dif cover the Day of Judgment to the Man Chrift Jefus.

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3. Confidering the Circumftances of the Man Chrift Jefus during his Miniftry, there was certainly no Neceffity of his knowing the Day of Judgment, in order to any of thofe things which it behoved him to do or finifh during that Space. Nay, had there been any fuch Neceffity, doubtlefs God would have reveled it to him by the Spirit. And confequently, the Man Chrift Jefus could not poffibly have been ignorant of it, even tho' it might be fuppofed, that the WORD does not effentially and neceffarily know it.

4. Since the WORD, during our Savior's Miniftry, was either totally (which is by much the moft probable) or at leaft partially quiefcent; the Man Chrift Jefus might not know the Day of Judgment, even tho the WORD himfelf did know it. Wherefore,

5. It does not follow, that the WORD did not know the Day of Judgment, because the Son, viz. the Man Chrift Jefus, in whom the WORD was (fometimes at leaft) quiefcent, did not know it. And therefore,

WORDS

6. Since this Text does not teach, that the not know the Day of Judgment; 'tis plain, that this Text does not teach, that the WORD

WORD is inferior to the Very God, even the Father, of whom it affirms, that he doth know that Day.

But 'twill be objected, that Chrift is the Son of God, with refpect to his Divine, as well as his Human Nature; and therefore fince our Savior himself fays, that the Son did not know the Day of Judgment, it follows, that neither the Divine, nor the Human Nature of the Son knew it. For otherwife Chrift muft have practis'd fuch an Equivocation, as was utterly unworthy of his holy Character. But I anfwer, that how certainly foever Chrift may be the Son of God with refpect to his Divine, as well as with refpect to his Human Nature; yet he did notwithstanding mean nothing elfe but his Human Nature, when he declared, that the Son knew not the Day of Judgment; and that in fo doing he used the utmoft Sincerity and Plainefs of Speech, and was confequently by no Means chargeable with the loweft Degree of Equivocation upon that Account.

To ftate this Matter truly, we muft obferve, that his Difciples inquired of him, when thofe Things which he had spoken, fhould come to pass; and what he fays in this controverted Text, is part of the Anfwer he return'd to their Inquiry. Now 'twas his Human Nature alone that fpake at that time, upon Suppofition that the WORD was quiefcent. And the Difciples did not then fufpect, that the WORD was united to the Man Chrift Jefus, or that he had any other than a merely Human Nature. Therefore, fince our Savior and his Difciples did by the Son jointly understand the Human Nature only; well might our Savior affirm, that the Son knew not the Day of Judgment. For

he

he ufed that Phrafe in the fame Sense, in which he was fure the Difciples would understand it.

'Twas not at that time our Savior's Dury or Intention to inform his Difciples, in how many different Senfes he might be called the Son of God; or to make known to them the hypoftatical Union of the WORD and the Man Chrift Jefus, which Myftery they were as yet perfectly unacquainted with but he refolved to return a proper and intelligible Anfwer to their Queftion. And accordingly he did not inform them, that the Son, when that Phrafe is ufed in fuch a Senfe as he had never once hitherto ufed it in; and confequently in fuch a Senfe as his Difciples had never heard of, and were abfolutly Strangers to, and would moft certainly not understand him in; I fay, our Savior did not inform them, that the Son in such a secret Senfe, or that the Son in any poffible Senfe, knew not the Day of Judgment: but he plainly and roundly inform'd them, that the Son, in that Sense, which he therefore meant, because they would infallibly fo understand him, that is, the Man Christ Jefus, knew it not.

Before I leave this Head, I fhall touch upon one thing, which fome Perfons have efteem'd a confiderable Difficulty. Our Savior's Words run thus, Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father, Mark 13.32. So that the Son is placed after the Angels; and must therefore, in Conformity to our Savior's Climax, be fuppofed at that time fuperior to them. Whereas the Son, fay they, was not at that time fuperior to the Angels otherwise than with refpect to his Divine Nature. And confequently our Savior muft mean, that the Divine Nature of the Son knew the Day of Judgment, no

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