And to make him a King: Pfal. 2.6,7. Ask "" of me, and I will give thee the Hea"then for thine Inheritance. Further the "Father promifeth to ftand by him, affift him, "and ftrengthen him for his Work: Ifa. 4.2. ·5, 6, 7. I will hold thy Hand, that is, I « will underprop and fupport thy Humanity when it is ready to fink under the Burden. "He profeffeth to

«cefs, to accept him in his Work, and to

cefs, to acce Crown his Work with Suc

ર

"

reward him for it with great Exaltation: "Pfal. 2.7. I will declare the Decree, the "Lord hath faid unto me, Thou art my Son, "this Day have I begotten thee. Tis fpoken "of the Day of his Refurrection when he had & just finished his Suffering, and fo the Apostle expounds and a applies it, Acts 13 and in Heb. 12. 2. This was the Joy that was fet before him, which encouraged him to "endure the Cross and defpife the Shame.” "In like manner Jefus Chrift reftipulates Walike! and gives his Engagement to the Father, "that upon these Terms he is content to be made Flefh, to diveft fimfelf as it were of "his Glory, to come under the Obedience "and Malediction of the Law, and not to "refufe any the hardeft Sufferings it fhould

please the Father to inflict on him. Pfal. 40. "6, 7. Then faid I, Lo, Icome, I delight to "do thy Will, O God."

5:

Thele Articles were by both Parties performed precifely and punctually."..

46.

6. This Compact between the Father and "the Son bears date from Eternity, before "this World was made: while as yet we had "no Existence, but only in the infinite Mind "and Purpose of God. 2 Tim. 1. 9. The Grace "which was given us in Chrift before the "World began was this Grace of Redemption, "which from Everlasting was thus contrived "and defigned for us. Then was the Coun "cil or Confultation of Peace between them "both, as fome take that Scripture, Zech.6. 13.

8

"P. 28. God the Father and God the Son "do mutually rely and truft to one another

in the Bufinefsi of our Redemption. The "Father relies upon the Son for the Perform"ance of his Part. The Father fo far trusted

ແ

Christ, that upon the Credit ofhis Promise to "come into the World and in the Fulness of "Time to become a Sacrifice for the Elect, He "faved all the Old Teftament Saints. And fo "doth Chrift in like manner depend upon and "truft his Father for the Accomplishment of "all this Promife, that he fhall fee his Seed; " and that all the Elect that are yet behind, yet << unregenerated, as well as thofe already callcd, fhall be preferved to the heavenly "Kingdom."

P. 29. This excellent Author, represents this Tranfaction between the Father and the Son before the World was in a way of Dialogue: He fuppofes the Father to fay, "My

66

Son, here be a Company of poor miserable

"Souls

"Souls that have utterly undone themselves,

and now lic open to my Juftice; Juftice "demands Satisfaction for them, or will fa"tisfy itself in the eternal Ruin of them. "What fhall be done for thefe Souls? And "thus Chrift replies: O my Father! Such "is my Love to, and Pity for them, that rather than they fhall perifh eternally, I will "be refponfible for them as their Surety; “I will rather choose to fuffer thy Wrath "than they should fuffer it, charge their Debt "all upon me, I am able to discharge it: And tho' it impoverish all my Riches, and empty all my Treasures, (for fo it did indeed, 2.Cor. 8. 9. Tho' he were rich, yet for our fakes he became poor) I am content to

"undertake it:

1

Here again defire my Reader to observe, Leite not the Words of that great and excellent Man to refute them, for I greatly approve of almost every Expreffion; much lefs would I expose that venerable Author, whofe Memory and Writings I fincerely reverence and honour: but my defign is to fhew what is the ufual Language of our beft Divines on this Subject, for I might cite Paffages of the like nature out of a Multitude of excellent Writers: This is only a Specimen of one for the reft.

Now in reading over fuch Accounts of Stipulations and Contract between the Father and the Son before the Foundation of the World, what proper Conceptions can we

frame

frame, or what clear Ideas can we poffibly have, while we fuppofe nothing but Chrift's divine Nature tranfacting this Affair with the Father; and while at the fame time we believe the divine Effence, Perfections and Powers, the Understanding, Will, Thought and Consciousness of the Father and of the Son to be numerically one and the fame, fince in the Godhead or divine Nature, they are but one and the fame infinite Spirit? The mere Perfonalities, (viz.) Paternity and Filiation, cannot confult and tranfact thefe Affairs in a Way of Contract, Propofal and Confent: It is nothing but two diftinct Confcioufneffes and two diftinct Wills can enter into fuch a Covenant; but in the common Explication of the Trinity, the diftin&t Perfonalities of the Father and the Son do not make any real diftin&t Conscioufneffes or diftinct Wills in the one infinite Spirit.

And let it be further noted alfo, that according to feveral of the Articles of this Covenant, one of thefe Beings or Perfons covevenanting, seems to be inferior to the other, and to be capable of receiving Orders, Commiffion, Support and Recompenfe from the other: But if only the Deity of Chrift exifted at that Time, and the Deity of Chrift and of the Father have but one and the fame numerical Confcioufnefs and Volition, one and the fame numerical Power and Glory, what need of Orders and Commiffions, what need

of

of Promises of Support and Recompence? How can the pure Godhead of Chrift be fupported, or be recompenfed by the Father, who has eternally the fame numerical Glory and Power?

In fhort, all these facred and pathetic Reprefentations of Stipulation and Articles in the common Scheme, can amount to no more in our clear Ideas, and in a proper Conception of things, than the fimple Decree or Volition of the one eternal, infinite Spirit.

I grant we may fuppofe the great God in a figurative manner of Speech confulting thus with his own Wisdom, with the divine Pow ers or Principles of Agency in his own Nature, as a Man may be figuratively faid to confult with his own Understanding, or Reason, or Confcience: But in literal and proper Language, it seems to be nothing else but an abfolute Decree of the Great God, that the Man Chrift Jefus, when formed and united to Godhead, fhould undertake and fulfil this Work four thousand Years after this World was made. And thus, according to the common 'Hypothefis, that very intelligent Being which was to come into Flesh, and to sustain all the real Sufferings, gave no fuch early antecedent Confent to this Covenant. 'Twas only the Godhead of Chrift, which is impaffible and could really fuffer nothing, did decree that the human Nature fhould exift hereafter, that it should be united to the Godhead, and should sustain Agonies and Death for the Sins of Men.

I