It includes fome fpecial and glorious Relation to God; but whether that Relation belongs to his Flefh, or his human Soul, or his Divine Nature, or to all thefe, is not fo directly determined in thofe Texts, because the chief Defign of them is but to point out the Perfon and Character of the Meffiah.

Now let us confider the Reasons to prove this to be the true Sense of the Name.

That the Name Son of God doth originally respect the Glory and Excellency of his Perfon, and his near Relation and Refemblance to God, appears from the use of the word Son and Son of God in other Places of Scripture.

Son or Daughter or Child in the Hebrew Tongue implies eminently two things. (1.) It notes fome Derivation of one thing from another. Men are frequently called Sons of Men. Ifraelites are called the Sons or Children of Ifrael. So Sparks are called the Sons of the burning Coal, Job 5. 7. to fignify the Derivation of one from the other.

(2.) It is alfo an Idiom of the Hebrew Language, and a peculiar way of fpeaking much in ufe among the Jews, to call one Perfon the Son of any other Thing or Perfon whofe Quality and Likenefs he bears. So wicked Men are called the Sons of Belial, or Wickedness, 2 Sam. 23. 6. So young Men that were inAtructed and prepared for the Gift of Prophecy

C

are

are called the Sons of the Prophets, 2 Kings 2. 3, 5, 7. Proud Men are named the Children

of Pride, Job 41. 34. Child of the Devil, fignifies a very wicked Man, one a-kin to the Devil in Malice and Subtilty, &c. Acts 13. 10. So the word Sons of God fignifies Perfons who in a peculiar Manner were derived from God, and had fome Refemblance of him.

Adam was called the Son of God, Luke 3. ult. because he was formed in the Image of God, and in an immediate manner derived his Being from God without human Gene

ration.

Angels are called Sons of God, Job 1. 6. & 2. 1. & 38. 7. because they are glorious and excellent Beings, with fpiritual Powers and Perfections, in fome measure like to God, and were the chief Rank of his Creatures, and not derived from each other by fucceffive Generations, but all created immediately by God himself.

Saints are called Sons of God in John 1. 12. and many other Places, both because they are like God, or created a new after his Image in Knowledge, Righteousness and Holiness, Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 24. and because they are faid to be new created, or begotten and born of God, John I. 13. & 1 John 5. 1.

Magiftrates are called Gods, and Sons of the most High, Pfal. 82. 6. partly to denote that they are raised by God to that Dignity; (fo David in the Letter and Type was the

Son

Son of God, Pfal. 2. 7. and was made God s first born, Pfal. 89. 26, 27.

as a Type of Chrift) and partly alfo to denote that in their Authority and Majefty they refemble God the fupreme Magiftrate and Ruler.

The Son of God who was with the three Children in the fiery Furnace, Dan. 3. 25. is fo called, to fignify a glorious and excellent Being, that had fomething Divine or God-like in him; for this is the Expreffion of Nebuchadnezzar, who is not fuppofed to know any thing of Christ or the Meffiah.

Now 'tis evident that our Lord Jefus Chrift is the Son of God, in a Senfe fuperior to Men and Angels, for he is called God's own Son, Rom. 8. 32. his only begotten Son, John 1. 14, 18. and his Firft-born, the Image of the invifible God, the firft-born of every Creature, &c. Col. 1. 15, 16. The Brightness of his Father's Glory, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon, made fo much better than Angels, and has obtained a more excellent Name than they, Heb. 1. 4. For in all things he must have the Pre-eminence, Col. 1. 18. Thefe fcriptural Expreflions plainly imply both Derivation and Refemblance.

Yet here I afk leave to infert one Caution, and that is, Tho' 'tis fufficiently manifeft from the New Teftament, and especially from Heb. 1. that Chrift is the Son of God in a sense far fuperior to Angels, yet I am in doubt whether the Difciples at firft could have fuch an Idea C 2

of

of his Superiority to all Angels: Perhaps their Idea of the Son of God arofe no higher at first than to fuppofe him fuperior to all their Prophets and Kings, who were called Sons of God, tho' afterwards it grew up to an Idea fuperior to all the Angels of God.

But let us raife this Idea of the Name as high as we can suppose any of the Disciples had attained before the Death of Chrift, or as high as could be requifite in order to Salvation in that Day, and I think it must be granted that this Name Son of God (fo far as it denotes the Nature of Chrift diftinct from his Offices) can neceffarily be conftrued to rise no higher than to denote fome peculiar and glorious Likeness to God, fome more near and excellent Relation to God the Father, or some special Derivation from him, fome divine Character more eminent than belongs to Men or Angels when they are called the Sons of God, without any precife Determination wherein this peculiar Relation to God confifted.

Now to proceed :

This Glory and Excellency of the Perfon of Chrift, which is originally denoted by the Name Son of God, is part of his Qualification for the Office of the Meffiah, part of the Foundation of his Office, and what made him a proper Perfon to undertake, fuftain and fulfil it.

Yet this Excellency of his Perfon, this Likeness and Nearness to God, is not the compleat

compleat Senfe and Meaning of the word Son of God in those fore-cited Texts of the Gospel; but it includes alfo a Defignation to his Office, viz. that glorious Person of extraordinary Nearnefs and Likeness to God, who was ordained to be the Saviour of Men: And tho' the Name Son of God fignifies and includes both thefe, yet fometimes the Scripture in using this Name feems to have a more fpecial Regard to the Excellency of his Perfon, and fometimes to his Office, and perhaps for this Reason, that a Belief of his Sonship in one of those Senfes, but especially the latter, in that Day might be a fufficient Ground for the Faith and Hope of Sinners.

1. It may seem to have fome special regard to the Excellency of his Perfon, where it is joined by way of Expofition to the word Meffiah or Chrift, as a further Description of the Perfon who fuftained that Office; as in thefe Scriptures, viz. Mat. 26, 63. the HighPrieft adjured Jefus to a Confeflion, and faid, Tell us whether thou be the Chrift, the Son of God? Mat. 16. 16. Peter anfwered and faid,Thou art Chrift, or Meffiah, the Son of the living God. John 11. 27. Martha confeffed, Lord, I believe that thou art the Chrift, the Son of God. Which Expreffions mean thus much, Thou art the Chrift or Messiah, that glorious Perfon of peculiar Relation to God who was ordained to this Office.