come from above, and yet not be above; to be fent, and yet not there to be fent, is what I cannot conceive.

Bu: if we apply thefe phrafes to a pre-exiftent nature (i. e. believe that the human foul of CHRIST did exift as the beginning of the creation of GOD; that it dwelt above with the Father before the world was; and that it was fent down from heaven when the fulness of time was come to take on it an human body, to work out therein our redemption) then with this idea thefe fcriptures appear plain, and eafy to be understood; and likewife that phrafe wherein our Lord fays, my Father is greater than I. Now, to fay his Father was greater than him, as to his Man-Nature, is mean; for it is no wonder for GOD to be greater than man, there being no comparison; but to understand it of his pre-exiftent foul, in its relation to the Father, in all its perfonal glory, it carries in it fomething noble and fublime.

I have been the longer upon this fubject, as there is nothing hurtful, or contrary to truth contained in it; nay, it may ferve as a key to open fome dark fcriptures, whether we apprehend them to be fpoke of the perfonal glory of CHRIST, confidered as GOD-Man, or of his pre-exiftent foul, fubfifting in union with the Godhead.

I would now conclude this fubject, but there are one or two texts, which are commonly brought for the fupport of CHRIST'S proper Deity, which Dr. Goodwin and Dr. Watts open in a different light; and as their ideas are new, they will, doubtlefs, be entertaining.

Col. i. 15, &c. Who is the image of the invifible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him were all things created, that are in heaven or earth, vifible and invifible; whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities or powers; all things were created by bim and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things confift; and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence; for it pleafed the Father that in bim fhould all fulness dwell.

Dr. Watts obferves, page 191, that in this text, there are fome expreffions which are too fublime for any mere creature, viz. All things are created by him and for him, and by him all things confift. But when it is faid, He is the image of the invifible God, this cannot refer merely to his divine nature, for that is as invifible in the Son as in the Father; therefore it seems to refer to his pre-exiftent foul in union with his Godhead,

who is the brightest, the faireft, and most glorious image of GOD; and fo he appears to the world of angels in heaven, and by his frequent affuming a vifible fhape heretofore, became the image of the invifible GOD to men.

He is faid to be the first-born of every creature. There has been much labour and art of criticifm employed, merely to apply these words to the divine nature of CHRIST, by giving them a metaphorical, or fome unufual fenfe; but if we fuppofe the foul of CHRIST to exift thus early, then he is properly the first-born of every creature, in the literal fenfe of the words; and in this fenfe he may be likewife called, the beginning of the creation of God, as he ftiles himself, Rev. iii. 14.

Dr. Watts likewife obferves, that Dr. Thomas Goodwin was a learned, a laborious, and a fuccefsful enquirer into all those scriptures that treat of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, in order to aggrandize his character; and when he interprets thefe verfes, in Vol. II. of the Knowledge of GOD, &c. he finds himfelf conftrained to explain the expreffions concerning the divine nature of CHRIST, as united to Man, by way of anticipation, as confidered in its future union with the man JESUS, and argues ftrongly for this expofition; but there is no need to bring in fuch a figure as Prolepfis, or the anticipation of things future, fince the real and actual exiftence of the foul of CHRIST before the creation makes all this language of fcripture just and plain in the literal fenfe; and what this pious and ingenious author fays upon the fubject almoft perfuades me to believe, that had he lived in our day, he would have been an hearty defender of the doctrine which I propofe.

'The Doctor's title to the text is, The Honours and Royalties that appertain to CHRIST as GOD-Man. It is fpoken of him in confideration of a dignity or birthright, which the man JESUS CHRIST, united with the fecond perfon in the Trinity, has above all other creatures; he is the final caufe or end for which all things were created; and upon the préfuppofition of his being decreed to be God-Man, it belonged to him as his due to be the univerfal end for whom all things fhould be made. And in chap. xi. the title runs thus, That Chrift, as GOD-Man, is the Creator of all things, proved by fcripture. His thoughts upon the text are, that it is not spoken of him as the fecond perfon only, as fome interpreters would have it, though it doth exclude it; for thefe things could not have been fpoken of him had he not been GoD, and there are other fcriptures which more plainly establish that. But this is fpoken of him, in respect of a dignity and a birthright that this GoD-Man had,

at that inftant he was admitted among the creatures; that though he thereby became one of their rank, yet he must be the chief, and have the birthright.

First, In God's ways, which are his works, wherein he propofed to go forth and manifeft himself towards creatures: Now, in the beginning of these ways, and the first thoughts of them, did JEHOVAH poffefs CHRIST, GOD-Man, in his fore-knowledge as the richest treasure of all his glory, to be manifefted in the creation, without which he would not have proceeded to any other work, or have walked forth in any creature-way, but have refted in the bleffed fociety of the Three in heaven without them. And had it been the pleasure of the Godhead, it might for ever have rested in communicating itself to the man, that is God's fellow only; and it had been a fufficient motive to him, and a fulness of fatisfaction had thereby arifen unto him alone, to fee, behold, and enjoy the image of his own perfections in a creature united to his fon.

But it was his pleasure to make known his grace, by him, and through him, unto his chofen people; therefore it is faid, be poffeffed him before his works of old, which is the fame that is here faid in the text, he is before all things; as alfo in saying, the first-begotten of every creature; the phrafe (I was fet up) will lefs permit us to understand it of his divine perfon.

Now all the creatures fall infinitely fhort of that royalty which I attribute to CHRIST, as GOD-MAN, when I affirm him to be the final caufe of all things; and look how far his prerogative herein is found to exceed, fo far might we fuppofe him as GoD-Man to be the creator of all things, in that he was fet up as the univerfal end of the whole creation of GOD, for whom all things (faith the text) were created, whether visible or invifible, &c. And this is not to be predicated either of men or angels; GOD vouchfafed neither of them that honour, as to be the general and univerfal end of all things. This priority is a fimilitudinary prerogative of what God is; fo that CHRIST fhould be one Lord (1 Cor. viii. 6.) over all things; and herein is CHRIST the image of God, as no other creature is; therefore called the image of the invisible GOD.

His perfon decreed to fubfift in man's nature, was confidered by GoD to be of that worth and diftance above the creatures, that their very being and existence were to become abfolutely and fimply his property, of which prerogative no mere crea

ture is capable; for God hath exempted nothing from being in fubjection to him, as faith the Apoftle. CHRIST hath an entire and abfolute lordfhip; and therefore he muft, as man, needs be firft in intention, and fo before all things, as of no other creature or thing it can thus be faid. Add to this, that fuppofe him at all decreed to be GoD-Man, by his union with a creature, it was withal his due to be ordained by God as the end of all things; and this is, and was a royalty incommunicable to any mere creature; nor muft it have been faid, nor could it have been true of any of them, but proper to him alone, that God fhould fo mould and caft the whole frame of his defigns, concerning the creation, as to intend that all should center in him as their end, as well as to his own glory.

That this became that man's due, and a neceffary confequence of that union with GoD's Son, we read, Heb. ii. He is appointed heir of all things. And indeed others fay the fame thing; for when it is affirmed that CHRIST needed not to have merited any glory for himfelf, they ground it upon this; because, by virtue of the hypoftatical union, all glory is his natural due, and a neceffary confequence of it; for by the union that man becomes the natural Son of God, and fo this due was his natural right.

Alfo we know that the perfonal glory which CHRIST hath in heaven, he holds by a double tenure, viz. his perfonal glory, by virtue of his union to his divine person; and his mediatorial glory, by virtue of his actions as Mediator; and yet it is faid to be given him of the Father, as an act of his will and decrees, Phil. ii. 9. It is true, that for the way and manner of contrivance, how all fhould tend to and ferve his glory, depended upon the counfels of God's will, even as the ordering how they fhould ferve his own glory did; yet that they should be all caft for CHRIST's glory, or for GoD's, (tho' in fubordination to GoD) and fo he holds and enjoys his glory by a natural law that is between the Father and the Son. Thus far the doctrine of CHRIST's being before all things, and the first-born of every creature.

Friendly. But is it not faid, all things were created by him, c. which, I think, is an act of omnipotence, and cannot be attributed to any mere creature?

Truth. It is true, creation is an act of pure Godhead, by which God holds and maintains a distinguishing character from all other beings; yet how far the man JESUS (considered in perfonal union with the divine nature) had, as an inftrument, a hand therein, is not easy to conceive; for God is said,

Eph. iii. 9. to create all things by JESUS CHRIST! which must be understood of his man-nature; as a creature merely, he could have no hand in the creation; but if we confider him as the first-born of every creature, and as fuch (in the most superlative height) the object of JEHOVAH's delight, taken into perfonal union with the Godhead, enjoying in this relation a peculiar glory to himself above all creatures-how far in this relationship to Godhead, the Man JESUS might accomplish, as an inftrument, the work of creation, is perhaps a knowledge too fublime for us, till mortality be fwallowed up of life. For it is evident that God always carried on the works of providence and of grace, by inftruments of one kind or other, and why may he not accomplish creation-work by the inftrumentality of the man JESUS, confidered (for he never existed any other wife) in union with the Godhead? Dr. Goodwin is very confident of this, (page 179, book iii. vol. 2.) where he fays, He created all things by JESUS CHRIST. "Now, that JESUS "CHRIST was the founder of the gofpel, is apparent in all "men's eyes;" but, fays the Dr. the Apoftle adds, by the "fame JESUS CHRIST he createth all things, i. e. by JESUS "CHRIST anointed GoD-Man; and to me the words came "in thus; that though the gospel only began to reveal this "CHRIST, and he did not affume man's nature till the times "of the gospel,. for the redemption of man took frail flesh, "yet, faith he, know this, the world was beholden to him "for its creation, and this is one glory of his that is not to be "laid afide."

And the learned Cameron brings him in as GoD-Man, faying Let there be light, let there be fun, moon, &c. &c. and that it was his due, when he affumed our nature, to be filled with all that glory which he enjoyed as GOD's inftrument in creation; but it was for great and glorious ends fufpended till his afcenfion, when all the fufpended revenues of his perfonal glories, and his mediatorial honours met in their full confummation in the MAN JESUS at GoD's right hand.

But let it be obferved, that the name Creator is not attributed to him, as man, but as Gon-Man; for fingly, as man, he has no fuch authority, either to rule or to create; for a mere creature, though the highest in heaven, is not capable of fuch an act, as hath been before obferved. Nor, on the contrary, is it true, that only confidered as GoD, he did create, as it is evident that, as GoD-Man, he hath power to create; for as fuch, we find that he forgiveth fins, which is the peculiar prerogative

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