Now having spoken thus much touching the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, I shall, according to the assistance of the Lord Jesus, proceed, and shall talk about something of his godhead, birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession; together with his most glorious and personal appearing the second time, which will be to raise the dead, and bring every work to judgment (Eccl 12:14).
And FIRST I shall shew you that he (Christ) is very God, co-eternal, and also co-equal with his Father. SECOND, That by this Son of Mary (which is equal with his Father) the world was made. THIRD, That he in the fulness of time, was made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were (or are) under the law; that is, was born of a woman: and in our nature (for he made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men) and in our stead he did fulfil the law in point of justification (Rom 10:4) and was crucified for our transgressions (1 Cor 1:23-25). FOURTH, That very body of the Son of Mary which was crucified, did rise again from the dead, after he had been buried in Joseph's sepulchre; that he in that very body ascended up into heaven; and in that very body shall come again to these ends, 1. To judge the quick and the dead. 2. To receive his saints to himself. 3. To pass eternal condemnation on his enemies. These things in brief I shall touch upon, according to the wisdom given me.
FIRST, and therefore that Christ is very God, I shall first prove by plain texts of scripture. Second, from the testimony of God, angels, and men, as witnessed by the scriptures. Third, by several arguments drawn from scripture, which will prove the same clearly.
First, then, to prove it by the scriptures; though indeed the whole book of God's holy scripture testifies these things plainly to be most true, yet there are some places more pregnant and pertinent to the thing than others. Therefore, I shall mention some of them: as that in Proverbs 8:22, &c, and there you shall find him spoken of under the name of wisdom, the same name that is given him in 1 Corinthians 1:24. I say in that place of the Proverbs above mentioned, you shall find these expressions from his own mouth. 'The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills were I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.' Also in John 1:1, 2, you have these words spoken of Christ, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.' As also in Hebrews 1:2 the Apostle being about to prove the Son of Mary to be very God, saith; He 'hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son'; which Son is the Son of Mary, as in Matthew 3, 'But [saith the Apostle (Heb 1:8)] unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.' Again, in John 17:5, you have the words of the Son of Mary for it, saying, 'And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.'
Again, he himself saith, before Abraham was, I am: And again, my Father and I are one. And in Philippians 2:5 the Apostle saith, 'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.' Also, Revelation 2:8 Christ himself saith, I am the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.' And thus have I quoted a few scriptures to prove that the Son of Mary is the true God.
Second, I shall give you the testimony of God himself touching the truth of this, viz. That Christ, the Son of the Virgin, is the true God:
1. And first see Zechariah 12:7 and there you shall find these words, 'Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.' In this place, the Lord doth call that Man his fellow, which he doth not do to any mere creature. Again, in Matthew 3:17, he calls him his beloved Son, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' And in the aforesaid place of the Hebrews (ch 1) the Apostle advancing the Lord Jesus, brings in this question. 'To which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son?' (v 5). 'But unto the Son he saith' (v 8) 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever': And thus far of the testimony that God himself hath given of the Son of Mary, Jesus Christ.
