"upon," and seek early in their trouble? The whole scripture declares to whom, and to whom alone, these things belong, and may be ascribed. This being the whole of what the enemies of the SACRED TRINITY have to object to our application of this discourse to the eternal Word, or Son of God; and having removed their objections, we may now proceed,

§16. To the improvement of this testimony to our present design. And we find here fully expressed "A personal transaction before the creation of the "world, between the Father and the Son, acting "mutually by their one spirit, concerning the state "and condition of mankind, with respect to Divine "love and favor." For the Wisdom, or Word of God, having declared his eternal existence with the Father, and distinction from him, manifests withal his joint creation of all things; especially his presence with God, when he made "The highest part of dust of the "habitable world;" that is, "the first Adam,” as Jarchi interprets it, and that not improbably. Then he declares, that he was (*) by him, with him, before him, (Tgos TOY Oεov, John i, 1, 2.) And he was with him, (♪8, nutritus) One brought up with him, of the masculine gender, though it refers to the feminine (D) wisdom, because a person is intended.

But in what sense is this spoken of the Son, with respect to the Father? The foundation of the allusion lies in the eternal mutual love that is between the Father and the Son, to which is added the consideration of the natural dependence of the Son on the Father; compared to the love of a Father to the Son, and the dependence of a Son on his Father. Therefore, most translations, with respect to this allusion, supply as to the words, "As one brought up." Again, (, alum-* nus) one brought up, is always so with respect to some

special end or purpose; or to some work and service, which is principally here intended. It is with respect to the work that he had to accomplish, that he is called alumnus patris, one brought up of the Father. And this was no other but the work of redemption, and the salvation of mankind, the counsel whereof was then between the Father and the Son. In the carrying on of that work, the Lord Christ every where commits himself and his undertaking to the care, love, assistance, and faithfulness of the Father, whose especial grace was the original thereof, Psal. xxii, 9, 11, 19, 20; Isa. 1, 7-9. And in answer to this the Father promiseth him to stand by him, and carry him through the whole of it; because it was to be accomplished in such a nature, as stood in need of help. Wherefore, with respect to this work, he is said to be "before him," as one whom he would take care of, and stand by, with love and faithfulness in the prosecution of the arduous work.

§17. With respect hereunto, he adds, "And was "delights every day," ver. 30. There are ineffable mutual delights and joys between the persons of the sacred Trinity, arising from that infinite satisfaction and complacency, which they have in each other from their respective in-being, by the participation of the same nature, wherein no small part of the blessedness of God doth consist. And by this word, that peculiar delight which a Father hath in a Son, is expressed, Jer. xxxi, 20, (www) a pleasant child, a child of delights. But the delights here intended, have respect to the works of God ad extra; as a fruit of that eternal satisfaction, which ariseth from the counsel of God, concerning the sons of men. This the next verse, 31, makes manifest; "rejoicing in the <habitable part of his earth, and my delights with the

"sons of men." For after he had declared the presence of wisdom with God before the first creation, which is a notation of eternity, and its co-operation with him therein, he descends to manifest the special design of God and wisdom with respect to the children of men. And here such an undertaking, on the part of the Son, is intimated, as that the Father undertakes the care of him, and his protection, when he was to be humbled into the "form of a servant," in the prospect whereof he delighted in him continually. So he expresseth it, Isa. xlii, 1-7; “Behold, my servant whom I uphold, "mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth," &c. This is the delight of the Father, and his presence with the Son in his work, an eternal prospect of which is here represented. In answer to it, the Son delights in him whose delight he was, "rejoicing with exaltation," with an outward expression of inward delight; the natural overflowings of an abounding joy. And what this delight of the Son is, in answering the delight of the Father in him, with respect to the work he had to do, the Psalmist declares, Psal. xl, 7, 8; "Then I said, lo "I come, in the volume of thy book it is written of "me, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy "law is within my heart." This (nhap) volume of the book, which our apostle calls (nyanida ßißi8) the beginning, or the head of the book, Heb. x, 7, is no other but the counsel of God concerning the salvation of the elect by Jesus Christ, enrolled as it were in the book of life, and thence transcribed into the beginning of the book of truth, in the first promise given to Adam after the fall. This counsel being established between Father and Son, the Son with respect thereto "rejoiceth continually before God," on the account of that delight which he had to do and accomplish his

will, and in our nature to answer the law of mediation, which was prescribed to him.

§18. For this being declared to be the mutual frame of God and his wisdom towards one another, wisdom proceeds to inanifest with what respect towards outward things it was, that they were so mutually affected, ver. 31; "Rejoicing in the habitable parts of his "earth, and my delights were with the sons of men.” That the things here spoken of were transacted in eternity, or before the creation, is evident in the context. The counsels, therefore, of God and wisdom, with respect to the sons of men, are here expressed. The Word was now ordained, even before the foundation of the world, to the work of mediation and redemption, 1 Pet. i, 20. And many of the sons of men were chosen in him, to grace and glory, Ephes. i, 4; and the bringing of them to that glory, whereto they were chosen, was committed to him, as the captain of their salvation. This work, and the contemplation thereof, he now delights in, because of that eternity of Divine glory, which was to ensue thereon.

And these things are revealed for our consolation, and the strengthening of our faith; for if there were such mutual delights between the Father and the Son, in the Divine counsel, concerning the work of our redemption; and if the Son so rejoiced in the prospect of his own undertaking to that end, we need not doubt, but that he will powerfully and effectually accomplish it; for all the difficulties of it lay open and naked under his eye, yet he rejoiced in the thoughts of his engagements to remove and conquer them. He now saw the law of God established and fulfilled, the justice of God satisfied, his glory repaired, Satan under his feet, and his works destroyed. Here we place the first spring of the priesthood of Christ, which is ex

pressed by the mutual delight of the Father and Son. It was founded on love and grace, though in its exercise it respects holiness and justice also.

§19. The same truth also seems to be expressed, Psal. ii, 7; "I will declare the decree the Lord hath "said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I be"gotten thee." From this place the ancient doctors* constantly acknowledge, that the Messiah was to be the Son of God; or rather, that the Son of God was to be the Messiah. Hence was the inquiry of the high priest, Matt. xxvi, 63; “I adjure thee by the liv"ing God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ "the Son of God." According to the faith of their church, he takes it for granted, that the Christ and the Son of God was the same. The same confession, on the same principle, Nathanael made, John i, 49; "Thou "art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel." And Peter's confession, Matt. xvi, 16; John vi, 69; "Thou "art that Christ the Son of the living God," was nothing but a due application of the faith of the Judaical church to the person of our Savior, which faith of their's was principally built on this testimony, where God expressly calls the Messiah his Son. There is, therefore, an illustrious testimony in these words, given to the eternal pre-existence of the Lord Christ, in his Divine nature, before his incarnation. And this causeth the adversaries of that sacred truth, to turn themselves into all shapes, to avoid the force of it.

What Eniedinus says, "That none of these things "belong to Jesus Christ," is above the rate of ordinary confidence. All the apostles do not only jointly, and with one accord, apply the things here spoken to the

*So Maimonides, Jarchi, and Kimchi confess. The words of Jarchi are plain and remarkable: "Our Masters expounded this psalm concerning the king Messiah.”