eration: therefore Christ also, as God's own Son, must have been properly begotten by his Father. We say further,

5. That he is the Son of God according to his divine nature, as he is the Son of David according to his human nature. This the apostle showeth us, Rom. i. 3, 4. "Concerning his Son, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness." How was he made according to the flesh of the seed of David? was it not by being born in a proper manner of Mary, David's daughter? so then he was the Son of God also according to the Spirit of holiness by a proper generation of God. Finally,

6. If Christ be not properly begotten of God, then there is no ground for his being called the Son of God, and for calling God his Father; for the only ground of the relation of a son to a father, or of a father to a son, is the generation of the son by the father. Yea, if Christ be not begotten by the Father, the Son may be called the Father, and the Father the Son. They then who deny the generation of the Son by the Father must necessarily decline either to the opinion of Sabellius, who denied all distinction of Persons in the Godhead, confounding them with one another, and holding that there were only three distinct names of Father Son and Holy Ghost, and thus subverting the doctrine of the Trinity for when we deny that the Son is begotten, and that the Holy Ghost proceedeth, we then destroy the only foundation of every distinction of the Persons, and of their personal properties, and must therefore say that the Father is the Son, and the Son is the Holy Ghost: and thus the Persons will be no more than three negations, and only three names. Or if those who deny the generation of the Son will not decline to the errour of the Sabellians, they must necessarily abandon themselves to the impious heresay of the Tritheists, who held in the ancient church that there were three Godis: for when they deny that the Son is begotten. and that the Holy Ghost proceedeth, and do thus subvert the only foundation of a distinction of Persons, they necessarily assert three distinct essences, which are essentially distinct from each other and so there will be not only three divine Persons, but also three divine essences. And they do thus also wholly subvert the foundation of the oneness of the essence of the three Persons, since we cannot say that the Son and the Holy Ghost are one and the same essence with the Father, as this is founded only in the genera tion of the Son, and the proceeding of the Holy Ghost from the Father. See how many grievous consequences unavoidably follow from denying the generation of the Son.

We know that they would put us off here, by saying that (a) the ground of the sonship of Christ is, that he is co-essential with the Father; but this cannot be the ground of his being the Son of God: the expression co-essential, doth not require this; this would rather make him a brother of God; therefore dismissing this pretence, these men say (b) that his appointment and delagation to the office of Mediator intimates his generation of the Father, and is the ground of his sonship; but neither can this suggest to any one a notion of generation, nor a foundation of sonship: his office of Mediator, and his appointment and delegation thereto constitute him indeed a ser vant and a Christ, but not a son of the Father; he was also a Son of God before this. See John iii. 16. Rom. viii. 3. Gal. iv. 4. But lest it should leak out, that these men believe that there are three Gods, they say that the three Persons have always the same supreme and perfect ideas, and acts of thinking. But how doth it happen, that three distinct persons have always the same ideas? this is inexplicable by those who deny that the Son is begotten, and that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from, and still subsists in the essence of the Father: but perhaps we may see by this what these men think of the oneness of the three Persons in the Godhead, to wit, that they are not one in essence, but only in acts of thinking.

So much do these men say, though to no purpose, in order to excuse their errour. But what do they object, in order to subvert the doctrine of the church concerning the generation of the Son by the Father? They say, (1) that the third Person is called Spirit to express his spiritual work of grace, and that therefore the second Person must also be called Son, to express his Mediatorship and work of grace; but it is not true, that the third Person is called the Spirit on account of his work, but he is so called on account of his personal proceeding from the Father, and from the Son. The epithet "holy" denotes indeed his work of grace: but his personal name Spirit doth not, as we must show upon the twentieth Lord's day. They say further, (2) that the names "Son" and "Word" are used one for the other as signifying the same thing; for he who is called in Matt. xxviii. 19, "Son" is called 1 John v. 7, the “ Word.” Now, say they, the name "Word" hath respect to the Mediatorship of Christ, and therefore the name "Son" hath also respect to his Mediatorship. But the names Christ, the Son of God and King of Israel are also used one for another, Matt. xvi. 16. John i. 50, yet who sees not that the one name exhibits him to our thoughts somewhat different from the other? Moreover the names "God" and "Word" are used one for the other, John i. 14. 1 Tim. iii. 16. If now the

hame "Word" express his Mediatorship, will not the name "God" also express his Mediatorship? God forbid. Who knows not that Christ is God and man in one person, and thus also Mediator, and that he is therefore sometimes denominated from one, and at other times from the other nature, and also by different names from his offices? They say finally, (3) that such a proper generation implies that the Son is inferior and later, than the Father, and therefore that he is not independent, eternal and impassible: but if these men had not suffered themselves to be spoiled by philosophy, they would have considered, that "such knowledge was too high for us, that we cannot attain to it, and that we cannot find out the Almighty to perfec tion." See Psalm cxxxix. 6, 14, 18. Job xi. 7, 8, 9. It is indeed true, tha: a father, who begets a son without his essence, is before and greater than his son; so also when God produced the creatures by creation without his essence, they could not be independent nor eternal; but it is not so with the Son; for he was not created with out the essence of God, but begotten of him in bis essence, by an immanent act of the Father within him. And therefore we say with the ancients, that this generation of the Son by the Father was (a) akataleptos, inconceivable, Prov. xxx. 4. (b) achronos, without suc cession of time, Micha v. 1' (c) achoristos, inseparable, John i. 1. xiv. 10, 11. (d) apathos, impassible, and without any change in the Father, or in the Son, James i. 15.

We have insisted so long on the sonship of Christ, because the instructor speaks of it particularly in this Lord's day, and also because it is the scope of the whole gospel, that man should know and believe in Christ as the Son of God, John xx. 31, as the Father therefore proclaims him before the whole world to be "his Son, whom we must hear," Matt. iii. 17. Yea, "whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father," 1 John iii. 23. And therefore we hold the generation of the Son to be a fundamental doctrine of the faith; for that is a fundamental doctrine of the faith which is the foundation of other doctrines of revelation, which are either believed or denied, according as that first foundation is believed or denied. Now it is evident, that if we deny this generation of the Son, we must then also deny that Christ is truly the Son of God; that there are three distinct Persons in the divine essence, because the only foundation of the distinction between the Persons is then destroyed; or we must deny the oneness of the essence of the three Persons. We have shown all this more fully above.

Since then Christ is the Son of God, the Father hath made binly heir of all things," Heb. i. 1, 2. And so he is also " King of Israel,"

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John i. 49, and thus also our Lord," as he is also called in the Christian creed, which is explained in the thirty-fourth question.

II. The catechism doth not ask barely, "Why callest thou him Lord?" for we should then answer because he is God, and hath reçeived, as Mediator, power over all things, that he may employ them for the furtherance of his kingdom; for he hath received all power in heaven and in earth," Matt. xxviii. 18. And therefore "he hath bought the false teachers also, who deny him, their Lord, and bring swift destruction upon themselves," 2 Peter ii. 1. But it is asked here, Why callest thou him "our" (or thy) Lord? and we answer not, because he rules us by his word and Spirit, and defends and preserves us in the enjoyment of the purchased salvation, as we answer to explain h's government as king, in the thirty-first question : for the instructor doth not desire to know now how he governs us as Lord, but how he hath made us his property, by which he hath an indisputable right to us. We might answer here, because the Father gave us to him from eternity; because he hath owned us as his bride and spouse, and because, having been drawn by the Spirit, we have surrendered ourselves to him cheerfully, as his own. But the catechism having respect here to servants, as entire bondmen, who have been rendered the property of their masters, either by being purchased with money, or by conquest, assigns two reasons why believers are his property, 1. "Because he hath redeemed them, both soul and body, from all their sins, not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood." 2. Because he hath delivered them from all the power of the devil." The instructor had mentioned this also in the first question. But as we have explained this in treating on that question, we shall refer our reader thither, and hasten to impress the minds of all with what we have now said of the Sonship and government of Christ.

APPLICATION.

We might insist here somewhat on the matter, that believers are adopted to be children of God through grace, for Christ's sake, as is said in the thirty-third question; but as we have treated upon that subject distinctly on the twenty-sixth question, we will wave any further consideration of it at present, and say, that the sum of the things of which we now speak is, that the children of God have this

triumph of faith, that the Son of God is their Lord and King. This is professed by every believer, when he saith, I believe in the Son of God our Lord. This conduceth indeed to the glory of the people of God, for the glory of the lord and king, is also the glory of the people; therefore the greatest of Israel's kings said, Eccl. x. 17, " Bles sed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of Nobles." Are not they then a happy people, who have the Son of God for their lord and king? The church gloried in him as such, saying, Isaiah xxiii. 22, "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us." Nathanael praised him taus, John i. 49. "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel." For if our Lord be the Son of God, then he is (a) a most excellent lord and king: "I am a great King, saith the Lord of bosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen," Mal. i 14. Solomon was a great king; his name was celebrated far and near, "but behold a greater than Solomon is here," Matt. xii. 11. Our Lord is the Son of God, yea. God himself: "He is a great God, yea, a great King above all gods; in his hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hill is his also: the sea is his, and he made it : and his hands formed the dry land," Psalm xcv. 3, 4, 5. How did the church exult in her expectation of him! Isaiah ix. 5, "Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace He is fairer than the children of men," Psalm xlv. 2. Solomon was the wisest of Israel's kings; but Jesus is the essential, the supreme Wisdom: "The Spirit of the Lord rests upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord," Isaiah xi. 2. See how the spouse describes him, Song, v. 10-16. He hath an unlimited jurisdiction, he hath all power in heaven and in earth: "he rules from sea, to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth," Psalm lxxii. 8. "Who in the heaven can be compared to the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to him?" Behold him in the brightness of his glory, which no mortal can sustain, Rev. i, 10—18, and that which increaseth your triumph, believers, is (b) that he is a Lord of you, not as hateful and despicable slaves, but as his special property, precious above all other men, Exod. xix. 5, 6. He makes you also children of God, John i. 12, his sister and spouse, Song v. 1. Yea, he makes you "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people," 1 Peter ii. 9. (c) If the Son of God be your Lord, then ye are under the most desira