Notes upon these Chapters, Hence doth St. Peter say, that they denied τὸν μόνον δεσπότην, that Sovereign Lord that bought them.

The Second Opinion is that of those who afterwards were called Doceta, as Simon Magus (a) and his Disciples, who taught, ut Chriftus appareret hominibus, ut homo, cum non effet homo ; & paffum in Judæa putatum cum non effet paffus, That Chrift appeared to Men as Man, when he was not Man; and was thought to suffer in Judæa, when he did not fuffer. Bafilides (6) held also, That Christ did not fuffer, but that Simon the Cyrenian fuffered in his stead. Cerinthus (c) also held, That Jesus only fuffered, Chriftum autem esse impassibilem exiftentem spiritualem, but that Christ was impassible, as being a Spirit. Marcion (d) also taught that Christ seemed to be a Man, when he was not so, καὶ δόξαι παθεῖν ἐδαμῶς πεπονθότα, and to have seemed to suffer, when he did not fuffer. Seeing then St. John in his 2d Epistle, informs us, That many Deceivers were gone out into the World, who confess not that Jesus Chrift is come in the Flesh, adding, That he that doth so is a deceiver, and an AntiChrift; and Chap. iv. That many false Pro

(a) Irena. C. 20. p. 95. Col. 2, &c. Theod Heret. Fab.

1. 1. c. 1. p. 192.

(b) Cap. 23. p. 98,

(c) L. 1. Cap. 25. p. 102.

(d) Theod. Heret. Fab. 1. 1. C. 24. p. 210, 211.

M

phets

phets 'are gone out into the World, and that by this we may know them, That he that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh, is of God, but he that confesseth not that Jefus Christ is come in the Flesh, is not of God: and this is that Spirit of Anti-Christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the World. And Chap. ii. 22, 23, He faith, Who is a Lyar but he who denieth that Jesus is the Chrift? He is Anti-Christ who denieth the Father and Son; whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.

Hence therefore it is evident, that in St. John's Opinion, these false Prophets and AntiChrists who denied that Jesus who came in the Flesh, did also consequentially deny the Father, by denying the Father's Testimony of the Son, according to those Words of the same Apostle, Chap. v. 10. He that believeth not God hath made him a Lyar, because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son. These therefore may be the false Teachers of whom St. Peter, and St. Jude speak, as of Persons who denied the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Chrift.

Did not the Character here given of these Persons confine these Words to the aforegoing Sense, it were easy to show how God the Father may be said in Scripture to have bought us. For feeing God spared not his Son, but gave him up to the Death for us all, Rom.

i

viii. 32. Seeing God so loved us, that he sent his Son into the World, to be the Propitiation for our Sins; I Joh. iv. 10; And he procured this Propitiation, by given up himself a λύτρον, a Price or Ransom for many, Mat. xx. 28. ἀντιλύθρον, a Ransom for all, 1 Tim. ii. 6; And seeing his Blood was shed for our Redemption, for we have Redemption through his Blood, Col. i. 14, and even eternal Redemption, Heb. ix. 12, we may well be faid to be bought by that God, who sent his Son into the World to purchase by his meritorious Paffion, this Redemption for us. Hence the Apostle infers, that God having bought us with this Price, we are not our own but his; and therefore ought to glorifie God in our Bodies, and in our Spirits which are Gods. 1 Cor. vi. 20. As for the Second Supposition, that to deny that Christ is the fupreme God, is to deny the Lord that bought them: That this is manifestly false, hath been so fully proved in the preceeding Discourses, that 'tis needless to attempt to do it farther here.

For seeing there is only one fupreme God, if our Lord Jesus be the same supreme God, he must be, at least as to his numerical Effence, God the Father. Whence follow these Absurdities, that he who commandeth, is the same God with him that obeyeth his Commands; and that the fame God both commandeth and obeyeth himself. That Interpre tation also absurdly supposeth, that the same M 2

Perfon

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Person fends himself, and is sent by himself; and this must be the meaning of those Words, God fent his Son into the World; That the fame Person giveth Power, Authority, and Dominion to himself, and receiveth it from himself: And that this must be the meaning of those Words, The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his Hands, and that he hath appointed another to do what he himself must do, if he be one with him that doth it. For God will certainly judge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ, Rom. it. vi. And he hath appointed a Day, in which he will judge the World in Righteousness, by that Man whom he hath raised from the Dead, Acts xvii. 31; To omit numerous Abfurdities of the like Nature.

DIS

DISCOURSE V.

DEUT. xxix. 29.

Secret Things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our Children for ever, that we may do all the Words of this Law.

T

HAT which we render fecret things, is in the Hebrew Niftaroth, that is, Mysteries, or hidden things which God hath not revealed in his Word;

which I have elsewhere proved to be the constant Sense of the Word, μυτήρια, in the Holy Scriptures. Whence it demonftrably follows, that what is truly a Mystery, cannot be a Revelation made by God; and that to require any Man to believe what we confefs to be a Mystery, is to require him to believe, what God hath not revealed in his Word; as is apparent from the Oppofition here