DISCOURSE II.

PHILIPP. ii. 5—11:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And what follows.

IN a late discourse on this text, I stated and considered the commonly received opinion concerning the Trinity, and the person of Christ in particular.

I now intend to consider another sentiment concerning the person of Christ, and consequently also concerning the Trinity.

Some, then, suppose, the Son to be a spirit, or intelligent agent, subordinate and inferior to the Father. They think, that this is what is meant by the Word, spoken of by St. John, at the beginning of his Gospel. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God:" or a God, as they would translate: not the same with the Father, or equal to him, or of the same nature and essence: but said to be God, on account of his great excellence and power, derived to him by the will of the Father. "All things were made by him," that is, by him, under the Father, as his instrument, and by his appointment. "And without him was not any thing made that was made.”

To the like purpose they understand and explain Col. i. 15. 16: "Who is the image of the invisible

God, the first born of every creature. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible; whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him, and for him.

Which words are thus paraphrased by an ingenious and learned Commentator* of the sentiment which I am now endeavouring to represent as fairly as may be: "Since he is the most lively visible image of the Father who is the invisible God, and is the first being that was derived from him. And that he must be the first derived from him, is from hence evident, that all other beings were derived from God, the primary and supreme cause of all, through this his Son, by whom, as their immediate author, all things were created, that are in heaven, or that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him, and to be in subjection to him. He therefore must be before all things. And by him all things are preserved. And he is the head of the Church, which is his body."

Heb. i. 1, 2. "God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." In his notes upon these last words, the same learned expositor says, "As from other places it appears, that Christ was employed in making the world, so this seems most agreeable to the scope of the writer

*Mr. James Peirce.

of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

His intention

appears to be to give the loftiest and most noble account of his greatness and dignity, abstractedly from what he proceeds to afterwards, the honour conferred upon him at his resurrection. Now, since he so expressly mentions that which may seem a less instance of his greatness, that he upholds all things; it is not probable that he would omit that which was greater, God's creating the worlds by him."

Of the Word, or Son of God, these learned men do also generally understand Prov. viii. 22—31.

Well, then, the Son being, according to this scheme, the first derived being, and God having made the world by him; what was the station, what the employment, what the dignity of the Son of God before his incarnation?

The learned annotator before quoted, in his notes upon Phil. ii. 9, says, "The Scriptures seem to represent this to have been the state of things antecedently to our Saviour's coming into the world; that God allotted to the angels provinces and dominions, one being appointed to preside over one country, and another over another.-The places, as evidencies of this, are all taken out of Dan. x., where is related a vision of an angel sent to Daniel in the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia. Thus he speaks, ver. 13: The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael, one, or the first of the chief princes, came to help me.'-Afterwards, in the two last verses of that chapter, the same angel says, 'Now will I re

turn to fight with the prince of Persia. And when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Græcia shall come. But I will shew thee what is noted in the Scripture of truth. And there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.' So that, as this learned writer proceeds, we have here the prince of Persia, the prince of Græcia, and the prince of the Jews, spoken of. And what reason can we have to question, whether the like was not the case of the other countries, that they had in like manner their respective presidents or princes? This leads us farther to consider the state of our Saviour himself before his incarnation.-As the Heathen nations were committed to other angels, the Israelites were committed to Christ, who was the angel of the covenant, or of God's covenanted people." So that learned writer.

There may be different conceptions concerning Christ among those who must be allowed to be in the main of this opinion. They all suppose the Word, or Son of God, to be a being distinct from God the Father, subordinate and inferior to him. But some may ascribe to him higher dignity than others. [And] we have just now seen that one and the same person, who thinks that all things were made by the Son, supposeth him before his incarnation to have had only, or chiefly, the care and government of the Jewish people allotted to him; whilst other angels were appointed presidents or princes of other nations and countries.

One thing ought to be added here. They who are of this sentiment do generally suppose that this

great being, the Word, the Son of God, upon our Saviour's conception and birth, animated the body prepared for him. So that our Saviour had not, properly, a human soul. But the Word, the Son of God, supplied the place of a soul.

The Spirit, or Holy Ghost, the learned men of this sentiment, I presume, take to be a being, or intelligent agent, inferior in power and perfection, not only to God the Father, but likewise to the Son of God.

According to these, therefore, the Father is the one supreme God over all, absolutely eternal, underived, unchangeable, independent.

The Son is the first derived being from the Father, and under him employed in creating, and also preserving and upholding the world, with, as some say, an especial allotment of the presidentship over the people of Israel.

The Spirit is a third person, also derived from the Father, and of power and perfection inferior to the

Son.

I have endeavoured to give here, as well as elsewhere, a true representation. If I have mistaken, it is not done willingly and designedly. And I shall be ready to be better informed.

Let us now apply this scheme to the text; or see how it is explained by the favourers of this sentiment. And I hope to have here again the assistance of the same learned divine and commentator who has been quoted already several times.

Vers. 5, 6: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God,