tiu tamen filii non est a seipso, ideo sic non est [auto Theos,] But as he is Son, he is not of himself, but the Son of the Father, begotten of him; and hereupon it follows, that the Son is begotten of the Father as he is a Son, but not as he is a God.

2. For the time of this generation, it hath neither beginning, middle, nor end; and therefore it is eternal before all worlds; this is one of the wonders of our Jesus, that the Father begetting, and the Son begotten are co-eternal. Wisdom, in the book of Proverbs (which with one consent of all divines is said to be Christ) affirmeth thus, "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 was 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," Prov. 8: 24,25,26,27. I was there. And a little before, "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," Prov. 8:22,23. that is to say, from eternity; for, before the world was made, there was nothing but eternity. It may be alleged to the contrary, that the saying of God the Father, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," Psalm 2:7. is expounded by Paul of the time of Christ's resurrection. "And we declare unto you glad tidings (saith Paul) how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again," Acts 13:32,33. As it is also written in the second Psalm, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." But we distinguish betwixt generation itself, and the manifestation or declaration of it. Jesus the Son of God from all eternity was begotten; but when he was incarnate, and especially when he was raised again from the dead, then was he mightily declared to be God's Son by nature. And of this declaration or manifestation of his eternal generation is that of the apostle-understood.

3. For the manner of this generation of Jesus the Son of God, understand there be two manners of begetting, the one is carnal and outward, and this is subject to corruption, alteration, and time; the other is spiritual and inward, and such was the beginning of the Son of God, of whose generation there is no corruption, alteration, nor time. But, alas! how should we "declare his generation," Isa. 53:8. O my soul, here thou mayest admire, and adore with Paul and David, and cry out, "Othe depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! Rom. 11:33. There is no searching for us into the secret counsels of God, which he never revealed in his word, but so far as he hath revealed himself, we shall in sobriety, according to the light of the scriptures, endeavor a discovery of the manner of this spiritual generation of the Son of God; as thus,

We must consider in God two things, 1. That in God there is an understanding. 2. That in God this understanding everlastingly acts or works.

For the first, that God hath a most excellent understanding, or that he is understanding itself in the highest degree, is very clear; for he that gives understanding to all his intelligible creatures, must needs have it, and be it most eminently in himself. If fire be the cause of heat in other things, it must needs be that fire is the hottest of any thing; Propter quod unumquodque tale, illud est magis tale. The axiom is common, but the

scripture verifies it, "With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding," Job 12:13. Nay, that this understanding is his very being, is very plain, "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding; I have strength," Prov. 8:14.

For the second, that this understanding in God everlastingly acts or works is very clear; for that understanding (which is the nature, essence, and being of God) is a mere act, or the first act; it is all one with the life of God. Now, as all life is active in itself, so the chief life, (such as in the highest degree is to be attributed to God,) must needs be active. What is the life of God, but an essential property whereby the divine nature is in perpetual action, living and moving in itself? And hereof is that speech in scripture so often used, "As the Lord liveth," Jer. 38:16. Hereof likewise is that asseveration or oath so often used by God, "As the Lord liveth." And, "As I live, saith the Lord," Rom: 14:11. Well then, the understanding of God being active, or working from all eternity, it must needs have some eternal object on which it acts or works; every action requires a suitable object about which it must act or be exercised; so then, if God's understanding act eternally, it must have some eternal object, and if God's understanding act most perfectly, it must have some most perfect object to act upon; and what is that but only God himself? That God's understanding should act out of himself, would argue his understanding to act upon that which is finite and imperfect. Certainly nothing is infinite, eternal, and perfect, but only himself, and therefore if his understanding will act upon any suitable object, he must act upon nothing but himself.

And now we come to the manner of this high, mystical, spiritual generation of Jesus the Son of God. As the understanding of God doth act and reflect upon itself from all eternity, so it works this effect, that it understands and conceives itself; it apprehends in the understanding an image of that object which it looks upon, and this very image is the Son of God. This we shall lay out by some similitudes. A man's soul (we know) doth sometimes muse and meditate on other things; as it thinks of heaven or it thinks of earth; this we call a right, or direct, or emanant thought; but sometimes the soul doth muse or meditate on itself, as when it thinks of its own essence or faculties, or the like; and this we call a reflex thought; why now the soul understands itself, now it hath some idea, or image of itself, now it conceives itself; this is our phrase, it conceives itself. There is not only a carnal, but a spiritual conception; as when I understand this or that, I say, I conceive this or that, I have the idea or image of this or that within my soul. Or, as in a glass a man doth conceive and get a perfect image of his own face by way of reflection; so God, in beholding and minding of himself, doth in himself beget or conceive a most perfect, and a most lively image of himself, which very im. age is that in the trinity, which we call the Son of God. Thus you read in the scripture, that Jesus the Son of God is called, "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," Heb. 1:3. 1. "The brightness of his glory;" herein God the Father is compared to a lightsome body; and God the Son unto a beam, or splendor sent forth, or issuing out from that glorious body. 2. "The express image of his person," herein God the Father is compared unto a seal, and God the Son unto an impression resulting from the seal. Now look, as wax upon a seal, hath the engraven image of the seal; so the Son of God, (which the Father hath begotten or conceived of his own understanding) is the very image of the Father's understanding; hence not only the Father, but also the Son is

called understanding itself. "I have counsel and wisdom, (saith Christ,) I am understanding," Prov. 8:14. Whatsoever the Father is, the Son is; indeed the understanding in men, and the thing understood, are not usually one and the same, but in God it is all one: God's conceivings and begettings are the most inward of all; the Father conceives of himself, and in himself; and his conceiving is a begetting, and his begetting abideth still in himself, because his understanding can no where meet with any thing suitable, but that which he himself is, and that conceiving of himself, or begetting of himself is the second subsistence of the trinity, which we call the everlasting Son of God.

4. For the mutual kindness and loving kindness of him that begets, and of him that is begotten, we say this brings forth a third person or subsistence in God. Now, for the understanding of this matter, we must consider two things, First, That in the essence of God, besides his understanding, there is a will. Secondly, That this will doth work everlastingly upon itself, as his understanding doth.

For the first, That in the essence of God, besides his understanding, there is a will, is very clear; for he that gives a will to all rational creatures, cannot want it himself. How should he be without will, whose will it is that we will? Of necessity it is that there should be some prime or chief will, on whose will all other wills should be; but the scriptures are plain, "I am God, and there is none else, I am GOD, and there is none like me. -My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure," Isa. 46:9,10.

For the second, That this will in God doth everlastingly work upon itself is clear: for, as doth the understanding, so doth the will; but the understanding of God doth act upon itself as the chief and most perfect truth: therefore the will of God doth will himself as the chief and most perfect good. Indeed what other suitable object can the will of God have besides himself? An infinite will must needs have an infinite good, and in this sense, as our Saviour tells us, "There is none good but one, that is God," Matth. 19:17. Hence it is that the will of God doth reflect upon itself, and acquiesce in itself as an infinite good.

And now we come to the manner of this high, mystical, spiritual procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son. As the will of God doth act and reflect upon itself from all eternity; so it works this effect, that it delights itself in the infinite good, which it knoweth in itself, for the action of the will is delight and liking; and this very delight which God or his will hath in his own infinite goodness, doth bring forth a third person or subsistence in God, which we call the Holy Ghost: so that indeed if you would know what the Holy Ghost is, I would answer, "It is the mutual kindness and loving-kindness, and joy, and delight of the Father and the Son." The Father by this act of will doth joy and delight in his Son, and the Son by this act of will doth joy and delight in his Father; and this is it which the Son saith of himself, and of his Father, "I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him," Prov. 8:30. q. d. I was from all eternity his delight, and he was from all eternity my delight; the Father (as it were) from all eternity aspired in his will, and love, and joy unto the Son; and the Son (as it were) from all eternity aspired in his will, and love, and joy, unto the Father; and from this common desire and aspiring of either person the Holy Ghost proceeds, which makes up the whole trinity of persons.

I shall lay out this by some similitude or resemblence; as when a man looks in a glass, if he smile, his image smileth too, here is but one face;

and yet in this unity we may find a trinity: the face is one, the image of the face in a glass is another, and the smiling of them both together, is a third, and yet all are in one face, and all are of one face, and all are but one face; so the understanding which is in God is one, the reflection or image of his understanding he beholdeth in himself as in a glass is a second, and the love and liking of them both together, by reason of the will fulfil led, is a third; and yet all are in one God, all are of one God, and all are but one God. In this trinity there is neither first nor last, in respect of time, but all are at once, and at one instant: even as in a glass the face, and the image of the face, when they smile, they smile together, and not one before nor after another. For conclusion of all, as we have the Son of the Father by his everlasting will in working by his understanding; so we have the Holy Ghost of the love, and joy, and delight of them both, by the joint working of the understanding and will together; whereupon we conclude three distinct persons, or subsistences, which we call the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in one spiritual, yet unspeakable substance, which is very God himself. My meaning is not to insist on the Father or the Holy Ghost, but only on the Son. Yet thus far I have added, that you may better understand the manner of this generation of the Son of God; together with the mutual kindness, loving-kindness, joy, and delight betwixt the Father and the Son even from everlasting.

SECT. II. Of our Election in Christ before all worlds.

Now, let us look on Christ in his relation to us before all worlds. God being thus alone himself from everlasting, and besides himself there being nothing at all; the first thing he did (besides what ye have heard) or the first thing he possibly and conceivably could do, it was this; " A determination with himself to manifest his glory; or a purpose in himself to communicate his glory out of his aloneness everlasting unto somewhat else:" I say, unto somewhat else, for what is communication but an efflux, an emanation, an issuing from, or a motion betwixt two terms? I have now brought you to the acts, or actions of God in reference to his creatures; follow me a little, and I shall anon bring you to Christ in relation to yourselves.

These acts or actions of God were and are; 1. The decree. 2. The execution of the decree of God. I must open these terms:

1. The decree is an action of God, out of the counsel and purpose of his own will, determining all things, and all the circumstances, and order of all things from all eternity, in himself certainly and unchangeably, and yet freely. "Who worketh all things (saith the apostle) after the counsel of his own will," Eph. 1:11. And this work or action of God is internal, and forever abiding within his own essence itself.

2. The execution of the decree is an act of God, whereby God doth effectually work in time all things as they were foreknown and decreed. And this action of God is external, and by a temporal act passing from God to the creatures.

Now, for the decree; that is of divers kinds; As first, There is a decree common and general, which looks to all the creatures; and it is either the decree of creation, or the decree of providence and preservation. 2. The decree is special, which belongs to reasonable creatures, angels and men; it is called the decree of predestination, and it consists of the decree of election and reprobation. Concerning the common and general decrees we have but little laid down in scriptures; and it is little or nothing at all to our purpose; and concerning the special decree of angels, there is not

much in scriptures, and that is as little also to our purpose; we have only to deal with men, and with God's decree in relation to man's salvation before all worlds.

And this we call predestination, or the decree of election; which is cither of Christ, or of the members of Christ. Christ himself was first predestinated; this appears by that saying of God, "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth," Isa. 43:1. "I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgement to the gentiles." Matth. 12:18. These very words the evangelist interprets of Christ himself. And Christ being predestinate, the members of Christ were predestinated in him: so the apostle, "according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world," Eph. 1:4. We are chosen in Christ as in a common person, he was the first person elected in order, and we in him. Suppose a new kingdom to be set up, a new king is chosen, and all his successors are chosen in him; why God hath erected a kingdom of glory, and he hath chosen Jesus Christ for the king of this kingdom, and in him he hath chosen us, whom he hath made kings and priests unto the most high God. But observe we this of the apostle, "he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." 1. He hath chosen, (i. e.) God the Father hath chosen; not that the Son and Spirit choose not also; for if three of us had but one will common to us all, one could not will any thing which the will of the other two should not also will; but because the Son sustains the person of one elected, and the Spirit is the witness sealing this grace unto our hearts, therefore the Father only is expressed, as the Father alone is often named in prayer, not that the other persons are not to be prayed unto, but because the Son is considered as the Mediator, and the Spirit as the instructer, teaching us to pray as we ought; therefore the Father only is expressed.

He hath" chosen us in him," and this HIM, denotes Christ God-man; and this "in him," denotes the same Christ God-man, as the head and first elect, in whom, and after whom, in order of nature, all his body are elected: mark here the order, but not the cause of our election; though Christ be the cause of our salvation, yet Christ is not the cause of our election; it is only the foreknowledge of God, and his free love that is the cause thereof. 3. "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world," (i.e.) from all eternity; but because within eternity God doth foresee the things which are done in time; therefore this phrase, (say some,) may be extended not only to respect the actual creation, but the decree itself of the world's being: q. d. He hath chosen us in order of nature, before his decree did lay the foundation of the world. My meaning is not to enter into controversies; this all grant, that the ancient love which the Lord hath borne us in Christ is not of yesterday, but before all worlds. Paul mentions "grace given us before all worlds," 2 Tim. 1:9. But that which is the most observable in the text, as to our purpose, is, that we are chosen in him; we read of three phrases in scripture speaking of Christ; sometimes we are said to have blessings in him, and sometimes for him, and sometimes through him. Sometimes in him, as here," he hath chosen us in him;" sometimes for him, as elsewhere, "unto you it is given for Christ's sake, not only to believe but to suffer," Phil. 1:29. Sometimes through him, as in that of Paul, "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. 15:57. Now blessings come through Christ, in respect that Christ is a Mediator, not only of imputation, but execution; not only obtaining and receiving from grace all good for us, but in executing and applying efficaciously the same unto us: