X.

SERM. declaring what God has faid of himself, but in gueffing out a Deity, making Gods to themselves, which by their own Defcription are no Gods, fetting up in their Heads the Likeness of Things in Heaven above.

I will give you the Words of one among ourfelves, who profeffes that he cannot allow a "proper Perfonality of the Son and Spirit, without deftroying the Unity of the Godhead though by all the Generations of the Faithful, thefe Things were equally believed and owned; and therefore draws out a Plan only of Things that MAY BE when the whole Revelation of the Bible is of no other than Things that are. But it's apparent, according to this way of talking, that we are yet to feck for our God. We are got no farther than ftarting Fancies and doting about Questions; as if the Truth in which our Souls are to be established and edified, was only a Work upon the Wheels, and not yet prepared to receive the finishing Hand of the Maker.

I will give you his own Scheme in his own Words; 66 May we not fuppofe the Logos, or "Word confidered as fomething in the God"head, analogous to a Power or Virtue, to be "infinite, uncreated, co-effential, and co-eternal "with God the Father, as being of his very Ef"fence, and in this Senfe true God? May not "this fometimes be reprefented in a perfonal "Manner as diftinct from the Father?

66

May we not fuppofe alfo that in fome un"known Moment of the divine Eternity God, by

his fovereign Will and Power, produced a glo "rious Spirit in an immediate Manner, and in "a very near Likenefs to himfelf, and called "him his Son, his only begotten Son? Might "not this be that Logos of the antient Jews,

who was called the firft-born of God, the " eldest

"eldeft Archangel, the Man after God's own "Image, and may not this be the human Soul of "our bleffed Saviour?"

¢ Suppofing farther, this angelical Spirit to be affumed into perfonal Union with the divine Logos from the firft Moment of his Ex"istence, may he not be called the Son of God " also upon this Account? May it not be faid, "that the true Godhead is communicated to the "Son of God in this Manner by the free Will of the Father." This fuppofes as much as ever the Arians wanted, that Chrift might not have been produced, or that this Union of the divine Attribute to him might not have been given.

A groffer Expreffion I don't remember ever to have met with than what follows: "Though "the Godhead of the Logos, or divine Wisdom, "be effential to the Nature of God, and eter"nally independent, yet it might be communi"cated, that is united to an inferior Spirit by the "Will of the Father." That is, God can make an inferior Spirit like himself, and give his Glory

to another.

66

He goes on, Might not this Logos in the complex Character of God and a Creature, or "the Son of God inhabited perfonally by eter"nal Wisdom in the Fulness of Time, affume hu"man Flesh and Blood into Union with himself." Had the Scripture told us of thefe Things, there was no Need to put them into the Form of maybe's; but nothing fo vain or bold is to be found in that Book, as that an Attribute inhabits a Spirit perfonally.

Far be it from my Soul to afk what I know no humble Creature will dare to answer, or examine what the great God may be or may do. these are fecret Things, they belong to him;

If

only

SER M.

X.

SERM. only revealed Things belong to us: Believing is X. acting upon a Report, and not upon a Suppofition. Solomon writ that we might know the Certainty of the Words of Truth, and be able to give an Answer to those that enquire of us. Foolish and unlearned Questions are always about Things out of our Reach, and thefe are what gender Strifes, as we both read and feel.

1.

Col. ii.

18, 19.

This then is one Principle of wavering, and will be fo, 'till that God who knows the Thoughts of Men to be vain, makes us know them to be fo too. Under the Power of his Pf. cxxxi. Grace we shall not exercise ourselves in Things too bigh for us; then our Hearts will not be haughty, nor our Eyes lofty. They who intrude into Things that they have not feen, vainly puffed up in their flefbly Mind, do not hold the Head. We may wish, upon thefe Occafions, as Zophar did; thou haft faid my Doctrine is pure; but oh that God would speak and open his Lips against thee, and that he would fhow thee the Secrets of Wifdom, that they are double to that which is. Who fhall declare the Generation of the Son of God, or pretend to dig up the unfearchable Riches of Chrift?

Job xi.

4, 5.

The best way to be of the fame Mind with one another is what the Apostle directs to, not to mind high Things, or be wife in our own Conceit. Let us not like Children be toffed to and fro, Eph. iv. and carried about with every Wind of Doctrine by the Slight of Men, and cunning Craftiness of those who lie in wait to deceive; may I fpeak Acts xxvi. the Words not only of Truth, but of Soberness.

14.

26.

1 Tim.

iii. 6.

2. Another Principle that makes us waver is a Fancy that we have found out the great Secret of Knowledge, that which fo many Ages have fought in vain. This is the Snare of the Devil ; and therefore the Perfon who is a Novice, newly

planted

planted or engrafted, is in Danger of being lifted SER M. up with Pride: The Pretences, upon which X. People indulge themselves to the Humour of endless Enquiries, I may hereafter confider; at prefent, let me only take Notice, that the Scripture has barred our way by Cautions, Commands, and Reproofs in Abundance. This the Apostle

said to every Man among them, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think foberly, as God has given to every Man Rom. xii. the Measure of Faith. If any Man thinks he 3. knows any thing, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. This is the Knowledge that puffs up. We know that all the Perfecutions in the World have arose from Mens driving in their own Inventions; and they are as bad in Doctrine as they are in Worship.

There are two great Men, whofe Names will be dear to the Churches, wherever their Works are read, of whom we have a different Character. One is Calvin, his vaft Reading, his quick Judgment, his capacious Memory, his lively Fancy, and harmonious Language, made him as capable of feeking out many Inventions as any of the Age that he lived in, and yet he had no Noftrum, 'no Opinion peculiar to himself, as he often profeffes; and the Writer of his Life obferves, there was not one Article in which he differed from the reformed Churches. Whether the Perfons who love to hear and speak fome new Thing, have exceeded him in the whole Furniture of a Scholar, a Divine, and a Chriftian, I fhall take no Pains to enquire, because it takes no Time to determine it. He continued in the Things that be had learned from the Beginning, and held faft the faithful Word, as he had been taught.

The fame Thing is true of Dr. Owen. Thofe 'Principles that he received at first, he maintained

SERM. to the laft. And if any will fay, it was for want X. of critical Learning, impartial Thought, or fufficient Capacity, I believe you, and I will think fuch a Man either above Confutation, or below it.

Col. ii. 5,6,7.

29, 30.

Each of thefe holy Perfons might have all the Temptations that are fupplied by Wit and Vanity; but God withdrew them from their Purpofe, and hid Pride from the Men. He trained them up for his Service, through the Discipline of fevere Convictions: They bowed under the Terrors of the Lord in a heavier way than many do; and therefore were taught by feeling never to talk new Things about the Guilt and Corruption of human Nature, or the Perfon and Satisfaction of Jefus Chrift; they ftudied the Truth, not to receive Glory from Men, but what they found in the Word, they found in their own Souls. 'Twas not their Bufinefs to puzzle and entangle the Churches with a new Gofpel, but to ftand in the good old way. Every Reader may behold the Stedfaftness of their Faith, as they received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo they walked in him, rooted and built up in the Faith, as they had been taught.

The greateft Humility becomes us in speaking of what is our own. When grievous Wolves creep in they spare not the Flock, speaking perActs xx. verfe Things, to draw away Disciples after them. I fcarce ever knew an Author who had a Noftrum in Divinity, a Contrivance of his own, but he was more impatient to promote that, than the great Fundamentals of Chriftianity. He could argue against the Man who denies the Truth with more Temper than against one who is afraid of his Scheme. There can be the Meeknefs of a Lamb to the former, but the Fury of a Bear to the latter, who would rob them of their Whelps, which are only lovely, because they are their own.