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Dictates of their own reafoning Powers, for the Subject is a mere Matter of Divine Revelation; nor that they would take the Sentiments or Schemes of elder or later Writers, whether Schoolmen or Fathers, or Divines of any Party, for a perfect Teft of Truth and Orthodoxy in thefe facred Subjects.

Yet he freely and delightfully confelles thefe following Articles borrow'd from the Athanafian Creed, (viz.) We believe and confefs the Lord Jefus Christ the Son of God, is both God and Man; God of the fame Substance with the Father, and Man of the Subftance of his Mother, born into the World; perfect God and perfect Man; of a reasonable Soul, and human Flesh fubfifting together: Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead, and yet inferior to the Father, as touching his Manhood: One, not by Converfion of the Godhead into the Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into

God,

God, fo as to become one perfonal Agent, or one Perfon: and as the reafonable Soul and Flefh is one Man, fo God and Man are one Christ, who fuffered for our Salvation, &c.

Tho' I freely and chearfully acknow ledge all this, yet I take no human Writings for a Teft of the Divinity or Truth of my Opinions: And I could wifh all my Readers would lay afide all other Teachers, befides the mere Writers of the Holy Scriptures, in Such Enquiries where the Light of thefe Divine Truths will also fine brighteft, which are not to be known by the mere Light of Nature, but are intirely to be learned by the Revelation of God to his Son Jefus Chrift, and to his holy Apoftles.

And if this Practice be fincerely purfued, the Author humbly hopes thefe Papers may find Acceptance among the diligent and honeft En

quirers

quirers after Truth, so far at leaft as to have his unwilling Miftakes pitied and forgiven, and bis fincere Endeavours accepted, to make known the Scripture to his Fellow Chriftians in thofe important Articles that relate to God the Father and his Son Jefus Chrift our Lord, which are of so much Importance toward our Salvation.

Yet finally to avoid all Objections and Dangers of Miftake, I think it may be proper here to take notice, that there have been generally two ways among our Proteftant Divines allowed to explain the Filiation or Sonfhip of our Lord Jefus Chrift, in his Divine Nature; the one is, the Real and Supernatural, which is granted to be utterly incomprehenfible, relating chiefLy to the Nature of the Father and the Son; the other is Scriptural and Oeconomical, relating chiefly to their Characters or Offices in our Salvazion, which is more easy to be under

food:

food: I must acknowledge I incline moft to the fecond, because this allows the most perfect Equality, even Onenefs or Sameness in the Godhead, whether applied to the Father or the Son, and thus it maintains the true Godhead itself to be underived and felf-exiftent in both; and upon this Suppofition I believe the fecond of thefe Writers have been always efteemed perfectly found and orthodox, as well as the fir ft.

i

THE

(1)

QUESTION I.

What is the meaning of the Name Son of God, as given to Chrift in the New Teftament, where the Belief of it is necessary to Salvation?

INTRODUCTION.

IS of fome Importance in the Doctrines of the Gospel, and efpecially in the great Article of the bleffed Trinity, to know the meaning of the Name SON OF GOD, which is fo often given to our Lord Jefus Chrift in the New Testament: for hereby we shall be better able to understand the chief Import and Defign of thofe Places of Scripture.

But here I defire my Reader to observe, that I am not enquiring into the highest and most fublime Senfe of which 'tis poffible that our Lord himself might have the Idea when he used that Word; but what is the Senfe that Chrift or the Apofties and Writers of the New Testament

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