8. Eighthly, He that did feel and suffer the very torments of hell, though not after a hellish manner, was God man. Christ participates of both natures, being @edv6p(07ro<i, God and man, God-man. Such a mediator sinners needed. No mediator but such a one who hath in- terest in both parties, could serve their turns or save their souls, and such a one is the Lord Jesus ; he hath an interest in both parties, and he has an interest in both natures, the Godhead and the manhood. The blessed Scriptures are so express and clear in these points, that they must shut their eyes with a witness against the light, that cannot see Christ to be God-man, to be God and man. I shall first speak something of Christ, as he is God. Now here are fathomless depths and bottomless bottoms, if I may so speak ; here are stupendous and amazing mysteries, astonishing and confounding excellencies, such as the holy angels themselves desire to pry into.i God is ^w? oUcbv cLTrpoaiTov, dwelling in inaccessible light: 1 Tim. vi. 16. Here are such beauties and perfections that had I, as the poet speaks, a hundred
^ 1 Pet. i. 12, irapa.K'ufai.. The word signifies to look wishly and intently, as the cherubims of old looked into the mercy-seat, Exod. xxv. 18, 19. It signifies prying into
CHRIST S ETERNAL DEITY PROVED. 149
tongues, a liimdred mouths, and a voice of steel, yet I could not suffi- ciently describe them. Nevertheless give me leave to say something concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, who is one eternal God with the Father, and with the Holy Grhost. I might produce a cloud of wit- nesses in the case, but it is enough that we have the authority of the sacred Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, confirming of it ; and therefore I shall lay down some proofs or demonstrations of the eternal godhead of Christ, which I shall draw out of the blessed Scripture. This is a point of high concernment, that Christ is God ; so high as whosoever buildeth not upon this buildeth upon the sands. This is the rock of our salvation, ' The Word was God,' John i. 1. Concerning this important point, consider —
1. First, That the godhead of Christ is clearly asserted, and mani- fested both in the Old and Neio Testament. Take a taste of some of those many scriptures which may be cited : Isa. xliii. 10-12, ' That ye may know and believe, and understand that I am he, I, even I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no Saviour:' and Isa. xli. 21-25, ' There is no God else besides me : a just God and Saviour, there is none- besides me. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. To me every knee shall bow. .... In Jehovah have I righteousness. ... In Jehovah shall the seed of Israel be justified.' i Compare this with Kom. xiv. 10, 11. And the Socinians may as safely conclude, that there is no other God but Jesus Christ, as they may conclude that there is no God but God the Father, from the 17th of John. But they and we ought to conclude from, these scriptures, that Jesus Christ is not a different God from the- Father, but is one and the same God with him. So he is called ' The mighty God, the everlasting Father,' Isa. ix. 6. Take a few clear places out of the New Testament, as that in Rom. ix. 5, ' Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever- more.' Christ is here himself called God blessed for ever. So Titus ii. 13, ' Looking for that hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ.' Who is it that shall ap- pear at the last day in the clouds, but Christ ? who is called the great God and our Saviour ? ' God blessed for ever,' saith Paul to the Eomans ; ' The great God,' saith Paul to Titus : 1 John v. 20, ' And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an under- standuig, that we may know him that is true ; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life: ' Phil. ii. 6, ' He was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God:' and Col. ii. 9, ' In him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily : ' John xx. 28, ' My Lord, and my God:' 1 Tim. iii. 16, ' God manifested in the flesh :' ' To which of the saints or angels did God say at anytime. Thou art my Son ?' Heb. i. 1. ' The heir of all things, the illustrious brightness of my glory, and lively character of my person.' ' Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever, and all the angels of God shall worship thee.' Certainly he
a thing overveiled and hidden from sight, to look, as we say, wishly, [' wistfully' — G.] at it, as if we would look even through it.
^ Compare these scriptures of the Old Testament with these in the New. Heb. i. 2, 3 ; 1 John i. 7 ; Acts iv. 12 ; Eph. iv. 8 ; Rom. ix. 30 ; [and also] Jer. xxxiii. 23 ; Ps. vi., Ixviii. 18-20.
150 CHRIST'S ETERNAL DEITY PROVED.
who is Grod's own proper, natural, consubstantial, co-essential, only- begotten Son, he is Grod ; wherever this sonship is, there is the deity or the divine essence. Now Christ is thus God's Son, therefore he is God. What the Father is as to his nature, that the Son must also be ; now the first person, the Father of Christ, is God ; whereupon he too who is the Son must be God also. A son always participates of his father's essence, there is betwixt them evermore an identity and oneness of nature. If therefore Christ be God's Son, as is most evi- dent throughout the Scripture he is, then he must needs have that very nature and essence which God the Father hath, insomuch that if the second person be not really a God, the first person is but equivocally a Father. These scriptures out of the Old and New Testament are so evident and pregnant to prove the godhead of Christ, that they need no illustration ; yea, they speak so fully for the divinity of Christ, that all the Arians and Socinians in the world do but in vain go about to elude them. But,
2. Secondly, Let us ponder seriously upon these scriptures: John iii. 13, ' And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven ;' ver. 31, ' He that cometh from above is above all : he that cometh from heaven is above all ;' John viii, 23, ' Ye are from beneath, I am from above;' John xvi. 28, * I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world ; and again I leave the world, and go to the Father.' Now from these blessed scriptures we may thus argue : he who was in heaven before he was on the earth, and who was also in heaven whilst he was on the earth, is certainly the eternal God; but all this doth Jesus Christ strongly assert concerning himself, as is evident in the scriptures last cited -, therefore he is the eternal God, blessed for ever. But,
3. Thirdly, Christ's eternal deity, co-equality, and consubstantiality with the Father, may be demonstrated from his divine names and titles. As,