476 JESUS CHRIST TRUE GOD AND [SeR. VII.
SERMON VII.
For ii pleased the Father that in him should all fulness divell. —
Col. I. 19 ; with,
For in him dioelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. —
Chap. II. 9.
These words are produced to prove that there is no defect in the evangelical doctrine, and therefore there needeth no addition to it from the rudiments of men. That there is no defect, he proveth from the author of it, Jesus Christ, who was not only man, but God ; and beyond the will of God we need not look. If God will come from heaven to teach us the way thither, surely his teaching is sufficient, his doctrine containeth all things necessary to salvation. This is the argument of these words, ' For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.'
In which words, observe three things: —
First, The house: in Him.
Secondly, The inhabitant : all the fulness of the Godhead.
Thirdly, The manner of dwelling : in the word bodily.
First, the house, or place of residence : ' in Him.' In the man Christ Jesus, or in that human nature in which he carried on the business of our salvation ; as despicable and abject as it was in the eyes of men, yet it was the temple and seat of the Godhead.
Secondly, The inhabitant : ' the fulness of the Godhead ; ' not a portion of God only, or his gifts and graces (as we are made partakers of the divine nature, 1 Pet. i. 4.), but the whole Godhead.
Thirdly, The manner, aco/xaTiKm, ' bodily.' The word may relate —
1. To the shadows and figures of the law, and so it signifieth essentially, substantially. God dwelt in the tabernacle, temple, or ark of the covenant, avfi^okiKm, because of the figures of his presence. In Christ, <T(oixaTLKOi<i, bodily, as his human nature was the true taber- nacle or temple in which he resideth, Christ calls his human nature a temple, John ii. 19. Or else,
2. With respect to the intimacy and closeness of the union. So acofiariKm may be rendered personally; for body is often put for a person. The two natures were so united in him, that he is one Christ.
Doct. That Jesus Christ is true God and true man in one person. I shall prove the point : —
1. By testimonies of scripture.
2. By types.
3. By reasons taken from Christ's office.
1. By testimonies of scripture. I shall pass by those that speak of the reality of either nature apart, and only allege those that speak of both together. Now these do either belong to the Old Testament or the New. I begin with the former, the testimonies of the Old Testa- ment, because this union of the two natures in the person of Christ is indeed a mystery, but such as was foretold long before it came to pass ; and many of the places wherein it was foretold were so understood by
Col. I. 19.] true man in one person. 477
the ancient Jews. The controversy between them and Christians was not whether the Messiah were to be both God and man — they agreed in that — but whether this was fulfilled, or might be applied to Jesus of Nazareth. But the latter Jews, finding themselves not able to stand to the issue of that plea, say that we attribute many tilings to Jesus of Nazareth which were not foretold of the Messiah to come, as namely, that he should be God-man in one person ; therefore it is necessary that this should be proved, that the Old Testament aboundeth with predictions of this kind. Let us begin with the first promise touching the Messiah, which was made to Adam after his fall, for the restoring of mankind : Gen. iii. 15, ' The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head.' That is to say, one of her seed, to be born in time, should conquer the devil, death, and sin. Now, when he is called the ' seed of the woman ' it is apparent he must be man, and made of a woman. And when it is said that ' he shall break the serpent's head,' who can do this but only God ? It is a work of divine omnipotency, for Satan hath much more power than any bare man. Therefore it is said, Eom. xvi. 20, ' The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.' Come we next to the promise made to Abraham, Gen. xii. 3, ' In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' In thee, that is, in thy seed, as it is often explained: Gen. xxii. 18, * In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.' This seed was Christ, the Messiah to come. Now he was to be God-man : he was to be man, for he is the seed of Abraham ; God, because that blessedness is remission of sins, or justification. For it is said. Gal. iii. 8, 'The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying. In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed.' Eegeneration and the renovation of our natures is also included in it, as a part of this blessing : Acts iii. 25, 26, ' Ye are children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Therefore unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.' There is also redemption from the curse of the law, and the gift of eternal life included in it. Now all these are works proper to God alone. Let us come to the promise made to David : 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13, ' I will set up thy seed after thee, and I will establish the throne of thy king- dom for ever.' It is spoken in the type of Solomon, but in the mystery of Christ, who is true man as David's seed, and true God, for his king- dom is everlasting. And so David interpreteth it : Ps. xlv. 6, ' Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever.' The kingdom of the Messiah is never to have an end. And the apostle affirmeth expressly that those words are spoken to Christ the Son of God, Heb. i. 7. Let me next allege Job's confession of faith, which was very ancient : Job xix. 25, 26, ' I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God.' His Redeemer was true man, as appeareth by his title Goel; and because he shall stand on the earth, and be seen by his bodily eyes ; true God, for he calleth him so : ' I shall see God.' Go we on in the scriptures: Isa. iv. 2, Christ