Thus far, then, Ave have their sense: — " In the beginning," that is, about sixteen or seventeen hundred years ago, " the Word," that is, the human nature of Christ before it was made flesh, which it AA'as in its being, "was with God," that is, knoAvn to God alone; and "in the beginning," that is afterAvards, not in the beginning, Avas made God ! — which is the sum of their exposition of this place.
But what shall we say to Avhat is affimied concerning his making of all things, so as that Avithout him, that is, Avithout his making of it, nothing Avas made that Avas made; es{>ecially seeing that these "all things" are expressly said to be the Avorld, verse 10, and all things therein contained, even in heaven and eaith? Col. i. 16. An ordinary man Avould think that they should noAv be taken hold of, and that there is no Avay of escape left unto them ; but they have it in a readiness. By the " all things" here, are intended all things of the gospel, — the preaching of it, the sending of the apostles to preach it, and to declare the Avill of God ; and by the " Avorld," is intended the Avorld to come, or the ncAV state of things under the gospel. This is
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the substance of what is pleaded by the greatest masters amongst them in this matter, and they are not ashamed thus to plead.
And the reader, in this instance, may easily discern what a despe- rate cause they are engaged in, and how bold and desperate they are in the management of it. For, —
First, The words are a plain illustration of the divine nature of the Word, by his divine power and works, as the very series of them declares. He was God, and he made all things: " He that built all things is God," Heb. iii. 4.
Secondly, There is no one word spoken concerning the gospel, nor the preaching of it, nor any effects of that preaching ; which the apostle ex- pressly insists upon and declares afterward, verse 15, and so onwards.
Thu-dly, The making of all things, here ascribed unto the Word, was done in the beginning; but that making of all things which they intend, in erecting the church by the preaching of the word, was not done in the beginning, but afterwards, — most of it, as them- selves confess, after the ascension of Christ into heaven.
Fourthly, In this gloss, what is the meaning of " All things?" " Only some things," say the Socinians. What is the meaning of " Were made ? " " That is, were mended." " By him ? " " That is, the apostles, principally preaching the gospel." And this " In the begin- ning?" " After it was j^ast;" — for so they say expressly, that the prin- cipal things here intended were effected by the apostles afterwards.
I think, since the beginning, place it when you will, — the begin- ning of the world or the beginning of the gospel, — there was never such an exposition of the words of God or man contended for.
Fifthly, It is said, " He made the world," and he " came " into it, — namely, the world which he made; and "the world," or the inha- bitants of it " knew him not." But the world they intend did know him : for the church knew him, and acknowledged him to be the Son of God ; for that was the foundation that it was built upon.
I have instanced directly in this only testimony, to give the reader a pledge of the full confirmation which may be given unto this gTeat fundamental truth, by a due improvement of those other testimonies, or distinct revelations, which speak no less expressly to the same pur- pose. And of them there is not any one but we are ready to vindi- cate it, if called thereunto, from the exceptions of these men ; which how bold and sophistical they are we may, in these now considered, also learn and know.
It appeareth, then, that there is a full, sufficient revelation made in the Scripture of the eternal Deity of the Son of God ; and that he is so, as is the Father also. More particular testimonies I shall not at present insist upon, referring the fuU discussion and vindication of these truths to another season.
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IV. Fourthly, We are, therefore, in the next place, to manifest that the same, or the like testimony, is given unto the Deity of the Holy Spirit; that is, that he is revealed and declared in the Scripture as the object of our faith, worship, and obedience, on the account and for the reason of those divine excellencies which are the sole reason of our yielding religious worship unto any, or expecting from any the reward that is promised unto us, or to be brought by them to the end for which we are. And herein lies, as was showed, the concernment of faith. When that knows what it is to believe as on divine revelation, and is enabled thereby to regulate the soul in its present obedience and future expectation, seeing it is its nature to work by love and hope, there it rests. Now, this is done to the utmost satisfaction in the revelation that is made of the divine existence, divine excellen- cies, and divine operations of the Spirit; as sliall be briefly manifested.