But the most learned man's exposition of this place is admirable. " Jesus," saith he, " is many ways said to be the ' Son of God.' " This is begged in the beginning, because it will not be proved in the end. If this be granted, it matters not much what follows. " But most commonly, or most in a popular way, because he was raised unto a kingdom by God." Not once in the whole book of God ! Let him, or any one for him, prove this by any one clear testi- mony from Scripture, and take his whole interpretation. The Son of God, as Mediator, was exalted to a kingdom, and made a Prince and Saviour: but that by that exaltation he was made the Son of God, or was so on that account, is yet to be proved ; yea, it is most false. He goes on: " In that sense the words of the second Psalm Avere spoken of David, because he Avas exalted to a kingdom, which are applied to Christ, Acts xiii. 33 ; Heb. i. 5." But it is not proved that these words do at all belong to David, so much as in the type, nor any of the words from verse 7 to the end of the psalm.
192 VINDICIiE EVANGELICiE.
If tliey are so to be accommodated, they belong to the manifestation^ not constitution of him; and so they are applied to our Saviour, when they relate to his resurrection, as one who was thereby manifested to be the Son of God, according as God had spoken of him. But now how was Christ predestinated to this sonship? "This kingly dignity, or the dignity of a Son, of Jesus, was predestinated and pre- figured, when, leading a mortal life, he wrought ' signs and wonders;' which is the sense of the words h duvd^au." The first sense of the word opieQsvTog is here insensibly slipped from. Predestinated and prefigured are ill conjoined as words of a neighbouring significancy. To predestinate is constantly ascribed to God as an act of his fore- appointing things to their end; neither can this learned man give one instance from the Scripture of any other signification of the word. And how comes now 6pi ffdhrog to be "prefigured"? Is there the least colour for such a sense ? " Predestinated to be the Son of God with power ;" that is," " The signs he wrought prefigured that he should be exalted to a kingdom." He was by them in a good towardliness for it. It is true, Bwu/xng, and sometimes B-jva//,ig, being in construction with some transitive verb, doth signify "great" or "mar- vellous works;" but that h dvvd/Mn, spoken of one declared to be so, hath the sn^-io signification, is not proved. He adds, " These signs Jesus did by 'the Spirit of holiness;' that is, that divine efficacy wherewith he was sanctified from the beginning of his conception, Luke i. 35 ; Mark ii. 8 ; John ix. 36." In the two latter places there is not one word to the purpose in hand ; perhaps he intended some other, and these are false printed. The first shall be afterward considered ; how it belongs to what is here asserted I understand not. That Christ wrought miracles by the " efficacy of the grace of the Spirit," with which he was sanctified, is ridiculous. If by the " Spirit" is understood his "spiritual, divine nature," this whole inter- pretation falls to the ground. To make out the sense of the words, he proceeds, " Jesus therefore is showed to be noble on the mother's side, as coming of an earthly king; but more noble on his Father's part, being made a heavenly king of God, after his resurrection, Heb, V, 9 ; Acts ii. 30, xxvi. 23." ^ And thus is this most evident testimony of the deity of Christ eluded, or endeavoured to be so,
' " Jesus Filius Dei multis modis dicitur ; masime populariter, ideo quod in regnum a Deo evectus est ; quo sensu verba Psalmi secundi, de Davide dicta, cum ad regnum pervenit, Christo aptantur, Act. xiii. 33, et ad Hcbroeos i. 5, et v. 5. Ha3c autem Filii sive regia dignitas Jesu prsedestinabatur et prajfigurabatur turn cum movtalem agens vitam magna ilia sitjna et procligia ederet, quce ^uvd.f/.ieov voce denotantur, soepe et singu- lariter 'Buvafiius, ut Marci vi. 5, ix. 39 ; Luc. iv. 36, v. 17, vi. 19, viii. 40, ix. 1 ; Act, iii. 12, iv. o3, vi. 8, x. 38. Haec signa edebat Jesus, per Spintum ilium sanctitatis, id est, vi7n divi7iam, per quam ab initio conceptionis sanctificatus fuerat, Luc. i. 35 ; Marci ii. 8; Job. ix. 36. Ostenditur ergo Jesus nobilis ex materna parte, utpote ex Rege ter- reno ortus ; sed nobilior ex Paterna parte, quippe a Deo factus rex coelestis post resur- rectionem, Heb. v, 9; Act. ii, 30, xxvi. 23." — Grot. Annot. in Rom. i. 3, 4.
OF THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. 193
Chiist on the mother's side was the " son of David/' — that is, " ac- cording to the flesh," — of the same nature with lier and him. On the Father's side he was the " Son of God," of the same nature with him. That God was his Father, and he the Son of God, because " after his resurrection he was made a heavenly king," is a helhsh figment, neither is there any one word or tittle in the texts cited to prove it ; so that it is a marvel to what end they are mentioned, one of them expressly affirming that he was the Son of God before his resurrection, Heb. v. 8, 9.