1. In the essential inbeing of the Father and Son. This our Saviour expresseth, John x. 38, “The Father is in me, and I in him.” The same essential properties and nature being in each of the persons, by virtue thereof their persons also are said to be in each other. The person of the Son is in the person of the Father, not as such, not in or by its own personality, but by union of its nature and essential properties, which are not alike, as the persons are, but the same in the one and the other. And this inbeing of
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the Father in the Son, and of the Son in him, our Saviour affirms to be manifested by the works that he wrought, being wrought by the power of the Father, yet as in him, and not as in the Father immediately. See to the same purpose chap. xiv. 10, 11, and chap. xvii. 21.
2. The Father being thus in the Son, and the Son in the Father, whereby all the glorious properties of the one do shine forth in the other, the order and economy of the blessed Trinity in subsistence and operation require that the manifestation and communication of the Father unto us be through and by the Son; for as the Father is the original and fountain of the whole Trinity as to subsistence, so as to operation he works not but by the Son, who, having the divine nature communicated unto him by eternal generation, is to commu- nicate the effects of the divine power, wisdom, and goodness, by tem-— porary operation. And thus he becomes “the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person,” namely, by the receiving his glorious nature from him, the whole and all of it, and expressing him in his works of nature and grace unto his creatures.
3. Because in the dispensation and counsel of grace God hath de- termined that all communication of himself unto us shall be by the Son.as incarnate. This the whole gospel is given to testify. So that this truth hath its foundation in the very subsistence of the persons of the Deity, is confirmed by the order, and operation, and voluntary disposition in the covenant of grace. ‘
And this discovers unto us, first, the necessity of coming unto God by Ohrist. God in himself is said to be “ in thick darkness,” as algo to dwell “in light,” whereunto no creature can approach; which expres- sions, though seeming contrary, yet teach us the same thing,— namely, the infinite distance of the divine nature from our apprehen- sions and conceptions, “no man having seen God at any time.” But this God, invisible, eternal, incomprehensibly g glorious, hath implanted sundry characters of his excellencies and left footsteps of his blessed properties on the things that he hath made; that, by the considera- tion and contemplation of them, we might come to some such ac- quaintance with him as might encourage us to fear and serve him, and to make him our utmost end. But these expressions of God in all other things, besides his Son Christ Jesus, are all of them par- tial, revealing only something of him, not all that is necessary to be known that we may live unto him here and enjoy him hereafter; and obscure, not leading us unto any perfect stable knowledge of him. And hence it is that those who have attempted to come “unto God by the light of that manifestation which he hath made of him- self any other way than in and by Christ Jesus, have all failed and come short of his glory. But now, the Lord Christ being “the brightness of his glory,’ in whom his glory shines out of the
100 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
thick darkness that his nature is enwrapped in unto us, and _ beams out of that inaccessible light which he inhabits; and “the express image of his person,” representing all the perfections of his person fully and clearly unto us,——in him alone can we attain a saving acquaintance with him. On this account he tells Philip, John xiv. 9, “ He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;” the reason of which assertion, taken from the mutual inbeing of Father and Son, and his expression of his mind and glory, he asserts in the next verses. He, then, is the only way and means of coming unto the knowledge and enjoyment of God, because in and by him alone is he fully and perfectly expressed unto us.
And therefore this, secondly, is our great guide and direction in all our endeavours after an acceptable access unto Him. Would we come to that acquaintance with the nature, properties, and ex- cellencies of the Father, which poor, weak, finite creatures are capable of attaining in this world,—which is sufficient that we may love him, fear him, serve him, and.come unto the enjoyment of him? would we know his love and grace? would we admire his wisdom and holi- ness ?—let us labour to come to an intimate and near acquaintance with his Son Jesus Christ, in whom all these things dwell in their fulness, and by whom they are exhibited, revealed, unfolded unto us; seek the Father in the Son, out of whom not one property of the divine nature can be savingly apprehended or rightly under- stood, and in whom they are all exposed to our faith and spiritual contemplation. This is our wisdom, to abide in Christ, to abide with him, to learn him; and in him we shall learn, see, and know the Father also.