the Almighty." Rev. i. 8. And Paul says of Him, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Heb. xiii. 8.

In considering the words of my text, I will cast them into this

division.

1. I will consider the Person spoken of; the titles given Him; and what is here said of, and concerning Him. For the life was mani

fested, that Eternal Life which was with the Father.

We

2. That the apostles had seen this great sight, God-Incarnate. have seen it, or rather, we have seen Him, as manifested in the flesh. We have seen, and bear witness, and shew the truth of this unto you; in our ministry.

3. What they declared of Him, was from the divine knowledge which they had of Him. They knew He was that Eternal Life, which was with the Father.

4. This was a very particular part of the witness which they bare of Him—that He was manifested unto them. Whilst in reading any text in this Epistle, I shall not leave out the supplementary words, yet I shall not always use them; neither shall I altogether reject them : in the text before us, I shall, however, omit the word it, as being improper, as what is said concerns the Person of Christ. Let this be remembered. I mention this here, as once for all, and now proceed to enter on my discourse, by attending to the divisions already given. And I am

1st. To consider the Person spoken of the titles given Him, and what is here said of, and concerning Him. It is Christ, God-Man, is the Person spoken of. The titles here in this verse given Him, are, The Life: that Eternal Life. What is here said of Him, is, that He was with the Father. That He was manifested in the flesh. I hope to speak to each of these distinctly, yet I shall begin with giving one general account of this most wonderful and adorable Person, once for all, and afterwards proceed to His titles; of His being with the Father, and of His manifestation by His open Incarnation. For the life was manifested, and we have seen Him, and bear witness, and shew unto you that Eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. The Person spoken of is Christ, who is God over all blessed for ever. Amen. In Him all the essential glory of the Godhead shines forth, in the uttermost display, and open discovery of the same; and the uttermost of Divine blessedness, so far as it can be made evident, and be apprehended by the supernatural faculties of elect angels, and elect saints of the human race. We must not go higher than this. Whilst the Glory of the Son of God is essential to Him, as one in the divine Essence, yet the Personal Glory of Christ is distinct therefrom; this being wholly of gift. We have the glory of this subject reflected on the church, and it shines forth in, and throughout every part of the word of Truth which the Lord hath given us, yet it is not the Glory of the divine Nature which is the subject; but it is the Glory of Him, who is in the Godhead, One with the Father and the Spirit, who shines forth in the full Glories of the Godhead, in that individual humanity to which he was predestinated; and which, by his Personal union, he is one Person with; and in which He dwells with all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, is the subject here. Which glory is a given glory. Our Lord speaks of it thus in the intercessory prayer recorded in the 17th chap. of John. I will select from it what I think should be brought

forward on such an important occasion, as when the Personal Glories of Christ are set forth. "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." John xvii. 4, 5. 22. 24. In which it is evident, Christ had a glory with the Father before

the world was. This glory he prays for. "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." It could not be the essential Glory of his Godhead. This was as essential to the Son of God, as to the Father, and the Spirit. This was not given to Him. It was his as God the Son, who though distinct in Personality from the Father and the Spirit, yet He, as one in the incomprehensible Essence, was as truly God, as the Father and the Spirit, being one in the same self-existing Essence. He says, The glory which thou gavest me I have given them. Which could not be the glory of the divine nature, it being wholly impossible Christ, as God-Man, should receive this, or impart it. He further says, 66 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." The glory, therefore, which our Lord here speaks of, is not his essential glory, nor his acquired glory. It is a given glory, which he had with the Father before the world was. In which he had shone forth, and been glorified with the Father, in an unspeakable way, and to an inexpressible degree, before the world was. It may be a mean of opening this vast subject for the improvement of our minds, if some questions are asked, and answers returned to the same, to reflect light on so sublime a point as that which is before us. As 1. What are we to understand by the Person of God-Man? 2. What are we to conceive by the expression, his Personal glory? 3. What by the gift of this to Him? This will most assuredly make way for my laying before you my own inward thoughts of this high mystery, concerning the Person of Christ, who is God manifest in the flesh. And 1. What are we to understand by the Person of God-Man? To which I reply. The Essential word, or co-equal, co-essential Son of God, united to an individual human nature, consisting of body and soul, which the Son of God was personally united unto, and set up in from everlasting. The Son of God was personally united to the humanity taken into Personal union, Christ is therefore, and thereby, denominated God-Man, because in Him, our nature is united to a Person in the Godhead. Not to the Godhead, but to a Person in it. The 2nd. question is, what are we to conceive by the expression, his Personal Glory? The reply is this. The glory which is due to that individual Nature which is exalted into Personal union, so as to be one Person with the only begotten Son of God. The 3rd. question is, what is to be conceived by the gift of this glory on Christ? To this the reply is, there was nothing but grace in the whole of this, to confer this high honour and dignity on this individual thus exalted. And the God-Man, being the fellow of the Lord of hosts, his glory must be a Personal Glory, which was wholly bestowed out of free grace, and everlasting favour: so

that the whole is of gift. This is the statement which the apostle gives of it, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his Person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" Now as to my own views of this most profound subject, I conceive from Christ's words, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me, with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was," that He must have been with the Father from everlasting, as God-Man: that He must have been glorified with the Father as such: that He must have lived the life of God-Man, the man of God's right hand from everlasting. I do not mean his human soul existed from everlasting. I believe his whole Person existed from everlasting. I would convey my ideas on this deep subject thus-The Second Person in the Essence, was with his own will, and the will of the Father and the Spirit, predestinated into creature being and existence. In conjunction with this, He was conceived and brought forth, in the vast, and eternal designs, councils, purposes, and will of all the Persons in Godhead, before the foundation of the world was laid. The Second Person was set up to be God-Man, in his whole Person. I conceive He was as truly God-Man, then, as He is now. He wore the glory due to Him; who was one Person with the only begotten Son of God. He says himself, "No man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." John iii. 13. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." John vi. 38. "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." John xvi. 28. “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." John xvii. 5. From all these passages, I think there can be nothing more clear than this, as the conclusion of them—that Christ was God-Man in heaven, before the world was-that He was glorified as such, and had the Glory due to his Person bestowed on Him-that He shone forth in the full splendour of it, as the man Jehovah's fellowthat He laid aside this glory, when He became incarnate, and was made in all things like unto his brethren. The glory of Christ's Person is essential to Him. It may, therefore, be well entitled his Personal Glory. It wholly resides in Him. It is incommunicable. It is impossible He should be divested of it. He could and did suspend it. He could and did empty himself of it, so as to humble himself, and take on himself the form of a servant; yet his Person was ever one and the same, though not in one and the same state. He was in his non-incarnate state in heaven, in the bosom of the Father. He had a glory with Him. He was in his Incarnate state in this our world the subject of all sinless infirmities. The apostle says, "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." 2 Cor. viii. 9.

I will next glance at the Titles given Him in the words before us. He is entitled, The Life. He is so most emphatically. He is the Life. He being the Son of the living God. "Thou art Christ, the Son of the

living God." This was Peter's confession of him, and unto him. Matt. xvi. 16. He is expressly called the living God, by the apostle. Heb. iii. 12. He is life essentially. He is life communicatively. He is life spiritually. He is life eternally. This is what Christ is. There is no life out of Him. All life is in Him. He is the life of the whole creation. The life of grace. The life of glory. And He is all this as GodMan, the Lord, the Creator, the Proprietor of every creature. He is eternal Life. His life never decays. He lives in all generations, and his Name and memorial are from everlasting to everlasting. "Thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands." Ps. cii. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, or change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." v. 24-27. When our apostle here says, For the life was manifested, and we have seen Him, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us, he means to set forth Christ as He really is, The Christ of God, abstractedly from what He is to his Church, under any consideration whatsoever. It is a real blessing to understand it so what Christ is in his own Person,-what He is in his essential and original Titles,—what He is in his relation to the divine Father,—what He is in His view and esteem, these are subjects of eternal moment of infinite importance. These are the deep things of God. The knowledge of the same will be our food in heaven: our feast throughout the ages of eternity. I could wish this to be attended unto, and thought deeply on. Christ as the Son of the living God, is the Life, and "that Eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested in the flesh in the fulness of time." This is the wisdom of God in a mystery. Our spiritual and eternal life, cometh from Christ only. He is the fountain of it. He is the Head in whom it wholly resides. The knowledge of Him is our eternal life. Communion with him is the mean whereby the blessedness contained in the knowledge of Him, is imparted to us, and enjoyed by us. It is so, even with the angels, and saints in glory. Christ the Life, Christ, "that eternal life which was with the Father," came down from heaven, by his most mysterious and wonderful incarnation. I proceed

2. To the apostles' having seen this great sight, God-Incarnate. We have seen it, or rather Him. We have seen Him as manifested in the flesh. We have seen, and bear witness, and shew the truth of this in our ministry of the gospel unto you.

As in the former verse he had said, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" he here says, concerning the same most adorable Person, as follows in the words of my present text, (For the life was manifested, and we have seen him, and bear witness, and shew unto you, that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.) The manifestation of Christ in the flesh, included the substance of all the Scripture promises, and prophecies contained in the Old Testament, and may be styled the accomplishment of them. The manifestation of Christ in the flesh was the greatest event which ever took place in our world.

Yet we are not

so deeply sensible of this in our minds, as we most certainly ought to be. The sufferings, agony, and bloody-sweat of Christ, with his bearing our sins in his own body on the Tree, and his sustaining the very curse due to our transgressions, seem to fix a deeper impression of his love upon our minds, than his Incarnation doth. Yet there is more love expressed in his taking our nature, and being made like unto his brethren in all things, than we can ever possibly conceive. Out of it the whole execution of our salvation proceeded. He could love us in Heaven with as great a degree of love, as he will to the ages of eternity. But he could not be made sin, and a curse for us in heaven. He undertook on the behalf of his church, before all time. He therefore came into our world in the fulness of time. His coming into it was by his open incarnation. The whole mystery of which, is, I conceive thus expressed by the apostle. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest," or as it is in the margin, "manifested in the flesh." The Son of God, the Life, that eternal life which was with the Father, was personally united to that body which the Father had prepared for him, and which the Holy Ghost framed and articulated in the womb of the Virgin. The Son of God was hereby manifested in our nature, and born into our world. At which time, we generally refer the following words of the apostle, "And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." Heb. i. 6. There are those, who, from the marginal reading, which is this, "When he bringeth again, the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him," conceive the words concern the second advent of our Lord. It seems to me, both senses may well belong to each part of the subject. The Incarnation of Christ, was a most astonishing proof of his love. He was pleased to manifest himself to his disciples. They saw his glory, and believed on him, as the glorious Messiah, the Anointed of God. Hence one of them said, to his friend, in the name of several of the rest, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph," this is the very identical Person. John i. 45. Another said, "We have found the Messias, the Anointed one." John i. 41. John here speaks for himself, and joins the rest of the holy apostles, saying, we have seen God-Incarnate, For the Life was manifested. And we have seen Him. And we bear witness of Him, that He hath been in our world—that He was found in fashion as a man- -that He was nailed to a cross. crucified without the gates of Jerusalem. He is risen from the dead. He is gone into heaven. He is at the right hand of God, crowned with honour and majesty. We shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. The truth, reality, and importance of all this, was the subject of their ministry: and they were most peculiarly fitted and qualified for the same. They had seen the Lord. They had heard what he had declared concerning Himself.— They had received their commission from Him. He said unto them, when he opened their understandings to understand the Scriptures, and shewed them how it was written in them, that Messiah was to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, "And ye are witnesses of these things." Luke xxiv. 48. Ye have seen all written in the scriptures concerning the Messiah realized in me. These, and none but these, except the seventy disciples, and other holy brethren, who lived whilst

He was