it fet before him a reward no less than the inheritance of God, which is his people.The act of inauguration alfo, whilft it gave the anointed one the most folemn charge, and laid him under the deepest obligations; at once it bestowed upon him the highest reward, by fetting him up, and conftituting him the head of the church as his body.-In this fame act the commander and rewarder was made a father, and him who was commanded and rewarded was made a fon. And as this deed, which gives being to the relation of father and fon, and is therefore an act of generation in the fenfe the word is now used, exifted before the world was; the truth of an eternal generation is established upon the strongest grounds, being found in the nature of the divine principle.

And what is there obfcure or peculiarly inexplicable in this doctrine? which matter is all comprised in four fimple ideas relative to the will; and which are acknowledged, on all hands, to exift in the bleffed will of the Father, and of his Son Jefus Chrift, viz. parental command and parental favor; acquiefcence in fuch authority, and enjoyment of fuch bleffing.-What can be named more within the sphere of human knowledge than this? If poffible, it is lefs obfcure than the exiftence of light and heat in the fun.

That the Lord Jefus Chrift laid down his life in a way of obedience to the divine will, we have his express declaration. John x. 18. This commandment have I received of my Father. This will of the Father, as it respect

ed the unworthy and juftly condemned creature, is called grace, as in Heb. ii. 9. That he, by the grace of God, fhould tafte death for every man. But this grace was given us in Chrift Jefus before the world was. Which implies his yielding confent and filial duty to the command; and, in effect, his being a lamb flain from the foundation of the world. So evident it is, that this character of paternity, and this of fonfhip, which is the fruit of it, have exifted together, in and with God, from everlafting.- -And as to the other branch of the divine will, its existence, and that alfo from eternity, is as plainly expressed by Wisdom, Pro. viii. "I was fet up fromt everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth: when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were fettled; before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the duft of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he fet a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he ftrengthened the foundations of the deep: When he gave to the fea his decree, that the waters fhould not pass his com mandment: when he appointed the foundati ons of the earth, Then I was by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.”—To which we may alfo add, the declarations of our Lord, that he had glory with the Father before the world was: and that the Father

loved him before the foundation of the world. John xvii.-As therefore, the great idea of Jefus Chrift being the Son of the Father, is this of his being brought forth, or brought up, in filial duty, and glorified in parental love; and as this was done from everlasting, or before the world exifted; his eternal ration is indifputable.

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But to ascertain, clearly, the nature of the divine relation of Father and Son, is of fuch confequence to the knowledge of the chriftian fyftem, particularly, whether it is to be understood, as we have taken it, in the voluntary sense; that it may be proper, in this place, to offer fome further confiderations of the fubject.

1. Our Lord commonly, if not always, in his doctrine, used the terms Father, Son, &c. in this high fenfe; it was one of the peculiarities of his manner of fpeaking, as in the following inftances:

There came then his brethren, and his mother, and, ftanding without, fent unto him, calling him. And the multitude fat about him, and they faid unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without feek for thee.-And he answered them, faying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?-And he looked round about on them which fat about him, and faid, Behold, my mother and my brethren. For whofocver fhall do the will of God, the fame is my brother, and my fifter, and mother, Mark iii.

When he was found by his parents, fitting in the temple, hearing and converfing with the doctors; his mother faid unto him, Son,

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why haft thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have fought thee forrowing. And he faid unto them, How is it that ye fought me? Wift ye not that I must be about my Father's business? Luke ii.-In this reply he appears to fet afide the fenfe in which Mary had ufed the words fon and father: but that he confidered them in the relation of par ents, in his own sense of the word, it is immediately added, that he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was fubject unto them.

"I fpeak that which I have feen with my Father; and ye do that which ye have seen "with your father."-They answered and faid unto him, Abraham is our father. Jefus faith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye feck to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God; this did not Abraham.-Ye do the deeds of your father. Then faid they unto him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God, Jefus faid unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me; for I proceeded forth, and came from God; neither came I of my felf, but he fent me.*-Why do ye not understand my fpeech? even because ye cannot hear my word.-Ye are of your father, the Devil, and the lufts of your father ye will

In the original, the last fentence of this verse is evidently explicative, the (Greek gar,) for, which gives it this construction is omitted in the tranflation: For I proceeded forth, and came from God; for neither came 【 of myjelf, but the fame fent me.

do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.—" When he speaketh a lie, he fpeaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it." John viii.-It may be observed of this paffage, that the Jews understood, or affected to understand the word father in a phyfical fenfe, as importing merely a natural relation; or, if they ufed it fpeaking of God, and called him their Father, they still would mean fomething befides an union of will as conftituting the relation, But, against all their cavils, the Lord Jefus adhered to his voluntary sense, which gives this import of the word great authority.-It may also be obferved of this quotation, that our Lord blamed the Jews for not understanding his fpeech, and imputed it to a wrong temper, as well he might, for it certainly feems very plain language. But, upon the fuppofition that he called God his Father, and fpake of himself as proceeding forth from him, and be ing his Son, in fome myfterious and inexplicable fenfe, how could they be blamed for not underflanding his fpeech? or how was this evidence of a wicked difpofition? efpecially, as in the fame difcourfe, he applied the fame terms to them, moft indifputably, in the plain voluntary fenfe.

Now there food by the cross of Jefus, his mother, and his mother's fifter. Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jefus, therefore, faw his mother, and the difciple Standing by, whom he loved, he faith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy Son. Then faith