fwer this purpose, for this perfon is included in the one God; and it is between the one God and men that another being or perfon must ftand, or there can be no mediator between them. To fuppofe the one individual God, or one individual Being, fo divided, as part to stand in the character and capacity of a mediator be tween men and the reft of that Being, is most abfurd.

Whatever therefore our opinions may be, concerning the existence of the Supreme Being; whether we confider him as existing in a Trini ty, or in abfolute Unity, while we believe him to be one individual Being, or one moft High God, we must admit the existence of another Being, or it seems impoffible for us to have any proper notion of a mediatory difpenfation.

A short

A fhort fummary of evidence, to prove that Jefus Chrift existed before all things, and that by him all things were created.

HAT Jefus Chrift was before all things,

THA

and that God the Father created all things by him, is evident from many fcripture, tefimonies, which have been given at fundry times, and in divers manners. Some of which I fhall collect under the following articles :

I. That Jefus Chrift existed before he was incarnate, and also before the world or any creature was made, is exprefsly teftified in fe veral paffages. John i. 15. John bare witnefs of him, and cried, faying, This is he of whom I fpake; he that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me.' Ver. 30. This is he of whom 1 faid, After me cometh a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.'

John viii. 58. Jefus faid unto them, Verily, verily, I fay unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.' Rev. xxii. 16. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and the morning ftar.' Rev. iii. 14. Rev. iii. 14. The beginning of the creation of God.'

John i. 1.

Col. i. 15.

In the beginning was the word,'
Who is the image of the invifi-

ble God, the first born of every creature.❜

Micah v. 2.

from of old.'

'Whofe goings forth have been 1 John ii. 13. I write unto

you,

you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.

In thefe paffages we have the teftimonies of John the Baptist, of Chrift himself, the prophet Micah, the apostle Paul, and the apostle John, all concurring to prove, by the most direct teftimonies, being most unexceptionable witneffes, that Jefus Chrift exifted before his incarnation, and even before the world began.

II. That all things were created by Jefus Christ, and, of confequence, that he is before all things, is evident from the following tef timonies : John i. 3. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.' Ver 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.' Col. i. 16. By him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him.'

III. That Chrift was fet up, or anointed by the Father before the world was, and that the Father created all things by him at first, as truly and properly as he renews all things by him now; and confequently that Jefus Chrift existed from the beginning in a mediatory character, or inferior to the Father, is evident from the following teftimonies :

Prov. viii. 23. I was fet up, or I was anointed, from hidden duration, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.' (See page 10, 11, 12, 13. foregoing.) Eph. iii. 9. God, who created all things by Jefus Chrift,' Heb. i. 2. hath in thefe laft days fpoken to us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whoin alfo he made the worlds.' (See page 18. 24.)

IV. That Jefus Chrift was with the Father in the beginning, and that the Father fpake to him, as one to be concerned in creation, and in the difpenfations of providence, appears from the following texts:

John i. 1, 2. In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God. The fame was in the beginning with God.' Gen. i. 26. God faid, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.' Gen. xi. 6, 7.

And Jehovah faid, Let us go down and there confound their language.' Pfal. cx. 1. Jehovah faid to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand.' Compare Pfalm xlv. 6. with Heb. i. 8. Gen. iii. 22. And the Lord God faid, Behold the man is become like one of us.' Prov. viii. 29, 30. When he appointed the foundations of the earth; then was I by him, as one brought up with him.'

V. That it was Jefus Chrift whofe voice was often heard, and who was feveral times feen in forms more or lefs glorious, as the occafions, required,

required, under the Old - Teftament difpenfation; appears from comparing thefe with what is faid of the invifibility of the Father, and of all access to him being by Jefus Chrift.. Gen. iii. 8, 9. And they heard the voiceof the Lord God walking in the midft of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam.

Gen. xv. 1, 5. came to Abram, abroad, and faid,

ven:

Gen. xvii. 1, 3.

The word of the Lord -and he brought him forth Look now towards hea

• When Abram was nine

ty years old and nine, the Lord appeared unto Abram; and Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him.'

Gen. xviii. 1, 2. And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, and he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo three men stood by him.

Ver. 20, 21. And the Lord faid, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their fin is very grievous; I will go down now, and fee whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it.' Ver. 33. And the Lord went his way as foon as he had left communing with Abraham.'

Gen. xxvi. 2. And the Lord appeared unto him, Ifaac,] and faid unto him, Go not down into Egypt.'

Gen. xxxii. 24, 30. And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the break of day.-And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh; and he said I will not

M

let