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with judgment from henceforth, even for ever. Luke, i. 32, 33. Compare Daniel, vii. 14. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David; and he shall reign over the house of David for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Daniel. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Micah, iv. 7. And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion, from henceforth, even for ever. Matt. xxi. 5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of Rev. xix. 12, 16. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns: and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself. And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.

an ass.

20. Q. What is that authority?

A. While he was yet upon earth, he gave laws unto his church, for the regulation of the lives and actions of those who should become members of it. Matt. vii. 24, 26. Therefore, whosoever heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man that built his house upon a rock: and every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand.

These laws he established with the royal sanction of rewards and punishments. Matt. vii. 19, 21. Every

tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire.-Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.

He settled a ministry for the conduct of his church under him. John, xx. 21, 22, 23. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose-soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose-soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

He rules in the hearts of the faithful, by his Spirit. He has already begun to subdue our enemies, sin, the devil, and death, and he will hereafter utterly destroy them. 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 26. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

He now sits in full power at the right hand of God, interceding for us; and, at the end of the world, he will descend from thence with glory, to judge mankind, and so put in execution his promises and threatenings; by infinitely rewarding those who shall be found to have observed his laws, and exceedingly punishing those who shall have broken them. Matt. xxv. 31, &c. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before hm shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd

divideth his sheep from the goats. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

SECT. IX.

Of his Divine Nature, and his authority over us, as our Mediator.

1. Q. What is that relation which Christ is here said to have to God?

A. He is his only Son.

2. Q. In what respect do you believe Christ to be the Son of God?

A. He is so called in the Holy Scriptures upon several accounts. *As he was conceived by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary. Luke, i. 35. And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

*As he was anointed by the same Blessed Spirit to the office of the Messiah. John, x. 34, 36. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God. Acts, ix. 20. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

* As he was begotten again of God when he raised him from the dead. Acts, xiii. 33. God hath fulfilled the same (promise) unto us their children, in that he

hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Rom. i. 4. Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

And, lastly, as being raised from the dead, he was made by God, the heir of all things. Heb. i. 2, 5. God hath in these latter days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.—For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son.

3. Q. In which of these respects do you here profess to believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God?

A. Precisely speaking, in none of them all; though yet I acknowledge the most of them to be so proper to him, as not to be capable of being applied to any other. But when I here profess Christ to be God's only Son, I do it upon a much higher and more excellent foundation; namely, upon the account of his eternal generation, and that communication which God the Father thereby made of the Divine Nature to him.

4. Q. Do you then look upon Christ to have the same Divine Nature with the Father; and so to have been from all eternity, God, together with him?

A. If I believe the Scriptures to give a true account of the nature of Christ, so I must believe: for I find the same evidences in them of the Godhead of Christ, that I do of that of the Father.

5. Q. What be those evidences?

A. First, they give the name of God to him; and

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that in such a manner as plainly shews it to be understood in its most proper import and signification. John, i. 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord, and my God. Rom. ix. 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Phil. ii. 6. Jesus Christ, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. 1 John, v. 20. We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

PROOFS SUBJOINED.-Psalm xiv. 6, 7. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion. When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. Isaiah, vii. 14. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ix. 6. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Acts, xx. 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Secondly, they ascribe the most proper and incom

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