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 everlafling, or before the world exifted; his eternal gene. ration is indifputable,

But to ascertain, clearly, the nature of the divine relation of Father and Son, is of such confequence to the knowledge of the christ ian fyftem, particularly, whether it is to be understood, as we have taken it, in the voluntary fenfe; 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 fense; it was one of the peculi arities of his manner of speaking, 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 whofoever 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,

F

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 used the words fon and father: but that he confidered them in the relation of parents, in his own fenfe 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 feen with your father."-They anfwered 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 feek 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 myfelf, but he fent me.*-Why do ye not understand my speech? 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 conftiuction is omitted in the tranflation: For I proceeded forth, and came from God; for neither came I of myself, 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 fpeaketh 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 ftill 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 spake of himself as proceeding forth from him, and being his Son, in fome myfterious and inexplicable sense, how could they be blamed for not understanding his fpeech? or how was this evidence of a wicked difpofition? especially, as in the fame difcourfe, he applied the fame terms to them, most indisputably, in the plain voluntary sense,

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 disciple fanding by, whom he loved, he faith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy Son. Then faith

he to the difciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that difciple took her to his own home. John xix.-Might not this tender inftance of the use of these terms make an impreffion upon the mind of this difciple, which led him fo remarkably to the fame ufe. of them, as we shall presently notice? A multitude of inftances of the fame manner might be pointed out, but thofe above may eftablifh the juftnefs of the remark, that Jefus Chrift commonly used thefe relative terms in the voluntary fenfe, and that this was one of the peculiarities of his expreffion. Hence the Apostle lays down this fentiment, that if we be not chaftifed, and brought up before God, as in a way of obedience to parental. government, then are we baftards and not fons.

2. A doctrine, in the common acceptation of the word, is a rule; it is fomething the nature of which may be opened, conceived of, and improved; and fo capable of being applied to fome cafe as a rule.-If then, the divine union of Father and Son, as many have fuppofed, be a myftery, or a thing which, in its nature, is incapable of being opened and explained-a relation peculiar to the Divine Being, and, therefore, not in the least affording a rule or inftruction in any of the relations of creatures; with what propriety is it confidered or called a doctrine?-How much this difficulty has been felt by many minds the most ferious and humbly devoted to the truth of God, is well known.

But our Lord brought forward this divine relation as a doctrine; he dwelt upon it-it

was the text of his fermons-the burthen of almost all his difcourfes; and he discovered, the greatest earnestnefs, not merely that the truth might be believed, but also that it might be understood.-It is evident that this matter is laid down in the New Teftament as the great rule of the gofpel. The manner of St. John, particularly, throughout his Evangelift and Epiftles, appear ftudied to make this impreffion.-Let the following paffages be obferved:

Jefus cried and faid, He that believeth onme, believeth not on me, but on him that fent me. And he that feeth me, feeth him that fent me.-I am come a light into the world, that whofoever believeth on me fhould not abide in darkness.—And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him no:; for I came not to judge the world, but to fave the world. He that rejecteth and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him.-The word that I have spoken, the fame fhall judge him in the laft day." For I have not fpoken of myself; but the Father which fent me, he gave me a commandment, what I fhould fay, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlafting." John xii.-By the union of Chrift with the Father expreffed here; his being so one with the Father, that he that believeth on him believeth on the Father, and he that feeth him feeth the Father; the truth of his Father's will being in him, is plainly intended, viz. that he was acting wholly by his commandment, and was immediately fpeaking his words; which will, com