CHAPTER IV: That by this designed union of the Son of God to this individual creature the man Jesus
Also we know, that in Christ himself, the personal glory he hath in heaven, he holds by a double tenure, the one as God's natural Son, the other by merit; and yet over and above it is said to be given him by his Father, as an act of his will and decrees. It is true, that for the manner or way of contrivance, how all should tend and serve to his glory, this must be granted to be merely arbitrary, and dependent on the counsels of God's will; even as the ordering how they shall serve to his own glory is. Yet that all should be cast for Christ's glory, as for God's (though in a subordination unto God's), is a necessary natural law between the Father and the Son. And so he holds it, and not simply by arbitrement.
Thus much for the second particular, that his royalty, in being the first of God's decrees, and therein to be the end of all things, is held forth in these words, 'First-begotten,' &c., 'He is before all things.'
But concerning his priority in God's decrees, there will be occasion to speak more hereafter, in other places of this discourse.
CHAPTER IV
That by this designed union of the Son of God to this individual creature the man Jesus, and in the person of this his Son so considered, God hath and doth make the highest manifestation of his glory, and communication of himself, such as by no created ways or means else could have been attained.
And this third branch is the natural result of both, especially the first, which was, that he was 'the image of the invisible God;' which is spoken in respect of the manifestation of the Godhead to us, in him human nature.
Herein then, thirdly, lies the divine glory of Christ, that God's highest ends of making and ordaining any creature, being the manifestation of himself, and the communication of himself to us; if it be manifest
that by this personal union he attaineth these ends more fully than any other way, then this design must needs be acknowledged the sovereign and eldest birth, and first-born of God's thoughts, and the glory of Christ as God-man answerable hereunto.
It is true the work of redemption addeth hereunto some pieces, as the manifestation of mercy, justice; and the story thereof giveth us a new and complete edition of God's attributes (which I have shewn at large in that treatise, The Glory of the Gospel); yet if the ends for which this union of God-man in the person of Christ alone serves for be considered, it will be seen that the ground-work, or the substance of that glory on which those other colours of redemption are laid, and do but superadd unto, are found in the person itself, simply considered as God-man. Yea, and the most glorious of those ends
God had in the whole compass of this design of Christ's incarnation, are the immediate result of his personal union to our nature, and of us unto him. However, this much is granted on all hands, that the glory God hath by this work, and the issue of it alone, exceeds infinitely what could have arisen from any, or all of his goings forth in making mere creatures; and this, say I, moved him above all else in his purposes to make any creature.
The eminent ends God had to move him to make all, or any creature, were two.
1. The manifestation of himself, and his glorious perfections to creatures reasonable, that they might glorify him.
2. To shew his love, and communicate his goodness unto those creatures reasonable, which he would set himself to love.
The first respecteth himself, who made all things for himself and his glory; and therefore he resolved to manifest the glory of all his attributes unto the full.
The second respecteth the creatures, to some of which it became him, who was goodness itself, to communicate also that goodness to
the highest and utmost.
1. Now take this great and most glorious design of assuming some one creature reasonable (which by his decree was man, and that man
Jesus in special), into person with one of the three persons; which lot, by his decree, fell on 'that Son of man.' And take this singly and alone, without the superadded project of redemption, and we shall find that both these great ends are thereby more fully accomplished
(though this work of redemption added makes them more full) than could possibly have been attained by the creation of millions of worlds of mere creatures (if this should have been supposed wanting) made to manifest God's glory and his goodness in; although they had all been made in never so several variety, which the wisdom of God could have contrived the models of; or never so glorious in their several varieties.
For demonstration whereof; First, Would God manifest himself as God, and make known those glories locked up in himself, which was the chief end of creating, as Rom. 1:20, 'The invisible things of him' (that is, his attributes which cannot otherwise be seen or known by us, to which the words of this text agree), 'from the creation of the world are clearly seen, even his eternal power and Godhead?' Here is a way, this is a way, namely, to assume man's nature into personal union with his Son, puts down all ways of mere and simple creation that can be supposed. More of God's glory shall instantly shine forth in that small model, the man
Christ Jesus, having the Godhead dwelling in him personally, than by God's making millions of worlds never so various, or so richly furnished with glories. For still in them, at best, would have appeared but τὰ Θεοῦ, 'the things of God,' as Rom. 1:20. And the more diversified they had been, the more scatteredly and brokenly would those things of God have appeared in them, even but as footsteps, vestigia deitatis, and at best but as the dark shadow of a man in broken and scattered pieces to be picked up here and there, and set together, some resemblance or shadow of the Godhead would
appear. But in the man Christ Jesus, God himself appears personally, 'God manifest in the flesh,' 1 Tim. 3:16, 'seen of angels,' and that with so great and super-eminent a glory, that they cover their faces and fall down at it. For when the type of his personal glory, as he was to come in the manhood, was presented filling his temple, the seraphims are said to cover their faces; Isa. 6:1–3, 'In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. About it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.' And that that prophecy and vision was spoken of him as God manifested in human nature, is evident by Christ's own applying it to himself, as prophetically spoken of him as to come; John 12:41, 'These things said Isaiah'
(Christ having in the 40th verse cited the very words of his prophecy in the 10th verse of that 6th chapter), 'when he saw his glory, and spake of him,' and so of those times when he was in the flesh, and that glory that followed. And therefore also in Heb. 1:3, when he had set him out in that glory the human nature now wears in heaven, being 'the brightness,' or shine 'of his Father's glory,' his favour being as the sun, the glory of Christ, God-man, but the ἀπαύγασμα, the shine, the lustre of it; yet such as there follows, ver. 6, 'Let all the angels of God worship him.' Thus was he seen of angels (who worshipped him), the most curious spectators that ever God made; and he was seen too men, John 1:14, 'We saw his glory, as of the only begotten Son of God;' which appeared so transcendent in glory, as whoever saw it must needs acknowledge, 'This man is God, this is he.' Therefore John putteth this peculiar character upon it, that it was 'as the glory of the only begotten Son of God.' By other works you may know there is a God; but there is that peculiar impress of majesty upon his glory, and that brightness accompanies it, that you must say when you see it, this is no other than God himself dwelling in man. It is such a glory as could not have resulted out of millions of worlds of mere creatures, made on purpose to shew forth God's glory. And whereas the Godhead and the glory of it was invisible, as
the text hath it, and locked up from the eyes of all creatures, 'dwelling in light inaccessible,' 1 Tim. 6:16, God dwelling personally in this man, puts forths a peculiar image of the Godhead, and makes the glory of the Godhead visible (as to the utmost it could be). God hath on purpose stamped his utmost manifestative glory on the face of Christ, that we might see it in him; 2 Cor. 6:6, 'God gives the light of the knowledge of God in the face' (or as others read it, the person)
'of Jesus Christ.' That as the soul looks out in the face, and you see more of a man's disposition in a look, a cast of his eye, a wink, a blush there, than in all his body, so of the Godhead in Christ Jesus, which is his face. He is 'the brightness of his Father's glory,' shining in and through a veil of flesh (whereof the shining of Moses's face was but a type and shadow) through the lantern of his humanity (if I may so compare it), so to relieve our eyes in beholding the Godhead, which no eye could otherwise have done. There is a sun behind that veil, the glory of which immediately shining, would have put out our eyes.
Now observe, how in this design God exceedingly condescended to our frailty. We are reasonable creatures clothed with senses, desirous to pry and see what we know and hear of, to have something visible, as the disposition of the people of Israel shewed; and also appears in that speech of Moses, Exod. 33:18, 'Let me see thy glory.' Now hereby
God hath satisfied this innate curiosity that is in us. Here we may and shall see the God that goes afore us (as they desired, Exod. 32:1).
Here we may say, as the apostle did; 1 John 1:1–3, '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 (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ.'
I will instance but in the manifestation of one attribute, and that is that which is mentioned in Rom. 1:20, as that which is more especially instanced in, as seen in the creation, 'his eternal power and Godhead.' The very knitting man's nature into one person with the Son of God, was a greater work of power than God ever did besides.
That God is made flesh, is a greater wonder than to have made worlds; therefore in this conception, and work of uniting that nature, it is said, 'The power of God shall over-shadow thee,' Luke 1:35. It argues great power, to join diverse elements in one body, and then unto that body to unite a soul, and breathe a breath of life; as when
God made man, his choicest piece and workmanship, 'a living soul.'
But he did not only all this in framing Christ's human nature, the same that ours is, immediately himself, by the Holy Ghost, but further united the Son of God; and this nature infinitely more disjoined and disproportioned each to other, than the reasonable soul and our bodies; which he did when he made him 'a quickening
Spirit.' All the works in nature are so far short of this, that they afford not a full similitude of it. Yea, all God's works, of nature and grace, are altogether bound up in it (as the schoolmen well shew), and exceeded by it. Of all other works we may say that Deus potuit facere melius et majus, if we take but this work out of the order and chain of things, out of the system of this world. But we may safely say that a greater work than this could not have been done by God himself.
Which therefore is the amazement of angels. This one instance is but for a taste of the rest.
2. God's second end respects the creatures; which was to shew his love unto, and communicate himself unto his creatures. Now, by this union alone (if no other design had been in it), he should have done it more than any other way.
Besides that by this happy marriage and union of both natures, God hath given the utmost pledge of his love to his whole creation, a kindness and respect is done unto them all; not only in that he shews he loves his creatures, so that he will assume one of that rank and sort so near him; but further in this, that that creature so assumed
was the epitome, the compendium of them all. Man, a little world, called 'every creature,' Mark 16:15. To the making of whom the poets feigned a piece of every creature to have been taken. And so, by the advancement of this nature he preferreth and advanceth at once the whole creation, and every kind or part thereof, for something common to every one is in him. There is an ἀνακεφαλαίωσις (as I have elsewhere shewn*), a 'gathering together of all things' in earth and heaven; and not of creatures reasonable only, angels and men, under his dominion as a head, but even of all creatures also in his person. He is the corner-stone of the whole creation. Yea, and God and all comes in to make one, and is 'gathered together in one,' with all things else in him, so as God hath thereby knit all creatures to himself. And therefore Hugo brings in God, speaking of his making his Son a man, thus, Do not think that in this I aim only at the reconciliation of men; but in him by this means the whole creation is become amiable and lovely unto me; looking upon it in this model or epitome.
But more especially his love is shewn hereby to man, the darling of his creation. Suppose Christ, God-man, had only been given to men as a head and husband (and they had not needed reconciliation by him), this had been infinite love; yea, this gift had excelled, and doth excel all the benefits of redemption, if abstractly considered from this other. What would Adam have given for such a husband? Now, ver.
18 of this Col. 1, he is called, 'the head of this body, his church,' a head more worth than all the body. But of this more by and by.
I come to the second head, the communication of the goodness of the Godhead unto creatures reasonable. And for this the union of the Son of God with the man Christ Jesus serves in the highest way.
Good, we know, is communicable of itself. Now God is good, and so doth good (as the psalmist speaks). He only is good, as Christ says, the chiefest good. Now, by this same law, that bonum est sui communicativum, that is, that goodness is communicative: by the same also, summum bonum est summè communicativum sui, that is, the highest good is communicative of himself the highest way. And as
to communicate himself to creatures moved him to create, so he was resolved to communicate himself to the utmost, or he would never create at all; he would never have put his hand to this work else. Now he could not have made a communication of himself the highest way but by a personal union of some person with a creature reasonable; for all communication depends upon an union. The creature must be one with god ere it communicate of his goodness in a way of blessedness. Now therefore by this rule still, the newer union the nearer communication. And by the same proportion, the highest communication cannot be without the highest union. Now that highest union alone is personal union of a creature with one who was
God. So then, to attain this end, this was necessary, for the highest communication would not have been attained without it.
Now by this union you shall see is effected the highest communication and that, First, To that creature, or individual man Jesus, that was assumed.
And, Secondly, In that nature, to us that are united to him.
First, To that creature or nature itself: for in him thereby the fulness of the Godhead dwells personally, as some well translate that word
'bodily;' and so it is the highest union that may be or might have been. He was united to God, or one that is God; not as to an object only, or as to a perficient only, as we all shall be in heaven unto God,
'made perfect in one,' John 17:23, but to the Son of God, who is God, as terminus essentiæ, to terminate and give bounds of subsistence and personality to that human nature; so as the human nature and the Son of God are not only 'one flesh,' as man and wife, which is the nearest union with us; nor 'one spirit' only, as we with Christ, but 'one person' (of which I have spoken elsewhere). And hence this human nature is made 'God's fellow,' as Zechariah calls him, Zech.
13:7. The man, God's fellow, is advanced to a fellowship in this society of Trinity; and therefore to him God communicates himself proportionally, 'without measure,' as Christ in the Gospel of John
speaks. Which was not due to any mere creature, but it was his due when first assumed; 'No man hath seen God at any time, but the Son,' John 1:18. None should have done it without him; none can see
God as he doth, nor is capable of it.
And, Secondly, by means of this union with, and communication unto, this one reasonable creature, there is way made for God in, and for his sake, to communicate himself unto other creatures, who are made his fellows, as he is God's fellow; and this in a higher way than by the mere law of creation any creature could have attained. Others of the sons of men united to Christ, come to be united to God thereby, more nearly than otherwise, or any other way they should have been. For this, let me put in by the way, it was not fit, or meet, some say not possible, to have united and assumed all, or many men, to his union; however, not meet. It was a dignity too great to be made common. It became not the great God, who is one in nature, to communicate this dignity, but unto one. And this being supposed, as for us, the Vulgus of those creatures, whom God meant to communicate himself unto, there was no way for their behoof like unto this, that God should take one of them up to himself, and by their union with him, and for his sake, to give forth himself to the rest. First, to many man's nature in some one individual man in this incommunicable way, and then to marry us of the same nature unto him; and so thereby making him first partaker of the Godhead in a transcendent way, as his natural due; and then when once he was so united, for his sake, and in respect of our relation to him, to admit us to the nearest union, in a supernatural, or super-creation way, which mere creatures are capable of, and which, but for him, he never should have vouchsafed unto us as mere creatures by any law or covenant of our creation. And thus through this humanity, as through a sacred breast, we do, lactare deitatem (as one of the fathers speaks). And although our redemption by Christ, as we are sinners, is an infinite benefit; yet his person thus given us, is more worth than all those his benefits; Est aliquid in Christo formosius salvatore. And then by our interest in his person, we come to inherit
God with him, to be heirs and coheirs with Christ, of God, in such a
way communicated, as but for this his union with God first, we should never have attained.
I will give but one instance to illustrate this, as I did bring but one for the setting forth the former. Power was the attribute I pitched on, as manifested in this assumption, in the foregoing head; and wisdom shall be the attribute I single out, to illustrate this other of God's communicating himself the highest way. And these two I instance in, because Christ is both the 'power of God,' and the 'wisdom of God.'
Would God communicate and make known unto his creatures reasonable, the depths, the 'riches' of his knowledge and wisdom, as the apostle styles them, and communicate the treasures of them to the utmost they are communicable? Now by means of taking up one creature reasonable, a man, into this highest union, shall this be effected the highest way that could be supposed.
First, To that creature so united; for it is his due to know more at the first instant of that his union than all the angels—blow up their understandings, and fill them to the utmost wideness. For by virtue of that union, he is presently 'in his Father's bosom;' as it is peculiarly said of him, John 1:18, 'No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.' He is made there, by his place, God's privy counsellor; 'the mighty counsellor,' Isa. 9:6. It is his place by inheritance, he hath right to know all God's secrets, he is God's eldest
Son, his fellow, and therefore it is said, that God 'lays up all the treasures of knowledge in him,' Col. 2:3. Because (as it follows) the Godhead dwells bodily in him, and thereby he comes to have the Spirit above measure, and that Spirit 'searcheth the deep things of God.' If God said of Abraham, 'How shall I hide from Abraham what
I mean to do?' Gen. 18:17, much less can he keep it secret from Christ. God can hide nothing from him which he means to do; and indeed, to know it is his due. He draws nearer to God infinitely than
Moses did, or angels ever did, or shall. Moses (his type) was taken up into the mount, where God appeared, and angels up into heaven; but Moses was not taken up into this mount, the highest place of honour,
of personal union, standing upon which, this man hath a full prospect into all God's counsels and ways. See how Moses is slighted to him even in this. 'The law came by Moses,' says John, chap. 1 ver.
17, who, when he received it, was spoken to by God as never man was. God professeth he revealed himself to 'no prophet, as to Moses, face to face,' Num. 12:8. But what follows in John 1:17? 'Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.' And John gives the reason of the difference, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten
Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath revealed him,' ver.
18. Moses saw God as never no man saw him. But Moses' sight was no sight in comparison of Christ's. For notwithstanding he had spoken of Moses, ver. 17, yet in the next verse he dares to say, 'No man hath seen God at any time,' but only this Son, his eldest Son. No servant, no adopted son, ever saw God so, or shall do, or could do, but the eldest, who is in God's bosom.
Secondly, This way of communicating himself to one thus assumed into this union, was the best means to communicate his depths of wisdom to other creatures made one with him (for still remember it was not fit that any more than one should be partaker of this high privilege of personal union); for this man being himself thus in God's bosom, as hath been declared, is able to declare more of God to the rest of his brethren, than they otherwise should have ever known. He was first to see God, and then reveal him to others, us John 1:18, 'He hath revealed him,' says the evangelist. And he is able to speak experimentally, out of sight, the deep things of God; John 3:11, 'We speak,' says he, 'the things we have heard and seen,' not at second hand, but upon personal eye-sight. And whereas others, if they would speak of the heavenly things to us, must do it under earthly similitudes; he is able (if we were capable of it) to speak heavenly things in their own idiom. So ver. 12, to set forth his knowledge of the things he speaks, 'If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not'
(and yet Christ had spoken afore of nothing but things heavenly, and they only are the object of faith), 'how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?' it is as if he had said, I have told you but earthly things in comparison of what I could tell you; if you were capable of
them, I could speak heavenly in their own dialect. And the reason follows, ver. 13, 'for no man hath ascended into heaven, but he who came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.'
Yea further, he hath the power and skill, not by the means of words only that are heavenly (suiting heavenly things to heavenly) but to create such inward real images and rays of heavenly things, as shall manifest the very things themselves to us, in their heavenly splendour, and as the beams of the sun do let in the sight of the sun itself into our eyes.
2. Yea, and further, by means of this personal union of our nature with the Son of God, revealing and communicating the knowledge of God unto us, it comes to pass that the greatest riches of assurance is added unto that knowledge, without which our knowledge of God, and his mind, would not be so fully satisfactory, though we could have come to know never so much any other way. No way could ever have been thought of, so to ascertain our belief, as this. No way conduces to such an infallibility of revelation as this doth. If a mere creature revealed God unto us (as Moses did), it might be, at least, supposed not to be so certain as when God-man shall speak. For though the words of the prophets had a certainty in them, as Peter comparing the certainty of the Scripture with that voice he had heard from heaven, 2 Pet. 1:19, he calls it 'a more sure word of prophecy;' so may I say of what God-man shall speak. It is infinitely a more certain sure word, for It is as 'impossible that he should lie,' as that God himself should. Every man may be supposed a liar, but we are sure he cannot. And the Son of God being one in person with him, if you hear him speak, there is an impossibility of being deceived, for himself is God. Therefore, Heb. 1:1, 'In these last days he spake by his
Son,' which is also again indigitated, chap. 2 ver. 2, 3, 'For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward: how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.' And it is there brought in as a more infallible and unparalleled evidence of the truth of the gospel above the law, that that was 'given