Notes upon thefe Chapters, Hence doth St. Peter fay, that they denied τον μόνον δεσπότην, that Sovereign Lord that bought them.

The Second Opinion is that of those who afterwards were called Docetæ, as Simon Magus (a) and his Difciples, who taught, ut Chriftus appareret hominibus, ut homo, cum non effet homo; & paffum in Judæa putatum cum non effet paffus, That Chrift appeared to Men as Man, when he was not Man; and was thought to fuffer in Judæa, when he did not fuffer. Bafilides (b) held also, That Chrift did not fuffer, but that Simon the Cyrenian fuffered in his ftead. Cerin thus (c) alfo held, That Jefus only fuffered, Chriftum autem effe impaffibilem exiftentem fpiritualem, but that Christ was impaffible, as being a Spirit. Marcion (d) also taught that Chrift feemed to be a Man, when he was not fo, καὶ δόξαι παθεῖν ἐδαμῶς πεπονθότα, and to have feemed to fuffer, when he did not Suffer. Seeing then St. John in his 2d Epiftle, informs us, That many Deceivers were gone out into the World, who confefs not that Jefus Chrift is come in the Flesh, adding, That be that doth fo is a deceiver, and an AntiChrist; and Chap. iv, That many false Pro

(a) Irena. C. 20. p. 95. Col. 2, &c. Theod Heret. Fab, 4. 1. c. I. p. 192.

(b) Cap. 23. p. 98,

(c) L. 1. Cap. 25. p. 102.

(d) Theod. Heret. Fab. I. 1, C. 24. p. 210, 211.

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phets

phets are gone out into the World, and that by this we may know them, That he that confeffeth that fefus Chrift is come in the Flesh, is of God, but he that confeffeth not that Jefus Chrift is come in the Flesh, is not of God: and this is that Spirit of Anti-Chrift, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the World. And Chap. ii. 22, 23, He faith, Who is a Lyar but he who denieth that Jefus is the Chrift? He is Anti-Chrift who denieth the Father and Son; whosoever denieth the Son, the fame hath not the Father.

Hence therefore it is evident, that in St. John's Opinion, these falfe Prophets and AntiChrifts who denied that Jefus who came in the Flesh, did alfo confequentially deny the Father, by denying the Father's Testimony of the Son, according to thofe Words of the fame Apostle, Chap. v. 10. He that believeth not God hath made him a Lyar, because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son. These therefore may be the falfe Teachers of whom St. Peter, and St. Jude speak, as of Persons who denied the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did not the Character here given of these Perfons confine thefe Words to the aforegoing Sense, it were eafy to fhow how God the Father may be faid in Scripture to have bought us. For fecing God spared not his Son, but gave him up to the Death for us all, Rom.

viii. 32. Seeing God fo loved us, that he fent his Son into the World, to be the Propitiation for our Sins; 1 Joh. iv. 10; And he procured this Propitiation, by given up himself a λurpov, a Price or Ransom for many, Mat. xx. 28. alpov, a Ransom for all, 1 Tim. ii. 6; And feeing his Blood was fhed for our Redemption, for we have Redemption through his Blood, Col. i. 14, and even eternal Redemption, Heb. ix. 12, we may well be faid to be bought by that God, who fent his Son into the World to purchase by his meritorious Paffion, this Redemption for us. Hence the Apoftle infers, that God having bought us with this Price, we are not our own but his; and therefore ought to glorifie God in our Bodies, and in our Spirits which are Gods. 1 Cor. vi. 20. As for the fecond Suppofition, that to deny that Chrift is the fupreme God, is to deny the Lord that bought them: That this is manifeftly false, hath been fo fully proved in the preceeding Difcourfes, that 'tis needlefs to attempt to do it farther here.

For feeing there is only one fupreme God, if our Lord Jefus be the fame fupreme God, he must be, at leaft as to his numerical Ef fence, God the Father. Whence follow these Abfurdities, that he who commandeth, is the fame God with him that obeyeth his Commands; and that the fame God both commandeth and obeyeth himself. That Interpre tation also abfurdly fuppofeth, that the fame Perfon

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Perlon fends himself, and is sent by himself; and this must be the meaning of thofe Words, God fent his Son into the World; That the fame Perfon giveth Power, Authority, and Dominion to himself, and receiveth it from himself And that this must be the meaning of those Words, The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his Hands, and that he hath appointed another to do what he himself must do, if he be one with him that doth it. For God will certainly judge the Secrets of Men by Jefus Chrift, Rom. ii. vi. And he hath appointed a Day, in which he will judge the World in Righte oufness, by that Man whom he hath raised from the Dead, Acts xvii. 31; To omit numerous Abfurdities of the like Nature.

DISCOURSE V.

DEUT. xxix. 29.

Secret Things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our Children for ever, that we may do all the Words of this Law.

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ved to be the

HAT which we render fecret things, is in the Hebrew Niftaroth, that is, Myfteries, or hidden things which God hath not revealed in his Word; which I have elsewhere proconftant Senfe of the Word, Whence it upia, in the Holy Scriptures. demonftrably follows, that what is truly a Mystery, cannot be a Revelation made by God; and that to require any Man to believe what we confefs to be a Myftery, is to require him to believe, what God hath not revealed in his Word; as is apparent from the Oppofition

here