world, I grant is fenfe, because God did make the world; but if there be any fenfe in the words being made Flesh, it is certain, that God is Incarnate. For the Wisdom and Power of God, which is with God, and is God, cannot be Incarnate, unless God be Incarnate. Unless we can divide God from his Wildom,. and separate the Wisdom of God, [which was with him from the beginning,] from God, to be Incarnate in Man. The Wifdom of God can no more be Incarnate, unless God can be Incarnate, then the Wif dom of an Angel can be Incarnate, without the Incarnation of the Angel: and thus this Socinian is turned Sabellian, and Patropafian.

However, I confefs, we are beholden to this Hiflorian, for he has given up this place to us, which is one of the most exprefs places for the Divinity of our Saviour. He allows, that the beginning is the beginning of all things; that Word fignifies fomething Divine; even the Wisdom and Power of God; that to be with God, is to be intimately prefent with him; that to be God, is to be God himself: That all things were made by him, is meant of the first Creation of the world; that this Divine Word was made Flesh, and did abide on the human Perfon of Chrift Jefus; the only difference between us is, whether this Word, of whom all these things are faid, be a Divine Perfon, or only the communicable attribute of Wisdom and Power in God; and this after what I have faid, I leave to any man of common understanding to determine.

But what becomes of his beloved Socinus all this while? when the very Master-piece of his Wit and Invention is rejected by his own Difciples; for if this Socinian be in the right, his Master was greatly in the wrongi

By

By the Word he understands a Perfon,but One who is the Word, not by Nature, but Office: by the beginning he understands the beginning of John the Baptift's preaching; in this beginning the Word was ; that is, Chrift was in being, was in the world, when John the Baptift began to preach; a great discovery! But he was with God,known to God only at that time; which is very hardly true; and was God, by Dignity and Office, not by Nature. All things were made by him, not created; the world was not made by him; but all things are new made by him; that is, all who believe in him, are made new Creatures; and after a great many great things faid of this Word, at last the Evangelift difcovers this great Myftery, the Word was made Flesh, that is, the Word was a Man.

If this be not ridiculing Scripture nothing is; I am fure it represents the Evangelift very ridiculously, to tell the World, that Chrift, who was half a year younger than John, was in the world when John began to preach; but how but how great a Perfon he was, and what his Office was, was then known only to God. Which if it were true, is no great Mystery; and to fay this in fuch a myfterious pomp of words, as there is nothing like it in all the Scripture,is fuch a vain affectation, as no School-mafter, but an arrant Fop, would endure in a School-boy.

I shall not go about induftriously to confute that, which they themselves begin to be ashamed of, but fhall only lay down one rule of expounding Scripture, and all other Writings, which is a very reafonable one, and will eafily anfwer all the Art and Fallacy which is ufed in this Caufe; and that is this, to expound all words and phrafes to a proper and literal fense, and to the utmost extent of their fignification,

where

where the Circumstances of the place do not require a figurative and limited fenfe; if we do not allow this, there is no certain rule of expounding, but men may interpret, according to their own Fancies and Imaginations, to any fenfe that the word was ever ufed in; and then we may make any thing of any thing, even a good Catholick of Socinus himtelf.

Now according to this Rule, in the beginning must fignifie the first beginning of all things; for that is beginning in its utmoft Latitude, and that is the proper fignification of beginning, when there is nothing to limit it, and there is nothing here. Was the Word muft fignifie the Word did fubfift, and therefore is a Perfon; God muft fignifie God by Nature, which is the first and proper fignification of the Word, not a Metaphorical God by Dignity and Office, for there is nothing to incline it to that fenfe: All things were made by him, and without him was nothing made that was made, must fignifie the first Creation of all things, when God made the world by his word; for that is the proper Notion of making all things, to give being to them, and as there is nothing in the Text to require any other fense, so its relation to in the beginning, when God made all things by his word, determines it to this sense: This is all true and certain, if it be a good Rule to expound words in a proper fense, when there is nothing that requires an improper and metaphorical fenfe: And then it is nothing to the purpose to fhow, that in the beginning fometimes fignifies the beginning of the Gospel, that God fometimes fignifies a metaphorical God, that making all things, fometimes fignifies new making all things, for all this I allow, when the Circumftances of the place require it, when there is any thing added to

determine

determine these words to this fenfe, but will never allow it, where there is not, and therefore cannot allow it here; and if we must expound these words properly in this place, there is an end of this Controverfie..

But I must haften to a Conclufion, and therefore this shall serve at prefent as a Specimen, how these men pervert Scripture, and impofe forced and ridiculous fenfes on it; and by the help of what I have now difcourfed, it will be eafie to detect all their other Fallacies, and rescue the Scriptures from their perverfe Comments; as I fhall be ready at any time to fhew, when I find a just occafion for it.

Seondly, Socinianifm, as reasonable and accounta-.. ble a Doctrine as our Historian fays it is, makes the Jewish œconomy very unreasonable and unaccounta-ble. The Jewish Worship was External and Ritual, but very pompous and mysterious, and had there not been fomething very Divine and Mysterious præfigu- red by it, it had been no better than a childish piece of Pageantry, unworthy of the Wisdom of God, unworthy of the Nature of Man. But the New Testament affures us, that all these mysterious Ceremonies were Types of Chrift, and were accomplished in him; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and know- 2 Col. 3.3 ledge; or in whom are all the hidden Treasures (Insaugo! Szóngupa) of wifdom and knowledge; that is,all those Treasures of wildom and knowledge, which were formerly hid and concealed under the Types of the Jewish Law; for they were but a fhadow of things to come, but the Body is of Chrift. And yet if Chrift were no more than a meer Man, the Antitype falls very fhort of the Types; I fhall inftance at prefent only in the Temple, and its Worship and Ministers.

The

17.7

The Tabernacle and Temple was God's House where he chofe to dwell by the visible Symbols of his Prefence; and was fo contrived as to be a Figure both of Heaven and Earth; for fo the Apostle to the Hebrews exprefly tells us, that the Holy of Holies was a Figure of Heaven, into which the High Priest only entred, and that but once a year, to make Expiation; and therefore the other Courts of the Temple, which were for their daily worship, did represent the Earth, on which men worship God: for God being the Maker and Soveraign Lord of the world,who has Heaven for his Throne, and Earth for his Footftool, it was fitting the Houfe where he dwealt fhould be an Emblem and Figure of the whole world.

But we must all confefs, that this was a very unaccountable and infignificant Ceremony, for God, who fills Heaven and Earth with his Presence, to dwell in a House made with hands; to appoint this the peculiar place of his worship, ordinarily to accept no Sacrifices, but what were offered there, &c. had it not præfigured fomething more Divine and Mysterious. Solomon in his Prayer of Dedication might well fay, Kings 8. 27. But will God indeed dwell on the Earth? Behold the Heaven, and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Thee, how much leẞ this Houfe that I have built.

The Temple then was a Figure, and we must enquire what it was a Figure of. Now a typical Prefence can be a Figure of nothing, but a real Prefence, and God's Perfonal dwelling among Men: for Prefence and Habitation can fignifie nothing but Prefence, ' and a Figure must be a Figure of fomething that is real and nothing can anfwer to a figurative vifible Prefence of God, but a perfonal visible Prefence.

Now

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