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'A. They are those, from which they endeavour to confirm that Christ was begotten from eternity of the essence of his Father.'

These are some of the places wherein this property of the Godhead, eternity, is ascribed to our Saviour; it is confessed.

'Q. But from what places do they endeavour to prove that Christ was from eternity, begotten of the essence of his Father?

'A. From these chiefly, Mich. v. 2. Psal. ii. 7. and cx. 10. Prov. viii. 23.'

These are only some of the testimonies that are used to this purpose. 2. It is enough to prove Christ eternal, if we prove him begotten of his Father, for no such thing can be new in God. 3. That he is the only begotten Son of the Father, which is of the same import with that here opposed by our catechists, hath been before declared and proved, chap. 6.

Q. But how must we answer these testimonies?

'A. Before I answer to each testimony, it is to be known, that this generation of the essence of the Father is impossible. For if Christ were begotten of the essence of his Father, either he took his whole essence, or but part; part of his essence he could not take, for the divine essence is impartible nor the whole, for it being one in number is incommunicable.'

And this is the fruit of measuring spiritual things by carnal; infinite by finite; God by ourselves; the object of faith, by corrupted rules of corrupted reason. But 1. that which God hath revealed to be so, is not impossible to be

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let God be true and all men liars: that this is revealed hath been undeniably evinced. 2. What is impossible in finite, limited essences, may be possible and convenient to that which is infinite and unlimited; as is that whereof we

c Ex quibus vero locis exstruere conantur, Christum ab æterno ex essentia Patris genitum?-Ex his potissimum. Mich. v. 2. Psal. ii. 7. cx. 10. Prov. viii. 23.

d Qui vero ad hæc testimonia respondendum est ?-Antequam ad singula testimonia respondeam, sciendum est, eam ex essentia Patris generationem esse impossibilem. Nam si Christus ex essentia Patris genitus fuisset, aut partem essentia sumpsisset, aut totam. Essentiæ partem sumere non potuit, eo quod sit impartibilis divina essentia; neque totam, cum sit una numero, ac proinde incommunicabilis. Nisi Scriptura dixisset, non licuisset dicere, sed ex quo scriptum est dici potest Rabb. Ruben. apud Galat. lib. 3.

VOL. VIII.

speak. 3. It is not impossible, in the sense wherein that word must here be used, if any thing be signified by it. It is not, it cannot be so, in limited things, therefore not in things infinite; we cannot comprehend it, therefore it cannot be so; but the nature of the thing, about which it is, is inconsistent with it; this is denied, for God hath revealed the contrary. 4. For the parting of the divine essence, or receiving a part of the divine essence, our catechists might have left out, as having none to push at with it, none standing in the way of that horn of their dilemma. 5. We say then, that in the eternal generation of the Son, the whole essence of the Father is communicated to the Son, as to a personal existence in the same essence, without multiplication or division of it; the same essence continuing still one in number; and this without the least shew of impossibility in an infinite essence. All the arguments that lie against it being taken from the properties and attendencies of that which is finite.

Come we to the particular testimonies: The first is Mich. v. 2. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, or the days of eternity.'

'Q. How must this first testimony of the Scripture be answered?

'A. This testimony hath nothing at all of his generation of the essence of his Father: and a pre-eternal generation it no way proves. For here is mention of beginning, anddays, which in eternity have no place. And these words which in the vulgar are from the days of eternity, in the Hebrew are from the days of seculi the days of an age. And 'dies seculi' are the same with 'dies antiqui,' as Isa. lxiii. 9, 11. Mal. iii. 4. The sense of this place is, that Christ should have the original of his nativity from the beginning, and from the an

fQui tamen ad primum Scripturæ testimonium respondendum est?-Id testimo. nium de generatione ex essentia Patris nihil prorsus habet; generationem vero prææternam nulla probat ratione; hic enim mentio fit initii et dierum, quæ in æternitate locum non habent, et verba hæc, quæ in Vulgata leguntur, a diebus æternitatis, in Hæbræo extant, a diebus seculi: dies vero seculi idem quod dies antiqui notant, ut Es. lxiii. 9. 11. Mal. iii. 4. Sententia vero loci hujus est, Christum originem nativitatis suæ ab ipso principio et annis antiquis ducturum, id est, ab eo tempore, quo Deus in populo suo regem stabilivit, quod reipsa in Davide factum est, qui et Bethlehemita fuit, et autor stirpis, et familiæ Christi.

cient years, that is, from that time wherein God established a king among his people; which was done really in David, who was a Bethlehemite, and the author of the stock, and family of Christ.'

Ans. 1. Who necessitated our catechists to urge this place to prove the generation of Christ, when it is used only to prove his generation to be eternal: the thing itself being proved by other testimonies in abundance. That he was begotten of the Father is confessed that he was begotten of the essence of his Father was before proved. Yea that which is here called his going forth, is his generation of his Father, or somewhat else that our adversaries can assign: that it is not the latter shall immediately be evinced.

2. Here is no mention of the beginning; and those who in the latter words reject the Vulgar edition, cannot honestly insist on the former from thence, because it serves their turn. Yet how that word is sometimes used, and in what sense it may be so, where eternity is intended, hath been declared in the last chapter.

3. That days are not used with, and to express eternity, in Scripture, though strictly there be no days, nor time in eternity, is absurd negligence and confidence to affirm, Job x. 5. Are thy days as the days of man? Are thy years as man's days?' Hence God is called the ancient of days; Dan. vii. 9. Thou art the same, and thy years shall

not fail; Heb. i. 12.

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4. For the word Gnolam, translated' seculi;' it hath in the Scripture various significations. It comes from a word signifying to hide; and denotes an unknown hidden duration. Principally perpetuum, eternum, sempiternum:' that which is pre-eternal and eternal. Sometimes a very long time, Gen. ix. 12, and ver. 16. that is perpetual: so Gen. xvii. 13. and in other places, with a reference to the sovereignty of God; Gen. xxi. 33. It is ascribed to God as a property of his, and signifies eternal: Jehova Gnolam: so Psal. lxxxix. 2. as also Isa, xlv. 17. Let all places where the word in Scripture, in this sense is used, be reckoned up (which are above 300), and it will appear, that in far the greatest number of

מצאתיר 8

h

מקרס

i by latere, abscondere, occultare. 2 Chron. ix. 2. Levit. iv. xiii. in Niphal latuit, absconditus, occultatus fuit: in Hiphil abscondit, celavit, occultavit. inde b Virgo, quia viro occulta. Gen. xxiv. 43.

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speak. 3. It is not impossible, in the sense wherein that word must here be used, if any thing be signified by it. It is not, it cannot be so, in limited things, therefore not in things infinite; we cannot comprehend it, therefore it cannot be so; but the nature of the thing, about which it is, is inconsistent with it; this is denied, for God hath revealed the contrary. 4. For the parting of the divine essence, or receiving a part of the divine essence, our catechists might have left out, as having none to push at with it, none standing in the way of that horn of their dilemma. 5. We say then, that in the eternal generation of the Son, the whole essence of the Father is communicated to the Son, as to a personal existence in the same essence, without multiplication or division of it; the same essence continuing still one in number; and this without the least shew of impossibility in an infinite essence. All the arguments that lie against it being taken from the properties and attendencies of that which is finite.it

Come we to the particular testimonies: The first is Mich. v. 2. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, or the days of eternity.'

Q. How must this first testimony of the Scripture be answered?

'A. This testimony hath nothing at all of his generation of the essence of his Father: and a pre-eternal generation it no way proves. For here is mention of beginning, and days, which in eternity have no place. And these words which in the vulgar are from the days of eternity, in the Hebrew are from the days of seculi the days of an age. And 'dies seculi' are the same with 'dies antiqui,' as Isa. lxiii. 9, 11. Mal. iii. 4. The sense of this place is, that Christ should have the original of his nativity from the beginning, and from the an

f Qui tamen ad primum Scripturæ testimonium respondendum est? Id testir nium de generatione ex essentia Patris nihil prorsus habet; generationem

æternam nulla probat ratione; hic enim mentio fit initii et dier

locum non habent, et verba hæc, quæ in Vulgata legunt

Hæbræo extant, a diebus seculi: dies vero seculi idem

Es. lxiii. 9. 11. Mal. iii. 4. Sententia vero loci huju

suæ ab ipso principio et annis antiquis ductur

populo suo regem stabili vit, quod reipsa i fuit, et autor stirpis, et familiæ Christi

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familia esset, quæ orta Bethlehemo.' Zerubbabel is rightly said to be born at Bethlehem, being of the family of David, which had its original from Bethlehem.'

That Zerubbabel is here at all intended, he doth not attempt to prove, either from the text, context, circumstances of the place, design of the prophecy, or any thing else, that might give light into the intendment of the Holy Ghost. That it belongs properly to Christ we have a better interpreter to assure us than Grotius, or any of his rabbins, Matt. ii. 5. I know that in his annotations on that place he allows the accomodation of the words to Christ: but we cannot allow them to be spoken of any other, the Holy Ghost expressly fitting them to him. And if Zerubbabel, who was born at Babylon, may be said to be born at Bethlehem, because David, from whom he descended, was born there; what need all that labour and trouble, that our Saviour might be born at Bethlehem? If it could not be said of Christ, that he was born at Bethlehem, though he were of the lineage of David unless he had actually been born there indeed certainly Zerubbabel, who was born at Babylon, could not be said on the account of his progenitor five hundred years before, to be born there.

For the second part of this text, or the words we insist on for the proof of our intention, he useth the same shift in the same words with our catechists: origo ipsi ab olim, a temporibus longis: id est originem trahit a domo illustri antiquitus, et per quingentos annos regnatrice. His original is from of old, from a long time: that is, he hath his original from an ancient illustrious house, that had reigned 500 years.'

Of the sense of the words I have spoken before. I shall only add, that the use of this note is to confute the other. For if his being born at Bethlehem signify his being of the family of David, and nothing else, he being not indeed born there, what need this addition, if these obscure words signify no more but what was spoken before? Yea and herein the learned man forsaketh his masters, all generally concluding, that it is the Messiah who is here alone intended. The Chaldee paraphrast expressly puts in the name of Messiah. His words are, out of thee shall the Messiah come forth before me.' And some of them do mystically

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