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I. Faith, S. Mar. xii. 22. Rom. i. 17.
II. Fear, Pfal. cxlix. S. Luk. xii. 5.

III. Love, Deut. vi. 5. S. Matt. xxii. 37, 38.
IV. Trust, 1 S. Pet. V. 7.

V. Prayer, S. Matt. vii. 7. 1 Theff. v. 17.
VI. Joy, Phil. iv. 4.

VII. Thankfulness, 1 Theff. v. 18. Ephef. v. zo.

1. To the Father.

1. For our Creation, Gen. i. 27. Ifai. Ixiv. 8, Act. xvii. 24, 25, 26.

2. For our Prefervation, At. xvii. 28.

3. For all our temporal Blessings, Act.xiv.17. 4. For thofe of a higher Nature, Ephef. i. 3,4.

and ii. 8.

5. For the Hope of Eternal Glory, 1 S. Pet. i. 3, 4.

2. To the Son.

1. For Expiating our Sins, 1 S. Joh. ii. 2.
2. For Interceding for our Souls, Rom. viii,
34. Heb. vii. 25.

3. To the Holy Ghost.

1. For Inditing the Scriptures, 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.

2. For Helping our Infirmities, Rom. viii.

13, 25.

3. For Sanctifying our Souls, 2 Theff. ii. 13. I S. Pet. i. 2.

4. For Securing to us a better State, Ephef. i. 13. and iv. 30.

S, MATT.

S. MATT. iii. 17.

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

HRIST is the Beloved, or Only Son of
GOD.

CH

He is called the Son of GOD;

1. Because conceived by the Holy Ghost, S.Luk. i. 15. S. Matt. i. 20.

2. Because fanctified by the Father, and fent into the World, S. Joh. x. 36.

3. Because raised from the Dead, Act. xiii. 33. Rom. i. 4

4. Especially, because Begotten of the Father from all Eternity, Col. i. 15.

For which consider,

1. Chrift had a real Being and Existence before he was born of the Virgin Mary, Gal. iv. 4. S. Joh. vi. 33, 51. and xvi. 28. He was before John the Baptift, S. Job. i. 15. Before Abraham, S. Job. viii. 5. Before the World, S. Joh. i. 1, 2, 3. Col. i. 15, 16. Hebr. i. 2. 'O Oεÿ ÿòs, ó wej aiúvwv yevundes. S. Ignat. Ep. ad Ephes.

2. The Being which he had was truly Divine, the fame which the Father had, fo that he was really and truly GOD, Rom. ix. 5. Phil.ii. 6,7. 1 S. Joh. v. 20. S. Joh. i. 1. and xx. 28.

The fame was revealed in the Old Testament, Ifai. vii. 14. and ix. 6. 78 121.

Hence his Blood which he fhed as Man, is yet faid to be the Blood of God, Act. xx. 28.

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3. This his Divine Nature he received of the Father, S. Joh. v. 26. and vii. 29. He is called by the Council of Nice, Θεὸς ἐκ θεῶ, φῶς ἐκ φωτός,

Θεὸς ἀληθινὸς ἐκ Θεῖ ἀληθινό.

Pater eft vita in femetipfo, non à Filio: Filius vita in femetipfo, fed à Patre; S. Auguft. Vitam genuit Pater vita, nec differt in aliquo effentia gignentis & geniti, cum fic ex Patre fit Filius, ut con fempiterna non una quidem Perfona, fed una fit Deitas. Sentent. Decerpt. ex Auguft. cccxxxv. And fo to the fame purpose, Id. C. Maximin. 1. 1. & l. 3. c. 14. & de Incarnati Verbi, c. 8.

Neither did he receive any part, but the whole Divine Effence was communicated to him, fo as το be ὁμούσι της Παe, Col. ii 9.

4. This Communication of the Divine Effence was properly Generation, and therefore Chrift most properly a Son, Hebr, i. 6. Inafmuch as

τὸ ποιόμενον ἐκ ἐκ δ ἐσίας τὸ ποιδός ὅτι τὸ δὲ γεννώμε τον ἐκ τ αυτῆς ἐσίας το γεννῶντος. S. Bafil. adv. Eunom. 1.4. ab init. And 1. 2. p. 738. having recited the first Verse of S. John's Gospel, he adds, Tδίο ὕπαρξιν, τὴν ἀπαθῆ γέννησιν, τί συμφνὲς τῷ Πατρὶ, τὸ μεγαλεῖον ὁ φύσεως, πάντα ἐν τοῖς ὀλίγοις ρήμασι συλ λαβών.

Ἰεσὸς Χριςὺς μόνΘ ἰδίως ὑὸς τῷ Θεῷ γεγέννηται, λόγΘ αυτό ὑπάρχων, καὶ πρωτότοκΘ, καὶ δύναμις. Fuft. Marto Apol. 2. Ω το μεγάλο Θεῖ! ὦ τα τελείν παιδί, ! ὑὸς ἐν wate), xwalne cv 4. Clem. Alex. Padag. l. 2, c. 5.

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Hence he is called the Image of God, Hebr. i. 2, 3. and God's own Son, Rom. vi. 32. Not by Adoption, Gal. iv. 4, 5. and the ovens, the Only Begotten of the Father, S. Joh. i. 14. and iii. 16.

Hence therefore we may fee the Reafon of every Expreffion in my Text, uttered from Hea ven by GOD Himself.

1. This

Because it is the Father

1. This, My Son. that fpake, by a Voice from Heaven, as our Saviour fpake from thence to S. Paul, A. xxvi. 13, 14. fo here GOD the Father fpake, and own'd our Saviour for His Son.

2. My Beloved Son; becaufe His Only Begot ten, S. Matt. xii. 18. and xvii. 5.

3. In whom I am well pleased; ¿v w evdóxnoa. In, or through whom, I am well pleased with all the Sons of Men that repent and turn to me, Ephef.i. 6. S. Job. iv. 42.

And the Reafon is, because this Son of GOD having in our Nature undergone the Punishment of our Sins, we are hereby reconciled to GOD, Rom. v. 10. and fo have Peace with Him, Rom.

V. I.

Hence therefore we may obferve two Things.

I, That this Jefus Chrift, as he is the Son of GOD, must needs be the LORD too, S. Matt. xxviii. 6. S. Luk. ii. 11. S. Joh. iv. 1. Act. ix. 5, 6, 10. 11. Hof. i. 7. where n is rendered by Targum, by the Word of the Lord.

the

For,

1. As the Son of GOD, he must needs be the Lord too, as his Father is; the Being of Beings, for all things were made by him, S. Joh.

i. 3.

2. Besides this his Dominion as the Son of GOD, he is Lord also, as the Son of Man. For as fuch he purchased this Power by his Death, Ephef. i. 20, 21, 22. Phil. ii. 11. S. Matt. xxviii. 18.

II. It is alfo to be observed, That he is our Lord in a peculiar manner, S. Joh. xx. 28. Phil. iii. 8. For it is he that hath redeemed us with his own Blood, Tit. ii, 14. Rev. V. 9, 10.

USE.

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USE. Hence learn,

1. To adore and magnify the infinite Love of GOD in our Redemption, S. Joh. iii. 16. 1 S.Joh. iv. 9, 10.

2. To put our whole Truft and Confidence in Him, for our Salvation, Hebr. vii. 25. For he being GOD, as well as Man, his Death could not but be a Propitiation for for all our Sins, 1 S. Joh, ii. 2. and be able to endue us with true Grace and Vertue, A&. iii. 26.

3. To worship and glorify CHRIST as GOD and LORD, S. Joh. v. 22, 23. Rev. xiii.

4. To call to mind, that CHRIST being our LORD, both by Creation and Redemption, we are to look upon ourselves as not our own, but His, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. Rom. xiv. 7, 8.

5. And lastly, To devote ourselves wholly to His Service, 2 Cor. x. 5. 2 Tim. ii. 19. 1 S. Pet. ii.

9, 10, 11, 12.

S. MATT.

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