Imatges de pàgina
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amongst profane Authours. In the tranffating of it I find some flight difference. Tertullian sometimes, (and after him Catellio) - renders it Sequester, an Umpire, or Arbis tratour, one that standeth indifferently dif posed betwixt two parties. Others, Inter ventor, Internuncius, one that cometh betwixt two parties as an Agent, a Messenger, Others, Interpres, an Interpreter, one that imparts the mind of one to another. Others, Interceffor, one that intercedes, steppeth in betwixt two, to let and hinder the exceeding of somewhat which is betwixt them, Others, Conciliator, a Reconciler, one that procureth Love or Agreement betwixt two of more, who were strangers, or Enemies each to other. Not to trouble you with these triviall differences. The word properly signifieth, as our translation renders it, Mediatour, A Mediatour,a Middler, a Middle person that dealeth betwixt two others. This for the word.

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2. For the Thing. How and in what respect 2. Of the is Christ said to be a Mediatour? To this I an- Thing. swer in the generall. He is a middle person dea ling betwixt God and man. More particularly and fully. He may be faid to be a Media- Chrift a tour in a twofold respect, 1. In respect of his twofold rePerson: 2. In respect of his office. In respect spect. of his Person, he is a middle perfon betwixt God and man. In respect of his office, he is a Tileni Syntamiddle person dealing betwixt God and man, gma de Oficio The former of these Bellarmine first, and after Corn. à Lap.ad him some others, call Mediatio substanti- Textum.

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alis,

Chrifti S

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alis, a substantiall Mediation. The later Mediatio, ενεργητική, an operative Mediation. Chamier Pan- Which Distinction, however (as Chamier noftratia, de Chri- teth upon it) it be a new-coined one, not to sto Mediatore. be found among the Ancients, and possibly

I.

may be abused by the mif-application of it, (as it is by Bellarmine himselfe,) yet in it felfe it is Orthodox, serving not unfitly to explain unto us this great and usefull Doctrine. I shall deal with these branches severally.

1. Heisa Mediatour in respect of his PerIn respect of fon. A middle Person betwixt God and Man, his Perfon; God-Man, Μεσίτης. So may he well be called, in as much

Evinced by
Scripture.

as he participates of both Natures, being Θεάνθρωπο, God and Man; God-man. Such a Mediatour ought to be; one that hath interest in both parties. And such is the Lord Jesus, One that hath interest in both Natures, the God-head, and the Manhood.

For this, Scripture is expresse and cleare to those that will not shut their eyes againft

the light. What else can we make of that Magnum eft pi- known place of our Apostle in the 3d chapter etatis mysteri- of this Epistle? ver.16. [God was manifested um, quod mani feftarum eft in in the flesh] Not the Mystery of Godlinesse. carne. V.Lat. (So indeed the Vulgar Latine rendereth it; ὁ ἐφανερώθη. and so Grotius would have it, leaving out the Grot. ad loc. word [ Θεός, God] which (faith he) HincтаQui ipfe alibi rus informs him was added by the Neftorians; tat. [c. Jo.1.14. and Erasmus conjectures was put in against the

aliter locum ci

· Θεὸς ἐφανες Arians, [Great is the mystery of Godlinesse,.

Ηρώθη.

which was manifested in the flesh,

viz. by

Christ and his Apostles, weak, mortall men.) But [God] was manifested in the flesh, which word [God] Beza more rightly con- Vide Beram in ceives was in some Copies expunged by those Grac. Annot. who denyed the Divinity of Christ, or the ad locum, fuse. Union of the two Natures. As for the former reading and exposition (as Beza rightly observes upon it) it is inconsistent with that which followeth in the verse. To ler passe other passages; How can it be said of the My, Stery of Godlinesse (what we find in the close of that verse) that it was received up into Glory? Certainely this cannot be applied unto any other thing but the Person of Chrift, even God manifested in the flesh. I am not ignorant how Grotius goeth about to elude that Alle-Gloriofè admogation. The Mystery of Godlineffe, the Go- dum exaltatum spel (faith he) may be said to be Exalted in eft, nempè quid Glory, in as much as it brought in multo majorem greater attulit sanctitasanctity into the world then any other Do- tem, quàm ulla Arine before it had done. But the word in antehac dogmathe Originall is Α'νελήφθη, which properly fig-14. Grot. Annifieth (as Beza renders it) Surfum receptus not. ad loc. est, Received, or taken up. Which the Evangelist Saint Luke applieth unto Chrift, Acts 1.2. and ver.22. Α'νελήφθη, he was taken up. The evidence is cleare to those that will not Festucam quarere (as he spake) seek strawes to put out their owne eyes withall. That paffage of the Apostle is a description of the Meffiah, God manifested in the flesh. God, i. e. the eternall Son of God, the second Person in the blessed Trinity, being God co-effen

Chrift truly

Man.

As truly God

coessentialle and coequall with his Father. He was manifested in the flesh, by assuming the humane nature into a personall union with the divine.

To the same purpose is that other obvious Text of St John, Joh. 1.14. [The Word was made flesh. The Word, of which he faith in the first verse, that it was with God, and was God. The increated, essential Word, the second Person in the blessed Trinity, it was made flesh, viz, by taking the nature of a man into such a personal union with his Godhead. Thus was the Meffiah, both God and Man, two natures in one Person; Truly God, and truly Man.

Truly Man. For that, were there no other Text in Scripture to affert it, this one which we have now in hand would put it out of doubt. [There is one Mediatour betwixt God and men, the [Man] Christ Jesus.]

If there be any question, it must be about his Godhead. That the Arians of former, and the Socinians of later times, have not onely questioned, but denied. And for countenance of that their damnable Herefie, amongst other Texts of Scripture, they take hold of this we have now in hand, [There is one Mediatour betwixt God and men, the [Man] Clorist Jesus.]

The Godhead But for this also Scripture speaketh as fully, of Christ e- as exprelly, as for the former. Testimonies are Scripture Te-obvious. In the old Testament, Ifa.9.6. The Prophet speaking of the Meffiah, he calleth him the [mighty God] El Gibbon [El] being

vinced by

stimony.

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ing one of the names of God. More clearly the Prophet Jeremie, fer.23.6. This is the name whereby be shall be called, [The Lord our Righteousnesse. Jehovah Tzidken, Jehovah our Righteousnesse: A name proper unto God. (as the femes acknowledge) not so communicable to

any creature.

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In the New Testament, Acts 20.28. Paul chargeth the Elders at Ephesus, that they should feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his blood. The Church of ·[God] ἐκκλησίαν Θεỡ, not Kueix, of the Lord. So indeed Grotius would evade it, telling us of fome Greek Copies that so read it. True, Beza, instanceth in five of them; but then In quinque Exthey add'd the word [ss, God] to it. Kuels sy gitur Kupis - Θες The Lord and God. A Text speaking so Θεῦ: Beza full for the Divinity of Christ, that (as Beza ad loc. faith of it.) All the Arians in the world Hunc locum edo but in vaine go about to elude it.

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To this add that other obvious one of the riani. Bez. Gr. Apostle, Rom.9.5. where speaking of Christ, Annot. ad loc. he calleth him [Godblessed for ever.] True it

is (what Erasmus observes, and Grotius lay- Cyprianus lib. eth hold of) that in citing this Text, some of adversus Fudathe Ancients, as Cyprian and Hilary, have os 2 cap.5.Hileft out the word sès, God. But that o-larius, in Plal. miffion (faith Beza) is to be imputed Libra- Vide Bezam riorum vitio, to the writers or keepers of those Græc. Annot.

- copies; which plainly appears in that the defigne of both these Authours in those places is from that Text to prove that the Name of God doth truely and properly agree unto Chrift.

12.2.

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