A Vindication, Part 8
I now come to conſider of his anſwer to Pro. 8. 22. The Lord poſſeſſed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old; I was ſet up from everlaſting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
To this he thus anſwers, And gives this ſenſe.
The Lord, who is Poſſeſſour of heaven and earth, obtained or created me, when he began to worke, before his antient workes: And I was ſet up, or annoynted to have the dominion of all things, and that from everlaſting, that is, from the beginning, before the earth was.
Repl. The word indeed ſignifies, to obtain, or to poſſeſs, which is ſometimes done by creation, and ſo when heaven and earth were created they were poſſeſſed by God; or as he ſaith, God was Poſſeſſour of them. But in this place, it is an obtaining or poſſeſſing as is done by generation; I gave an inſtance in Eve in reference to Cain. I have gotten a man: it was by a begetting or generating there, and in this place it is ſo alſo; Chriſt is called the onelyonly begotten of the Father: and here in ver. 24. Chriſt the wiſdome of God, declares, how he was poſſeſſed, viz. as a Son that is brought forth by a woman travelling; in which Chriſt is ſaid to be born, and is called the firſt-born, to exclude creation, and that it might be by generation; and the act of the Father in communicating the divine eſſence to the Son, is called (after the manner of men, that it may be better conceived of) a begetting, or generating, ſuteable to which is the Hebrew word Amun, v. 30. wch ſignifies a child nurſed, nouriſhed, brought up with a father, and ſuch was Chriſt; which is thus expreſſed, to hold forth his generation, and not creation; for when God created Adam he created him a man; but Chriſt is repreſented as a child, to ſhew how he was begotten: and it is added, that Chriſt was his Fathers delight, and a ſport before him, (for ſo it is in the Hebrew) and this is humanitùs dictum, is is ſpoken after the manner of Fathers, who take dear delight in the childe that comes out of their owne bowels; and when it is little, it is very pleaſant, and makes the Father ſport; and by it is ſignified to us, what an one Chriſt was, what a ſon he was, that he was his owne proper ſon, not created but generated; having his very eſſence from the Father, by an act of eternall generation, and in whom God taketh delight, after the manner of parents in a child that comes out of their bowells, and is a part of themſelves, that is, the higheſt & deareſt delight, and the moſt naturall and intimate delight, beyond which there neither is or can be any delight. It is manifeſt therefore that he confounds things that muſt not be confounded, he would have poſſeſſing or obtaining to be one with creating in this place, but it is a groſs miſtake in him.
But when was it that God did thus poſſeſs or beget Chriſt? He would have it to be when God began to work; then God created Chriſt (ſaith he) before his works of old. But it is manifeſt, that the very words, that ſet forth Gods eternity are uſed here. See two of the words, Megnolam which ſignifies from everlaſting, and Meas which ſignifies à tunc, from then, or from of old, as it is tranſlated; and both are uſed in Pſal. 39. 2. and applied to the moſt high God. Thy throne is eſtabliſhed of old, thou art from everlaſting; and kedem is in many places applyed to God, for ſuch antiquity which is eternity, Deut. 33. 27. the eternall God is my refuge; ſo that Chriſts eternity is ſet forth in this place of the Proverbs, He was brought forth or poſſeſſed from eternity. And though it be ſaid, in the beginning of his way, yet this makes nothing againſt Chriſts eternity, becauſe it is added, that it was before his works; ſo that this [was] points at eternity: for who will aſſert that creation was the beginning of Gods way? did God act nothing before he created? it is undoubtedly falſe. So that again he is to blame to confound beginning (as he underſtands beginning) and everlaſting, as if they were one, when as they differ as much as eternity and time do differ.
But he preſents us with the Septuagint verſion; but it is not at hand, and I dare not take his word without viewing it, he hath ſo often deceived me in his quotations. Then he gives in Montanus his verſion; but that is not againſt my aſſertion, nor doth it favour his doctrine. Laſtly, he alledges ver. 30. as ſpeaking of Chriſts being, before Gods works of old; but he ſaith it is a created being: but he is miſtaken in the mention of the verſe, for it ſpeaks of no ſuch thing, and I have made uſe of it againſt him.