The Lords Day Vindicated, Tract · Section 1
SECT. I.
HE ſtates the firſt Queſtion, Page 5. Whether the World were made by Jeſus Chriſt? and that too, as affording help to his Sabbatarian Notion; but rightly apprehended, it conduces nothing at all thereto: For Evidence whereof, we ſay that it may be orthodoxly denyed and aſſerted, that Jeſus Chriſt did not make the World, for the World was 4000 Years before ever Jeſus Chriſt was: For theſe two Names J. C. do neceſſarily imply, or include his Human Nature with his Divine: For his Divine Nature formally and abſtractly conſidered, cannot be Christ, that is, not Annointed; not fitted nor qualifyed by any other, for any Offices, Imployments or Deſigns: It belongs to his Human Nature alone. Neither could his God-head ſo conſidered, be our Jeſus; for the God-head can neither obey the Law, nor bear the Curſe; both which were to be done by our Jeſus: And theſe appertain only to his Humanity, though his Divinity gives the Merit of our Salvation to his active and paſſive Obedience; ſo that actually and formally, Jeſus Christ could not be till his Incarnation: Though his Merits extended to all the Generations of Relievers from Adam, according to that, Rev. 13.8. For though an actual Exiſtence be neceſſary in Phyſical Cauſes, before they can be Cauſes and produce their Effects, yet 'tis not ſo in Moral; but their Effects may be before the actual Exiſtence of the Cauſe; as Perſons may be redeemed and let looſe from Priſon, upon the foreſight of a Ranſom, or a Payment to be made, Months or Years after. And ſo God out of an Infallible Foreſight of our Saviours paying the Debts, and laying down the Ranſom of the Elect in the fulneſs of time, and giving to himſelf a full meritorious Price, (even the Blood of God, Act. 20.28.) for all their ſpiritual and eternal Mercies, delivered, bleſſed and ſaved all the Saints and Believers, before our Lords being actually a meritorious Saviour, with an Eye and Regard thereto; and ſo he was not actually Jeſus, neither could he be, till he had actually done and ſuffered all theſe things for which they were Redeemed and Saved: And therefore here, as Jeſus Chriſt could not make the World, though as God, we acknowledge he did.
In the Old Teſtament Chriſt is Propheſied of, as to come, Dan. 9.25, 26. How could he then create the World? And when he is born of the Virgin Mary, he is then pronounced by the Angel to be Chriſt, Luk. 2.11. as being then the Accompliſhment of Daniel's and other ſuch Propheſies, that went before of his future Meſſiaſ-ſhip. And upon his Incarnation, he had the Name of Jeſus, given him by God, Math. 1.21. How then could he as Chriſt Jeſus, create the World? I deſire that this might be duly conſidered by the Reader, becauſe 'tis of great weight to overthrow the chief Prop of his Sabbatarian Structure; and to prove them to be but of ill temper'd Mortar: For in this and the two following Queries, he builds upon a fallacious Compoſition, as though whatever God is, or did, that Jeſus Chriſt muſt be, and do; and ſo he muſt create the World becauſe God did ſo. Juſt as if we ſhould ſuppoſe the Platonick Exiſtence of Souls, Thouſands of Years Solitary, without Bodies, and impute what ever thoſe Souls Did, Thought, Reſolved, &c. in that Condition, to thoſe Men of whom they came in time to be an eſſential part; and ſay this Man ſo thought, and ſo reſolved, this would be a very improper Speech; for the Man was not, till the Soul came to be eſſentially conjoyned to the Body: And therefore in Propriety, 'twas the Soul, and not the Man that was the Author of theſe Cogitations and Reſolutions; for they were Thouſands of Years before the Man was. So the God-head of Jeſus Chriſt made the World, but the God-head was throughout a beginning leſs Eternity, before Jeſus Chriſt; and therefore he could not be the Creator of the World. 'Tis ſomewhat ſtrange to me, that Mr. B. did not ſee this groſs Fallacy. All Scriptures therefore which he brings to prove this Aſſertion, muſt be thus underſtood, as for Example, Col. 1. v. 12, 13, 14. with v. 16. which Scripture confutes his Suggeſtion, and confirms our Aſſertion: For ſurely he cannot ſay that the Creator, as, and when Creator, had Blood: But Chriſt as ſuch, had Blood; and therefore Chriſt was not Creator, but his God-head. So muſt alſo, John 1.1, 3. where the Creator is called foreign; which we tranſlate the Word; it might as well have been tranſlated the Wiſdom which was eternally with God, in God, and is God; and ſo muſt be the Creator. But 'tis very obſervable, that St. John doth not call him Jeſus Chriſt, till v. 17. when he had before ſpoken of his Incarnation, v. 14.
Juſt ſuch another is Heb. 1. where 'tis ſaid, that God made the Worlds, (taking them for the created Worlds, viſible and inviſible; though other excellent Divines interpret them otherwiſe) by his Son, even his Co-eternal and Co-eſſential Son: But it is not here ſaid, that he made them by Jeſus Christ, but Chriſt, the Son of God, ſpake to us in the laſt days; he did it in and by his Humanity, but ſo he created not the Creatures.
In the laſt Proof, Eph. 3.9. 'Tis indeed expreſly ſaid, That God created all things by Jeſus Chriſt; which if meant of the old and whole Creation, muſt be meant as above; and 'tis as much as if he had ſaid, God the Father created all things by God the Son; which Son is now Jeſus Chriſt. Wherefore we conclude our Reply to this Query, by aſſerting that the God-head of the Lord Christ, created the World; but that Chriſt conſiſting of that God-head, and the Humanity hypoſtatically united to it, did not ſo.