Emmanuel, or, God-man a treatise wherein the doctrine of the first Nicene and Chalcedon councels, concerning the two natures in Christ, is asserted against the lately vented Socinian doctrine / by John Tombes ...

SECT. 8. (Book 8)

Christs being before the World was, is proved from John 17. 5.

TO these passages in the Gospel of St. John for confirmation of the same thing,

I shall adde the words of Christ in his prayer to his Father, John 17. 5. And now, O Father, glorifie thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had before the world was with thee; which words do evince, that Christ had glory with his Father before the world was, which is the description of Eter∣nity, Psal. 90. 2. Prov. 8. 23, 25. whence it follows, that before the world was, Christ had a Being in glory with his Father, which could be no other than his Divine Nature, as he was Son of God, and therefore is to be acknowledged to be begotten of the sub∣stance of the Father before the world was.

To this it is answered, that the glory here is not Divine Majesty, but glory of immor∣tality and honour to him as man, such glory as was given to him, verse 24. and which he saith he had given to his Disciples, ver. 22. as it is said, 2 Tim. 1. 9. that God had saved them, and called them with an ho∣ly calling, not according to their works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given them in Christ Jesus, be∣fore the world began; to wit in Gods pre∣destination. And in the same respect the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 5. 1. We have a building of God, an house not made with

hands eternal in the Heavens, Heb. 10. 34. That they had in Heaven a better and endu∣ring substance, in the sense in which Christ is said to be fore-ordained before the founda∣tion of the world, 1 Pet. 1. 20. to be the Lamb s••ain from the beginning of the world; So Believers are said to have everlasting life, John 3. 36. & 5. 24. 1 John 5. 12, 13. not in possession but predestination.

To which I reply that it is somewhat dif∣ficult to explain what the glory is with which Christ prayes his Father to glorifie him, and how he would have him glorifie him, by reason of the various meanings of the term glory and waies of Gods glorifying. The Pe∣tition implies it was such glory as he had be∣fore the world was, now had not: This may be best understood by considering how he had it with the Father before the world was? Two waies are conceived, one by a∣ctual possession, the other by predestination or fore-ordaining: For the former, and a∣gainst the latter are these Reasons. 1. From the tense, [which I had] in the preterimper∣fect tense, which if meant of having in pur∣pose only it should be, which I have with thee, sith Gods purpose or fore-appointment was still the same. 2. Which reason is

strengthened from the time, now glorifie me, which intimates he had it not then; but he was then glorified in purpose. 3. Before the World was, which shews when he had it, and how he would have it again, but he doth not petition to have it again only in purpose, but in actual possession. 4. He desires that he may have that glory with his Father's own self. which he had with him: Now with his Father's own self, in the one part must be meant of his Presence, and that in Heaven, as when it is said, 1 John 2. 1. We have an Advocate with the Father, that is, in his presence in Heaven, therefore also in the o∣ther part, with thee, can∣not be meant, in thy Pur∣pose, * 1.1 but in thy Presence in Heaven. 5. Christ had the glory with his Father before the world was in a peculiar manner, such ••s none of the Elect have, with such love before the foun∣dation of the world, as was singular, verse 24. But, if it were no more than in purpose had by him, it was no otherwise, then all the Elect had it before the world was, therefore he had it in actual pos∣session

with peculiar imbracing and delight, as John 1. 18. and 3. 35. Prov. 8. 30. 6. There is no place of Scripture, wherein such an expression of our having, as here, is meant of having only by Gods purpose for the future in predestination. The giving, John 17. 24. is not to be understood of an intention for the future, but a present actual collation. * 1.2 The giving, 2 Tim. 1. 9. of grace is not meant of Gods purpose but dona∣tion according to his pur∣pose, which donation was by grant, or promise as it is expressed, Tit. 1. 2. where and 2 Tim. 1. 9. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is not well rendered before the world began, but before the times of ages, noting the times of the ages following the creation, and should be so rendered, Rom. 16. 25. as the parallel places, Ephes. 3. 9. Col. 1. 26. do shew, and so the giving of the grace, 2 Tim. 1. 9. is most likely meant of the Promise made, Gen. 3. 15. as Dr. Twisse conceives Vindic. grat. l. 1. part. 1. sect. 4. digress. 2. c. 5. However though the grace of God might be said to be given in Gods purpose, yet not Christ be said to have had

glory in Gods purpose, because giving notes only the act of the donor, but having the act of the possessour, 2 Cor. 5. 1. the having a building not made with hands, cannot be meant of having in Gods purpose, for it is consequent on the dissolving of the earthly house of this Tabernacle, to which, having in Gods purpose is antecedent, and there∣fore notes actual possession, the present tense being put for the future, as Grotius rightly notes, Heb. 10. 34. The having, cannot be meant of having in God's purpose, it being having in your selves, or your selves, and therefore must be understood of possession for the future, by the same enallage, or of right, or assurance for the present, or of present pos∣session, though not full possession, John 3. 36. & 5. 24. 1 John 5. 12, 13. Believers are said to have eternal life, not by predestination only, afore the person is in being, but by real actual possession, inchoate and continued, though not consummate, as appears by the expressions Iohn 5. 24. and cometh not into condemnation, but is passed from death in∣to life, 1 John 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life, opposite to verse 15. We know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him, and John 3. 36.

shall not see life, but the wrath of God abid∣eth on him, 1 Pet. 1. 20. shews not what Christ had, but how he was fore-known, Revel. 13. 8. From the beginning of the world may as well or better be joyned to written as it is Revel. 21. 27. than to s••ain, Iohn 17. 24. doth not prove, that Christ had the glory mentioned, verse 5. only in purpose before the foundation of the world, but rather the contrary. For the love there is a love not onely of benevolence, but also of complacency and delight, as Iohn 1. 18. and 3. 35. Prov. 8. 30. and so supposeth his being before the world was, and the pos∣session of his glory, which he now desires to repossess; which cannot be his Divine Es∣sence, for that he was never emptied of, nor his Humane Excellency, for that he had not in being before the world was; but the state and condition of a Son, of which he emptied himself, taking the form of a Servant, Phil. 2. 7. that riches which he had before he be∣came poor for our sake, 2 Cor. 8. 9. which was not the relation of Sonship to God, for that he still had in his lowest debasement, but the enjoyment of the pleasure he had with his Father in his Presence, which was in some sort with-held from his person while he was

on Earth, and the exercise of command and empire over Angels afore the world was compleated (if the Angels were created in a∣ny of the former daies of the first Creation) and which he now laid aside, and was to pray to his Father for the Angels Ministry; Ei∣ther of which, or any other (which we know not of) communicable in its propor∣tion to our condition with him, according to the words, Iohn 17. 22, may be the glory which he prayes for, Iohn 17. 5. to repos∣sesse, and enjoy with his Father after the fi∣nishing of the work he gave him to do on Earth, verse 4. into which he came to glo∣rifie his Father, humbling himself therein really, and therefore would be really re-glori∣fied with his Father's own self; and not only in manifestation to men, as he had it really with him before the world was.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Deut. 15, 16. is spoken of a Servant co∣habiting. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Numb. 22. 9. 1 Sam. 22. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, ver. 23. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.2

  Grot. Annot. ad Rom. 16. 26. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 id est longissimo tem∣pore, ut 2 Tim. 1. 9.