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KINGLY OFFICE; as the Arch-angel, Gabriel, declared when he brought the heavenly Annunciation to the most chafte Virgin; (Luke i. 32.) faying, The Lord God fhall give unto him the Throne of his Father David, and he fhall reign over the Houfe of Jacob for ever, and of his Kingdom there Shall be no End. The Wife Men, also, when they brought their Offerings, teftified concerning his Kingdom; faying, (Mat. ii. 2.) Where is he that is born KING of the Jews? And the Title given him at his Death, confirms this, when it was written, (John xix. 9.) JESUS of NAZARETH, the KING of the Jews. Thirdly, Concerning his third Office, Mofes long before had prophefied, by Infpiration, faying, (Deut. xviii. 10.) I will raise them up a PROPHET from among their Brethren, like unto thee. This Greatness of our Lord's, fufficiently appears from the Sanctity of the Doctrine which he taught; from whence, alfo, his Divinity is fufficiently manifeft, and in which we are taught every thing neceffary to Saltion. As himself fpake, (John xvii. 26.) I have made thy Name known unto them. And a little above (ver. 8.) For I have given unto them the Words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known furely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst fend me. But Chrift more especially exercised this third Office of PROPHET, when he foretold what would come to pass; which he did, not by Inspiration, as other Prophets, but as God himself, of his own Knowledge, as being God and Man.

QUEST.

QUEST. XXXV.

Why is the Son of God called Only-begotten?

ANSWER.

That the Son of God is only-begotten, is manifeft from the Scripture. (John i. 14.) We have Jeen his Glory, the Glory as of the only-begotten of the Father. And again, (ver. 18.) The only-begotten Son which is in the Bofom of the Father. He is called only-begotten, because he only is the Son of God by Nature: Others, who are fometimes called the Sons of God, being fo, not by Nature, but by Grace, or Adoption, as the Faithful and Elect. Which Grace of Adoption, to become the Sons of God, is granted them through Jefus Chrift, according to the Scripture. (John i. 12.) As many as received him, to them gave be Power to become the Sons of God.

QUEST. XXXVI.

What mean the Words Light of Light?
ANSWER.

For the better understanding this, you are to know that there be two Kinds of Light; namely, created and uncreated. Of the created Light the Scripture faith (Gen. i. 3.) God Jaid, Let there be Light, and there was Light, and God faw the Light that it was good, and God divided the Light from the Darkness. But touching that uncreated Light, the Prophet Ifaiab thus (Ifai. x. 19.) The Sun fhall be no more thy Light by Day, neither for Brightness fhall the Moon give Light unto thee; but the Lord fhall be an everlasting Light, and thy God thy Glory. Thy Sun fhall no more go down, neither G3 feall

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Shall thy Moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlafting Light. And it is this uncreated Light which is intended in this Place, as more plainly appears from the Words which immediately follow; namely, VERY GOD OF VERY GOD, BEGOTTEN NOT.MADE. Created Light, you are to confider as being made out of NOTHING; but the begotten Light, or the Son, as fpringing from the ESSENCE OF THE FATHER. As fays the Apoftle (Heb. i. 3.) Who, being the Brightness of his Glory, and the exprefs Image of bis Perfon, and upholding all things by the Word of bis Power, when he had by himself purged our Sins, fat down on the Right-hand of the Majesty on high.

After the fame Manner fpeaketh he of himself, (John viii. 12.) I am the Light of the World, he that followeth me shall not walk in Darkness, but Shall have the Light of Life. Furthermore, it is faid LIGHT OF LIGHT, because he hath in himself the whole Effence of the Father; like as when one Light is kindled by another, it hath in it all the Nature of that other Light. Laftly, the Words, BY WHOM ALL THINGS WERE MADE, are thus to be underflood: As the Son is equal in the fame Nature with the Father; fo he is equally Creator; and not BY WHOM, as by a Servant, or Inftrument, as the Scripture teacheth us (John i. 10) He was in the World, and the World was made through him, that is, by him.

QUEST. XXXVII.

What is the third Article of the Creed?

ANSWER.

ANSWER.

Who for us, Men, and for our Salvation, came down from Heaven, and was incarnate by the Hoby Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made Man. QUEST XXXVIII.

What doth this Article of the Creed teach?
ANSWER.

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We are hereby taught four Things: First, That the Son of God came down from Heaven into the Womb of a moft pure Virgin, to fave Mankind, as he before had promifed. Wherefore he thus fpeaketh concerning himself (John iii. 13.) No Man hath afcended up to Heaven, but be that came down from Heauen, even the Son of Man Now he came not down from Heaven by Change of Place; for, as being very God, he fills all Places, and is prefent in all; but fo it feemed good unto his Majefty, to humble himself by taking on him the Human Nature. Secondly, This Article teacheth us, that our Lord Jefus Chrift did verily and indeed take on him a real Humanity, and not in appearance only. For in that Moment, wherein the holy Maid answered the Angel, and faid, Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according unto thy Word. His Body was formed in the Virgin's Womb, and he became a perfect Man in every Particular, and having a reasonable Soul conjoined with his Divinity; being perfect God and perfect Man, in one and the fame Perfon. And the immaculate Virgin was faluted, and acknowledged to be the Mother of God, as Elizabeth faid unto her, (Luke

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(Luke i. 43.) And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me? Furthermore, it behoves us to know that the Divinity was not changed into the Humanity, neither was the Humanity loft in the Divinity; but each Nature remained compleat with all its Properties, only joined in the fame Perfon; Sin only, which appertained to the human Nature, being excepted.

QUEST. XXXIX. What is the third Thing taught in this Article? ANSWER.

Thirdly, we are hereby taught, that the Incarnation of CHRIST, was by the Operation of the Holy Ghost; fo that as the holy Maid was a Virgin before her Conception, fo alfo in conceiving, after he had conceived, and even when the brought forth, the remained a Virgin. CHRIST came forth of his Mother's Womb, after fuch a Manner, as to leave unviolated her Virginity, and left unbroke that Seal, that she might remain a Virgin for ever.

QUEST. XL.

What farther is contained in this Article?
ANSWER.

For

Concerning the most chafte Virgin, and Mother of God, Mary, whom all the Orthodox (as it is their Duty) ought to praife and reverence, as the Mother of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, or rather as the Mother of GOD; feeing the was thought worthy, by God, to fulfill fo great a Mystery. For which Reafon the Church has

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