he Trinity, but only as
Mediator,--he holds, by consequence, that Christ hath not glory by virtue
of his Father's gift, as he is the eternal Son of God or Second Person in
the Trinity. But Mr Coleman holds the former; therefore Mr Coleman holds
the latter. The consequence in the proposition is proved from John xvii.
22, "The glory which thou gavest me." The assumption he will own, or else
quit his argument against my distinction of the double kingdom given to
Christ, as he is the eternal Son of God, and as Mediator. The conclusion
which follows is heretical; for whereas the Nicene Creed said of Christ,
in regard of his eternal generation, that he is _Deus de Deo, Lumen de
lumine_,--God of God, Light of light, Mr Coleman's argument will infer that
he is not only _ex seipso Deus_, but _ex seipso Filius_; and so deny the
eternal generation of the Son of God, and the communication of the
Godhead, and the sovereignty, glory, and attributes thereof, from the
Father to the Son. For if Christ, as he is the eternal Son of God, hath
not glory by virtue of his Father's gift, then he hath it not by virtue of
the eternal generation and communication, but fundamentally and originally
of himself.

As for the other branch of Mr Coleman's argument, tending to prove that
Christ, as he is the eternal Son of God, cannot be given, which he
endeavours to vindicate, p. 14, 15, I answer these two things:

_First_, Granting all that he saith, he concludes nothing against me; for
I did from the beginning expound these words, Eph. i. 22, "And gave him to
be the head over all things to the church," in this sense, That Christ as
Mediator is given only to the church, to be her head, but he that is given
as Mediator to the church is _over all_. So that the giving of Christ
there spoken of is as Mediator, and he is given to the church only, which
I cleared by the Syriac, "And him who is over all he gave to be the head
to the church." But his being _over all_, there spoken of, if understood
of glory, dignity, excellency over all, so Christ is over all as Mediator
(yea, in regard of the exaltation of his human nature), and this helpeth
not Mr Coleman, who intends to prove from that place that all government,
even civil, is given to Christ as Mediator. But if understood of a kingdom
and government over all, so he is over all, as he is the eternal Son of
God or Second Person of the Trinity, and not as Mediator.

_Secondly_, The question which the reveren