The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easy draught of the Christian…The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easie draught of the Christian…

He is called the Son of God, because he proceeds from the Father, not by way of creation, but by way of generation. And generation is here used by similitude or proportion, that this emanation of the ⟨p. 91⟩Son from the Father, hath with that production, which a child hath from its parent; in the comparison of which similitude or analogy, as in all others that are attributed to God, the perfections only of the denomination are to be understood to agree; and all the imperfections and defects are to be removed in our thoughts. Hence, that which is proper to corporal generation, that he who begets, doth it with some transmutation; and that the thing begotten, is something out of the begetter; these are not to be imagined in this divine mystery; nor that which is found in the spiritual generation, in, or by a creature; to wit, that the thing begotten is of another essence from that of the begetter, as in the production of the w•rd of the mind in humane understanding. But the perfection that is in the generation of a body; to wit, that the begotten be in essence and nature like unto the begetter, is here to be con oyned with that perfection that is found in spiritual generation of creatures; to wit, that the begotten be in the begetter, by the most inward and inseparable way of being so; and so we come •ighest to apprehend, that which can be conceived or apprehended of this divine generation of the Son by the Father. For Christ proceeding from God the Father, hath the same common nature and essence with him, and is his substantial image, Heb. 1. 3. Yet he remains still in the Father, and the Father in him, without total separation of either from other, as God understanding himself, is in God understood by himself; and God understood by himself, is in God understanding himself.

He is called the Son of God, because he proceeds from the Father, not by way of creation, but by way of generation. And generation is here used by similitude or proportion, that this emanation of the ⟨p. 91⟩Son from the Father, hath with that production, which a child hath from its parent; in the comparison of which similitude or analogy, as in all others that are attributed to God, the perfections onely of the denomination are to be understood to agree; and all the imperfections and defects are to be removed in our thoughts. Hence, that which is proper to corporal generation, that he who begets, doth it with some transmutation; and that the thing begotten, is something out of the begetter; these are not to be imagined in this divine mystery; nor that which is found in the spiritual generation, in, or by a creature; to wit, that the thing begotten is of another essence from that of the begetter, as in the production of the wrd of the mind in humane understanding. But the perfection that is in the generation of a body; to wit, that the begotten be in essence and nature like unto the begetter, is here to be con oyned with that perfection that is found in spiritual generation of creatures; to wit, that the begotten be in the begetter, by the most inward and inseparable way of being so; and so we come ighest to apprehend, that which can be conceived or apprehended of this divine generation of the Son by the Father. For Christ proceeding from God the Father, hath the same common nature and essence with him, and is his substantial image,