An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

To begin with the Fullness of Christ; ¹and the first place wherein we meet with it, is Joh. 1.16. And of his fullness we all received, and grace for grace: Now what is meant by this Fullness, we may learn from ver. 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth: This Fullness which was in Christ, is a Fullness of Grace and Truth; and if we consult ver. 17. we shall find, that this Grace and Truth is opposed to the Law of Moses, The Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ: So that Grace and Truth signify the Gospel, which is a Covenant of Grace, and is expressly called ⟨p. 256⟩the Grace of God, Tit. 2.11. and contains the most clear and perspicuous Revelation of the Divine Will, in opposition to the Types and Shadows under the Law; is Truth, in opposition to Types and Figures; this is the Fullness we receive from Christ, a perfect Revelation of the Divine Will, concerning the Salvation of Mankind, which contains so many excellent Promises, that it may be well be called Grace, and prescribes such a plain and simple Religion, so agreeable to the natural Nations of Good and Evil, that it may well be called Truth: This Fullness dwelt only in Christ, and from him alone we receive it; for none of the Prophets, who were before him, did so perfectly understand the Will of God as he did: No man hath seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him, v. 18. No man ever before had so perfect a knowledge of the Will of God (which is here called seeing God, because sight gives the most perfect knowledge) but the Son, who understood all his most secret counsels, hath perfectly declared the Will of the Father to us: and hence that Fullness we receive from Christ is explained by Grace for Grace, which signifies the abundance of Grace manifested in the ⟨p. 257⟩Gospel. St. Austin expounds it, Pro Legis gratiâ quae praeteriit, gratiam Evangelii accepimus permanentem; but this seems to be a forced sense, for the Law is no where called Grace, but Grace is opposed to to the Law in the next verse: But however, this they agree in, that by the fullness of Grace and Truth they understand the Gospel, that perfect declaration which Christ hath made to the World.