2.--As the Son of God in his divine person, which implies his eternal relationship to the Father, he lived in eternity as a person existing with the Father; He is in the bosom of the father, the only begotten of the Father, the express image of the Father, the son of God, without the consideration of the human nature, either body or soul. He was a divine person: the human nature did not make him a person; but the Son of God did take the human nature into union with himself, and though possessing two natures he is but one person. As the adorable son of God, he lived before all the world, a life with the Father--a life of inconceivable delight. Hence the Father has said of his dear son, "in whom my soul delighteth;" and the dear Son of God has said of the Father, "I was daily his delight--constantly and invariably rejoicing--always before him--delighting in the Father before the world was rejoicing," that he possessed the same nature, being, and perfections, and that he stood in such a relation to him as the Son of the Father--and "because I live _as_ the Son of God, ye shall live also." 3.--As the Head of the Church.--In this most blessed relation he ever lived, does now, and ever will; he is their head as a general is head to his army; as a king is head to his subjects; as a husband is head to his wife; as a father is head to his children; as a master is to his servants; but besides these, our most blessed Lord is that to his people as the natural head is to the natural body; and the members of it, of the same nature with it; superior to it; communicates life, sense, and motion to it; overlooks and protects it; he is the representative head of his body, the church; being united to him, we are in him, and have a representative existence in him; he was chosen to be the head of the elect family, out of the boundless love of God the Father; and they were chosen in him. Eternal election gives us a subsistence, a representative being, in Christ; he lives in God's eternal mind and love, as the head of the church, and his people live in him, and shall live for ever in him; nor _sin_, nor _time_, nor _death_, can part them. Christ as head, and his people were chosen together; He first, in order of nature, as the head, and they as members; as in the womb, head and members are not conceived apart, but together, so was the church and Christ in the womb of eternal election. God views us in him, and never did, nor never will, consider his dear people separate from him as the chosen head of the chosen body. All other blessings flow to us from, and by virtue of, this union. We live in Christ, we have a covenant subsistence and representative being in him; and as the root, the trunk, the branches, and leaves, are folded up in the acorn, so all God's family are in Christ, and shall be brought forth in their appointed time; their adoption, justification, redemption, preservation, pardon, calling,