gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many and lords many; but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things. We must, therefore, take care in searching out and expressing the Doctrine of the Trinity, that we do not make two or three distinct gods, lest we break in upon the foundation of all religion, whether natural, Jewish, or christian.

PROP. IV. Since there can be but one God, the peculiar, and divine distinguishing Characters of Godhead cannot belong to any other Being.

This proposition is so evident, that I have to spend no time in proving, that the essential and distinguishing marks and qualities of any one being can never belong to another: For otherwise there could be no certain distinction betwixt any two different beings in nature; and we should run into perpetual mistakes hourly, and take one for the other. If the distinguishing characters of fire could belong to earth or water, or the peculiar marks of human nature could be found in plants or brute animals, this would bring everlasting confusion into the affairs of life, and common language. Much more necessary is it that there should be the most evident marks of distinction between God and a creature, lest we should bring the same confusion into all our religion and worship, by mistaking the creature for God, and God for the creature,

PROP. V. God himself, is so jealous of his own Honour, and so concerned to maintain the Dignity of his Godhead, as never to suffer these peculiar distinguishing Characters of Godhead to be ascribed to any other besides himself.

It is fit that godhead should support its own dignity, and bear its character high above all creatures; otherwise God could not be just and true to himself. It is necessary that the almighty Maker and sovereign Governor of all, should maintain his state and majesty, and suffer nothing, which is not God, to approach too near the grandeur of godhead; nor will he bear it without high resentment and divine indignation.

This is what is properly called his jealousy in scripture. He is often described as a jealous God, and will not suffer creatures to share with him in his incommunicable glories. Ex. xx. 3, 4, 5. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me; Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." Deut. iv. 23, 21. "Take heed to yourselves

lest you make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee; for the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." Deut. vi. 13, 14, 15. “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name: Ye shall not go after other gods, the gods of the people which are round about you, for the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you, lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth." To the same purpose speaks Joshua, chapter xxiv. verse 19. Deut. xxxii. 16. 17." They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger; they sacrificed to devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your father feared not." Verses 19, 20, 21. "When the Lord saw it he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and his daughters: And he said, I will hide my face from them; they have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities." Such are the awful manifestations of God, in a way of jealousy, for his own name and the dignity of his godhead.

The heart of God is so much set upon it to exclude all rivals or competitors from any share in the prerogatives of godhead, that he borrows one of his names from his jealousy in this matter; Ex. xxxiv. 14. Thou shalt worship no other God; for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. He declares solemnly, that his honour should not be given to another; nor will he bear that any thing should come near him, or to be likened to him in the glory of his nature; Isa. xlii. 8. I am the Lord; that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another. Isa. xlvi. 9. I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Isa. xl. 18. To whom will ye liken God, or what likeness will ye compare unto him? Verse 25. To whom will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. And when he threatens his vengeance against the worship of that which is not God, he speaks in the fire and fury of his jealousy, as it is often expressed in the language of the prophets.

PROP. VI.-God is also so kind and faithful to his Creatures, as to tell them what are these peculiar and distinguishing Characters of Godhead, that they may not run into this Mistake and Guilt of ascribing them to any other

Though men of learning and retirement among the heathens, who have devoted themselves to the study of philosophy, have found out several of these peculiar characters of godhead; and the light of reason, if well improved, is sufficient to teach all men so much of God, as to leave thera without excuse; Rom. i. 19, 20. Yet in our fallen and degenerate state we are

so thoughtless and foolish, and our understanding is so feeble, so rash and giddy, that we are ready to commit mistakes in this solemn and important point. Therefore the blessed God in great condescension has told us in his word, what are the peculiar glories that belong to his nature, and the characters by which he will be known and distinguished from all that is not God. And since he has separated a people to himself, and promised to give them the knowledge of himself, in order to his glory and their own happiness, he has been so kind to them, and so faithful to his covenant, as to mark out those distinguishing characters of godhead, by which he will be known, in a very evident manner; and that not in a single text or twe, but in many places of holy scripture, that they may not thoughtlessly run into the heinous mistake, of ascribing godhead to any inferior natures, and incur the dreadful penalties which his jealousy has

threatened.

PROP. VII-The peculiar and distinguishing Characters of Godhead are those Names, Titles, Attributes, Works and Worship, which God has assumed to himself in his Word, exclusive of any other being; and has either asserted them expressly to belong only to himself, or left it sufficiently evident in his Word that they belong to him alone.

Here I shall not insist on all the peculiar characters of godhead that may be found in scripture, but mention only a few, viz. such as in my opinion seem to carry the clearest evidence with them. The peculiar divine names are chiefly these two; viz. the name Jehovah, and the name GOD, with some additional word of honour, as the true God, the great God, the mighty God, the only wise God, God and none else, and God blessed for ever. The peculiar divine titles are, the God of Abraham, the Lord of hosts, King of kings, and Lord of lords, the first and the last. The peculiar divine attributes are, omniscience, omnipotence, eternity and immutability. The peculiar divine works are, the creation and conservation of all things, the changing of the heart, and raising the dead. The last peculiar character of godhead, is divine worship. And, I think, the words of scripture where these characters of godhead are mentioned, will be most easily compared together, and set in the fairest light, if I refer them all to be cited under this next proposition.

PROP. VIII. Yet these very Names, Titles, Altributes, Works and Worship, which are peculiar to God, and incommunicable to another, are ascribed to Three by God himself in his Word; which Three are distinguished by the Names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

One can hardly read a leaf of scripture, especially of the New Testament, but we find some mention made of these three glorious agents, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost: And

though these words are not to be understood precisely in the same sense as when applied to men; yet the meaning of these words must answer the common use of them in some main respect; else surely such words would not have been used. And if we consult the general sense of them in scripture, we shall find that this word Father signifies some superior character, from whom the Son derives, at least, his character of Sonship, and upon whom he depends so far as he is a Son, by whom he is sent on glorious errands.

The Son, who is also sometimes called the only begotten of the Father, must have some very extraordinary relation to the Father more than any other being, and is often employed by the Father.

The holy Spirit has this title eminently given him as a being of a spiritual nature, as a prime agent in the affairs of the Father and Son even as the spirit of a man knows and manages the affairs of a man; and he is called holy, because his great work is to sanctify and to make holy the children of men.

But of these things I shall speak more hereafter. My work is here to prove, that all three have the peculiar characters of godhead.

That the incommunicable divine names, &c. are ascribed to God the Father, the first in the sacred Trinity, is universally agreed by all christians of all parties, there is therefore no need to spend time in proving it. My present business, therefore, shall be to shew under each of these five heads, viz. names, titles, attributes, works and worship, what are the peculiar characters of godhead, and prove, first, that they are ascribed to Christ, the Son of God; and then, that several of them are ascribed also to the holy Spirit.

Before we enter on this argument, it may be proper to observe, that all parties allow that the second person in the Trinity, or our Lord Jesus Christ, is sometimes called the angel or messenger of his Father; sometimes his servant, his wisdom, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the life, the light, &c. But the chief names he is called by, are vis huios," the Son, or "logos," the reason or word of God. I mention this only to shew, that where we meet with him in scripture under these various names, we may know it is the same person. Nor need I take pains to prove this here, since I design to mention and make use of no place of scripture where any of these appellations can be controverted, without a particular vindication of them in this sense.

I proceed now to the argument proposed:

I. "The names of God ascribed to Christ."

1. Jehovah is a name peculiar to God; which we may infer

from the very composition of the word, according to the opinion of the best Hebrew critics: For it signifies being itself, he whio was, and who is, and who shall be; and therein seems to denote the eternity and the unchangeableness of God, whose name is "I am that I am;" Ex. iii. 14. And answers to the description of God; Rev. iv. 8. "The Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." But there are most express scriptures which prove the name Jehovah to be incommunicable; Ps. Ixxxiii. 18. "Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth." Is. xlv. 5. I am Jehovah, and there is none else, there is no God besides me." Is. xlii. 8. "I am Jehovah, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another."

Here let it be noted, for the benefit of the unlearned christians, that where the word Lord is written in great letters in the Old Testament [LORD] the word in the Hebrew is Jehovah; where it is written in small letters [Lord] it is some other word in the Hebrew, as Adon or Adonai, &c. except perhaps one or two places where the printer hath made a mistake.

Now this name Jehovah is ascribed to our Lord Jesus Christ, or the Son of God; Jer. xxiii. 6. The righteous branch that was to be raised unto David, was the promised Messiah or Christ. And "this is the name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness." It is evident that this name is not ascribed to Christ as the name Jehovah-Nissi, [the Lord is my banner] is given to an altar; Ex. xvii. 15. Or Jehovah-shalom; Judges vi. 24. [the Lord is peace.] Or as the name Jehovahshammah [the Lord is there] is given to a city; Ezek. xlviii. 35. Because it is possible in all those places that God the Father may be signified. But Christ must be the person meant in these words, whether they be translated Jehovah our righteousness, or, Jehovah is our righteousness, for it is a promise concerning the times of the New Testament, where Christ is often described as our righteousness, but God the Father is never described so; 1 Cor. i. 30. Christ Jesus is made unto us wisdom and righteousness.

There are other places in the Old Testament where the name Jehovah is given to Christ upon this very account; Is. xlv. 24, 25. "Surely shall one say, In Jehovah have I righteousness and strength: In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified" Which in the New Testament are thus interpreted; Rom. v. 18. "By the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men to justification of life." 2 Cor. v. 21. Christ who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christ is called Jehovah, Is. vi. 1, 9, 10. " I saw the Lord Jehovah sitting upon a throne, and he said, go and tell this peo