Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

Lastly: Nor will this follow from these words of St. John, "The word was God." For if that implies that he is the same numerical God with God the Father, it plainly is repugnant to all the passages following, cited in the foregoing arguments from this evangelist, and also to the text itself, where, of this word which he styles God, he twice says "That he was with God." But to say that he was the same God with whom he was, is a contradiction in terms, though, indeed, it was the ancient heresy of Sabellius.

Moreover, of this word which is here styled God, the apostle saith, "He came to his own, and his own received him not ;" which cannot be true of God the Father, whom the Jews always owned to be their God, but only of that Jesus, who is here said to be with God, and to be God.

Thus have I considered all the arguments for this identity of the Father and Son, produced from the evangelist.

I come next to consider those which are offered to the same purpose from the Epistles, of which the first is taken from Rom. ix. 5, where in our translation we read thus: "Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever,” ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.

Now to this argument I have returned one answer in my Reply to Dr. Waterland, by approving the ingenious conjecture of a learned critic, that these words are to be read thus, v ó étì távtwv Eds, and are to be referred to God the Father's being the God of the Jews; and then the whole verse will run thus, av oi Пaτéρss, kai é§ ŵv ó Xpiotòs, "Whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ according to the flesh; v, of whom, or whose, is the God over all, blessed for ever;" he being peculiarly known to them, and related to them as their God in covenant. And this exposition is the more probable, because this phrase is by the same apostle, in this Epistle and in another, plainly referred to God the Father; as when he says (Rom. i. 25), "The heathens worshiped the creature more than the Creator,” ὃς ἐστιν ἐυλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας; and (2 Cor. xi. 31), "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ὃς ἐστιν ευλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.'

[ocr errors]

But, secondly, the words read according to our translation, are interpreted by Hippolytus thus: "That Christ is God over all, because God the Father had delivered all things into his hand;" and, as the apostle saith, "had made him head over all things to the church" (Eph, i. 22). His words are these: "In these words of the apostle he plainly sets forth the mystery of truth." "He that is over all is God;" for so he dares to say,

"All things are delivered to me of my Father."* And again, he rightly calls him omnipotent; for this Christ testifies by saying, "All things are delivered to me of my Father;" and he hath a dominion over all things, and so is made omnipotent by the Father. And it is worthy of observation, that this interpretation of these words is given by Hippolytus in answer to Noetus, who used them in confirmation of his Sabellian doctrine. And whereas it is said by some, that the apostle having said in the immediate preceding words, "That Christ came from the Father, κarà σapka, according to the flesh," or as to his human nature, it is reasonable to conceive he should proceed to say what he was according to his divine nature. That this is not necessary appears from Clemens Rom.,† where, speaking of the dignity of Abraham, he saith, "That from him descended the Lord Jesus, karà σápka, according to the flesh," but saith not one word concerning his spiritual descent. Nor,

Secondly, doth this follow from these words of the apostle (Gal. iv. 8), "When ye knew not God, ye worshiped them who by nature were no gods;" Christ being by nature truly God, as having by that nature which he derives from the Father true divine power and dominion over all things both in heaven and earth, in subordination to Him who alone is absolutely Пavroxрáτop of himself supreme over all.

[ocr errors]

Ye

Secondly: These words may be fairly rendered thus: worshiped gods, To μn púσ, gods which had no being or existence in nature:" for such were many of their fictitious gods, Venus, Diana, Minerva, &c., or gods made with hands; for of such gods the apostle saith, "We know that an idol is nothing." And Demetrius, the silversmith, complains that St. Paul taught, "That they were no gods that were made with hands (Acts xix. 26); and the Psalmist saith, "The gods of the heathens are the works of men's hands" (Ps. cxv. 5); and in this sense this text cannot at all concern our blessed Lord. Nor,

[ocr errors]

Thirdly, will this follow from those passages which say, "All things were made by him, and by him were all things created;" it being expressly said in the same Scriptures, "That God created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. iii. 9); " And that by him, he (that is, God the Father) made the worlds "‡ (Heb.i. 2).

• Καλῶς διηγεῖται καὶ λαμπρὸν τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας μυστήριον οὗτος ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὺς ἐστιν λέγει γὰρ οὕτῳ μετὰ παῤῥησίας πάντα μοὶ παραδέδοται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς, et rursus, καλῶς εἶπεν παντοκράτορα Χριστόν· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν καὶ αὐτῷ μαρτυρήσει ὁ Χριστὸς, μαρτυρῶν γὰρ Χριστὸς, ἔφη, πάντα μεὶ παραδέδοται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ πάντων κρατεῖ· παντοκράτως παρὰ Πατρὸς κατεστάθη Χριστός. Contra Noet., p. 10.

+ Epist. ad Corinthios, Sect. xxxii.

† Πάντα διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἐγένετο, οὐ ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου ἀλλ' ὑπὸ κρείττονος, καὶ μει

Now he by whom God the Father made all things, cannot be the same God with Him who made all things by him. Nor,

[ocr errors]

Fourthly, doth this follow from these words of the apostle, "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily' (Coloss. ii. 9); for, first, this fulness refers not to the divine nature, but to the fulness of his "divine wisdom and knowledge,' (ver. 3,) by which he is completely enabled to manifest to us both the will and perfections of God.

[ocr errors]

And whereas against this it is objected, that Tò TOY and Eórns do never signify the doctrine of the Gospel; and that the will of God cannot be said to dwell bodily in any person: to this I answer, first, that though the words To Toy Kai es, absolutely put, do never signify the doctrine of the Gospel, yet τλńpwμa tõs ETTO, may signify the complete ability of that divine person who is God: and in this sense the church is said to be, or have, the fulness of that God who is all in all, by having his whole will revealed to them. And again, "If all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge may be said to be hid in Christ" (Coloss. ii. 3), why may they not also be said to dwell in him?

Thus, St. John the Baptist saith of Christ (John i. 16, 17), "That he was full of grace and truth, and of his fulness have we all received;" not meaning that we had received of the fulness of his Godhead, but only a full knowledge of the grace and truth which he was sent to reveal to the world. And St. Paul prays, that the "Ephesians might comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. iii. 18, 19); where, certainly, he doth not pray that all saints may be filled with the divine nature of God, but only that they might have a sufficient knowledge of the love of God, in sending his beloved Son to acquaint them with the riches of his love to them in Christ Jesus; this fulness being to be obtained "by Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith" (ver. 17).

Secondly: Whatever this fulness of the Godhead means, it was conferred on him by the good pleasure of the Father. For, saith the same apostle (chap. i. 19)," It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" that is, it pleased the Father thus to invest him with the fulness of divine power and wisdom for the creation of all things, and for the redemption and government and preservation of his whole church. For had he been one and the same all-perfect God with the Father, it could not

ζονος παρὰ τὸν λόγον· τίς δὲ ἂν ἄλλος οὗτος τυγχάνη ἢ ὁ Πατήρ. Orig. Com. in Johan., p. 56, et ὑπηρέτης του δημιουργοῦ γινόμενος ὁ λόγος τὸν κόσμον κατεσκεύασε. P. 61.

have been truly said, "That it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" for then he must have had it from the perfection of his own nature, and not from the pleasure of his Father. And,

Lastly, this will farther appear from the connexion of these words with the foregoing, where the apostle cautions the Colossians against the philosophy and vain deceit of the heathen moralists, taught after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For, saith he, "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;" which seems to be a plain dehortation from attending to the knowledge taught by these heathen philosophers, because of the fulness of the knowledge which was in Christ; and adds, "That we are complete in him,"-not, surely, by having the same Godhead with him, but-by receiving a full and sufficient knowledge of the whole will of God revealed to us. Nor, Fifthly, will this follow from these words of the apostle, Looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ" (Tit. ii. 13); for that the great God there signifies God the Father, is fully proved by Dr. Clarke, in his comment upon that text.

66

[ocr errors]

Lastly, that the true God mentioned 1 John v. 20, is not the Son of God, but the Father, who by our Saviour is styled the only true God, is proved from the ancient reading of these words thus: "The Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, ἵνα γινώσκωμεν τὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, that we may know the true God, καὶ ἐσμὲν ἐν τῷ ἀληθινῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, and we are in his true Son, Jesus Christ.' This God, of whom the Son of God hath given us this knowledge, (as our Lord hath told us, John xvii. 3,)" is the true God, and the knowledge of him is eternal life." Thus the disciple accords well with his Master, and only teacheth what he had learnt from him. [As for Rev. i. 8, see Dr. Clarke's Scripture Doctrine, pp. 62, 63, 64; and the Modest Plea continued, p. 12.]

A TABLE

OF THE

Phrases, "Our Lord Jesus Christ," or "Christ Jesus our Lord," which occur in the Epistles.

Rom. i. 7 "Grace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Chap. iv. 24: "Faith shall be imputed to us, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead." Chap. v. 1: "We have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ver. 11: "We joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Chap. vi. 11: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to-be alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Ver. 23: "The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Chap. vii. 25: "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Chap. viii. 39: "Nothing shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Chap. x. 9: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Chap. xvi. 27: "To the only wise God be glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 Cor. i. 4: "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given to you by Jesus Christ our Lord." Ver. 9: "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Chap. xv. 57: "Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Cor. xiii. 14: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.'

[ocr errors]

Eph. iii. 11: "According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Chap. iv. 5, 6: "One Lord-one God and Father, who is above all," &c.

Chap. v. 20: "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

« ForrigeFortsæt »