ed to me of my Father. (*) And again, he rightly calls him Omnipotent; for this Chrift teftifies, by faying, All things are delivered to me of my Father; and he hath a Dominion over all things, and fo is made Omnipotent by the Father. And it is worthy of Obfervation, that this Interpretation of thefe Words is given by Hippolytus, in Anfwer to Noëtus, who used them in Confirmation of his Sabellian Doctrine.

And whereas it is faid by fome, that the Apostle having faid in the immediate preceeding Words, That Chrift came from the Father,

odpra according to the Flesh, or, as to to his human Nature, it is reafonable to conceive he fhould proceed to fay, what he was according to his Divine Nature: That this is not neceffary, appears from Clemens Rom. (†) where fpeaking of the Dignity of Abraham, he faith, That from him defcended the Lord Jefus odpra, according to the Flesh; but faith not one Word concerning his Spiritual Defcent. Nor,

Secondly, Doth this follow from thefe Words of the Apostle, Gal. iv. 8. When ye knew not God, ye worshipped them, who by Nature were

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(*) Καλῶς διηγεῖται καὶ λαμπρὸν τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας μυσήριον. ὅταν ὁ ὧν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς ἐσιν· λέγει γὰρ ὅτῳ μετὰ παῤῥησίας· πάντα μο παραδίδοται ὑπὸ ξ' Πατρὸς & rurfus καλῶς εἶπεν παντοκράτορα χρισ σον· τότο γὰρ εἶπεν καὶ ἀυτῷ μαρτυρήσει ὁ χριςθ. μαρτυρῶν γὰρ χρις τὸς ἔφη, πάντα μοὶ παραδέδοται ὑπὸ ξ' Πατρὸς και πάντων κρατεῖ παν τοκράτωρ του ο Πατρὸς κατετάθη χρισα. Contra, Noet. p. 10. (†) Epift. ad Corinthios. Sect. 32.

no Gods. Chrift 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 abfolutely • Пarrongaτag, of himself Supreme over all.

Secondly, Thefe Words may be fairly rendered thus, ye worshipped Gods, Tois un quoel, Gods which had no Being or Existence in Nature. For fuch were many of their fictitious Gods, Venus, Diana, Minerva, &c. or Gods made with Hands, for of such Gods the Apostle faith, we know that an Idol is nothing. And Demetrius the Silver-Smith complains that St. Paul taught, That they were no Gods that were made with Hands, Acts xix. 26. And the Pfalmift faith, The Gods of the Hea thens are the Works of Mens Hands, Pfalm cxv. 5. and in this Senfe this Text cannot at all concern our bleffed Lord. Nor,

Thirdly, Will this follow from those Passages, which fay All things were made by him, and by him were all things created; it being exprefly faid in the fame Scriptures, That God created all things by Jefus Christ, Eph. iii. 9. And that by him, he, (that is, God the Father,) made the Worlds, (*) Heb. i. 2. Now he by whom God the Father made all things,

cannot

اد

(*) Πάντα Δὰ ο λόγε ἐγένετο, ἢ ὑπὸ τ' λόγω ἀλλ' ὑπὸ κρείτονος, και μείζονα που τὸν λόγον· τίς ἢ ἄν ἄλλο ἔτα τυγχάνη ἢ ὁ Harp Orig. Com. in Johan. p. 56. & inpérns & Infusspył gwóμενος ὁ λόγος τὸν κόσμον κατεσκεύασε, p. 61,

cannot be the fame God with him who made all things by him. Nor,

Fourthly, Doth this follow from these Words of the Apoftle, in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Coloff. ii. 9, For firft, this fulness refers not to the Divine Nature, but to the fulness of his Divine Wifdom and Knowledge, v. 3. by which he is compleatly enabled to manifeft to us both the Will and Perfections of God.

2

And whereas against this it is objected, that τὸ Θείον and Θεότης do never fignifie the Doctrine of the Gofpel; and that the Will of God cannot be faid to dwell bodily in any Person; To this I answer, first, that though the Words, τὸ Θεῖον καὶ Θεότης abfolutely put, do never fignifie the Doctrine of the Gospel; yet λhwμɑ Tus DeоTηT, may fignifie the compleat Ability of that Divine Person who is God. And in this Sense the Church is faid 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 faid to be hid in Chrift, Coloff. ii. 3. why may they not also be said to dwell in him.

Thus St. John the Baptist faith of Chrift, chap. 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 G 2

was

was fent to reveal to the World. And St. Paul prays, that the Ephefians might comprehend with all Saints, what is the Breadth, and Length, and Depth, and Heighth : And to know the Love of Christ which passeth Knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the ful nefs of God, Eph. iii. 18, 19. Where cer

tainly 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 fending his beloved Son to acquaint them with the Riches of his Love to them in Chrift Jefus, this fulness being to be obtained by Chrift dwelling in their Hearts by Faith, v. 17.

Secondly, Whatever this fulness of the Godhead Means, it was conferred on him by the good Pleasure of the Father. For, faith the fame Apoftle, chap. 1. 19. it pleafed the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; that is, it pleafed 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 Prefervation of his whole Church. For had he been one and the fame All-perfect God with the Father, it could not have been truly faid, That it pleafed 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,

Laftly,

Lastly, This will farther appear from the Connection of thefe Words with the foregoing, where the Apoftle cautions the Coloffians against the Philofophy and vain Deceit of the Heathen Moralifts, taught after the Rudiments of the World, and not after Chrift. For, faith he, in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; which fecms to be a plain Dehortation from attending to the Knowledge taught by thefe Heathen Philofophers, because of the fulness of the Knowledge which was in Chrift; and adds, That we are compleat in him, not furely by having the fame Godhead with him, but by receiving a full and fufficient Knowledge of the whole Will of God revealed to us. Nor,

For

Fifthly, will this follow from thefe Words of the Apoftle, Looking for that blessed Hope, and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Fefus Chrift, Tit. ii. 13. that the great God there, fignifics God the Father, is fully proved by Dr. Clarke, in his Comment upon that Text.

Laftly, That the true God mentioned, 1 Joh. v. 20. is not the Son of God, but the Father, who by our Saviour is filed the only true God, is proved from the antient reading of thefe Words thus, The Son of God is come and hath given us an Understanding, va yivwonwμer τὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, that we may know the true God, καὶ ἐσμεν ἐν τῷ αληθινῷ υἱῷ αὐτῷ Ἰησο χρισ and we are in his true Son Jefus Chrift. This G 3 God,