"Plasmatus in initio

before the council of Nice, "homo per manus DEI, id est, FILII et SPIRITUS," says Irenæus *; putting the singular name of God, for the two persons of the Son and Spirit. And the same word, in the language of Origen, (if we are allowed to take the version of Ruffinus as genuine) includes the whole three persons Igitur de DEO, id est, de PATRE et FILIO et SPIRITU sancto †. And our excellent Church has used the word God in the same comprehensive sense; as in the Blessing after the communion service--GOD ALMIGHTY, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

XV.

John xiv. 11. I am in the Father, and the Father IN ME.

Compare this with the foregoing Article.

XVI.

We

1 Cor. v. 20. We are ambassadors for CHRIST, as though GOD did BESEECH you by us. PRAY YOU IN CHRIST'S STEAD be ye reconciled to GOD.

The usefulness of this text to our present subject, lies in these words- "In Christ's stead we pray, as though God did beseech"-where the interchanging of the Names God and Christ, shews the same person to be entitled to both.

XVII.

1 John v. 20. We are in him that is true, even in his Son JESUS CHRIST: THIS IS the TRUE GOD and eternal life.

* Lib. v. §. 23.

+ De principis. Lib. iv. c. 2.

XVIII.

Col. ii. 8, 9. Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after CHRIST: for IN HIM DWELLETH ALL THE FULLNESS of the GOD

HEAD BODILY.

The Apostle foresaw, that a thing calling itself Philosophy would set all its engines at work to destroy the notion of Christ's true and absolute Divinity"For in him (says he) dwelleth all the fulness of the "Godhead bodily. Philosophy will dispute this: and "undertake to demonstrate the contrary. But if you "listen to such vain deceit, it will overthrow your faith, and spoil you for a disciple of Jesus Christ; "therefore--Beware.

XIX.

John i. 1. The WORD WAS GOD.

XX.

Isai. ix. 6. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the Government shall be upon his Shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the MIGHTY GOD, the EVERLASTING FATHER.

XXI.

Jer. xxiii. 6. This is the Name whereby he shall be called, the Lord (JEHOVAH) our righteous

ness.

XXII.

Isai. ii. 17, 18. The LORD ALONE shall be EXALTED in that day: and the IDOLS he shall utterly abolish.

186

"Idolatry is the reverse, and direct opposite to Christianity (or, the day of Christ.) To destroy this was the great end of Christ's coming into the world. " —But except he were God, the very and eternal "God, of one Substance with the Father, his Reli

gion would be so far from destroying Idolatry, that "it would only be a more refined and dangerous spe"cies of it. The Prophet, therefore, concludes all, "that so he might acquit the worship of Christ from "all charge of Idolatry, with this positive assertion; "that it would prove the most effectual means of putting an end to all false and Idolatrous Worship: "The Idols he shall utterly abolish. The like conclu"sion we meet with in the Apostle St. John; who

having affirmed that Jesus Christ is the true God "and eternal life, immediately subjoins and closes all "with this advice-Little Children, keep yourselves from IDOLS."

This remark is taken from the first Volume of an Essay upon the proper Lessons; written, as I am told, by a Gentleman of the Laity. There needs no Apology for setting it down; it being of good use in the subject I am upon. And it also gives me an occasion of returning thanks to the pious and learned Author of that excellent work, not for myself only, but for many sincere friends to the religion of Christ and the Church of England, among whom his labours are not without their fruit; and I am confident they will not be without their reward: but the Author must be con

tent to wait for it, till Wisdom shall be justified of all her Children.

XXIII.

Rev. 1. 8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the LORD, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the

ALMIGHTY.

If the Reader will be pleased to examine the 13th and 17th verses of this Chapter, itwill appear that this 8th verse was undoubtedly spoken from the mouth of Christ: who therefore has a just title to every name and attribute expressed in it; and among the rest, to that of the Almighty.

Origen, who certainly was no Arian, though often represented as such, by some who would be pleased to have the vote of so celebrated a genius, has the following observation"Now that you may know "the Omnipotence of the Father and the Son to be one "and the same as HE is ONE and the SAME GOD "and LORD with the FATHER, hear what St. John "has said in the Revelation These things saith the "Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." For who is the Almighty that is to come, but Christ *?

XXIV.

The Texts that follow, with this mark (T) prefixed to them, are such as have been abused by the Arians

Ut autem unam & eandem omnipotentiam Patris & Filii esse cognoscas sicut unus atque idem est cum Patre Deus & Dominus, audi hoc modo Joan in Apocalypsi dicentem: Hæc dicit dominus Deus qui est, & qui erit, & qui venturus est omnipotens. Qui enim venturus est mnipotens, quis est alius nisi Christus ?- -De Principiis, Lib. i. c. 2.

to support their Heresy: and to the best of my knowledge, there are some of every sort. But when the Scripture is brought to declare its own sense of them, they will either appear to be nothing to the purpose, or confirm and preach the faith they have been supposed to destroy.

T Matth. xix. 17. Why callest thou ME GOOD? there is none good but ONE, that is GOD.

The objection is founded upon the Greek, which runs thus-Ouders -Ουδείς εςιν αγαθώ, ει μη εις ο θεος. There is none good, but us, one, and that (one) is o J, God. Whence it is argued, that the adjective as being in the masculine Gender, cannot be interpreted to signify one Being or Nature (for then it should have been EN, in the Neuter) but one Person: so that by confining the attribute of goodness to the single person of the Father, it must of course exclude the persons of the Son and Holy Ghost from the Unity of the Godhead.

To say the truth, I think this is the most plausible objection I have ever met with; and I have sincerely endeavoured to do it justice. If it is capable of being set in a stronger light, any man is welcome to add what he pleases to it. For supposing the word us to signifie one person, (and in that lies the whole force of the argument,) then if one person only is good, and that person is God; it must also follow that there is but one person who is God: the name of God being as much confined hereby to a single person, as the attribute of goodness. But this is utterly false; the names of God, Lord, Lord of Hosts, the Almighty, most High, Eternal, God of Israel, &c. being also ascribed to the second and third Persons of the blessed Trinity. Take it this way, therefore, and the objection, by proving too much, confutes itself, and proves nothing.