530. Rev.xix, 10. Worship God: For the Teftimony of Jefus, is the Spirit of Prophecy; [or, The Spirit of Prophecy is the Testimony of Jefus.]

531.

532.

These words are by moft Commentators interpreted very obfcurely. The Meaning feems to be; Worfhip God only, (faith the Angel,) and not Me; For I am only your Fellow-fervant, a prophetical Spirit, fent forth to bear Teftimony concerning Jefus, as you yourself alfo do.

xxii; 3, 4. The Throne of God and of the Lamb, fhall be in it; And his Servants fhall ferve him, [Gr. fhall worship him;] And they shall see his Face, and his † Ñame

shall be in their Fore-heads.

* As, Matth. v, 8. They fball fee God.

† As, cb. xiv, 1. Having his Fathers Name written in their Forebeads.

fhip God.

9. See thou do it not: wor

G 2

CHAP.

J

pino sven mulinemimcƆ you vinged do

CHA P. II.

Of the SON of GO D.

SECT. I.

The Paffages of the New Teftament, wherein he

533.

534.

M

is ftiled, God.

AT. i, 23. They fhall call his Name, Emmanuel; which, being interpreted, is, God with us.

The word, God, in this place, is either meant of the Father; And then it fignifies, his manifefting himfelf to us more immediately; his fpeaking unto us in thefe last days by his own Son, Heb. i, 1. Or else, (which feems the more natural Interpretation,) it is fpoken of the Son; and then it fignifies, his taking upon him humane Flesh, and dwelling familiarly amongst us.

Luke 1; 16, 17. Many- -fhall he [viz. John the Baptift] turn to the Lord their God; And he shall go before Him &c.

Though thefe Words [the Lord their God] in the ftyle of St. Luke, and according to the whole Analogy of Scripture, cannot but fignify the Father: yet,

(which hardly any Commentators have taken notice of, they are, in ftrictness of Conftruction, immediately connected with the following word, Him; which muft neceffarily be underftood of Chrift. Concerning which manner of fpeaking, fee N° 538 & 293.

535. Joh. i, 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was God.

In the Beginning.] Before all Ages; before the Creation of the World; before the World was, Joh. xvii, 5: And ver. 3d of This Chapter, All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made, that was made: And ver. 10, The World was made by him. Thus was this Phrafe conftantly understood in the Primitive Church: And Nothing can be more forced and unnatural, than the Interpretation of the Socinian Writers; who understand, In the Beginning, to fignify only, At the first Preaching of the Gospel.

Was the Word.] The Word, the Oracle of God, the Great Revealer of the Will of God to Mankind. Rev. i, 5, The Faithful Witness: Rev. xix, 11, Faithful and True: I Job. v, 20, He that is True: Rev. xix, 13, And his Name is called, the WORD of God. It is with great Violence to the Text, and to the whole Scope of the Gospel, that the Sabellian and Tome Socinian Writers, (whofe Notions, tho' feemingly moft contrary, yet in reality amount in the End to the fame thing,) expound this Paffage, of [the Moya endiάET] the Internal Reafon or Wisdom of God: In the Beginning was REASON, and REASON was with God, &c. As if the Perfon who came to be incarnate for us, and to die for our Sins; was nothing but an Attributte of the Father, without any real and proper Being.

And the Ward was with GOD.] Was with the Fa

G 3

ther,

ther, 1 Job. i, 2. Had glory with GOD, before the World was, Joh. xvii, 5. I was by him, as one brought up with him, Prov. viii, 30.

.

And the Word was God.] Of these Words 'tis evident there are only Three poffible Interpretations. The first is; that the Word was That fame Perfon, whom he was with: And This is both a Contradiction in Terms, and alfo the Antient Herefy of Sabellius. The Second is; that the Word was Another Self-exiftent, Underived, Independent Perfon, co-ordinate to Him with whom he was: And This is the Impiety of Polytheism; fubverting That Firft and Great Foundation of All Religion both Natural and Revealed, the Unity of GOD. The third is; that the Word is a Perfon, deriving from the Father (with whom he exifted before the World was,) both his Being it felf, and incomprehenfible Power and Knowledge, and other divine Attributes and Authority, in a Manner not revealed, and which humane Wisdom ought not to prefume to be able to explain: And This is the Interpretation of the Learnedest and moft Antient Writers in the Primitive Church.

See Origen's Comment on Job. I; And Eufebius de Ecclefiafticâ Theologia, lib. 2, cap. 17.

536 Joh. x, 33. Thou, being a Man, makest thy felf God.

537.

See N° 580.

xx, 28. And Thomas anfwered and faid unto him, My Lord and my God.

See N° 535.

538. Acts xx, 28. To feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with his own Blood.

In This place, the word, God, may be understood of Chrift, in like manner as in fob. i, 1. But many Antient Copies read it, and the most antient Fathers cite it, The Church of the LORD. Or, if the word, God, be understood to mean the Father; then, his own Blood, muft fignify, the Blood of his own San. Or elfe, (which feems the most natural Interpretation of all;) if God in this place fignifies the Father, the following words, He hath purchased with his own Blood, may be understood of Christ, in the fame manner of Speaking that St John in his firft Epiftle frequently ufes, and particularly i Jah. iii, 5, Ye know that HE was manifefted to take away our Sins; and in HIM is no Sin: Where the Words, He, and Him, muft of neceffity be referred to Chrift, though without any antecedent mention of him, the Father only having been before spoken of, ver. 1, Behold, what manner of Love the FATHER hath bestowed upon us, &c. And the fame feems to be the true. conftruction of those other words, ver. 16, Hereby perceive we the Love of GOD, [fee No 293,] because [czev] HE (viz. Chrift) laid down his Life for us: Which St Paul expreffes more fully, Rom. v, 8, GOD commendeth his Love towards us, in that while we were yet Sinners, CHRIST died for us.

See N° 534.

539. Rom. ix, 5. Of whom

Chrift came,

who is over all God bleffed for ever, Amen. The Greek words [vi Xests,

ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς ἐυλο[ητὸς εἰς τες αιώνας, Αμήν,] are of ambiguous conftruction; and may equally fignify, either [Of whom Chrift came: God, who is over all be blessed for ever, Amen;] or [ of whom Chrift came, who is over all: God be bleffed for ever, Amen;] of, [Of wham Chrift came, who is aver all God G 4

blessed