$36.

537.

ther, 1 Joh. 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 First 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 existed 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 presume to be able to explain: And This is the Interpretation of the Learnedeft and moft Antient Writers in the Primitive Church.

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

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

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.

But ma

In This place, the word, God, may be understood of Chrift, in like manner as in Joh. i, 1. ny 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 Son. 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 first Epiftle frequently ufes, and particularly 1 Joh. iii, f, 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

Christ came,

who is over all God bleffed for ever, Amen. The Greek words [Jv8 Xesos,

8

· ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς ἐυλο[ητὸς εἰς τὸς ἀγῶνας, 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;] or, [Of whom Chrift came, who is over all God A blessed

G4

bleffed for ever, Amen. In favour of the two former rendrings, may be alleged the Ufe of the Word ['Euλontos, Bleffed,] in other places of Scripture; as Pf. lxxxix, 52; Rom.i,25; 2 Cor.i,3; & xi, 31; Eph. 1,3; 1 Pet.i, 3; & Mark xiv, 61. But the Latter of the Three, was pitcht upon by our Tranflators, as the most natural and obvious rendring of the Words. And the Sense is not difficult. For, as the fame Apostle tells us, I Cor. xv, 27, that when he faith, All things are put under Chrift, 'tis manifeft that He is excepted, which did put all things under him: fo here in like manner, when he repeats the very fame thing, that Chrift is God over all; and ch. x, 12, that he is Lord over all; and Acts x, 36, he is Lord of all; 'tis manifeft again, that He muft needs be excepted, by Communication of whofe Divine Power and Supreme Authority, Chrift is God or Lord over all.

540. 1 Tim. iii, 16. God was manifest in the Flesh, &c.

It has been a great Controverfy among Learned men, whether [eós] or [s] or [8,] be the true Reading in this place. But it is not, in reality, of great Importance. For the Senfe is evident; that That Perfon was manifeft in the Flesh, whom St John in the Beginning of his Gofpel ftiles [es] God. See No 535.

541. Tit. ii, 13. The glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift.

Many understand this whole Sentence to belong to one and the fame Perfon, viz. Chrift: As if the Words fhould have been rendred, The appearing of our great God and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Which Conftruction, the Words will indeed bear; as do alfo thofe in 2 Pet. i, 1. But it is much more reafonable,

and

and more agreeable to the whole Tenor of Scripture, to understand the former part of the words, to relate to the Father. See No 395.

542. Heb. i, 8. But unto the Son he faith; Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever.

See No 135.

543. 2 Pet. i, 1. See N° 289.

544.

1 Job iii, 16. See No 293, 534, 538.

545.

V; 20, 21. See N° 410.

SECT. II.

The Paffages, wherein it is declared, that the World was made by Him.

546. TOH. i, 3. All things were made* by him [dure, and without him was not any thing made, that was made.

* The Note of Eufebius upon this place, is very pertinent, and expreffes the Unanimous Senfe of

the Catholick Church.

T

Sed

fed it rhus, All things ὅλων ποιητικω τῇ πατρὸς were made auT8,] auDerliav. De Ecclefiaft.

by him as the Efficient Theol. lib. 1.cap.20. Caufe; be does not fo ex

prefs it, but Thus; All things were made [di dute,] by him as the Miniftring Caufe; That fo he might refer us to the Supreme Power and Efficiency of the Father, as the Maker of all things.

This Phrase therefore, [di durs, per illum, By or Through Him,] is used to diftinguith the Operation of the Son, from that of the Father, when each of them are faid to create the World. Thus St Paul exprefly, 1 Cor. viii,6; To us there is but one God, [viz.] the Father, OF whom [8, ex or à quo,] are all things, and We in Him, and One Lord, [viz.] Jefus Chrift, BY(or Through) whom [diš, per quem are all things, and we by him. So again, Ephef. iii, 9, GOD who created all things Br[g] Jefus Chrift. And Heb. i,2, By [2] whom alfo, HE made the Worlds. The bare Use of the Præpofitions fingly, is not indeed of itself a fufficient Foundation for these Diftinctions: (For, di, is used alfo of the Father, Rom. xi, 36, and Heb. ii, 10, By whom are all things; And, ev , of the Son, Col. i, 16, BT or IN him were all things created; And, in a Senfe fomewhat different, is used ambiguously whether of the Father or the Son, Eph. iii, 15, ÓF whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named:) But when they are used in express contradiftinction to each other, as in that paffage now-cited, 1 Cor. viii, 6; they cannot but very much strengthen an Interpretation grounded at the fame time on other Texts and upon the whole Tenour of Scripture. See N° 1228.

?

All things were made by him.] The Socinian Interpretation of these words, that The New Creation was made

by