God who is filed his God, and who hath anointed him with the Oil of Gladnefs above his Fellows. For, faith the Baptift, Joh. iii. 34. God gave not the Spirit by Meafure unto him, as he did unto the other Prophets. A like Inftance we have of two Lords in these Words, (a) Pfal. cx. 1. The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou on my Right Hand, until I make thine Enemies thy Footstool. For thefe Words, my Lord, our bleffed Saviour himself declares were fpoken of Chrift, Math. xxii. 49. And the Apoftle reprefents him as a Lord who had all things put under him by a fupcriour Lord, by faying, the Lord faid unto my Lord, fit thou on my Right Hand, 'till I have made thy Foes thy Footstool. Therefore let all the Houfe of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made that fame Jefus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ, A&ts ii. 36. And the Apostle reprefents him as a Lord, who had all things put under him by a fuperiour Lord, by laying; When he faith, All things are put under him, it is manifeft he is excepted, which did put all things under him, that God may be all in all, 1 Cor. xv. 27, 28. From which Words, Irenæus, (b) Tertullian, and Novatian prove that Christ at

the

(a) fuft. M. Dial. cum Tryph. p. 277. & p. 357. & Euseb. Prep. Evang. 1. 7. c. 12. p. 322. & 1. 11. c. 14. p. 532. hæc habet, τὸν μὲ ἀνωτάτω Θεὸν ἐμοὶ ε πρώτες κυρίω, τὸν δέ τέτε δεύτερου Δια της δευτέρας αποφήνας προσηγορίας.

(b) Vide Interp. Patrum in locum.

the End of the World, is to give up his Kingdom, or his Dominion received from him, unto God the Father.

Another Evidence of the Superiority of God the Father, to our Lord Jefus Christ, ariseth from these Words of St. Paul, We know there is no other God but one; for though there be that are called Gods, whether in Heaven, or in Earth, as there be Gods many, and Lords many, yet to us, Chriftians, there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jefus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him, I Cor. viii. 4, 5, 6. Where it is plainly said; first, that all Chriftians know, that there is but one God. And,

Secondly, That, That one God, is God the Father. And,

8,

Thirdly, That this God the Father, is diftinguished from our Lord Jefus Chrift by this Character, that he is God, &, from whom are all things: But our Lord is only He, d'&, by whom are all things: And that God the Father is the Chriftians one God, Chrift their one Lord. It is fcarcely poffible to say this more fully, or more plainly than the Apostle doth. And feeing here the Apostle speaks of the Father in Perfon, ftiling him the Chriftians one God; he muft ftile him that one Perfon, who hath emphatically, or by way of fuperiority, the Divine Nature. But of this I have given a fuller Proof, in my Reply to Dr.

W—d,

W—~d, (a) to which he hath yet returned no Answer.

Thirdly, This alfo is evident, from thofe places which fay, that fuch a thing was done by Jefus Chrift, or fuch Honour was conferred upon him to the Glory of God the Father. We are filled with the Fruits of Righteouf nefs, which are by Jefus Chrift to the Glory and Praife of God, Phil. i. II.

And that

God had exalted him (who being in the Form of God, took upon him the Form of a Servant,) and given him a Name above every Name, that at the Name of Jefus every Knee Should bow, and every Tongue should confefs, that Jefus Chrift is the Lord, to the Glory of God the Father, chap. ii. 9, 10, 11.

And furely he who is Lord to the Glory of God the Father, who works in us the Fruits of Righteoufnefs, to the Glory of God the Fa ther, must be inferior to him whofe Glory is the End, both of his Exaltation to be Lord, and of that Righteousness he worketh in us. So when St. Peter faith, If a Man minifter, let him do it, as of the Ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified, through Jefus Chrift. For feeing Actions flow from the Effences of them, whofe Actions they are; where the fingular Effence is one and the fame, the Action must be one and the fame: And when an Action is done by one

to

(a) Sect. 4 from p. 95. to p. 109.

to this End, that another may be glorified; he, to whofe Glory it is done, must be fuperior to him, for whofe Glory it is done: The End being ftill more noble than the Means by which it is accomplished.

Fourthly, This ftill more vifibly appears from that plain Diftinction, which is put betwixt God the Father, and the Son, by way of Gradation, as in thefe Words, All are yours, for you are of Chrift, (or are Chrift's) and Chrift is of God. Now we are Chrift's, as being Members of that Body, of which he is the Head : But yet with great Inferiority to Him. And therefore it feems reasonable to conceive, that thefe Words, Chrift is of God, fhould fignifie that he is inferior, and fubordinate to him: Efpecially, if we add to them the like Words in this Epiftle, chap. xi. 3. The Head of the Woman, is the Man; The Head of the Man, is Chrift; The Head of Christ, is God. For the Ground of these Gradations, is plainly the Superiority and Dominion, which the one hath over the other.

as in

Fifthly, This is evident from those Places in which they are put in Oppofition; thefe Words, Joh. xvii. 3. This is Life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jefus Chrift, whom thou hast fent : And 1 Theff. i. 9, 10. Te have turned from Idols to ferve the living, and true God; and to wait for his Son from Heaven, whom he raifed from the Dead, even Jefus which delivered

E

livered us from the Wrath to come.

From

which Words it is evident, that God the Father must be in fome more excellent Senfe, the only true God, the true and living God, than his Son Jefus Chrift, whom he fent into the World (a).

The fame Diftinction, and Oppofition appeareth from these Words, To the only wife God be Glory, through Jefus Christ our Lord, Rom. xvi. 27. And 1 Tim. vi. 13, 14, 15, 16. I command thee before God who quickeneth all things, that thou keep this Commandment unSpotted, till the appearing of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which in its proper Seafon he shall fhew, who is the only Potentate, who only bath Immortality: Where the God who quickeneth all things, is not only diftinguished from our Lord Jefus Chrift: but is ftiled the only Potentate, who only hath Immortality; that is, by a Description, which in fome cminent Senfe muft agree to him alone.

This, Lastly, may be argued from those Epithets, which are peculiar to God the Father, and are never in Scripture applyed to the Son. As,

First, that he is eigos, God most high, or the most high God, Gen. xiv. 18, 19, 20.

So

(a) Ecclefia Dei non prædicat duos Deos, & yap duò avernτα, ἐδὲ δυὸ ἄναρχα, ἀλλὰ μίαν ὄρχὴν καὶ Θεὸν εἶναι, τον αυλὸν Πατέρα διδάσκεσα εἶναι, ο μονογενούς, καὶ ἀγαπητέ υἱδ· μόνον αληθινὸν Θεὸν μό νον σόφον, ὁ μόνος ἔχει ἀθανασίαν, Quibus Epithetis Deum Patrem a Deo Filio diftinguit Eufeb. de Eccles. Theol. 1. 2. c. 23.

P. 141.