7. Mark xii. 29: Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is ONE Lord. 8. Mark xii. 32-34: And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth; for there is ONE GOD, and there is NONE OTHER BUT HE. When Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, ... he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. 9. John viii. 41: Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication: we have ONE FATHER, [even] God. 10. Rom. iii. 30: [It is] ONE GOD who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. One is God; or, God is one.-S. Clarke. One [is] the God [of all].-Wakefield. 11. 1 Cor. viii. 4-6: [There is] NONE OTHER God but one. [there is but] ONE GOD, THE FATHER, &c. 12. Gal. iii. 20: Now, a mediator is not [a mediator] of one; but God is ONE. 13. Eph. iv. 6: ONE GOD and FATHER of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all. 14. 1 Tim. ii. 5: [There is] ONE GOD, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 15. James ii. 19: Thou believest that there is ONE God: thou doest well. that there is [but] one God.-Wakefield. that God is one.-Eds. of Imp. Ver. OBSERVATIONS. On such plain passages comment is unnecessary. In these texts, amounting to not fewer than fourteen or fifteen, the almighty Author of universal nature is expressly styled One; whereas it is impossible, with the utmost ingenuity, to extract from the Sacred Scriptures even a solitary text in which the Deity is explicitly called Three. He is, indeed, pronounced to be Three by the decisions of councils and synods, by the dogmatism of creeds and confessions, and by the dicta of learned, but fallible men; but, on the other hand, he is declared to be One, by much higher authority-by Moses and Christ, by Paul and other inspired individuals, as well as by the Jews who lived in our Saviour's time, and whose God and Father was the very Being whom Jesus himself recognized as his own God and Father. For observations on 1 John v. 7, see Part Second, Chap. I. Sect. I. No. 8. (2) God styled Holy One, Mighty One, &c. 16. Isa. i. 24: Therefore saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, the MIGHTY ONE of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries.—See Gen. xlix. 24 (see original). Ps. cxxxii. 2, 5 (see orig.). Isa. xlix. 26; lx. 16. 17. Isa. lvii. 15: Thus saith the HIGH and LOFTY ONE that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy, &c. 18. Isa. xlii. 15: I [am] Jehovah, your HOLY ONE, the Creator of Israel, your King. See 2 Kings xix. 22. Job vi. 10. Ps. lxxi. 22; lxxviii. 41; lxxxix. 18. Isa. i. 4; v. 19, 24; x. 17, 20; xii. 6; xxxi. i; xxxvii. 23; xl. 25; xlvii. 4; xvii. 7; xxix. 19, 23; xxx. 11, 12, 15; OBSERVATIONS. In opposition to the numerous instances, adduced above, in which the Supreme Being is styled the Holy, the Mighty, the High and Lofty One, it may be observed, that in a few texts * some of these epithets are used concerning the Deity, in the plural number; implying the doctrine of a plurality of persons in the Godhead, as Dr. Pye Smith and many other Trinitarians conceive. Without stopping to inquire whether the application is in each instance correct, we merely remark it to be the opinion of almost every Hebrew grammarian, that plurality in names and epithets is sometimes employed in Scripture to denote excellence or dominion. (See Part Second, Chap. I. Sect. II.) This is a much more probable supposition, as regards the texts here referred to, than the otherwise necessary conclusion, that the Bible contains sentiments directly repugnant to each other; in a few places countenancing the doctrine of more than one Supreme God, while in many others it favours the contrary doctrine,-of there being only one Divine Person who possesses underived power and absolute holiness. But any difficulty attending this branch of the controversy may be at once removed by an appeal to the authority of our Saviour; who, in the most unequivocal manner, disclaimed both independent authority, and absolute goodness of character:-affirming that he was unable to do any thing of himself; that his Father was greater than he; and that God-the one God-is alone entitled to the appellation good.† * Prov. ix. 10: The knowledge of the Holy [is] understanding.-See Prov. xxx. 3. Kedoshim-Sanctorum-des Saints Smith. Hos. xi. 12: Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints. Cum Sanctis-avec les Saints .......... Smith. Dan. vii. 18, 22, 25, 27: Altissimorum; des Très Hauts.......... Smith. Supposing these texts all to refer to God, they are easily explained by the marginal verson of the second, and by that of Prov. i. 20: "Wisdoms (i.e.) excellent wisdom," &c. ↑ John v. 19, 30; viii. 28; xii. 49; xiv. 10, 28. Mark x. 17, 18, B SECT. II.-PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE IN WHICH THE ONE GOD IS CHARACTERISED AS JEHOVAH ALONE THE ONLY PERSON OR BEING WHO POSSESSETH, IN ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, THE ATTRIBUTES OF DEITY. 1. Deut. xxxii. 12: Jehovah alone did lead him; and [there was] no strange god with him. See Exod. xxii. 20. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 17. 2. 2 Chron. vi. 30: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest: for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men. 3. Neh. ix. 5, 6: The Levites said, Thou, [even] thou, [art] Jehovah alone, &c. ... 4. Job ix. 2-8: God who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.-See Isa. xliv. 24. 5. Ps. iv. 8: I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, Jehovah, only makest me dwell in safety.-See Ps. li. 4; lxii. 2. 6. Ps. lxxii. 18: Blessed [be] Jehovah God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.-See Ps. cxxxvi. 4. 7. Ps. lxxxiii. 18: Thou, whose name alone [is] Jehovah, [art] the Most High over all the earth. 8. Ps. lxxxvi. 10: Thou [art] great, and doest wondrous things: thou [art] God alone. 9. Ps. cxlviii. 13: Let them praise the name of Jehovah: for his name alone is excellent; his glory [is] above the earth and heaven. 10. Isa. ii. 11: Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.-Par. Pas. ver. 17. thou [art] 11. Isa. xxxvii. 15, 16: O Jehovah of hosts, God of Israel, the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Now, therefore, O Jehovah our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] Jehovah, [even] thou only.-Par. Pas. 2 Kings xix. 15—19. 12. Matt. iv. 10: Then saith Jesus, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.— -Par. Pas. Luke iv. 8. 13. Matt. xxiv. 36: Of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. sed Pater meus solus.-Beza. nisi Pater tantùm.-Tremellius. 14. Mark ii.7: Who can forgive sins but God only?-Par. Pas. Luke v. 21. nisi unus Deus.-Tremellius. nisi solus Deus.- Beza. but God alone.-Doddridge. but the one God.-Haynes. 15. John v. 44: How can ye believe, who receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only? a solo Deo.-Beza. ab uno Deo.-Tremellius. de Dieu seul.-Gen. 1802. of God alone.-Bible 1613. from God alone.-Campbell, Scarlett. from the only God.-S. Clarke, Imp. Ver. 16. John xvii. 3: This is life eternal, that they might know THEE THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. te [esse] illum solum verum Deum, et quem misisti Iesum Christum ...... thee [to bee] the onely very God, and whom thou hast sent, Iesus Christ. Beza. Piscator, Wolzogenius. Slichtingius. Le Clerc. Gen. 1802. Bible 1596-7, 1607, 1613. Whitby. ........ Priestley. thee [to be] the only true God, and Jesus, thy messenger, [to be] the Christ Wakefield, Eds. of Imp. Ver. thee, the only true God, and him whom thou hast sent, [even] Jesus Christ. S. Clarke, Carpenter, Mardon. thee [to be] the only true God, and Jesus [to be] the Christ, whom thou hast sent thee [to be] the only true God, and Jesus, whom thou hast sent, [to be] the Christ. thee [to be] the only true God, and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus, [to be] the Christ.. Lindsey. Haynes, Kenrick. 17. Rom. xvi. 27: To God only wise, [be] glory, through Jesus Christ, &c. To the wise God alone.-Macknight. To the only wise God.-S. Clarke, Doddridge, Haynes, Scarlett, Carpenter, Imp. Ver. 18. 1 Tim. i. 17: Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. A Dieu qui seul est sage.-Le Clerc. Soli sapienti Deo.-Beza. Qui est unus Deus.-Tremellius. To God only wise.-Bible 1613, Wakefield. To the wise God alone.-Macknight. 19. 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16: Which in his times He shall show [who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see, &c. 20. Jude 4: ... denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. denying the only supreme Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ.-Griesbach. 21. Jude 25: To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and ma jesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. To God onely wise, our Saviour, [be] glory, &c. A Dieu nôtre Sauveur, qui est seul sage.. Bible 1596-7, 1613. Le Clerc. .... Wardlaw. To the only wise God our Saviour, by Jesus Christ, our Lord, [be] glory.. Adam Clarke. 22. Rev. xv. 3, 4: And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For [thou] only [art] holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee, &c. OBSERVATIONS ON SECT. II. The passages of Scripture contained in the preceding list have been collected with the design of showing, that one Being, termed Jehovah, is distinguished above all others in the universe; that, "though there be gods many and lords many," there is only One God in the highest signification of the word; that, though there be potentates and princes who assume the loftiest titles, there is only one mighty Sovereign who is supereminently called "the only Potentate, the King of kings;" that, though wisdom and knowledge and holiness do pertain to men and angels, there is only one Being who possesseth these attributes in their utmost perfection;-one who is higher than the highest, holier than the best, and infinitely wiser than the wisest of created beings; in short, one only who is really worthy of being called True, Wise, Good, Great, Immortal. The texts which we have quoted from the Old Testament fully and directly evince Jehovah to be one person only. Those which we have borrowed from the New Testament are equally sublime, and still more important to the Unitarian cause; for they prove that the One Jehovah is the God and Father of Jesus Christ. There, the only wise God is distinctly separated from his chosen Messenger, by having praise offered to him through Jesus; and there, Jesus himself is said to have expressly called his Father the only true God. Were each and all of these passages erased from the Holy Scriptures, except this declaration of our Saviour, we should have sufficient reason for believing in the distinguishing doctrine of Unitarian Christianity. Jesus calls his Father the only true God, to the exclusion of every other being in the universe; and they who associate the Son and the Holy Ghost with the Father as being equally with him the only true God, employ contradictory terms, and oppose, though undesignedly, the plain language of their Lord and Master. No difference of translation can obscure the meaning; the mysteries of orthodoxy being alone calculated to produce such an effect. To evade, however, the force of the passage, it is contended that our Lord, in addressing his Father by the title only true God, did not mean to contradistinguish God from himself, but merely to exclude false deities—the idols of the heathen. This sense of the passage we conceive to be far too limited; and, from the general terms in which our Saviour expressed himself, we think it unquestionable that he must have designed to exclude all beings from participating in the glory of the only true God. Yet even granting that Jesus employed this name merely to distinguish the Supreme Being from the deities of the Gentile nations, the concession would be of little value to Trinitarianism. The expression only true God, as used in relation to the Father, would still imply that no one else is entitled to such a designation. This is evident, not merely from the |