peace. If this name be supposed to characterize Chrift himself, it will by no means favour the com. mon doctrine of the trinity; because it will make him to be the Father, or the first perfon, and not the fon, or the fecond perfon. Befides, whatever powers or dignities are to be poffeffed by Chrift, it is fufficiently intimated in this place, that he does not hold them independent, and underived; fince he himself, and all the bleffings that he beftows, are faid to be given, that is, by God; and at the conclufion of the prophefy, in the next verfe, it is faid, that the zeal of the Lord of hofts will perform this. I would also observe that that part of the title on which the greatest stress has been laid may be rendered the mighty God my father for ever, or the mighty God is my father for ever, which is exactly agreeable to many declarations of the fcripture concerning Christ, and his usual title of the son of God; and to this the angel, in his falutation of Mary, might probably allude, when he faid Luke i. 32. He fhall be great and shall be called the son of the highest ; and it is very observable, that what he adds corresponds most remarkably with the remainder of this very prophesy of Ifaiah. The prophet fays, ver. 7. Of the increase of his government, and peace, there fhall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it, with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever. The angel fays, He shall be great, and shall be called the

fon of the highest, and the Lord God fhall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there fhall be no end..

V. Many of the texts, which are usually alledged in proof of the divinity of Chrift, relate to God the Father only. One of the moft remarkable of these is John i. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light fhineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man fent from God, whose name was John. The fame came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was fent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him,

and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,. and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

These words, interpreted in the moft literal manner, only imply that the word, or Chrift, had a being before the creation of the world; that he had the title of God, or of a God, and was the inftrument

L 3

ftrument by whom the fupreme God made all things; but they by no means imply that he was true and very God; for magiftrates and others are fometimes called gods, on account of their power and dominion, in which they refemble God. Nay the derivation of Chrift from the Father, and confequently his dependence upon him, is sufficiently expreffed by his being called, in the laft of these verfes, the only-begotten of the Father.

To me, however, it appears, that the apoftle does not speak of the pre-existence of Chrift in this place; but only of the power and wifdom of God, which dwelled, or tabernacled in his flesh; and that he probably meant to condemn fome falfe opinions concerning the logos (which is the Greek for word) which are known to have prevailed in his time. Now, in contradiction to them, the apostle here afferts, that by the word of God, we are not to understand any being diftinct from God, but only the power or energy of God, which is so much with God, that it properly belongs to his nature, and is not at all distinct from God himself; and that the fame power which produced all things was manifeft to men in the perfon of Jefus Chrift, who was fent to enlighten the world; that though his power made the world, it was not acknowledged by the world, when it was revealed in this manner, not even by God's peculiar people, the jews; and notwithstanding this power was manifested in a more

fenfible

fenfible and conftant manner than ever it had been before, dwelling in human flesh, and tabernacling, or abiding, fome confiderable time among us; fo that his glory was beheld, or made vifible to mortal eyes, and was full of grace and truth.

Rom. ix 5. Whofe are the Fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Chrift came, who is over all God bleffed for ever. This may with equal propriety and truth be rendered, God, who is over all, be blessed for ever, the former sentence ending with the word came; and fince no ancient manuscripts are pointed, all the pointings have been made, and the different fentences have been diftinguished, as fallible men have thought the best fenfe required. It affords an argument favourable to my conftruction of these words, that it is ufual with the apoftle Paul to break out into a doxology, or form of thanksgiving to God, after mentioning any remarkable instance of his goodness. See Eph. iii. 21. 1 Tim. i. 17. vi. 16. See alfo 1 Pet. iv. 11. Indeed, it is very common in jewish writings to add a doxology after barely mentioning the name of God.

1 John v. 20. And we know that the fon of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his fon Jefus Chrift. This is the true God, and eternal life. This laft claufe is manifeftly explanatory of the title him that is true, or the true

one,

one, in the preceding claufes, of whom the Son of God has given us an understanding, or with whom he has made us acquainted. As the word even is a mere addition of our tranflators, instead of we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift, we may read, we are in him that is true, in or by his Son Jefus Chrift; and this makes a far more confiftent sense, and may be confide rèd as an allufion to the words of Chrift addreffed to the Father, and recorded by this very apostle, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know the e, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou haft fent. Without this interpretation, these two texts would flatly contradict one another; for how can the Father be the only true God, if the fon be true God alfo ?

I Cor. i. 23, 24. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the jews a ftumbling-block, and unto the greeks foolishness; but unto them that are called, both jews and greeks, Chrift the power of God and the wifdom of God. The meaning of this plainly is, that the power and wifdom of God were displayed:、 in this very circumftance of the crucifixion of Chrift, which was fuch a ftumbling-block, and appeared fo foolish to men agreeably to what he immediately adds, for the foolishness of God is. wifer than men, and the weakness of God is fironger than men. That which the jews and greeks had rejected, as foolish and weak, was, in reality, and appeared.