51.

trast this with the following expressions, "No man hath seen God at any time." 1 Tim. iii. 16. "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John viii. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad." John viii. 56. "The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John xiv. 10. "At that day ye shall know that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you." John xiv. 20. "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me." Matt. x. 40. If from the first of these expressions you infer that Jesus was God, from the two last I must infer that the Apostles were God.

If this be the meaning of the word, private, selfish gratifications, the introduction of it, by the Apostle Paul, is strikingly appropriate, and forms a fine contrast to the use our Saviour made of the divine powers with which he was vested. "Though possessing divine authority without measure, he considered not this circumstance of being like God as an harpagmos, intended for selfish gratifications; aλλ' Éxutov EXEVWOE, 66 but made himself of none account," never used these powers for himself, "assuming the appearance of a slave," instead of vauntingly exhibiting his honours, and resembling other men," without any mark of personal distinction or superiority.

4th. Our Saviour is called Son of God.

66

Adam, which was the son of God." Luke iii. 38. Nobody infers hence that Adam was God. "The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord." Job. i. 6, Although many are inclined to think these were angels, not virtuous men, no one ascribes Deity to them. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." John i. 12, "For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. viii. 14. Here is a complete definition of the term given by an apostle. To omit several others, I mention only one more passage, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." shall be." 1 John, iii. 2. Can any thing be more expressive of the true meaning of the term than the last two quotations Real Christians are now the sons of God.

That in a much higher degree the appellation was applicable to our Saviour than to any other living mortal, who will deny? There was also a peculiar propriety, in the application of this title to Jesus, in

consequence of the divine powers bestowed upon him, which far exceeded all that had ever been bestowed on any preceding prophet. But that the title when applied to him meant any thing different in his nature, is never stated, in the New Testament, is only an inference of yours, which we cannot grant, but which you must prove.

5th. Our Saviour is denominated “Only begotten Son of God."

66

By faith Abra

ham when he was tried, offered up

Isaac ;

promises, of whom

and he that had received the offered up his only begotten Son it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Hebrews xi. 17, 18. Whatever inference you draw from the word in the one case, draw from it in the other also. Surely it sufficiently explains itself, especially when it is remembered that Abraham had an older son living at the time. It means well or best-beloved.*

* "Concerning the characters and epithets that were more particularly given him after his resurrection, as for instance the first-begotten, or the first-born from the dead, and the first-born of every creature, we may remark; that these phrases have no reference at all to any eternal, or other state of existence prior to his nativity; but rather, that they signify

5th. It is asserted that Jesus Christ is sometimes spoken of as the Author of the Creation. In some passages where this is said to be the case, the word used will not bear the construction of creating, as in the first chapter of John. It should also be recollected, that the Christian dispensation is always considered as a new creation. Jews and Gentiles were all to be "

born again," to become " new crea

the same as birthright, heirship, &c. in consequence of his resurrection from the dead, when he inherited the highest honours and titles, and entered on the possession of a kingdom. -The words cannot be understood as referring to a prior state of existence, it being very plain, (as they stand in the text, or in the context), that they directly and solely refer to his resurrection: for he then (or in that very instance as it was a signal act of the divine power) was manifested to be the Son of God, or the well-beloved, the only begotten of the Father."

"A thought has been suggested by the late Dr. William Harris, in reference to the expression in Col. i. 15, that the word TρoToToxos, by a change in the accent, is sometimes used by profane writers, not in a passive but in an active sense. Thus some would read the original word, pororóxos, putting the accent upon the penultima and would accordingly render it, not the first-born, but the beginner, or the first bringerforth, the immediate cause of all things in the new creation." A Comment upon some remarkable passages in Christ's Prayer.

See Note to John i, 3, in the Improved Version, and Carpenter's Unitarianism, p. 156.-2d. ed.

tures." "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature." 2 Cor. v. 17, Gal, vi. 15. Of this creation Christ is the Head, the Author, the Finisher. Keep this in view in those passages which refer Creation to our Saviour; see if the writer is not speaking of the Christian religion; and I think you will find that a spiritual creation is invariably meant.

6th. The expressions

coming down from heaven," and "sent from God" are

"What we are in a more particular manner to notice here is, that Christ, by his resurrection from the dead, became the Author of a new, that is, of a moral and spiritual creation; by which figure, the state of things under the gospel is often described and spoken of in the New Testament.

"This is the sense that Grotius, Calvin, Mr. Locke, and many others, even Athanasius himself, have put upon the word created in that passage, Eph. iii. 9. and in Col. i. 15, 16. And it has been observed that the original word for make, create, &c. in the three learned languages, and especially the Hebrew word Bara, are often used to signify a moral and metaphorical creation. It is also observable, that the Hebrew language being destitute of compounded verbs, the words made and created are equivalent with made anew or created anew, and that the word in the original signifies, not only to bring into being, but to put a nation or people into a better state, or into a new, and happier condition, Isa. xlix. 7. or to produce some new or surprising event, Numb. xvi. 30. See Dr. Taylor's Hebrew Concordance." Comment. p. 42.