Mediator between God and Men, the MAN Christ Jesus.' This sentence directly shows that the expression' only God' in the last quotation, does not include Jesus Christ, and therefore completes the proof that the FATHER is the ONLY GOD.

Jude 25. To the ONLY GOD our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty,' &c.-See page 56, and the note.

Before our Saviour's time, the Unity of God was a point established among the Jews; it was the fundamental principle of their religion. How then can it be accounted for, upon the common opinions respecting the person of Christ, that statements as explicit as the above, are not to be found in the Scriptures concerning his divinity? That the Son is one God with the Father, could be known only from a new revelation; and where is this revealed? -We might have expected that the Apostles would, at least, never have employed expressions which, in their plain and obvious sense, are directly in opposition to such an opinion, without some qualification, or some equally strong expression in favour of it, if it had been true and a part of their Gospel.

Besides the above passages, which are selected as directly referring to the proper Unity of God, the appellation GOD is used above three hundred times in the New Testament in connexions which necessarily confine it to the FATHER only.* Of these many are strikingly in opposition to the

* See these instances enumerated in Clarke's Scripture-Doctrine of the Trinity, Ch. I. § 2. No. 18-336.

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Trinitarian doctrine, and even to that of the proper deity of Christ; for they show, not only that God, the GOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, is a distinct being from OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, but also that the appellation GOD is appropriate to the FATHER ONLY*. And I should think it must astonish any unprejudiced person, who has not before attentively considered the subject, to reflect, that though it is only from the Christian revelation that it can be known that the Son is God, yet, even in common estimation, there are only about nine instances in which he is called God; that of these, there are at most, only three

*The following are a few of those passages. John vi. 27. For him hath the FATHER sealed, even GOD.-Ch. vii. 16, 17. My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man is willing to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of MYSELF.-Acts ii. 32. This JESUS hath God raised up.-Ch. xx. 21. Repentance toward God, and faith toward our LORD JESUS CHRIST.-Rom. i. 7. Grace to you and peace from GOD OUR FATHER, and the LORD JESUS CHRIST.Ch. xv. 6. GOD even the FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ: (or more literally, the God and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.) -1 Cor. iii. 23. And ye are Christ's, and CHRIST is God's.2 Cor. i. 3. Blessed be the GOD and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. (The P.V. renders, God even the Father;' but in ch. xi. 31, and also in Eph. i. 3. 1 Pet. i. 3, &c., precisely the same words in the original are rendered, God and Father,' which assuredly is the most literal rendering.)—Gal. i. 3, 4. Grace be to you, and peace from GoD THE FATHER, and from our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the present evil world, according to the will of OUR GOD AND FATHER.-Eph. i. 17. That the GOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.-1 Pet. i. 3. Blessed be the GOD and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Passages equally to the point are of very frequent occurrence, particularly in the Epistles. With such expressions before my eyes, I feel unfeigned astonishment, that any persons deriving their faith from the New Testament, should have believed that Jesus, the Son of God, is a person (i. e. intelligent agent,) of one substance, power, and eternity with Him who is so often styled HIS GOD, and who is never spoken of otherwise than as a Being distinct from him.

in which the appellation was really given him by the New Testament writers; and that Moses also was called God, and as may reasonably be supposed, for the very same reason, viz. that to him the word of God came.†

II.

We learn from the New Testament that the GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, is ALONE possessed of the ESSENTIAL attributes of DIVINITY, and that to HIM ALONE RELIGIOUS WORSHIP IS DUE.

Mark x. 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is NONE GOOD but ONE, that is GOD.

Acts iv. 24. They lifted up their voice to GOD with one consent, and said, O sovereign Lord, thou art God, who madest heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.' That the Being here addressed is the Father, see v. 27; in which the Apostles use the expression thy holy servant Jesus.' See Arg. VIII.

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Acts xiv. 15. The LIVING GOD, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all things that are therein.'

Rom. i. 23. The glory of the INCORRUPTIBLE GOD.'

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Rom. xvi. 25, 26. According to the commandment of the EVERLASTING GOD.'

2 Cor. vi. 18. saith the LORD ALMIGHTY.'

* See Chap. VI. § 1. at the end.

+ John x. 34, 35. See page 62, Note (*).

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1 Tim. i. 17. The King ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE.

1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. THE BLESSED AND ONLY POTENTATE, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, WHO ONLY HATH IMMORTALITY, dwelling in that light which none can approach unto, WHOM NO MAN HATH SEEN, OR CAN SEE; to whom be everlasting honour and dominion. Amen.'* Rev. i. 8. 'I am Alpha and Omega, saith the Lord God, WHO IS, AND WHO WAS, AND WHO IS TO COME, the ALMIGHTY. 't

These passages are sufficient to prove the first part of my assertion: if any think the contrary, I refer him with full confidence to Dr. Clarke's

* Owing to the ambiguity of the common translation of the first clause of v. 15, many have supposed that our Lord Jesus Christ is the person referred to, in this noble passage. Respecting this supposition it may be observed, 1. The Greek will scarcely, if at all, allow of this reference; for the literal English is, which in its proper season the blessed and only Potentate will shew.' If the reference be to Jesus, it proves too much, viz. that he is the only Potentate, that he ONLY hath immortality. To suppose such a reference is to make the Apostle absolutely contradict himself, even in this very Epistle; see ch. ii. 5. i. 17.

I have added this note, in consequence of having observed that in a recent collection of texts, respecting the duties and doctrines of Revelation, this passage is inserted in a section entitled,' Of the Nature, Authority, and Power of Christ,' and the quotation begins, "He is the blessed and only Potentate.' See Economy of a Christian Life, by the Rev. W. Bingley, A.M. F.L.S. 1808.-If the Author should see this note, I earnestly wish that it may induce him to observe the connexion more attentively in this and several other passages. Here, a direct proof that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only God, is converted into a proof that Jesus Christ himself is the only God.-In one of the Collections of Texts issued by the Moravians, this text is placed under the head of the Lord Jesus Christ; and begins thus, "He is the blessed and only Potentate," &c. What a careless perversion of Scripture!

This is Griesbach's reading, adopted by Archdeacon Woodhouse; and that it is the true reading, the critical reader must be convinced if he examine the evidence produced in Griesbach's note.

Scripture-Doctrine of the Trinity, ch. I. §3, where they will find upwards of one hundred passages from the New Testament, in which the Father' is styled God, with some peculiar high titles, epithets, or attributes, which, though most of them indeed are not absolutely incommunicable, yet in the New Testament are (generally, if not) always, by way of supreme eminency, ascribed to the person of the Father only."-Now, all that can be derived from these passages with respect to God, (I mean the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,) might have been derived with equal force from the Old Testament; but since little could be learnt from the Old Testament respecting the nature of Jesus Christ,* is it not reasonable to expect that if he really were himself the very and eternal God, of one substance, power, and eternity with the Father, such facts, such attributes, would be declared as clearly, as expressly, and as frequently, as what we actually find respecting the Father? When we examine the Scriptures we find that the matter of fact is directly contrary to this. I seriously believe that were I convinced that the doctrines respecting the nature of Jesus which I now oppose as unscriptural, were really the doctrines of the Gospel, I should feel obliged

And that little is decidedly opposed to the prevalent opinion as to the person of Christ. Moses speaks of him as a prophet like unto himself; (Deut. xviii. 15.) Isaiah speaks of him as a Man of sorrows; and if the common translation of ix. 6, were correct and necessary, he only says that he shall be called the mighty God, &c. See, however, Appendix II.