that it might appear that these Saints were but Men. Elijah stretcheth himself upon the child three several times and cries to the Lord. Elisha not being able to do any thing by the Ministry of his Servant comes himself into the room where the Child was The Prophet lyes upon the Child and puts his Mouth to the Childs Mouth and his Eyes upon the Childs Eyes and his Hands upon the Childs Hands trying to restore Life and Heat to the Child but for all this the desired Effect doth not follow he goes up and comes down and after having several times stretched himself upon the Child at last by the Blessing of God the Child begins to shew some signs of Life Was this the way our Saviour took to raise the Dead Being touched with Compassion for the Widow of Naim whose only Son was carried forth to be buried our Saviour saith to the Dead Mar. 5.41 Young Man arise and that word did the thing without any more ado neither said he more in raising to Life the Daughter of the Ruler of the Synagogue but Damsel arise and Lazarus was raised with this word Lazarus come forth There is no need to insist upon the Resurrections wrought by the Disciples of our Lord for they being performed in his Name were to be attributed only to the Efficacy of his Virtue Besides these particular Resurrections which prove the Omnipotence of our Lord we ought also to consider that he attributes to himself the Resurrection of all Believers All he did here upon Earth was but a Scantling of what he shall do one day by commanding Death to give up her dead after that their dissipated Dust hath been carried by the Wind to the utmost Corners of the Universe He that believes in me saith he hath eternal life and I will raise him at the last day Is this the Stile of a Creature Pursuant to this Promise several times repeated in the Gospel St. Paul saith to the Philippians as if he would prove to them that Christ is equal to God his Father that Jesus Christ shall change our vile Bodies and make them conform also to his glorious Body by that power whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 See here the Omnipotence of our Saviour exprest with the greatest plainness that may be In the second place I asserted that Christ had created the World He hath created all that we see and all that we do not see for he is the Creator both of Angels and Men the Creator of all things without him nothing was made that was made Let us make use of St. Paul's Expressions For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth Col. 1.16 visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him These words are so full and strong and are alone sufficient to prove that our Lord is equal in power with his Father The last Attribute wherewith we evince the equality which St. Paul attributes to our Saviour or rather which our Saviour attributes to himself is that of Mercy We can no sooner have any little knowledge of the Mystery of our Redemption by Jesus Christ but we must acknowledge that our Redeemer is merciful in a manner that doth not belong to any but God Was it not he himself think we to whom Moses said The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious Exod. 33. 34. This great Lawgiver had a desire to see God I beseech thee said Moses shew me thy glory and God's answer was I will make all my goodness pass before thee where by the way we may observe to our great comfort that the Lord intimates to us that his Goodness is his great Glory And afterwards he informs Moses that no Man can look God in the Face Thou shalt see my back parts saith he but my face shall not be seen What may be the meaning of this Expression The Interpreters are generally agreed that this signifies that God cannot be seen but by and in his Works and that the Mysterious Reasons of his Conduct are not discerned Thus far this Explication is plausible enough but yet this is not enough except they comprehend in these his Works the Works of Grace Indeed those are chiefly here intended I will make all my goodness pass before thee Wherein I pray consists all the goodness of God Why it is all concentred in the Mystery of the Death of Christ When Moses had a glimpse of this Infinite Goodness when the Crucified Jesus was pourtray'd before the Eyes of Moses then it was that he cry'd out saying The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth And indeed who would not do as much at the view tho a distant one of the Mercy of the Son of God who being in the Form of God nevertheless emptied himself Christ's Mercy alone is sufficient to demonstrate him to be the true God God only is good in that manner because he who said to our Lord Good master what shall I do to have eternal life did not comprehend this Truth Our Lord saith to him Why callest thou me good There is none good but God thou who dost not know that I am God why dost thou call me good Yet our Lord who very well knew his own Rights gives himself that Title I am the good shepherd saith he in the Tenth Chapter of St. John according to the Principle of our Saviour himself it might have been told him Why dost thou call thy self good there is none good but God but knowing very well what he was he made himself equal with God in goodness The whole Gospel is full of the Traces of that Mercy which our Saviour hath exercised in chief You have already seen this in that he pardons sins not as Ministers do by way of Declaration but as God by an absolute and independent Authority The manner of St. Paul's wishing Grace is also an evident proof of this Truth Grace be unto you and peace from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ This is the common Seal of St. Paul's Epistles by which he renders an Authentick Witness to our Saviour's Divinity The Christians who had been Educated in the Jewish Religion and thereby accustomed to hear nothing more frequently spoken of than the Blessing the Peace and the Grace of God could not understand it otherwise An Apostle would have been better advis'd than to wish them Grace proceeding elsewhere than from God This Grace alone is sufficient for us The Scripture never tell us of the Grace of Angels or of Men. Where is there any mention made in form of wishing the Grace of Abraham or that of Moses or St. Peter or St. Paul The Church lives only by the Grace of God insomuch that this Salutation The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you is an
before Men were Poetical Fiction Reason of State Gratitude Flattery or Superstition had no part here From everlasting to everlasting thou art God The Men that were worshipp'd whilst yet alive easily perceiv'd that they were no gods they were very sensible that the Divine Honours rendred unto them were no better than Robbery But saith St. Paul Jesus Christ thought it no Robbery to be equal with God in which words there is a tacite opposition to that Subordination which Paganism had establish'd amongst their gods They said that Jupiter was the Master and Lord Paramount of their gods there being none on equal ground with him St. Paul here insinuates that Jesus Christ is really greater than all the Pagan gods were even in the Conceit of those that were their Worshippers He is equal to God to that Great God who is the Soveraign Master and Lord of the Universe Besides these oppositions which the Apostle had an eye to in the words we are explaining it seems probable that he had a more particular regard to a matter wherein the Philippians were more particularly concern'd They conceiv'd it no small part of their Glory that their Countrey had produc'd Alexander the Great This Conqueror conceiv'd it was both his Glory and Interest to be worshipp'd as a god He would needs be thought the Son of Jupiter and not being content to have pillaged the Earth was desirous to carry his Usurpations to Heaven He knew well enough that the Quality he Arrogated to himself of being the Son of Jupiter was a true piece of Robbery The power of Truth oblig'd this False god to say during the pains he suffer'd by the Wound he had received from an Arrow That they would make him the Son of Jupiter but that he self well enough that he was but a Man The Philippians were fully acquainted with this Story St. Paul knew it and we may aver that he thought of it in presenting to the Philippians a Saviour who was really and truly God the true Son of the true God who being in the Form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God All these oppositions are of great use to illustrate the Literal Sense we have explained It is time now to search into the Doctrine it contains which we shall do by considering it first in a Relative and then in an Absolute Sense In a Relative Sense it will be to purpose to know the Characters first of him who is here spoken of secondly of him who speaks and thirdly of those to whom it is spoken He concerning whom here is spoken was on the one hand the Pattern of an Absolute Humility and on the other a great Zealot for the Glory of God If we have cast our Eyes never so little upon the Gospel we shall find this to be a Truth altogether incontestable Our Lord Jesus himself hath given us a great and signal instance of the Humility which he recommends he washeth his Disciples Feet he suffers Injuries patiently he flees Honours On the other hand How nice and tender do we find him in cases where his Father's Glory was concern'd Doth he perceive that the Laws of God are made to truckle to the Traditions of Men With what force do we see him exaggerate this Affront If he sees Men prophane the House of God by changing it to a Market-place he does not think words sufficient to repress this Insolence he makes a Whip of Cords to lash these Prophane Wretches out of the Temple With this double Character which might be made out by many more passages of Scripture at what a rate think you would our Saviour have delivered himself if ever he had met with one that made himself a god This was a time wherein the Jews were not guilty of gross Idolatry and wherein Jerusalem had banish'd the Idols of other Nations so that our Lord had no occasion to declare against Idols but had he met with any what would not he have said Had he taken notice of any Man that arrogated to himself Divine Honours with what Zeal and Vehemence would he have confounded the Pride of that Usurper We know enough of the Spirit of our Lord on other occasions to justifie what we suppose of him What then ought we to conclude from this that he who was so Humble and so Zealous yet made himself equal with God Nothing can be said here that is consistent with Reason but to confess that he was really that for which he would that Men should take him Had not he been God and consequently equal to God his Father he would have been so far from affecting this Equality that he would have abhorr'd the least tendency that way Instead of speaking Magisterially he would always have exprest himself in the most humble stile imaginable to disabuse the People who by the Fame of his Miracles would have been tempted to take him for a God But we find his Conduct quite opposite to this he doth not think it any Robbery to be equal with God But how can this be if he be not God indeed What is become of his Humility What of his Zeal What of his Sincerity These three Virtues are the Sureties and Pledges for our Faith of the Godhead of Jesus Christ Who is it that writes this 'T is St. Paul that is to say in one word whatsoever can be conceiv'd of Zeal against attributing the Divine Glory to a Creature This Apostle met with several occasions to make himself known under this Character He strongly declares himself against Idolatry in several places In the Acts of the Apostles we find what a Reception he gave to those Divine Honours which the Lycaonians would needs force upon him he rents his Clothes runs in amongst them Crying out and saying Acts 14.15 Sirs why do you these things We are also men of like passions with you and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God In the Seventeenth Chapter of the same Book we find that the Spirit of St. Paul was stirred in him at the sight of the Idols they worshipp'd at Athens Acts 17.16 In the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans we find him thundring against Idolaters saying that they changed the glory of the incorruptible God Rom 1.23 25. into an image made like to corruptible man and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed for ever This is enough to give us a taste of St. Paul's Spirit in this matter and to shew that he had the greatest horror for Idolatry Besides this he made it always his business to humble and abase the Creature that thereby the greater Glory might redound to the Creator and to remove all those things that might in the least serve to colour the Religious Worship of the Creature Yet for all this he speaks always most magnificently of Jesus Christ he makes him equal with the Soveraign God who hath created Heaven and
Ideas of their Education bestows upon Jesus christ these very same Names in Writing to Titus And this is as much as if he had said to the Christians of that Island Jupiter was a Usurper he in whom you have believed is the only Saviour and the true God If we had nothing else to say concerning the Name of God attributed to our Saviour in the Scripture we should believe our Argument already very strong to prove the Divinity of Christ Nothing is call'd God as he is but that which is really so He is called God simply and absolutely and if I may make use of an Expression popular indeed but intelligible I say he is called God in plain terms and without ifs or ands I make bold to use this Expression that the most simple may conceive my Meaning and make the Application themselves as they read the Scripture To add more strength to this Argument we need only to observe that the Name of Jehovah it self is given to Jesus Christ in the Scripture This great Name this Incommunicable Name which the Jews dare not so much as pronounce so worthy do they esteem it of all respect and veneration is notwithstanding given to Christ Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God Deut. 6.16 as ye tempted him in Massah These are the Words of Moses If we will believe St. Paul our Lord is this Jehovah whom the Israelites tempted Neither let us tempt Christ saith he as some of them also tempted 1 Cor. 10.9 Isa 40.3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of Jehovah They are the Words of Isaiah Let us consult the Evangelists to know the meaning of them and they will tell us That John the Baptist is the Voice crying in the Wilderness Matt. 3.3 Mark 1.3 Isa 54.5 and that Jesus Christ is that Jehovah whose way is prepared For thy Maker is thine Husband Jehovah of Hosts is his name and thy redeemer the holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth shall he be called Who is the Bridegroom and Husband of the Church St. Paul will inform us 2 Cor. 11.2 I am jealous over you saith he to the Corinthians with a jealousie of God observe that Expression for it was for Christ that St. Paul was jealous For I have espoused you to one Husband that I may present you a chast Virgin to Christ I will save them by Jehovah their God they are the words of God by the mouth of the Prophet Hosea Hos 1.7 By whom is it that the Church is saved Who is it that is our Saviour and Redeemer We know that the New Testament most exprestly assures us in very many places that it is our Lord Jesus Christ It would be an easy matter to alledge several other Passages out of the Old Testament where the True God is most expresly spoken of which by the Writers of the New Testament are applied to Christ What think we can be the Design of these Holy Men herein if Jesus Christ be not indeed that True God In this case I make no difficulty to assert that they have deceived us most shamefully and that their Writings are no better than continual Blasphemies Pray what is Blasphemy if this be not to apply to a Creature what is due to the Creator only and to appropriate to a meer Man or even to an Angel those Oracles which the Holy Ghost hath dictated for the Honour of God alone What a monstrous Opinion is this the Consequences whereof turn the Holy Apostles into Blasphemers As for our part as long as we shall believe that they were not destitute of Common Sense nor of the Fear of God as long as we shall be persuaded over and above this That their Pens were guided by an Infallible Spirit we must be convinced that our Blessed Lord whom they call God either expresly or by application of the Prophetical Passages of the Old Testament was God indeed The Second Rank of our Proofs respects the Equality of Attributes and furnisheth us with a new Demonstration in favour of the Godhead of our Saviour Indeed if we find that the Scripture attributes to our Lord the very same things it appropriates to the Divine Essence will it not be manifest that Christ is God What is it to be God if it be not to have the Nature of God Now there is nothing that can be more easily prov'd than that our Lord hath the Properties of the Divine Nature and that in such a manner as belongs to God only I shall make choice of Six of the Divine Attributes to verifie my Argument Eternity Immensity Holiness Knowledg Power and Mercy The two first of these Attributes never were or can be attributed to any created Substance I mean Eternity and Immensity Having already in a former Discourse spoken of the Eternity of Jesus Christ it would be useless to insist any more upon it were it a Point of less consequence than it is Upon that account we esteem it our Duty to enliven your Faith by quoting the Sacred Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews In the first Chapter he presents them with a strong Motive of perseverance by the Description he gives them of the Majesty of our Lord whom he raiseth high above the Angels and to whom he ascribes Eternity by applying a Passage out of the 102 Psalm to him Psal 102.26 27. They the Heavens shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old like a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end To understand the true sense of this Oracle we must search for it at the Fountain-head I mean in the Psalm if self where we shall find it plainly signifies the Eternity of the Divine Nature not only Eternity to come but also that which is past We do not find that the Sacred Author hath added the least restriction to the words of the Text but attributes them in their whole and entire strength to Jesus Christ Our Saviour therefore is Eternal with regard to both sides of Eternity In runing over this Epistle we cannot silently pass over an Argument the Author insists upon in the Third Chapter to confirm Christians in their Perseverance by the Advantages which raise Christ far above Moses For this person was counted worthy of more glory than Moses in as much as he who hath built the house Heb. 3.3 hath more honour than the house This way of reasoning amounts to nothing if it do not suppose our Saviour to be the Builder of the House But saith the Author in the Verse following He that built all things is God Jesus Christ therefore is God Nevertheless it appears that the Father also is the Builder of the House for it is said that Christ as Son is over the House of God But this is easily reconcil'd for the Father and the Son
they were infected before their Conversion Gal. 4.8 he tells them they served those things which by nature were no gods It is then according to St. Paul's Judgment a great Sin to serve that which is not God by Nature If therefore I find that St. Paul obligeth me to worship any Being I may have good reason according to the Opinion we have of him to conclude That this Adorable Being is God and God too by his Nature For it is not lawful for us to worship any Being save God alone Let us learn this from the Revelations that Book wherewith the Holy Ghost hath been pleased as it were to seal up the New Testament He that preacheth this Doctrine is an Angel one of those Spirits that are well inform'd how things are carried in Heaven I say it is an Angel that teacheth us that God alone is to be worshipped Rev. 22.9 St. John falls down to worship before the feet of the Angel See thou do it not saith he And why not for adds he I am thy fellow servant Conclude we then That whatsoever is bound to worship God cannot be an Object of Adoration Who then is it that we are to adore Worship God saith the Angel God only deserves the honour of Adoration under the New Testament as well as under the Old There is no solid Reasoning in the world if after having established this Principle I may not conclude thence that our Blessed Saviour is God with respect to one of his Natures seeing the Gospel makes it our Duty to worship him Will it be necessary to prove that this Adoration is a Worship practis'd and prescrib'd by the Apostles Why we need but open the Books of the New Testament and we shall meet with the Proof of it You will see the Apostles themselves and many other Believers worshiping the Lord without the least check from him or saying to them See thou do it not Let none wrangle here about the Word Adoration They take Jesus Christ for the Son of God and they adore him under that Notion He hath never rejected or disowned this Worship but hath received it as a Tribute due unto him We meet with a Character in the Stile of Sacred Authors which puts the Divine Adoration we owe to our Saviour out of the reach of any manner of Contradiction They are wont to interrupt their Stile by Doxologies to the Honour of God And the same they do to our Saviour and in the same Terms and that in several places 1 Pet. 4.11 Rev. 1.5 6. That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever Amen They are the words of St. Peter Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God even his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen As St. John expresseth himself in the beginning of his Revelation What are we to conclude from hence that the Apostles make use of these kind of Doxologies to the honour of Jesus but this That he is truly equal with his Father and that they honour him after one and the same manner Pursue we this Point a little farther and examine more particularly wherein this Adoration doth consist that so we may be the better inform'd what the Eminency of his Divine Nature is In the Chapter that hath furnish'd us with our Text we see that our Lord hath a Name above every Name Phil. 2.9 10. that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth Thus it is that the Scripture Language expresseth the whole Universe of things All things must bend the Knee to Jesus which yet is not to be understood of those five Letters as if that Name did merit a more singular veneration than the other Names of our Saviour The Custom which hath been introduc'd of bowing themselves at the pronunciation of the Name of Jesus is not founded upon these words of St. Paul but only because the Christians thought it necessary to make this Mark of Respect the Test of their Belief in his Divinity So that indeed it is to his person that we owe the honour of Genuflexion Every thing must bow before our Lord He hath received a Name above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow We have an excellent Explication of those words in those Passages of Scripture where we see that in our Christian Religion all things must be done in the Name of Jesus Nothing can be imagin'd greater than this Honour Christians are baptized in this Name they believe in this Name they work Miracles in this Name they are justified in this Name they meet together in this Name they pronounce their Deliberations in this Name they preach in this Name they suffer for this Name they pray in this Name they return Thanks in this Name and in one word to make use of the words of St. Paul Whatsoever they do in word or deed they do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus I demand therefore Whether ever any Creature was thus glorified in Israel Is it not notorious that the Name of God only was named amongst that People no other Name was heard of amongst them in their Church but the Name of God only They did not swear but by the Name of God they did not bless but in the Name of God they heard of no Deliverances but in the Name of God they glorified no other Name but that of God only What therefore must we conclude him to be whose Name must be celebrated under the New Covenant that is throughout all the Earth as the Name of God was under the Old Covenant that is to say in a very small Corner of the World The Father allows the Son to be glorified more than he himself hath been as it were to make an amends to the Son for his Subordination under which he appears with regard to the Father Whatever it be the Name of the Son holds a Sovereigh Rank and not that of a Prophet or Ambassador These Deputies do all things in the Name of the Sovereign who hath deputed them not in their own Wherefore since the Name of Christ is made use of every where it is an uncontestable Mark that he is Master that he is King that he is Sovereign yea that he is God blessed for ever Let no body reply here That all this was done in time I am not afraid to assert God can constitute no Sovereign in his Church because in doing so he must renounce the unalienable Right of his Nature which admits no Peer neither in Heaven nor on Earth But the Name of Jesus Christ hath been thus elevated because according to one of his Natures he is the Son This is a Mystery he himself opens to us when after having said in the 11th Chapter