will crumble into atoms; and by which an answer is given in full to the substance of what Dr. Priestly has advanced in the first Sect. of the Introd. to his Hiftory of EARLY OPINIONS, with refpect to the filence of the Old Testament, and the incompetency of a great part of the New. This is life eternal, fays our bleffed Lord, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jefus Christ whom thou haft fent. * Our Lord, speaking here in his human capacity, and with reference to his miffion, very naturally avows his Father to be the only true God, in contradiftinction to all false Gods; but cannot be supposed to exclude himself and the Holy Ghoft, who are partakers of one effence with the true. So again who is the first born of every creature, and the beginning of the creation of God. As to the latter of these expreffions, it implies no more, according to fome interpretations, than the Father of the Chriftian * John xvii. 3. + Col. i. 15. Rev. iii. 14. 03 Church, Church, &c; or, if the original word had been rendered the cause, or the origin, instead of the beginning, as with very fufficient warrant it might have been, this text is fo far from affirming Chrift to be a creature, that, in effect, it avers him to be the Creator; or, if it be precisely equivalent to the former expreffion, it will in course be reducible to the fame fignification. Now literally, and in his human character, Jefus Chrift was not the firft-born of every creature; and in his divine -character he was not born or begotten at all, except in a transcendent and incomprehenfible fenfe; but he was, and is styled in a few verfes below, the firft-born from the dead, and in his own refurrection ascertained ours, &c. And in this juft fenfe he is the first-born of every creature, the beginning of the Creation of God, or of the new creation and conftitution of things, not only without difparagement to his divine nature, but in direct confirmation of it. So again: Of that day and bour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither neither the Son, but the Father. * In our Saviour's human capacity, or in his mediatorial character, the final and general judgment was a matter that did not concern him; but in his divine character he cannot but know the time of his own vifitations, So again: Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I afcend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. + These words contain a proper and natural commitfion given to Mary Magdalen by our blessed Lord in confequence of his refurrection, and agreeably to what he had spoken unto his difciples when he was yet in Galilee. It was his intention to fignify by her the speedy accomplishment of what he had frequently foretold and promised them under the character of the Meffiah; but it was neither neceffary nor expedient to discover to her fingly the fulness of his Godhead. himself be fubject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. § In other words; when the great scheme of man's redemption fhall be completed, Chrift fhall refign his commiffion into his hands from whom he received it, and his mediatorial kingdom be fucceeded by the eternal kingdom of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, with whom the Saints, and Spirits of just men made perfect, fhall live in fulness of blifs and glory. This is the obvious and indeed neceffary conftruction. For if we attend to the letter of this paffage, and not to the Spirit and fcope of it, when all things shall be fubdued, &c. THEN fhall the Son be subject, &c. we fhall affert that Jefus Christ will be fubject to the Father AFTER the confummation of all things, but was not fo BEFORE; or, that he was greater in his human character than in his divine: which is abfurd. He must reign, fays the Apostle, just before, till he hath put all things under his feet. Now it is not literally true that he shall reign fo long, and no longer than this, as the words § 1 Co. xv. 28. import. import. For though his reign over the Church militant fhall ceafe, of his reign over the Church triumphant there shall be no end. The truth is, with the Evangelical plan, with the commiffion of Jefus Christ, the idea of fubordination, or fubjection, is connected; but with regard to abfolute perfection of effence and attribute, the complement of the Godhead, the Trinity in Unity, ever was, and for ever will be ALL IN ALL. Laftly with refpect to fuch expreffions as the following, which appear inconfiftent with perfonality, be filled with the Spirit ;* quench not the Spirit; † the Spirit which he bath given us; ‡ receive ye the Holy Ghost; § &c. it is obvious to remark, that, agreeably to a common figure, the cause and its effects are promifcuously used; and accordingly by the Spirit in all thefe places, and in all parallel ones, we are to understand the gifts and graces of which the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghoft is the difpenfer. If this interpretation * Ephef v. 18. + 1 Theff. v. 19. be |