Part 41

Moreover, as this would tend to destroy the infinite disproportion between God and the creature in acting, so it supposes that God can communicate a branch of his own glory to a creature, by enlarging it to such a degree, as to take in all finite objects. There are some things not so properly too great for God to do, as for a creature to be the subject of: we do not pretend to set limits to the divine power; yet we may infer, from the nature of things, and the powers of finite beings, that it is impossible for any one, below God, to know all things past, present, and to come, at one view; which our Saviour must be supposed to do, or else this attribute of omniscience is not justly applied to him; nor would he be fit to govern the world, as will be observed under a following head; therefore we must conclude, from hence, that he is truly and properly a divine Person.

To what has been said, concerning Christ’s omniscience, we may subjoin those scriptures that speak of him, as the _wisdom of God_, the Fountain of all communicated wisdom, _the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world_, as he is called, in John i. 9. And it is supposed, by many, that _wisdom_ spoken of in Prov. viii. is to be understood of our Saviour, as the personal wisdom of God, inasmuch as there are several personal characters ascribed to him: thus it is said, ver. 23. _I was set up from everlasting_, &c. and ver. 30, 31. _Then_, to wit, before the creation of all things, _I was by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men_. This cannot properly speaking, be applied to God’s essential wisdom; it must therefore be a description of an eternal divine Person, distinct from the Father.

But since many suppose, that whatever is spoken of wisdom, in this and some other chapters of this book, is only metaphorical, or a beautiful description of divine wisdom, as the instructor of mankind; though we cannot see how this, if nothing else be intended by it, can agree with some of the personal characters before mentioned, which seem applicable to our Saviour; yet we find that he is elsewhere called the _wisdom of God_, in a sense, that can by no means be supposed to be figurative: thus when we read in Luke xi. 49. _Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles_, &c. it is certainly understood of our Saviour.[147] To which, if it be objected, that, by the _wisdom of God_, is meant there the wise God, to wit, the Father; it may be answered, that another evangelist, referring to the very same thing, explains what is meant by the _wisdom of God_, and represents our Saviour as speaking in his own Person, Matt. xxiii. 34. _Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes_, &c.

5. The next divine perfection that is ascribed to Christ, is almighty power. This attribute is appropriated, by the Arians to the Father;[148] and accordingly they suppose, that it implies not only his supremacy over all creatures, but over the Son and Holy Ghost; and therefore they peremptorily conclude it is never applied to them, and consequently that the Deity of our Saviour cannot be proved by it; and that they may turn our own weapons upon us, or improve some unwary concessions, made by some very considerable writers, who have, in other respects, very well defended the doctrine of the Trinity, they seem to insinuate, as though this were a matter to be taken, as it were, for granted, though it might easily be made appear, that they strain the sense of those expressions, from whence they conclude them to have given up the cause to them, beyond what they ever intended; and there are many others, who are far from making such concessions.

As for the word παντοκρατωρ, _Almighty_, there is nothing in the derivation thereof, from whence it may justly be inferred, that it is a perfection, that contains a greater display of the divine glory, than the other perfections, that are attributed to all the Persons in the Godhead, though indeed it contains in it an idea of the universal extent of divine power, with respect to the objects thereof; yet this is not to be separated from the sense of the word, when power is ascribed to God in those scriptures, where he is called _the Almighty_; therefore, if we can prove that Christ has power ascribed to him, that is properly divine, this will evince his Deity, as much as though we could produce several scriptures, in which he is indisputably called _the Almighty_; and this we shall first endeavour to do, and then enquire whether we have not as much, or more reason to conclude, that he is called Almighty, than they have to deny it.

That power, such as is properly divine, is attributed to Christ, may be proved from that scripture before-mentioned, which is evidently applied to him, Isa. ix. 6. where he is called, _the mighty God_; and, in Psal. xlv. 3. which, as has been before observed, is spoken concerning him, in which he is called _most mighty_; and, in Phil. iii. 21. we read of his _changing our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body_; which is such an effect of power, as plainly argues it divine, as much as the production of all things out of nothing could do; and this is said to be done, _according to the working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself_. We might observe many other things, which he has done, and will do, that require infinite power, which we shall have occasion to consider, when we prove his deity from his works under a following head.

But since all this is to no purpose, with respect to those who deny his proper Deity, unless we can prove that he is called _Almighty_; and the whole stress of this argument is laid upon it, for no other reason, as I presume, but because they think it impossible for us to do it: I shall attempt it; and I hope to make it appear that we have greater probability, on our side, that he is so called, than they have ground to deny it. Here I shall take notice of this perfection of the divine nature, as we find it in the book of the Revelations, in which this attribute is mentioned nine times, and, in some places, seems to be applied to the Father, but in others to the Son.

The first we shall mention is in chap. i. 8. _I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty_; which seems to be spoken of our Saviour,

1. Because he is described at large in the three foregoing verses; and there is nothing which gives the least ground to question its application to him, unless that character s being given to the Person here spoken of, which is given to the Father, in ver. 4. _which is, and which was, and which is to come_; but since we find in other scriptures, the same divine glories ascribed to the Son that had before been ascribed to the Father; as in John v. 21. _As the Father raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will_; and in Tit. iii. 4. the Father is called _God our Saviour_, as appears by comparing it with the 5th and 6th verses; and so is Christ called, chap. ii. 10, 13. therefore, why may not the Father and the Son be each of them described with this character, _Which was, is, and is to come_? and that more especially, if we consider, that the ascribing this to Christ, is, in effect, the same with what is said of him elsewhere, Heb. xiii. 8. where he is said _to be the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever_.[149]

2. It farther appears, that this text, in which the Person spoken of is called _Almighty_, is applied to Christ, because that character, _Alpha_ and _Omega_, seems to be applied to none but him in other places, where it is used. We find it four times in this book, _viz._ not only in this verse, but in ver. 11. in which it is indisputably applied to him, as will appear, by comparing it with the followings verses. And, in chap. xxi. 6. he is again called _Alpha_ and _Omega_, which, that it is applied to him, appears from the context; it is he that _makes all things new_, or puts a new face upon the affairs of his church; and it is he who commands John to write what he saw and heard; _He said unto me, Write these words_, ver. 5. We may observe, that whereever John is commanded, in this book, to write, it is Christ that gives forth the command: thus he said to him before, chap. i. 19. _Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter_; and he is again commanded to write, _Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord_, by him who is called the Son of man, chap. xiv. 13, 14.

Again, in chap. xxii. 13. he is called _Alpha_ and _Omega_, who is described in the foregoing verse, _as coming quickly, whose reward is with him_; which is undoubtedly meant of our Saviour; for it is said concerning him, ver. 20. _Surely I come quickly, Amen: even so come, Lord Jesus._

That which I infer from hence, is, that if Christ be styled _Alpha_ and _Omega_, in all other placed in this book, it is more than probable he is so in this 8th verse of the 1st chapter, in which he is said to be _the Almighty_. And as he is called _Alpha_ and _Omega_, so the explication of these words, wherever we meet with it in this book without the words themselves, is applied to Christ: thus he is called, chap. i. 17. and ii. 8. _the first and the last_; and, chap. iii. 14. _the beginning of the creation of God_: from hence, I humbly conceive, we have more ground to conclude, that Christ is called the _Almighty_ in this verse, than the Arians have to deny it.

Again, there is another place in this book where he seems to be styled _the Almighty_, chap. xv. 3. _And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints._ This triumphant song is occasioned by one of the greatest victories which the church expects to obtain in this world: by the song of Moses, I humbly conceive, is meant the church’s celebrating the glory of God, for the greatest victory that ever was obtained under the legal dispensation; and the song of the Lamb, is an acknowledgment of the greatest that is, or shall be obtained under the gospel-dispensation; and, in celebrating the Lamb’s victories, they set forth the praises of the mighty Conqueror in the following words, _Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty_: it is the Lamb that is every where described in this book, as fighting the church’s battles, and obtaining victory for it; therefore it is his glory which is here set forth.

And as he is always described, in this book, as thus fighting the church’s battles; so it is he who is described as taking vengeance on its enemies, which is the just consequence thereof. Therefore I cannot but conclude, that he is spoken of, in chap. xvi. 6, 7. as having _given_ their persecutors _blood to drink, for they were worthy_; and, in ver. 7. _Even so Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments._

Again, in chap. xvi. 14. we read of _the battle of that great day of God Almighty_; and then it immediately follows, _Behold, I come as a thief in the night_, &c. which expression is known to be elsewhere applied to our Saviour, and to none but him; and that it is he who fights the church’s battles, is evident from chap. xvii. 14. _These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overthrow them_; and from chap. xix. 12, &c. where it is said, _his eyes were as a flame of fire_; as he is elsewhere described, chap. i. 14. to denote that the great day of his wrath was come; and his name is called, in the 13th verse of this 19th chapter, _the Word of God_; and we read of the _armies which followed him_, and that _out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that he might smite the nations_. From whence we may conclude, that since Christ is represented, in so many places in this book, as fighting with, and triumphing and reigning over his enemies, inflicting his plagues upon them, and delivering his church from their persecution, which is a work of divine power, he is fitly styled in several places, _Lord God Almighty_.

We might consider several other divine attributes ascribed to Christ, which prove his Deity, _viz._ holiness, truth, and faithfulness: thus, in Rev. iii. 7. _These things saith he that is holy, he that is true_; and he is farther described in the following words, as having uncontroulable power; _who openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth_. That this is spoken of him, is beyond dispute; and in chap. vi. 10. _They cried with a loud voice, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth?_ to whom did they cry but to the Lamb, who is said to have opened the seals, or to have discovered the mysteries that were thereby revealed, as in ver. 1.? And when he had opened the sixth seal, he is described, as hearing his church’s prayer, and avenging their blood, and so is represented as coming to judgment, in a very terrible manner; upon which occasion it is said, _the great day of his wrath is come_; and therefore it is he who is described as _holy and true_.

But if it be replied to this, that creatures are sometimes called holy and true, we may farther add, that it is Christ to whom it is said, chap. xv. 4. _Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest._ This I infer from what has been before considered, that it is he who obtains victory over, and pours forth his judgments on his church’s enemies; and it is he whose praises are celebrated in the song of the Lamb, mentioned in the verse immediately foregoing.

Having considered several divine perfections, as ascribed to our Saviour, and these so glorious, that nothing greater can be mentioned to set forth the glory of a divine Person; yet we may add hereunto, those glorious titles that are given him with a design to excite in us adoring and admiring thoughts of him: amongst which we shall only mention some which are either the same with, or are equivalent to those which are given to the Father, which they who deny Christ’s Deity, cannot but own to be distinguishing characters of a divine Person, when so applied. Thus, is the Father styled, in Heb. xiii. 20. _The God of peace_? our Saviour is styled, in Isa. ix. 6. _The Prince of peace_; and he is said, Eph. ii. 14. to be _our peace_; and as peace includes in it all the blessings that accompany salvation, Christ’s being styled the Author thereof, denotes him to be the Fountain of blessedness, which he could not be, were he not a divine Person.

Again, as God is called _a Sun_, and _a Shield_, Psal. lxxxiv. 9. so Christ is called, in Mal. iv. 2. _The Sun of Righteousness_; and, in Isa. xxxii. 2. _An hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempest, and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land._

Again, it is said of God the Father, Deut. xxx. 20. _He is thy life, and the length of thy days_; our Saviour says, concerning himself, in John xi. 25. compared with chap. xiv. 6. that he is _the life_; and, Acts iii. 15. he is called _the Prince of life_; and, in Colos. iii. 4. _our life_. Again, is the Father called, in Psal. lxxx. 1. _The Shepherd of Israel_? Christ is called, in Heb. xiii. 20. _That great Shepherd of the sheep._

Moreover, is God often described in scripture as a glorious King; as in Zeph. iii. 15. _The King of Israel, even the Lord in the midst of thee_? our Saviour is styled, in Isa. vi. 5. _The King, the Lord of hosts_; and, in John i. 49. _The King of Israel_; and, in Rev. xix. 16. _King of kings, and Lord of lords._

Again, is God styled the _Hope of Israel_, Jer. xiv. 8? our Saviour seems to be so called by the apostle, when he says, in Acts xxviii. 20. _for the Hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain_, that is, for Christ’s sake, who is the object of his people’s hope. However, whether he is intended thereby, or no, in that scripture, he is called elsewhere _our hope_, 1 Tim. i. 1. compared with Coloss. i. 27.

Moreover, is God the object of desire, so that there is _nothing in heaven or earth_, or within the whole compass of finite beings, that is to be desired _besides_, or in comparison with _him_, as the Psalmist says, Psal. lxxiii. 25? our Saviour is called, in Hag. ii. 7. _The desire of all nations._ I might refer to many other glorious titles that are given to him in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Revelations, in the epistles to the seven churches; every one of which is prefaced with such a character given of him, as is designed to strike them with an holy reverence, and esteem of him, as a divine Person. Thus concerning those proofs of Christ’s Deity, which are taken from the names, attributes, and titles which are given to him; which leads us to consider,

III. The next head of argument taken from those works, which have been done by our Saviour, that are proper to God alone. Divine works argue a divine efficient, or that he has infinite power, and consequently that he is an infinite Person, or truly and properly God, who performs them. Now these works are of two sorts; either of nature and common providence, or of grace, to wit, such as immediately respect our salvation; in all which, he acts beyond the power of a creature, and therefore appears to be a divine Person.

1. He appears to be so, from his having created all things. He that made the world, must be before it; and therefore since time began with the first creature, as has been before observed, it follows that he must be before time, that is, from eternity.

Again, he that created all things, must have a sovereign will, for whose _pleasure they are, and were created_, Rev. iv. 11. And it follows from hence, that he has an undoubted right to all things, and that he might have annihilated them, had it been his pleasure; and also, that he has a right to dispose of them as he will, as the potter has power over his clay. All these things are consequent on the work of creation; therefore it is an undeniable argument, that he, who created all things, must be God.

It may also be observed, that to create, is to exert infinite power, or to act above the power of a creature, which, at best, is but finite: now whatever is more than finite, must be infinite; and consequently he who created all things, must exert infinite power, and that is certainly such as is truly divine.

We might farther consider, that there are many scriptures which appropriate creation to God, and, indeed, it cannot be otherwise; for to suppose that a creature gave being to itself, is to suppose him to be both a cause and an effect, and consequently to be, and not to be, at the same time, to exist as a creator, and not to exist as brought into being, which is a plain contradiction; and it is evident, that, in scripture, the creature is opposed to the Creator: thus, in Rom. i. 25. it is said, _they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever_. And there are several scriptures that speak of creation, as a distinguishing evidence of divine glory: thus, in Isa. xl. 28. we have a magnificent description of God, taken more especially from this work, when he is called, _The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth_; and, in chap. xlii. 5. _Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein_; in which, and many other scriptures of the like nature, which might be referred to, it appears that creation is a work peculiar to God.

The next thing we are to prove is, that our Saviour created all things. There are many who think that this may be proved from the work of creation’s being ascribed to more persons than one; and therefore when we read of creators, in the plural number, as it is in the original, in Eccles. xii. 1. _Remember thy Creator_, or creators; and when God, in creating man, is represented as speaking after this manner, _Let us make man after our own image_, &c. this seems to imply that there were more divine Persons engaged in this work than the Father.

I do not indeed lay so much stress on this argument, as many do, yet it is not wholly to be neglected; for, I confess, I cannot see any reason why there should be such a mode of expression used, were it not to signify this divine mystery, of a plurality of Persons in the Godhead, to whom this work is ascribed.

_Object._ As for the objection, which some of the Anti-trinitarians, especially the Socinians, bring against it, that this mode of speaking, is such as is used in conformity to the custom of kings who, speak in the plural number;

_Answ._ To this it may be answered, that though kings do often speak in the plural number, yet this is only a modern way of speaking, implying, that whatever a king does, is by the advice of some of his subjects, who are his peculiar favourites, and who are also made use of to fulfil his will; but, nevertheless, this way of speaking is not so ancient as scripture-times, much less as Moses’s time, or the beginning of the world, which he refers to, when God is represented as thus speaking. It is the custom of kings, in scripture, to speak in the singular number: and it is very absurd to pretend to explain any mode of speaking used in scripture, by customs of speech, not known till many ages after.

I am sensible, some think that mode of speaking used by Ahasuerus Esth. i. 15. _What shall we do unto the queen_ Vashti, _according to law?_ is a proof that it was used in former ages. But the words may be rendered, _What is to be done_, according to law, &c. or what is expedient for me to do? and therefore it doth not prove that kings used, in ancient times, to speak of themselves in the plural number; and consequently it cannot be argued, that when God is represented as speaking so in scripture, it is in compliance with any such custom. Besides, whenever he is represented as speaking in scripture, in all other instances, excepting those that are supposed to be contained in our argument, he is always represented as speaking in the singular number; and therefore it seems still more probable, that this variation from his usual way of speaking, is not without some reason, and that hereby we are led into this doctrine, that there are more divine Persons than one, that created all things.

But not to insist on this, since we have more plain proofs hereof in scripture, it evidently appears that Christ made all things, not only from what is said in John i. 3. that _all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made_; but, from Col. i. 16. _By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him_; in which he is not only said to be the Creator, but the end of all things, which is the same with what is said in Prov. xvi. 4. that _the Lord hath made all things for himself_.

This farther appears from Psal. cii. 25. _Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands_; which is expressly applied to Christ by the apostle, in Heb. i. 10.