and is alive for evermore; that is undoubtedly, by
Chrift. He upholdeth the Church of Sinyrna in her
tribulation by virtue of the fame defcription, Thefe Rev. ii. 8.
things faith the first and the laft, which was dead and is
alive. He afcertaineth his coming unto judgment
with the fame affertion, I am Alpha and Omega, the Rev. xxii.
beginning and the end, the first and the last. And in 13.
all these places, this title is attributed unto Christ
abfolutely and univerfally, without any kind of re-
ftriction or limitation, without any affignation of any
particular in respect of which he is the first or laft;
in the fame latitude and (m) eminence of expreffion
in which it is or can be attributed to the fupreme
God. There is yet another Scripture in which the
fame description may seem of a more dubious inter-
pretation: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and Rev. i. 8.
the ending, faith the Lord, which is, and which was,
and which is to come, the Almighty. For being it is
the Lord who fo calls himself, which title belongeth
to the Father and the Son, it may be doubted whe-
ther it be spoken by the Father or the Son; but
whether it be understood of the one or of the other,
it will fufficiently make good what we intend to
prove. For if they be understood of Christ, as the
precedent and the following words imply, then is he
certainly that Lord, which is, and which was, and
which is to come, the Almighty; that is, the fupreme
eternal God, of the fame Divine Effence with the
Father, who was before defcribed by him which is Rev. i. 4.
and which was, and which is to come, to whom the
fix-winged Beafts continually cry, Holy, holy, holy, Rev. iv. 8.
Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come :
as the familiar explication of that name which God
revealed to Mofes. If they belong unto the fupreme Exod. iii.
God the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; then did 14
he fo describe himself unto St. John, and express his
fupreme Deity, that by those words, I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, he might be
known to be the one Almighty and Eternal God;

and

1

36.

37.

and confequently, whofoever fhould affume that title, must attribute as much unto himself. Wherefore being Christ hath so immediately, and with so great folemnity and frequency, taken the fame ftyle upon him by which the Father did express his Godhead; it followeth, that he hath declared himself to be the Supreme, Almighty, and Eternal God. And being thus the Alpha and the firft, he was before any time affignable, and confequently before he was conceived of the Virgin; and the being which then he had was the Divine Effence, by which he was truly and properly the Almighty and Eternal God.

Fourthly, He whofe glory Ifaiah faw in the year that King Uzziah died, had a being before Chrift was begotten of the Virgin, and that being was the Divine Effence, by which he was naturally and effentially Ifa. vi. 1,3. God: for he is exprefsly called the Lord, Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hofts, whofe glory filleth the whole earth; which titles can belong to none befide the one and only God. But Chrift was he whofe glory Joh. xii. 41. Ifaiah faw, as St. John doth teftify, faying, Thefe things faid Ifaias, when he faw his glory, and fpake of him and he whose glory he saw, and of whom he fpake, was certainly Chrift; for of him the Apoftle treateth in that place, and of none but him. These things fpake fefus and departed. But though he (that is Jefus) had done fo many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, that is, Chrift who wrought those miracles. The reason why they believed not on him was, That the faying of Ifaias the Prophet might be fulfilled, which he fpake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and as they did not, fo they could not believe in Chrift, because that Ifaias faid again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts; that they should not fee with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them. For those who God forefaw, and the Prophet foretold, fhould not believe, could not do it without contradicting the prefcience of the one, and the predictions of the

38.

39.

40.

other.

other. But the Jews refufing to affent unto the doctrine of our Saviour, were thofe of whom the Prophet fpake for these things faid Ifaias when he 41. faw his glory, and Spake of him. Now if the glory which Ifaias faw were the glory of Christ, and he of whom Ifaias in that chapter fpake were Chrift himfelf; then must those blinded eyes and hardened hearts belong unto thefe Jews, and then their infidelity was fo long fince foretold. Thus doth the fixing of that Prophecy upon that people, which faw our Saviour's miracles, depend upon Ifaias's vifion, and the appropriation of it unto Chrift. Wherefore St. John hath infallibly taught us, that the Prophet faw the glory of Chrift, and the Prophet hath as undoubtedly affured us, that he whofe glory then he saw was the one Omnipotent and Eternal God; and confequently both together have fealed this truth, that Christ did then subsist in that glorious majesty of the Eternal Godhead.

Laftly, He who, being Man, is frequently in the Scriptures called God, and that in fuch a manner, as by that name no other can be understood but the one only and eternal God, he had an existence before he was made man, and the being which then he had was no other than the Divine Effence; because all novelty is repugnant to the Deity, nor can any be that one God, who was not fo from all eternity. But Jefus Chrift, being in the nature of Man, is frequently in the facred Scriptures called God; and that name is attributed unto him in fuch a manner, as by it no other can be understood but the one Almighty and Eternal God.

Which may be thus demonstrated. It hath been already proved, and we all agree in this, That there can be but one Divine Effence, and fo but one fupreme God. Wherefore, were it not faid in the Scriptures, there are many Gods; did not he himself who is fupreme, call others fo; we durft not give that name to any but to him alone, nor could we

6.

5.

think any called God to be any other but that one. It had been then enough to have alledged that Christ is God, to prove his fupreme and eternal Deity: whereas now we are answered, that there are Gods many, and therefore it followeth not from that name that he is the one eternal God. But if Chrift be none of those many Gods, and yet be God; then can he be no other but that one. And that he is not to be numbered with them, is certain, because he is clearly diftinguished from them, and opposed to Pfal. lxxxii. them. We read in the Pfalmift, I have faid ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the moft High. But we must not reckon Chrift among thofe Gods, we must not number the only begotten Son among thofe Children. For they knew not, neither would they underftand, they walked on in darkness: and whofoever were Gods only as they were, either did, or Col. ii. 9. might do fo. Whereas Chrift, in whom alone dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, is not only distinguished from, but oppofed to, fuch Gods as thofe by his Difciples faying, Now we are fure that thou knoweft all things; by himself proclaiming, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me fhall not walk in darkness. St. Paul hath told us, there be gods many, and lords many; but withal hath taught us, that to us there is but one God, the Father, and one Lord Jefus Christ. In which words as the Father is oppofed as much unto the many Lords, as many Gods, fo is the Son as much unto the many Gods, as many Lords; the Father being as much Lord as God, and the Son as much God as Lord. Wherefore being we find in Scripture frequent mention of one God, and befide that one an intimation of many Gods, and whofoever is called God, muft either be that one, or one of those many; being we find our bleffed Saviour to be wholly opposed to the many Gods, and confequently to be none of them, and yet we read him often ftyled God, it followeth, that that name is attributed unto him in fuch a manner,

John xvi.
John viii.

30.

12.

1 Cor. viii,

5, 6.

as

as by it no other can be understood but the one Almighty and Eternal God.

Again, Thofe who deny our Saviour to be the fame God with the Father, have invented rules to be the touchstone of the eternal Power and Godhead. First, where the name of God is taken abfolutely, as the fubject of any propofition, it always fignifies the fupreme Power and Majefty, excluding all others from that Deity. Secondly, Where the fame name is any way used with an article, by way of excellency, it likewise fignifieth the fame fupreme Godhead as admitting others to a communion of Deity, but excluding them from the fupremacy. Upon these two rules they have raised unto themfelves this obfervation, That whenfoever the name of God abfolutely taken is placed as the fubject of any propofition, it is not to be understood of Chrift: and wherefoever the fame name is fpoken of our Saviour by way of predicate, it never hath an article denoting excellency annexed to it; and confequently leaves him in the number of thofe Gods who are excluded from the majesty of the eternal Deity.

Now though there can be no kind of certainty in any fuch obfervations of the articles, because the Greeks promiscuously often use them or omit them, without any reafon of their ufurpation or omiffion (whereof examples are innumerable); though if thofe rules were granted, yet would not their conclufion follow, because the fupreme God is often named (as they confefs) without an article, and therefore the fame name may fignify the fame God when spoken of Chrift, as well as when of the Father, fo far as can concern the omiffion of the article: yet to complete my demonstration, I shall fhew, firft, that the name of God taken fubjectively is to be understood of Chrift; fecondly, that the fame name with the article affixed is attributed unto him; thirdly, that if it were not fo, yet where the article is wanting, there is that added to the predi

cate