Christ were addressed to God the Father, his God and our God: to whom he expressly commanded his apostles and followers to make their addresses, and to him only.

And it is also observable, that in many of the foregoing texts God the Father is only mentioned as the object of prayer, and no other object whatever.

CHAP. XXX.

Doxologies in the New Testament are affirmative, imperative, optative.

Rom. i: 25, blessed for ever.

ix. 5,

MORE than the Creator, who is Amen.'

Of whom was Christ,' in his natural descent- the God over all, or supreme God,. 'be blessed for ever. Amen.' Or thus, whose are the Fathers, of whom Christ was,' by his natural descent,' who was more, or greater than they all. God be blessed for ever. Amen.'* The God over all' is the Father's proper character, Ephes. vi. 6, where he is distinguished from Christ, ver. 5. Christ is not the Exoyros, but his Son. Mark xiv. 61, 1 Cor. i. 3, Eph. i. 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.''

Rom. xi. 31, 36, 'O the depth-of the wisdom and knowledge of God---To him be glory for ever. Amen.' To whom St. Paul addressed these words, appears by the texts just cited.

xvi. 27, To the only wise God be glory for ever. Amen.' N. B. The only wise God is the proper character of the Father alone.

2 Cor. i. 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

xi. 31, The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ-who is blessed for ever."

* See this text proved to be a doxology to God the Father, ch. xix. p. 57.

104) + & form of gening atory to fad.

Gal. i. 4, 5, According to the will of God, our Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.'

Eph. iii. 20, 21, To him (God) be glory in the church, and through Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, for ever and ever. Amen.' N. B. Here Christ is the guide or instructor, but not the object to whom glory is ascribed.

Phil. iv. 20,

ever and ever.

To God and our Father be glory for Amen.'

1 Tim. i. 17, To the king of ages, the immortal, the invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.' N. B. The only wise God is a character never given to the Son, or Holy Ghost, but is a character proper to the Father alone.

vi. 15, 16, The blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only (or alone) hath immortality---To him, or to whom, be honour and power everlasting. Amen.' This does not include Jesus Christ, but exclude him: for God is to shew him at his appearance.'

Heb. xiii. 20, 21, The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus---make you perfect--through Jesus Christ.---To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.' N. B. Here Jesus Christ is the guide and instructor; but God alone the object, (as in all the foregoing doxologies,) who raised Christ from the dead,

1 Pet. i. 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'--exactly St. Paul's words and doxology, Eph. i 3.

—— iv. 11, That in all things, through, or by, Jesus Christ, God may be glorified, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.' Compare this with the following.

v. 10, 11, The God of all grace---strengthen you.---To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.'

2 Pet. ii. 18,- --Ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' (and of God the Father, so some copies) to him be glory, now and for ever. Amen.'

This text by the tritheists is supposed to be a doxology to Jesus Christ, and thence they infer his supreme deity, but without foundation; for is glory or honour in all beings equal, or the same? Does not St. Peter himself, and St. Paul too, in the passages just cited, fully suppose and declare an infinite difference? Must scripture be set against scriputre, to maintain invented mysteries?

Jude, ver. 25, To the only wise God our Saviour, through, or by Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now, and through all ages. Amen.'

Rev. i. 5, 6, Jesus Christ, who hath made us kings and priests to his God and Father: to him (that is, to his God and Father) be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.'

iv. 8, 11, The four living creatures cease not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. And when they give glory, and honour, and thanksgiving, to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever; the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him who liveth for ever and ever: and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created."

The appropriate characters of God in this famous passage, are,

1. Holy Lord God Almighty.' Пavтoxparup, used nine times in Revelation.

2. Who was, and is, and is to come.' 'Ow, &c. used four times in Revelation.

3. Who liveth for ever and ever.' Tw VTI EL'S,

ζῶντι

&c. twenty two times in the New Testament.

4. Who sitteth on the throne.' Ο καθημένος, &c. used twelve times in Revelation.

N. B. These terms or characters are never applied to the Son, or Holy Ghost.

Rev. v. 11-14, Angels, and others, &c. are introduced, saying, The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power,' &c. And then it follows--' and every creature I heard saying---To him who sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, be honour, and glory, and power, for ever and ever.'

Note, These words must signify diversely when applied to the two different objects, viz. God who sat on the throne,' and the Lamb who was slain;' for these are distinguished in this book, and even in this passage, chap. v. 14, where the twenty-four elders. fall down, and worship' him who liveth for ever and ever,' that is, God. Here worship implies the highest acts of honour to the supreme God, who is Christ's God, and our God. The sense of words must be determined by the subjects about which they are employed, and to which they are applied. As, for instance, 1 Chron. xxix. 20, They worshipped the Lord (that is, God) and the King'---most certainly with a very different intention, and internal reverence, though the outward gesture might be the same. As the great multitude, Rev. vii. g---12, Ascribe salvation to him who sat on the throne, (the author,) and to the Lamb,' his instrument; and they proceed to shew their different sense, for, falling down on their faces, they worshipped God, and said, Praise, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be (ascribed) to our God for ever and ever. Amen. Where he who sat on the throne, in the tenth verse, is presently called their God in the eleventh and twelfth verses. To this meaning agree entirely the words following; xi. 16, 17, The four and twenty elders fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to come.'

6

Again, we have a like passage, xv. 3, 4, ‘And they who had got the victory over the beast---sang the song of the Lamb---saying, Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty!--Who may not fear thee, and glorify thy name; for thou, Lord, only art holy.' See chap. xvi. 5.

Rev. xix. 1, A great multitude in heaven, saying, Halleluja; salvation and glory, and honour, and power, be to our Lord God.' Ver. 4, The four and twenty elders, and four living creatures, fell down and worshipped God who sat upou the throne, saying, Halleluja.'

COROLLARIES from the foregoing DoXOLOGIES.

1. God the Father alone is expressly named in many of the doxologies.

2. God the Father is named, as the object to whom, and the Son, not as the object, but as the person by whom the doxologies are offered to God, or to God

the Father.

3. "To God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost," &c. This is no scripture-doxology, but an Athanasian tritheistic form of words, grossly polytheistic, and absolutely repugnant to the divine unity, and to the holy scriptures, in which no such doxologies are to be found.

4. "To God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," &c. is no scripture-doxology. And "to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God," &c. is no scripture-doxology, but novel, unsound, dangerous, and introductive of Sabellianism, and idolatry, and subverting the gospel history.

5. They are the most orthodox and the soundest Christians, who use only and invariably the scripture doxologies; and such only are acceptable acts of worship of the one true God.

It must be noted, that all doxologies are ascriptions of praise and honour to beings of superior worth and excellence: and, in the common sense of mankind, the acknowledgments by terms of praise and honour are ever used in proportion to the dignity and excellence of every being, or else the doxologies are mistaken. Worship in our language is the acknowledgment of the worth observed in every being. Now the worth and excellencies that are mentioned in all the