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a sense as exposed him to the charge of blasphemy; had he not been properly divine; John x. 24 to 38. His true dignity as a divine person being inferible from what he did, his enemies were on that account inexcusable, because his works sufficiently demonstrated to every honest inquiring mind, who he was, as well as from whence he came, though it was inconsistent with his then state of humiliation and debasement, to allow the glories of divinity to shine forth in their native lustre and infinite splendour; hence he repeatedly charged his friends not to publish to the world who he was, till after his resurrection from the dead. That he was a man, his enemies knew as well as his disciples; yea, some of them thought him to be the promised Messiah, and said one to another, this is the heir, let us kill him; but as a divine person they knew him not, for had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. For the principal charge brought against him, and for which he was condemned was, that being a man he made himself equal with God; John v. 18. chap. xix. 7.

If Christ exposed himself to death through ambiguity, how did he witness a good confession at Pilate's bar? If he did not mean an equality with God, which the Jews thought he did, strange that his regard to truth did not lead to an explanation of what he intended.

It is no wonder the priests and others in that day of prevalent ignorance and perverseness, should have a secret conviction of his office, capacity as Messiah, without an idea of his divinity, seeing some under the profession of gospel ministers, acknowledge and plead for his divine mission, and yet oppose and reject with contempt the idea of his being a divine person.

How kind and wonderful the condescension of the blessed Jesus, that he should stoop to také upon him human nature (not as when in its original dignity, but in its debased state) in order to suffer, and serve in favour of those who would, he knew, on that very account rob him of his reputation, as a divine person! It is mournful to think he should be despised on earth for that, on the account of which he is admired in hea

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Consider the complex capacity of the adorable Jesus as God, and as man, with his acting as mediator, in consequence of such an union of distinct natures, and then the scripture account of his inferiority and subjection to the divine Father will appear quite consonant with the doctrine of his true and proper divinity; and the stumblingblock aforesaid be totally removed. But when the aforesaid is removed, behold another is with equal art thrown in the way of the ignorant and unwary, which is (2.) a perversion of the terms

used in treating of this important subject.

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consequence of such unwarrantable, not to say unmanly craft, the unity of the divine essence is represented to be so evidently inconsistent with a plurality of divine persons, as if it was universally agreed to consider them as absolute contradictions, and to convey irreconcileable ideas; whereas it is very well known that those who believe the divinity of the blessed Jesus (and the Holy Ghost) as firmly maintain the unity of the divine essence, or that there is only one God, as they do who oppose a plurality of divine persons. Yet things are so represented as if they and the Trinitarians agreed in that about which they differ, and again as if they differed about that in which they are agreed; for the consistency between a plurality of persons in the one divine essence, is the very thing for which those contend who believe the divinity of Christ. And that there is but one living and true God, both parties unite and agree in acknowledging. The doctrines of unity in the divine essence, and a plurality of persons, are in their very nature distinct, and ought never to be confounded. But that they are opposites and inconsistent in reference to God, has not yet been proved, and I believe never will. But though the adversaries of Christ's divinity oppose the one to the other, as if they were allowed contrarieties; yet by and by they

will treat those very terms by which the doctrines are distinguished, as if they were intended to express the same thing, or convey similar ideas. Hence, if the essence of God be the subject treated of, the term person is immediately substituted, as if synonymous with that of essence, and then with an air of triumph it is inferred, that, If God be one, he is not two or three. Again, if the doctrine of divine personality be the matter of immediate consideration, and scriptural proofs be adduced in support of a plurality of PERSONS truly divine, behold the idea of essence is by them substituted in the room of person, and unity instead of plurality, and by the help of such a substitution and perversion of terms, and shuffle of ideas, they very gravely exclaim against Tritheism, i. e. the doctrine of three Gods. As the friends of Christ's divinity never assert God to be three in the sense in which he is one, nor one in the same sense in which he is three, but perpetually distinguish between a plurality of persons and the unity of God, the methods taken as aforesaid are disingenuous, contemptible, mean, and even beneath notice, were it not that thereby inattentive minds are imposed upon, the opposition to the Redeemer's dignity is supported, and weak Christians are stumbled.

It is evident, however, beyond contradiction, that according to the scriptures there was a plu

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rality of persons antecedent to creation, for in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, the same was in the beginning with God; all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made; John i. 1, 2, 3: that glorious person who was with God was therefore distinct from him with whom he was, and yet of the same nature, being one in essence with the Father. For the word was God, and that Jesus Christ is intended by the word who was in the beginning with God, and the author of creation, is plain from verse 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him. Again, verse 14, The word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. As he was before all things, so by him all things consist; Col. i. 17. He was with the Father from everlasting, and all that is done in time is according to the eternal purpose which the Father purposed in him. Hence God chose his people in him, committed them to his care in the everlasting covenant, and promised eternal life in him before the world began. Many instances might be given of Christ's existence before his incarnation, as he said, before Abraham was, I am; John viii. 58. The plural pronouns used in scripture by the great Eternal when speaking of acts, authority,

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