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of the chief doctrines respecting the nature of our Saviour into three classes; first, that which is supposed to prove the Equality of the Son with the Father; secondly, that which is supposed to prove his Proper Deity, and thirdly, that which is supposed to prove his Pre-existence.

CHAP. V.

Consideration of the Passages supposed to prove the Equality of the Son with the Father.

BEFORE the Reader proceeds to the examination of the few texts which are supposed to countenance the equality of him whom the Father sent, with the Father, whom he himself calls the only true God, I beg leave to request his reconsideration of the passages quoted in the first four sections of Chap. III.; and particularly of the remarkable expression of our Lord, THE FATHER IS GREATER THAN I.'

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Matt. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into (sic) the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.'

On this passage I observe (1) "To be baptized into or in the name, is to be baptized into the faith or confession, or, in token of one's faith and of

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one's openly confessing. See Matt. xxviii. 19. Acts ii. 38. viii. 16. x. 48."* (2) He who was appointed by God as the agent in the Christian dispensation, was, under God, the most important person in the Christian dispensation. (3) In the preceding verse it is said, all power is GIVEN to me in heaven and on earth,' therefore this verse cannot be justly considered as implying the equality of the Son with the Father. (4) Baptizing into, or into the name of, a person is no proof of his divinity, otherwise Moses was God.'t (5) The Apostles obviously did not consider this as a necessary formula, for we have no instance on record in which they employed it, and we know that they actually baptized into the name of Jesus alone.—The sense of the passage appears obviously to be,' Baptizing them into the profession of that religion which had God as its Author, and Jesus as its Revealer, and which was confirmed by the gifts of the spirit.'

* Parkhurst in Ovoμa No. 7. † See 1 Cor. x. 2. And all were baptized into Moses (eg Tov Movony) in the cloud and in the sea.' That to be baptized into any one, and to be baptized into his name, are phrases of the same signification, see Rom. vi. 3. Gal. iii. 27, compared with Acts xix. 5, &c. The passage from Galatians sufficiently indicates the meaning of the phrase, baptized into Christ, or, into the name of Christ: For ye all are sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many as were baptized into Christ, did put on Christ.'

I am here concerned with the passage merely as evidence respecting the nature of Jesus. Those who wish to see an examination of it in connexion with the doctrine of the personality of the holy spirit, may consult a valuable little tract entitled "The Impersonality of the Holy Ghost; by John Marsom.'-I acknowledge myself unable to see how it can prove any thing respecting the Trinity. If that mysterious doctrine were proved, of course it

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John v. 18. Making himself equal (toov) with God.'

The Jews were displeased at our Lord's having performed a deed of mercy on the Sabbath: he justifies himself by an appeal to the constantly operating benevolence of his Father; My Father worketh hitherto, and I also work.' This still more enraged the Jews, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but called God HIS Father, making himself like God.'* The last clause is obviously a part of the charge adduced by the Jews against our Lord; and as the foundation of it is before us, we can thence form a judgment as to the correctness of it. If they really meant that what Jesus had said v. 17, was making himself equal with God, it would only serve to show the strength of their malice; for their charge would then have been totally groundless.

John x. 30. I and my Father are one (v).'

The Jews, it is said, considered this as an assertion that he made himself God, (v. 33.)—A re we to rest our faith upon the perverse insinuations of the Jews? Our Lord had said (v. 28,) that his true disciples would not be deprived of the blessings which he communicated,-that no one would ever force them out of his hand; and

would sufficiently well accord with it; and that, as I think, is all. If the mere circumstance, that the three are mentioned thus together, be regarded as a. proof, let the mode of expression in Rev. i. 4. iii. 12. Acts xx. 32. be considered.

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*This is the most literal construction of the words; yet the context would lead one to prefer at the same time putting himself on a footing with God,' viz. by saying and I also work.' Compare the force of Loog, Matt. xx. 12.

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the reason follows, that the Father is greater than all, and that his own purposes and those of the Father were the same; His power therefore would preserve the true disciple of Jesus. -That év (one thing) denotes one-ness in design and operation, see ch. xiv. 20. xvii. 11, 21-23.* Ver. 20-23 fully explain the nature of the union between Jesus and the Father; Nor do I pray for these only, but also for those who believe on me through their word; that they all may be ONE (&); that as THOU, O Father, art IN (ev) ME, and I IN (EY) THEE, THEY also may be [one ] in (a) US; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given them, that THEY may be ONE (iv), as WE are ONE (έv); I in (ɛv) them, and thou in (v) me; that they may be made perfect in one (v); and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved THEM as thou hast loved ME.'

John x, 38. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not;

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but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him.'

That this affords no proof of the equality of the Son with the Father, see ch. xvii. 21, as quoted in No. 3, and ch. xiv. 20, 23. The 20th verse is, 'At that day ye shall know that I am in my FATHER, and YE in ME—and I in you.'

See also 1 Cor. ili. 8. Gal. iii. 28. Eph. ii. 14. quoted in Mr. Simpson's excellent remarks on the passage; Notes, Vol. II. p. 283.

John xii. 37-41. 'But though he (Jesus) had done so many

miracles before them; yet they believed not on him: (38) That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, 'O JEHOVAH who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of JEHOVAH* been made manifest?' (39) Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again (40) 'He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart; that they may not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.' (41) These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory and spake of him.' The last quotation from Isaiah is found in the sixth chapter, where the Prophet relates his vision of the glory of JEHOVAH. As the Apostle John says that Isaiah saw the glory of Christ, it is inferred that Christ is Jehovah.

It should be observed that some ancient authorities have, in v. 41, the glory of God, and others, the glory of his God. But the mass of authorities are for the common reading.

The inference above-mentioned, though contradicted by the repeated declarations of JEHOVAH, recorded by Isaiah, and of JESUS CHRIST, recorded by John, has perplexed many, and led some to convictions inconsistent with the belief that the FATHER IS THE ONLY TRUE God.

After weighing the passages cited in the note belowf-which prove that ONE ONLY IS JEHOVAH, the God of the Israelites, and the God of THE MESSIAH-let the reader peruse the chapters in Isaiah, from which the Evangelist has cited the expressions in v. 38 and 41; viz. ch. liii.

Wherever a passage in the N.T. is quoted from the O.T., JEHOVAH should, I think, always be employed, if Kupios stand for JEHOVAH in the Hebrew.

† Neh. ix. 6. Isa. xlv. 5, 18. Mic. v. 4. Acts iii. 13. 1 Chron. xxix. 10-12. Ps. lxxxiii. 18.

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