⚫ believe that Chrift made the world, and that he conftantly preferves and governs. it, must ⚫ certainly confider him as enjoying a very high rank in the fcale of divinity.And fo they certainly ought; but he ought to be honoured in this character, from another confideration, than fimply the poffeffion of power? for a perfon may poffefs a very great power, and have the title God applied to him, and yet have no claim to honour. Satan is generally fuppofed to poffefs a very great power, and the apostle Paul calls him the god of this world; but neither the power he poffeffes, nor this title, gives him any claim to honour. But the power which Jefus Chrift poffeffes, intitles him both to the name and honour of a God; for the fcriptures inform us that his name fhall be called -the Mighty God (Isaiah ix. 6.) and that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father. (John v. 25.) There is, therefore, furely no criminal polytheism, in applying to Chrift, the title God; nor is there any idolatry in honouring Chrift even as we honour the Father. But though there can be no criminality in applying a title and giving an honour to Chrift, which the fcriptures exprefsly declare belong to him; yet we may err as to the idea we affix to that title, and the opinion we entertain about the nature and foundation of that honour.

There is fcarce any word with which we are more familiarly acquainted, as to its ufe, than the word God; and yet there is none, the meaning

of

of which, (in general,) feems to be lefs underftood. It seems to be very generally confidered as an abfolute name, expreffive of the infinite and felf-existence of the Moft High; and there¿fore incommunicable, or incapable of being applied to any except the infinite felf-existent Being: Thefe ideas, however, are very inconfiftent with the fcripture ufe and application of this name. For in the fcriptures it is ufed not as an abfolute, but as a relative name, fuch as, his God, thy God, my God, the God of Ifrael, and the God of the whole earth; which plainly fhews that it is a relative, not an abfolute name, or that it expreffes fome relation the Moft High fuftains to thofe whofe God he is, and not fimply his abfolute existence. The fcriptures alfo apply this name to inferior beings, even to beings who are the workmanship of the Moft High God, and of Jefus Chrift his onlybegotten Son; for it is applied to angels*, Pfal. xcvii.

G 3

* That Pfalm xcvii. 7. refers to angels, is very plain from Heb. i. 6. where the words of the Pfalmift, Worship him, all ye gods,' are rendered, Let all the angels of God worship him.' And that Pfalm lxxxii. 1.6. refers to men, is plain from the fcope of the Pfalm, where thofe called Gods are complained of for judging unjustly, and are required to do juftice to the afflicted; they are alfo declared to be mortal as other men, verfe 7. The name God is applied to Mofes by Jehovah himself, Exod. vii. 1. and to the judges of Ifrael, Exod. xxi. 6. and xxii. 9, where the word tranflated Judges, is n Gods.

xcvii. 7. and to men, Pfal. lxxxii. 1, 6. Our Lord alfo fays, John x. 35. He called them gods unto whom the word of God came, and the fcriptures cannot be broken.' The meaning of this laft part of the fentence feems to be, that what the fcriptures fay cannot be denied, or that they make no misapplication of names. But then the question is, What is meant by the name God? When we fay of the Mofi High, he is our Lord; we generally join the idea of his diminion over us, with that expreffion. When we fay he is our Judge, or our Saviour; we mean he will judge or fave us.. But what idea do we affix to the name,. or what do we think he will do for us, in confequence of that relation, when we fay, he is our God? From the manner in which this. name is applied to the Moft High, and the ftation of thofe to whom it is applied in a fubordinate fenfe, it seems plainly to denote, a fuperintending, difpofing, or influencing power in. thofe to whom it is applied. It is plain that judges have a füperintending power, that they do or ought to influence the conduct of others: by the exercife of that power, and that they do or ought to make a proper difpofition, or arrangement of things by the administration of their office; and hence this name may with propriety be applied to them, in a fubordinate fenfe.. In the fame fenfe it was applicable to Mofes alfe, as he was empowered of Jehovah to conduct a series of miracles, by which Pharaoh and: others concerned might be influenced to comply

comply at laft with Jehovah's demand, to let his people go. This fenfe or meaning of the name God, may be illuftrated and confirmed in fome degree from its application imperfonal ly, and in a bad fenfe; as when it is applied to the belly, Philip. iii. 19. and to Satan, 2 Cor. iv. 4. When it is faid, of fenfual men, whofe god is their belly; the meaning feems to be, that their conduct is influenced by fenfual appetites. or that thefe have a difpofing power, over their conduct. So alfo when Satan is called the god of this world; it seems to denote his influence on the hearts of men, in difpofing them to these irregularities, and that wickednefs which prevail in the world, and denominate the works: thereof to be evil. May we not then, from the fcripture ufe and application of the name God, venture to affix fome fuch idea or meaning to it as the following? Namely, he who fuperintends, influences, and difpofes of us and our concerns, as is moft for his glory and our good. According to this idea, they furely are a bleffed people whofe God is Jehovah; and all who believe and obey him as their God, may be affured that he will perfect what concerns them.

This name then belongs to the Father in the highest sense; and fo he is called in fcripture ph: The MOST HIGH GOD.. It belongs to Jefus Chrift, in an inferior, though in a very high fense alfo; hence he is called the

MIGHTY GOD; and, as has been obferved, the name god is applied alfo both to angels and men; but in a fenfe ftill more inferior, than

that

that in which it is applied to Chrift. If therefore the power that lays a foundation for this title could be delineated on a scale, as Dr Priestley's expreffion would fuppofe, Jefus Chrift would furely enjoy a very high rank in that fcale. But as all this power is derived from the Father, the title, founded on a derived pow er, could never, fo far as we know, be the fame in all respects with that which is founded on a power that is altogether underived. The name, or title, God, being applied to Christ, does not therefore denominate him to be the fame being with the Father, nor is the application thereof to the Father in an exclufive manner in the leaft injured thereby, any more than the Father's exclufive title of Saviour is injured by the fame title being applied to Chrift. For Jehovah has as exprefsly faid, Ifa. xliii. 11.

Besides me there is no Saviour;' fo again hẹ fays, Hof. xiii. 4. There is no Saviour befides me;' as Ifa. xliv. 6. Besides me there is no God.' It is very plain from fcripture, that though the title Saviour be claimed in an exclufive manner by the Father, yet it is applied alfo to Jefus Chrift as a distinct person, and even to men, by whom God fometimes delivered his people; Neh. ix. 27. And it is as plain that the title God is applied in the fame manner, from the inftances that have been taken notice of. There is, therefore, no foundation for what Dr Priestley and Mr Lindsey fay, concerning the application of this title to the Logos, or Word, John i. 1. being a proof that the

Logos