1 pue V. 20. of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, [or, the true God: ] and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God, and eternal Life. N. B. I interpret this Verfe, whether as commonly read, or whether as here from the Alexandrian and fixteen other Copies, or anàv Øèèv, not of the Son, but of the Father, that He and none elfe is the true God of the Chriftians, because, (1.) This is the conftant, original, primitive Style of the Church; that the Father alone is & dλndivòs Deòs, the true God; I mean both as to the New Teftament, and moft ancient Writers. There being, I think, not one Inftance in true Antiquity elfewhere, that any other than the Father is ftyl'd danivès Ords, the true God; and he is certainly fo Job.XVII ftyl❜d very often. (2.) The Apoftle is not here fpeaking of the Dignity of the Son of God, but i Thef1. cautioning against the Worship of Falfe Gods: Apoc. VI. And certainly the true God of the Chriftians, in opposition to the Falfe Gods of the Heathen, can be no other than God the Father. (3.) The Son has another Title here than the true God: I mean danès, in the abftract, He that is true, and fo gives us a true and fure difcovery of the Father, the only true God. Now, as the true God in Scripture means the Father, and none but him; fo does 8 danwòs, He that is true, mean our Saviour, and XIX. II. none but him, in the fame Scripture, nay, particularly in the fame facred Writer elsewhere. XVI. 3. (4.) The exactly parallel place in John's own Gofpel, does almost neceffarily require this fence; and cannot be fairly reconcil'd to any other, fince 1 Job. IV. "Oldan DE OT uds We know that the Son & V. per йne, y dédwxer nu tot. præci- Návolan, iva uvwxwly Tov dandirov Odv. touw in Tus and, ἐν τῷ ἀληθινῷ, ἐν π uç duтs 'Ins* Xes στός όξιν ὁ ἀληθείς Θεός, x) i (wn aiwviC. 3+ 9. 10. Apoc. III. 7 Fob. we we thence learn that the Father, as contradiftinguifh'd from Jefus Chrift, is the true God, nay, the only true God; and, as here, is the way to eternal Life alfo. Where note, That the relative, this, if the words Jefus Chrift be omitted, as Dr. Mills thinks it ought to be, will naturally belong to the Father: Nay, if they be retain'd, will very properly belong to him alfo; as fuch Relatives frequently do in Cafes where the Father and Son are thus mentioned together Of which fee the Doxologies hereafter. When the vulgar Expofition can bring better Reasons to fupport it than these, we will embrace it; but not before. تسلية Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἔμφοβοι Ezévorto, »édwnar sé τῷ Θεῷ * Κρανά Γεμίσας * θυμοῦ τῇ Θεῖ + Cãn sis To Rivas * αἰώνων. Αυτός πατεῖ * ληνόν Five F Suproving & os * Θεῖ τὸ παντοκράτορα. 24, 25, Now unto him that is Jude, v. able to keep you from falling, and to prefent you faultlers before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wife God our Saviour be Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power, both now and ever. Amen. And the remnant were Apoc. XI. Full of the wrath of XV.7. He treadeth the wine-XIX. 15. only belonging to God the Father, 2 Cor. VI. 18. Apoc. I. 8. IV. 8. XI. 17. XV. 3. XVI. 14. XIX. 6. XXI. 22. Conftitut. Apoft. L. I. pref. L. V. C. 7. P, 305. L. VI. Č. 26. P.354 C. N. B. N. B. How ftrong thefe Scripture Arguments, especially thofe in John's Gospel, for this Propofition feem'd to Dr. Whitby, take the Account in his own remarkable Words, in his Preface to 432, his Comment on the fame Gofpel. "This, fays he, 433. ແ is a Matter of very great Importance, for it is ' tr N. B. There is no certain Inftance of any of the known and peculiar Epithets of the Supreme God, given to the Son, in the whole New Teftament. Indeed in one Text of the Old Teftament, we render the words the mighty God, where they Vid. Con Conviv. they plainly belong to the Meffiah. But then, as Isa. IX. 6. the most Learned Gataker there obferves, the Original, at the utmost, will warrant no more than a mighty God. Nay, both the LXXII, and the vulgar Latin, with fome of the Jews, divide the ftitut. Words; as affirming only, that he is Mighty, and Apoft. L. that he is a God. So that not one certain Example V. C. 16. appears in Scripture. Nor do the Ancients af- p. 321. & firm more, nor venture to apply the Characters Method. of the Supreme God to him, tho' the Moderns Virg apud do it on all Occafions. And indeed, as far as Combef have obferv'd, it was about the beginning of the p. 113. third Century e'er any Chriftian ventur❜d to give Chrift the Title of Omnipotens, or, #avroxeģ.TWS, the Almighty, or, Lord of all things. And then, only by way of Inference from his being call'd God, because he was the Son of God; whence fome began to think he might, in a tolerable fence, be call'd Omnipotent, because he was the Son of him that was really and originally Omnipotent. And the like may be faid of one or two more of the Divine Epithets, which at the fame time fome few began to venture upon, tho' without the Concurrence of the Body of the Christian Church; nay, against the ufual Style and Language of it in the fame Age; and without ever dreaming that a real and proper equality of Power and Effence was therein imply'd, as appears by many other of their Expreffions on other Occafions. Only hence the later Writers did afterwards take a handle for the Introduction and Support of their novel Opinions; juft as the Papifts have, by degrees, come into the belief of Tranfubftantiation it felf, and learn'd to fupport that novel Doctrine from a few Oratorical Expreffions of the Ancients, while they yet appear by many other Teftimonies never to have fo much as thought of fo abfurd a Notion, Grabe Spicil. Tom. I. p. 63. Πέρθ ἐν τῷ κηρύγ ματι λέγε, γινώσκετε εν ὅτι εἷς Θεός ὅτι, ὃς ἀρχ πάντων ἐποίησεν, και τέλος rolar Exer, & àócal, os Tá Távτa öfg ápn 10, ès à Távra zw πάντα χωρεῖ ἀνεπιδεὴς, ἔ τὰ πάντα ἐπι. S'ée, nỳ dị öv bay and τάληπΘ, ἀένα, ἄφθαρ 10, ἀποίη], ὃς τὰ πάντα ἐποίησεν λόγῳ δυνάμεως ailÿ, & qvasınñs regons, TOTEST 48 1 TOY DEL TEGENDE, Mx του Έλληνας, ὡς δηλονότι των Peter in his preaching fays, Know therefore that there is one God, who made the beginning of all things, and has the power of their end. And he is invifible, who fees all things: Not contain'd in any thing, who contains all things! Not wanting of any thing, whom all things want; and on whofe account they are: Incomprehenfible, Perpetual, Incorruptible, Unmade who made all things by the word of his ; power, in its myftical fenfe, that is of his Son, [by his Son.]-Worhip him for God, but not after the manner of the famous Men among the Greeks, [or, Gentiles, ] because those famous Men among the Greeks [or, Gentiles] tho' they Clem. Ep. Εις το δοξαθῆναι το 171. §. 46. p. 173. ~ νας » αιώνων· ἀμ. That the name of the true and only God might be glorified. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Have not we one God, and one Chrift, and one Spirit of Grace, which is poured out upon us? On |