tionem donans fpiritus C. II. p. Sic quidem Unus & tion] of the Holy Spirit, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Give every one that reads this Writing to know thee, that thou art the only God, and to be confirmed in thee, and to depart from every Heretical, Atheistical and Impious Opinion. And fo indeed it is one and the fame God and Father who was indeed declar'd by the Prophets, but was clearly reveal'd by the Gospel; whom we Chriftians worship and love with our whole Heart, the maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all things that are therein. For whom the Law preached as God, him does it demonftrate to be the Father; whom alone alfo the Disciples of Christ are to worship. N. B. It will hereafter appear, that our Saviour was also sometimes directly Worshipped and Invocated by the firft Chriftians, but quite in another manner, with other inferior Titles and Appellations and only as the Vicegerent, and by the Appointment and for the Glory of the Supreme God bis Father; and that never till after his Afcenfion into Heaven. So that thofe who from thence conclude him equal to the Father, contradict the First and Principal Articles of the Patriarchal, Jewish, Jewish, and Christian Faith, viz. that there is but N. B. Lactantius expreffes himself fo exactly, and so agreeably to the Scripture, and the more Primitive Writers in this Point, that I cannot but transcribe a Paffage out of him on this Occafion. Docuit, [De Servatore loquens] quod unus -Deus fit, eumque folum coli oportere: nec unquam fe ipfe Deum dixit: quia non fervaffet fidem, fi miffus ut Deos tolleret & unum affererer, induceret alium præter unum. Hoc erat non de uno Deo facere præconium, nec ejus qui miferat, fed fuum proprium negoti um gerere, ac fe ab eo, quem illuftratum venerat, feparare. Propterea, quia tam fidelis extitit; quia fibi nihil prorfus affumpfit, ut mandata mittentis impleret; & facerdotis perpetui dignitatem,& Regis fummi honorem, Fudicis poteftatem, Dei nomen accepit. Our Saviour taught that De Vera there is but one God, and Sapient. that he alone is to be L. IV. S. worshipped: Nor did he 14. p. 198. ever fay once himself that he was God; for he had not been faithful to his Truft if, when he was fent to take away Polytheifm, and affert the únity of God, he had introduc'd another befides the One God.. This had been not to preach the Doctrine of one God, nor to do the bufinefs of him that fent him, but his own; and to feparate himfelt from him whom he came to manifeft. Wherefore, because he was fo faithful, because he affum'd nothing at all to himself, that he might fully perform the Commands of him that fent him; he receiv'd the Dignity of a perpetual Prieft, and the Honour of F 4 the Orig. Celf. L. V. De Oraţi the greatest King, and the Power of a Judge, and the Name of God. N. B. Origen is fo plain, full, and express in this Point, that the Father is to be alone worship'd with the most proper, or the highest degree of Invocation and Doxology, in his Book against Celfus, and efpecially in that of Prayer, that fome from the latter place have fuppos'd him to have deny'd, that the Son was at all to be Invocated by us: Contrary to his own Example and Doctrine alfo. However, these Paffages in Origen being the most distinct and compleat Accounts we have of this Matter that is in the ancient Writers, will highly deserve the Reader's Confideration. Πᾶσαν ' γ δίνσιν, καὶ We ought to offer all Derod xl, ỳ EUTUŽ, Supplication, Prayer, Inπροσέχω, καὶ ἔντυξιν, καὶ ευχαρισίαν αναπεμπλέον τῷ terceflion, and Thank giv ἐπὶ πᾶσι Θεῷ, ἐπὶ CA TOT DEN, Naing to the Supreme God, πάντων αγγέλων ἀρχιερέως, quúxx nós x O. n. ἐμψυχο λόγο σόμεθα ϋ κι αυτό το λύ· 78, xj eritqueda ait, γε, καὶ ἐντυξόμεθα και ευχαριστήσομον, και προσα εξόμεθα δ, ἐὰν δυνώμεν Ja natansev & wei apod. θα κατακύειν χῆς κυριολεξίας, και κατα χρήσεως. 51. p. 46-53. by that High Prieft who But if we understand what Tegod, Prayer is, [namely, by Origen's own Definition See Contr. Celf. L. VIII. p. 386. Comment. in Pfalm. Gr. Præf. p. 38. In Joan. p. 344. τέον ὅξιν ἐδὲ αὐτῷ τῷ Χe τῷ, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ τῷ Θεῷ 7 ὅλων καὶ παρεὶ, ᾧ καὶ αὐ. τὸς ὁ σωτὴς ἡμῶν προσώχετο, ὡς προπαρεθέμεθα, καὶ διδάσκς ἡμᾶς προσώχζ. ακέσας γδ, δίδαξον μᾶς προσώχους, ο διδάσας αὐτῷ προσεχώς, αλ λὰ τῷ παλεὶ, λέγοντας, Πάν τερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰ δ' ἕτερο, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις δείκνυται, κατ ̓ ἐσίαν, καὶ ὑπικείμενός ὅτι ὁ ἱὸς ἢ παζός, ήτοι προσεκτέον τῷ ὑῷ, καὶ ἐ ’ της παζί· ἢ ἀμφοτέροις· ἢ των παζὶ μόνῳ. τὸ μν τῷ ὑῷ, καὶ ἐ τῷ παζὶ, πᾶς ὅεις ἂν ὁμολογήσι ἔν) άτοπώτατον, καὶ τὰ ἢ ἐνέργειαν λεχθήσομον ἄν. εν ἢ ἀμφοτέροις δηλονότι, καὶ αξιώσεις προσενεγκόμενα πληθωωτικῶς πράχεθε, και ευεςγετήσατε, καὶ ἔπχ γήσατε, καὶ σώσατε, καὶ εἴ τι τύτων ὅμοιον, διὰ 7 προσευχῶν λέγοντες, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτόθεν ἀπεμφαίνον, ἐδὲ ἐν 7 γραφαῖς ἔχει τις δείξαι κείμενον υπό τινων λεγόμενον. λέγει πίνω προσώχεθς μόνῳ τῷ Θεῷ πιο πο όλων παρί, αλλά μὴ χωρὶς ἀρχιερέως, ὅστις μεθ' ορκωμοσίας κατες. e juft before, Petitions, joined with Doxologies, concerning great Affairs, put up with great carneftnefs, by a Perfon in danger:] care muft be taken that no derivative Being be the obje&t of Prayer, no not Christ himself, but only the God and Father of the Univerfe; to whom allo our Saviour himfelf pray'd, as we have before expounded, and as he teaches us to pray. For, when one faid to him, Teach us to pray; he does not teach us to his Father, faying, Our pray to himself, but to Father which art in Heavcn, and the reft that follows. For if, as we have clfewhere demonftrated, the Son be different as to his Effence from the Father, and fubje&t to him, we muft either pray to the Son, and not to the Father, or to both, or to the Father alone. Now to pray to the Son, and not to the Father, every Body will own to be moft abfurd: Nay, I will venture to fay, it will be without Effect ; but if it be fuppos'd that we muft παρὸς, καὶ τὸ, ὤμοσε, καὶ ἐ μεταμεληθή, σεξ, σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς * αιῶς να, και * τάξιν Μελχιστο δέκ. Ευχαριςένες ἂν οἱ ἅγιοι ἐν ᾧ προσώχαῖς ἑαυτῶν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ Xest Ιησέ, χάριτας ὁμολογόντες αὐτῷ. ὥσπερ δ' ἢ εἰκριβῶν]α το προσούχους, κ χρὴ τῷ d. χομένῳ προσεύχους, αλλα τῷ ἐν ἐδίδαξεν ἐπὶ gr εὐχῶν καλῶν παζὶ ὁ Κύ. ε ἡμῶν Ἰησῖς· ὅπως : χωρίς αυτό προσεχω τινα προσακτέον τῷ παζὶ, ὡς αὐτὸς τότε προδείκνυσι σαφῶς, ὅτω λέγων, ἀμίω, ἀμως, λέγω ὑμῖν, ἂν τι επίσης * πατέρα, με δύο σε ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόμαζί με αιτείτε και λήψεσθε, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν ἢ πεπληρωμένη. κ γδ εἶπεν ἀπεῖτέ με, ἐδὲ ἀπείτε * πατέρα ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ ̓ ἐάν τι εζήτησε πα τέρα δώσῃ ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀ νόματί με ἕως η διδά ξὰ ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησᾶς, ἐδεὶς κτήκα τ πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόμαζι * δ· καὶ ἀληθὲς ἦν ὑπὸ Ἰησδ λεγόμενον το ἕως ἄρτι ἐκ κλήσατε ἐδὲν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί με· ἀλη. 2 θες 4 καὶ τὸν αιτεῖτε καὶ λήψεθε, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰὶ ὑμῶν i pray to both, and that accordingly we may offer our Petitions in the plural Number, do ye afford, and do ye beltow Benefits, and do ye grant, and do ye fave, and if there be any parallel Forms to he usd in Prayers, there do thence appear to be μnlike Chriftian Addreffes. Nor can any one fhew fuch Language in the Scriptures, as fpoken by any. We must fay therefore that Prayer is to be made to God alone, the Father of the Univerfe ; but not without that High Prieft, who was ordain'd fuch with an Oath by the Father, and of whom τις faid, He fware and will not repent, thou art a Prieft for ever, after the Order of Melchifedek. The Saints therefore return Thanks in their Prayers to God, through Christ Jefus, acknowledging his Mercies. But then, as he that is careful how he prays, ought not to pray to him who himself prays, but to him whom our Lord 'tis Jefus taught us to call Father ; fo without him are we not to offer any |