our righteousness as was but now observed; this being a character
peculiar to the Mediator, as it is fully explained in several places in
the New Testament. As to what may be farther said, in answer to this
objection, it is well known that the Hebrew word יקראו signifies either
actively or passively, as it is differently pointed, the letters being
the same; and we shall not enter into a critical disquisition concerning
the origin, or authenticity of the Hebrew points, to prove that our
translation is just, rather than that mentioned in the objection; but
shall have recourse to the context to prove it. Accordingly it appears
from thence, that if it were translated according to the sense of the
objectors, it would be little less than a tautology, _q. d._ _I will
raise to David a righteous branch; and this is the name whereby Jehovah,
our righteousness, shall call him_, _viz._ _the Branch_; so that at
least, the sense of our translation of the text, seems more natural, as
well as more agreeable to the grammatical construction observed in the
Hebrew language, in which the words of a sentence are not so transposed
as they are in the Greek and Latin, which they are supposed to be, in
the sense of the text contained in this objection.
_Object._ 2. It is farther objected; that though our translation of the
text were just, and Christ were called Jehovah, yet it will not prove
his Deity, since it is said, in Jer. xxxiii. 16. speaking concerning the
church, _This is the name whereby she shall be called, The Lord_, or
Jehovah, _our righteousness_.
_Answ._ It is evident from the context, that this is a parallel
scripture with that before mentioned; the same person, to wit, the
Branch, is spoken of and the same things predicted concerning the gospel
church, that was to be governed by him. Therefore, though it is plain
that our translators understood this text, as spoken of the church of
the Jews or rather the Gospel-Church, as many others do, yet, if we
consider the sense of the Hebrew words here used יקרא לה, it is very
evident that they might, with equal, if not, with greater propriety,
have been rendered, _shall be called by her_; and so the sense is the
same with that of the other but now mentioned; the Branch, to wit, our
Saviour, is to be called, The Lord our righteousness, and adored as such
by the church.
There is another scripture, in which our Saviour is called Jehovah, in
Joel ii. 27. _And ye shall know that I am the Lord_, _viz._ Jehovah,
_your God, and none else_; compared with ver. 32. _And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord_, _viz._
Jehovah, _shall be delivered_. In both these verses, it is evident, that
our Saviour is called Jehovah; for the person, who is so called, in the
former of them, is said, ver. 28. to _Pour out his Spirit on all flesh_;
&c. which Scripture is expressly referred to him, in Acts ii. 16, 17.
and this pouring out of his Spirit on all flesh here predicted is also
applied, in ver. 33. to him; _Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father, the promise of the Holy
Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear_. The argument
is therefore this: he who was, according to this prophecy, to pour out
his Spirit on all flesh, is called Jehovah, your God; but this our
Saviour is said to have done, therefore the name Jehovah is justly
applied to him. As to the latter of these verses, _viz._ 32. _Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered_; this also is
referred to, and explained, as spoken of Christ, in Rom. x. 13. And that
the apostle here speaks of calling on the name of Christ, is plain, from
the foregoing and following verses. In ver. 9. it is expressed, by
confessing the Lord Jesus, and it is there connected with salvation. And
the apostle proceeds to consider, that, in order to our confessing, or
calling on his name, it is necessary that Christ should be preached,
ver. 14, 15. and he farther adds, in the following verses, that though
Christ was preached, and his glory proclaimed in the gospel, yet the
Jews believed not in him, and consequently called not on his name; which
was an accomplishment of what had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah,
chap. liii. 1. _Who hath believed our report_, &c. intimating that it
was predicted, that our Saviour should be rejected, and not be believed
in by the Jews: so that it is very evident the apostle is speaking
concerning him, and applying to him what is mentioned in this scripture,
in the prophecy of Joel, in which he is called Jehovah; therefore this
glorious name belongs to him. Several other scriptures might have been
referred to, to prove that Christ is called Jehovah, which are also
applied to him in the New-Testament, some of which may be occasionally
mentioned under some following arguments; but, I think, what hath been
already said is abundantly sufficient to prove his Deity, from his
having this glorious name given to him; which leads us to consider some
other names given to him for the proof thereof; accordingly,
2. He is styled Lord and God, in such a sense, as plainly proves his
proper Deity. We will not, indeed, deny, that the names _Lord_ and
_God_, are sometimes given to creatures; yet we are not left without
sufficient light, whereby we may plainly discern when they are applied
to the one living and true God, and when not. To assert the contrary,
would be to reflect on the wisdom and goodness of God; and it would not
only render those scriptures, in which they are contained, like the
trumpet, that gives an uncertain sound, but we should be in the greatest
danger of being led aside into a most destructive mistake, in a matter
of the highest importance, and hereby be induced to give that glory to
the creature, which is due to God alone; therefore we shall always find
something, either in the text, or context, that evidently determines the
sense of these names, whenever they are applied to God, or the creature.
And here let it be observed, that whenever the word God or Lord is given
to a creature, there is some diminutive character annexed to it, which
plainly distinguishes it from the true God: thus when it is given to
idols, it is intimated, that they are so called, or falsely esteemed to
be gods by their deceived worshippers; and so they are called strange
gods, Deut. xxxii. 16. and molten gods, Exod. xxxiv. 17. and new gods,
Judges v. 8. and their worshippers are reproved as brutish and foolish,
Jer. x. 8.
Again, when the word God, is applied to men, there is also something in
the context, which implies, that whatever characters of honour are given
to them, yet they are subject to the divine controul; as it is said,
Psal. lxxxii. 1, 6. _God standeth in the congregation of the mighty he
judgeth among the gods_; and they are at best but mortal men; _I have
said ye are gods, and all of you are children of the most high, but ye
shall die like men_; they are, indeed, described, as being made
partakers of the divine image, consisting in some lesser branches of
sovereignty and dominion; but this is infinitely below the idea of
sovereignty and dominion, which is contained in the word when applied to
the great God.
It is true, God says to Moses, See, _I have made thee a god to Pharaoh_,
Exod. vii. 1. by which we are not to understand that any of the divine
perfections were communicated to, or predicated of him; for God cannot
give his glory to another: but the sense is plainly this, that he was
set in God’s stead: thus he is said to be instead of God to Aaron, chap.
iv. 16. and the same expression is used by Elihu to Job, chap. xxxiii.
6. _I am according to thy wish in God’s stead_; so that Moses’s being
made a god to Pharaoh, implies nothing else but this, that he should, by
being God’s minister, in inflicting the plagues which he designed to
bring on Pharaoh and his servants, be rendered formidable to them; not
that he should have a right to receive divine honour from them.
Again, when the word God is put absolutely, without any additional
character of glory, or diminution annexed to it, it must always be
understood of the great God, this being that name by which he is
generally known in scripture, and never otherwise applied, without an
intimation given that he is not intended thereby: thus the Father and
the Son are described in John i. 1. _The Word was with God, and the Word
was God_, and in many other places of scripture; therefore if we can
prove that our Saviour is called God in scripture, without any thing in
the context tending to detract from the most known sense of the word,
this will be sufficient to prove his proper Deity; but we shall not only
find that he is called God therein; but there are some additional
glories annexed to that name, whereby this will more abundantly appear.
As to the word Lord, though that is often applied to creatures, and is
given to superiors by their subjects or servants, yet this is also
sufficiently distinguished, when applied to a divine Person, from any
other sense thereof, as applied to creatures. Now, if we can prove that
our Saviour is called Lord and God in this sense, it will sufficiently
evince his proper Deity; and, in order hereto, we shall consider several
scriptures, wherein he is not only so called, but several characters of
glory are annexed, and divine honours given to him, which are due to
none but a divine Person, which abundantly determines the sense of these
words, when applied to him. And,
(1.) We shall consider some scriptures in which he is called _Lord_,
particularly, Psal. cx. 1. _The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot-stool_; that our Saviour
the Messiah, is the person whom David calls his Lord, is very evident,
from its being quoted and applied to him in the New Testament, in Mat.
xxii. 44. &c. and that by calling him Lord he ascribes divine honour to
him, appears from hence, that when the question was put to the
Pharisees, If Christ were David’s Lord, how could he be his Son? They
might easily have replied to it, had it been taken in a lower sense; for
it is not difficult to suppose that David might have a son descending
from him, who might be advanced to the highest honours, short of what
are divine; but they not understanding how two infinitely distant
natures could be united in one person, so that at the same time he
should be called David’s son, and yet his Lord, in such a sense as
proves his Deity, they were confounded, and put to silence.
But whether they acknowledged him to be a divine Person or no, it is
evident that David considers him as such; or as the Person who, pursuant
to God’s covenant made with him, was to sit and rule upon his throne, in
whom alone it could be said that it should be perpetual, or that of his
kingdom there should be no end; and inasmuch as he says, ver. 3. _Thy
people shall be willing in the day of thy power_, speaking of the Person
whom he calls his Lord, who was to be his Son, he plainly infers that he
should exert divine power, and consequently prove himself to be a divine
Person.
Again, if the word _Lord_ be applied to him, as denoting his sovereignty
over the church, and his being the Governor of the world, this will be
considered under the next head, when we speak concerning those glorious
titles and attributes that are given to him, which prove his Deity; and
therefore we shall waive it at present, and only consider two or three
scriptures, in which he is called _Lord_, in a more glorious sense than
when it is applied to any creature: thus in Rev. xvii. 14. speaking of
the Lamb, which is a character that can be applied to none but him, and
that as Mediator, he is called _Lord of lords_, and the _Prince of the
kings of the earth_, in Rev. i. 5. and _the Lord of glory_, in 1 Cor.
ii. 8. which will be more particularly considered, when we speak
concerning his glorious titles, as an argument to prove it; therefore
all that we shall observe at present is, that this is the same character
by which God is acknowledged by those that deny our Saviour’s Deity to
be described in Deut. x. 17. _The Lord your God, is God of gods, and
Lord of lords; a great God and terrible_; so that we have as much ground
to conclude, when Christ is called Lord, with such additional marks of
glory, of which more in its proper place, that this proves his Deity, as
truly as the Deity of the Father is proved from this scripture.
(2.) Christ is often in scripture called _God_, in such a sense, in
which it is never applied to a creature: thus he is called, in Psal.
xlv. 6. _Thy throne O God, is for ever, and ever_; and there are many
other glorious things spoken of him in that Psalm, which is a farther
confirmation that he, who is here called _God_, is a divine Person, in
the same sense as God the Father is; particularly he is said, ver. 2.
_To be fairer than the children of men_, that is, infinitely above them;
and, ver. 11. speaking to the church, it is said, _He is thy Lord, and
worship thou him_; and, in the following verses, the church’s compleat
blessedness consists in its being brought into his palace, who is the
King thereof, and so denotes him to be the spring and fountain of
compleat blessedness, and _his name_, or glory, _is to be remembered in
all generations, and the people shall praise him for ever and ever_.
This glory is ascribed to him, who is called God; and many other things
are said concerning him, relating to his works, his victories, his
trumphs, which are very agreeable to that character; so that it
evidently appears that the Person spoken of in this Psalm, is truly and
properly God.
I am sensible that the Anti-trinitarians will object to this, that
several things are spoken concerning him in this Psalm, that argue his
inferiority to the Father; but this only proves that the Person here
spoken of is considered as God-man, Mediator, in which respect he is, in
one nature, equal, and, in the other, inferior to him; were it
otherwise, one expression contained in this Psalm would be inconsistent
with, and contradictory to another.
To this we shall only add, as an undeniable proof, that it is Christ
that is here spoken of, as also that he is considered as Mediator, as
but now observed; that the apostle, speaking of him as Mediator, and
displaying his divine glory as such, refers to these words of the
Psalmist, Heb. i. 8. _Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for
ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy
kingdom._
Again, another proof of our Saviour’s Deity may be taken from Matth. i.
23. _Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted, is, God with us._ His incarnation is
what gives occasion, as is plain from the words, for his being described
by this name or character, _God with us_, which imports the same thing
as when it is elsewhere said, John i. 14. _The Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us._ This cannot be applied to any but Christ; to say the
Father is called _Emmanuel_, is such a strain upon the sense of the
text, as no impartial reader will allow of; for it is plain that it is a
name given to the Son upon this great occasion; and this is as glorious
a display of his Deity, as when God the Father says, if we suppose that
text to be spoken of him elsewhere, in Exod. xxix. 45. _I will dwell
amongst the children of Israel, and will be their God._
Again, Christ’s Deity is proved, in 1 Tim. iii. 16. from his being
styled _God, manifest in the flesh_, implying, that the second Person in
the Godhead was united to our nature; for neither the Father nor the
Holy Ghost were ever said to be manifested in the flesh; and, besides,
he is distinguished from the Spirit, as justified by him. And he is not
called _God_, because of his incarnation, as some Socinian writers
suppose; for to be incarnate, supposes the pre-existence of that nature,
to which the human nature was united, since it is called elsewhere,
assuming, or taking flesh, as it is here, being manifested therein, and
consequently that he was God before this act of incarnation; and there
is certainly nothing in the text which determines the word _God_ to be
taken in a less proper sense, any more than when it is applied to the
Father.
_Object._ It is objected that the word _God_ is not found in all the
manuscripts of the Greek text, nor in some translations thereof,
particularly the Syriac, Arabic, and vulgar Latin, which render it, _the
mystery which was manifest in the flesh_, &c.
_Answ._ It is not pretended to be left out in above two Greek copies,
and it is very unreasonable to oppose these to all the rest. As for the
Syriac and Arabic translations; some suppose that it is not true in fact
that the word _God_ is left out in the Arabic, and though it be left out
in the Syriac, yet it is contained in the sense there, which is, great
is the mystery of godliness _that he was_ manifested in the flesh; and
as for the vulgar Latin version, that has not credit enough, especially
among Protestants, to support it, when standing in competition with so
many copies of scripture in which the word is found; therefore we can by
no means give up the argument which is taken from this text to prove our
Saviour’s Deity. Besides as a farther confirmation hereof, we might
appeal to the very words of the text itself, whereby it will plainly
appear, that if the word _God_ be left out of it, the following part of
the verse will not be so consistent with _a mystery_ as it is with _our
Saviour_; particularly it is a very great impropriety of expression to
say that a mystery, or as some Socinian writers explain it, the will of
God[112], was manifest in the flesh, and received in a glorious manner;
for this is not agreeable to the sense of the Greek words, since it is
plain that εν σαρκι εφανερωθη, which we render _was manifest in the
flesh_, is justly translated, being never used in scripture to signify
the preaching the gospel by weak mortal men, as they understand it: but
on the other hand it is often applied to the manifestation of our
Saviour in his incarnation, and is explained when it is said, John i.
14. that he was _made flesh, and we beheld his glory_[113]; and as for
the gospel, though it met with reception when preached to the Gentiles,
and there were many circumstances of glory that attended this
dispensation, yet it could not be said for that reason to be received up
into glory. Now since what is said in this verse agrees to our Saviour,
and not to the mystery of godliness, we are bound to conclude that he is
God manifest in the flesh, and therefore that this objection is of no
force.
The next scripture which we shall consider, is Acts xx. 28. _Feed the
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood_, where we
observe, that he who is here spoken of is said to have a propriety in
the church; this no mere creature can be said to have, but our Saviour
is not only here but elsewhere described as having a right to it; thus
it is said in Hebrews iii. 3, 4, 6. _He was counted worthy of more glory
than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house, hath more honour
than the house_; and _he that hath built all things is God_, which is as
though he should say, our Lord Jesus Christ hath not only built his
church but all things, and therefore must be God; and ver. 6. he is
called a Son over his own house; so that he is the purchaser, the
builder, and the proprietor of his church, and therefore must be a
divine person; and then it is observed, that he that hath purchased this
church is God, and that God hath done this with his own blood; this
cannot be applied to any but the Mediator, the Son of God, whose Deity
it plainly proves.
_Object._ 1. Some object against this sense of the text, that the word
_God_ here is referred to the Father, and so the sense is, feed the
church of God, that is, of the Father, which _He_, that is, Christ, hath
purchased with his own blood.
_Answ._ To this it may be answered, that this seems a very great strain
and force upon the grammatical sense of the words, for certainly _He_
must refer to the immediate antecedent, and that is God, to wit, the
Son. If such a method of expounding scripture were to be allowed, it
would be an easy matter to make the word of God speak what we please to
have it; therefore we must take it in the most plain and obvious sense,
as that is which we have given of this text, whereby it appears that God
the Son has purchased the church with his own blood, and that he has a
right to it.
_Object._ 2. God the Father is said to have purchased the church by the
blood of Christ, which is called his blood, as he is the Proprietor of
all things.
_Answ._ Though God be the Proprietor of all things, yet no one, that
does not labour very hard to maintain the cause he is defending, would
understand _his blood_ in this sense. According to this method of
speaking, God the Father might be said to have done every thing that the
Mediator did, and so to have shed his blood upon the cross, as well as
to have purchased the church thereby, as having a propriety in it.
The next scripture, which proves our Saviour’s Deity, is Rom. ix. 5. _Of
whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed
for ever_; where he is not only called _God_, but _God blessed for
ever_; which is a character too high for any creature, and is the very
same that is given to the Father, in 2 Cor. xi. 31. who is styled, _The
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore_,
that is, not only the Object of worship, but the Fountain of
blessedness. Now if Christ be so called, as it seems evident that he is,
then the word _God_ is, in this text, applied to him in the highest
sense, so as to argue him a divine Person. Now that this is spoken of
our Saviour, is plain, because he is the subject of the proposition
therein contained, and is considered, as being _of the fathers,
concerning the flesh_, _i. e._ with respect to his human nature; so that
if we can prove that he is here called _God, blessed for ever_, we shall
have the argument we contend for, this being the only thing contested by
the Anti-trinitarians.
_Object._ It is objected, that the words maybe otherwise rendered,
namely, _Let God_, _viz._ the Father, _who is over all, be blessed for
ever_, to wit, for this great privilege, that Christ should come in the
flesh; therefore it does not prove that which we bring it for.