Gregory Nyffen says, that If. xlviii. My band bas made all things, means the Son*. In If. xlviii. 16. We read, The Lord God, and his Spirit has fent me. "This," fays Theodoret, "plainly fhows that there is "another perfon befides God, to confute "the Jews and Sabellians t." The three holy's in If. vi. 3. are frequently mentioned as fignifying the three perfons in the trinity, as by Ambrofe‡.

So much was it taken for granted that the logos was to be understood of Christ, that Origen fays, "What is the word (logos) "that came from the Lord, whether to 'Jeremiah, to Ifaiah, to Ezekiel, or to any "other, but that which was in the beginning with God. I know no other "word of the Lord, but that which the evangelift fpake of, when he said, In the beginning was the word, and the word

66

* Contra Eunomium 6. Opera, vol. 2. p. 191.

+ Και νυν κύριος, κυριος απέτειλε με, και το πνεύμα αυτό ; σαφώς δε ημιν ενταυθα εξέρον έδειξε παρα το θεο προσωπου, εἰς ἔλεγχον κ) των Ιεδαίων, και των τα Σαβέλλια νοσενίων Opera, vol. 2. p. 111.

De Fide lib. 2. cap. 4. Opera, vol. 4. p. 141.

4

66

was

"was with God, and the word was God*.” The word that came to Hofea, is also interpreted of Chrift, by Jerom†.

Austin, after urging many arguments against Photinus, concludes with what he fays is alone fufficient, if he be in his right mind, viz. this from Jer. xvii. 5. Curfed is the man that trufteth in man. But this is, perhaps rather applying a maxim, than urging a particular text, as referring originally to Christ.

Laftly, Cyprian fays that, the "three "hours of prayer obferved by the three

Τις γαρ εσιν ο λογος ο γενομενα παρα κυριο, είτε προς Ιερεμιαν είτε προς Ησαιαν, είτε προς Ιεζεκιήλ, είτε προς οὐ δηποτε ο εν αρχη προς τον θεον. Εγω εκ οιδά αλλον λόγον κυριό, η τόλον περι ε ειρηκεν ο ευαγγελισης . Το εν αρχή ην ο λογος, και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον, καὶ θεος ην ο λογος. Comment. in Jer. vol. 1. p. 102.

+ Opera, vol. 5. P. 35·

Male dictum plane legis Photinus evadere non poteft, quia fpem fuam habet in Chrifto, quem tantum hominem dicit, cum legat, maledictus homo qui fpem habet in homine. Apoftolus autem fciens Chriftum deum, ideo et in præfenti et in futuro fpem effe in eo ait. Queft. ex N. T. 91. Opera, vol. 4. p. 763.

VOL. II.

E e

"who

"who were strong in faith, and the three "out of the fire," meaning those who were caft into the fiery furnace in Daniel, were emblems of the trinity

Arguments for the Divinity of Chrift from the New Teftament.

WHEN the idea of the Divinity of Chrift was once formed from the principles of Platonifm, it was not difficult to imagine that it was likewife the doctrine of the fcriptures; and that there were paffages in the New Teftament no less favourable to it, than thofe above recited from the Old; though all the books were

In orationibus vero celebrandis invenimus obfervaffe cum Daniele tres pueros in fide fortes, et in captivitate victores; horam, fextam, nonam, facramento fcilicet trinitatis: quæ in noviffimis temporibus manifeftari habebat. Nam et prima hora in tertiam veniens, confummatum numerum trinitatis oftendit. Opera, p. 154.

in the hands of the common people, for whofe use they were particularly calculated, and they faw no fuch doctrine in it.

The great argument for the divinity of Chrift from the New Teftament was, that "though Chrift appeared to be a man by "his infirmities, he appeared to be a god

by his works," as it is expreffed by Novatian*. And yet our Saviour himself always afcribes his miraculous works to his Father, and never to himself; and the people who faw those works were not led by them to fufpect that he was any thing more than a man; for we only read, that when they were moft ftruck with them, they wondered that God had given fuch power unto man. Eufebius likewife alledges the spread of the gospel, and its overturning heathenism, as a proof of the divinity of Chrift. But by the fame kind of argument he might have proved the divinity of Moses.

The two styles in which our Saviour speaks of himself were observed by Origen,

* Ut homo ex infirmitatibus comprobetur; probatio divinitatis in illo collecta ex virtutibus illuc proficiet, ut etiam deus ex operibus adferatur. Cap. II. p. 33.

and were confidered by him, as they are by the orthodox to this very day, as proofs, the one of his perfect humanity, and the others. of his proper divinity. Jefus," fays he, "fometimes fpeaks as the first born of all "the creation, as when he fays,-I am the 66 way, the truth, and the life; and fome"times as a man; as when he says, you seek to "kill me, a man who has told you the truth*.

The author of a treatise ascribed to Athanafius, produces thirty arguments to prove that Chrift cannot be a mere man; the chief of which are thefe: "He that was fub

ject to death cannot take away death. "No man has glory from eternity; but "Chrift had. Chrift was finlefs, but no "man is fo. The flesh of no man is "from heaven, but the flesh of Chrift is. A "man actuated by God, is not God; but "Chrift is God t." A better reason than

* Οι αι μεν τινες εισί φωναί τε εν τω Ιησο πρωτότοκα πάσης κλίσεως, ως η. Εγώ ειμι η οδος, και η αλήθεια, και η ζωή, και αι τέλοις παραπλησίαι· αι δε το κατ' αυτον νοόμενο ανθρωπο wsn 78. Νυν δε με ζητείς αποκλειναι ανθρωπον ος την αλη Delav univ deλaλnna. Ad Celfum, lib. 2. p. 76.

† Ουδείς ανθρώπων προ των αιώνων έχει δόξαν. Χρισος δε εχει. Ο εξ αμαρτιας σωζων, υπερ αμαρίίαν εσίν και σώζει