is,

Ad

p. 131, concerning fuch paffages as 1 Cor. i. 3, that they are only pious wishes, not prayers." mitting, for a moment only, this diftinction between prayers and pious wishes, and the conclufion thence inferred, I believe these fame pious wifhes will be found to be very impious wifhes, and a wifh that God fhould have an affiftant in conferring bleffings on mankind, be acknowledged rather derogatory from the all-fufficiency of his power: but I do not fee how any inference can be drawn from a wifh different from that which follows from a prayer, they both equally acknowledge the power which they defire to have put into exertion; and if the power be acknowledged by a declaration of it to a third perfon, entrusted with an affurance that I wish it to be exerted, I cannot imagine why the poffeffour of it fhould not be addreffed and let into the fecret alfo, he may not elfe know my mind, and the power may not therefore be quite fo beneficially exerted as I could pioufly wish. Is it that a Being, whofe power is to be acknowledged adequate to the gift of bleffings, is unintelligent and unable to hear our prayers? or are we not to address him, because he is unable to grant them? If the latter, we reject our own conclufion, and waste our wishes; and I believe the inconfiftency of the former fuppofition is too apparent to require a comment. The fame consequence is inferred, I fay, by our wifhes as by our prayers, and if the power of God is acknowledged by prayer to be in Jefus Chrift, by our wishes also that he would exert that power, it is equally acknowledged; so that even. this (I think difingenuous) evasion will not invalidate the force of that testimony which is afforded by the benedictions of the apostles, the appointed witnesses of our Lord, to this dreaded position, that Jesus Christ is one with the Father, God.

Of

"Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jefus Chrift.”

Of these benedictions I need only produce one from St. Paul, because it comprehends in it the fubftance of all the reft, which he has bestowed upon his hearers; "Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jefus Chrift our Saviour," Titus i. 4. From God alone can the bleffings of grace, mercy, and peace proceed; but I will fhew that they have all proceeded from Jefus Chrift; for St. Paul himfelf, who knew the ability of him whom he has thus invoked, and that "he is able to fuccour," fays, "I thank Jefus Chrift our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the miniftry; who was before a blasphemer, and a perfecutor, and injurious. But I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief: and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant," 1 Tim. i. 12, 13, 14. Here we find Here we find grace and mercy bestowed by the fearcher of hearts, who, through the veil of blas-phemy and perfecution, diftinguifhed that faith which enabled Paul to be put into the miniftry by the Lord Jefus Chrift. We do not find this accurate apoftle ever fay grace, mercy, and peace from Apollos or Cephas; he knew that they, on whom he bestowed his bleffing, were not of Apollos nor of Cephas, who were only fellowlabourers with himfelf; and that, had he been to the end of time calling down grace and mercy from them, they had it not to impart; from Chrift, that God who gave the encrease, when they watered what he himself planted, he called for bleffings; from God alone, to whom belong mercies, it was fit that he should call them down, because that he alone could answer and confer them. "My peace I give unto you," fays Jefus Chrift, "not as the world giveth, give I unto you," John xiv. 27. If grace, mercy, and peace then be in the power of our gracious and merciful Redeemer to bestow, (and that they are, must be affented to by all who "have tafted that

the

the Lord is gracious," 1 Pet. ii. 3,) every benediction of the apostle of the gospel of peace is to be confidered as a fhort prayer preferred to him; and benediction being thus confidered as a part of religious worship, it is easy to see the conclufion, that Jefus Chrift, to whom it is offered, is one with the Father, that God, whose incommunicable prerogative and honour religious worship is. "Let us therefore, beloved," "being called unto the grace of Chrift," Gal. i. 6, “not separate ourfelves, having not the Spirit, but building up ourfelves on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghoft, keep ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life," Jude 19, 20, 21; and "believe that through the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift we shall be saved," Acts xv. 11. 2 Cor. viii. 9. Ephef. iv. 7.

But it has been faid that the interpofal of the conjunctive and, enumerates diftinct natures between the Father and Son; and that grace, mercy, and peace may proceed from, or glory, honour, and dominion be afcribed to, one part of the fubject, without affecting the other. Not to infift on the absurdity of introducing a name, to say nothing about it, in any propofition; on other grounds also, the distinction between God and Lord, how well foever it may have been fupported by an epigram †, feems to me not only weak but infincere. "From God the Father and our Lord Jefus Christ," are words that occur perpetually in St. Paul's epiftles; and

That Jefus Chrift is the Lord who is gracious, the context may render evident; for the apoftle proceeding calls him "the Stone that was difallowed of men, but which has now become the head Stone of the corner," which are words of David prophetically spoken of our Saviour, and applied to him in more places than one of the New Testament. See Ads iv. 11. Ephes. iv, 20, Six. &S.

Apology, p. 6.

and I think that candour will allow that "the Father, and our Lord Jefus Chrift," are, in fuch paffages, put in appofition to "God," and mark a diftinction of perfons indeed, but undoubtedly an unity, an identity of Godhead: For, were that copulative and to be taken as a mark of any other diftinction, and infifted on as introductory of a fecond power, however fubordinate it may be to the Father, and acting under him, the confequences of fuch a manner of understanding it might prove very fatal to the cause it is brought to fupport; for the fame copulative is ufed by St. James, in a manner that would deftroy the Godhead of the Father himfelf; for by it the word "Father" is fet apart from God. He fays, " true religion, and undefiled before God and the "Father," where the copulative is used exactly in the same manner as by St. Paul: If it be admitted then that the perfonal terms ftand in appofition to the general name of "God," all is at once accounted for; whereas, on the other hand, if it be infifted upon, that, in the one cafe, the conjunctive enumerates distinct natures, a confequence will neceffarily follow, which even an Unitarian would start at drawing from it. St. James does not stand alone in this manner of diftinguishing between God and the Father; St. Paul has afforded many instances of the like nature, "giving thanks to God and the Father," Col. iii. 17; "Now, God himself, and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you," I Theff. iii. 11; "In the fight of God and the Father," I Theff. i. 3. How uncandidly then does even this honeft and difinterested man deal by himself, in making ufe of, or yielding his affent to, fuch weak fophifms; but I am forry to say that every thing feems an argument in his eyes, that only appears to make against "the acknowledgment of the myftery of God, and of the Father, and of Chrift,"

Cal.

Col. ii. 2.

"Now, unto God and our Father, be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Phil. iv. 20 *.

In the Jewish ritual, the neceffity of repeating the facrifice is made ufe of as a proof of the infufficiency of any fingle victim to establish those who came to the altar for, had any one offering been answerable to so great an end, the daily facrifice had been taken away, that work for which it had been appointed being finished. Juft fuch is the cafe with Mr. Lindsey's arguments; the facrifice of to-day manifested the weakness of the facrifice of yesterday; and the offering now made upon the altar of fophiftry, manifefts the infufficiency of that, which has preceded it, to establish the votary, that doctrine, of which he ftands the priest; it acknowledges the weakness of the priesthood, and that it is not faultlefs; like that of the Jews, therefore, I entertain a chearful hope that the whole fhall at length vanish away. This gentleman, accordingly, very juftly confidering all that he has already urged as no argument at all, proceeds to infinuate, rather than fay, (for he has not put it into fo many words) that the junction of the name of Christ, in doxologies and benedictions, with the name of God, which is invoked or glorified in them, does not afford any proof that Jefus Chrift is God, because that to their names fometimes other names also are joined. Had the fact been

If it be infifted upon, that the following words, "Peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jefus Chrift," have any other meaning than that the Father and the Lord Jefus Christ are the one God, by which name the three perfons of the Trinity is comprehended, I shall infift upon the diftinction between "God and the Father" here, and maintain that they have distinct meanings also, and that the Father is therefore not intended by the word God in this doxology.-But in that case the word God is without any meaning at all. To this I anfwer, that it has a meaning, and fignifies the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, as well as to the Father, glory is afcribed. I give Mr. Lindsey his choice how he will interpret ; for, let him take it either way, the divinity of our Lord follows.