whole Perfon, with the fame Power and Authority, which, as God, He always had; and now was to hold in a different Capacity, and with the Addition of a new and fpecial Title, that of Redeemer. * They therefore who endeavor to found the Son's Title to Worfhip, only upon the Powers and Authority of the Mediator, or God-Man, after the Refurrection (alledging Joh. 5. 22. Phil. 2. 10. Heb. 1.6. and the like) give us but a very lean and poor Account of this Matter; neither confiftent with Truth, nor indeed with their own Hypothefis. You quote Phil. 2. 6. in favour of your Notion; and fay, that Chrift was from the Beginning in the form of God; yet He did not affume to Himfelf to be honoured like unto God, till after his Humiliation. But this Pofition can never be made out from that Text. Allowing you your Interpretation, about, affuming to be honour'd, yet this can mean only, that He did not affume, during his Humiliation, without any reference to what He had done before. It is very clear from Joh. 17. 5. that our bleffed Saviour was to have no greater Glory after his Exaltation and Afcenfion, than He had before the World was. Glorify me, with thine own felf, with the Glory, which I had with Thee, before the World was. His Glory had, to appearance, been under an Eclipfe, during the ftate of his Humiliation:

Clarke's Script. Doctr. Prop. 48. 50, 51. Clarke's Reply. pag. 239.

But

But after that, He was to appear again in full Luftre; in all the Brightness and Splendor of his divine Majefty, as He had done ever before. You think, that our Worship of Him, in his own diftinct Perfon and CharaEter, commenc'd after his Refurrection from the dead. I might allow this to be fo in Fact; and yet maintain, that He always had the fame juft Right and Title to religious Worship; which must have had its effect, had it been clearly and diftinctly revealed, fooner. This is enough for my purpofe; in as much as I contend only, that the Worship due to Him is not founded merely upon the Power and Authority fuppofed to have been given Him after his Refurrection; but upon his perfonal Dignity, and effential Perfections. He might have had the very fame right and claim all along, that ever He had after; only it could not take effect, and be acknowledged, till it came to be clearly reyealed. Thus, God the Father had, undoubtedly, a full Right and Title to the Worship and Service of Men, or of Angels, from the first: But that Right could not take place before He revealed and made Himfelf known to Them. This, I fay, is fufficient to my purpose; and all that I infift upon. Yet, because I have a religious Veneration for every Thing which was univerfally taught and believed by the carlicft Catholick Writers, efpecially if it has fome Countenance likewife from Scripture; I incline to think that Worship, diftinct Wor

T 4

fhip,

fhip, was paid to the Son, long before his Incarnation.

Irenæus is exprefs that the Aoy was worfhip'd of old, together with the Father. And this must have been the Senfe of all thofe Fathers, before the Council of Nice, who underftood and believed that the Perfon who appeared to the Patriarchs, who prefided over the Jewish Church, gave them the Law, and all along headed and conducted that People, was the fecond Perfon of the ever blessed Trinity. Now, this was the general and unanimous Opinion of the Ante-Nicene Writers, as hath been shown at large, under Query the fecond. And it is obfervable, that Eufebius and Athanafius, (two very confiderable Men, and thoroughly vers'd in the Writings of the Chriftians before Them) tho' They were oppofite as to Party, and differ'd as to Opinion, in fome Points; yet Theyintirely agreed in This, that the Son was worship'd by Abraham, Mofes, &c. and the Jewish Church. And herein, had we no other Writings left, we might reasonably believe that They spake the Senfe of their Predeceffors, and of the whole Chriftian Church, as well before, as in their own Times. You will fay perhaps, that the Worship, fuppofed to have been then paid to the Son, was not di

Qui igitur a Prophetis adorabatur Deus Vivus, Hic eft Vi vorum Deus & Verbum Ejus 1. 4. c. 5. p. 232. Ed. Bened. See also Novatian. c. 15. Deum & Angelum invocatum. Euleb. E. H. l. 1. c. 2. See alfo Comm, in Ifa. p. 381. 386. 381.386. Athanaf Vol. 1. p. 443: 445.

ftinct Worship. But it is fufficient that it was (according to the Sense of the Chriftian Church) paid to the Perfon appearing, the PerSon of the Son, and He did not refuse it; which is the very Argument that * fome of the Ante-Nicene Writers ufe in Proof of his Divinity. The Patriarchs worship'd that Perfon, who appear'd and communed with Them; fuppofing Him to be the God of the Universe, to whom of right all Worship belongs. Had He not been what They took Him for, He fhould have rejected that Worship, as the † Angel did Manoah's Sacrifice; and as the Angel, in the Revelations, rejected the Worship which St. John would have offered Him. In a word; fince the Son received that Worship, in his own Perfon (according to the Antients) it must be faid, He was then diftinctly worship'd, and in his own Right, as being truly God. However That be, my Argument is still good, that the Son (having been in the Form of God, and God; Creator, Preferver and Sustainer of all Things, from the Beginning) had a Right to Worship, even upon your Principles (much more mine) long before the commencing of his

Novatian may here fpeak the Senfe of all. On Gen. 31. He comments thus: Si Angelus Dei loquitur Hæc ad Jacob, atque Ipfe Angelus infert, dicens: Ego fum Deus qui vifus fum tibi in loco Dei: non tantummodo Hunc, Angelum, fed & Deum pofitum, fine ulla befitatione confpicimus; Quique Sibi votum refert ab Jacob destinatum effe, &c. Nullius Alterius Angeli poteft hic accipi tanta Auctoritas, ut Deum Se effe fateatur, & yotum Sibi factum effe Teftetur, nifi tantummodo Christi c. 27. + Judges 13. 16.

Mediatorial Kingdom: And therefore his Right and Title to Worship was not founded upon the Powers then fuppofed to have been given Him: Confequently, thofe Texts which you refer to, for that purpolè, are not pertinently alledged; nor are they of ftrength fufficient to bear all that ftrefs which you lay upon Them. This Point being fettled, I might allow you that, in fome Senfe, diftinct Worship commenc'd with the diftinct Title of Son, or Redeemer: That is, our Bleffed Lord was then first worfhip'd, or commanded to be worship'd by us, under that diftinct Title or Character; having before had no other Title or Character peculiar and proper to Himself, but only what was common to the Father and Him too. Tho' Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost are all jointly concern'd in Creation, Redemption, and Santification; yet it may feem good to Infinite Wildom, for great Ends and Reasons, to attribute each refpectively to one Perfon, rather than Another; fo that the Father may be emphatically Creator, the Son Redeemer, the Holy Ghoft Sanctifier: And upon the commencing of thele Titles refpectively, the diftinct Worship of each (amongst Men) might accordingly commence alfo. Excellent are the Words

Sic Deus voluit novare Sacramentum, ut nove Unus crederetur per Filium & Spiritum, ut Coram jam Deus in fuis propriis Nominibus & Perfonis cognofceretur, qui & retro per Filium & Spiritum predicatus non intelligebatur. Tertull. Contr. Przx· Ca 3

of