all Things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all Things, and by Him all Things confift, Col. 1. 16, 17. Thou Lord in the beginning haft laid the Founda tion of the Earth, and the Heavens are the works of thine Hands, *Hcb. 1. 10.

It is not without good Reason that we understand Hebr. 1. 10. of Chrift.

1. The context it felf favors it. The Verfe begins with, nai cù, which properly refers to the fame who was spoken of immediately before in the fecond Perfon. The preceding and où following, an. fwer to each other. A change of Perfon, while the fame way of speak. ng is pursued, must appear unnatural.

2. The fcope and intent of the Author was to fet forth the Honour and Dignity of the Son above the Angels; and no Circumftance could be more proper than that of his Creating the World.

3. If He had omitted it, He had faid less than Himself had done before, in Verfe the 2d, of which this feems to be Explanatory; and as He had brought Proofs from the Old Teftament for several other Articles, nothing could be more proper or more pertinent, than to bring a Proof, from thence, of this also.

4 Declaring Him to be Jehovah, and Creator of the Universe might be very proper to show that He was no miniftring Spirit, but curdegr; to fit at the right Hand of God, which immediately fellows.

5. To introduce a Paffage here about God's immutability or ftability, must appear very abrupt, and not pertinent; because the Angels alfa, in their Order and Degree, reap the Benefit of God's ftability and immutability. And the Question was not about the duration and continuance, but about the fublimity and excellency of their reelive Natures and Dignities.

6. I may add, that this Senfe is very confonant to Antiquity; ch every where fpeaks of the Son as Creator, and in as high and Arong Terms: fuch as Thefe, τεχνίτης, δημιεργός, ποιητής: ἀνθρώπων, ἀγγέλων, ὃ πάντων, ἢ ὅλων, τοῦ κόσμε, and the like, Teftimonies whereof will occurr hereafter. Barnabas, (peaking of the Sun in the Heavens, calls it "p290 xepŵr autod, meaning Chrift; tho' there's fome difpute about the Reading: of which fee Grab. Not. in Ball. D. F. p. 23.

Thefe Confiderations feem fufficient to overthrow the Pretences of a late Writer, Examin, of Dr. Bennet on Trin. p. 40. As to former Exceptions to this Verfe, They are confider'd and confuted by Bishop Bull, Jud. Eccl. p. 43. See also Surenhuf. in loc. p. 6oo.

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Can

Can you imagine that the Son could be Creator and Preferver of all Things from the Beginning; and yet not be Lord over all till after his Refurrection? If this does not fatisfy you, return to Joh. 1. 1. He was Oeds before the World was, by your own Acknowledgement; which being a word of Office and implying Dominion, He was certainly Lord, as foon as ever there was any Thing for Him to be Lord over. And when He came into the World, the World that was made by Him, (Joh.1.10) He came unto his own, (Job.1.11.) Surely then, He was Lord over all long before his Refurrection.

You will ask, it may be, what then is the mcaning of thofe Texts which you have quoted? How was all Power given Him, according to Matt. 28. 18? Or how were all Things then put under his Feet, according to Ephef. 1. 22? Nothing is more cafy than to anfwer you This. The Aoys, or Word, was, from the Beginning, Lord over all; but the God incarnate, the earSparos, or God-Man, was not fo, till after the Refurrection. He received, in that Capacity, what He had ever enjoy'd in another. Then did He receive that full Power, in Both Natures, which He had heretofore poffefs'd in one only. This is very handfomly reprefented by Hermas, in his fifth Similitude: where the Son of God is introduced under a double Capacity, as a Son,

See Bull. D. Fid. N. p. 3S.

Then

and

and as a Servant, in refpect of his two Natures, Divine and Human.

**The Father calling his Son and Heir whom "He loved, and fuch Friends as He was wont "to have in Council, He tells Them what "Commands He had laid upon his Servant; " and moreover what the Servant had done; "And they immediatedly congratulated That "Servant, for that He had received fo full a Testimony from his Lord.- -(Afterwards the Father adds) "I will make Him my Heir together with my Son. This defign of "the Lord, both his Son and his Friends approved, namely, that this Servant should "be Heir together with his Son.

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It is much to the fame purpose that Origen fays to Celfus. Let thofe our Accufers (who object to us our making a God of a mortal Man) know, that (this Jesus) whom we believe to have been God, and the Son "of God, from the beginning; is no other

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cis

*(Pater) adhibito Filio quem carum & Hæredem habebat, & Amiquos in Confilio advocabat; indicat eis que Servo fuo facienda mandaffet, quæ præterea Ille feciffet. At Illi protinus gratulati funt Servo illi, quod tam plenum Teftimonium Domini affecutus fuiffet volo eum Filio meo facere cohæredem

Hoc confilium Domini, & Filius, & Amici ejus Comprobaverunt, ut fieret fcilicet Hic Servus Cohæres Filio. Herm. Paft. Sim. 5. c. 2. p. 104. Cot. Edit.

+ Ἴωσαν οἱ ἐγκαλῶντες ὅτι ἂν μὲν νομίζομεν καὶ πιπείσμεθα ἀρχῆθεν εἶναι Θεὸν καὶ τὸν Θεό, οὗτος ὁ αὐτολόγος ἐςὶ, καὶ ἡ αὐτοσοφία, καὶ ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια· Τὸ δὲ θνητὸν αὐτὲ σῶμα, καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνω ἐν αὐτῷ ψυχήν, τῇ πρὸς ἐκεῖνο, ε μόνον κοινωνία ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώση καὶ ἀνακράσι, το μέγα φαμεν προσειληφέναι, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνη θειότητος κεκοινωνηκότα εἰς Didy postubs Snivy. Orig. Contr. Celf. 1. 3. p. 136, &c.

"than

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than the Word it felf, Truth it felf, and "Wisdom it felf: But we fay farther that his "mortal Body, and the human Soul that was

therein, by means of their most intimate "Connexion to, and Union with the Word, "received the greatest Dignity imaginable, and

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participating of his Divinity, were taken in"to God. It is difficult to express the full force of this Paffage, in English: But you may fee the Original in the Margin.

From hence you may perceive, how eafy it is to account for our Lord's having all Power given Him, after his Refurrection; given him in respect of his Human Nature, which was never fo high exalted, nor affumed into fuch Power and Privilege, till that Time; having before been under a State of Affliction, and Humiliation. There is a notable Fragment of Hippolytus which Fabricius has lately given us in the Second Volume; and which is fo full to our purpose, that I cannot forbear adding it to the former. Speaking of that famous Paffage in the Epiftle to the Philippians, c. 2. and particularly upon thefe Words: Wherefore God alfo bath highly exalted Him, v. 9. He Comments upon it thus. *"He is faid to be exalted, as having wanted it before; but in refpect only of his Humanity; and He has a Name given Him; as 'twere a Matter of Favor, which is above every Name, as the Blefied (Apostle) Paul expreffes it. Bur See a parallel place

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Hippolytus Vol. 2. p. 29. Fabric. Edit, ia Origen, Con. in Joh. p. 43.

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in Truth and Reality, this was not the giv ing Him any Thing, which He naturally "had not from the Beginning: fo far from it, "that we are rather to esteem it his returning "to what He had in the Beginning * effentially, " and unalterably; on which Account it is, that He, having condefcended, oixoroμmas, to put on the humble Garb of Humanity, faid, Fa"ther, glorify me with the Glory, which I had, &c. For He was always invested with Divine-Glory, having been Coexistent with his Father before all Ages, and before all "Time, and the Foundation of the World t.

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I hope, this may fuffice to convince you, how much you mistake; and how contrary your Sentiments are both to Scripture, and Catholick Antiquity, if you imagine that the A6

, or Word, then firft began to be Lord over all, when that Honour was conferr'd on the Man Christ Jefus.

* Οὐσιωδῶς καὶ ἀναποβλήτως.

† I may add a Paffage of Novatian. Ac fi de cœlo defcendit Verbum Hoc, tanquam Sponfus ad Carnem, ut per Carnis adfumptionem Filius Hominis illuc poffet afcendere, unde Dei Filius, Verbum, defcenderat: Merito, dum per connexionem mutuam, & Caro Verbum Dei gerit, & Filius Dei Fragilitatem Carnis adfumit Cum fponía Carne Confcendens illuc unde fine Carne defcenderat, recipit jam claritatem illam, quam dum ante mundi Conftitutionem kabuiffe oftenditur, Deus manifeftiffime Comprobatur. Novat. c. 13.

QUERY