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ever it shall be at the great day, Mark viii. 38, Luke ix. 26, yet it shall be in the glory given by,' and received from God the Father,' who shall shew forth and manifest that appearance of Jesus Christ, 1 Tim. vi. 15, Whom also God raised from the dead, and gave him glory.' 1 Pet. i. 21. See 2 Pet. i. 17, where speaking of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Peter says of Christ, that he received from God the Father, honour and glory.' In this remarkable passage, these three points are evident and incontestible:

I. That God and Jesus Chirst are here fully and evidently distinguished, as two distinct beings.

II. That God has his characters or titles applied to him, and that exclusively.

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III. Jesus Christ himself never has those characters or titles applied to him by any of the sacred writers, absolutely, and without limitation: for although Jesus Christ is twice called, Rev. xvii. 14, and xix. 16, King of Kings,' and Lord of Lords,' yet it is most certain, that Jesus Christ is a king by the appointment of his Father,' Luke xxii. 29. And this appointed kingdom' he shall surrender God the Father,' 1 Cor. xv. 24, who did put all things under him:' that is, made him king: and at the end, the Son himself shall be subject to him, who did put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Kepaλn Xpis εós. 1 Cor. xi. 3. The head of Christ is God.

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And as to the title of Lord,' that also Christ has by the appointment or gift of God. Acts ii. 36, Let all the house of Israel know,' says St. Peter, for certain, that God hath made him Lord and Christ, whom ye have crucified." See under the title, 'Lord:' by many passages in which it will appear, that 'Jesus Christ is such a Lord,' as hath his God and Father for a superior."

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CHAP. XII.

The character of the one true God, in these or the like words. The God who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all things therein,' applied to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; but never applied to Jesus Christ himself throughout all the holy scriptures.

'THOU art God, who hast made the heaven, and the earth, and all that in them is,-grant that signs-may be done-by thy holy child Jesus,' Acts iv. 24, 27, 30. The same character is reported, Acts xiv. 15. and xvii. 24. And by an angel, Rev. xiv. 7. Worship ye him who hath made the heaven and the earth, and the sea,' &c. which words, as St. John represents it, the angel pronounced with a loud voice, to shew the importance of the point, and to require the attention of the hearers. These three are the only places in the New Testament, where this character of God is expressed in this phrase; and it appears evidently by the context in the first passage, that this character is applied to him, who is so often styled, 'the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:' particularly by St Paul in his epistles, at their beginning, and in other places [See chap. Of God; and of the Father]: but are never in any one text, `once applied to Jesus Christ.

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In the Old Testament, this phrase, the Lord Jehovah made the heaven and the earth,' is often mentioned, as Exod. xx. 11, xxxi 17, emphatically, 2 Kings xix. 15. Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.' 2 Chron. ii. 12, and Nehemiah ix. 6 like words, Job ix. 8, Who alone stretcheth out the heavens,' Psalm cxv. 15, cxxi. 2, cxxiv. 8, cxxxiv. 3, cxlvi. 6, Isaiah xliv. 24, I am the Lord who maketh all things, who stretcheth forth the heavens alone, who spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.' xxxvii. 16, Jer. xxxii. 17.

In these passages we see this character belongs to Almighty God. No wonder then, that generally, if not in all the ancient creeds, both Greek and Latin, it should be made the very first article. And which ought always to be most carefully observed, this character is ascribed in most creeds, even in that called the Apostles', to God the Father alone.

Now, God being styled, in both the Old and New Testament, the maker of heaven and earth, and in the two ancient creeds, viz. the Apostles', and the Nicene; and in most other creeds; most certainly the authors of those creeds must undoubtedly intend their readers should understand, the Father alone to be the maker of the heaven and the earth; why else is he alone so called by them in their creeds? And why is that character not given to Christ and the Holy Ghost in those creeds, if they also were makers of heaven and earth? Most certainly, they gave the character at least in a peculiar sense to the Father, and we are so to understand them and it is most certain they did not in those creeds give the character to the Son or Holy Ghost; and therefore would not have us make it a part of our belief, that the Son or Holy Ghost were to be acknowledged as makers of heaven and earth.

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But there is a more decisive authority than these creeds in Rev. iv. 8-11, where the twenty-four elders' are represented as falling down before him, on the throne,' (which most certainly is God the Father) and saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things; and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' So Psalm xxxiii. 6-9, 'Let all the earth fear the Lord for he spake, and it was done;' that is, ver. 6, 7, 'The heavens were made, the waters of the sea gathered together,' &c.

Note here, 1. The sole object of their worship was God the Father, sitting upon a throne. 2. The worshippers here styled elders, whomsoever they represent, were true worshippers. 8. The language wherein their worship is expressed, is an irrefutable

argument of their faith, and an invincible reason for our concurrence with them in these points; viz. That God the Father is the only supreme object of our worship; and that God the Father alone is to be worshipped, as the alone maker of heaven and earth.

Acts iv. 24, compared with 26, 27, 30. The whole church at Jerusalem expressed with one consent their faith in this point, saying, O Lord thou art God who hast made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all things in them.'

In these two passages, we have two great and infallible examples, or patterns of uncorrupted worship; in the practice of the elders in the Revelations, and of the whole church of Jerusalem, the most primitive of all Christian churches, which patterns highly deserve our constant imitation and strict conformity. And it can hardly be questioned, but this was the rule of divine worship observed in the first and purest ages of the Christian church; when it is not likely, that in any public forms of worship, the Son, or Holy Ghost, were worshipped as almighty makers of heaven and earth; that character in the creed, then, and to this day, being solely applied to God the Father.

Bishop Pearson on the creed, p. 68, instructs his readers to use these words; "I acknowledge this God creator of the world, to be the same God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

He who made the heavens and the earth must be, and is alone the Lord of heaven and earth.'

By the words,heaven and earth,' Moses and the prophets understood the whole world, the whole creation, Gen. i. 1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.'

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By the words, heaven and earth, and sea,' Moses did not understand only those greater parts of the world, or universe; but all that in them is, or as the LXX express it, all things that are in them; viz. in the heaven, earth, and sea," Exod. xx. 11.

Hence it most evidently appears, that, beside God,

or God only excepted, all other beings in the universe, how great or excellent soever, were made, or created by God and are not only God's creatures, but are subject to his power, will, and authority; for he alone must be the Lord and Governor of all which he alone hath made, and preserves.

This great truth is acknowledged by Jesus Christ himself in his devout address to God, Mat: xi. 25. 26, Luke x. 21, in these words; I own,' acknowledge, or thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast revealed these things unto babes. Even so, O Father, for it was thy good pleasure.'

The same truth is clearly expressed by St. Paul in his discourse to the Athenians, Acts xvii. 24. 'God who hath made the world and all things therein-He is Lord of heaven and earth'-and the same truth was taught by Moses in these words; Behold, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God's,the earth, and all that is therein,' &c. Deut. x. 14, Psa. XXIV, 1.

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To this supreme Lord of heaven and earth,' Christ who is styled Lord of Lords,' Revel. xvii. 14, and xix. 16, owes his title of Lord and Christ, as St. Peter expressly assures us in his sermon, Acts ii. 36, That same Jesus whom ye (Jews) have crucified, hath God made both Lord and Christ.'

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The Lord who made the heavens, and the earth, &c. is, by Moses and the prophets, called by a proper and peculiar name, 'Jehovah.' Our translators, and the LXX, have translated it Lord' but that being a word common to men in power and authority; the original word, Jehovah, should have remained untranslated in our, and all other versions, as the only true and proper name of God, by which he made himself. knowu to the Jews. And then in Exodus xx. the words run thus: I am Jehovah thy God. I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain, for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless who taketh his name in vain. The seventh day is the sabbath, for Jehovah

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