Wherefore both before and after his taking upon him humane Fiefh, and alfo after his Refurrection, he always did and does pay all Obedience to his Father. From whence it appears, that he never thought fit fo to claim to himself Divinity, as to equal himself with God the Father: Nay on the contrary, he was always obedient to His whole Will and Pleasure, even fo as to be content to take upon him the Form of a Servant, that is, to become a Man. To this Text alfo 'tis probable_Clement alludes, when he says; Our Lord Το σκήπζον το μεγαλ Jefus Christ, who is the Sceptre of the Majesty of

Patri in omnibus rebus obedientiam præftitit pariter ac præftat. Ex quo probatur, nunquam arbitratum illum effe rapinam quandam divinitatem, ut æquaret fe Patri Deo: quinimò contrà, omni ipfius imperio & voluntati obediens atq; fubjectus, etiam ut formam fervi fufciperet contentus fuit, hoc eft, hominem illum fieri &c. De Trinit. cap. 17.

God, came not with Oftentation of Pomp and Greatness, as he might have done; but in great Humility.

owens Oεỡ, ô núi¦ ñww Xoss 'Inous, &x hλθεν ἐν κόμπῳ ἀλαζονείας, ἐδὲ ὑπερηφανίας, καίπες duvaus Q. 'dya' Taweropegvev. Clem. Epift. 1. § 16. Αὐτὸς ὁ παντοκράτως wavloulins is a beg@ αυτὸν τὰ τεχνί

M

And Justin, when he fays; The Supreme Lord over All, and Creator of Jeds, all things, the Invisible God himself, την και δημιεργὸν ἢ ὅλων fent unto Men no less a des ȧUTES ATTÉS¤nev, âeá Perfon than the Framer γε, ὡς ανθρώπων ἄν τις λοand Maker of all things. γίσαιτο, ἐπὶ τυραννίδι και And did he therefore fend φόβω και καταπλήξει; ε με him, as Men would be ver, dry as STIGING ἐπιεικεία apt to expect, clothed with

Power and Terror and πραύτητι, ὡς βασιλεὺς πέμ.

των

ཡིད་ཟེར

amazing Majefty ? No: πων ὑὸν βασιλέα, ώς θεόν
but with Gentlenefs and έπεμψεν, ὡς πρὸς ανθρώ-
Meeknefs, as a King fend-
eth the King his Son, he πως ἔπεμψεν, ὡς σώζων ἐ
fent him as a God, [to Telev. Epist. ad Diogne-
πεμψεν.
do good, not to terri-

tum.

fy them; he fent him as unto Men, as unto weak Creatures, not capable to behold him in his full Glory;] he fent him as one that was to fave, [not to deftroy them.

And was made in the likeness of Man, And being found in fashion as a Man, he humbled bimfelf, &c.] Nothing can be more unnatural, than the Comment of Grotius and fome Others upon these words; who understand them (as a diftinct Sentence,) to fignify, *that Chrift being made in the likeness of Man, of Adam in his ftate of Innocency; yet humbled himself to undergo the Death of a Malefactor. Whereas the plain Meaning of the Apostle, is to declare, (in one continued Sentence,) that Chrift, when he was in the Form of God, humbled himself by condescending to take upon him the Form of a Man; and not only fo, but humbled himself yet further, by condefcending to die even the Death of a Malefactor.

935.

That Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. That He is Lord of All, Acts x, 36; Lord both of the dead and living, Rom. xiv, 9; And Head over all things to the Church, Eph, i, 22; All Power being given unto him in Heaven and in Earth, Mat. xxviii, 18.

Col. i, 3. To God and the Father, [or, the God and Father,

Jesus Christ.

Ta] of our Lord

See No 991.

N 3

Col.

936.

13. Who

hath tranflated us in

937.

to the Kingdom of his dear Son, [Gr. the Son of his Love.]

15. Who is the Image of the Invisible God, the † Firft-born of every Creature.

† Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, The Firft-begotten, brought into the World by the Father before all Ages, (for by Him did He make the Ages, Heb. i, 2;) before the whole Creation, (for by Him did He create all things, Eph. iii, 9, and Col. i. 16.)

It is obfervable that St. Paul does not here call our Saviour, πρωτόκτισον πάσης κτίσεως, the firft created of all Creatures, but πρωτότοκον πάσης κλίσεως, the firft-born of every Creature, the first-begotten before all Creatures; fignifying that he was (before the Creation of Things,) Texeis, brought forth, produced by, derived from the Father; but not declaring, in what Manner. And fo the Scripture fpeaks in other places: Joh. i, I, In the Beginning [fee N° 535.] WAS the Word, and the Word WAS with God; and Col. i, 17, He Is [or WAS] before all things: But How his Being was derived; or what the figurative Word [generated or begotten] properly and literally implies, This the Scripture hath no where revealed or explained.

་

And the Best of the Antient Writers in the Church, always fpeak after the fame cautious Manner. Thus Juftin Martyr: His Son (faith he,) who alone is Properly called his Son, viz. the Word, which Exifted with him,

Ὁ ἢ ὑὸς ἐκείνε, ὁ μένα. nezouse & nuekus újós, o λίγα προ? ποιημάτων και συνων εγυνώμα. Apol. 2.

being begotten by him, before the Production of Creatures. And again: But This ̓Αλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ τῷ ὄντι

ἀπὸ

L

God legat of Himfelf a λογικήν, ἥτις ακομα μετάστηκε και

glen, OT?? - ποτὲ ὑὸς, ποτέ δ' άγελα, ποτέ Oeds, mole 3 vel ÿj x6. Ibid.

certain Rational Power, λειο
[Intelligent Powerful
Being, called fometimes
his Son, fometimes his An-
gel, fometimes God, some-

times Lord and Word.
Origen in like manner:

dozev,

The Son of God, (faith 1óronos Toons XTiσews, ei he,) the First-born of eve-i vew ry Creature,though he was Incarnate but in these lat. ter Ages, yet is he not therefore himself of late Original: For the Scriptures declare that he is the Antientest of all things

T

Jozev, 'dry' &TI JE 2/ 7870
νέα δι· πρεσβύτατον δ
αυτόν παίτων
μárov logon & Dein
contr. Celf. lib. 5.

δημιεργη

to.

that God gave Being to. I tranflate these laft words, [πρεσβύτατον πάντων ἢ δημιοργημάτων] thus, [the Antientest of all things that God gave Being to,] because (according to the whole Tenour of Origens opinion,) he must use the word [rμsynua] here in a larger Senfe than we.ufe the word, Creature: Just as Athanafius (in the paffage cited N° 5) uses the phrase [Snusspyo's Trans 05 Cews, Author of all Being,] in contradiftinction to [allows, of All Creatures.] The Learned Bp Bull tranflates the words of Origen thus, [He is Antienter than All Creatures;] Which, though at first Sight indeed it seems not fo natural a Tranflation, yet may be juftified by the Ufe of the like Expreffion in St John, [70. i, 30, wewτós μs hv, He was before me ;] and in Fustin, [Apol. 1, 3 dixaréλατον ἐδένα δαμαρ ἔντα, than whom we know none more just, or, befides whom we know none most just ;] and in Eufebius, [de laud. Conftantini, cap. 1, παντὸς χρόνος καὶ παίτων αιώνων πρεσβύτατα, antienter than all time and all ages.]

From