'my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." viii. 42. "I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." xii. 49, 50. "I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak.' xiv. 24. "the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." xvii. 2. " as thou hast given him power over all flesh." Rev. ii. 26, 27. "to him will I give power.... even as I received of my Father." Omnipotence. John v. 19. "the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what thing soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." v. 30. "I can of my own self do nothing." x. 18. "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again this commandment have I received of my Father." Hence Philipp. iii. 21. "he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Rev. i. 8. "I am.... the Almighty:" though it may be questioned whether this is not said of God the Father by the Son or the angel representing his authority, as has been explained before so also Psal. ii. 7. up Works. John v. 20, 21. "for the Father.... will show him greater works than these.... for as the Father raiseth the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." v. 36. "the works that my Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me :"-it is not therefore his divinity of which they bear witness, but his mission from God; and so in other places. viii. 28. "then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself." x. 32. " many good works have I showed you from my Father." xi. 22. “I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." v. 41. "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. So likewise in working miracles, even where he does not expressly implore the divine assistance, he nevertheless acknowledges it. Matt. xii. 28, compared with Luke xi. 20. "I cast out devils by the Spirit, or finger, of God." John xiv. 10. "the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Yet the nature of these works, although divine, was such, that angels were not precluded from performing similar miracles at the same time and in the same place where Christ himself abode daily: John v. 4. "an angel went down at a certain season into the pool." The disciples also performed the same works. John xiv. 12. "he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do." The following gifts also, great as they are, were received by him from the Father. First, the power of conversion. John vi. 44. "no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." xvii. 2. "that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him :" and so uniformly; whence arises the expression, Matt. xxiv. 31.-"his elect." Wherever therefore Christ is said to have chosen any one, as John xiii. 18. and xv. 16, 19. he must be understood to speak only of the election to the apostolical office. Secondly, creation- but with this peculiarity, that it is always said to have taken place per eum, through him, not by him, but by the Father. Isai. li. 16. "I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people." Whether this be understood of the old or the new creation, the inference is the same. Rom. xi. 36. "for of him," (ex eo)—that is, of the Father-"and through him, (per eum), and to him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever." 1 Cor. viii. 6. "to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom (a quo) are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom (per quem) are all things." The remaining passages on the same subject will be cited in the seventh chapter, on the Creation. But the preposition per must signify the secondary efficient cause, whenever the efficiens a quo, that is, the principal efficient cause, is either expressed or understood. Now it appears from all the texts which have been already quoted, as well as from those which will be produced hereafter, that the Father is the first or chief cause of all things. This is evident even from the single passage, Heb. iii. 1-6. "consider the Apostle.... who was faithful to him that appointed him.... who hath builded the house," that is, the Church. But he "that appointed him," v. 2. and "builded all things, is God," that is, the Father, v. 4. Thirdly, the remission of sins, even in his human nature. John v. 22. "the Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son." Matt. ix. 6. "that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then saith he," &c. Acts v. 31. "him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Hence Stephen says, vii. 60. “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." It clearly appears from these passages that the following expression in Isaiah refers primarily to God the Father, xxxv. 4-6. "behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense, he will come and save you then the eyes of the blind shall be opened," &c. For it was the Father who appointed Christ "to be a Saviour," Acts v. 31. and the Father is said "to come unto him," John xiv. 23. and "do the works," as has been proved before." Fourthly, preservation. John xvii. 11, 12. "holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.... I kept them in thy name." v. 15. "I pray.... that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Col. i. 17. "by him all things consist." Heb. i. 3. "upholding all things by the word of his power," where it is read in the Greek, not of his own power, but of his, namely, of the Father's power. But this subject will come under consideration again in the eighth chapter, on Providence, where the chief government of all things will be shown to belong primarily to the Father alone; whence the Father, Jehovah, is often called by the prophets not only the Preserver, but also the Saviour. Those who refer these passages to the Son, on account of the appellation of Saviour, seem to conceive that they hereby gain an important argument for his divinity; as if the same title were not frequently applied to the Father in the New Testament, as will be shown in the thirteenth chapter. Fifthly, renovation. Acts v. 31. "him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel." 1 Cor. i. 30. "of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 2 Cor. iv. 6. "for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath 3 See p.102. 3 This observation is added, because in the Latin version used by Milton the clause is translated sustinens omnia verbo potentiæ suæ, not illius. Peirce (Notes on St. Paul's Epistles) refers the phrase his power, to God the Father; but nearly all the best commentators agree in referring it to the Son. 141 shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." v. 17-21. "behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled himself to us by Jesus Christ. . . . we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God: for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Hence Jer. xxiii. 6. may be explained without difficulty; "this is his name whereby he shall be called, Jehovah our righteousness," and xxxiii. 16. "this is the name wherewith she shall be called" (that is, the Church, which does not thereby become essentially one with God) "Jehovah our righteousness.' 994 Acts Sixthly, the power of conferring gifts—namely, that vicarious power which he has received from the Father. John xvii. 18. as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." See also xx. 21. Hence Matt. x. 1. "he gave them power against unclean spirits." iii. 6. "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." ix. 34. "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole." What was said before of his works, may be repeated here. John xiv. 16. "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter." xvi. 13, &c. "the Spirit shall receive of mine.. .. all things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I that he shall take of mine." xx. 21, 22. as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.... receive the Holy Ghost." Hence Eph. iv. 8. "he gave gifts to men;" compared with Psal. lxviii. 18. whence it is taken-" thou hast received gifts for men." Seventhly, his mediatorial work itself, or rather his passion. Matt. xxvi. 39. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.' Luke xxii. 43. "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." Heb. v. 7, 8. "who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he 4 In the original, the sentence is as follows: xxxiii. 16. et hoc est quod vocabit eam (nempe ecclesiam, non idcirco essentia cum Deo unam) Jehovah justitia nostra; vel clariore syntaxi, Jehovam justitiam nostram; vel si quis mavult, hic qui vocabit eam; eodem pertinet. I have omitted in the translation the latter clauses of the sentence, which could scarcely be made intelligible in a language without inflections. 138 num: he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by h he suffered." For if the Son was able to his own independent power the work of his d he forsake himself; why did he implore the Father; why was an angel sent to strengthen en can the Son be considered co-essential and co-equal with the Father? So too he exclaimed upon the cross-My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He whom the Son, himself God, addresses as God, must be the Father, why then did the Son call upon the Father? Because he felt even his divine nature insufficient to support him under the pains of death. Thus also he said, when at the point of death, Luke xxiii. 46. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." To whom rather than to himself as God would he have commended himself in his human nature, if by his own divine nature alone he had possessed sufficient power to deliver himself from death? It was therefore the Father only who raised him again to life; which is the next particular to be noticed. Eighthly, his resuscitation from death. 2 Cor. iv. 14. "knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you." 1 Thess. iv. 14. "them also which sleep in Jesus shall God bring with him." But this point has been sufficiently illustrated by ample quotations in a former part of the chapter. Ninthly, his future judicial advent. Rom. ii. 16. "in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." 1 Tim. vi. 14. “until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Tenthly, divine honours. John v. 22, 23. "the Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.... ....which hath sent him." Philipp. ii. 9-11. "God hath highly exalted him, and hath given him a name.... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Heb. i. 6. "when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the 5 But whom send I to judge them? Whom but thee, All judgment, whether in Heav'n, or Earth, or Hell. Paradise Lost, X. 55. |