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zites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Febufites: and I will cut them off. Exod. 23. 20,21,22,23. Now if any Perfon fhould imagin, that becaufe God's Name may be in an Angel, therefore an Angel may be called Jehovah: I anfwer, that I will not difpute, whether my Name does in this Place fignify my Power, or my felf, or the name Jehovah whereby I am called; but fuppofing it to fignify the name Jehovah whereby I am called (which is the very utmost that can be defired) ftill it does not follow, that a Being may be called Jehovah, merely because the Name Jehovah is faid to be pa in the midst of him, or within him, or (as our Translation words it) in him. For a Being's having a Name pa never fignifys his being called by that Name. The utmoft therefore that the Phrafe can poffibly import, is, that the felfexiftent God Jehovah was with the Angel, enabling him to avenge the Tranfgreffions of the Ifraelites. And this Interpretation is agreeable to the known Idiom of the Old and New Teftaments.

Having thus fhewn, that Jehovah is the incommunicable Name of the felfexiftent God; let us now confider that Paffage of the Pfalmift, which is quoted by the Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews. It can't be pretended, that tho' the Pfalmift directs himself, in this whole Paffage, to the felfexiftent God; yet he may be understood to speak therein concerning another diftinct Being, who may be God in an inferior Senfe. For 'tis manifeft, that as the whole Paffage is addreffed to Jehovah; fo it relates to him alone. As the Pfalmift fpeaks to him, fo he speaks of him, and not of any other Being that can be efteemed a fubordinat God, in any part of it. From whence it follows, that the WORD, or Divine Nature of the Son, is

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the very or felfexiftent God. For the Queftion at present is not,

whether the Son be

God, or no (that being not only agreed between our felves, but alfo moft exprefly affirm'd of him by St. John) with refpect to the WORD or Divine Nature united to the Man Chrift Jefus : but the Question is, whether the WORD or Divine Nature of Chrift Jefus, be the felfexiftent God, or no. And the Pfalmift has peremptorily determin'd this Queftion, by affuring us, that the Son (viz. the WORD, or Divine Nature of the Son) is Jehovah, which Name neceffarily fignifys, and is appropriat to, the one felfexiftent God, even the God of the Jewish and Chriftian Churches, who has challeng'd that Name as his own Property, and never did or would fuffer it to be given to any other Being whatfoever.

As for the two other Paffages quoted by this Author in the fame Chapter, and exprefly apply'd therein to the Son; I have already declar'd my Opinion, that they relate to the WORD or the Son's Divine Nature. And if the former of them (quoted v. 6.) be taken from Pfal. 97. 7. that Pfalm is exprefly directed to Jehovah; and confequently the WORD is thereby declar'd to be the Very God. And as for the latter of them (quoted v. 8, 9.) I have already (1) fhewn, that that part of it which makes the 9th Verfe, relates to Chrift's Humanity: and if that that part of it which makes the 8th Verfe, relates to his Divinity; as the Pfalmift who wrote it, directed it to the felfexiftent God, fo the Author of this Epiftle quotes it in the fame manAnd accordingly you your felf (m) allow,

(1) Chap. 6. p. 31, &c.
(m) Script. Doct. p. 89.

that

that the Son is called God in this Text; which Conceffion, I think, is inconfiftent with the Opinion of those who imagin, that the Pfalmift originally meant this Verfe, as he did certainly mean a great part of the Pfalm, of King Solomon. But I need not enlarge any further upon the first and fecond of these three Quotations made by the Author of this Epistle. If what I have written concerning the third of them, holds good; I dare truft any Man of common Senfe with the firft and fecond. For I am perfuaded, he will not be at the trouble of wrefting either of them to a different Senfe. And those that will not yield to the Force of that Argument, which I have drawn from the third of these Quotations, I fhall defpair of convincing by any Argument that I can draw from the firft or fecond, or indeed from any part of the inspired Word of God.

I'

CHA P. XIII.

That the Holy Ghoft is the Very God.

Proceed now to the fecond Point in Controverfy between us, which relates to the Holy Ghoft or Spirit of God. And this I hope to bring to a much more speedy Iffue than the former.

That the Holy Ghoft is an intelligent Being, you all along declare; but the Question is, whether he is one and the fame Being with the felfexiftent God, or no. I affirm, that he is: and that you do deny it, I heartily wish I could not prove.

To confirm the Truth of my Affertion, I fhall argue from but two Places of Scripture.

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1. Then,

Chap. XIII. 1. Then, St. Paul, that he might fatisfy his Difciples, how he came to know those Myfteries, which the greatest Wits could not discover, fays, God bath reveled them unto us by bis Spirit. For the Spirit fearcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, Jave the Spirit of man which is in him? even fo the things of God knoweth (des) none but the Spirit of God, I Cor. 2. 10, 11. You fee, he afcribes his Knowledge of thofe hidden things, thofe Gospel Myfteries, to the Holy Spirit, who imparted the Knowledge of them to him: and he fhews the Corinthians, that the Spirit himself must therefore be supposed to know them, because the Spirit Searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God that is, the Spirit knoweth even the greatest Secrets of God himself. But how does this appear? How are we fure, that the Spirit knoweth God's greatest Secrets? Why, the Apoftle fubjoins a Demonftration, that it muft needs be fo, faying, For what man knoweth the things of a man, fave the Spirit of man which is in him? Even fo the things of God knoweth none but the Spirit of God; that is, as none knoweth the Secrets of any particular Man's Heart, fave the Man's own Spirit, which is in him, or the Man himself; even fo none knows the Secrets of God, fave God's Spirit, or God himself.

Now it must be obferv'd, that when the Apostle fays, none knows the things of a man, fave the man's own Spirit; and confequently when he fuppofes, that a Man's own Spirit does know the things of a Man, viz. the Secrets of his Heart: he certainly means a primary, immediat, and neceffary Knowledge; and not a fecondary or derived one. For otherwife his Reasoning is manifeftly wrong; because any other Perfon befides the Man himself does know a Man's Secrets, when the Man reveles them to him. And accordingly,

cordingly, in the oppofit Branch of the Compari-> fon, when the Apoftle fays, none knows the things of God, but the Spirit of God; he certainly means a primary, immediat, and neceffary Knowledge, as contradiftinguifh'd from a fecondary or deriv'd one. For (bleffed be God) by a fecondary or deriv'd Knowledge, not only St. Paul did, but even we our felves do, know the fecret things of God.

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When therefore St. Paul afferts, that the Spirit knows the fecret things of God, even as a Man knows the secret things of his own Heart, viz. by a primary, immediat and neceffary Knowledge, inherent in himself, and not derived from any other Being: he manifeftly declares, that the Spirit of God is as much that God whofe Spirit he is, as the Spirit of a Man is that Man in whom it is; and that the Spirit of God does therefore know the Secrets of that God whofe Spirit he is, because he is that God himself, and not another or diftinct Being, which cou'd not know God's Secrets, otherwife than by a derived Knowledge; even as the Spirit of a Man does therefore know the Secrets of the Man in whom it is, because the Spirit is the Man himself, and not another or diftinct Being, which cou'd not know the Man's Secrets otherwife. than by a derived Knowledge. And confequently, fince the Word God in this Place does confeffedly fignify the felfexiftent Being; 'tis evident, that the Spirit of God (because he is the fame God who is here spoken of, and not another Being, which cou'd not know the Secrets of God otherwife than by a derived Knowledge) is the felfexiftent Being, whom I call the very God.

If it fhould be objected, that the Spirit is faid dvar, to fearch or inquire into the deep things of God; and is confequently a different Being from that

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God,

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