and how Jayeft thou then, fhew us the Father? Believeft thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I fpeak unto you, I Speak not of myself, but the Father, that dwelleth in me, he doth the works. Acts ii. 22. Jefus of Nazareth, a man approved of God, among you, by miracles, and wonders, and figns, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves alfo know. Acts x. 38. God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft, and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppreffed of the devil; for God was with him.

From

fider God as invifible. The only way in which God can be feen, is in his works and in his difpenfations. Thus we frequently fay we fee God in the works of creation and providence, and particularly in the difpenfation of the gospel. With the greateft propriety therefore might our saviour use this language concerning himself, who was the perfon chofen by God to introduce the gospel, and who of all other perfons resembles God the Father moft. See Col. i. and Heb. i. 3. That nothing more was meant by him in this place feems evident from the fubfequent verses. Believeft thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I fpeak unto you, I fpeak not of myfelf, but the Father who dwelleth in me, he doth the works. As if he had faid,

15.

In feeing me thou haft had every manifestation of the fupreme Father, which it is poffible for thee to have. For thou haft heard the heavenly doctrines which I have taught, and thou haft beheld the mighty works which I have performed, and which, properly speaking, are not my own, but the Father's who dwelleth in me."

From these paffages it is evident, that our faviour never performed any miracles humfelf, and that his difciples never performed any in his name, in confequence of any natural inherent power of his own, but in confequence of thofe powers he had received from God. It is to no purpofe for Trinitarians to have recourfe to the union of natures in the perfon of Chrift, to get rid of this difficulty. For had fuch an union really exifted, the fecond perfon in the trinity, with whom it was that the human nature was united, would have been appealed to as the immediate author of the miracles. We find, however, that our faviour uniformly afcribed them, not to the power of God the Son, but of God the Father.

Mr. Hawker obferves, that at the refurrection of Lazarus, Jefus called himfelf the refurrection and the life, and that in confirmation of the truth of it, he immediately brought a dead man from the grave. Hence, he concludes, that he muft have been omnipotent. But it should be remembered, that Chrift himself declares, that this power of raifing perfons from the dead, was given him by the Father. See John v. 26-29.

Great ftrefs alfo is laid by Mr. Hawker, on our Lord's miracles being fometimes accompanied with the forgiveness of fins, But in anfwer to this, it

may

may be observed, that the fame power was given to the difciples, John xx. 23. Whofe foever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whofe foever fins ye retain, they are retained.

That by working miracles in the name of Chrift, the apoftles did not confider the power as derived immediately from him, which Mr. Hawker imagines to have been the cafe, (0) is evident from their joint prayer to Almighty God, that figns and wonders might be done in the name of his holy child (fervant) Jefus. Acts iv. 24. 31. "And they (the apostles) lift up their voice to God with one accord, and faid, LORD, thou art God, which haft made heaven and earth, and the fea, and all that in them is-grant-that figns and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child (fervant) Jefus." How, it may be asked, was it poffible for them to have expreffed, in ftronger terms than thefe, their firm perfuafion, that all the miracles they performed, were performed not by the power of Christ, but by the power of the Father in his name?

Mr. Hawker's next argument is taken from the unparalleled difcourfes of Jefus Chrift. (p) But his reasoning

(0) P. 188-191.

(p) P. 196.

reasoning on this fubject is alfo fet afide by the confideration, that our Lord himself frequently declares, he was not the author of his own doctrine; but that he received his doctrine, as well as the power of working miracles, from God. John vii. 16. Jefus answered them, and Jaid, My doctrine is not mine, but his that fent me. John viii. 28. Then faid Jefus unto them, When ye have lift up the son of man, then fhali ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I fpeak these things. John xiv. 24. And the word which you hear, is not mine, but the Father's which fent me. So far, therefore, are the truths the bleffed Jefus delivered, from being a proof of his deity, that they are a proof of the contrary. For had he been God, he would have spoken immediately from himself; but, on the contrary, we find him declaring, in the most exprefs terms, that whatever doctrines he taught, they were not his own, but his Father's who fent him; a declaration which he never could have made, had he been at the fame time himself God.

CHAPTER

No Divine Attributes given to Jefus Chrift in the New Teftament.

TH

HE next argument, fays Mr. Hawker, in proof of our bleffed Lord's divinity, may be taken from the divine attributes he poffeffed; (q) the following of which, he is of opinion, are afcribed to him in the New Teftament.

1. Omniprefence.

Matt. xviii. 20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. That this paffage does not prove our Lord to be omniprefent, and the object of our prayers, is evident from the preceding verfe; where he fays, If two of you fhall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they fhall afk, it shall be done for them, not of myself, but of my Father which is in heaven. He then adds, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. His meaning poffibly might be, that whenever his difciples were gathered together to offer up their requests to Almighty God, their prayers would be