of the trinity in the divine unity. This I take the prefent opportunity of repeating, left fuch names as his, fhould overfway your judgments.

More extraordinary ftill, is what immediately follows in Dr. Horne, where he pro duces, I am alpha and omega, the first and the laft, Rev. i. 11. as a proof of Christ being the most high God; and to corroborate it, fays; Upon this paffage, which is

found Rey. i. 11, Dr. Doddridge has the ⚫ following note: "that these titles (which • occur just above in ver. 8. (t)) should be repeated fo foon in a connection which demonftrates they are given to Christ, will appear very remarkable, whatever sense be given to the 8th verse. The argument drawn in the preceding note upon it, would have been ftrong, wherever fuch a paffage as this had been found: but its immediate * connection with this, greatly ftrengthens * it. And I cannot forbear recording it, that this text has done more than any other

• in

(t) The 8th verfe is. I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending, faith the Lord; which is, and which was, and which is to come.

X

in the bible, towards preventing me from 'giving into that fcheme, which would 'make our Lord Jefus Chrift no more than a deified creature.'

Thus we have here a confeffion, that this passage was what principally contributed to make this celebrated prefbyterian divine regard Chrift as the most high God, and not a creature; and it is brought in by the dean. of Canterbury as what confirms him in the fame belief.

But unluckily for them, this paffage, on which they both build fo much, is a nullity; owing to inadvertence, or a defigned interpolation of fome tranfcriber, and not from the pen of the facred writer.

One wonders, that the proofs exhibited by Mill, and Bengelius, of the fpuriousness of this paffage, had no effect on Dr. Doddridge. But Dr. Horne's inattention is more extraordinary, who has had an opportunity of knowing what has been further produced to thew that it is not genuine, by Wetstein, and Griefbach. This laft most learned man, though himfelf a believer in the trinity and the divinity of Chrift, has had

the courage and integrity, in his valuable edition of the Greek N. Teftament, to leave out this paffage, as also the spurious text of the three witneffes, 1 John v. 7. as not being any part of fcripture. I put Wetstein's and Griefbach's authorities relating to it in the (g) margin, whence you fee that the paffage on which Dr. Horne builds fo much, is not in the Alexandrian, Vatican, and royal Parifian manufcript-copies of the New Teftament, nor in feveral others; that it has no place in feveral of the most ancient versions of the New Teftament; and on these accounts has been very properly omitted in several printed editions of the Greek Tefta

ment.

Dr. Horne is no lefs in error in affirming Christ to be the word spoken of in the preX 2 face

(g) " AC 2. 4. 8. 9. 10. 11. 13. 14. 17. 18. 19. 25 26. 27. 28. Editio Complut. Plantin. Genev. Bengelii. * Verfio Vulg. Syr. Copt. Armen. Ethiop. Arethas. Andreas. probante J. Millio.' Wetstein in loc.

ABC. 2. 9. 10. 14. al. 13. Ed. Syr. (non Arr.) Copt. Eth. Arm. Vulg. Areth. Andr. MS. Primas.' Griefbach.

face of John's gospel, and as fuch, the fupreme God. For this term, logos, word, might more properly be tranflated, reason, wifdom; and it is not here (nor indeed any where) (9) a name of Chrift, but an attribute of God, his wifdom; and God is thus denominated by his wisdom, his word, or power; which is a phrase of speech very frequent with the hebrews, the word of the LORD, the word of God, the wisdom of God, fignifying God himself. And fo in Proverbs viii. Solomon fpeaks of wisdom as a person that was with God before and when he created the world; intending thereby only to fignify in a more lively animated manner, that God made all things and governs them by the most perfect wisdom.

But

(4) A controverfial writer of the times, having afferted, that "in Rev. xix. 13. Chrift is termed the word of God; and that every one knows, that he is more frequently fo ftiled in the uncontested writings of St. John than ellewhere." Dr. Lardner remarks: "Though Mr. Twells fays, every one knows this; I muft entreat him to make an exception for me, till fomebody has fhewn me the feveral texts of St. John's uncontested writings, where Chrift is fo called for, at prefent, I do not know one."

Lardner's Credibility, p. ii. vol. iv. p. 71.

But in the second part of this work, you will find this proem of John's gofpel, or what he fays as from himself, in the beginning of his gofpel, not to be descriptive of Chrift, but of almighty God himself, as the fole creator of all things, and dispenser of light and knowlege, in different ways, and at different times, to his creatures, but laft of all, in the fullest manner, by Jefus Chrift. The word, proceeds the apoftle, ver. 14. (i. e. not Chrift, but the divine wisdom),. was made, or was a man, a mortal creature: for that is the meaning of the term flesh (s)

(s) Flesh is put for man as mortal. Pf. lx. v. 2. If. xl. 5, 6. Matt. xxiv. 22. Gal. ii. 16. See alfo John xvii. 2. 1 Cor. i. 29, &c. &c. The language therefore commonly used, viz. God incarnate, the word incarnate, the incarnation of Chrift, is as grofs and disgusting, as it is wholly unscriptural; as if the Divine Being, or Chrift confidered as the firft of angelic beings, were fhut up in a cafe of flesh and blood. Such unwarranted expreffions therefore, however venerable for their antiquity, ought to be given up. St. Paul declares moft diftinctly, 1 Cor. xv. Flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Dr. Horne however, fuch are his prejudices, fends the Almighty himself to heaven, clothed in flesh and blood. God incarnate, (fays he) is gone up into 'that holy place not made with hands; the everlafting doors of heaven are opened for the king of glory to enter, and 'repoffefs his antient throne,' &c. Comment. on Pfalm

xlvii. 5.