Dr. WHITBY'S

LAST THOUGHTS.

SECT. I

T is obfervable from Scripture, and from the Fathers of the first three Centuries, that whatfoever our bleffed Lord is faid to have, as to his Nature, or his Attributes, he is faid to have by the Donation of the Father; or, as receiv'd from the Father: v.g. He has his Life from the Father: for, as he himself faith, As the living Father bath fent me, and I live by the Father, fo be that eateth me fball live by me, Joh. vi. 57, which cannot be understood of his Refurrection, fince it was spoken in the prefent Tenfe; For he doth

B

doth not fay, I fhall live, but, I live. He hath his Power to raise the Dead from him, John v. 25, 26. For our Lord proves, that the Dead fhall hear the Voice of the Son of Man, and live; because, as the Father bath Life in himself, fo bath he given to the Son to have Life in himself. And he hath also given him Power to judge thofe whom he should thus raife: For, faith he, The Father judgeth no Man, but hath committed all Judgment to the Son, fent by him. Joh. v. 22, 24. He hath given him alfo Power over all Flefb, to give to them whom God hath given him eternal Life, Joh. xvii. 2. He gave him all Power in Heaven and in Earth, Matth. xxviii. 18.

Our Saviour also faith, all that the Father bath is mine, Joh. xv. 16. Because the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand, Joh. iii. 35. He is Lord of All, Acts x. 36. Because God made him both Lord and Chrift, Acts ii. 36. as St. Peter infers from God's raifing him from the Dead: Him, faith St. Paul, hath God appointed Heir of all Things, Heb. i. 2. and hath given him to be Head over all things to the Church, Eph. i. 22. and Phil. ii. 9. He hath exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name: according to these Words of the Pfalmift, The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou on my Right Hand until I make thine Enemies thy Footstool, Pf. cx. 1. In him dwelleth all the fulness

of

of the Godhead bodily, Col. ii. 9. Because it pleafed the Father, that in him all fulness fhould dwell, Col. i. 19. Agrecably to these Scriptures, the Primitive Fathers give us an Account of Chrift's Power and Dominion as derived from the fupreme God and Father of all Things: As you may fee in the Agreement of the Fathers with thefe Sentiments. Scct. 3.

Secondly, all his Offices are plainly dependent on, relating to, or received from the Father. The very Nature of his Prophetick Of fice requires this, a Prophet being one who is fent from God, and fpeaketh in his Name. Whence he declares, during the Execution of that Office, that, he spake not of himself; but as the Father that fent him had given him a Command, fo he spake, Joh. xii. 49.

His Priestly Office doth alfo neceffarily imply a Relation to him whom he was to atone and reconcile by the Merits of his Sufferings: which Sufferings, fay the Scriptures, were undergone to reconcile us to God; we being reconciled by the Death of his Son, Rom. v. 9. Which by the way, fhews that 'tis unreafonable, and abfurd to fay it was the fame individual Godhead that made Satisfaction to the offended Person; for then, both being the fame individual God, he muft make SatisfactiScripture doth

on to himself Whereas the

inform us, that there is one Mediator between God and Man. From whence Eufe

bius (a) infers that he is of a middle Nature betwixt God and Man.

As for his Regal Office, the Scripture plainly teftifies, that God hath given him Authority to execute Judgment, because he is the Son of Man, Joh. v. 26. And the Apostle tells us, that God fhall judge the World by Jefus Chrift. Rom. ii. 16. His Power to confound all his Enemies, and thofe of the Church, is from that God, who faid unto him, Sit thou on my Right Hand, till I make thine Enemies thy Footstool. His Power to give eternal Life to his faithfull Servants at the last Day, is given him of his Father, Joh. xvii. 2. And when he hath thus crowned his Servants, and put his Enemies under his Feet, then is he to give up the Kingdom to God the Father, that God may be all in all, 1 Cor. xv. 28. The mighty Works he did, were done by the Father, as the Baptift teftifies in these Words, Joh. iii. 34. For he whom God hath Sent, Speaketh the Words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by Measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He healed the Sick that came unto him, because the Power of God was prefent to heal them, Luke v. 17. He himself faith, that the Works which my Father hath given me [Power] to do, bear witnefs of me, that the Father bath fent me, Joh.

(a) L. 1. Cont. Mare. p. 8,

V.

V. 36 He also confeffeth that he caft out De vils by the Finger of God, Luke xi. 20. that he did these Works by the Spirit of God Matth. xii. 18. And again, The Father, faith he, that dwelleth in me, he doth the Works, Joh. xiv. 10. That he hath all his Attributes, alfo derived from the Father, is generally acknowledged even by those who ftile themfelves the Orthodox. And of neceffity it must be fo, fince all Properties flow from the Effence, and in reality are only the Effence partially confidered, or with relation to fuch Powers. So that when the individual Effence is one and the fame, the Actions and Powers flowing from that Effence, muft be the fame. And hence they conftantly affert, that the Will, Power, and Wisdom, (a) of the whole Trinity, is one and the same; and that what one wills, does, and knows, they all do, will, and know, by Virtue of this Unity of Effence.

The Primitive Fathers of the first three Centuries do alfo generally agree, that the Son receiv'd his Power from the Father, as it hath been obferved already. And particularly Hippolitus, (b) that his Knowledge was given him by the Father: to which the Orthodox are forced to fay, that he receiv'd this Power, this Dominion, and these Attributes, by receiving the fame individual Effence with the Father

(4) Dr. W~~d. p. 337.

(5) Πᾶσαν τὴν ἐπισήμην παραὶ τῆς πατρὸς λαβὼν. Contra Noun