Father's glory, as well as accompanied with all the angels (Mat. xvi. 27. and xxv. 31. Mark viii. 38. Luke ix. 26.) By "the great God" therefore, must be understood, the one God and Father of all, who is here, and every where else, most evidently distinguished from our Saviour Jesus Christ. And this title," the great God," is never, in Scripture, applied to Jesus Christ, but frequently to the Father, and to him alone*."

Now, I believe, that no man could transcribe the above paragraphs, whatever might be his religious creed, without feeling powerfully tempted to enter his protest against the strangenesses of reasoning in both of them. But I have resolved to keep as clear as possible from all the other arguments which may be, or ever have been urged in behalf of either interpretation of the text; and to confine myself strictly to my own proper object.Wherefore, my motive in making these extracts, was only to shew, in general, (what it needs no comment to explain) in how badly a settled state, writers so deservedly esteemed as Doctors Clarke and Benson, have suf fered themselves to leave this passage; and how much more those persons who have taken their way of understanding it from them, must have been led by the authority of their names, than the goodness of their arguments; so that we may the less wonder, that it should be left to this late day, to examine more perfectly, what ought in

* The expression "great God" in the New Testament occurs (but the reading is dubious) in one other passage (Revelat. c. xix. v. 17.). And, as to the interpretation, (on the supposition of the truth of that reading) compare v. 9. of the same chapter.

reason

reason to have been the ground-work of all the rest, the philological nature of the clause in dispute.

You, Sir, at last, have boldly declared, not " that the words will indeed grammatically bear that construction," but, that they must, and can bear no other.

The subject of my Letter is, to enquire, whether they ever did bear any other sense, during the times while the Greek was a native language.

1. The first authority, in our order, is Clemens Αlex. andrinus. I shall be contented to transcribe him for his antiquity; and not stop to enquire, whether one might not also justly claim from him that interpretation which we are in quest of.

ѝ

Νυν δε επεφανη ανθρωποις αυτος οὗτος ὁ Λόγος, ὁ μόνος αμφω, θεος τε και ανθρωπος, άπαντων ήμιν αιτιος αγαθών, παρ' οὗ το ευ ζην εκδιδασκομενοι, εις αίδιον ζωην παραπεμα πομεθα κατα γαρ τον θεσπεσιον εκεινον του Κυριου αποστο λον, ή χαρις του θεοῦ ἡ σωτηριος, πασιν ανθρωποις επεφανή, παιδεύουσα ήμας, ἵνα αρνησάμενοι την ασέβειαν και τας κοσμικας, επιθυμίας, σωφρόνως και δικαίως και ευσεβώς ζη σωμεν εν τώ νυν αιωνι προσδεχομενοι την μακαρίαν ελπίδα, και επιφάνειαν της δόξης του μεγαλου Θέου και σωτηρος ἡμων Ιησου Χριστου. Τούτο εστι το ασμα το καινον (Psalm xcviii. 1. Apoc. v. 9.) ή επιφάνεια ή νυν εκλάμψασα εν ήμιν του εν αρχή οντος, και προοντος Λογου επεφανη δε εναγχος ο προων σωτηρ: επεφανη ὁ εν τῳ οντι ων, ὅτι ὁ Λου γος, ὃς ην προς τον θεον, διδασκαλος επεφανη, ᾧ τα παντα

δεδημιουργήται Λογος, ὁ και το ζήν εν αρχή μετά του πλασαι παρασχων, ὡς δημιουργος, το ευ ζην εδιδαξεν, επι Φανεις ως διδασκαλος, ἵνα το αει ζην ύστερον ὡς Θεος χορη γηση. (Cohortat. ad Gent, vol i. p. 7.) Ρ.

2. Hippolytus, in his treatise de Anti-Christo, at the end, alludes at least to our clause, and has left no uncertainty about the way in which he would have interpreted it.

Ταυτα σοι παρέστησα δια βραχέων αρυσάμενος, Θεοφιλε όπως φυλάσσων μετα πιστεως τα γεγραμμένα, και προβλε πων τα εσομένα, απρόσκοπον ἑαυτον και Θεῷ και ανθρωποις Φυλαξης, προσδεχόμενος την μακαρίαν ελπίδα, και επίφαση νειαν του Θεου και σωτηρος ἡμων, εν ή αναστησας τους ἅγι ους ήμων συν αυτοις ευφρανθήσεται, δοξάζων πατερα· αυτῳ η δοξα εις τους ατελευτήτους αιώνας των αιώνων. Αμήν.

3. Next the works of St. Athanasius will supply us with three examples.

After quoting St. Matthew, i. 23. he goes on: Τι δε τούτο εστιν η θεον εν σαρκι γεγενησθαι; ή δε αποστολική παραδοσις διδασκει του μεν μακαρίου Πετρου λέγοντος Χριστου ουν ὑπερ έμων παθόντος σαρκι (1 Pet. iv. 1.) του δε Παύλου γράφοντος, προσδεχομενοι την μακαρίαν ελπιδα και επιφανειαν της δόξης του μεγάλου Θεού και σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ιησού Χριστου· ὃς εδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπερ ύμων, ἵνα λυτρώσηται ήμας από πάσης ανομίας, και καθαρισῃ ἑαυτῳ λαον περιου σίου, ζηλωτήν καλων εργων. (Epistola ad Adelphium

Episcop,

Episcop. vol. i. p. 915.) The passage is produced, to shew, that God came in the flesh.

4. In the Treatise De Communi Essentia Patris, Filii et Spiritus Sancti, there is a section (27th) whose title is, Ότι μέγας Θεος εκληθη ὁ υἱός: and he produces this verse of the Epistle to Titus, and Romans c. ix. v. 5. in proof of that position.

5. The third quotation from the works of Athanasius, I have already transcribed, at length, in my second Letter. (See No. 2.) Only I may remark, once for all, (if it should be said, that this, and several other passages are not attributed to their true authors) that the matter is not of much importance; nay, that they are then only so many more separate testimonies.

6. The following is from the 15th of the Discourses on the creed by St. Cyril of Jerusalem. It is that Discourse on the clause, “ From thence he shall come, to judge the quick and the dead.”

.

Ηδη και ο Παύλος τας δυο παρουσίας ταύτας σημαίνει, γράφων προς Τίτον, και λέγων, Επιφανη η χάρις του Θεου του σωτηρος πασιν ανθρωποις, παιδευούσα ἡμας, ένα αρνησάμενοι την ασέβειαν, και τας κοσμικας επιθυμίας, σωφρόνως και ευσεβως και δικαίως ζησωμεν εν τῷ νυν αιωνι, προσδεχομενοί την μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα, και επιφανειών της δόξης του μεγαλου Θέου και σωτηρος ήμων Ιησου Χριστου. Βλέπεις όπως είπε πρώτην μεν, εφ' ήν ευχαριστει· δευτέραν δε, ἣν προσδοκωμεν. (p. 224. §. 2. Catech. 15.)

A few

A few words, from the same Discourse, nay serve as a Commentary on the above: He is now speaking of the dominion, and the ravages of Antichrist. Επι τρια δε στη μονα, και μηνας ἑξ τα τοιαυτα τολμήσας, ὑπὸ της δευ τέρας εξ ουρανων ενδοξου παρουσίας του μονογενους υἱου του Θεου καταργείται, του κυρίου και σωτηρος ήμων Ιησου, Χρισ του του αλήθους· ὃς ανελων του Αντιχριστου τῷ πνευματι του στόματος αυτου, τῳ της γεέννης παραδώσει πυρι. (p. 230. sect. 12.)

7. Epiphanius is our next authority.

Θεος δε ὁ Υἱος, says he; and then goes on to add, as proofs of this assertion, Εξ ών φησι, ὁ Χριστὸς κατὰ σάρκα, όμων επι πάντων Θεος:η, ότι εν αρχή ην ο Λόγος, και ὁ Λογος ην προς τον Θεον, και Θεός ην ο Λόγος της ἵνα ἵνα την διδασκαλίαν του σωτήρος ήμων κοσμησωσιν (Tit. ii. 10.) ή, επεφανη γαρ ή χαρις του κυρίου και σωτηρος ἡμῶν Χρίστου πασιν ανθρωποις, διδάσκουσα ήμας: η, δεχομένοι την μακα ριαν ελπίδα, και επιφάνειαν της δόξης του μεγάλου Θεου και σωτηρος ήμων Ιησου Χρίστου η, αυτή η διακονια του πνευε ματος, &c. (Adversus Hæres. 1. 3. tom. 1. p. 894.

This whole passage occurs alsa again, Ancorat, sect. 69. vol. ii. p. 74. And the verse is quoted vol. i. p. 887, 888, but without any remarks.

: 8. This text I find three times quoted in the single volume which I have examined of the Greek edition of

the