136 THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. viz. by the word ól hispower ;" Heb. i. 3. which signifies his mighty, or rather almighty word*. 2. It may further be observed, that as God is the first cause of all created beings, so he is the last end of all. All things were made for him, as well as by him ; Rev. iv. 11. " Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and werecrea- ted." Heb. ii. 10. " It became him, for whom are' all things, and by whom are all things," which is a description' of God. Even so all things were created for Christ, as well as by him. See Col. i. 10, 17. " By himwere all things created that are in heaven, and that are in' earth, visible and invisible; whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers ; all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist," or are conserved in their being and appointed station and order. 3. I remark yet further under this head, that creation is such a peculiar work of God, that his existence or being, his very nature, power, and godhead are certainly and infallibly inferred from it, as the apostle Paul assures us ; Rom. i. 20. " The in- visible things of God from the creation of the world, are clearly' seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead ; so that they are without excuse ;" even they who do not glorify that being as God, whom they may easily know by the work of creation. Thence it follows, that our Lord Jesus Christ must be the true God, must have eternal power and godhead, and 'must be glorified as God, since he created all things : For if any being that had not eternal power and godhead could create a world, then St. Paul's, argument is feeble, and falls to the ground ; then the invisible thingsof the world do not prove the existence of an invisible,, eternal and almighty God. Human reason can find out no ,higher being. than him, by whom all things were created, even that eternal power and godhead, which made all things, and was before all things, even from eternity. Now if Jesus Christ be theCreator, then he:is the highest being that reason can find out, and do.. wands all the honours oftrue godhead. 4. It may be observed, in the last place, that if our Lord Jesus Christ were but a mere man, and not the Creator of. the heavens and the earth, and yet had the honour and worship of a God given to him, he seems to fall under the sentence of de-. ;hvction which is,pronounced by the true and living God ;, Jer. s. 11. ." The gods 'that have not made the heavens and. the * Here it may be noted, that it is not the word Aoyaç logos, that is either need in Neb. i. 3. or in Heb. xi, 3. which is generally chosen when the Fa- ther is represented as acting by his Son or the personal word t But the word PtMn rem, hi ,used in both these places, to whew thatthe Son of God upholds the creationby'a mere word of command, acting in the some easy, and almighty, and divine manner AS the 'rather. ..
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