PROPOSITION VIII. 147 sinners, the raising of the dead, &e. but the proofs of the divi- nity of Christ are sufficient and abundant without these helps. Thus I have finished the eighthproposition, and shewn that these very names, titles, attributes, works and worship; which are peculiar to God, and incommunicable to another, are as- cribed to three by God himself, in his word, which three are dis- tinguished by the names of Father, Son and Spirit: After all, suppose a man should object thus, You have pre- tended to prove the deity of the Son and Spirit, by theascriptiorf of such properties, works and worship to them, as belong only to the true God : But how do you know that all these can never belong to any creature ? As for instance, cannot God communi- cate to any inferior being a sort of omnipotency, and vest him with almighty power ? Or omniscience, and give him universal knowledge ? Or immutability, and make him unchangeable ? Is it an impossible thing that any being inferior to the great God, should be capable of forming several parts of the creation : Of changing the hearts of men ? Of raising the dead ? And is there no so sort of religious worship, thanksgivingand praise, which can be given to any creature, upon the account of some extra- ordinary and spiritual benefits, received, or to be received front him ? And if so, then the ascription of these things to the SOUL and Spirit, are not sufficient and certain proofs, that true and proper godhead is ascribed to them. I answer It is not within our present reach, nor does it necessarily concern us, to know how far the powers of a creature can go, how glorious, and powerful, and perfect a creature God can make, or how sublime worship or honours, he might have fitted a creature to receive : It is not for us to say, that, in the nature of things, it is utterly impossible for any being beneath a God, to have any one of these powers or characters communicated to him : Yet we dare affirm this, that since God has assumed these properties, these works, this worship, and peculiarised them td himself in his word, and since he describes himself by these cha- racters, to distinguish himself from all inferior beings, he would never suffer any mere creature to stand upon record in his word, with these powers, properties, and characters belonging to hits for this would be to give away his own distinguishing titles and properties. This would be to run counter to that holy jealousy, which he professes for his own name, and to bring perpetual con- fusion into all parts of religion, as I have shewn in the foregoing propositions.
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