DISSERTATION Iß, S19 success in their reasonings with the heathens on thissubject, if they introduged Jesus Christ as another god, as an inferior god, as one who by nature was no god, and proposed him to be their god, or the object of their worship, merely by the appointment of the supreme -God ? Would not this look like building again the things which they had destroyed, if Jesus Christ had no such communion in the natural supreme and eternal godhead, as might render him a proper, capableobject of their religious wor- ship, according to the general dictate of scripture, that we must Worship God alone ? Would not this have a tendency to establish their old superstition and polytheism rather than destroy it ? Let us suppose St. Paul had been just preaching up the ,unity of the true God to the Athenians, or Corinthians, and for- bidding them to worship any of these inferior gods, and the souls of departed heroes; let us' suppose that he had fixed theirfaithupon the one true God, and appropriated their worship to him.; and suppose in a little time after, he should teach them to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, which doubtless he did toall his disciples, for the christians were generally knosyn by this charac- ter, viz. All that call upon thename óf the Lord Jesus ; I Col, i. 2. What would the heathens say? "Bid .you - not lately leach us the worship ofthe one true God, and bid us renounce our several departed heroes and inferior deities, and all other gods whatsoever ; And are you already bringing in your departed hero Christ for a new inferior god among us ?" I know not how the apostle could readily and clearly give a.plain and satisfactory answer to them upon the Arian principle. But if he should tell them Jesus Christ is not another god, for this man Jesus has the fulness of the true godhead dwelling in him, he is united to the one true God, and thereby becomes one with God and upon this account may justly be worshipped. Snell an answer of the apostle would stop their accusation, would make his Own doctrine con- sistent with itself, would maintain the unity of the true God, and justify his demolition of their inferior deities. I freely confess, that there is a real difference between the Arian wors,Jiip of Christ, and the heathen worship of their gods or heroes ; because these are either fictitious, or at best Have no such real power and authority as our Saviour is allowed to have even in the Arian scheme, Iiut it would be hard to make this dif- ference appear to thejieathenmultitudes where the apostlepreach- ed : for if Christ be supposed to have no superior nature to his human soul and body, the gentiles would plead liard for their inferior gods and heroes, both as having an extensive power in themselves suited to their particular charge, and as being ap- pointed by Jupiter their chief god, to perform various servicesfor mankind, to exercise their deputed powers, and to receive inferior
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