528 THE OLO$Y O crimsT AS GOD -MAN. cf Assyria : And, again, lily master bath sent me to speak these e ods: Thus neither in eastern nor western nations do we find ambassadors use the style, and assume the name and honour of their princes to themselves : and who can believe that the only ambassador that calls himself by his master's name assumes his master's titles, and style to himself, and receives the homage that is due to him, should be the ambassador of the great God the Creator and Lord of the world ? But this leads me to the third consideration : 3. If this were ever practised by the ambassadors of earthly princes, yet it would by no means follow, that a messenger from the great and eternal God, the King of heaven, should personate this great God himself in delivering his errands, without any evident hints to distinguish the ambassador from God himself. There is an infinite distance between the great God and a mere creature, even the most excellent creature, and that when it is employed as an ambassador for God. There is some proportion between the highest prince and the lowest of mankind ; and therefore though one man may personate another, yet no creature can with safety to God's honour or toman's duty personate the great God. There is a much greater danger in mistaking a creature for God, and paying that worship to a creature which is appropriated to God, than there is in mistaking the meanest man for the greatest monarch : Onewould be a misdemeanor between man and man, the other seems to be plain idolatry, and paying the peculiar honours of God to acreature. And yet such a mistake seems to be unavoidable, ifa crea- ture might thus assume divinenames and titles to himself ; for it may readily be supposed that God himself might also assume a visible appearance like that of an angel, and by consequence without an express revelation, in such a case, it wouldbe impos- sible to distinguish the one from the other, that is to know which was God in the form of an angel, and which was the angel per- sonating God. Now in this view of things, religious worship must have been either neglected to the real Deity, or else must have been paid to an angel. Therefore it seems no way likely that the great God who is all-wise and all-good, should so little consult his own honour or the happiness and duty of mankind, as to indulge such a mistake, or to lay unavoidable foundationsfor it, and temptations to it. 4. If it were possible in the nature of things that the great God should depute a creature for his ambassador or representa- five; and give him a commisssion to assume divine titles, and to receive divine worship, yet God seems to have declared in his word that he will not do it, for he bath declared himself to be a jealous God, jealous ofhis own name and honour, and to that degree, that he borrows oneof his glorious titles from this his
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