(3.) Thirdly, As the attribute of God's omniscience is ascribed to Christ, so the attribute of God's mnnipresence is ascribed to Christ ; Mat. xviii. 20, ' Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them ;' and chap, xxviu. 29, 'I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.' He is not contained in any place, who was before there was any place, Prov. viii. 22, and John i. 1, 3, and did create all places by his own power. Whilst Christ was on earth in respect of his bodily presence, he was in the bosom of his Father, which must be understood of his divine nature and person. He did come down from heaven, and yet remained in heaven, 2 Christ is universally present, he is present at all times and all places, and among all persons ; he is repletively everywhere, inclusively nowhere. Diana's temple was burnt down when she was busy at Alexander's birth, and could not be at two places together ; but Christ is present both in paradise and in the wilderness at the same time, uhi non est per gratiam, adest per vindtctam, where he is not by his gracious influence, there he is by his vindictive power.3 Empedocles could say that God is a circle, whose centre is everywhere, whose circumference is nowhere. The poor blind heathens could say that God is the soul of the world ; and thus, as the soul is Ma in toto, and tota in qualihet parte, so is he, that his eye is in every corner, &c. To which purpose they so portrayed their goddess Minerva, that which way soever one cast his eye, she always beheld him. But,
(4.) Fourthly, As the attribute of God's omnipresence is ascribed to Christ, so the attribute of God's omnipotency is ascribed to Christ, and this speaks out the Godhead of Christ, ' All power is given unto
^ Mat. ix. 24, and xii. 25; Luke v. 22, vi. 18, xi. 17, and xxiv. 38, &c.
' John i. 18, iii. 13 ; Ps. cxxxix. 7-11.
" Greg, in Ezek. Horn. 8, Aug. medit. c. 29, where two are sitting together, and con- versing about the law, there is Shechinah, the divine majesty, among them, Grotius on Mat. xviii. 20.
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me, in heaven and in earth,' Mat. xxviii. 18 ; John v. 19. ' What things soever the Father doth, these also doth the Son,' Phil. iii. 21. He is called by a metonymy ' the power of God,' 1 Cor. i. 24. * He is the Almighty,' Eev. i. 8, ' He made all things,' John i. 3. ' He upholds all things,' Heb, i. 3. ' He shall change our vile body,' saith the apostle, ' that it may be like unto his glorious body, accord- ing to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself,' Phil. iii. 21. Now from what has been said we may thus argue, He to whom the incommunicable properties of the most high God are attributed, he is the most high God ; but the incommunicable properties of the most high God are attributed to Christ, ergo, Christ is the most high God.i But,
5. Fifthly, Christ's eternal deity, co-equality, and consubstan- tiality with the Father, may be demonstrated from his divine ivorks. The same works which are peculiar to God are ascribed to Christ. Such proper and peculiar, such divine and supernatural works as none but God can perform, Christ did perform. As, [1.] Election. The elect are called his elect, Mat. xxiv. 31 ; John xiii. 18. ' I know whom I have chosen,' John xv. 16. 'I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain;' ver. 19, ' But I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.' [2.] Redemption. 0 sirs, none but the great God could save us from wrath to come, none but God blessed for ever could deliver us from the curse of the law, the dominion of sin, the damnatory power of sin, the rule of Satan, and the flames of heU.2 Ah, friends, these enemies were too potent, strong, and mighty for any mere creature, yea, for all mere creatures, to conquer and overcome. None but the most high God could everlastingly secure us against such high enemies. [3.] Remission of sins. Mat. ix. 6, ' The Son of man hath power to forgive sins.' Christ here positively proves that he had power on earth to forgive sins, because miraculously, by a word of his mouth, he causes the palsy man to walk, so that he arose and departed to his house immediately. Christ he forgives sin autho- ritatively. Preachers forgive only declaratively, John xx. 23, as Nathan to David, ' The Lord hath put away thine iniquity,' 2 Sam. xii. 7. I have read of a man that could remove mountains, but none but the man Christ Jesus could ever remit sin. AU the persons in the Trinity forgive sins, yet not in the same manner. The Father bestows for- giveness, the Son merits forgiveness, and the Holy Ghost seals up forgiveness, and applies forgiveness. [4.] The bestowing of eternal life. John X. 28, ' My sheep hear my voice, and I give unto them eternal life.' Christ is the prince and principle of life, and therefore all out of him are dead whilst they live. Col. iii. 3, 4. Eternal life is too great a gift for any to give but a God. [5.] Creation. John i. 3, ' All things are made by him;' and ver. 10, 'The world was made by him.' Col. i. 16, ' By him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible.' Now the apostle telleth you ' he that built all things is God ; ' Christ built all things, ergo, Christ is God.3
^ See Col. i. 16, 17, Ps. cii. 26, compared with Heb. i. 8, 10, John i. 10.
* 1 Thes. i. 10; Gal. iii. 13; Kom. vi. 14, and viii. 1 ; Luke i. 68-80.
• Justin Martyr quoteth two Greek verses out of Pythagoras to prove there is but one
160 Christ's eternal deity proved.