The consideration of the charoe on the Annotations relating to
A REVIEW OF THE ANNOTATIONS OF HUGO GROTIUS. 631
their tampering with the testimonies given in the Scripture to THE DEITY OF Christ, being another head of the whole, may now have place.
The sum of what is to this purpose by me affirmed is, that in the Annotations on the Old and New Testament, Grotius hath left but one place giving testimony clearly to the deity of Christ. To this assertion I added both a limitation and also an enlargement in seve- ral respects; — a limitation, that I could not perceive he had spoken of himself clearly on that one place. On supposition that he did so, I granted that perhaps one or two places more might accordingly be interpreted. That this one place is John i. 1, 1 expressly affirmed; that is the one place wherein, as I say, he spake not home to the busi- ness. The defence of the apologist in the behalf of Grotius consists of sundry discourses: — First, To disprove that he hath [not] left more than that one of John free from the corruption charged, he instances in that one of John i. 1, wherein, as he saith, he expressly asserts the deity of Christ ; but yet wisely foreseeing that this instance would not evade the charge, having been expressly excepted (as to the pre- sent inquiry) and reserved to farther debate, he adds the places quoted by Grotius in the exposition of that place, as Prov. viii. 21-27, Isa. xlv. 12, xlviii. 18, 2 Pet. iii. 5, Col. i. 16: from all which he concludes that the Annotations have left more testimonies to the deity of Christ untampered withal and unperverted than my assertion will allow, reckoning them all up again, section the 1 Oth^ and concluding himself a successful advocate in this case, or at least under a despair of ever being so in any if he acquit not himself clearly in this. If his failure herein be evinced by the course of his late writings, himself will appear to be most concerned. I suppose, then, that on the view of this defence, men must needs suppose that in the annotations on the places repeated, and mustered a second time by the apologist, Grotius does give their sense as bearing wit- ness to the deity of Christ. Others may be pleased to take it for granted without farther consideration ; for my part, being a little concerned to inquire, I shall take the pains to turn to the places, and give the reader a brief account of them.
For Prov. viii., his first note on the wisdom there spoken of is, "Hsec de ea sapientia quae in Lege apparet exponunt Hebrtei : et sane ei, si non soli, at prsecipue hsec attributa conveniunt." Now, if the attributes here mentioned agree either solely or principally to the wisdom that shines in the law, how they can be the attributes of the person of the eternal Son of God I see not. He adds no more to that purpose until he comes to the 22d verse, the verse of old con- tested about with the Arians. His words on tliat are, " Grrecum Aquilse est, hzryiearo (li, ut et Symmachi et Theodotionis, rcspon- detque bene Hebrseo ""^ii^. At Chaldseus habet ^1^, et LXX. Exr/o-f,
632 A REVIEW OF THE ANNOTATIONS OF HUGO GROTIUS. '
sensu non malo, si creare sumas iprofacere ut ajypareat. Vice Dei sunt operationes ipsius. Sensum hujus loci et sequentium uon male exprimas cum Philoue de Coloniis: 'O Xoyog 6 vpiGZbnpog ruv y'svigiy siXri^oTuv, o5 xadd'Tsp o7a7tog sveiXrifji,hog 6 ruv oXuv x,uCspv7]-r}; itfihoCkioMyzT ra ehiJj'iravra, xai ore sKoff/jjO-TrXdersi ^prisd/^ivog opydvuj rourui vphg t'/jv dvv~ •ffairiov ruv d-7roTsXou/j,svuv dusraffiv." On verse 27 he adds, " Aderam, id est, riv rrphg rov Qsov, ut infra Johan. Evang. i. 1/'
What clear and evident testimony, by this exposition, is left in this place to the deity of Christ, I profess myself as ignorant as I was before I received this direction by the apologist. He tells us that ""^^i^ is rendered not amiss by the Chaldee i^y^, and the LXX. sKTiffs, though he knew that sense was pleaded by the Arians, and exploded by the ancient doctors of the church. To relieve this con- cession, he tells us that " creare" may be taken for " facere ut ap- pareat," though there be no evidence of such a use of the word in Scripture, nor can he give any instance thereof. The whole inter- pretation runs on that wisdom that is a property of God, which he manifested in the works of creation. Of the Son of God, the essen- tial Wisdom of God, subsisting with the Father, we have not one word. Nor doth that quotation out of Philo relieve us in this busi- ness at all ; we know in what sense he used the word 6 Xoyog. How far he and the Platonics, with whom in this expression he consented, were from understanding the only-begotten Son of God, is known. If this of Philo has any aspect towards the opinion of any professing themselves Christians, it is towards that of the Arians, which seems to be expressed therein. And this is the place chosen by the apologist to disprove the assertion of none being left, under the sense given them by the Annotations, bearing clear testi- mony to the deity of Christ ! His comparing "'^^? ^^, " ibi ego," which the Vulgar renders " aderam," with rjv Tphg rhv Qs6v, seems rather to cast a suspicion on his intention in the expression of that place of the evangelist than in the least to give testimony to the deity of Christ in this. If any one be farther desirous to be satisfied how many clear, unquestionable evidences of the deity of Christ are slighted by these annotations on this chapter, let him consult my vindica- tion of the place in my late " Vindicise Evangelicae," where he will find something tendered to him to that purpose. What the apologist intended by adding these two places of Isaiah, chap. xlv. ] 2 and chajj. xlviii. 18 (when in his annotations on these places Grotius not once mentions the deity of Christ, nor any thing of him, nor hath occa- sion so to do, nor doth produce them in this place to any such end or purpose, but only to show that the Chaldee paraphrase doth sundry times, when things are said to be done by God, render it that they were done by the word of God), as instances to the prejudice of ray assertion, I cannot imagine.