XVI.

Col. i. 15. "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature:" or, "of the whole creation 90,"

Upon this text very great stress is laid for the purpose of illustrating the mode of the derivation of the Son from the Father.

1. The Trinitarians understand the words as expressive of the eternal necessary generation of the Son of God.

This is the interpretation of Calvin, Beza, and others, who evade the inference of the Arians, that the Son must be a creature, by insisting that in this case the expression would have been first created,' not 'first begotten'91.

2. Dr. Clarke insists strongly upon this text to establish his doctrine, "that the Son is the eternal and voluntary, but not created production of the Father's power."

"It is observable," says this learned writer (Scr. Doct. No. 937,) "that St. Paul here does not call our Saviour PWTONTIσTOS, 'first-created;' but #gwToronos, first-born:' πρωτοτοκος, signifying in general that he was before the creation of all things brought forth, produced by, derived from, the Father; but not declaring in what particular manner. Col. i. 17.—What the figurative word Texas, generated' or 'begotten,' properly and literally implies, this the Scripture has no where revealed or explained." He produces many passages from ancient writers to show that in this sentiment they coincided with him.

90 πρωτοτοκος πασης κτίσεως.

Non ideo tantum primogenitus, quod tempore præcesserit omnes creaturas, sed quia in hoc a Patre sit genitus, ut per ipsum conderentur." Calvin." Facilis est responsio ad Arianorum cavillumnam hac ratione dicendus fuisset πρωτος κτισθεις. Αt cum dicitur proToxos, manifeste distinguitur quod genitum est ab eo quod est conditum." Beza.

3. The Arians understand the text as expressing the creation of the Logos by the Father before all worlds.

"It obviously denotes," says Dr. Harwood, (Soc. Sch. p. 35,)" that the Son of God is the very first being whom the power and goodness of the Supreme produced into existence." To the same purpose is Mr. Peirce's note upon the text.

4. Grotius, and with him the Socinian and most of the Unitarian expositors, interpret the text as referring to the new creation. Eph. ii. 10; iv. 24, The word first-born is used to express excellence in its kind. Ps. lxxxix. 27. Jer. xxxi. 9. Job xviii. 13.92 And of the new creation Christ is the head and chief, being the chief instrument of God in the renovation of the moral world.

5. The word πOWτсто×оs, 'first born,' occurs again, ver. 18, "who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead:" where it plainly signifies that Christ was the first person who was raised from the dead to an immortal life. There can be little doubt that this is the true mean

ing of the word in the 15th verse. It is so, probably, in the few remaining passages in which this epithet is applied to Christ in the writings of Paul. Heb. i. 6. And certainly Revel. i. 5:

Rom. viii. 29. "The first-born from the dead;" the very phrase which is used Coloss. i. 18.

91 #ρWTOTOXOS, primus in creatione nova, de qua 2 Cor. v. 17. Apoc. xxi. 5." Grotius." Per creaturam non intelligitur creatura vetus sed nova. Hujus creaturæ Christus est primogenitus, id est, omnium primus a Deo creatus." Crellius.-" πρωτοτοκον Hebræis dicitur quod primum et quod summum est in quoque genere. Ps. lxxxix. 26-28." Brennius.-The first born, i. e. the chief, the lord of all mankind: ver. 23: Mark xvi. 15, " of the new creation ; of Jews and Gentiles, now blended into one mass." Lindsey's Seq. p. 478. Dr. Priestley's Ear. Op. vol. iii. p. 496. Haynes on Attrib. P. 197.

XVII.

Col. i. 17. "He is before all things 93:"

i. e. in time, dignity, and excellence, in the natural creation, if that be the subject of the apostle's discourse; or, of the new creation, if that be the subject treated of, as Unitarians maintain. This question will be discussed hereafter. Mr. Lindsey explains the phrase of "priority in the destination and purpose of Almighty God," Seq: p. 482. Grotius, Brennius, and the old Socinians understand it of the high rank and dignity to which he is now advanced, and the authority which is given him over all creatures, as they apprehend.

No argument for the pre-existence of Christ can be drawn from this ambiguous text.

Rev. iii. 14.

XVIII.

"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning," or head, “ of the creation of God."

The natural creation, according to Arians and Trinita. rians-the new moral creation, as Unitarians believe. And that it will bear this interpretation is acknowledged by learned Trinitarians themselves. Beza and Hammond both explain the words in this sense94.

Mr.Lindsey justly observes, that "our Lord having characterized himself, first, as the truth, or teacher of truth; next, as the faithful martyr to the truth; it is much more consistent with these characters to proceed to represent himself as the head of the new creation, the leader and chief

και αυτός εστι προ παντων.] προ is an adverb of time and place, and sometimes, figuratively, of excellence. James v. 12. 1 Pet. iv. 8." Schleusner.

94.56 afxn, a quo principium ducunt omnes res conditæ: vel potius

chief of the whole army of martyrs, than as the being who created all things." Comm. and Essays, vol. i. p. 449.

The old Socinians understood the words of the universal dominion to which Christ was, as they thought, advanced after his ascension into heaven 95.

These are all the passages which the author, many years ago, after a careful perusal of the New Testament, could discover and select as what then appeared to him clear and unequivocal assertions of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ; as to the generality of Christians they still appear. He has stated those criticisms and interpretations of them which he now thinks to be just, and by which he was gradually, and not without much reluctance, induced to abandon his former conclusions as erroneous and unscriptural. He does not expect that these interpretations will afford the same satisfaction to all his readers, even to those who are most candid and ingenuous, who are sincere inquirers after truth, and who value it above all price. It was long before he himself attained the satisfaction which he now feels. But truth, aided by time, will gradually make its way. And in the mean while, it is surely not too much to expect, that it will be allowed that these texts, which at the first glance appear so decisively to assert the pre-existence of Christ, nevertheless admit of an interpretation, founded upon the principles of just criticism, perfectly consistent with his proper and simple humanity.

Upon these texts, which lie at the very foundation of the Arian and Trinitarian doctrines, it has been thought expedient to insist at large. These being thus copiously discussed, the remaining articles may be dispatched with greater brevity.

novi seculi, i. e. ecclesiæ, caput verum, et unicum principium." Beza. "Qui primus pater et auctor est ecclesiæ christianæ." Hammond, "Novæ creationis." Grotius.

SECTION IV.

A COLLECTION OF TEXTS, WHICH, IF THEY DO NOT DIRECTLY ASSERT THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST, HAVE NEVERTHELESS BEEN THOUGHT TO ALLUDE TO IT, AND TO BE MOST EASILY EXPLAINED UPON THAT HYPOTHESIS.

In the preceding Section it has been shown that the phrases to be with God,' and 'to ascend into heaven,' mean, to be made acquainted with the divine purposes and will and that the correlate phrases to be sent by God,'' to come from God,'' to descend from heaven,' and the like, express a divine commission to reveal the purposes and will of God to mankind.

Also, that the phrase, being in the form and likeness of God,' signifies being invested with miraculous powers; and the correspondent phrases, being in the likeness of a man,' or the form of a servant,' when put in opposition to the form of God,' signify appearing in a humble condition, like an ordinary man, who possessed no such miraculous powers.

It has also been proved that, in the language of Scripture, persons, or things, or states of things, are spoken of as actually existing, when they exist only in the divine. purpose and decree.

These principles being premised, there will be little difficulty in the explanation of those texts which, though they cannot be regarded as asserting, are nevertheless understood by many as alluding to, the pre-existence of Christ.

1. John vi. 46. "Not that any one hath seen the Father, save he who is of God, he hath seen the Father."