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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B27515	Reflections on two discourses concerning the divinity of our Saviour, written by Monsieur Lamoth in French, and done into English written to J.S.	Nye, Stephen, 1648?-1719.; E. E.	1693 (1693)	Wing N1508B	32,573	26

the People and Protection on the Part of the King is broken on the Peoples Part if they set up or own any other Person as King besides him who of Right is so But come we now to the true Strength of his Book the Texts that he hath alledged On his first Proposition from the Words of his Text. HE chooseth for his Subject or Text the Words of St. Paul Phil. 6. 7. Who being in the Form of God thought it not Robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no Reputation and took upon him the Form of a Servant and was made in the Likeness of Men. He saith these Words present us with three Propositions 1. That Jesus Christ was before he was in the Form of Man 2. That he was in the Form of God before he was in the Form of Man 3. That he thought it not Robbery to be equal with his heavenly Father The first of these that Jesus was before he was in the Form of Man he proveth thus The Text says that being in the Form of God he humbled himself or as 't is in the Original he emptied himself But what Sense shall we make of the Words saith he if it be not true that our Saviour before his Birth of the Blessed Virgin was in a more glorious State than was that State upon which he entred at his Nativity 'T is an Impiety that runs through our Author 's whole Book that the Scriptures have not spoken Sense if they do not always mean as he would have them I pray Sir see the seventh Chapter of the Answer to Mr. Milbourn and then tell me whether the Socinians have not made Sense of St. Paul's Words without supposing as Trinitarians here do that Paul advanceth another or a second God! It is shown there that to be in the Form of God is common to our Saviour with all other Men all Men say the Scriptures are made in the Similitude Form or Likeness of God Jam. 3. 9. But our Blessed Saviour was more in the Form or Likeness of God than any other Man or Men because he had a more perfect Holiness and a miraculous Power and Authority over the Devils Diseases the Sea the Winds for the Confirmation of that Doctrine which he was to deliver to Men in the Name of God Our English Translation adds he thought it not Robbery to be equal with God But 't is now known even to School-boys that the Greek Words should have been rendred to a just contrary Purpose their Lexicon upon the Greek Testament made by the industrious and learned G. Pasor teaches them to read here Non rapuit aequalitatem cum Deo he assumed not to himself to be equal with God So that the Sense is though the Lord Christ was in a greater Likeness to God than ever any other Creature was yet he was far from imitating the Pride and Ambition of Lucifer he took not on him to be equal with God but on the contrary he took on him the Form of a Servant that is to set us an Example of Humility and mutual Toleration he submitted to Reproach and even to Blows without reviling again or other ways avenging himself on those that wronged him Every one knows what Great Erasmus hath said upon this Text that though the Fathers were wont to urge it against the Arians to prove that the Son is God equal with the Father yet the Apostle saith he had no such Intention Therefore he approveth the Explication of St. Ambrose Non defendit sibi aequalitatem Christ did not defend himself to be equal with God M. Luther the first Reformer lib. de duplici just admonishes his Reader that we must not understand this Text affirmatively but negatively not as saying that Christ made himself equal with God but as denying that he is equal with God which I mention only that the less learned Reader may know that besides the Socinians some of the principal Interpreters and Criticks among our Opposers themselves have been aware that this is not a Context to be insisted on as a Proof of our Saviour's Divinity Our Translation goes on and took on him the Form of a Servant and was made in the Likeness of Men. I could never yet see any Greek Testament that so reads the Words and I dare affirm that no Greek Copy whether Printed or Manuscript so reads All the Original Copies with one Consent read thus But made himself of no Reputation taking the Form of a Servant being made in the Likeness of Men and found in fashion as a Man that is being a Man like to all other Men so the Trinitarian Interpreters themselves understand the Words he humbled himself and became obedient to Death even the Death of the Cross i. e. he submitted to the unjust Powers that then were and chearfully underwent Death even the painful and ignominious Death of the Cross This all learned Men know and own is the true Reading of this Text and it blows away at once all the little Devices that Monsieur Lamoth uses to pervert its plain and obvious meaning But in pursuance of this first Proposition from his Text that Christ was before he was made Man he urges divers other Texts nine in all 1. He saith that Jesus Christ declares that he was come down from Heaven and that he was in Heaven before ever he ascended thither We answer Mr. Lamoth makes use of a peculiar Bible of his own he will never be able to show us such a Text in any Bible but that which is in his private Custody 2. John the Baptist saith John 1. 30. After me cometh a Man who is preferred before me for he was before me We answer with his learned Country-man Th. Beza the Lord Christ was preferred before John because though he was after John in Time yet he was before him in Merit and Dignity 3. But St. Paul says 1 Cor. 10. 9. Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them the Israelites in the Wilderness tempted and were destroyed of Serpents This Text were indeed to the Purpose of our Saviour's Pre-existence if it had been said here that the Israelites in the Wilderness tempted i. e. murmured against Christ But this is not said and 't is certain they tempted God not the Lord Christ 4. It is said of Moses Heb. 11. 26. He preferred the Reproach of Christ before the Treasures of Egypt We answer with almost all the Commentators on the Scriptures the Israelites were reproached by their Oppressors the Egyptians with their Hopes of a Saviour or Messias or Christ but Moses preferred this Reproach as the Egyptians counted it before all the Treasures of Egypt 5. Our Saviour again saith John 8. 58. Before Abraham was I am It is to be understood as when 't is said of the same our Lord Christ Rev. 13. 8. The Lamb who was slain from the Beginning of the World Christ was and was slain before Abraham and before the Foundation of the World not

or his Secrets to these new Believers he did not judg them fit to be trusted till they were well grounded and setled in the Faith he knew what all Men are how sickle and uncertain nay oft-times designing and malicious so he needed not that any should bid him be cautions or aware of Men Himself knew better than all Men the Infidelity Treachery Variableness and all other Infirmities of Men therefore he would not confide in Persons not known to him by some Experience first had of them This is the natural and obvious Sense of St. John's Words they are very evidently a Testimony of our Saviour's Prudence as a Man not of his Omniscience as a God There is no more Force to Mr. Lamoth's Purpose in St. Peter's Words to our Saviour Thou knowest all things The Lord Jesus had said to Peter Peter lovest thou me Peter grieved that such a Question should be put to him answers Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest I love thee His undoubted meaning is There is no Secret hid from thee thou fore-sawest my Fall my unhappy Weakness in denying thee but neither is it hid from thee that I love thee and then also loved thee though for a Moment Fear overcame Love What is there in this Answer to perswade any reasonable Man that Peter made his Master to be God or believed another a second God Thou knowest all Secrets but was not Peter aware that it was by Revelation from God by God's inhabiting Spirit or Inspiration that our Saviour and so many other Prophets knew all the Secrets of the Persons with whom they conversed Let us see whether we cannot even wrest it from our Opposers that all our Saviour's Knowledg whether of Secrets or of things to come was by Revelation from God not from his own proper and natural Omniscience as God! St. John speaking of our Saviour in his present State of Exaltation has this Passage Rev. 1. 1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to shew to his Servants things that must shortly come to pass and he Christ sent and signified it by his Angel or by his Messenger to his Servant John What Artifices what Elusions or Shifts will Mr. Lamoth betake him to to get rid of this Text which indeed putteth an End to the Question of our Saviour's Divinity For were he indeed God were his Knowledg of all Secrets and of things to come from his own Omniscience as God it could never have been said of him the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to shew to his Servants Our Opposer's last Hope is in the Words of our Saviour I search the Reins and Heart He ought to know that to search the Heart and Reins is an Hebrew and Scripture-Phrase or Form of speaking and signifies no more but this to know the most secret Thoughts and Purposes of the Mind and Heart This Knowledg is originally in none but God but it may be in others derivatively by Derivation or Revelation from God Only God knoweth the Reins and Heart originally of himself or by his own proper and natural Omniscience but Prophets and more especially our Saviour search and know the Hearts secondarily derivatively by God's Revelation to them or by his inhabiting Spirit in them We are assured that only this last was our Saviour's meaning in these Words I search the Heart by the first Words of this Book of Revelation before quoted even these the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him There could be no need that God should make a Revelation to him if he himself knew the Reins and Heart by a natural Omniscience of his own In one Word we ought not to stick at the mere Syllables I search the Heart but should consider the Import or Sense of that Phrase in the Scripture-Language If it signifies only thus much to know the Thoughts of the Heart or Mind it will not prove the Person of whom they are spoken to be omniscient or God unless it be also said he knoweth the Heart by his own Omniscience and not as 't is said of our Saviour by Revelation from God or God's inhabiting Spirit The fifth Attribute of God is his Power and this Author fears not to say at p. 40. the Lord Christ is as powerful as God I marvel that a sensible Man could say such a thing for as powerful as God is plainly to say two Almighties and two Gods 'T is impossible for Mr. Lamoth to evade this contradictory and blasphemous Consequence but by another which will be as silly as this is impious He cannot escape it but by saying that the Lord Christ himself is that God but then as powerful as God amounts to this as powerful as himself Hath Mr. Lamoth taken a Journey from France into England to bless us with such a Discovery that the Lord Christ is as powerful as himself or is as powerful as he is powerful But here too we must examine his Proofs our Saviour saith of himself John 5. 19. What things soever the Father doeth those also doeth the Son Again he saith John 6. 40. He that believeth on me hath eternal Life and I will raise him at the last Day And St. Paul saith of him Phil. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile Body that it may be like his glorious Body according to the Working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Lastly we have this Argument of our Saviour's Almighty Power that St. John saith Without him was not any thing made that was made John 1. 3. Which thing St. Paul dilates more largely in these Words For by him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible all things were created by him and for him Col. 1. 16. 'T is the perpetual Method Sir of our Opposers to argue from imperfect broken Passages of Holy Scripture concealing what goes before and what follows after as also how those Expressions are elsewhere interpreted by the Scriptures themselves But the Reason of this is never so little Sincerity in quoting the Scriptures would ruine their Cause Be you Judg Sir whether this be not a just Charge The Lord Christ saith Mr. Lamoth is as powerful as God for he himself saith Whatsoever things the Father doeth those also doeth the Son but he conceals what goes before in the same Verse Verily verily I say to you the Son can do nothing of himself And what again follows at ver 30. I can do nothing of my self He was aware that these explicatory Expressions would destroy his Argument from that part of the Verse which he alledged to prove that our Saviour is another Almighty therefore he was resolved only to quote the Part of the Verse which being separated from the rest and repeated by it self would seem to make for his Purpose But if you add to these Words which he hath dislocated from the rest even to these What things the Father doeth those