6. Christ the Lord is He who was
born in the city of David Luke ii. 11.. And
wouldest thou know that Christ is Lord with the Father even
before His Incarnation Among those who denied
the Divine præ-existence of Christ Cleopas enumerates Ebion,
Carpocrates, Theodotus, Artemon, Paul of Samosata, Marcellus, and
Photinus., that thou mayest
not only accept the statement by faith, but mayest also receive proof
from the Old Testament? Go to the first book, Genesis: God
saith, Let us make man, not ‘in My image,’ but,
in Our image Gen. i. 26.. And after
Adam was made, the sacred writer says, And God created man; in the
image of God created He him Ib. i.
27.. For he
did not limit the dignity of the Godhead to the Father alone, but
included the Son also: that it might be shewn that man is not
only the work of God, but also of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Himself
also Very God. This Lord, who works together with the Father,
wrought with Him also in the case of Sodom, according to the
Scripture: And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah fire
and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven Ib. xix.
24.. This Lord is He who afterwards was
seen of Moses, as much as he was able to see. For the Lord is
loving unto man, ever condescending to our infirmities.