the more fo, as the apoftle proceeds to recommend the remembrance and obfervation of what "the apostles of our Lord Jefus Chrift had spoken, that in the latter times there fhould be mockers, fenfual, not having the fpirit," and to defire that they to whom he writes, "building up themselves in our most holy faith, fhould pray in the Holy Ghoft, keep themselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Christ, unto eternal life. Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, to prefent us faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wife. God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." See Jude throughA comment must be unneceffary here.

out.

As I prefcribed to myself the order in which the books of the fcripture are arranged, and had determined to enquire of the teftimony afforded by each in its course; and as I had but one conclufion in view, to the evidence of which alone proofs were to be brought, my intelligent reader will fee the impoffibility of stepping from proof to proof in a mathematical procefs, or of producing an encreafing teftimony commencing at a partial, and, in the end, refulting in a full demonftration of the truth of that one propofition, which must be rendered equally manifeft by the first, as by the last argument in its behalf. That the fcriptures have declared the divinity of our Lord, it is my office to show; and that this declaration is true, if made, must neceffarily follow, upon the conceffion that the fcriptures are the word of God, and therefore true; and as this conceffion is made, I am only to produce fuch declarations as are contained in them: this must be at once feen to preclude progreffive enquiry. I have, however, for the gratification of my reader, reserved a very few paffages, in which it is more directly and literally afferted that Je-.

fus

fus Chrift is one with the Father, God; and with thefe Į fhall close the evidence of the apoftles, the appointed witneffes of our bleffed Redeemer.

CXX.

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us," 1 John iii. 16. The name of "Jefus Chrift" does not once occur in the preceding part of the chapter, of which this is the 16th verse, so that it cannot poffibly be referred to by the pronoun "he;" our Lord and Saviour is therefore literally declared to be God. The courfe of the argument alfo makes a literal interpretation absolutely necessary, for the beloved difciple is perfuading us to love one another in confequence of our brotherhood, a motive which God could not have, to love beings fo infinitely inferiour to him; but that God loved us, is manifefted by his having rendered himself subject to death for our fake; we are therefore defired to love one another, from the equality and fympathy of our nature: the love of God is perceived, because he laid down his life for us; and therefore, "we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren," 1 John iii. 16.-See Inquiry into the belief of. the Chriftians of the first three centuries, p. 115.

CXXI.

St. Paul preaches thus to the Ephefians, whom he had called to Miletus, and whom he appointed elders. over the church to preach the gospel,

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overfeers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own blood," Acts xx. 28. What can convince if this be unable? Shall we fee the blood of God himself streaming for our redemption, and ftill deny that God and man are one Chrift? or fhall we not rather seek to be of the fold," return to the Shep

herd

herd of our fouls," to the "Lord God, who fhall feed his flock like a shepherd? who shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom,” Ifai. xl. 11. But St. Paul foresaw that men would look upon this pofition, which he has laid down, as a difficulty, which would turn afide fuch as yielded not their faith, but should proceed to enquire of the hidden mystery, and withdraw from the acknowledgment of spiritual things, because they were not in poffeffion of spiritual things to compare with them, whereby they fhould comprehend the things of God, into which the natural man is unable to enquire; and therefore he has faid even to these elders to whom he directs his charge, "For I know this, that after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not fparing the flock. Alfo of your felves fhall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away difciples after them," Acts xx. 29, 30. I wish that St. Paul may not have had our present day in view when he spoke thus.-See Inquiry into the belief, &c, p. 157 and 176.

CXXII.

To the Hebrews, St. Paul fays, that the addrefs from the Majefty on high to him, " by whom he made the worlds," is, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a fceptre of righteousness is the fceptre of thy kingdom: And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They fhall perish, but thou remaineft: and they all fhall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vefture fhalt thou fold them up, and they fhail be changed: but thou art the fame, and thy years shall not fail," Heb. i. 8, 10, 11, 12, Pfalm xlv. That the attributes here afcribed, are afcribable only to God, I believe will not be denied; but they are afcribed. by God himself, and to whom? To Jefus Chrift, after he had laid afide the form of a fervant, and again taken

upon

upon him the form of God, the exprefs image of his perfon; when he had by himself purged our fins; and, being the brightness of his glory, fat down on the righthand of the Majesty on high. They are afcribed to Jefus Chrift, upon the reaffumption of that glory which he had laid down, when he was made a little lower than the angels, that, by the grace of God, he might tafte death for every man; that, by fuffering, he might be made perfect, to lead mankind to falvation; to him who had called us brethren, and had now taken up his anointed body, "anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows;" that body, by which he became our fellow, our brother, and our Saviour; and by the afcent of which he has marfhalled our way to his eternal kingdom. To him, I fay, who had been partaker of our flesh and blood, and who, having made himself acquainted with our infirmities, has taken into heaven that nature, by which he can be touched with a compaffionate feeling of them; and has therefore become our ciful high-prieft and interceffor," are these attributes afcribed, this address of exultation is made; it is (if I may fo fay) the welcome of God to the captain and leader of mankind to glory. And, if I may dare to use the expreffion, we find, as it were, a paffion of joy in the great God of our falvation, at feeing the means of his grace take effect in restoring mankind to that forfeited happiness, from which by tranfgreffion he had fallen; in reconciling him to himfelf; in feeing that a passage is now opened into his own eternal happiness to man, by the taking the manhood into God, as the Godhead had before on earth rendered one man a worthy and fufficient atonement for all men. His grace is now perfected; our nature is feated in heaven; and the glory which Chrift had with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid, is now afcribed to him ; the Father has glorified him with his own felf;" he is,

66

mer

by

by the majesty most high, declared to be one with him, declared to be God, whose throne endureth for ever and whose years fhall never fail: The man was seen to afcend; but the God is acknowledged by him to whom alone the God is comprehenfible, "who only knoweth who the Son is." I do not fee how it is poffible to avoid, or evade, the ftrength of this proof, resulting from the application of thefe words of David to the Son, of whofe Godhead they are as exprefs a declaration as words can convey. God himself acknowledges and declares the second perfon in himself; and this in exact conformity with our Lord's own words, upon feeing Judas go out with a refolution to betray him; his hour he knew was now come, and, "therefore, when he (Judas) was gone out, Jefus faid, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God fhall alfo glorify him in himself, and fhall ftraightway glorify him," John xiii. 31, 32. And as fuch a doxology, according to this prediction, comes from God himself to Chrift, I own that to me it appears an impious perverseness to withhold prayer, an impious ingratitude to withhold our praife and thankf giving from him. When we fee our own falvation the fource of fuch joy in heaven; when we see the infinitely great "Maker of all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth,” take such an interest in the happiness of us his very little creatures, we have an additional encouragement to approach the throne of his mercy with thanksgiving for our redemption; for which he not only fuffered, but rejoiced in his sufferings, and esteemed them glory for our fake. "Of Jefus Christ, the fame yesterday, and to day, and for ever," Heb. xiii. 8, let us then acknowledge, that "of the Jews, as concern ing the flesh, Chrift came, but that he is over all, God bleffed for ever. Amen." Rom. ix. 5.-See Inquiry into the belief, &c. p. 88, 106, 218, 311.