one, in the preceding clauses, of whom the Son of God has given us an understanding, or with whom be has made us acquainted. As the word even is a mere addition of our tranflators, instead of we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ, we may read, we are in him that is true, in or by his Son Jefus Chrift; and this makes a far more confiftent fenfe, and may be confide red as an allufion to the words of Chrift addrefled to the Father, and recorded by this very apostle, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jefus Christ whom thou baft fent. Without this interpretation, thefe two texts would flatly contradict one another; for how can the Father be the only true God, if the fon be true God allo?

I Cor. i. 23, 24. But we preach Chrift crucified, unto the jews a fumbling-block, and unto the greeks foolishness; but unto them that are called, both jews and greeks, Chrift the power of God and the wifdom of God. The meaning of this plainly is, that the power and wifdom of God were displayed in this very circumftance of the crucifixion of Chrift, which was fuch a ftumbling-block, and appeared fo foolish to men: agreeably to what he immediately adds, for the foolishness of God is wifer than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. That which the jews and greeks had rejected, as foolish and weak, was, in reality, and appeared

appeared to thofe who were called, and who were taught to understand it better, to furpass the wisdom and power of man.

Tit. ii. 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. In this place God and Christ are mentioned as diftinct perfons, the judgment of the world being fometimes afcribed to the one, and fometimes to the other; which is eafily accounted for by confidering that, in that great day, Chrift acts by commiffion from God, and will come in the glory of his Father, and of the holy angels, as well as in his own glory, upon that most folemn occafion. ', John xx. 28. Thomas answered, and faid unto. him, my Lord, and my God. This is an abrupt exclamation, and no connected fentence at all, and seems to have proceeded from a conviction, suddenly produced in the apostle's mind, that he who stood before him was, indeed, his Lord and mafters raised to life by the power of God. The refurrection of Chrift and the power of God had fo near a connection, that a conviction of the one could not but be attended with an acknowledgment of the other; and therefore they are frequently mentioned together, the one as the cause, and the other as the effect. Rom. i. 4. Declared to be the fon of God with power, by the refurection from the dead. Rom. vi. 4. Raised from the dead by the glory of the If thou shalt confefs with thy mouth

Father. x. 9.

the

the Lord Jefus, and fhalt believe with thine heart, that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be faved. Here we plainly fee, that he only who raised Chrift from the dead is ftiled God, and not Chriít, who was raifed by his power.

1 Tim. vi. 13, &c. I give thee charge in the fight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jefus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confeffion, that thou keep this commandment without Spot unrebukable, untill the appearing of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which, in his times, he shall fhew, who is the bleffed and only potentate, the king of kings, and Lord of Lords; who only bath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man bath feen, nor can fee: to whom be honour and power everlasting, amen. The meaning of this paffage, as the conftruction of the words in the original inconteftibly proves, is as follows; which appearing, or fecond coming of Chrift to judge the world, he who is the bleffed and only potentate, that is, the only true God, the Father, fhall fhew, or declare. And this exactly agrees with what our Lord himself says, that the day and hour of this his appearing was not known either to the angels of God, or to himfelf, but to the Father only; and confequently he only could fhew, or declare it. Besides, the very verfes I quoted above fufficiently demonftrate, that the writer of them confidered God and Chrift as diftinct perfons. I

charge

charge thee in the fight of God and before Jefus Chrift; and how could he with truth fay of Chrift, that no man had feen him or could fee him?

Heb. i. 10. And thou, Lord, in the beginning haft laid the foundation of the earth, &c. As there are several expreffions in the first part of this chapter which are not easy to be understood, I shall give a brief explanation of them all, in their order. The great objection which the jews made to chriftianity being the meanness of Chrift's appearance, and the ignominious death that he fuffered; to obviate this, the author of this epiftle begins with representing the great dignity to which, for the fuffering of death, Chrift is now exalted at the right-hand of God. Having faid that God, in thefe laft days, had spoken to us by his Son, he immediately adds, ver. 2. whom he hath appointed heir, or Lord, of all things; by whom alfo he made or appointed, not the material worlds, but the ages that is, the prefent difpenfation of God's government over mankind, which is established by the gofpel, the administration of which is committed to the Son; Who being the brightness of his (that is, God's) glory, and the exprefs image of his (that is, God's) perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his (that is, God's) power, &c. fat down on the right-hand of the majesty on high. It is plain from this paffage, that whatever Chrift is, he is

by

by divine appointment; whom he APPOINTED heir

of all things.

Afterwards this writer proceeds to prove that Chrift is fuperior to angels, and at the close of this argument he has thefe words, but concerning the fon he fays, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; or, as it may be rendered, God is thy throne for ever and ever; that is,God will establish the authority of Chrift,'till time shall be no more. A fceptre of righteoufness is the fceptre of thy kingdom. Thou haft loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. From this paffage nothing can be more plain, than that, whatever authority belongs to Chrift, he has a fuperior, from whom he derives it; God, even thy God, has anointed thee. This could never have been faid of the one true God, whofe being and power are underived.

In verfes 10, 11, 12. the apostle quotes an addrefs to God, as the great creator and everlasting ruler of the univerfe, but without any hint of its being applied to Chrift, from Pfalm cii. 25.—27. And thou, Lord, in the beginning haft laid the foundatim of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They fhall perish, but thou remaineft; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture fhalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the fame, and thy years shall not fail. This quotation was probably made with a view to exprefs the great honour conferred on

Chrift,