vinity;-and every approach towards one is a step also towards the other: so that perfect man makes perfect God, and perfect God makes perfect man, instead of defeating his humanity. Such partial theorists cannot have duly considered, what mighty revolutions may possibly happen in a subject without destroying its identity; as for example, When Moses's rod became a serpent (Exod. iv. 3), it was still Moses's rod that had been, its identity not being destroyed even by this wonderful transformation. And again; when the serpent into which Moses's rod had been transformed was restored to its pristine shape, this rod still continued to be what had been a serpent, as much as ever the serpent was what had been Moses's rod. So it may be as St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, that "we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (Cor. II. iii. 18): though no one who shall have the happiness to be so changed will be likely to doubt thereupon his own identity, "thinking himself to be something, when he is nothing" (Gal. vi. 3) still in one respect compared with the other; or, that however he may be improved, he is not the very same subject that he was before.

-2, Another fearful objection to look at; but easy enough to grapple with, being founded similarly with the preceding in error, is the fore-mentioned assertion of personality in infinity by its imputation to the Subject in his preexisting state-a doctrine that he never taught himself, nor any one by his word or authority, as shewn above. For to assert, as many do, and perhaps without observing it, a divine personality of the Son in infinity, or a person for him prior to the event of his birth, is the way to make that Word or authority of none effect, by supposing a few things that do not seem probable; as 1, the coexistence of two self-existent beings, or, in other words-of two gods; and not only that, but also 2, of two sons with one life: whom 3, in order to specify or magnify, as they may

VOL. III.

think perhaps, they must needs make a person before he is born: which is literally making two sons, or two persons, of one, as aforesaid,—namely one before birth, and one after; both together not half the person that that one must appear if rightly apprehended; namely, as one Son, not two sons; one Person, not two persons; Son of one God, not one of two gods.

-3, With persons of the turn or spirit now mentioned other misconceptions of the class now mentioned will also occur and that, in abundance. For error multiplies faster than truth: especially when it gets among those who can enjoy the shadow of truth more than the substance; and, with all their outcry after it, do not really care much about truth either in faith or in practice. "The secret of the Lord is among them that fear him: and he will shew them his covenant" (Ps. xxv. 13), says the Psalmist; intimating thereby, that he has reserved the knowledge of himself for such only as are blessed with a proper feeling of his superiority to human knowledge; and by consequence, that a bold intrusion into the secret of his divine nature and internal relations is not the way to know much of him. Yet some have dared to pretend a knowledge of all his ways from eternity, and of his personal Presence before it was manifested or became sensible in the example of Christ. More particularly they will undertake to let us know so much as this; namely, Where the Presence of God went directly ever for some purpose before such manifestation, and where by a messenger sent from such Presence to do his behests. There have been those who without any warrant from the written word, or the Spirit either by which it was dictated, have presumed to be judges of many secrets relating to its Highest Theme; as for example, Who it was that God spoke to when he said, "Let there be light" (Gen. i. 3)—also, when he said, "Let us make man in our own image" (Ib. 26)-also, who the angel of the Lord was, that found Hagar in the wilderness, when she fled from the presence of Sarai (Ib. xvi. 7)—also who

were the three, that appeared to Abraham as he sat by the door of his tent in the plains of Mamre (Ib. xviii); or at least, who it was, that was more immediately present in one of the three than in the other two; leaving them of course, to go to the infamous town of Sodom (Ib. xix. 1) by themselves-also, who it was that wrestled with Jacob when he rather staid behind his company that night, that fearful night, at Mahanaim (Ib. xxxii. 24)—also, who the captain of the host of the Lord was, who came and stood by Joshua with his drawn sword as he was going to the siege of Jericho (Josh. v. 13). They can tell us, Who the angel was which appeared to the children of Israel at Bo chim; and that he was more than a common angel of the Lord; though he only came from Gilgal (Judg. ii. 1); and perhaps was a native, or an inhabitant at least, of that place, qualified like Moses (Exod. xxxiv. 29) and Messiah (Matt. xvii. 2) with a visage beaming light, or some other supernatural appearance, as well as authority, perhaps for the occasion. And they would have us to believe, that none of those appearances were really angelic, or the appearances of different angels by the divine command, or the action of the Word, or God originally thereby; nor yet of one angel alone naturally; but of a very superior person-something like that which the Arians, the Gnostics, and others are apt to conceive perhaps. This was he too, according to these famous intelligencers, who under the form of God the Father walked and conversed with Adam amid the charms of Paradise; who instructed Noah, if he did not assist him in the construction of his ark→→ overthrew the tower of Babel-drew down fire from Heaven upon the guilty cities in the plain of Sodom-and did so many other things of special or miraculous occurrence that are mentioned in sacred history. They can tell us perhaps who is the general theme of praise as well as narration in those sacred volumes; as in the 103d and 104th Psalms, for example-who the object of thanksgiving in the 105th, 106th, and 107th Psalms particularly.—And per

haps they can also tell us, who indited these supernatural beauties: but, to spare them the trouble, we will tell them this for once.

IT WAS GOD HIMSELF, THE God of Israel, and of all THE EARTH, who did all: and He is the general theme of all these sacred praises and thanksgivings, as well as their general inditer,-no imaginary hero, poet, nor demigod; though it be all as much of the Word as of God, the same being one with God. All the wonders that have ever been wrought upon earth, as well as the wonders of its ordinary course, are all chiefly of his doing by whatever medium,— without any partner, adjutant, or accessory, like the person before imagined.

If such unwarranted assumptions, such unscriptural assumptions, are common among believers, and others can be simple enough to take these for their reporters, no wonder is it, that they are not believers too,-no wonder, that the prophet, alluding to such a consequence exclaims, "Who hath believed our report?" (Isai. liii. 1). For the truth itself will be rejected on account, and all through the fault of its counterfeit; so that what is an error with one shall come to be an objection with others. And there can be no doubt, that the true Messiah is rejected by many of his countrymen, as well as by many others on account of those hardy misrepresentations; which would soon disappear in many cases, and with them the party's objections, if they could only be induced to understand the doctrine, and give its evidence a fair trial. They especially, Who object to any other Messiah than Jehovah himself are not so far from the truth: they have only TO RECEIVE ONE IN HIS NAME, and there is an end of the objection; not to be like that sort of people to whom it was said by the Subject, "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John v. 43). For not a name does he bear of any superior office, relation, or property, but what he refers to the Father, either directly by himself or indi

rectly by the prophets and others: as for example, “My God" (Ib. xx. 17; "My Father" (Matt. vii. 21); "My Strength, and my Redeemer" (Ps. xix. 15); "Save me from this hour" (John xii. 27) "My God, my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me?" (Ps. xxii. 1 ; Matt. xxvii. 46): all implying the Divinity by which these relations are afforded.

-4, From one particular passage of the Old Testament indeed some may be apt to infer a more several and distinct agency in all these personal-antecedent operations by the Word-shewing to a general reader, as if that 'Holy Thing" in which it was incarnate, or embodied, and born b. C. 4, had been personally in the world before; and namely about six hundred years before in “the furnace of affliction with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego" (Dan. iii. 25): in which case he could not derive his birth and cognomen from the act here referred to. But the truth is, that SON OF GOD has an indefinite meaning both in the Chaldaic and in the Grecian idiom; signifying no more the Only or Especial Son of God as above defined in some cases, than Bar-Jacob, i. e. the Son of Jacob, would signify Jacob's only son, when applied to Judah, or to any other one of the twelve patriarchs. There could not, it is true, have been in all the world a likelier place to meet the only Son of God in if he had then been personally present in the world, namely during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar: but neither would such a presumption signify equally with that one little word, the "Therefore" above cited, and the poor yet honest discernment that one might happen to be blessed withal.

For whose is the existence? where are its constituents? where is its record? The Son of God who has done and suffered so much for mankind does not appear upon record as doing or suffering aught individually before his birth in the manner foretold and recorded as above. Is it any where written, The Son of God went thither, or came hither, said that, did this, or suffered so and so, except in the single instance abovementioned, before the period of his birth