brought to fupport this argument have no foundation in the words of the apoftle, for he affigns nothing to the Word but what apply to him as a diftinct perfon from the Father; and is fo far from teaching that God the Father and the Word are one and the fame perfon, that he tells us the Word was fo diftinct from God as to be with him. To deny this distinction, is to make the apostle fay, that God was with himfelf, which appears to be no better than to fay, that he fent himself.

C

What the apoftle fays of the Word is fo far from being inconfiftent with the ideas which the Jews entertained of the Meffiah, that it perfectly agrees with what they read in their facred fcriptures, and what they themselves confidered as neceffarily belonging to the character of that Meffiah whom they expected. They had read concerning the Meffiah, the Logos, or the Word of Jehovah, That by the Logos, or Word of Jehovah, the heavens were made;' Pfal. xxxiii. 6. So the apoftle fays, all things. were made by him.' They had allo read, Micah v. 2. That his goings forth were taps, from the beginning. Agreeable to this, the apoftle fays, er agxn, in the beginning was the Word. They had likewife read, that when God fent Mofes to deliver Ifrael from their bondage in Egypt, he made him a God, in relation to Aaron, Exod. iv. 16. and to Pharaoh, Exod. vii, 1. They behoved therefore to have confidered the Deliverer, who was to turn away iniquity from Jacob, and be the falvation of Jehovah

unto

unto the ends of the earth, as bearing this title, or fustaining this character, in a far higher degree; they had even feen the title Mighty Godapplied to himfelf; Ifa. ix. 6.

His laft argument to prove the Logos, or Word, John i. 1. does not mean Chrift, is forined thus:

IV. St John is much more full and parti cular than the other evangelifts in recording 'thofe frequent declarations of Chrift, in which he afcribes his authority and all his powers to God as his gift. But this dependent cha⚫racter is quite incompatible with the divine • attributes afcribed to the Logos, or Word, by

• him.'

As to this it has been fhewn, that none of the attributes afcribed to the Word imply indepen dence, or an individual exiftence with that of the Father; this argument has therefore no force to prove, that the Word is not that fame Jefus who affirms that all things were delivered unto him of the Father, and that he had all power in heaven and on earth by the Father's gift.

Mr Lindsey thinks wisdom would be a fitter term than word, in the introduction to John's gofpel; and he ventures to make the alteration, which is certainly very unwarrantable. But after all, What hath he gained to his caufe by this alteration? For Wisdom is used by the apostle Paul as a title of Chrift, 1 Cor. i. 24. and as fome have thought by Christ himself,

Matth.

6

Matth. xi. 19. and Luke xi. 49. And the most part of Chriftian writers appear to have confidered the defcription of wifdom, Prov. viii. 22-31. as properly defcriptive of Chrift. But fays he, Sequel, p. 126. the more difcerning ⚫ and unprejudiced will eafily fee, that it is no more than a beautiful perfonification, ufual ⚫ with the facred, and all good writers.' That the facred writers perfonify things on feveral occafions is certainly very true; but is no proof that a proper person is not defcribed in this paffage. It appears moft evident, that it is not a defcription of wifdom, as it is an effential attribute of the Most High; for it is faid to be Set up, or anointed, and to be brought forth, or formed, as the word is rendered, Job xxvi. 13.

Prov. xxvi. 10. Deut. xxxii. 18. Pfal. xcii. 2. or made, Job xv. 7. or shapen, Pfal. li. 5. whereas the effential wifdom of the Moft High could never be laid to be fet up or brought forth, like a generated perfon or formed thing. If, therefore, this be a description of wisdom as an attribute, it must be a description thereof, as fubfifting in a perfon diftin&t from God the Father, and as brought forth before the world began; in which cafe it as fully proves the pre-existence of Christ, as if it were the defcription of a proper perfon. But there are very strong reafons to make us believe, that this paffage contains a defcription of Chrift perfonally confidered: For,

I. It

The word

I. It is faid, Jehovah possessed me. PP, rendered poffeffed, fignifies to poffefs by purchase or acquifition: Now, none of the effential attributes or perfections of God can be poffeffed by him that way; but the only-begotten Son, in whom it pleafed the Father that all fulness fhould dwell, even all the fulness of the Godhead, or Deity, may be said to be thus poffeffed by Jehovah, with the greatest propriety.

II. It is faid Jehovah poffeffed me nwx, the beginning of his ways; which agrees with a title which our Lord afcribes to himself, Rev. iii. 14. the beginning of the creation of God; and the apostle Paul afcribes it to him, Col. i. 18. The English translation indeed reads this paffage, in the beginning; but the word in is neither in the original Hebrew, nor in the Greek translation.

III. The wisdom here defcribed is introduced as faying, I was fet up; furely no effential attribute or perfection of the Moft High was ever fet up. The word no appears indeed more properly to fignify anointed; it is the fame word that is ufed, Pfal. ii. 6., I have anointed my king, &c. But wifdom, as an attribute, can with no propriety be faid to be anointed; and therefore there appears an abfurdity in applying this to wifdom in any other refpect than as it is put for a person, and who that perfon is is manifeft, among other things, from Pfal. ii. 6. where what is meant by this word is undoubtedly applied to Jefus Chrift.

IV. This

IV. This wisdom fays, When there were no depths I was brought forth,-before the hills was I brought forth.' The word 'nn, rendered brought forth, is ufed, as before obferved, for the bringing forth of children, their formation in the womb, and the making, or formation of the earth, and agrees perfectly with the character of Chrift as the first-begotten, Heb. i. 6. or the first born, Col. i. 15. but can by no means agree with the defcription of an eternal and immutable attribute of God.

V. Wisdom is here fpoken of as faying, I was with him as one brought up. The word 1, rendered, one brought up, is from 1, a word rendered a nurfing father, Num. xi. 12. Efther is faid to be 18, brought up by Mordecai, Efth. ii. 7, 20. The plural of this word is applied to the bringers up of Ahab's children, 2 Kings, X. 1, 5. and to the nurfing fathers of the church, Ifa. xlix. 23.

Some are faid to have been brought up in scarlet, Lam. iv. 5. And of the church it is faid, fhe fhall be nurfed, Ifa. lx. 4. From thefe ufes of this word, it is moft evident, that brought up here fignifies, a being brought up as a child, or youth, which can in no refpect apply to an ef fential attribute of the Moft High God, but applies with the greateft propriety to Jefus Chrift, his first and only-begotten Son.

That the Jews, long after the days of Solomon, understood this paffage in the fame feiffe,

is