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ledged by the world, when it was revealed in this manner, not even by God's peculiar people, the Jews; and notwithstanding this power was manifested in a more sensible and constant manner than ever it had been before, dwelling in human flesh, and tabernacling, or abiding some considerable time among us; so that his glory was beheld, or made visible to mortal eyes, and was full of grace and truth.

Rom. ix. 5. "Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever." This may with equal propriety and truth be rendered, God, who is over all, be blessed for ever, the former sentence ending with the word came; and since no ancient manuscripts are pointed,. all the pointings have been made and the different sentences have been distinguished as fallible men have thought the best sense required. It affords an argument favourable to my construction of these words, that it is usual with the apostle Paul to break out intu a doxology, or form of thanksgiving to God, after mentioning any remarkable instance of his goodness. See Eph. iii. 21. 1 Tim. i. 17. vi. 16. See also 1 Pet. iv. 11., Indeed, it is very common in Jewish writings to add a doxology after barely mentioning the name of God.

1 John v. 20. "And we know that the son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." This last clause is manifestly explanatory of the title him that is true, or the true one,

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in the preceding clauses, of whom the son of God has given us an understanding, or with whom he has made us acquainted. As the word even is a mere addition of our translators, 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 Jesus Christ; and this makes a far more consistent sense, and may be considered as an allusion to the words of Christ addressed 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 Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Without this interpretation these two texts would flatly contradict one another; for how can the Father be the only true God, if the son be true God also?

1 Cor. i. 23, 24. "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." The meaning of this plainly is, that the power and wisdom of God were displayed in this very circumstance of the crucifixion of Christ, which was such a stumbling-block, and appeared so foolish to men; agreeably to what he immediately adds, "for the foolishness of God is wiser 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 to those who were called, and who were taught to understand it better, to surpass the wisdom and power of man.

Tit.

Tit. ii. 13. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." In this place God and Christ are mentioned as distinct persons, the judgement of the world being sometimes ascribed to the one, and sometimes to the other; which is easily accounted for by considering that, in that great day, Christ acts by commission 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 solemn occasion.

John xx. 28. "Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord, and my God." This is an abrupt exclamation, and no connected sentence 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 master, raised to life by the power of God. The resurrection of Christ and the power of God had so near a connection, that a conviction of the one could not but be attended with an acknowledgement 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 son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead," Rom. vi. 4. " Raised from the dead by the glory of the Father." x. 9. "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe with thine heart, that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Here we plainly see, that he only who raised Christ from the dead is styled God, and not Christ, who was raised by his power.

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1 Tim.

1 Tim. vi. 13, &c. "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting, amen." The meaning of this passage, as the construction of the words in the original incontestably proves, is as follows; which appearing, or second coming of Christ to judge the world, he who is the blessed and only potentate, that is, the only true God, the Father, shall show, 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 himself, but to the Father only; and consequently he only could show, or declare it. Besides, the very verses I quoted above sufficiently demonstrate, that the writer of them considered God and Christ as distinct persons. "I charge thee in the sight of God and before Jesus Christ;" and how could he with truth say of Christ, that " man had seen him, or could see him?”

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Heb. i. 10." And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth," &c. As there are several expressions in the first part of this chapter, which are not easy to be understood, I shall give a

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brief explanation of them all, in their order. The great objection which the Jews made to christianity being the meanness of Christ's appearance, and the ignominious death that he suffered; to obviate this,the author of this epistle begins with representing the great dignity to which, for the suffering of death, Christ is now exalted at the right hand of God. Having said that "God, in these last 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 also he made, or appointed, not the materiál worlds, but the ages; that is, the present dispensation of God's government over mankind, which is established by the gospel, the administration of which is committed to the Son: "Who being the brightness of his (that is, God's) glory, and the express image of his (that is, God's) person, and upholding all things by the word of his (that is, God's) power, &c. sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.” It is plain from this passage, that whatever Christ is he is by divine appointment, whom he APPOINTED heir of all things.

Afterwards this writer proceeds to prove that Christ is superior to angels, and at the close of this argument he has these words, "but concerning the son he says, 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 Christ till time shall be no more; "a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom, Thou hast loved righte

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