upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." This specimen of eastern description,so common in the prophetic writings, is one of the many passages in the Old Testament that have been applied to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, by self-styled orthodox divines, in the most gratuitous manner, and without any scripture warrant whatsoever. If you look attentively at the seventh chapter of Isaiah, you will find that this oriental description, extraordinary as it may appear, belongs, at least in the first instance, to a ruler whom God promised to raise up at that time in the house of David; even to that son of Ahaz, who succeeded him in the government, and whose name, Hezekiah, signifies "God my strength," or "the mighty God;" and of whom it is said, in this seventh chapter, that his name should accordingly be called Immanuel, that is, "God with us." In this chapter you will find, that when the confederate kings of Syria and Ephraim came to war against Jerusalem, it is recorded of Ahaz, the king, that "his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind." The prophet is sent to comfort the house of David with a token of deliverance out of the hands of these kings; and this, you will find at the fourteenth verse, was to be the sign: "Behold,

a virgin (the virgin daughter of Jerusalem, a common phrase in the prophecies,) shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings." If this prophecy referred only to the birth of Christ, how could the deliverance here promised be certified by an event, which did not take place for many centuries after? A part of this prophecy is undoubtedly applied, and most appropriately, to our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel: but it is plain that, in the first instance, this whole prophetic description, in both chapters, belongs to the good King Hezekiah, and to the happy deliverance which God wrought by him for the house of David. There are several portions of that in the ninth chapter most strikingly and beautifully descriptive, and which may be fairly employed as descriptive of the person, character, and office of Christ, our blessed Saviour. But if you apply the whole literally to him, look at the conclusions to which you are inevitably led. If you look upon him as the Almighty God, you must believe that that God was "a child," and was "born" into the world. -If you look upon him as being literally "the everlasting Father," you must believe that

he was the father of himself-thereby destroying that very distinction between the Father and the Son, which Trinitarians themselves wish to preserve. For they shrink, as they ought, from the bare idea of confounding the persons; and accordingly they are very willing to translate these words, not "the everlasting Father," but "the Father of the age to come." Nor do they ever venture to exchange the terms Father and Son between the first and second persons of their Trinity: thus, in point of fact, giving up the doctrine of absolute equality, of absolute identity, for which, in words, they contend.

I shall not take notice of any more of these forced authorities, from the Old Testament. If you read those prophecies therein contained, which have a plain and immediate reference to the promised Messiah, they will be found so far from representing him as the supreme God,that they uniformly represent him as the messenger and the servant of the supreme God, and such other titles as clearly indicate subordination. And, what is a good deal to the present purpose, they have all along been so understood, by the people to whom they were addressed. For, though the prophets were read every sabbath day, in the synagogue of the Jews, I believe it never has been alleged that the doctrine of the Trinity, or any thing approaching to it, ever formed a part of the creed of that people.

We turn, therefore, to the New Testament, and to the consideration of the chief of those passages which have been adduced therefrom, in support of the supreme Deity of Christ: for, if the doctrine be true, it will be found there, and found plainly taught.

Matthew, i. 23.—“ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with us." These words were quoted by the evangelist, from the prophecy which we have just reviewed: and, we need not think it strange, that such a title as this, should be conferred on the Son of God, our spiritual deliverer, when we find the same title conferred on the son of Ahaz, who was a mere temporal deliverer. There is no comparison between the value of the two deliverances: but it was the same God, whose hand and power accomplished both ;-in the one instance, by the instrumentality of Hezekiah; and in the other, by that of his beloved Son. And on both, was therefore conferred the title of Immanuel, or "God with us." Doubtless, our Lord Jesus Christ has an incomparably higher claim to this title, than any human being whatsoever. But that no aid can be derived from this title, to the doctrine in question, you may satisfy yourselves, by only looking over those alphabetical tables proper names, with their explanations from

of

the original, which are to be found in the most of our larger Bibles. There, among many similar, you will find the following names, with their significations thus annexed:-"Abiel, God my father;" Elijah, God the Lord;" "Ezekiel, the strength of God;" "Ishmael, God who hears;" "Immanuel, God with us;" "Lemuel, God with them." There is nothing conclusive, therefore, in this name, Immanuel; for by the same rule you might prove the supreme Deity of many besides our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the subject of our Lord's titles generally, we may observe, that it need not excite our surprise that this glorious being, who is represented as next in dignity to the Father, and who has had such extraordinary honours and powers conferred upon him by the Almighty, should likewise have some most extraordinary names bestowed upon him in scripture.

Thus, it is readily admitted, that in John's gospel, we read, that "the word was God;" that, in the same gospel, xx. 28, Thomas called him "my Lord and my God ;" that, in Hebrews, i. 8, God himself addresseth him thus, "thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever-a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." These, I believe, are the only other passages of the New Testament, wherein the name of God is directly, and without dispute, applied to our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, in each of these

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