gospel, the greatest mental enjoyments, the exercise, improvement, and confirmation of all moral virtues and Christian dispositions; —— the gracious presence of Christ with "the spirit" of man; effectual preservation from sin, temptation, enemies, persecutions, sorrows, and death; and the crown of heavenly and everlasting happiness. Who can make THUS blessed but HE who is the FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS? To this argument, which I humbly think is highly important and convincing, very little attention is paid in the Calm Inquiry. Of all the passages in the first class of the enumeration above made, that work notices but one:* and of that, the Inquirer touches upon only the final clause. His observation is at best, but a surmise: and it entirely overlooks the point of the case, the nature of the "glory" which is attributed to Christ, and the identity of this style of ascription with that which so frequently occurs as a definite act of homage and worship to the Deity. See the preceding Chapter, Section III. Article II. Upon the passages in the second *" 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18.-Dr. Clarke, No. 710, remarks, that 'it is somewhat ambiguous whether this be spoken of Christ, or of God the Father, but that it seems rather to be meant of Christ.' And where Christ is mentioned under the character of a king, glory or honour may fitly be ascribed to him; meaning thereby to express a wish that the glory of his kingdom may be everlasting, or that the great founder and ruler of this spiritual empire may be held in everlasting honour by his admiring and grateful subjects." Calm Ing. p. 368. class he offers some remarks, which have been already considered in the Chapter and Section just now referred to, Article I. But it is to the nature of the blessings themselves, what they presuppose, what they involve, and to what they have respect as their tendency or termination, that a judicious inquirer will look for satisfaction as to the character and powers of their Author. The only hypothesis which to my apprehension carries the appearance of plausibility, for evading the conclusion from these passages in favour of the Divine Nature and Perfections of the Redeemer, is this; that they are but modes of expression, wrought up with hyperboles and other strong figures, of which the simple intention was to represent Christ as the honoured medium of the Divine benevolence: so that he is, by an allowable accommodation, said efficiently to produce those moral results which it is the tendency of his doctrines and precepts to effect, and which he was authorized to assure his followers should be produced by the providence and protection of God. To this hypothesis the following appear to me decisive objections. 1. That it is an erroneous assumption, to represent the scripture testimonies referred to as coloured with strong figures. The reader must perceive that, with very few exceptions, they are, by no means of that character; but that they are, on the contrary, expressed in the plainest diction, and with no more of the use of in every lan figurative terms than is necessary guage for the communication of spiritual ideas. 2. That when any mixture of the figurative is discovered, beyond what is thus usual and necessary, it is not of the nature of exaggeration, but is evidently employed to aid the feebleness of the human intellect, and to raise our minds to a higher tone of conception and feeling with respect to objects which are unspeakably above them. This is, indeed, the general design of the figurative expressions which occur in the serious and artless narratives and epistles of the new Testament. The method of diluting the signification of the plainest words and phrases, which is necessary to render the language of the apostles compatible with the Unitarian theory, does in fact treat them as most preposterous writers; and would be tolerated in the interpretation of no serious book whatever, modern or ancient, unless it were poetry, and even that in very bad taste. 3. That the expressions under consideration are, in many instances, the same, and in others clearly equivalent, with those that are applied to the Divine Father; so that every fair principle of interpretation requires them to be taken in the same sense. II. Christ is represented as the source of the authority under which the apostles acted; and as the Efficient Cause of the miracles which attested their mission, and of all their success. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ. through Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, whom we have received grace and an apostolic commission, unto the obedience of faith in all nations, for the sake of his name. Paul, an apostle, not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. Do I seek to soothe men? If I still soothed men, I should not be a servant of Christ. But, I assure you, brethren, [with respect to] the gospel preached by me, that it is not according to man for from man I neither received it nor was taught it; but through the revealing of Jesus Christ. We also belong to Christ: for I should not be ashamed, if even I should glory somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord hath given to us, for your edification and not for your overthrow. I give thanks to him who hath strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, that he esteemed me faithful, putting me into the ministry. I would not dare to speak of any thing except of those which Christ hath wrought through me, for the obedience of the nations, in word and work, by the efficacy of signs and miracles, by the efficacy of the Spirit of God. He gave some to be apostles, and others to be prophets, and others to be evangelists, and others to be pastors and teachers, unto the accomplishing of holy persons for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ."* * Phil. i. 1. Rom. i. 1,5. Gal. i. 1, 10-12. 2 Cor. x. 8. 1 Tim. i. 12. Rom. xv. 18; the two negatives appear to be In these passages, Jesus Christ is represented as the Author and Master of the apostolic office, in contrast to the admission of any merely human founder: and to him are attributed, the formation of minds and qualifications for the offices of the Christian ministry, both the extraordinary and the permanent; the gift of natural talents; the acquisition of the requisite moral and intellectual habits; the miraculous powers of the apostolic age; and the stupendous efficacy of the gospel in the instruction, conversion, and reformation of the world. The reader will compare these with our Lord's own declarations on the same subject. To my own mind it appears, that a serious contemplation of the particulars of providential and moral operation comprehended under this part of the work attributed to Christ, abundantly warrants the exclamation, "From Jehovah is this, and it is wondrous in our eyes!" III. Providential blessings are expected from Christ, or are referred to him as their Author. "I hope in the to you very soon. and our Lord Jesus you !"'+ Lord Jesus, to send Timothy here put for strengthening the affirmation, q. d. "I may venture to speak freely of what Christ has done, for that is to his glory, not my own." Eph. iv. 11, 12. * See page 304-307, of this Volume. + Philip. ii. 19. The proper meaning of iv Xpot is, by the permission and help of Christ, "Christo adjuvante;" Rosenm. 1 Thess. iii. 12. |