was made unto the fathers. Acts 3:18. 1 Pet. 1:11. Acts 13: 23, 32. In Matth. 26: 63, Jesus solemnly declares before the sanhedrim, that he is the Christ, the promised Messiah; and in v. 16, 17, he declares that Peter's conviction of his Messiahship was not a mere human opinion, but derived by instruction from God. In Luke 24:25, he declared it foolishness to doubt, that, according to the prophets, the Christ must enter on his glory; and in John 17: 3, the reception of Jesus, whom God sent as the Messiah, is declared to be eternal life. And in v. 20, 31, John declares that his chief design is to persuade his readers that Jesus is the Christ. See 1 John 2:22. 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Hence it is impossible, without offering violence to the authority of Jesus himself, to deny that the Old Testament contains prophecies and various prefigurations of him.1 Köppen remarks, "Jesus and his apostles very frequently declare that he is the promised Messiah; but this necessarily includes the declaration that the Old Testament speaks of Jesus as the Messiah."2 And Herder in his Letters on the Study of Theology,3 says, "the apostles and evangelists were certainly in earnest when they quoted the passages from the Old Testament and applied them to Christ; they found him predicted every where in the Old Testament, and declared unhesitatingly that 'of him bear all the prophets witness.' Jesus himself on several occasions refers all Scripture [the Old Test.] to himself, and thus regards the Old Test. in general as a witness for his cause. I cannot see how it is reasonably possible to pervert these passages, or to blunt their edge; or especially, how any one can charge Jesus or his friends with a designed, ingenious accom

1§ 13. Ill. 7-12. comp. Michaelis Dogmatik, 122-128. Kleuker de nexu qualis constat inter utrumque divinae constitutionis foedus prophetico, p. 80.

2 Bible a work of divine wisdom, Pt. I, p. 235.

3 В. 18, 21, p. 303, 349-352.

modation of these passages, the very idea of which is repelled by their unlearned simplicity. On the contrary, every difficulty is removed when, agreeably to his open declarations, we receive him as the sum total, as the ultimate spiritual end of the whole Old Testament, and regard his kingdom as the promise given to the fathers, and developed by the prophets more or less remote, with more or less light and clearness."

Hence we see the error of those who will admit of no real prophecies concerning Christ, in the Old Testament; and who either have recourse to the opinion that Jesus and his apostles accommodated themselves to the erroneous ideas of their hearers when they spake of prophecies relative to the Messiah, or that they merely intended to apply these passages of the Old Testament to the history and person of Jesus, and thereby meant nothing more than that these texts suited the particular events and the person of Jesus. This last hypothesis Eckermann has attempted to apply throughout the whole of the New Testament.1

III. In reference to his divine nature it is impossible that Christ could have been raised to a higher dignity, or be made Lord of the universe, and be seated at the right hand of God (Ephes. 1:20). The power over all things, could not then be first given him; in short, he could not then first be made Lord by the will and power of God. Acts 2:36. Heb. 1:4. On the contrary, we honour (Phil. 2: 11) and acknowledge the supreme dominion of God, when we really acknowledge as Lord the man whom the free purpose of God raised to that state.2

IV. Exaltation of Jesus. -Acts 2:23. Phil. 2:9, God

hath highly exalted him-being exalted to the right hand of God. Heb. 7: 26, "who was exalted above heaven itself (and the most elevated inhabitants of it)."

V. Eph. 1:20, (God) set him on his right hand in heavenly places. To be "seated at the right hand of God," signifies, to be exalted on the throne of the supreme God; to rule with God, to govern, to act, as God governs and acts. Compare Acts 2: 34, where the same passage from Psalm 110: 1, is adduced, with Acts 2:36, where his being seated at the right hand of God is explained thus : "God hath made him both Lord and Christ." In the Comm. on Heb. 1:3, note k, the signification of the phrase " sitting at the right hand of God," is more particularly explained; and in the Dissert. De notione regni coelestis, the meaning of the phrase "right hand" is given. See also Schleusner on the word δεξια, and Knapp's programma de Christo ad Dei dextram sedente, where parallel passages are adduced from other authors, and the reasons stated why this expression must be referred to the exaltation of the man Jesus.

VI. Adoration of Jesus.--Phil. 2: 10, that at the narne of Jesus every knee shall bow, This divine honour could not be paid to Jesus if he were a mere man, and if God, to whom alone adoration belongs, were not united to him in a peculiar See the work on the Design of the Gospel of John, p. 506 &c. The phrase καμπτειν γονυ bend the knee, is applied to the worship of the one God, in Rom. 11:4. 14: 11.

manner.

VII. Ephes. 1:21. Phil. 2: 9, 11, wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of

1 Matth. 22:42-44. comp. Psalm 110: 1. Col. 3: 1.

3 Matth. 26: 64. Heb. 1: 3. 41 Cor. 15:25; in this passage, the phrase, "sit at my right hand, until" (Psalm 110: 1. Heb. 1: 13), is explained by δει αυτον βασιλευ

those in heaven and those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 1 Cor. 15: 27, 28, he hath put all things under his feet. Heb. 1:2, όν εθηκε κληρονομον παντων, whom he constituted Lord over all things. Peter also calls Jesus Lord over all (Acts 10:36), and not only Lord over the human family, but Lord over all, in that comprehensive sense, which embraces angels and archangels within its sphere. Ephes. 1: 22, and hath put all things under his feet. Heb. 1: 4, he is as much superior to (greater than) the angels, as the peculiar name (or dignity) which he hath obtained, is more excellent than theirs.

VIII. Matth. 28: 18, all power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. The words "heaven and earth" cannot possibly mean the church collected from among Jews and gentiles; for `of this signification the words can by no means admit (§ 42). But according to the usus loquendi of the language, they mean the world. This is also evident from those passages which clearly ascribe to Christ dominion not only over the Jews and gentiles, but over the whole world, over the angels, and in short, over all things which God governs, God himself alone, who put all things under him, being excepted. Phil. 2:10. Rev. 5: 13. Psalm 135.1 Cor. 15:27. Moreover, in Ephes. 1: 22, the church is specifically mentioned as a part of the whole (v. 20 -22), over which Christ is placed as ruler. εδωκεν αυτον ὑπερ παντα τη εκκλησιᾳ, ήτις εστι το σωμα αυτου “he appointed him to be Lord especially over the church, with which he stands in a peculiarly close union." Col. 1: 18.1

IX. John 17:24, which (glory) thou (God the Father) gavest me, because thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Comp. $ 42. Col. 1:15 compared with v. 16, 18, 19.

($76. Ill. 1). Rom. 1:4, and powerfully evinced to be the Son of God, according to the spirit of holiness, i. e. according to, or on account of the spirit of majesty, on account of that in Christ, which is invisible and supremely excellent. In the technical phraseology of systematic doctrinal theology, the subject of discussion in § 78, is termed genus axiomaticum communicationis idiomatum [βελτιωσις], and includes those propositions of Scripture in which divine attributes are predicated of the human nature of Christ.2

§ 79.

The design of the diversity of states in Jesus.

The reason why Jesus did not obtain an exalted dignity immediately after his union with the divine nature, is to be sought in the work which he was destined to accomplish on earth. In like manner, the reason why he now makes full use of his exalted perfections, is to be sought in that higher destination which he is now fulfilling; and which he could not fulfil without the full use of the perfections of his divine nature ($78). But the divine nature of the man Jesus could, by virtue of his union with the Godhead, at any time have displayed itself in the most splendid manner, if such a display had not been inconsistent with the plan of God. And his higher, his divine nature, really was displayed as far as comported with the divine purposes (Phil. 2: 6. §§ 81, 82).

:

Comment. on Hebrews 1: 2, Note f.