DISC. VII. The Term Word (oyos) was in ufe among the ancient philofophers, who fometimes speak of a perfon under that appellation, as the maker of the univerfe. So Tertullian informs the Gentiles". And Eufebius, in the xith book of his Evangelical Preparation, cites a Paffage from Amelius, a celebrated admirer and imitator of Plato, in which he speaks of the Moyes as being eternal and the maker of all things. This, he fays, was the opinion of Heraclitus; and then introduces the beginning of the Gospel of St John; concerning whom, it feems, he was wont to complain, that he had transferred into his book the fentiments of his mafter Plato. But it is not likely that our Evangelift either borrowed from, or intended to copy after Plato. And fince not only Plato, but Pythagoras and Zeno likewife, converfed with the Jews, it is not at all wonderful, b cc Apud veftros quoque fapientes λoyov, id eft Sermo66 nem atque Rationem, conftat artificem videri univerfi"tatis. Hunc enim Zeno determinat factitatorem, qui "cuncta in difpofitione formaverit." that that we meet with fomething about a DISC. DEIOE AOгOE, or DIVINE WORD, in their writings. Nor, after all, might the philofopher and the apoftle use the same term in the fame acceptation. It is customary with the writers of the New Testament to express themselves, as much as may be, in the language of the Old, to which, therefore, we must have recourse for an explanation of their meaning, as the penmen of both, under the direction of one Spirit, used their terms in the same sense. Now, upon looking into the Old Testament, we find, that "the Word of Jeho vah," is frequently and evidently the style of a person, who is faid "to come, "to be revealed or manifefted," and the like. As in the xvth chapter of Genesis; "After these things, the Word of Jeho“vah came unto Abraham in a vision, say"ing, Fear not, Abraham; I am thy shield, VII. DISC. VII. "and thy exceeding great reward. And With regard to the nature of the perfon thus denominated, whoever shall duly confider the attributes, powers, and actions afcribed to him, will fee reafon to think of him not as of a created intelligence, but a perfon of the divine effence, poffeffed of all it's incommunicable properties. And it may be noticed, that the Targums, or Chaldee Paraphrafts, continually fubftitute 1 VII. the Word of Jehovah, for Jehovah', afcri- DISC. bing divine characters to the perfon fo named. And the ancient grecizing Jews speak in the fame ftyle. Thus in that excellent apocryphal book of Wisdom, ix. 1. "O God, who hast made all things & Oг "σou by thy Word:" and again, in the pasfage, which fo wonderfully describes the horrors of that night, never to be forgotten by an Ifraelite, wherein the first born of the Egyptians were flain" While all "things were in quiet filence, and that night was in the midst of her swift "course, thine Almighty WORD (Aoгox) leaped down from heaven, out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into "the midst of a land of deftruction; and brought thine unfeigned commandment, "as a fharp fword; and standing up, filled "all things with death; and it touched "the heaven, but it stood upon the earth." Chap. xviii. 14. But whatever may be thought of these paffages, certain it is, that when St. John DISC. comes to treat of this WORD, although, VII. to shew a distinction of perfonality, he first "The Word was with God; tells us, And let any impartial man only lay together, upon this fubject, and duly weigh the few following particulars: that St. John tells us, "The Word was God," and The Word was made flesh;" that St. Paul fays, "God was manifeft in the "flesh; God was in Chrift, reconciling "the world to himself; and in him dwelt "all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;" that our Saviour is ftyled JEHOVAH, a name appropriated to the Deity; that he fays of himself, "I am Alpha and Omega, the "firft and the laft-I am he that fearch Upon this paffage, which is found Rev. i. 11, Dr. DODDRIDGE has the following Note- "That these titles (which occur just above in ver. 8.) fhould be repeated fo "foon in a connection which demonftrates they are given "to Chrift, will appear very remarkable, whatever fenfe * be |