2 Tim. iv. 1. 8.-Titus, ii. 13. iii. 4.-Hebrews, i. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 8. iv. 14, 15, 16. x. 12.-1 Peter, i. II. The fpirit of Chrift means here the fpirit of God, iii. 22.-2 Peter, i. 11. 16, 17. iii. 5. Here the creation is afcribed to God: in other places it is afcribed to Chrift. So again in the 12th verfe the coming of the day of God feems fynonimous with the coming of the day of Chrift, as it is expreffed in other parts of scripture, iii. 18.-1 John, i. 3 ii. 22, 23, 24. iv. 15. v. I. 5. 7. 10. 20. With the 7th verse, as it is not found in all copies, we do not prefs the Unitarian.-- Jude, iv. 25.— Revelations, vii. 10. The fame praise is attributed to God,' The river iffues from the throne both of and Christ, xxii. 1. God, and the Lamb. TABLE IV. In which those paffages are enumerated, which fpeak of the divine and human Nature of Chrift in conjunction. Matthew, i. 23. viii. 20. 29. The two expreffions, Son of Man, and Son of God, which feem to fignify the fame thing, occur fo frequently, that I fhall take no farther notice of them, The former relates to the humanity of Chrift, the latter, to his divinity. It is obfervable, that our Saviour in speaking of himself, chiefly uses the former expreffion.-Luke, i. 32. X. 22. This mysterious verse feems to relate, to the double nature of the Mefiah.-John, i. 14. 45. v. 27. vi. 38. 42. x. 18. xii. 27, 28. Our Saviour fometimes fpeaks of being raifed from the dead by the power of the Father, and sometimes by his own power.-Acts, ii. 30.-Romans, i. 3. 4. viii. 3. ix. 5.-Galat. iv. 4.-Philip. ii. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.Coloff. ii. 9.-1 Tim. iii. 16.-Hebrews, ii. 16, 17, 18.John, i. 2. iii. 8. iv. 2. 9.-2 John, 7. XCI. In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word fhall be established.-Matthew, xviii, 16. A FACT is always ftrengthened by the number for of witneffes, if their evidence agree. In this view, it is a great argument in favour of christianity, that the truth of it is proved by fo great a number: every book of the New Testament, in all twentyfeven, may be confidered as a separate witness. These books were written from various parts-at various times-on various occafions-and to various people. Yet they all agree in favour of the great facts, and doctrines of christianity; and this seems to form a very decifive proof of its truth. If so many witneffes, fo gathered together, fhould unite, without faltering, in proving the feveral particulars of a falfhood, it would be little less than miraculous. Truth only can connect them. It may be objected, that St. Paul's epiftles fhould be confidered only as the evidence of one perfon. perfon. But as these epiftles were written at different times-on different occafions—and to different people, each may well be confidered as a fingle witness. If however we reduce their feveral testimonies to one, we fhall have eleven witneffes still left, which, if none of them are challenged, are enough to prove any fact. XCII. O wretched man, that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?—I thank God through Jefus Christ our Lord.-Romans, vii. 24. ST. PAUL, who is often exceedingly animated, is no where more fo, than in this paffage. After lamenting the inability of man in the purfuit of moral perfection-after bewailing the perverfeness of his will-the violence of his bad paffions, and the inactivity of every religious principle in controuling them-the apostle feems to clothe Death, which follows all this mifchief, into a frightful monster; and as if terrified with the horrid image he had conceived, cries out in the distress of nature, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? -Then, as if looking round for affiftance, and feeing nothing on any fide able to protect him, he embraces the redemption by Christ, as the only thing, on which he can depend. I thank God, through Jefus Christ our Lord. |