fellow of Jehovah'. But, if he was a mere CHAP. man, the Almighty could not, with any II. propriety, call him his fellow; a term, which always conveys the idea of fimilarity and equality. Here, then, we behold a decifive testimony to the truth of the catholic doctrine profeffed by "the church "of God, which he hath purchased with "bis own blood"."" The right faith is, "that we believe and confefs that our "Lord Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, is "God and Man". 10. The laft of the prophets is Malachi, who both foretells the manifeftation of Chrift, and perfectly concurs with Zechariah, and the other infpired writers, in afcribing to him divinity. Behold, I will "fend my meffenger, and he shall prepare "" the way before me; and the Lord, whom 66 ye feek, fhall fuddenly come to his tem ple, even the meffenger of the covenant, "whom ye delight in; behold, he shall "come, faith the Lord of hofts "." Here * See Dr. Eveleigh's obfervations on this text, contained in a Sermon preached before the University. TO. Malachi. SECT. again two diftinct perfons are mentioned, III. the fender and the perfon fent, God and the messenger of the covenant; yet they are both called the Lord. It is true, that the person sent is not, in this place, called and it may perhaps be ;האדון but ,יהוה faid, that the word 1 is not applied to God alone, but is ufed frequently in a secular fenfe, as we do the term lord. This is granted; but at the fame time it is evident, that unless 17 be here equivalent to, the whole paffage is unintelligible. For if relate to a mere man, who is described as going in the quality of a mefsenger into the temple of God, that temple certainly cannot be called his (the man's) temple. It is plain, therefore, that the meffenger of the covenant here spoken of must be the most High himself; and yet, though God, he is fent by the Lord of hofts. The Trinitarian has no difficulty in understanding the purport of these mysterious words; and if the impugner of that doctrine can reconcile them to his creed, he will at least deserve the praise of ingenuity. Malachi, though living only in the twilight previous to the rising of the Sun of II. Righteousness, yet, with the piercing eye CHAP. of faith, beheld both his harbinger the morning ftar, and the firft dawn of the bright luminary of the fpiritual day. "Be"hold, I fend you Elijah the Prophet be"fore the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord; and he shall turn the "heart of the fathers to the children, and "the heart of the children to their fathers, left I come and fmite the earth with a "curfe "."" But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arife with healing in his wings." 66 SECT. Prophecies which de CHAP. III. PROPHECIES, WHICH DECLARE THAT THE WE now come to thofe prophecies, clare that which more immediately connect the Law was to be and the Gospel; and as many paffages ocby the Gof- cur in the ancient Scriptures, which speak the Law fuperfeded pel. T. Prophecy of the inefficacy of legal ceremonies, they likewife fhall be noticed, though they may not be, strictly speaking, prophetic. 1. As Mofes was the inftrument, by of Mofes. Which God revealed the Law, it is but reafonable to expect, that he should make fome mention of the great Prophet, who was deftined to fucceed him, and whofe office it would be to establish a more fpiritual religion, not founded upon rites and ceremonies, but upon the inward purity of the heart. "And the Lord faid-I will "raise up a Prophet from among their CHAP. "brethren, like unto thee, and will put III. my words in his mouth, and he fhall fpeak unto them all that I fhall com"mand him. And it fhall come to pass, "that whofoever will not hearken unto my words which he fhall fpeak in my 66 name, I will require it of him. But the "prophet which fhall prefume to speak a "word in my name, which I have not "commanded him to fpeak, or that shall fpeak in the name of other Gods, even "that prophet fhall die. And if thou fay "in thine heart, How fhall we know the word, which the Lord hath not spoken? "When a prophet fpeaketh in the name "of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor "come to pass, that is the thing which "the Lord hath not fpoken, but the pro"phet hath spoken it prefumptuously: thou "fhalt not be afraid of hima." The great fucceffor of the Jewish Lawgiver is here minutely described, and the people are commanded to hearken to his voice. A question then will naturally arise, who the perfon is, that is fo particularly a Deut. xviii. 7. pointed |