refreshment, against all pain and uneasiness, and every kind of infirmity. This, I say, would be the case, supposing so great a being to take upon it a human body. If an angel (as is supposed) can move with agility a material vehicle, made dense enough to be sensible to human eyes; what influence would not this powerful Logos have over the grossest human body? But this is not agreeable to fact, as represented in the New Testament: for there Jesus is said to have" increased in wisdom" as he grew up. And he had hunger and thirst, and was wearied with journeying, and had all the sinless infirmities of the human nature, and was subject to death.

But secondly, supposing this humiliation to be possible, I think, it could not be reasonable. It is not reasonable that so great a Being should submit to unconsciousness, or any such like debilitation. Consequently, it cannot be required by God. It is incongruous to all just notions of things, that any other spirit, beside a human soul, should be made subject to the infirmities of human flesh.

I forbear mentioning some things, which appear to me consequences from the Logos (in the Arian sense of that term) being the soul of our blessed Saviour. And, as they are not mentioned, they need not affect you, unless they should occur to your thoughts.

I now proceed to the introduction to St. John's gospel. For I believe, you may be of opinion, that I must not pass it by entirely, notwithstanding its difficulty. I will therefore explain it briefly, or a part of it at least, according to the best of my ability; still willing, however, to receive further light from any one that shall afford it.

"In the beginning was the Word." By "beginning," I think, cannot be intended the beginning of the gospel, but of the creation, or rather always, from eternity," was the Word. And the Word was with God:" that is, was always with God, though not fully manifested, till these last days of the world." And the Word was God." Kat Deos nuo Aoyos. Which sometimes has been rendered thus: "And God was the Word." But there are learned men, who say, that then the Greek would have been, Kaι o →eos ην Λογος : and, that the article being joined with Λογος, therefore that is the antecedent, and our translation is right. Here I had been wont to submit to what Dr. Clarke says,

P 1 John i. 2, "For the life was manifested. And we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us." 1 Tim. iii. 16, "And, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh."

The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, P. I. numb. 535. Of these words there are only three interpretations. The 'first is, that the Word was that same person, whom he was ' with. And that is both a contradiction in terms, and also 'the ancient heresy of Sabellius.' But now that does not move me. I am of opinion, that God here is the same God that was mentioned before. St. John useth a gradation. First he says, "the Word was" always, before all time. Then he adds:" and was with God:" and lastly, that he "was God" himself. What follows confirms this interpretation, ver. 3, "All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." Who should this be, but God the Father, the one living and true God, and Author of life, and all being? Are there more creators than one? Would any Jew, or disciple of Jesus, ascribe the creation of the world to any but God, or his reason, or understanding, or discretion, his wisdom, his power, his word, his spirit, which is the same as God himself? Ver. 10," He was in the world, and the world was made by him." This needs no comment. Ver. 11, "He came to his own, and his own received him not." I pray whose people were the Jews, but God's, his, who styled himself Jehovah? He now came, in Jesus, to his own people. But they received him not.

St. John therefore intends the one true God, not any inferior deity.

Shall I show this more particularly from other places of his gospel? It is observable, that St. John, out of the many discourses of Jesus, (a great part of which he has omitted, as appears from ch. xx. 30, 31. ch. xxi. 25.) has selected those, in which our Lord speaks very expressly of the commission, which he had received from the Father, and of his near and intimate union with him.

In all the gospels our Saviour ascribes his miracles to the Father, particularly in Luke xi. 20, and Matt. xii. 28. And the people do the same. "And when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men." Matt. ix. 8.

But in none of the gospels is this done so frequently, and so expressly, as in St. John's. Chap. v. 9, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do:"

The creation of the world is always ascribed to the one living and true God, in the Old and New Testament. Gen. i. Exod. xx. 11. Job xxvi. 13, xxxviii. 4. Ps. xxxiii. 6. cxxxvi. 5-10. cxlvi. 5, 6. Is. xlii. 5. xlv. 12. li, 13. Jer. x. 12. li. 15. and elsewhere. Acts iv. 24. xiv. 15. xvii. 24. Rev. iv. 8--11. x. 6. xiv. 7.

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and onward to ver. 27, and ver. 30-32, and ver. 36, 37,
chap. viii. 18, "The Father that hath sent me, beareth wit-
ness of me." Ver. 28, 29,
Ver. 28, 29, "When ye have lifted up the
Son of man, then shall ye know, that I am he, and that I
do nothing of myself: but that as the Father has taught
me, I speak these things. And he that sent me, is with me.
The Father hath not left me alone. For I do always the
things that please him.” Ver. 42, “For I proceeded forth,
and came from God. Neither came I of myself, but he
sent me." Ver. 54, " It is my Father that honoureth me,
of whom ye say, that he is your God." Ch. x. 35, “ The
works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of
me." Ver. 29, 30, "My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."

This appears also in the discourses of others, recorded in this gospel, chap. iii. 2. Nicodemus says, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." And ch. ix. 30, “ Herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not whence he is. And yet he hath opened my eyes." Ver. 33, " If this man were not of God, he could do nothing."

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All these texts seem to me sufficient to satisfy us, that by "the Word," which St. John says, " was in the beginning, and was with God, and was God," he does not mean a being separate from God, and inferior to him, but God himself, or the wisdom and power of God, which is the same as God, even the Father, who alone is God, nor is there any other.

If by the Word, in the introduction to his gospel, St. John had intended a being separate from God, and inferior to him; it is reasonable to expect, that he should be mentioned again afterwards. But nothing of that kind appears. He speaks indeed of " the Son, and the only begotten Son of God." But thereby is not meant "the Word," but the man Jesus, the Messiah, in whom " the Word," that is, the power and wisdom of God, resided.

I now therefore proceed, ver. 14. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us:" that is, as before shown, And the Word was made man, or took upon him the human nature.' "And we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." That is, And we beheld in Jesus such power and wis'dom, that we could not doubt his being the Messiah.' That St. John intends the Lord Jesus, is evident from what he adds in the 15th verse. "John bare witness of him, and

cried, saying, This is he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me, is preferred before me.'

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." This is the same, which, in other words, is said in divers texts of the New Testament. Matt. i. 20-23," And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is, God with us." And John iii. 34, 35, "For he whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God. For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." Col. 1. 19. "For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell." And ch. ii," In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." And ver. 19, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily."

"And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." As before hinted, it was not "the Word," which St. John and others beheld, but Jesus in whom the Word dwelled. Him they beheld: and his greatness was conspicuous; so that he appeared, and they knew him to be "the only begotten of the Father," or the Messiah.

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"Only begotten Son." The phrase is again in John iii. 16 and 18. In our Lord's conference with Nicodemus, Only begotten," and "well beloved Son" are equivalent. This last is the phrase in several texts: as Matt. iii. 17, Mark i. 11, Luke iii. 22, Matt. xvii. 5, Mark ix. 7, Luke ix. 35. So Prov. iv. 3, “For I was my father's son, tender, and only beloved in the sight of my mother." Comp. 1 Chron. xxix. 1.

"The Christ," or "the Messiah," and "the Son of God," are equivalent in the new Testament. Matt. xvi. 16, Peter's applauded confession of our Lord's character is in these words: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." So likewise John vi. 69. But in Mark viii. 29, it is: "Thou art the Christ of God." And Luke ix. 20, "the Christ of God."

And that in the language of the Jews the titles of Messiah and Son of God are the same, may be seen in Matt. xxvi. 63, and Luke xxii. 66, 70. But now I shall argue it more particularly from St. John's gospel, ch. i. 34-49. John the Baptist bears testimony to Jesus under several charac

ters, all equivalent to that of the Messiah. "And I saw," says he," and bare record, that this is the Son of God. Again, the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God." These disciples are convinced: "one of them, which heard John, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him: We have found the Messias. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him: We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael likewise, after some hesitation, is convinced, and makes a like profession, saying: "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel."

All these pious men, acquainted with the scriptures of the Old Testament, upon the ground of John's testimony, and their own conversation with Jesus, under somewhat different appellations, but of one and the same meaning, acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ. See also John ix. 35, 36, and 1 John v. 1, 5.

The Jews, it is likely, had learned this title and character of the Messiah from Ps. ii, 7, 12. And see 2 Sam. vii. 14.

When Jesus was baptized, he was solemnly and publicly declared to be the Messiah, "There came a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." After which having been led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, the tempter, when he came to him, said: " If thou be the Son of God," that is, If indeed thou art the Son of God, or the Christ, "command that these stones be made bread."

I would now endeavour to show, upon what accounts Jesus is in the scriptures said to be "the Son of God.”

Sonship is a term of nearness, dearness, and affection. In general, Jesus is the Son of God, or eminently so, as he is, so far as we know, the person in all the world most dear to God the Father. To be more particular.

1. Jesus is the Son of God, upon account of his miraculous conception and birth.

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Luke i. 31-35, " An angel appeared to Mary, and said unto her Fear not, Mary. For thou hast found favour

Il y a simplement dans le Grec, si vous êtes Fils de Dieu,' sans article. On ne laisse pas de l'ajoûter. Car le miracle, que le diable exige de J. C. montre, qu'il ne s'agit pas de savoir, si Jésus est enfant de Dieu,' mais s'il est le Fils de Dieu,' par excellence, c. a. d. le Messie. Lenfant sur Matt. iv. 3.