course of his ministry, as recorded by the Evangelists, it is easy to perceive.

The necessary knowledge, too, of the Jewish Scriptures, of the customs of his country, and the character and prejudices of his countrymen, required much time and experience; and the supernatural and instantaneous communication of all this knowledge, might not have been agreeable to divine wisdom, which does nothing in vain. In these studies, and the acquisition of this experience, his youth may have been employed. As in all this there is nothing contradictory and repugnant to reason, nor derogatory to the Supreme Being, we should subject our imaginations to the authority of Scripture.

The doctrine of the pre-existence is so clearly and repeatedly declared in various parts of Scripture, that it can hardly be contested without an undue degree of critical refinement. Those, who deny it, seem to me to be at continual variance with both revelations; to be continually fencing with the word of God, parrying and warding off the most direct and pointed texts. When so many learned and pious men resort to such farfetched expedients, they must be influenced by some powerful inducement. This, I apprehend, is an idea, that the doctrine of the simple humanity of Christ relieves Christianity from many of those difficulties, which attend the scheme,

which I have been endeavouring to support. But, in my mind, it involves revelation in ten-fold perplexity; and is inconsistent, not only with single texts, but with the whole plan and texture of the Sacred Writings.

When we study a divine revelation, we cannot expect to find every thing natural, and consonant to our previous experience. The instructions, which are to regulate our own conduct, will no doubt be clear; for they would otherwise fail in producing their effect; but the history must, of necessity, be supernatural, unprecedented and astonishing; and obscure intimations will unavoidably be given of subjects, connected with the main design, which we cannot possibly comprehend in their full extent. Nor is there any thing in the doctrine, which I have laid down, incompatible with the natural convictions of the human understanding.

The idea of a pre-existent state is so far from being at variance with the common sense of man'kind, that perhaps there is not one religious spe culation, except the Being of God, and the reality of a future state, which has received a more general currency among mankind. There is hardly a nation or tribe of men, among whom it has not, in one form or other, prevailed. The transmigration of the human soul from one body to another, formerly obtained, in all these western regions, under the Druidical superstition, and is

still the belief of the East. In the intermediate space, it formed the creed of one of the most ancient and numerous sects of the Greek philosophers; and, of course, pre-supposed a pre-existent state. The Jews had a confused notion of this kind, when they asked, "which had sinned, the man or his parents, that he had been born blind." If he sinned before he was born, it must have been in a prior state of existence. That such was their opinion, we are informed by their own historian. It was, no doubt, an opinion, that rested on no rational foundation; but its general prevalence is, on this very account, an argument, that the idea of passing from one state of being to another, is not abhorrent from the natural bias of the human mind. But, not to dwell on this, the doctrine of a future state, which has been always and universally maintained, and in which we so firmly believe, necessarily implies, that we are all at this moment in a state of preexistence, with respect to the life to come. We are certainly now in a pre-existent state: and, for aught we can tell, we may have been in a state of being prior to this."

Now, the effect of passing from one state of being to another must be precisely that, which is expressed by St. Paul, when he says, that Christ "emptied himself," that is, divested himself of certain properties, exclusively adapted to his heavenly condition. It is indeed impossible to con

ceive of any considerable change in the mode of existence, without supposing, that some such adaptation of circumstances must take place. When a worm is transformed into a winged inhabitant of the air, what important changes must it undergo in its nature, instincts and powers, as well as form! When we ourselves shall pass into a spiritual state, how many new qualities must we assume; and how few of our present habits, affections, passions, sentiments and recollections shall we retain! In short, what a new creature must we become, when we are invested with a spiritual and glorified body!

It is now time to advert to the conclusion of this valuable series of texts. "Wherefore, God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that is above every name." "Wherefore;" that is, in consequence of his humility and resignation, in relinquishing his former glory, and not considering it as a matter of right, but of favour; and as a reward for his obedience to God, and the important service he had done to man, the Almighty exalted him, even above his former state of glory, and assigned him a yet more elevated rank in the spiritual world; "that, at (or in) the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth;" that is, that all creatures should do him reverence." It is not meant literally, as some understand it, that we should, on every occasion, bow the head, or

bend the knee, at the name of Jesus in particular, and not of Christ or Messiah; for this would be a very perplexing, impracticable and useless injunction; besides, that Jesus is not his distinguishing appellation, being only the Greek for Joshua. But it is implied, that he should receive honour and reverence from all mankind. With respect to the degree and mode of this reverence, there is a variety of opinions among divines. Some are very scrupulous of exceeding in this respect, and carefully avoid it, even in their hymns: others think, that as there is a degree of external veneration due to superior age, rank or merit among ourselves, and the demonstrations of it vary according to the just pretensions of the individual; so our glorified Redeemer is entitled to much higher degrees of veneration, and more solemn demonstrations of reverence than any other creature. Of these divines, some feel no scruple in offering a degree of worship, of a nature, however, subordinate to that paid to his Father; while the large majority of Christians seem inclined to make no distinction at all. Among these sentiments each individual will make a selection, according to his own feelings and convictions. For my own part, I am persuaded, that direct worship, adoration, confession and supplication, should be confined to the Almighty. Any transfer of these to an inferior being, I conceive to be absolutely forbidden by