immodefty; without being guilty of arrogance.-Much lefs can it be faid of him, as a mere man," He is THE "LORD from heaven." We do not use to speak thus of one who naturally belongs to the earth, and obtains the inheritance of heaven and the title of LORD, only by grace. On the contrary, truth and modefty require that we should fay; Jefus Chrift being of the earth, is, by nature, earthly; but, by the favour of God, he is the Lord from heaven. Now, as one cannot be void of modefty, in this refpect, without falling into impiety; because a perfon cannot affume fuch honours to himself, without infringing on the glory of God; fo it is evident, that the language of Scripture is not only obfcure and falfe, not only abfurd and ridiculous, but alfo impious; if Jefus Chrift be a mere man.-The Arian hypothefis fhall be confidered, in a following chapter.

CHAPTER VI.

Evidences of the fame truth, arifing from thofe paffages of Scripture, which exprefs the Pre-existence of JESUS CHRIST.

THE Scriptures inform us, that Christ existed

before he was conceived in the womb of Mary; that he was before John the Baptift; that the prophets were infpired by him; that he was before Abraham; that he was in the beginning of all things; and that he was before all ages. The Divine records affert, that he "was in the form of God;" and, afterwards, "made "himself of no reputation, by taking upon him the form "of a fervant." He, therefore, muft have exifted before his humiliation; and, confequently, before his conception in the virgin's womb.-The fame infallible

rule of our faith declares, that he "was made of the "feed of David, according to the flesh." Certainly, then, in his wonderful Perfon there must be a nature distinct from the human; a nature, in respect of which, he was not made of the feed of David.-An unerring writer calls him, "GOD manifeft in the flesh." Which must imply, that he who was thus manifested, existed prior to his appearance in a corporal nature.-An evangelist informs us, that THE WORD, who was in the beginning, and was God," was made flesh :" which neceffarily fuppofes that He exifted before that flesh to which he was united.

Again Jefus himself affirms, with a folemn affevera tion, a kind of oath; "Verily, I fay unto you, before "Abraham was, I am." Either, then, he exifted before that renowned patriarch was born, or his words convey a false idea; that being the natural fignification of the terms, and the first impression they make on our minds.-Peter, fpeaking of the ancient prophets, reprefents them, as fearching diligently what, or what "manner of time the SPIRIT OF CHRIST which was

in them did fignify, when it teflified before-hand "the fufferings of Chrift and the glory that fhould "follow." But if Jefus did not exist in the times of the prophets, they could not fpeak, they could not write, by his Spirit, or by his infpiration. Hence we learn, that the Spirit of Chrift was no lefs really granted to them, under the Mofaic economy, than he was afterwards to the apoftles. He exifted, therefore, ià the times of the former, as well as in thofe of the latter. For there is no reafon to fuppofe, that the Spirit, by whofe direction the Hebrew feers predicted the fufferings and glory of God's Meffiah, is called the "Spirit of "Chrift," merely because they prophefied concerning him. The prophets foretold the coming and ministry of the apoftles; but is that a fufficient reafon to fay, that the Spirit of the apoftles was in them?-The evangelift John afferts, that Chrift" was in the begin

ning; that he was with God;" and that " by him "all things were made." Confequently, he existed before time commenced, and before the world was formed. But, not to multiply quotations, I fhall only once more obferve, that Chrift, when addreffing his divine Father, fays; "And now, O Father, glorify "thou me with thine own felf, with the glory which I

had with thee before the world was." And, in another place, with great folemnity and with an air of Divine authority, he calls himfelf, "The Alpha and "Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and "the Laft." Now, if we admit the venerable and auguft Speaker to talk fenfibly and to mean as he speaks, we must conclude, that he exifted before the creation, and possessed a Divine glory prior to the birth of time.

To judge of the plain and natural import of these paffages, we need only to confider the impreffion they have made on the minds of men, for fo many ages, fince the Scripture was penned. The Socinians may choose what arbitrators they pleafe, to determine the direct and natural fignification of the expreffions. If they fufpect, either the judgment or the impartiality, of the orthodox, will they truft the Arians; who are not prepoffeffed in favour of the proper Deity of Jefus Chrift, any more than themfelves? But if they fhould confider the difciples of Arius as incompetent judges, will they trust the Mahometans; who agree with Socinus in rejecting, not only the eternal Divinity, but also the pre-existence of Chrift? Yet the muffelmen will tel them, that they fee the fame, in the paffages adduced, that we do; which obliges them to reject the New Teftament, as being, either entirely fuppofititious, or effentially corrupted. And, indeed, it may admit of a query, whether we have not reafon to fufpect that this is the fecret perfuafion of our adverfaries; feeing their interpretations of thefe paffages are fo various, and fome of them, fo contradictory.-Is it propable, for inftance, that the natural impreffion, of thefe words,

"Before Abraham was, I am;" fuggefted to Socinus that interpretation of them, which he fays coft him so much labour, and which God did not difcover to him till after he had spent feveral days in prayer? And yet, it is very obfervable, that his pretended divinely revealed fenfe of the text, was never adopted by the teachers of his perfuafion. Nor is it any wonder that they should unanimously reject it. For if, when our Lord faid, "Before Abraham was,' I am;" he only meant, · I " am, before Abraham was, what the name Abraham fignifies; that is, The father of many nations;—in other words, That Chrift existed before the Gentiles became the children of Abraham; if, I fay, this be the meaning of Jefus, never any expreffions were of a more obfcure, fallacious, and enfnaring kind.-But this novel and far fetched interpretation is abfolutely void of truth. For thefe words, "before Abraham was," do notfignify, before that eminent patriarch was Abraham;' but before he who was honoured with that expreffive name had a being; before he was in the world. Evén as thefe words, Before Pompey the Great was ;' do not fignify, before Pompey was furnamed, or was really the Great ;'. but before he exifted.-Befides, the glofs of Socinus renders the affertion of Jefus abfurd. For what mighty wonder was it, that He fhould exist before the Gentiles became the children of Abraham? The very meanest perfon, who lived at that time, might have faid the fame of himfelf.

But another Socinian writer gives a more plaufible interpretation of the text. He fuppofes, that Jefus was before Abraham, in the fame fenfe in which he is called, the Lamb flain from the foundation of the • world.' In answer to which I obferve, That the two paffages are far from being parallel. The latter is evidently figurative; as appears by the term flain, or facrificed, and by other circumftances of the text. But in the former, every thing leads to the literal fenfe. It is an objection purely literal which the Jews make,

when they say; "Thou art not yet fifty years old." Nor does the text before us, which fo ftrongly denotes the pre-existence of Chrift, exprefs any thing, when fo understood, but what is contained in great numbers of others. Befides, to render thefe two paffages perfectly fimilar, we must fuppofe it recorded in Scripture; That Jefus, being in the form of a facrifice, was afterwards pleafed to take upon him the form of a man-That • he came from fuffering when he appeared in the world S That he died before Abraham was-That his cruci'fixion and death were from ancient times-That he fuffered from the beginning, or ever the earth wasAnd that, just before he made his exit on Calvary, he thus addreffed his Father; Behold me, ready to endure the fame fufferings which I underwent with thee before the world was.' But would not fuch language be confidered as falfe, abfurd, and ridiculous? Would not fuch a way of fpeaking, concerning Jefus Christ, be detefted; even though it must be allowed, that the Holy Spirit does call him, "The Lamb flain "from the foundation of the world ?”

Further In the paffage quoted from the Revelation, there feems to be one of thofe tranfpofitions which are common in the Scriptures, and in all forts of authors and if so, it may be thus rendered: "And all that are 66 upon the earth shall worship him, whofe names are not "written, from the foundation of the world, in the book "of life of the Lamb flain *." Thefe words, " from the "foundation of the world;" being connected with, "written in the book of life." For eternal predeftination to grace and holiness, to happiness and glory, is the thing intended by thofe expreifions; and that divine purpose, respecting the chofen of God, is reprefented as the reason why they fhall not worship the beast, and perish in their iniquity. Such being the general fenfe of the text, it does not feem at all neceffary to fuppofe,

Compare Rev. xvii. 8.

N