as with reverence of that Sublime Being of whom he fpeaks, redoubles his expreffions; and, with a fingular emphafis, fays; "The hills melted like wax, AT THE

PRESENCE OF THE LORD; AT THE PRESENCE OF "THE LORD OF THE WHOLE EARTH." And then he adds, "The heavens declare his righteousness, and all "the people fee his glory." But whofe righteoufnefs is revealed by the heavens, whofe glory is beheld by the people, except thofe of their great Creator and Preferver?

Confounded be all they that ferve graven images, "that boaft themselves of idols." As it is the true God who is opposed to idols; and as it is the true God who is glorified, by the confufion of idolaters; fo none but He can be intended in this place." Thou, Lord, art.

high above all the earth; thou art exalted far above "all gods." If these words do not exprefs the idea of the true God, language is not capable of doing it; for nothing is more evident, than that He only is to be fupremely exalted.

If, then, each of these characters be adapted to fhew, that the true, the great, the infinite Gon, is intended in this Pfalm; certainly fuch a collection of them must leave no room for doubt. Nay, fuch is the evidence, in this refpect, that if we refuse to acknowledge the Great Supreme, in this devout and very fublime ode; we fhall not be able, with certainty, to find his character, nor to behold his glory, in any oracle, or in any part, of the Old Teftament. For that immenfely glorious Being, whofe perfections are here celebrated, is defcribed by the fame characters which are given to the true God throughout the ancient Scriptures; and especially by his great and terrible name, JEHOVAH: a name, which he appropriated to himfelf, on a very important occafion which he fignalized by a thoufand miracles-which is here connected with the idea of univerfal dominion, and with the difplays of his glory in heaven and earth. So that if it were any other than the true God, who is defcribed by characters fo effential and peculiar to

Him; no expreffions could be used, about an affair of the most folemn importance, more ambiguous, or more deceitful.

Is it not then furprifing, that Socinus fhould apply all these characters to Jefus Chrift; to one whom he confiders, as a mere man? Since it is evident, fays he, from the confeflion of all the world, that in this Pfalm there is a prophecy concerning the kingdom of Jefus Chrift; why might not Chrift (a man to whom all power in heaven and earth was given, and being confidered as entering on the poffeffion of his kingdom, * prophetically foretold and defcribed) be with propriety called, The Lord of the whole earth? Why, becaufe he who bears that divine title is defcribed by so many other characters, which are peculiar to the true God. Because He who is the fubject of this Plaim, is also the subject of that which immediately precedes, whofe glory is thus defcribed. "All the gods of the nations are idols; but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majefty are before him; ftrength and beauty are in his fanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds "of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: "bring an offering and come into his courts. O worship "the LORD in the beauty of holiness; fear before him "all the earth. Say among the Heathen, that the "Lord reigneth-Let the heavens rejoice, and let the "earth be glad; let the fea roar and the fulness thereof. "Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then "fhall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD; "for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth.”— That these two Pfalms are parallel, is very evident. For they both speak of God's glory, of his coming, and of his kingdom. They both exalt the true God above the divinities of the Heathen. They both require mankind -to worship the Lord, the eternal JEHOVAH, as having fupreme dominion over all creatures. And they bosh

invite inanimate creatures to rejoice at the prefence, and in the government of God.

It is, then, of the true God thefe words were spoken, Worship Him all ye gods ;" or, "Let all the angels "of God worship Him." But it was concerning JESUS CHRIST that the high command was given. Of this an infallible author affures us. Of this, therefore, we ought by no means to doubt: nor do our opponents themselves deny it. Let them draw the inference, then; and acknowledge with us, That Jefus Chrift is the true God, and is defcribed in the ancient oracles as the Supreme Being. For hence we learn, that they whe are called gods; or, to adopt their own language, they who are gods by office, are here exprefsly commanded to worship Jefus Chrift, as God by nature.

Socinus in vain endeavours to folve the difficulty, with which he is here preffed, by faying; They who worship Chrift, worship the Supreme God; because Jefus reprefents him in a fingular manner, and in a very eminent fenfe.' For the queftion is not, Whether, in adoring Jefus Chrift, we adore the true God; but, Whether thefe words, "Let all the angels of "God worship him," were not spoken of Jefus Christ.

Should any one maintain, that he who loves his brother, loves God, because he loves him only as bearing the image of his Maker; he would say nothing but what is warrantable. But were he to infer from thence, that when the Divine Lawgiver fays, "Thou shalt love "the Lord thy God with all thy heart," he fpeaks of our neighbour, and not of God only; his conclufion would be very extravagant. So, were we to grant, that he who worships Chrift, worships, in fome measure, the true God; yet we should not be obliged to allow, that he who requires us to adore God, requires us by the fame command to adore Jefus Chrift; there being no confequence from the one to the other.-Befides, if in adoring Chrift, we worship the true God; then the

paffage under confideration might have been applied to all the kings of the earth. For they, in fome refpects, bear the image of God; and we honour them as God's vicegerents here below. But are we from hence authorized to fay, That he who honours kings, honours God himfelf? If we be, we may apply to them the oracle in the ninety-feventh Pfalm, as it is applied to Jefus Chrift. For if it belong to Chrift, though it be meant only of the Supreme Being, becaufe in worshipping the former, we adore the latter; nothing hinders us from faying, that it belongs alfo to kings; becaufe in honouring them, we honour the Eternal Sovereign, whofe image they bear.

But the question is not, What fubtilty can invent, in order to elude the force of this argument; but, What is the natural import of the words, as applied in the epiftle to the Hebrews? and, Whether any can be excufed from taking them in the fenfe adopted by us? feeing, on the one hand, they were spoken of the true God; and, on the other, that the Infallible Spirit applies them to Jefus Chrift.

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CHAPTER 111.

The apostles did not apply the ancient oracles to JESUS CHRIST, by mere Allufion, or Accomodation.

CLEARLY to difcern the importance of the

argument, which is drawn from that application of the ancient oracles which the apoftles have made to Jefus Chrift; we need only to inquire, Whether the Holy Ghost, when fpeaking by the prophets in the paffages juft confidered, defigned to characterize Jefus Chrift. For, if that was his defign, he certainly intended that we fhould confider him, as THE LORD; OUR GOD; THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN ARD EARTH; JEHOVAH; JEHOVAH OF HOSTS; and THE Mosr HIGH. But if he did not intend to reprefent the Redeemer by these characters; if they were defigned for the true God, in distinction from Jefus Chrift; then we must look upon their application to Jefus, by the poftles, only as an accommodation of the ancient Scriptures to prefent events, founded on fome fort of refemblance between the one and the other. But though fuch accommodation be not without example, in Divine and human language; it has no place here, as may appear from the following confiderations.

Some of thefe paffages inconteftibly belong to Jefus Chrift, by the intention of that Spirit who infpired the prophets; as has been already proved. Thefe, therefore, demonftrate, that Jefus is invefted with the peculiar characters of God's glory, by the intention of the Holy Ghoft.-Nor will the defign of the apoftles, in citing and applying the ancient oracles to Jefus Chrift, permit us to confider that application as merely by way of allufion, or accommodation. For their defign is, either to prove his Divine miffion, or to condemn the