cularly how our falvation arose from his having given himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity;"" that having been disobedient, ferving lufts and pleasures, not our merits, but his mercy fhone forth in faving us" that therefore, "Jefus Chrift having loved us, and washed us from our fins in his blood," Rev. i 5, "the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, by washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft; which was fhed on us abundantly, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour," Titus iii 4, 5, 6. Here, fpeaking to a man who was to act under him, and whofe difcharge of the office conferred on him, muft in a great measure depend upon the accuracy of St. Paul's expreffion, this apoftle, preaching that which was committed to him, according to the commandment of God our Saviour," falls into a mode of expreffion, which, if Jefus Chrift be not God, muft perpetually mislead Titus; keep him wandering in continual errour; and utterly incapacitate him to " exhort and convince by found doctrine." That mankind had obtained falvation, is the committed doctrine; that God is our Saviour, and that Jefus Christ is our Saviour, are fentences occurring every where through the epiftle, nay, in contiguous verfes; for, after declaring himself an apoftle by the commandment of God our Saviour, St. Paul proceeds to fay, "To Titus mine own Son after the common faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Chrift our Saviour," Titus i. 3, 4. Did he mean to distract him? if not, he is very defective in his addrefs; but if he meant to inculcate the divinity of Chrift, and to fhew that the Father and the Son are one, God our Saviour, he has spoken to the purpose, and confiflently with the coherent file that fo exceedingly diftinguishes the writings of St. Paul.

CI.

The Son of God is faid to be "the exprefs Image of his perfon," Heb. i. 3; "the Image of the invifi ble God," Coloff. i. 15. And again the gospel is pronounced "the glorious gospel of Chrift, who is the Image of God," 2 Cor. iv. 4. "Chrift Jefus" is declared to have been "in the form of God" previous to his having taken manhood, Philip. ii. 6. These expresfions concerning our Saviour are pointed out as a proof that he is not God, but only like to God. But if this be the true meaning of the words, we shall find a very extraordinary confequence follow, for God is exprefsly declared only to have been the Similitude of the Lord, and is he therefore not God? He has himself faid concerning Mofes, "With him will I speak, mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the fimilitude of the Lord fhall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my fervant Mofes?" Numb. xii. 8. Ezekiel, after relating the particulars of his vifion, fums up what he had been describing, and fays, "this was the Appearance of the Likeness of the glory of the Lord," Ezek. i. 28. But it was actually the glory of the Lord itself which he had feen, for when he came to them of the captivity of Tel-abib, "Behold the glory of the Lord ftood there as the glory which I faw by the river of Chebar," Ezek. iii. 23: and again in his own house, "the glory of the God of Ifrael was there, according to the vifion which I faw in the plain," Ezek. viii. 4. But this glory of the Lord was no less than the bright effluence of his own immediate prefence, for "I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, faying, Bleffed be the glory of the Lord from his place," Ezek. iii. 12: but this voice Ezekiel did not hear, till the Spirit had entered into him, that he should hear him that spake unto him,” Ezek. ii. 2. And when he that fpake uttered his voice to one now fitted

to

to receive fuch a revelation, he faid, "Son of man, I fend thee to the children of Ifrael," "I do fend thee unto them, and thou fhalt fay unto them, thus faith the Lord God," Ezek. ii. 3, 4. If then the fimilitude of the Lord, and the apparent God of Mofes, be but fynonimous expreffions for the fame God; if the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord be incontrover→ tibly the Lord the God of Ifrael himself, what opposes our confeffing that "the Image of God," "the Image of the invifible God," "the exprefs Image of his Perfon," who had been " in the form of God" before “he was found in fashion of a man," even Jefus Christ, is that very God which he is declared to be in terms of exactly the fame import as the direct name, one with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, whom we here fee to have proceeded from him as the Comforter of Ezekiel.

CII.

"Verily, he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the feed of Abraham," Heb. ii 16. This is urged as a perfuafive to us to lay hold of and embrace the great falvation, afforded to us by fo wonderful an inftance of condefcenfion as that of our Saviour's having taken our nature upon him, which he is declared to have done, that he might, as man, become the Captain of our falvation, by fuffering death for all men. But St. Paul fays, that he took not on him the nature of angels, but defcended a little lower: What is this but saying, that out of two things equally poffible to him, he has made a choice? and to that which is not yet ushered into being, we know that there is not any thing poffible; therefore Jefus Chrift had pre-existence to the time he came in the flesh: But he verily took not on him the nature of angels; therefore, in his pre-exiftent ftate, he was not an angel. But while the power of making choiceamong all inferior natures which he would take was his, he affumed that in which a purpose beneficial to man

kind was to be answered; and we are accordingly invited to offer up the tribute of our gratitude and confidence to him who had been thus merciful. But who was he to whom fuch a choice belonged? Certainly God, to whom. alone all things are fubfervient, "by whom and for whom all things were created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth," Col. i. 16; who can exalt, as well as debafe, the works of his own hands, and take into himfelf whatsoever nature it fhall please him to honour. This ftupendous dignity he has conferred upon ours; and for our advantage has become man, even the man Jefus Chrift. This adopted nature, this progeny of his power and mercy, he has declared his Son; and for the fake of this his "holy child Jesus," who, notwithstanding that he was in all points tempted like as we are, continued to the end doing the will of God, fpotlefs, without fin, became obedient to the death for our redemption, and having fuffered, thereby to become the Author and Captain of our falvation, accompanied the * reafcending God into heaven, there for ever to remain our Mediator and Interceffor; for his fake, I fay, has God been pleafed to extend falvation to us: "For this beloved Son, in whom he is well pleafed," and whom therefore he has eternally united with himself, has undertaken the cause of our infirmities, and has graciously condefcended to call us brethren; he has even called us fons; and having taken part in that flesh and blood whereof we are partakers, pronounced us his children; and with more than paternal kindness bowed himfelf down to death for our fanctification," that he might thereby destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them that, through fear of death, were all their life-time subject to bondage," See Heb. ii. throughout. Let us then, in memory of that fellowship which

"Now, that he afcended, what is it but that he alfo defcended first into the lower parts of the earth?" Eph. iv. 8.

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which God himself has with us, having been "< partak er of that flesh and blood;" through the mercies which he has thereby vouchfafed us, approach the throne of his grace with confidence, "knowing that we have a new and living way confecrated to us, through the vail, that is to fay, his flesh," Heb. x. 20. "And having," therefore, an high priest over the houfe of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full affurance of faith," ""without wavering;" for if we fin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, "of the offering of the body of Jefus Chrift once,' "there remaineth no more facrifice for fin, but a fiery indignation fhall devour the adverfary, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was fanctified an unholy thing, and hath done defpite unto the fpirit of grace; for we know him that hath faid, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompenfe, faith the Lord. And again, The Lord fhall judge his people," Heb. x. throughout.

Where now is Mr. Lindsey's analogy between the of fering up of prayer and religious worship to Aaron the high priest of the Jews, and to our great high priest Jefus Chrift? between the prieft" that ftandeth daily miniftering and offering oftentimes the fame facrifices which can never take away fin," and this Man who, after he had offered one facrifice for fins, for ever fat down at the right hand of God; who, by one offering, hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified? «For the law maketh men high priests; but the word of the oath which was fince the law, maketh the Son, who is confecrated for evermore;"" who, having as a prieft, once made facrifice, having offered up himfelf," is fet. on the right hand of the throne of the majefty in the heavens, where he has become the mediator of the new covenant; in which he has declared, "I will put my

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