of sight-two eyes. Now, suppose I converse with a man with one eye shut, and the other open. If, being asked whether I saw him, I should dare to say I saw him not (without any limitation), meaning to myself that I saw him not with the eye which was shut, though still I saw him well enough with the eye which was open, I fear I should bear the reproach of a liar and deceiver, notwithstanding such a mental reservation as some would attribute to the holy Jesus. For knowledge is the eye of a person: Jesus Christ is supposed to have two of these knowing capacities; the one weak, the other strong and piercing that discerns all things."

II. With the common interpretation of our Lord's words, some eminent Trinitarians are dissatisfied. Dr. Macknight and others propose to understand the verb to know in the sense of making known, declaring ; and, to prove that the original word has sometimes this signification, they refer us to 1 Cor. ii. 2: "I determined to know nothing among you, but Jesus Christ and him crucified;" that is, "I determined to make known, to preach nothing among you but Jesus Christ." Whether this be the true meaning of St. Paul, or whether he rather designed to represent himself so fully absorbed in the preaching of the Gospel, as comparatively to be unacquainted with any thing else, is perhaps of little importance to the proper conception of Christ's meaning. The sense of making known, however it may apply to the sentiment of the apostle, is replete with absurdity when employed in the explication of our Saviour's language. "That day and that hour no one maketh known;* no, not the angels; not even the Son; but the Father only-he maketh it known." Such a rendering affords no clue whatever to the discovery of the sense: it implies, if it does not express, that God reveals the precise time of the destruction of Jerusalem, or of the day of judgment; while, inconsistently enough, those to whom such a revelation is imparted are either unacquainted with the time of the event, or do not make it known.

Suppose, however, that an additional idea be assigned to the verb to know, and that it signify, as further interpreted by Dr. Macknight, to have power to make known, then the passage will read thus: "No one hath power to declare the day and hour of Christ's coming-not even the angels: Christ himself hath not this power; the Father alone possesses it." According to this explanation, it will justly be inferred, that God has more power than his Son; and that he is superior-infinitely superior to him. But such a mode of rendering the passage-though

"There is no doubt," says Professor Stuart, "that the verb yvwow sometimes has the sense of making known; but a derivative of the verb dw is used here, which does not bear such a sense; nor will the tenor of the verse admit it."

as favourable to the principles of Unitarianism as that which supposes Jesus to have had limits set to his knowledge,—will hardly accord with the spirit of the context, or with the question of the apostles, "When shall these things be?"

III. An interpretation different from both of these has been proposed by Whitby in his Commentary, and defended by Dr. Wardlaw with all that ingenuity which characterises his writings; but which we consider as untenable, on rational and scriptural grounds, as any of those that have been suggested or entertained by other Trinitarians. Dissatisfied, as he well might be, with the common opinion, that our Saviour "was ignorant of" the day of judgment "in his human nature, although he knew it in his divine;" and objecting to Macknight's criticism, for reasons similar to some of those which are given above; he proposes to consider Christ as speaking in his "official capacity""as the commissioned ambassador of heaven to men." In this character, the Doctor admits that Jesus knew not "the time of the final judgment:" it "was not among the things communicated to him as the commissioned messenger of the Father." So far we perfectly agree with him. Christ, as the Servant and Messenger of the Most High, did not receive this knowledge from God: it was concealed from him in his "official capacity;" he, therefore, could not impart it to men. But in what did this capacity consist? Was it not in this character that he was so pre-eminently distinguished above all former messengers? Was it not as the Sent of God that he performed the most astonishing and benevolent miracles-that he taught the most sublime theology that he exemplified the deepest piety, and the most disinterested philanthropy that he laid down his life to promote the happiness of the human race- -that he was restored to existence, and appointed to be the spiritual King and Judge of all mankind? In other words, did not the Almighty send him to be our Instructor, our Exemplar, our Guide, our Saviour? And if, in these truly noble and important capacities, our Lord knew not the day of judgment, or the precise time of the destruction of Jerusalem-is it probable that he did know the day and the hour of that event in any other character?

When, however, the Doctor contends that "it is of knowledge received by communication that our Saviour speaks," and that the phrase not to know does not indicate absolute ignorance, but merely "not having official commission to make known," we beg to differ from him entirely. According to this view, the passage may be rendered by either of the following methods: "No being whatever has learned the time of Christ's coming-not even Christ has received the knowledge of that period: the Father only is, by communication, acquainted with the day and the hour."- "Neither man, nor angel, nor the Son of God, the Messenger of Heaven, has been commissioned to reveal the precise time of the de

struction of Jerusalem (or, of the final judgment): the Father only has received a commission to impart this knowledge." But who does not perceive the total falsity of the principle of interpretation employed in these renderings of the disputed passage? Who would approve of a criticism which makes the Lord Jesus Christ assert that the infinite Source of all knowledge and power is indebted to some other Being for an acquaintance with a particular event, or for power and authority to make it known?

To get rid of these difficulties, Dr. Wardlaw acknowledges, "that, with regard to the Father, that is, Deity, the knowledge spoken of could not be by communication;" although he had previously affirmed it to be "of knowledge received by communication that our Saviour speaks." We conceive, however, that Jesus did not mean to speak of such knowledge; for he predicated of God what he denied of all other beings; and had he said as he is made to say that no one had received a knowledge of the precise time of the final judgment, but the Father, he could not have used language more strongly expressive of the derived intelligence of the omniscient Mind!

IV. The sense of the passage we conceive to be, that the precise time of the destruction of Jerusalem (or, of the day of judgment) was not known to any being whatever; not even to Jesus Christ himself, the Son of God, who, either from his agency in the transaction, or from his accurate acquaintance with other particulars, was more likely to be in possession of the time than either man or angel,-not even to him was the day and hour known, but to the Father only, the infinite Source of all wisdom, who withholdeth from the most favoured of his servants the knowledge of those "times and seasons which he hath put in his own power." This exposition of the text is nothing more than our Saviour's language somewhat amplified; but which cannot be more expressive than his own words: "Of that day and hour knoweth no one, no, not the angels who are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father;"- a sentiment which, if understood as expressed, contains a very pertinent answer to the question of the curious disciples, "When shall these things be?"

V. Dr. Adam Clarke, in his valuable Commentary, strongly suspects, that the clause "neither the Son," was not originally in Mark's Gospel, although confessed to be found in all the manuscripts and versions extant. If an unfortunate heretic should indulge in his suspicions respecting the purity of the Received Text, he would be liable to be branded—at least morally-in the forehead. To the cause of Christian Unitarianism, however, it is of little importance whether the clause be an interpolation or not; for, according to the Gospel of St. Matthew, it is the FATHER ONLY that is acquainted with the day and hour of the Son of man's coming.

(8) Christ not in possession of Almighty Power, or of Underived

Authority.

38. For he most unequivocally disclaimed inherent power. John v. 19: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, THE SON CAN Do nothing of

HIMSELF, but what he seeth the Father do," &c.-Ver. 30: "I CAN
OF MINE OWNSELF DO NOTHING."

39. He acknowledged that he could grant high stations in his kingdom
only to those persons for whom they were prepared by his Father.
-Matt. xx. 21-23: "Grant that these my two sons may sit,
the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy king-
dom. He saith unto them, To sit on my right hand, and on
my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for
whom it is prepared of my Father."-Par. Pas. Mark x. 37-40.
is not mine to give, but [to those] for whom it is prepared by my Father.-Imp. Ver.
Similarly by Wakefield and Kenrick; Hammond, Campbell, Doddridge, &c.

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40. He explicitly asserted the Supremacy of the Father.―John x. 29: My Father, who gave [them] me, is GREATER THAN ALL.” Chap. xiv. 28: "My Father is greater than I.”

41. St. Paul, too, supported the same doctrine ;- -1 Cor. xi. 3:

"The

head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and THE HEAD OF CHRIST [IS] GOD."-See chap. iii. 23. 42. And, in the most decisive language, declared the Saviour's subjection to the Governor of the universe. -1 Cor. xv. 24-28: "Then [cometh] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. ... When he saith, all things are put under [him, it is] manifest that He is excepted who did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall THE SON also HIMSELF BE SUBJECT UNTO HIM THAT PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIM, that God may be all in all." 43. Jesus derived all his power and authority from his God and Father.- -Acts x. 38: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy spirit and WITH POWER." John x. 18: "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I RECEIVED of my Father." Rev. ii. 26, 27: « He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, EVEN AS I RECEIVED OF MY FATHER." -See John xvii. 2. Matt. xxviii. 18.

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Acts x.38: duvaus, ability.-Bagot. In the remaining passages quoted or referred to in No.43, the word translated 'power' is egσa, which in some of these is rendered 'authority' by Doddridge, Dwight, Campbell, Belsham, Carpenter, Bagot, &c. In all the places in which ouria is used, it uniformly means authority, or privilege, or delegated commission, conferred by some superior.- Wakefield. a commission, or delegated authority.-J. S. Porter.

44. Every thing that he possessed he received from the same gracious Being.—John iii. 35: "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."-See Matt. xi. 27. Luke i. 32. John vi. 37, 39; xiii. 3; xvii. 2, 6-9, 11, 12, 22, 24; xviii. 9. Acts ii. 33.

45. On all suitable occasions, he offered up his prayers and thanksgivings to the universal Father. See pages 39, 40.

46. He performed miracles by the power with which he was endowed by God. Acts ii. 22: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him." John xiv. 10: "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself; but the Father, that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works."-See chap. xi. 21, 22, 41. Acts x. 38. Heb. ii. 4. 47. He performed all his works to glorify the Father.John viii. 49, 50: "I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek NOT MINE OWN GLORY: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.”—See chap. vii. 18; xiii. 31; xiv. 13; xvii. 1, 4. Rom. xv. 7.

48. In the arduous task of his ministry, he was upheld by the Father, -Isa. xlii. 1: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold."

49. And, when forsaken by all his disciples, he felt himself secure under the protection of Almighty God.-John xvi. 32: "Ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”

50. In the garden of Gethsemane, he was strengthened by a heavenly messenger.- -Luke xxii. 43: "And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, STRENGTHENING HIM."

51. In creation and dominion, whether understood of the material worlds, or of the moral universe as effected by the Christian religion, he was merely a subordinate agent, appointed and employed by the Deity. Heb. i. 2: [His] Son, whom HE HATH APPOINTED heir of all things; BY WHOM also he made the worlds (or ages)."

66

per quem mundum condidit.-Beza.
per quem secula condidit.-Calvin.

through whom he made the world.-Macknight.
through whom he settled the ages.- Wakefield.

on whose account (propter quem) he made the world.—Grotius.

per quem fecit secula.-F. Socinus and Crellius. Tremellius, Limborch, Montanus (similarly).
by whom he made the ages, i. e. the kingdom of the Messiah.-Abauzit, Priestley.

by whom he constituted the age, i.e. of the Messiah.-Simpson, Carpenter, Drummond.
through whom he has given form to the ages; or, in other words, has given form to what exists,
and is to exist, as the results of Christianity.-Norton.

for (or, with a view to) whom he constituted the ages; i. e. the antediluvian, the patriarchal, and the Mosaic ages or dispensations.-Lardner, Lindsey, Eds. of Imp. Ver. Belsham (similarly). for whose sake, or upon whose account, he made the ages.-Chandler, as quoted by Belsham. 52. He was appointed by God to be the Judge of the human race.— John v. 26, 27: "The Father hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.' - See ver. 22. Acts x. 42; xvii. 31. Rom. ii. 16.

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