am not, I believe, exceeding the truth, in stating, that the deliverance from Egypt is universally attributed to the agency of the Father. Again; the angel who preceded Joshua into the promised land is interpreted of the Son; while the destruction of the Canaanites is imputed to the Father. It is very true that the union of the three Persons or Characters of the Godhead is perfect; and that their will being indivisible, every deed and revelation of one, includes the deed and revelation of the rest. In this sense God the Father spake by Christ. But it is quite manifest, - and it is acknowledged, that Christ appeared and communed with the patriarchs in a form and in a manner, which the sacred writers whatever their real knowledge-intended should be attributed to another being than Jehovah. When it is said, that "the voice of the Lord God" was heard by Adam in the garden, it was intended. When under the seen and palpable form of an Angel, but with attributes, which in the belief of the nation could only belong to Jehovah, he appeared unto Abraham, it was intended. When Moses described God's appearance unto himself, it was intended ;intended to show, that a Being invested with the powers of Deity descended upon the earth from time to time to make known the divine counsels, who was distinct from the God whom they worshipped as the God of Israel. That Being we now acknowledge to be Christ. Our more enlarged means of knowledge enables us to pronounce with certainty, that it was JESUS who, by repeated promises relating to Himself, kept alive the faith of men under the preparatory dispensation, by an exercise of the same power with which he gave the substance of those promises in the days of his Incarnation. It is far beyond the human strength of reason to explain by what particular process the Powers of the Godhead were so relaxed as to effect a seeming, though not actual separation. We presume not to conceive, how this was accomplished; but the Bible still gives most abundant evidence, that the Son, although not in will, nor soul, nor essence distinct and separate from the Father, yet manifested Himself to men by some quality more peculiar and more emphatically his own. In his character of Redeemer, he became endued with certain properties, and exercised an influence over men, while bringing them into a state of reconciliation with the Father, which though one in will with God, was yet seemingly partial in its mode of action. It must then be acknowledged, that there exists an ambiguity in our interpretation of Scripture, and that the usual mode of attributing some acts to the Father and others to the Son under the Patriarchs and the Law, gives a colorable pretext for its division into the two parts, which we have deprecated; and this especially; since there are such firm grounds for acknowledging the entire supremacy of the Son in the times of the Gospel. At the same time, it is difficult to believe that this ambiguity exists in fact, and not in the defectiveness of our own interpretation. It is very easy to conceive that a long succession of commentators, each taking for granted many positions of his predecessors, may have erred in their illustrations; but it is extremely difficult to imagine that alternation of influences, which must be supposed in our ordinary reception of the - divine disclosures. We can conceive the Will of the Father expressed continually to men through the medium of the Son; and this Will working powerfully in their hearts, through the influence of the Holy Spirit: - In such a case, the power of the Three would be exerted, although outwardly expressed uniformly by One. But we should be inclined to examine deeply into Scripture, before yielding our assent to a continued interchange of Person, which would lead us to adopt the belief of a varying external agency. Such a mode, to say the least, would detract from that unity and singleness of design in Revelation, which, by the first principles of Faith, we are wont to ascribe to the workings of Deity. It is the solution of this ambiguity, that occupies our present thought. The design is obvious and simple. It is to examine the Revelations which God has made of Himself to man, patiently through every part of Scripture; to give an unbroken thread of the manifestations of the Deity, and by arranging them in a more perfect form, to discriminate between the several Persons who are said to have made themselves known to mankind. I look upon Christianity as a single extended system, commencing from the Fall of Man; and the power of its Founder as subsisting upon the earth from that period until "he shall have put all enemies under his feet." I endeavour to examine into the nature of that power which has been delegated to Christ by the Father, and the means by which he has manifested it to mankind. It appears from Scripture evidence, that when Man fell through the transgression of Adam, God had resolved to destroy that race from the face of the earth, which had begun its career by overthrowing His counsels; but that the Son intervened between the Creator and his victims, and offered to secure them from destruction by a voluntary sacrifice of himself at a period to be determined on by the Father. It appears, that this Mediation was effectual; and God from that moment made him "heir of all things," gave him power and dominion in the earth; and that thenceforth he began to exercise authority and to manifest his strength over the creatures he had covenanted to save. We know that he did overcome; and therefore acknowledge that he will hold possession of this his empire, until all enemies shall be subdued, and he shall have delivered up his credentials to the Father, after his judgment of the universe. To facilitate this design, let the enquiry be placed in the light of two propositions. First Prop. It seems deducible from Scripture, that Christ as Mediator, from the time of his Intercession having been accepted by the Father, manifested his power upon the earth. DIV. I. There is a remarkable passage in the writings of St. Paul, which is strongly illustrative of the point we desire to establish, and is valuable in the commencement of the enquiry, as demonstrating, on Scriptural grounds, the principle on which we would have it conducted. We rest no greater weight on it than should be given to any single and extracted passage, however forcible and adapted to the object in view. The true strength of Scripture lies in its uniformity, and singleness of design; and consequently the strongest quotations can only be valuable as forming part of the one great whole. But to the passage. It is in 1 Cor. xv.: "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. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.... But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which 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.” Now this language seems strongly to declare, that the mode in which Christ has, and still exercises his power before "the end," is different from that in which he will exercise it after the end shall have arrived. A kingdom which Christ now possesses is hereafter to be delivered up to the Father. An authority which he now holds is in some manner, to cease. A spiritual conflict is carried on in the world; adversaries contend against the Messiah with great rule, authority, and power;"-but though they oppose, they cannot prevail; and the contest will have this sure termination; that they will be "put down" by the might of the Redeemer. It is for the carrying on this warfare that an un |