the person who was to execute judgment and righteousness in the earth; and not only from the context, but from the doctrine conveyed in the expression itself; for, while righteousness, in its absolute sense, is ascribed indifferently to the Father and to the Son, we clearly learn from the New Testament, that to be "our righteousness" is one of the characteristics and distinguishing offices of the latter-of that Redeemer who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. Christ is made unto us of God, "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" 1 Cor. i, 30. He is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believeth:" Rom. x, 4. He was made "sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him:" 2 Cor. v, 21. Now, it is evident that the two parts of this remarkable title are placed in grammatical apposition to each other, and are descriptive of one and the same person. He that is our righteousness is also Jehovah. Hence, therefore, it follows, that Jesus Christ, whose glorious reign over his own church is so clearly proclaimed in this celebrated prophecy, is himself JEHOVAH.*

* Jer. xxiii, 6. . . . . .187p) 7WN ID. "And this is the name whereby he shall be called; or, more literally, by which one shall call him.” A similar indefinite use of the verb p repeatedly occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures: vide Jud. i, 17: 2 Sam. ii, 16: Isa. ix, 6. Or we may understand "Israel" as the governing substantive to the verb p; for it is the church by whom Christ is denominated the Lord our Righteousness. "Hoc nomen ejus est, quo vocabit eum Israel," Junius et Tremell. "Quo vocabit eum unusquisque” Piscator. Or again, may be rendered as a plural verb, “vocabunt (eum)." So Vulg. Targ, Syr. Arab. The Septuagint Translator understands "Jehovah" as the nominative to the verb, and renders καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ὅ καλέσει Κύριος, ο Ιωσεδεκ. "And this is the name by which the Lord shall call him, Josedek, i. e. Jehovah-Righteousness. It is, however, abhorrent from the plain dictates of truth, to introduce the Supreme Being as classing himself with his creatures, and as denominating the Messiah "our righteousness;" and the Septuagint Translators have avoided this difficulty only by cutting off from the name Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the particle) our.

This remarkable prophecy is repeated in Jer. xxxiii, 15, 16; and there, according to our common English version, the name of JehovahTridkenu is ascribed to Jerusalem, or to the church of which Christ is the Head. "This is the name whereby she shall be called, &c." If this interpretation is correct, it affords no proof whatever that the name, when applied to Jesus Christ, as a description of his own person and character, is not indicative of his real divinity; but it is most probable that our translators are here in error. The pronoun, which they render "she," may be regarded as the masculine, in the Chaldaic form; and is so rendered by the Targumist, as well as by the

The prophecy which we have now been considering remarkably accords with a well-known passage of the Psalms. "My heart," says the Psalmist, "is inditing a good matter! I speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever! Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because of truth and meekness, and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O GOD, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows :" xlv, 1—7.

The Psalm, of which this passage forms the first division, is, like the Canticles, an epithalamium, or marriage-song-the former part of it being descriptive of the bridegroom, and the latter part, of the bride. Now, although in some of its subordinate particulars, this inspired poem may possibly apply to Solomon, or some other Jewish monarch, and his queen, its more important signification, as relating to Christ and the church, is amply substantiated, first, by the judgment of the Jews themselves, who appear to be unanimous in explaining this passage as a prophecy of the Messiah ;* secondly, by the sublime and significant terms in which are here depicted the majesty, authority, and righteous sway, of Israel's spiritual monarch-a point in which this psalm precisely corresponds with many others of the evangelical prophecies; and thirdly, by the doctrine of the New Testament, which frequently presents our Saviour to us in the same character of the Bridegroom, or glorious Head and Husband of his own church : Matt. xxv, 5: John iii, 29: Eph. v, 25: Rev. xix, &c.

Whatsoever doubt, however, might have attached to this subject, is removed by the apostle Paul, who, in his argument with the Hebrews, adduces this passage, not only as an acknowledged description of the Son of God, but as affording a

Syriac and Vulgate translators. In that case, this, as well as the former prophecy, applies only to the Messiah. In the Septuagint version, the prophecy is not repeated: vide Michaelis and De Rossi in loc.

"Meir Arama ait consentire omnes Rabbinos hunc Psalmum De Messiâ loqui;" Muis in Poli Syn. See also Scoetgen. Hor. Heb. in Heb. i, 8, and Targum in loc.

proof of his superiority in the divine nature, over all the angels: Heb. i, 8. It is unquestionable, therefore, that, in this memorable prophecy, while the respective offices of the Father and the Son-of the Anointer and the Anointed-are plainly distinguished, the Son is himself addressed by the sacred name of God.*

That Jesus Christ, the Governor and Saviour of the church, in whom every sincere Christian abides by faith, is the true God, is a doctrine explicitly declared by the apostle John, at the conclusion of his first Epistle. "We know," says the apostle," that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know the True one; and we are in the True one, (even) in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life :"† ch. v, 20. The train of ideas

p.

*Ps xlv, 7. y oby pinks do, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; Targum-"The throne of thy glory, O Jehovah, is established for ever:” Sept. Ο θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, “ Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." So Syr. Eth. Vulg. Arab, Aquila, &c. So also the Greek fathers: vide Justin. dial. cum Tryph. Ed. Ben., 152, D. Irenæus contra Hær., lib. iii, c. 6, Ed. Ben., p. 180, J. Eusebius Dem. Evang., Athanasius, ad Serap. Ed. Colon, vol. i, 169, B. Chrysostom, de Incomprehens. Dei Nat. Ed. Ben., tom. i, 483, E. The late Gilbert Wakefield, in contradiction to these and many other authorities, but, after the example of Grotius, has ventured to render this passage," God is thy throne for ever and ever." This strange version of the words of the Psalmist is evidently inadmissible: first, because the stress of the apostle's argument evidently depends on the fact, that the Son is here addressed by the name of God: and, secondly, because, in the Septuagint version of the passage, (which is adopted by the apostle) the article before givos precludes our explaining that substantive as the predicate instead of the subject of the proposition: see Middleton Doctr. Gr. Art. on Heb. i, 8. It is almost needless to remark, that i Os is frequently used as a vocative.

† 1 John v, 20. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἥκει, καὶ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν διάνοιαν, ἵνα γινώσκωμεν τὸν ἀληθινόν· καί ἐσμεν ἐν τῷ ἀληθινῷ, ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστῷ. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς καὶ ἡ ζωὴ alvios. The common English version of this passage is as follows: "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

Clarke, in his Scripture doctrine of the Trinity, (p. 54) has, with singular inaccuracy, asserted that the terms "true God," in 1 John v, 20, were understood by all the ancients as relating to the Father. My own search, in the works of the ancient ecclesiastical writers, for references to this passage, (a search greatly facilitated by the indexes of the Benedictine editions) has not supplied me with a single instance of such an interpretation. On the contrary, these words are quoted as relating to Jesus Christ, and are treated as a proof of his divinity, by

Y

which this passage unfolds is very intelligible. The Son of God has come into the world, and has bestowed upon us a knowledge of the True One, that is, of the Father; and we not only know the Father, but actually are or dwell in him: and this is the consequence of our being or dwelling in the Son, because he is himself the True God and Eternal life.

That this simple paraphrase affords a clear and easy signification, cannot be denied; and that it is in perfect accordance with the declarations of the same apostle in his Gospel, respecting the deity of Jesus Christ, and his union with the Father, the impartial inquirer will not fail to allow. It is, however, a satisfactory circumstance, that the correctness of this interpretation, (as far as relates to the application to the Son of the terms true God) is clearly confirmed by critical considerations. For, in the first place, it is evident that the declaration of the Father's being the true God would here be simply tautologous-a mere repetition of a doctrine already supposed and stated. Secondly, according to the plainest principles of construction, the pronoun rendered he, can here be understood only of Jesus Christ, whose name is its immediate antecedent, and who is, at the same time, the principal subject of the apostle's discourse. And lastly, the title eternal life, in the language of the New Testament, and especially of this apostle, properly and peculiarly designates the Son, who has procured for us that celestial boon-who took our nature upon him, and died on the cross, that he might give "life unto the world." Jesus is the "bread of life;" (John vi, 48;) "the word of life;" (1 John i, 1;) "the resurrection, and the life:" John He, and he alone, as we are taught in the commencement of this very Epistle, is" that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us :" ch. i, 2: comp. v, 12: Col. iii, 3, 4. It follows, therefore, that Jesus Christ, in his reign, is the true God: and after promulgating this sacred truth, the apostle significantly adds, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols:" ver. 21.

xi, 25.

The manner in which the title Lord is, in the New Testament, applied to Jesus Christ has an important bearing on the

Athanasius, (Orat. I. cont. Arianos, Ed. Colon. i, 296;) Cyril. Alex. (dial. viii, quod unus sit Christus, Ed. Lutet. vol. v, part 1, 713;) Hilary, (De Trin. lib. vi;) Basil, (adv. Eunom. lib. iv, Ed. Ben. i, 294;) Jerom, (in Isa. xlv, 16;) Augustine, (De Trin. lib. i, cap. 6;) Gregory Magnus, (Ed. Ben. ii, p. 1169;) Ecumenius and Theophylact, (in loc.) The great majority of modern commentators explain the passage in the same manner: see, particularly, the admirable notes upon it of Joh. Calvin and Whitby; also Glassii Phil. Sac. a Dath. tom. i, p. 157.

present subject. By the evangelists and apostles he is very frequently, and by way of eminence, denominated, the Lord; and the apostle Paul in particular, who has employed this term upwards of three hundred times, so appropriates it to our Saviour, thereby to distinguish him from the Father on the one hand, and from all the creatures of God on the other. Now, although the substantive Lord, when used as a common appellative, may designate any person who rules over others, yet, when it is thus applied in an absolute manner, with a force closely assimilated to that of a proper name, it is usually understood to signify God. In the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, it constantly represents the Hebrew name Jehovah. It is well known that the Greek style of the writers of the New Testament was, in many respects, formed upon that of the Septuagint. The Scripture of that version was the Scripture which they read, and from which they generally quoted. Since, then, in the Septuagint, this very word Lord is the most frequent name of the Almighty-a name which could not fail to bring God to the remembrance of every Hellenistic Jew-it appears most probable, that the apostolic use of this title, as the name of Jesus Christ, was grounded on the doctrine of his real divinity.

That this was, in fact, the principle on which the apostle Paul so employed the title Lord, may indeed be concluded, not only from this general argument, but from the force of several particular passages in his writings. Thus, when, `in speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, he commands servants to perform their duty "as to the Lord and not to men;" (Col. iii, 23, 24; Eph. vi, 7;) this pointed antithesis between the Lord and men affords no obscure indication that, to the former term, the apostle attached the notion of divinity. Nor can we avoid deducing the same inference from his application of this divine title, when he illustrates his doctrine of faith in the Lord Jesus, as an object of prayer and invocation, by the declaration of Joel, that all who "call on the name of the Lord (Jehovah) shall be saved;" and when, on another occasion, after reproving the Corinthians because they ate meats offered to idols, although they were also partakers of the cup of the Lord, and the table of the Lord, (that is, of the cup and table of the Lord Jesus) he immediately adds, "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?" and, soon afterwards, completes his discourse on the subject, in the sublime words of the Psalmist ::-"The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof:" Rom. x, 13: comp. Joel ii, 32: 1 Cor. x, 21—28: comp. Ps. xxiv, 1.