Mark i. 2). For in this passage, what God says, according to the prophet, "before ME," or "before MY face," is written by those evangelists, "before THY face," or "before THEE;" by whom is meant God, who speaks Malach. iii. 2. And if you look to the prophet's words, you will see that God says that he would come, not in his own person, but in the person of Christ, and that John would prepare the way before the face of God, so far as he would prepare it before the face of Christ, whom God had designed to be the messenger of the covenant. Moreover, as God so prosecutes the scheme of salvation by Christ, as that he, having been first delegated by him. for this purpose, has begun it, and will ultimately complete it, he is said, like God, to be, in relation to our salvation, "the first and the last 38" Because, again, God,

38 That the Son of God is absolutely the FIRST, none will venture to assert, who maintain that the Father is the first person of the Trinity. Erasmus well observes in his Annotations on John viii. 25: Quod in Apocalypsi dicitur principium et finis, constat. intelligendum, Christum esse initium et consummationem Ecclesiæ, quam priore adventu constituit, posteriore perficiet. "As to what are called in the Revelation the beginning and the end,' it is evident that we must understand by them that Christ is the beginning and the consummation of the Church, which was founded by his first, and will be completed by his second, appearance. We read nearly to the same effect in Hermas Simil. 9; where, speaking of the Church, he calls the Son of God, "the old rock and the new gate;" and for these reasons, because the Church is founded upon him, and is older than every creature, and because he will in the last days appear for its completion, that those who are about to be saved may enter through him into the kingdom of God: which accords with the words of Paul, whose disciple he was

(Col.

God, like a conqueror, in him, ascended on high, (Col. ii. 15; Ephes. iv. 8) led captive enemies, displayed the conquered and the spoiled, and by him gave gifts to men; and because Christ descended into hell that he might vanquish and destroy hell and death, and the devil, who held the empire of death ;—that passage of the Psalms (lxviii. 18) which was spoken of God, is applied to Christ. Because God, in order to be able to judge the secrets of men by him, has given him so much wisdom, that he can search the heart and the reins, Christ applies to himself what is, in reference to this subject, asserted of God. Because Christ is seated at the right hand of God in heaven, and has had a name given him which is above every name, he is also to be worshipped by the angels, (Heb. i. 6, compared with the third and fourth verses of the same chapter). Because every knee ought now to bow, and hereafter actually will bow to him (Phil. ii. 9, 10) when he shall appear on the judgement-seat, in the glory of his Father, and shall thus represent his person and majesty (Matt. xvi. 27), which adoration and genuflexion will be referred to God himself; the words of the Psalmist (Psalın xcvii. 7, 13) and of Isaiah (chap. xlv. 23) are quoted in reference to Christ. (Romans xiv. 11, compared with Philipp. ii. 9, 10, and John v. 22, 23, 24.) Because, in consequence of this, he who is offended in

(Col. i. 15, 18), and also with Revelation i. 17, and xxii. 13, as Grotius also has remarked. To the same effect are likewise Heb. ii. 10; xii. 2; Acts iii. 15, 31; Eph ii. 20, &c. B. WISSOWATIUS.

Christ is offended in God, who has placed him a stone in Zion; and because he who touches and hurts him, touches the apple of God's eye and hurts God himself -therefore the words of Isaiah (viii. 14) and Zechariah (xii. 10) are accommodated to him. And because, finally, God will hereafter by him destroy the heavens, and burn this world for the punishment of the wicked; the words of the Psalmist (cii. 26) spoken directly concerning God, are applied to Christ. (2 Thess. i. 8; 2 Peter iii. 7; Heb. i. 10.)

Are there any passages of scripture besides these, wherein words used in the Old Testament in reference to some one thing or person, are applied in an accommodated sense to another in the New Testament?

There are for, not to notice the passages wherein those things formerly spoken of the TYPE, are in the New Testament applied to the ANTITYPE, of which the number is considerable ;-we perceive that what was predicted concerning Christ in Isaiah xlix. 6, "I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the end of the earth," is applied (Acts xiii. 47) to Paul and Barnabas. That which is said of the Law (Deut. xxx. 12, 14) is applied (Rom. x. 6, 7, 8) to the righteousness of faith. What is stated of the heavens (Psalm xix. 4) is quoted in an accommodated sense (Rom. x. 18). What is said of treading oxen (Deut. xxv. 9) is applied (1 Cor. ix. 9) to the teachers of the Gospel generally. What is affirmed (Psalmi civ. 4) concerning winds and lightnings, you have already been inform

ed,

ed, is applied (Heb. i. 7) to angels. The first of these accommodations is made on account of subordination, the others on account of some similitude.

I perceive that Christ has not the divine nature which is claimed for him; but that he is a real man : -inform me now in what way the knowledge of this eminently conduces to salvation?

This you may perceive from hence: first, because the contrary opinion greatly tarnishes the glory of God; secondly, because it materially weakens and nearly destroys the certainty of our hope; and thirdly, because it makes one thing of Christ, and another of the Son of God; so that divine honour being transferred to the latter, the divine honour of him who is actually the Christ and the Son of God, is either taken away, or essentially impaired.

How does the opinion of our adversaries tarnish the glory of God?

Not only because the glory of the one God, which pertains to the Father alone, is transferred to another, concerning which I have already treated; but also because God is deprived of that glory which he seeks in the exaltation of Jesus Christ. For if Christ were the most high God, he could not be exalted; or if he could, his exaltation could refer to nothing but the reception of his divine nature entire. Paul, however, says (Ephes. i. 17-21) that "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory,-wrought his mighty power in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality," &c. and

also

also (Philipp. ii. 9, 10), that "God had highly exalted Christ, and given him a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father :" "To THE GLORY," the apostle writes, " OF GOD THE FATHER," who GAVE him such a name, and such glory. How, secondly, does the opinion of our adversaries destroy or weaken our hope?

Because the greatest force which pertains to the resurrection of Christ, as a proof of our resurrection, is taken away by attributing this divine nature to him. For it would hence follow that Christ rose from the dead by virtue of his divine nature, as indeed is commonly maintained, and that, on this account, he could by no means be detained by death. But we have nothing in us by nature, which, after we are dead, can recall us to life, or which can in any way prevent our remaining dead perpetually. How then can the certainty of our resurrection be demonstrated from the example of Christ's resurrection, as the apostle Paul has done (1 Cor. xv.), when there exists such a disparity between Christ and us? And, indeed, if this opinion be admitted, Christ, in reality, could not die, and rise from the dead; since it would follow from it, that Christ was not a person, or, as they say, suppositum humanum", that is, a man subsisting of himself. But to die and to rise from the dead can comport with no other than a subject, [sup

u

[Vide Martinii Lexicon, v. Suppositum. TRANSL.]

positum]