author in fome fort at leaft afferts the Divinity of Chrift from a text, of which, when he takes it feparately in hand, he questions the authenticity. *

The truth is, we find too many among us perpetually leaning to the fide of infidelity, by foftening and qualifying as much as poffible the sense of texts which are quoted every day on the part of the orthodox. An eminent commentator fuppofes the first prayer of the Apostles, Thou Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, fhew whether of these two thou haft chofen, to be addrefs'd not to Jefus Chrift, but fimply to God. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord fhall be faved, fays St. Peter in his difcourfe on the day of Pentecoft; i. e. fays Dr. Pyle, "Whosoever "fhall believe and embrace his religion;" which paraphrase plainly reprobates the idea of invocation on Chrift. The reference of the words he is Lord of all, in St. Peter's addrefs to Cornelius, either to God the Father,

* See Grotius on Rom. ix. 5.

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or

or to Jefus Chrift, is at beft perverfely fingular; and furely neither juft nor natural. To this end, fays St. Paul to the Romans, Chrift both died and rofe, &c. that he might be Lord both of the dead and living ; * i. e. (according to our author's inadequate illuftration,) that he might be the Saviour and "rewarder of all good Christians." St. Paul wishes grace and peace to the Church at Corinth, &c; to them that are called to be faints,† with all that in every place call upon the name of Jefus Christ our Lord, &c; viz. (as the fame writer interprets the paffage,)" to all

who worthip God through Jefus Chrift, "the Lord and Saviour of all that profess "his religion." In the fecond Chapter of this Epistle, the Apostle calls our Saviour the Lord of glory; meaning, it feems, thereby fimply the Meffiah. God was manifeft in the flesh, fays the fame Apostle to Timothy ; which, being interpreted by this writer, is only equivalent to," the Son of God took upon him our nature." In short, our author's notion

* Rom. xiv. 9.

† 1 Cor. i. 2.

of

of the whole mystery of the Gofpel feems to be lamentably infufficient, when he tells, and in more places than one tells us, that it fignifies only the admiffion of Gentiles as well as Jews into the Christian covenant.

But a very recent inftance of perverse interpretation in the work of a fenfible and fpecious author* out of our Church is fit to be taken into particular confideration. In his note on that famous paffage in the Epiftle to the Romans, (which the Anti-trinitarians are ever attempting to prefs into the service of Arianifm, as has already been in effect seen,) viz. of whom as concerning the flesh, Chrift came, who is over all, God blessed for ever; this author admits the juftness of the application to our bleffed Lord, who, fays he, "is God over all, as he is by the Father AP"POINTED Lord, King, and Governour of "all." And then he refers to feveral texts as declarative of fuch APPOINTMENT.

Mr. Taylor. See his Key to the Apoftolical Writings.

The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; John v. 22. Jefus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; &c. John. xiii. 3.

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth; Matt. xxviii. 18.

The word which God fent unto the children of Ifrael preaching peace by Jefus Chrift, he is Lord of all; &c. Acts x. 36.

God alfo bath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; Phil. ii. 9. and fet him at is own right hand, in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, &c. and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, &c. Ephef. i. 21, &c. He hath put all things under his feet, &c. 1 Cor. xv. "This, fays our author, is our Lord's "SUPREME GODHEAD. And that he is blessed for ever, or the object of everlafting bleffing, is evident from Revelation "v. 12, 13." Worthy is the Lamb, &c. to receive bleffing, &c. and every creature, &c.

27.

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beard

beard I faying, bleffing, and honour, &c. be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever, &c. Now it is very obfervable that in fome of the places here referred to there is not any intimation of an appointment. The annotator feems to be aware of this when it is too late; he grows jealous of the paffage he had admitted; and, like one conscious of having allowed more than his hypothefis could conveniently afford, to all intents and purposes revokes his grant by a counter conftruction, and fo at one dafh deprives our Lord both of his bleffednefs and fupremacy. For thus he proceeds. "But what this part of his cha"racter, in which he is more nearly related to

believing Gentiles, than to infidel Jews, "has to do with privileges belonging to the "latter, doth not feem to me very clear; "much less can I conceive, why the Apostle "in this particular enumeration of Jewish privileges, fhould not mention their rela"tion to God, as their God, in which they particularly gloried, (Chapter ii. 17.) and "which was indeed the glory of all their glories

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