promised as the conqueror of him who seduced. Gen. iii. 15. In the succeeding ages of the world, this promise was again and again repeated, in a more definite and pointed form. Gen. xxii. 18. Deut. xviii. 18, 19. All the holy prophets gave their inspired testimony to the promise of this great deliverer. His Spirit by them asserted his sufferings, and the glory which result to him. Job xix. 23-27. Psalm viii. 5-7. xvi. 8-11. and 110. Isa. vii. 14. ix. 6. and liii. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. Dan. vii. 9-14. Mic. v. 1-4. Mal. iii. 1. This is a very limited selection from the prophetic records, concerning the person and mission of Jesus. These testimonies are, however, abundantly sufficient to prove of what paramount importance he was in the theology of these inspired men of God. But, the faith of the ancient saints was not only animated by promises and predictions, there was yet another way in which a daily presentation of this amazing mystery was appointed to excite the energies of the soul. A long and splendid train of symbolic services was instituted; which was a continual memorial of the first gospel promise. The levitical dispensation was the twilight of the church; it was the shadowing forth of God's stupendous plan of mercy to the world;-it was the rising dawn of a glorious and perfect day! The ritual of this sublime economy was immediately from heaven, and it was furnished for a purpose, every way worthy of its author. Did the God of purity take delight in the flowing gore of bullocks and of rams, and the fat of burnt oblations? Were the bleatings and the dying cries of slaughtered animals so pleasing to Jehovah that he should enjoin their daily immolation on his altars, without any reference to another object? O no! these mactations were the divinely appointed memorials of his coming, who was to bear our sin in his own body on the tree. These promises, and predictions, and types of a mighty deliverer, superinduced and encouraged a general expectation of his appearing. When Eve bore her first son, she seemed to indulge a fond hope that he might prove the Saviour, and hence she said, "I have gotten a man from Jehovah," and called his name Cain. A similar hope appeared to be entertained by Lamech, on the birth of Noah. But this expectation is discovered, not only in the sacred Hebrew writings, but also in the works of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Hindoos and other nations; of course these are frequently vague and corrupted traditions, but they are still perfectly conclusive evidences that a golden age' was again expected on the earth. This expectation was peculiarly vivid, immediately before the actual incarnation of the Saviour. The pulse of nature seemed to beat high with the anticipation of some mighty crisis; every thing appeared to conspire to turn the expectant's eye to one point, and a divine intimation had been given to an aged saint, that he should not die till he had seen "the Christ of the Lord;" and at the appointed moment, the awful stillness of the night was broken by songs of celestial rapture, and the voice of a commissioned angel informed the astonished shepherds, "to you is born in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord!" Yes, he who had from eternity dwelt in the bosom of the Father, now in his assumed form, as the infant of days, was pillowed on the bosom of the virgin. He came to tell the secrets of his Father's heart to man;-to tear away the veil, and throw open the most holy place to the view of all believers! Every attentive reader of the old testament must have observed a very striking phraseology employed, when any reference is made to the Messiah. Representations of a nature directly opposite are made of him, and apparently irreconcilable descriptions are given of his person. He is designated the Jehovah, in Isa. vi. 1-5. and God, Exod. xxiv. 9. and Psalm lxviii. 17, 18. The peculiar attributes of the Deity are unreservedly ascribed to him. Eternity, Isa. xliv. 6. xlviii. 12. Immutability, Psalm cii. 27. and omnipotence, Psalm xlv. 3. It is declared that he created and that he conserves the universe; gives physical and eternal life; and disposes of creation according to his absolute pleasure. The Messiah was also, by the same divinely inspired men, represented as distinct from God, and yet eternal and equal with God. Are there two Jehovahs? But we are presented with other descriptions of the deliverer, of a very different nature; the first promise represented him as a human being, and the offspring of the woman he was to be of the seed of Abraham; and a prophet like to Moses; he is spoken of as a man intimately conversant with human sorrows;-as suffering peculiar afflictions, and finally becoming the prey of death. 66 Such are the descriptions given of him who was to come, by the holy men, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," and they are, therefore, substantially correct. Now if these statements be individually correct, and if they relate to Messiah, it follows by a necessary consequence, that the expected Saviour of the world is the possessor of two natures; the human, with all its innocent infirmities, and the divine, with its glorious perfections. This position is unalterably established in the writings of the new testament. If we are required to explain this mysterious combination how the eternal God should take our nature into personal union with his own; how he who was the "man of sorrows,' as truly was "the mighty God," we most readily avow our utter inability to solve the question. If we could explain it, the mysteriousness of the modus operandi would be immediately destroyed. This doctrine is proposed to our faith, not to our speculative investigations. But does not the physical world teem with mysteries? Does not proud science often stop and tell us she cannot explore the arcana of nature ? Is it then at all surprising that man's contracted intellect cannot grasp what is immense,-eternal,-infinite? Who can fathom Jehovah's wisdom? Nearly fifty times in the scriptures, Christ is called "the Son of God," and about this name the church has been much perplexed. In the earlier ages, many curious attempts were made to define the precise meaning of this designation, and to account for the propriety of its use. Several of the learned Nicene fathers called God the fountain of the Trinity,' and they taught that the Father communicated the divine essence to the Son ;' others maintained that he communicated the divine personality to him.' But these expositors generally contrived to explain away their own definitions, lest they should prove too favourable to the crafty Arians, who were continually perverting their statements. These speculations were much more curious than useful. We are taught to distinguish the persons in the undivided Godhead, by the several titles of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; which seem to be employed figuratively to express those relations which they have been pleased to reveal, as subsisting between them. But it must ever be remembered, that the relations of father and son, as those terms are universally understood in the vocabulary of earth, can never be so intended here. In any human sense of that term, Christ, in his divine person, can never be so designated. Those relations of course imply priority and dignity, on the one part, and inferiority and obedience on the other; which cannot thus be applied to Christ, because they are inconsistent with his absolute co-eternity and equality. Christ is of the same identical nature with God the Father it is true, and so also is the Holy Ghost, and yet he is never called the Son of God." The name appears to be generally applied to Messiah, in his mediatorial character as God and man; and every passage in which the phrase occurs, seems to imply this, which may be fairly illustrated from that famous confession of faith, Matt. xvi. 16. in which he is acknowledged as "the Christ, the Son of the living God"-the glorious person anointed to perform the Mediator's work. So also in Matt. xxvi. 63. and xxvii. 54. John xi. 27. and Acts ix. 20, 22. Hence he is frequently spoken of as executing in this character the work for which he became incarnate. He who in John i. 29. is called "the Lamb of God," is in the 34th verse named "the Son of God;" which of course express the sacerdotal office of the Messiah. So in 1 Thess. i. 10. he is declared to be "the Son whom God raised from the dead." And in Gal. ii. 20. Paul says, " he loved me, and gave himself for me." We have dwelt thus particularly on this title, because many Socinians pique themselves in supposing that the very name must intimate the inferiority of our adored Saviour. The name Christ, as is well known, is the greek appellative, which is synonimous with the sacred hebrew title, Messiah; and expresses his official character, as the anointed one of God. It will be remembered, that the high priest was designated to his holy function by being anointed. Exod. xxviii. 41. xl. 15. The same cere mony was observed at the induction of the prophets, 1 Kings xix. 16. And also at the inauguration of kings, 1 Sam. x. 1. Isa. xlv. 1. v. 13. The Lord Christ sustains the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, and he was anointed by Jehovah " to preach good tidings to the meek," &c, Isa. lxi. 1. Whilst the Saviour is declared to be of " the seed of David according to the flesh," it is still essentially requisite that we should regard him as placed at an immeasurable distance from all moral imperfection; he was "holy, harmless, and undefiled, separate from sinners ;" and thus whilst qualified to sympathize with every suffering member of his church, he was not the less qualified by the vicarious oblation which he presented to infinite holiness, to remove the mighty load of guilt from a ruined world, and furnish a mystic ladder by which the renovated soul might securely ascend to God's eternal abode. "O, what a scale of miracles is here! Its lowest round high planted in the skies; If it has been established from the records of truth that Christ is equal with God, the obvious corollary will be, that he is entitled to the adoration of all his creatures; and this he claims, John v. 23. Some ingenious Socinians have laboured to fritter away the force of this passage, by asserting that the term (T) merely expresses respect. But Christ declares "that all men should honour the Son (Kabwe) even as they honour the Father." So that whatever degree of worship is due to the Father, is most distinctly claimed by Jesus Christ; and "blessed are all those who put their trust in him.” March 1, 1830. DESMIOS. My Dear Sir, (For the Spiritual Magazine.) LETTER TO THE EDITOR. IN your Number for March, I read W. A. M.'s reply to the objections which I made to his sentiments, expressed by him in a letter to a baptist minister, in your Number for October; sentiments which I considered, and do still consider to be antiscriptural. I take leave, Sir, most affectionately to assure our mutual friend W. A. M. that he is not attacked by an enemy, but admonished by a brother. Let him direct me to one sentence in the old or new testament that sanctions those sentiments, and it shall suffice: That God permits men to sin, in order to punish them for it, that his judgment may be the more signally displayed;' and rejoice that there is a hell.' And in his reply, to assume the idea that sin was included in the plan of creation, providence, and grace,' is most certainly soaring above the highest pinnacle of revealed truth, and most presumptuously prying into "secret things, which belong unto God." I know that God permits men to sin,' because if it pleased him he has power to thrust them down into hell in a moment. But does Jehovah say, that he permits men to sin, in order more signally to display his 6 justice in their punishment? O no. This is not the language of Jehovah; no, no, my brother. Hear what the Father of mercies saith! "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel" Ezek. xxxiii. 11. But W. A. M. may reply and say, 'O but this was addressed to the house of Israel.' I ask, is God a respecter of persons? The wicked and impenitent Jew, as well as the wicked and impenitent Gentile, dying such, must perish; and the repenting and believing Jew, as well as the repenting and believing Gentile, shall be saved. I believe, Sir, that there is a hell in which the finally impenitent shall be everlastingly punished, and that there is a heaven in which the saints of God shall enjoy him for ever. Herein I do and will rejoice. But to rejoice that there is a hell,' I do not—I will not-I cannot. Why not? Why not? Because patriarchs, prophets, nor apostles did not so rejoice; neither did Jesus the Saviour so rejoice. No; I read that Jesus wept over sinners-prayed for sinners-and died for sinners. And if it be possible that a son or daughter of Adam can be found so to rejoice, such I would address in the language of him, whose bowels melt with love,' "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy, but to save men's lives." 6 I do assure W. A. M. Sir, that I love the truth as it is in Jesus. Arminians, pelagians, antinomians, socinians, hyper-calvinists, or moderate calvinists, are not once named in the scriptures, and they shall be unknown by me. I know nothing of the doctrines of Calvin as his doctrines. The doctrines according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, I desire through grace to embrace with my whole heart; but sentiments broached by heady, high-minded men, whether arminians or high or low calvinists, I must and will reject-such sentiments as are not grounded in the plain and infallible word of revealed truth. Paul knew as well as my friend W. A. M. that "there is a remnant according to the election of grace," and that the design and end of the gospel is to gather in this election of grace to Christ; and therefore he "ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." I did not know that I was engaging with a latin scholar, when I offered my objections to W. A. M.'s sentiments. However I have no dislike to a learned flourish now and then, particularly when favoured with such a beautiful sentence in the shape of a question, as that quoted by W. A. M. from the latin poet-Tantæne animis cœlestibus iræ.' As speaking or writing in an unknown tongue, cannot be edifying to the unlearned, will W. A. M. forgive me if I offer a translation, and ask- Is this the anger of celestial minds?' or, Does such anger dwell in celestial minds?" Why should W. A. M. and Terio be angry? I do humbly acquiesce in the sovereignty of Jehovah, as well as in every iota of the |