9. Dependence upon Christ for Direction and Success.

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Philipp. ii. 19. "I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly."-Ver. 24, "I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly."

The apostle in his journeys, and in the general execution of his mission, appears to have been under the special direction of Christ. See Acts xiii. 1, 2; xvi. 6, 7. 9, 10. 10. Doxologies alleged to be addressed to Christ.

1. 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18. "the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory for ever and ever."

Dr. Clarke, No. 710, remarks, that "it is somewhat ambiguous whether this be spoken of Christ, or of God the Father, but that it seems rather to be meant of Christ.' And where Christ is mentioned under the character of a king, glory or honour may fitly be ascribed to him; meaning thereby to express a wish that the glory of his kingdom may be everlasting, or that the great founder and ruler of this spiritual empire may be held in everlasting honour by his admiring and grateful subjects.

Heb. xiii. 20, 21, "Now the God of peace make you perfect,-working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever."

Dr. Clarke observes, ibid. No. 744, that "it is ambi

pray to Christ, as well as address the Father in his name.' More to the purpose is the observation of Mr. Locke, "Called by the name of Jesus Christ.' These words are a periphrasis for christians, as is plain from the design of this verse."--` ` Επικαλείσθαι significat cognominari, Matt. x. 3. Luc. xxii. 3. Act. i, 23; iv. 36. ; aliisque in locis, in quibus est passivæ, non activæ significationis. Igitur Exaλfa ovoua est vocari nomine Jesu Christi quasi agnomine, quod notat singularem conjunctionem quæ nobis cum Christo intercedit, qualis est sponsæ cum viro, vel qualis servi cum hero, qui de nomine heri etiam appellatur. Itaque ɛπixaλ, x. 7. λ. est hìc tantum periphrasis Christianorum." Hammond in loc,

guous

guous in the construction, whether this refers to Christ or to the Father." He applies the same remark, No. 746, to 1 Pet. iv. 11, where the relative may also refer to the remoter antecedent. And it is more consonant to the usual practice of the sacred writers to address doxologies to God.

3. 2 Pet. iii. 13. "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; to him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."

Three manuscripts and the Syriac version add the words "and of God the Father." It is also to be remembered that the epistle itself is of doubtful authority.

4. Rev. i. 5, 6. "Unto him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."

One manuscript cited by Mill and Griesbach reads thus: "Grace and peace from Jesus Christ,-even from him who loved us (78 ayanyσavтos), and made us kings and priests to God-to him" (i. e. God) "be glory." The very different readings of this disturbed passage, says Mr. Lindsey, Apol. p. 144, "show that it has suffered by the negligence of transcribers, and therefore no certain conclusion can be drawn from it."

.11. Thanksgiving addressed to Christ.

1. Eph. v. 19, 20. "Singing and making melody in your heart unto the Lord: giving thanks to God even the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"The connexion seems to determine the word 'Lord' to be meant of God." Dr. Clarke, ibid. No. 713.-And in the parallel passage, Col. iii. 16, " singing with grace in your hearts unto the Lord:" the best manuscripts and Griesbach's text read "God."

2. 1 Tim. i. 12. "I thank Christ Jesus my Lord,

who

who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."

The Clermont copy and Æthiopic version read, "I thank him who enabled me, ev Xploτw, by Christ Jesus." But the Received Text is the best supported, and is a very proper expression of the apostle's gratitude for the great personal obligations he was under to Christ.

3. Rev. v. 8-14. "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four-and-twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,-and they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,-for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.-And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, -saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honour, and glory and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

Upon this splendid description of the whole creation, as united in ascribing honour and thanksgiving to God and the Lamb, we may remark,

1. That the authenticity of the book is doubtful. No doctrine therefore is to be admitted upon this evidence, which is clearly to be proved from other undisputed Scriptures.-2. The whole scene is visionary, and, in a literal sense, impossible: and it is unreasonable to argue from visions to realities.-3. The foundation of the homage paid to the Lamb is, that he was slain: therefore he is not God, nor entitled to divine honours.-4. The homage paid is addressed to a person sensibly and visibly present; it can. not therefore authorize religious addresses to the same being, when he is not sensibly present.-5, It has been

already

already proved (page 233), that the association of the name of God with that of some other person, even in an act of worship, by no means proves equality of nature, rank, or homage.-6. Admitting the genuineness and inspiration of the Apocalypse, the lofty and symbolical language of prophecy may possibly mean nothing more than to express the joy and gratitude of the whole human race at the triumphs of the Gospel".

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12. Christ invoked in Prayer.

Acts vii. 59. "They stoned Stephen, invoking and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

The example of Stephen is regarded by many as deci sive in favour of the practice of addressing prayer to Christ. He was full of the holy spirit, chap. vi. 5; and in the very article of death, he prays to Christ in language exactly similar to that which, in the same circumstances, Jesus used to his heavenly Father: Luke xxiii. 46.

But to wave the remark, that the solitary unauthorized example of this good man would of itself be no sufficient warrant for a practice contrary to the precepts of Christ, and the doctrine of his apostles, which are the only proper directory of christian worship, it may be observed, that this holy proto-martyr had just been favoured with an actual vision of our Lord, ver. 55, and that the vivid impression of it, if not the vision itself, must have continued on his mind, so that he had a certain knowledge, if not a visible perception, of the real presence of Christ. The example of this primitive martyr, therefore, does not fall within the

• "The blessing and honour is tendered to the object present and visible; the reason assigned shows that he cannot be God, viz. his being the Lamb that was slain, i. e. spotless innocence, perfect virtue › and goodness tried and confirmed by sufferings. Ascribing glory and honour to Christ does in no degree authorize the worship of him, or prayer to him. It is no more than a declaration of reverence and high esteem of his most perfect moral character and goodness." Linds. Apol. p. 145.; Seq. p. 96.

limit of religious worship, nor in the least degree authorize addresses to Christ when he is not sensibly present?. 2. 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. "there was given me a thorn in the flesh. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.-And he said unto me, My strength," Suvais, "is made perfect in weakness, -gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power," Suvais, the strength, "of Christ may rest upon

me."

Mr. Lindsey, Apol. p. 147, with Hammond, Beausobre, and others, conceives that the apostle's prayer was addressed to the Father. But the context plainly indicates the contrary. The person to whom he prayed was Christ, who had promised to remain with the apostles to the end of the age, who had repeatedly appeared to Paul in person and in vision, and to whom the apostle applied upon some occasion, when it is evident that his Master was sensibly present with him, for he cites the very words of our Lord's reply. But this is no warrant to others who are not indulged with the same privilege.

13. Devout Wishes of Blessings from Christ supposed to be equivalent to Prayers.

Wishes and prayers are very far from being terms of the same import. A wish is merely the expression of desire. Prayer is that expression addressed to one who is supposed to be present, and able to accomplish it. And if this person, though not sensibly, is believed to be really present, prayer is an act of religious worship. To wish, may be innocent and proper in some cases in which prayer would be unreasonable and idolatrous. I may innocently wish that a person in power may grant an office to a friend, to ask

"See Mr. Lindsey's Sequel, p. 6-71. Haynes on the Attributes, p. 152. Lindsey's Exam. of Robinson's Plea, Sect. VI.

for