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εξί μόνη

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μονα· ε γαρ είχεν εξ ότε ομοτιμε ποιήσειεν αι την αλλ' αναχωρησας αυτος εις

αυτόν, αυτος

αυτό γεννά τε και τικτει την θεον ώςε εςι ΜΟΝΗ ΒΕΒΑΙΩΣ ΓΝΗΣΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ εξ ισε και ομολο γεντος ἑαυτω τε γενες γενομενη-Πινδαρος δ' αυ φησι, ΔΕΞΙΑΝ ΚΑΤΑ ΧΕΙΡΑ ΤΟ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΑΥΤΗΝ καθεζομένην, τας ενώ τολας τοις Θεοις αποδέχεσθαι ΑΓΓΕΛΟΥ ΜΕΝ ΓΑΡ ΕΣΤΙ ΜΕΙΖΩΝ Ἡ δε, των αγγελων αλλοις αλλα επιταττει, πρώτη παρα τα πατρος παραλαμβανεσα, ανθ' ΕΞΗΓΗΤΟΥ ΤΙΝΟΣ τοις θεοις και εισα αγωγεως, όταν και τετε δέη.

"WISDOM is the only daughter of “ the only Maker and King of all: "For He had none other of equal "rank with Himself on whom He

«

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6.6.

“ could produce her; and therefore retiring into Himself, He begat and brought forth the goddess from « Himself; so that she is the only firmly legitimate offspring of the «Father, born of a birth equal and "of the same nature with Himself:"

"Concerning her, Pindar also saith,

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sitting at the right hand of the Fa"ther, she receiveth his commands to "the gods: For she is greater than 66 an angel; and delivereth to divers "of the angels divers orders, first re

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ceiving them herself from the Fa"ther; acting as an interpreter and "introducer, to the gods, whenever "it be needful." Cudworth, Intellect. Syst. p. 487.

"

Surely when we are encompassed "with such a cloud of witnesses" to the divinity of JESUS CHRIST," who

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(being GOD over all) is blessed for "evermore," Rom. ix. 5, no soberminded" Churchman," seeking for "increase of faith," by " searching "the original Scriptures" diligently— can question, any longer, the propriety of our authorized translation of Psal. xlv. 6. “Thy throne, O GOD, endureth

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for ever," &c. as applied immediately to JESUS CHRIST; and demon"strated, indeed, by the very next verse, 7:"Therefore GOD, THY GOD, "anointed

8

"anointed thee," &c. meaning "THE

GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD "JESUS CHRIST."- 605, in the 6th verse is an Attic vocative case, most frequently used in the Septuagint version; see Trommius ;-thus, Mark xv. S4, adopts the Septuagint rendering of our Lord's exclamation on the cross, Ὁ ΘΕΟΣ ΜΟΥ, Ο ΘΕΟΣ ΜΟΥ, εις το μe EynareλITES; which Matt. xxvii. 46, more correctly renders, OEE MOT, ΘΕΕ ΜΟΥ, ίνα τι με εγκατέλιπες; “ My

God, My God, why hast Thou for"saken me?"-And as ɛos is not used as a nominative case, where the verb Aɛya is expressed, throughout the λεγει whole Introduction, it is contrary to analogy, that it should be so used on this occasion, where λeye is mistakenly λεγεί supposed to be understood.

DIS

DISSERTATION IV.

ON THE ORIGINAL PROPHECY OF CHRIST

THE SON OF DAVID, 2 SA M. vii. 1—15.

F

Or the several prophecies of the LD TESTAMENT, cited as peculiarly characteristic of the MESSIAH or CHRIST, and exclusively applied to JESUS in the INTRODUCTION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS, the earliest in order of time, and the most important, as furnishing the groundwork of the rest, is that celebrated prophecy of the MESSIAH'S lineal descent from David, recorded 2 Sam. vii. 1-15*, and again, 1 Chron.

* The two Books of Samuel, in the Hebrew Canon, were considered as one: The Talmudists (Bava Bathra) Kimchi, suppose that Samuel wrote the 24 first chapters of the first book; and that the rest were supplied by Gad and Nathan, on the authority of 1 Chron. xxix. 29.-To undermine the evidence of these important books (the first of which contains Hannah's first or earliest prophecy of THE MESSIAH, 1 Sam. ii. 10; and the second, this of his descent from David), the arch-infidel Voltaire, by a

ludicrous

1 Chron. xvii. 1-14: so understood by the primitive Jewish Church, and believed by the Jews and neighbouring nations in our Saviour's time;-whence the appellation of "SON OF DAVID" was appropriated to the MESSIAH by the Pharisees, Matt. xxii. 42; -by the multitude, Matt. xii. 22, and xxi.9;

-and by the Canaanitish woman, Matt. xv. 28: and the prophecy itself was expressly applied to JESUS by the archangel Gabriel, Luke i. 32, 33; and by the apostle Peter, Acts ii. 30-32; and by the Primitive Fathers, Tertullian, Augustin, &c.

Wishing to evade the force of this most important prophecy, towards establishing the descent of JESUS CHRIST from David, "ac"cording to the flesh," (Rom. i. 3), the later Jews transfer it to Solomon solely; in which

ludicrous blunder about the witch of Endor (exposed in THE INSPECTOR), dates them so low as the time of Alexander the Great ;-and is followed by his satellite Paine, from the ancient term " Seer" applied to Samuel, instead of the more modern term "prophet,” 1 Sam. ix. 9. A passage which might have been inserted, in later times, like that about Moses, Deut. xxiv. 10, without invalidating the antiquity of the books themselves.

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