Disproving the common Interpretation. that made the world and all things therein, seeing he is Lord of heaven and earth: He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that MAN whom he hath ordained. These are the words of PAUL. Isa. xliv. 24. Thus saith JEHOVAH thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am JEHOVAH that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens ALONE, that spreadeth abroad the earth BY MYSELF. Rom. xi. 36. OF HIM, AND THROUGH HIM, AND TO HIM, ARE ALL THINGS: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (24) John i. 16. Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. Eph. iii. 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (25) 2 Cor. iv. 6. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GoD, in the face of JESUS CHRIST. Ch. v. 19. Gop was IN CHRIST reconciling the world to himself. John i. 18. No man (rather No one) hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Sox, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Interpretations in consistency with the Divine Unity. saints already in heaven. But more probably the apostle meant solely to declare, that all who are in Christ, all who have entered into this dispensation of free and universal grace, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether those who live in the common walks of life, or in the seclusion of state and dignity, kings and princes, rulers and magistrates,-all have been anew created through his instrumentality, and to be his subjects and peculiar people; and that he is Lord of all; and that in or by him as the bond of union, all, whatever their civil or religious distinctions, are united together. (See Unitarianism the Doctrine of the Gospel, p. 164; and also Locke's Notes on Eph. i. 10.) It is not likely that this interpretation will satisfy the mind of the reader, till he has been accustomed to examine, in detail, the language of the Scriptures; but the scriptural evidence already given, must surely convince him of the GREAT PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, that, without any instrument or subordinate agent, BY HIS OWN POWER, ALONE, and BY HIMSELF, JEHOVAH, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IN THEM IS. (24) That which dwelt IN Christ, could not be a part of Christ. The Apostle appears clearly to mean, that the spiritual and heavenly blessings of the gospel, proceeding from the grace and mercy of God, and the powers by which they were to be confirmed and diffused, really and substantially dwelt in Jesus; and that he was enabled to communicate them to others.-God GAVE HIM the spirit without measure. See John ii. 34. (25) No doubt God was manifested in or by flesh, i. e. bý one who was subject to infirmity, suffering and mortality. And if the present be the true reading, it proves nothing inconsistent with Unitarianist. In this text, however, the word rendered God, in all probability did not come from the pen of the Apostle; who either wrote, according to some important ancient authorities, he who, (which Griesbach adopts into the text,) or, according to others, which. If the former, the passage means: Confessedly great is the mystery of the gospel dispensation. (Compare Rom. xvi. 25, 26, Eph. iii. 4, 6.) He who was manifested to the world in circumstances of humiliation, suffering and mortality, was declared to be the Christ by the attestation of divine power. (Compare Rom. i. 4, &c.)-If which be the true reading, the B 2 In support of Trinitarianism. Angels (i. e. messengers) Macknight well explains to inean, "the apostles and other witnesses who were appointed to publish and testify his resurrection to the world." (26) Tit. ii. 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. From a little grammatical peculiarity in the original, some suppose that the apostle calls Jesus Christ the GREAT GOD. (27) Heb. i. GOD (2) hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath APPOINTED heir of all things, by (through) whom also HE made the worlds: (3) who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.-(6) And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.-(8) Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.(10) And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the Disproving the common Interpretation. Mark x. 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but ONE, that is GOD. Rom. xvi. 27. To GOD, ONLY WISE, (rather, To the ONLY WISE GOD, as in 1 Tim. i. 17,) be glory through JESUS CHRIST for ever. (26) 1 Tim. i. 17. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the ONLY WISE GOD, (or, as Griesback has it, the ONLY GOD,) be honour and glory for ever and ever. Eph. i. 17. The GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER of glory. (27) Heb. iii. 1, 2. The Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to HIM THAT APPOINTED HIM. Heb. iv. 15. But was in all things TEMPTED like as we are, yet without sin. Heb.v.8. Though he were a Son, yet LEARNED HE OBEDIENCE by the things which he SUFFERED. Heb. ix. 14. How much more shall the BLOOD OF CHRIST? Heb. i. 9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore God, even THY GOD, hath ANOINTED THEE with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Heb. xiii. 20. Now the GoD of peace, that BROUGHT |