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§ III. After he had restored sight to a blind man (John ix.) we find the poor man saying, vs. 11,

A MAN called Jesus opened my eyes' When he had in the most striking manner, cured the Paralytic, the people wondered (Matt. ix. 8,) and glorified GOD who had given such power unto MEN.' When he raised the widow's son at Nain, (Luke vii. 16,) the spectators glorified God saying, A great prophet is risen up among us, and, God hath visited his people.' At the time of his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, (Luke xix. 37,) the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise GOD with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;' and when they came into the city (Matt. xxi. 11,) and the inhabitants said, Who is this?' the multitude attending him replied,This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee,' And lastly, the centurion w ho watched the crucifixion, when Jesus expired, exclaimed, (Mark xv. 39,)Truly this MAN was the Son of God.'

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That his disciples during his abode on earth, regarded him as a man, may be safely rested on two among numerous and decisive facts. When our Lord communicated to them his approaching suf

a In this chapter four instances occur in which Jesus is called Man ardewros; and in the Gospel of John alone, he is called Man seventeen times, viz. fifteen times averos, once ang, and once ag To me it appears almost incredible, that a disciple believing in the proper divinity, or even in the preexistence of Jesus, should thus unhesitatingly use these appellations respecting him, and give no clear indication of his own opinion that he was not truly and properly a man.

ferings, (Matt. xvi. 22,) Peter took him, and be gan to REBUKE him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee.' At the last supper (John xiii. 23,) there was leaning on the bosom of Jesus, one of his disciples whom Jesus loved.'--If however these facts should not appear to others in the same light that they do to myself (see p. 75,) let them consider what evidence there is from the words or conduct of the Apostles previously to the resurrection of their Lord, which in any way proves that they considered him as of a nature superior to that of man.

VII, Jesus was raised from the grave, not by his own power, but by the mighty power of

• Great stress is laid in the N. T. upon the position, that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The fact is affirmed, or referred to in direct terms, at least twenty-five times. Two passages have led many to the inference that Jesus raised up himself, viz. John ii. 19. and x. 17, 18. They appear to me in no way to authorize such a conclusion in opposition to the frequent positive declarations of the Scriptures, that Jesus was dead, and that God raised him from the dead. As to John x. 17, 18, the influence merely depends upon the words of the Public Version, not upon the original; for the following is a literal rendering of the passage: 'On this account the Father loveth me, because I lay down my life that I may receive aaßw it again: No one taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my myself: I have authority sourias to lay it down, and I have authority to receive aß it again. This charge Tony I received aßov from my Father. — In ch. ii. 19. our Lord appears in his prophetic declaration, to have employed the customary language of prophecy, agreeably to which "the antient prophets are said to have done that, which they were only commissioned to foretel. See Jer, i. 10,"

GOD; and BY HIM exalted to great power and glory.

Acts ii. 32, 33. Peter says, "This Jesus hath God RAISED UP, of which we all are witnesses. Therefore being BY THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD EXALTED, and having RECEIVED FROM THE FATHER the promise of the holy spirit, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear.' Vs. 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God HATH MADE that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.'-See also Ch. iii. 13. 15. iv. 10. v. 30. x. 40. &c. &c. Rom. viii. 11. x. 9. 1 Cor. vi. 14. Gal. i. 1. &c. &c.

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Eph. i. 19-22. According to the working of his mighty power, which HE WROUGHT IN CHRIST, when HE RAISED him from the dead, and SET him at His own right hand in heavenly things, far above all principality and power, — and PUT all things under his feet, and GAVE him to be head over all things to the church.'

Phil. ii. 9-11. 'Wherefore' (on account of his humility and obedience,) GOD also hath HIGHLY EXALTED him, and BESTOWED on him a name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of beings in heaven and on earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the GLORY of GOD THE FATHER.

VIII. After this exaltation, and after the Apos tles had received the holy spirit, they speak of Fesus as having received his powers from GOD, and

as the SERVANT OF GOD, and they speak of him as MAN without guard or comment: Paul even reasons from his being MAN, without giving any intimation that he was possessed of any superior nature. On the other hand, the Apostles never reason from his being God, and there is only one clear instance in which an Apostle gives him the appellation God. (See p. 62.)

Acts ii. 22. 'Jesus of Nazareth, a MAN FROM GOD pointed out among you by. miracles and wonders and signs which GOD DID BY HIM in the midst of you.'

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Ch. iii. 13. The God of our Fathers hath glorified his SERVANT Taida Jesus.' Vs. 26. Unto you first, GOD, having raised up his SERVANT Jesus, SENT him to bless you by turning every one of you from his iniquities.' Ch. iv. 27. • For of a truth against thy HOLY SERVANT JESUS, WHOM THOU HAST ANOINTED.' Vs. 29, 30. And give to thy servants douxes that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thy hand to heal, and by signs and wonders being done through the name of thy holy SERVANT Jesus,'

f This I apprehend to be the correct translation of avoga απο του Θεου αποδεδειγμενον εἰς ὑμᾶς. The very general if not universal use of ano by Luke, is the ground of my preference of this rendering to any which requires are to be used in the sense of by: but I lay no stress upon it in a doctrinal point of view.

• I think that a decided preference should be given to this translation of wais (child or servant) in reference to our Saviour, for the following reasons. 1. If the Apostle meant by it the same as vios, no reason appears for his not using the more customary term, viz., which is continually employ

Ch. xvii. 31.

Because he hath fixed a day, in which HE will judge the world in righteousness by the MAN whom he hath APPOINTED, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised him from the dead.'

Rom. v. 15. 'One MAN, Jesus Christ.' See the argument from this passage in p. 44.

1 Cor. xv. 21. For since by man came death, by MAN also cometh the resurrection of the dead.' See p. 38. Vs. 47. 'The second MAN will be [the Lord] from heaven. See Chap. VII.

1 Tim. ii. 5. The MAN Christ Jesus.' See § I. p. 97.

That the N. T. Writers, without referring to any superior nature, reason from our Lord's being man, see Rom. v. 1 Cor. xv. Gal. iv. 4. Heb. ii. iii. v. &c. and some remarks already made on this point, p. 34, 47, 52, and particularly p. 38.

It deserves attention in this connexion, that it could not be an object of revelation, that Jesus was truly and properly a man, but that he was more as to nature, could not be known without revelation..

ed in reference to Jesus. 2. In all the instances in which the word is used in the N. T. it has no necessary connexion with the filial relation, but refers to the age or condition of the individual 3. In the writings of Luke, (who uses it eleven times, besides the cases in question,) it uniformly signifies either servant or young person. 4 In the very same prayer of the Apostles (Acts iv. 24-30.) in which they twice use the term in reference to Jesus, they employ it in reference to David, where the common version has servant, viz. vs. 25, of thy servant David Aaßid rou xaidos σou. And, 5. in Matt. xii. 18, the common version translates it servant in reference to Jesus himself: Iday & was mov, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen.

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