of the Ebionites, as being convicted of a mutilation of the Gospel; but as regards the remainder of the two chapters, the testimony of these same Ebionites is to be held good against all gainsayers whatever! If time permitted, it might not be amiss to give you a few specimens of the comments upon various Scriptures, as presented in the Notes of this precious Volume. For the present, the following brief extracts must suffice:On Matthew xvii. 3, we have, "Hence it appears probable that the account of the death of Moses, in the last chapter of Deuteronomy, is erroneous; and that he, like Elijah, was translated." On Matthew iv. 1, "Jesus was led up by the spirit into the desert." "This form of expression denotes that the historian is about to describe a visionary scene, and not a real event. The introduction of the devil into this scenical representation no more proves the real existence of such a being, than the introduction of the lamb, or the red dragon, in the apocalyptic vision, is a proof of the real existence of those symbolical agents." On Hebrews xiii. 25. "This Epistle, which contains many important observations, and many wholesome truths, mingled, indeed, with some far-fetched analogies and inaccurate reasonings, was probably written before the destruction of Jerusalem, &c." This is the way in which Unitarians deal with the Word of God. We have heard of certain persons engaged in a law-suit, who, in order to silence the testimony of individuals whom they expected to appear in evidence against them, have contrived to sue the witnesses, and so by making them parties in the contest, have disqualified them from appearing in opposition to their cause. Pretty similar to this is the conduct of Unitarians: they take certain passages of Scripture, and declare, on the authority of acknowledged heretics, or on some other ground, that they are of doubtful or no authority. Thus Dr. Priestley says there is not a single text in Scripture in which Christ is properly called God; (16.) and when we bring forward a variety, such as "God manifest in the flesh," "God over all, blessed for ever," "This is the true God and eternal life," we are told they are of doubtful authority, either as respects genuineness or translation: so that by the practice of stoning one Scripture testimony and killing another, they may triumphantly assert that there is not an instance in all the Scripture in which their opinions can be confronted. The Scripture evidence is first neutralised, and then the challenge is given. II. The second head of this discourse, which will not occupy us so long, is,-THAT UNITARIANISM TENDS TO DIMINISH AND LESSEN, RATHER THAN TO PROMOTE, LOVE TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. "He that loveth me," said Christ, "shall be loved of my Father," "Whom, having not seen, ye love."† "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha." From these, and other similar passages, we may conclude, that love to Christ is not only a Christian virtue, but that it is essential to the very existence of true Christianity,-nay, to true morality-if, by that term, we mean a conformity to the moral law. Let us now inquire whether Unitarianism or Trinitarianism most tends to exalt the character of Christ, which of the two systems places his mediation in the most important light, and which represents us as most indebted to his undertaking.. • John xiv. 21. † 1 Peter i. 8. Eph. vi. 24. 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 1. Which system tends most to exalt the character of Christ. We look on Jesus as "the mighty God,"* "the only wise God our Saviour," "who thought it not robbery to be equal with God."‡ Unitarianism reduces him to the rank of a creature, angelic or superangelic. Now, in the same proportion as God himself is to be loved above man, so is Christ to be loved, supposing him to be truly God, above what he is, or ought to be, supposing him to be merely a fellow-man. The Prophets, Apostles, and Primitive Christians, seem to have felt this motive in all its force. Accordingly, all their expressions of love to Christ are mingled with admiration of his divine. dignity and excellency. Thus David says, "My heart is inditing a good matter; I speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured upon thy lips; therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Thy throne, O GOD, is for ever and ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O MOST MIGHTY, with thy glory and thy majesty."§ Thus also Isaiah, who makes the Messiah the frequent subject of his prophecies, and whose heart overflowed with love to him, calls him "Wonderful, Counsellor, THE MIGHTY GOD, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."|| And again, we read of "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, (that is JEHOVAH,) make straight in the desert a highway for our God." And in the same chapter, "Behold the LORD GOD will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his work before him."** St. Paul hardly ever mentions the name of Christ without adding some strong encomium on the divinity of his person and character. In a remarkable passage, after enumerating those various things which rendered his countrymen dear to him, he mentions their being Israelites to whom pertained the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, he adds, "whose were the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came;"-there he might have stopped; but no, having mentioned the name of Christ, he could not content himself without adding, 66 WHO IS OVER ALL, GOD BLESSED FOR EVER. AMEN."* I ask whether such love as the Apostles and Prophets expressed towards Christ could consist with his being merely a fellow-creature, and their considering him as such? Whether the manner in which they expressed that love, on the principles of Unitarians, instead of being acceptable to God, could have been any other than the very height of extravagance, the very essence of idolatry? Whether the coldly criticising away the meaning of these words, leading us to be afraid of giving them their full scope, and exciting apprehensions lest we should go too far; or whether the admiration of these representations, and the adoption of them on every fitting occasion and in a corresponding spirit, be most calculated to promote love to Christ-judge ye. 2. We next inquire, which system places our Lord's mediation in the most striking light. That, doubtless, which finds the greatest use for him, or in which he occupies the most important place, must surely have the greatest tendency to produce love to him. The Unitarian system has but little use for Christ, and none at all as an atoning sacrifice. It scarcely ever mentions his name, unless it be to depreciate those views of his dignity which others entertain. Now, brethren, we find so much use for Christ in our sys *Rom. ix. 4. 5. E tem, that he appears as the soul which animates the whole body of our divinity. Take away the deity and atonement of Christ, and the whole ceremonial of the Old Testament appears little more than a dead mass of uninteresting matter. Prophecy loses all that is interesting and endearing, the Gospel is annihilated, or ceases to be that good news to lost sinners which it professes to be; practical religion is divested of its most powerful sanctions, the evangelical dispensation of its peculiar glory, and heaven itself of its most transporting joys! The sacred writers appear to have written all along upon the same principle; they considered Christ as the "all in all" of their religion. Do they speak of prophecy? "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of it."* Of the Gospel? It is "the doctrine of Christ crucified.”+ Of the medium by which the world is crucified to the sinner? Still it is the "cross." Nay, the very reproach of Christ had a value stamped upon it, so as in their estimation to surpass all the treasures of the present world.§ And one of the most affecting views which they afford us of heaven, is that in which they make it consist in ascribing glory and dominion "to him who has loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood;" and when the thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousands are heard with a loud voice, saying, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." || St. Paul, in a striking passage, tells us, "what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found Rev. xix. 10. +1 Cor. i. 23. Heb. xi. 26. Gal. vi. 14. |