to his own expreffion, the Father dwelt in bim; or, in the language of the Apostle, in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, or fubftantially.

Again. In the Gofpels St. John the Baptift is called the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths ftrait*: but in the evangelical prophet the style is at once more explicit and more majestical; prepare ye, says he, the way of the Lord, make strait in the defart a highway for our God. In the course of the fame fublime chapter Jerufalem is called upon to lift up her voice with ftrength, to lift it up and fay unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God. And then the prophecy proceeds in the following words. Behold, the Lord God will come with ftrong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and bis work before him. He fhall feed his flock like a fhepherd, &c. Now, unless it can be demonstrated, that these paffages do not refer, ultimately at leaft, to the coming, and to the

*Matt. iii. 3.

+ Ifa. xl. 3.

perfon

perfon of the Meffiah, he is manifeftly here announced under the different characters of a good Shepherd, a righteous judge, and the Lord God. Befides, if there is no fuch reference, the feveral apoftolical citations from the prophet are most impertinently ridiculous.

Once more. The first and fecond perfons of the bleffed Trinity are expressly distinguished, and refpectively characterised as equal, in a paffage wherein the Apostle occafionally afferts the unity of effence in the Godhead. We know, fays he, that there is none other God but one; for though there be that are called Gods, to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in bim; and one Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom are all things, and we by him*. It may be pretended indeed, that the terms under which the Son is here characterised are not of equal weight and fignificance with those which are defcriptive of the Father; but I will take upon me to aver, that the fame might have been pretended, had thefe terms been tranfpofed,

* 1 Cor. viii. 4. &c.

and

and the paffage had run thus; to us there is but one God, the Father, by whom are all things, and we by him; and one Lord fefus Christ, of whom are all things, and we in him. And in many places the three divine Perfons are feverally specified and referred to, as jointly concurring in the wonderful scheme of man's redemption; particularly in the following. St. Peter inscribes his first epistle to the ftrangers scattered through Pontus, Galatia, &c. elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through fanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and fprinkling of the blood of Fefus Chrift: and St. John falutes the churches of Afia with wishing them. grace and peace from him which is, which was, and which is to come, and from the Jeven Jpirits which are before his throne, and from Jefus Christ*. I am fenfible indeed that by the Seven spirits, just mentioned, interpreters do not univerfally understand the Holy Ghoft; but this at least, I cannot help remarking, may be offered in favour of the fenfe in which I have taken the expreffion, that it is a fenfe of which the

* I Rev. 4.

words

words are full as capable as of any other whatever; and that by the prefent conftruction a very confiderable difficulty is removed which clogs a different interpretation. For admitting the Holy Ghoft to be fignified by the feven Spirits, there will be nothing fingular or unprecedented in this inverfion of the order of Perfons in the Trinity; but why angels, according to the fenfe of fome commentators, should be mentioned before Jefus Christ, (who is higher than the angels even in many of our adverfaries conceptions,) seems accountable only by forced and unnatural explications. And ftill more perplexed, and incompatible with the nature of a bleffing, or a falutation in general, or with the apostolical greetings and benedictions in particular, the sense of others feems to be, who by the

Seven Spirits understand the graces of the Spi

rit, or the various operations of Divine Providence. (i) However, granting the paffage to be rather obfcure, I would take occafion to obferve from it yet farther, that although we should be very cautious of deducing doctrines of faith from fymbols, or mystical expreffions,

preffions, yet types and emblems confeffedly fignificant and characteristical will justify fuitable conclufions. It may be questioned perhaps what is precifely to be understood by the Seven Spirits juft mentioned, or by many other symbols in the Revelation; but it would be excefs of perverfenefs to doubt, whether the Lamb in our Apoftle's allegorical prophecy be the emblem of Jefus Chrift. Whenever therefore we obferve divine honours plainly ascribed to the Lamb, or find him spoken of in terms of equal importance and majesty with those which are predicated of him who is indisputably the true God, the inference is obvious and unavoidable. How then will the antitrinitarian evade the force

of such paffages as these? And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, &c. beard I faying, Bleffing and glory, and honour, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.* The Lamb fhall overcome them, for he is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty,

*Rev. v. 13.

+ Rev. xvii. 14.

and