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before us, an appeal to the Pfalms of David -a portion of the fame word of Godfilenced the Jews. Thus we should not only feek to defend and explain what is true, but, with equal zeal, endeavour to drive out and explode error.

Thus, after refuting His opponents, our Lord puts a queftion to them, knowing well the answer they would give; and He then infers a doctrine which they were unprepared to receive. "What think ye of Chrift? Whofe Son is He?" They readily acknowledged that He was to be the son of David, a lineal descendant of David's race. What then, he continues, does David mean, when, speaking by inspiration of the Spirit, he calls the Meffiah his Lord as well as his fon?

The inquiry was well fuited to awaken the minds of the Jews, and to show them that more was intended in their Scripture

than they at firft perceived.

They had

thought of Chrift, as the fon of Davidprobably as one like David - victorious over his earthly enemies, and delivering their country from a foreign yoke; but in the Pfalms we find it written, God said unto my Lord, (who is Chrift,) "Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." David speaks of Him as his fon and as his fuperior; gives Him a title of honour-of divine honour. He muft, therefore, be fomething more than merely a defcendant of the royal line of David. This, indeed, He is; but more than this; He is David's Lord. He is the Divine Son, to whom the Father hath affigned the highest feat of dignity, even to fit on His right hand until all Chrift's foes fhould become His footstool, should be entirely and fully fubjugated to His authority. The Scribes were thus placed in a difficulty, from which

but one way of extricating themselves offered. They faw that David (Pf. cx.) really spoke of one who, at the distance of a thousand years, was to fpring of his race; and that he yet called this future defcendant his Lord. Had he faid, "The Lord faid to my fon, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool," the sense would have been clear and easy: but how could he say, " The Lord faid to my Lord?" David was the most illuftrious of the kings of Ifrael; and yet he speaks of a person who should be born of his line, at a remote period, as his Lord. They did err, not fully knowing (or receiving) their Scriptures." A prejudiced eye prevented their difcerning the twofold nature of Him who was to come as Meffiah. They knew and acknowledged that Micah spoke of the Meffiah when he faid (v. 2), "Thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little

among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee fhall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Ifrael; whofe goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting;" or, as in the margin," from the days of eternity." Now, here the pre-existent state of Christ is clearly set forth; declared, too, in terms which could refer to none but God Himfelf, seeing that He alone is " from everlafting." But Ifaiah wrote more clearly ftill, and had diftinctly declared that the Person who was to be a child born and a fon given, was no other than "the mighty God;" and that the child who fhould be born of a virgin fhould be called Immanuel, or "God with us." Thus their own Scriptures informed them, that the Meffiah was to be David's Lord according to His divine nature (being, indeed, Lord of heaven and earth); whilft yet, according to His human nature, which he was to affume, of

the pofterity of David, He was to be truly David's fon.

In the New Teftament, as might be expected, this high truth is more abundantly confirmed. Our Lord thus speaks of His own pre-existence before He took on Him our flesh.

I am."

"Before Abraham was

He had a glory with the Father before the world was. He and the Father were one. His addrefs to the Apostle St. John was very remarkable. (Rev. i. 8,) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, faith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." It is difficult to conceive anything which could more expreffly set forth His divinity than this. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It is evident from these and other places of Holy Scripture that He is "God manifeft

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