DISC. VII. The Term Word (cyos) was in use among the ancient philofophers, who sometimes speak of a perfon under that appellation, as the maker of the universe. So Tertullian informs the Gentiles". And Eufebius, in the xith book of his Evangelical Preparation, cites a Paffage from Amelius, a celebrated admirer and imitator of Plato, in which he speaks of the λoyos as being eternal and the maker of all things. This, he fays, was the opinion of Heraclitus; and then introduces the beginning of the Gospel of St John; concerning whom, it feems, he was wont to complain, that he had transferred into his book the fentiments of his mafter Plato. But it is not likely that our Evangelift either borrowed from, or intended to copy after Plato. And fince not only Plato, but Pythagoras and Zeno likewise, converfed with the Jews, it is not at all wonderful, "Apud veftros quoque fapientes λoyov, id eft Sermonem atque Rationem, conftat artificem videri univerfi"tatis. Hunc enim Zeno determinat factitatorem, qui "cuncta in difpofitione formaverit." that VII. that we meet with fomething about a DISC. DEIOE AOгOE, or DIVINE WORD, in their writings. Nor, after all, might the philofopher and the apoftle ufe the fame term in the fame acceptation. It is cuftomary with the writers of the New Testament to express themselves, as much as may be, in the language of the Old, to which, therefore, we must have recourse for an explanation of their meaning, as the penmen of both, under the direction of one Spirit, used their terms in the fame fense, Now, upon looking into the Old Testament, we find, that "the Word of Jeho"vah," is frequently and evidently the style of a person, who is said "to come, "to be revealed or manifefted," and the like. As in the xvth chapter of Genefis; "After these things, the Word of Jeho"vah came unto Abraham in a vision, say"ing, Fear not, Abraham; I am thy fhield, DISC. VII. "and thy exceeding great reward. And With regard to the nature of the perfon thus denominated, whoever shall duly confider the attributes, powers, and actions ascribed to him, will fee reafon to think of him not as of a created intelligence, but a perfon of the divine effence, poffeffed of all it's incommunicable properties. And it may be noticed, that the Targums, or Chaldee Paraphrafts, continually fubftitute .שם יהוה 4 the VII. the Word of Jehovah, for Jehovah, afcri- DISC. bing divine characters to the perfon fo named. And the ancient grecizing Jews fpeak in the fame ftyle. Thus in that excellent apocryphal book of Wisdom, ix. 1. "O God, who haft made all things & Or "σou by thy Word:" and again, in the pasfage, which fo wonderfully describes the horrors of that night, never to be forgotten by an Ifraelite, wherein the first born of the Egyptians were flain "While all "things were in quiet filence, and that "night was in the midst of her swift "course, thine Almighty WORD (AOгOE) leaped down from heaven, out of thy 66 royal throne, as a fierce man of war into "the midst of a land of deftruction; and "brought thine unfeigned commandment, "as a fharp fword; and ftanding up, filled "all things with death; and it touched "the heaven, but it stood upon the earth." Chap. xviii. 14. But whatever may be thought of these paffages, certain it is, that when St. John DISC. comes to treat of this WORD, although, VII. to shew a distinction of personality, he first tells us, "The Word was with God;" yet, to prevent all mistakes on the other fide of the queftion, he inftantly adds, "And the Word was God;" thus evidently afferting an unity of effence. And let any impartial man only lay together, upon this fubject, and duly weigh the few following particulars: that St. John tells us, "The Word was God," and "The Word was made flesh;" that St. Paul fays, "God was manifeft in the "flesh; God was in Chrift, reconciling "the world to himfelf; and in him dwelt "all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ;' that our Saviour is ftyled JEHOVAH, a name appropriated to the Deity; that he says of himself, "I am Alpha and Omega, the "first and the last-I am he that search Upon this paffage, which is found Rev. i. 11, Dr. DODDRIDGE has the following Note-" That these titles "(which occur just above in ver. 8.) fhould be repeated fo "foon in a connection which demonftrates they are given "to Chrift, will appear very remarkable, whatever sense "be ་ |