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OBSERVATIONS.

4. It is difficult to discover the reason for adducing this text, in proof that supreme worship is due to Christ. Jesus here informs his disciples, that he would do (not what they would ask from himself, but) what they would ask in his name. The passage refers to the power which Christ received from the Father to attend to the interests of his church during the apostolic age, by the assistance he was enabled to bestow on the first preachers of the Gospel in performing miracles. This interpretation is borne out by the context. But, whatever was our Saviour's meaning, he certainly did not desire his followers to make their requests to him; his primary object having been the glory of God, the Father. So far, indeed, was he from causing them to pay himself divine homage, that, in this very discourse, he desired them to ask nothing from him. And it is plainly evinced, from the prayer with which he concluded his exhortations, that he considered the Father only as entitled to religious worship.m

5. In eastern nations, the bending of the knee is significant of respect, reverence, and obedience, whether civil or religious." By this expression St. Paul could not have meant to represent Christ as the object of religious adoration; for he says that every knee was to be bent at, or in the name of one who had suffered and died, and had been rewarded for his obedience to God's will; who was, therefore, inferior to him by whom he was rewarded, and consequently not entitled to that honour which is due only to the Most High. The figurative language which the apostle used probably denotes that every person, whether Jew or Gentile, must acknowledge Jesus Christ as his Lord and Master, by believing in him, and obeying his commands. This exposition appears to be the more reasonable, as the worship required is to be paid Jesus with a view of glorifying that Being who made him Lord-namely, God, the Father.r

6. That the worship required from angels, messengers, or prophets, was not religious homage, may be clearly ascertained by considering that the writer of the epistle represents Christ as distinct from and inferior to the Almighty. He treats of him, indeed, as greatly superior to other divine teachers, not, however, on the grounds of his equality with the Father, but solely because he was made better than the angels or messengers because he was peculiarly favoured by God, being the brightest image of his moral attributes, and his beloved Son in a more eminent degree than those prophets by whom he was preceded. Hence the worship required for Christ must be essentially different from that which is due to the Deity, unless it can be proved that there are two distinct objects of religious homage; the inferior having the same right to such homage as that great Being who is termed his Father and his God, and from whom he received his existence, his name, his offices, and his powers."

ALLEGED PROOFS.

7. 1 John v. 14, 15: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us, &c.

PARAPHRASES.

This is the confidence that we have towards him as our prevalent Intercessor and mighty Saviour at God's right hand, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us graciously, &c.Doddridge.

And of this confidence this is one special branch, that we come boldly and freely to make our request to him, depending on that promise which God in Christ hath made to us, viz. that he will hear all the faithful requests of his servants, &c. Hammond.

And this is the boldness which we have with the Father through our believing on his Son, that, if we ask any thing according to his will,.. he lendeth a favourable ear to us. Macknight.

III.-PRAYER SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO JESUS IN HIS EXALTED

STATE.

8. Acts vii. 59: They stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

PARAPHRASE.

I am dying in thy cause; but thou art the Resurrection and the Life, and from thee I shall again receive my life: with full confidence in thy declarations, I resign it into thy hands; Lord Jesus, receive my departing breath.-Carpenter.

REMARKS.

Christ is represented as having been visibly present to Stephen. The prayer of the martyr, therefore, that he would receive his spirit, or, in other words, that he would receive him to himself, is of no force to prove, that it is proper to offer prayers to Christ as an invisible being.-Norton.

Seeing Christ in heaven, and knowing Christ's power with God, was as good a reason for Stephen to call for and desire his help, as it was for his disciples, who saw his power on earth, to call to him to save them in a storm. Yet Stephen's example is to others no rule, unless they are encouraged by a like vision. We are not to depart from general rules of duty, and justify our practice by a single and extraordinary instance or example. Haynes.

See Appendix, page 276, first column.

ILLUSTRATIVE TEXTS.

• John xvii. 1-3: Father, ... this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. - See pages 39, 40,

t Matt. vi. 9: After this manner, therefore, pray ye, Our Father, who art in ven, &c. - See page 42.

u 1 John ii. 28, comp. with ver. 24; chap. iii. 5, comp. with ver. 1,8; ver. 16, comp. with ver. 10. John xxi. 15, 16.

v 1 John iii. 21-23: Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God; and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

w Matt. xxvi. 39-44: O my Father! if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou [wilt]. Luke xi. 1,2: Lord, teach us to pray... He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father, &c. - See references s, t.

x Acts vii. 37: This is that Moses who said unto the children of Israel, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me: him shall ye hear.

y Ver. 55, 56: But he, being full of the holy spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God; and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

z Luke xxiii. 34: Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

a Acts i. 6,7: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. James i. 17: Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (G.)

OBSERVATIONS.

7. This passage appears to favour the common doctrine of Christ's being a proper object of religious worship. But we have the most satisfactory evidence for believing, that Jesus never prayed to any other Being than the Father, whom he distinguished from himself by addressing as the only true God; - that he never directed his disciples to pay divine homage either to himself or to the Holy Ghost. On the contrary, the God whom he taught them to worship was their common Father; and hence the great improbability, that the Apostle John would employ language inconsistent with the example and the precepts of his Lord and Master. But the fact is, that this amiable apostle, amid all the sublime simplicity of his ideas, is not unfrequently loose in his manner of expressing them, and sometimes employs the pronouns without any regard to their immediate antecedent." It is therefore more than probable, that in this place he refers rather to God, mentioned in verse 11, than to the Son of God, occurring in the 12th and the 13th verse. This opinion is sanctioned by a parallel passage in the same Epistle, which unequivocally relates to the God and Father of Jesus Christ."

8. Stephen undoubtedly knew that his Master not only prayed to the Father, but desired his followers to adore the same being." The language which he used in this discourse plainly indicates his belief in the inferiority of Christ to the Almighty. He quoted to the Jews a prophecy of Moses, who had foretold his countrymen, that the Lord God would raise up from amongst them a prophet like himself; and when favoured with a vision immediately before being stoned, he exclaimed, that he beheld the Son of man standing on the right hand of God;-language, than which none could be better adapted to mark his conviction of Christ's subordination to the Father. It is in the highest degree improbable, that this righteous martyr would act in direct opposition to his Lord's example and commands, and pay divine homage to one whom he regarded only as the Son of man, and the Prophet or Ambassador of the Most High; for the word God, found in the text which we are considering, is well known to be an interpolation, and is indeed printed as such in the Public Version. With the vision still before his eyes, or, at least, strongly impressed on his mind, St. Stephen merely stated to Christ his perfect willingness to resign his breath in vindication of his Master's holy cause-"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit (or life)." But from the greater solemnity with which he uttered his last benevolent wish - "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge"it is highly reasonable to conclude, that, in accordance with the disinterested petition of Jesus on the cross, it was offered up to the God and Father of all, the original and underived Source of power and mercy."

ALLEGED PROOFS.

9. 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9: For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace, &c.

REMARK.

The Lord whom Paul here besought is plainly Christ. A clearer case that Christ was the object of the apostle's repeated prayer, cannot well be presented.-Stuart.

IV.-THANKSGIVINGS AND ASCRIPTIONS OF PRAISE RENDERED TO CHRIST.

10. Eph. v. 19: Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

11. Col. iii. 16: Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Singing with thankfulness.. to God.-Imp. Ver.

12. 1 Tim. i. 12: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.

I am grateful to Christ, &c.-Carpenter, J.S.Porter.

REMARKS.

The Clermont copy and Æthiopic ver. sion read, "I thank him who enabled me, ἐν Χριστῷ, by Christ Jesus." But the Received Text is the best supported, and is very proper expression of the apo gratitude for the great personal obligations he was under to Christ. - Belsham.

a

ILLUSTRATIVE TEXTS.

b 2 Cor. xii. 9: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

c 2 Cor. i. 3: Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, &c. - See pages 46-49.

d Eph. v. 20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

to God even the Father. -Hammond. Col. iii. 17: And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

to God even the Father.-Doddridge.

e Rom. i. 8: I thank my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all. 1 Cor. xv.57: Thanks [be] to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph. i. 3: Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ. - See Rom. vii. 25. 1 Cor. i. 4. 2 Cor. i. 3; ii. 14. Eph.i.153, 12; iii. 17. 1 Thess.

18; v. 20. Col. i. apostle's

13. 2 Tim. iv. 18: The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] glory for

ever and ever. Amen.

14. Heb. xiii. 20, 21: Now the God of peace ... make you perfect, ... working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom [be] glory, &c.

15. 1 Pet. iv. 11: That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ: to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.

See Appendix, page 276, second column.

i. 2,3. 2 Thess. i. 2, 3; ii. 13, 14. 2 Tim. i. 1-3. Philem. 4, 5.

f Rom. xvi. 27: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Gal. i. 3-5: Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God the Father, and [from] our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father, to whom [be] glory for ever and ever.

of our God and Father.-Macknight.

Eph. iii. 20, 21: Unto Him that is able

to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. - See Phil. iv. 20. 1 Tim. i. 17; vi. 15, 16.

g Isa. xlii. 8: I [am] Jehovah;.. and my glory will I not give to another, &c.

OBSERVATIONS.

9. From the ninth verse it appears evident that the person whom Paul thrice addressed respecting the removal of the "thorn in the flesh," was the Lord Jesus Christ. But as this address was made when the petitioner was favoured either by a vision of his Master, or by his personal and sensible presence, it cannot with propriety be considered as affording an example for those who are not placed in similar circumstances. The writings of the apostle abundantly testify, that he rendered supreme homage only to the God of heaven - the God and Father of Jesus.c

10, 11. The term Lord is ambiguous in several places of the New Testament, but the connection of these passages points out its reference to the Father; for, in the following verse of each passage, the apostle desires supreme gratitude to be given to God, in the name, or by the authority of the Lord Jesus. Like many other texts adduced for the Deity or the worship of Christ, they rather assist in confirming the Unitarian doctrine, that there is but one God, the Father, who alone is the proper object of religious adoration.

12. What could be more natural and becoming than for St. Paul, the servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to express his gratitude towards him for the distinguished privileges and favours which he had received? Surely a simple expression of thanks to a departed benefactor would be improperly termed religious adoration: the apostle's language is far from implying that he made even an address to his Master. In favour, however, of the reading of some manuscripts, "I thank Him who enabled me, in or by Christ Jesus," it may be observed, that Paul usually gave utterance to his grateful feelings in language directed, not to Christ, but to the God and Father of Christ.e

13. If it were proved that the glory here ascribed to the Lord must involve divine worship, it would be very unfair to bring the passage to the assistance of orthodoxy, unless it were first made certain that the word Lord in this place is applied to Christ. No one will hesitate to grant, that St. Paul's doxologies are generally addressed to God, the Father.f

14, 15. As Dr. SAMUEL CLARKE justly observes, it is ambiguous, from the construction, whether these doxologies "refer to Christ, or to the Father:" it would, therefore, be hazardous to build an article of our faith on such a slender foundation. The probability rather is, that, God being the principal person mentioned, it was to him only the writers intended to ascribe the glory and dominion. However this may be, the supremacy of the Father, and the consequent subordination of Christ, are clearly indicated by the term God being restricted to the former. If the respective doxologies, then, were really ascribed to Christ, they cannot be supposed to interfere with that glory which is due to God alone.g

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