Hackney, we must all bow the knee. The prophets who seem refractory must all be classed with the furies of Egypt, for raving about the existence of the Messiah before the world; the ancient rabbins were smitten with the contagion; the fathers, who to a man, have here understood the Saviour as asking to have his Divinity, though now veiled in the form of a servant, made known to heaven by an inauguration to the Father's right hand, and to mankind by the Gospel, were all illiterate and doting men. When he says in plain language, and with a double asseveration, 'Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM.,' somewhat depressing your usual tone, you mutter out, The mission of Christ was settled before Abraham was born.' Unfortunately, the Jews happening to understand him in a widely different sense, took up stones in the temple at once to execute the sentence of the law against a blasphemer. But this is easily gotten over: the schoolmen of Hackney understand the oriental dialects much better than the Hebrew doctors. The fault is not in Christ, but wholly in the Evangelist. Herodotus is simple and correct; Homer is bold and pure; Virgil ever kindles anew with a chaste elegance; but the scripture writers are all infatuated. They use epithets concerning Joseph's Son unheard of, utterly wild and insupportable. The Hebrew magistrates were therefore perfectly justifiable in stoning the prophets, in crucifying and murdering the Christians, as blasphemers against the most sacred articles of their faith and covenant.

"Acts vii. 59. Lord Jesus receive my spirit.' Note. This vision (verse 56) seems to have been renewed for the purpose of giving this first martyr comfort and support. [But] this address of Stephen to Jesus when he actually saw him, does not authorize us to offer prayer to him now he is invisible.' The critics say that Homer sometimes nods a little. Were you getting a nap when you call this a vision; and almost immediately add-that he actually saw him? We take exceptions also to your using the plain nameJesus-while Stephen calls him LORD. Stephen was first of the seven deacons, and no doubt an eye witness of many of the Saviour's miracles, and minister of the word from the very first, Luke i. 2. He justly ranked next to the holy apostles. Now, if he in dying called on his name; if he commended his spirit into his hands, as the Saviour had commended his spirit into the hands of the Father, why should not we, who see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death?'-Why should not we whose whole pilgrimage is a continued, looking unto Jesus,' do the same? If the Father, as you fully allow, has entrusted the whole of principalities and powers into his hands, to whom else, but to the Lord Jesus, can the dying Christian commend his spirit, as the Saviour had commended his spirit into the hands of the Father.

6

"Cap. xxii. 16. Wash away thy sins, taking upon thyself his name.' Your chronology is here

F 2

glaringly defective. Paul was baptized at Damascus; and the disciples, branded by the Jews

christians first in AnYour reading is still Tixaλeσαμevos, is very

as Nazarenes, were called tioch, about the year 45. more shocking. The Greek fairly rendered calling upon, &c.' The root is primitive, unequivocal, and common to all languages. The Hebrew p Kol. the Latin appeláre, the Italian chiamare still retain the radicals of the root. Why then leave both the letter and the plain sense to deceive the reader? Assuredly, both the common sense, and learning of the people called Unitarians, have a claim to be treated with greater decency and respect.

"Col. i. 16. 'The whole creation, for by him all things were created that are in heaven, and that are on earth, &c.' Note. • The apostle

does not here intend the creation of natural substances;-but this creation expresses the great change which Christ should introduce into the moral world.'-Let us, in reply, read the whole passage. The Father hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him all things were created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist; and he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the

pre-eminence; for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.'-The last verse you translate,It pleased the Father to inhabit all fulness by him.' But do not adduce any authorities for substituting di durou by him, for εv auTW in him. The whole Biblia Polyglotta is against you.

you

"Now, it cannot but carry conviction to an attentive mind, that your own comment, a comment often repeated, This creation This creation expresses the great change which Christ introduced into the moral world,' completely destroys your own system; for if these thrones and agxa princes or præfects mean only lawful governments, these all existed before Joseph's son was born; according to your system, he neither was before them nor does he uphold them! But the text says, he created the invisible as well as the visible thrones; that is, angelic thrones, that they might learn by the church the manifold wisdom of God.' Eph. iii. 10: 1 Pet. i. 12. The text says, that the Son is the image of the invisible God; whereas, when the apostle asserts that christians are renewed in his image, it is only in righteousness and true holiness.' The text says, that the Son is before all things; equivalent to Proverbs viii. 22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before his works of old.' The text says, that he created all things.' You have told us at large, that the verb yopas never once signifies to create; we have referred you to James iii. 9, &c. where it assuredly refers to the creation of man. But here you are silent about Greek,

being aware that xr indisputedly designates the creation of heaven and earth. The text, by a descending climax, next enumerates the mediatorial titles of the Son, that he is the firstborn of every creature, raons Tiσews, the whole creation, and as the firstborn he has the pre-eminence in the throne, is head of the church, and prince of angels and men: 'for it pleased the Father that in him should all the fulness of the corns, Godhead dwell.' And so is the sense in which Augustine understands the passage, who here professedly follows the sense of anterior fathers. • In him dwelt all

the plenitude of the Divinity with all its attributes and perfections; for the Divine Person of the Word was hypostatically united to the human nature of Christ, &c. Tota et plena Divinitas cum omnibus suis attributis ac perfectionibus. Divina enim Verbi Persona hypostaticè unita est humanæ naturæ Christi, Duplici vinculo unitivo, uno spirituali, quo anima adglutinatur Verbo; altero corporali, quo corpus Christi eidem Verbo adnectitur. Unde merito dicitur hic Divinitas in Christo inhabitare etiam corporaliter, sicut anima in corpore inhabitat corporaliter.'-Epis. 17, ad Dardanum. “Heb. i. 5, 6, 7. To which of the To which of the messengers spake God at any time, 'Thou art my son, this day have I adopted thee: And let all the messengers pay homage to him, who maketh winds his messengers, and flames of fire his ministers." This then, is what you call the Improved Version!!! We did not know till now, that the ears of the Unitarian would have endured the word adopted for begotten: I am sure the ears of your fathers would