Acts.

on the name of the Lord. Grotius remarks, that the Lord here invoked, is not Chrift, but God, the Father; and he thinks that there is a reference to the practice of the firft chriftians in praying over those that were newly baptifed; when, as Justin Martyr mentions, their prayers were addressed only (c) to the Father, and fovereign God of the universe. How far this may be intended in the paffage, you will judge. Affuredly the facred hiftorian cannot be fuppofed to speak of invoking Christ, as he is never mentioned by him throughout this book, in any degree, as the object of worship, but as being himself the fervant of the Almighty.

But

(ε) επονομαζεται τω ελομένω αναγεννηθήναι, και μετανοησαντι επι τοις ημαρτημένοις, το το παίρος των όλων και δεσποις Θε8 ονομα και επ ονομαζος δε Ιησε Χρισε τη σαυρωθέντος επι Πόλις Πιλαίς, και επ' οιο μαλος πνευματος αγιό, ο δια των προβήλων προκήρυξε τα καλα τον Ιησών Farła, o OwTICqueros Atlas. Justin Martyr. Apol. 1. p. 80. i. e. The name of the Father of the universe and sovereign God is invoked for the perfon who defires to be baptized, and hath repented of his paft fins and he is baptized in the name of Jefus Chrift, who was crucified by Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the holy fpirit, who foretold by the prophets the things concerning Jefus.' N. B. Justin always diftinguishes in a proper manner, the God and Father of the univerfe from Chrift and all other beings, notwithstanding the grievous errors which he fell into and gave occafion to, will be feen fhortly.

Acts.

But perhaps, the term, Lord, here, rather refers fo Chrift, and the phrase καλεσάμενος το ονομα τη Κυριε, fould be construed as in Acts ix. 14.-21. acknowleging the name of the Lord, i. e. of making open profeffion of Chrift's religion. See L'Enfant's note upon the place, and Dr. Hammond's paraphrafe of it.

xxiv. 14. But this I confefs unto thee, that after the way that they call herefy, so worship I the God of my fathers. St. Paul, here, in his defence before Felix the roman governor, declares that he worshiped the fame God now that he was a chriftian, as when a jew, before his converfion. This demonftrates that the apostle knew nothing of Jefus or any other perfon being God, but the fingle

perfon of Jehovah, the God of his fathers. xxv. 18. Against whom, when the accufers stood up, 19. they brought none accufation of fuch things as

I fuppofed; but bad certain questions against bim of their own fuperftition, and of one Jefus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. This is produced merely to point out the general perfuafion, that prevailed in the country; viz. that our Saviour was commonly fpoken of, and taken to be originally, one of the human race, and not a being of a higher order.

Acts xxvi. Having obtained therefore help of God, I 22. 23. continue unto this day, witnessing both to small

and great, faying none other things than thofe, which the prophets and Mofes did fay fhould come; thai the Chrift should fuffer, and that he should be the first that should rife from the dead, and should shew light unto the people and unto the gentiles. Paul here declares his fentiments, before king Agrippa, a jew, to be in intire agreement with thofe of their jewish prophets, concerning their Meffiah; who was alfo foretold by them to be of a particular tribe and family of their nation,-that he was one that was to undergo a violent death, but would speedily be raised again to life, and become the inftrument of bringing both jews and heathens to eternal life.

(d) It would be hardly worth the while to mention, had not some lately much inGifted on it; that the language used here, and in fome few other places, where Chrift is faid to rife, or to have risen from the dead, has been imagined to imply, that he raifed himself to life; and that this is a proof of his divinity. But it being too great an undertaking, for one dead, i. e. without

(d) N. B. The general, and almost universal ftile of the facred writers, is, that God raised Chrift from the dead.

A&ts. without life, to act; thefe perfons have therefore had recourse to the chimerical notion of Chrift being poffeffed of two natures or capacities, (for this laft is the term lately adopted,) a human capacity and a divine ca pacity, and that the divine capacity raised to life the dead human capacity. But they did not confider that the fame language is used concerning other dead human creatures as well as Chrift. For we read 1 Theff. iv. 16. The Lord bimfelf fhall defcend from heaven with a fhout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Chrift fhall rife first. So that according to this method of argument, the pious dead have now a power of raising themselves to life as well as Chrift had, and therefore must be fuppofed to be poffeffed like him of a divine nature or capacity, by which at a proper time, they will raife to life their dead human nature or capacity. When will divines have done with thefe folutions of difficulties of their own making, fpun out of the brains of philofophers more fubtle than wife?

SECTION

SECTION IX.

Of the fum of St. Luke's teftimony concerning God and Chrift, in his hiftory, called THE ACTS.

From a copious enumeration of facts, we have found, that what St. Luke advances in this his fecond treatise, The Acts, is in exact conformity with what he had related of Jefus Chrift, in his gofpel; that he was intirely one of the human race, and nothing more or different from others, except in the divine communications made to him. Our historian calls Mary, his mother, and other perfons of his kindred, after his refurrection. And he introduces Jefus, after his exaltation into heaven, declaring himself to have been once one of mankind, not blushing to own his earthly origin, which fo many of his followers are difgufted with, and offended to hear him called a human being only. St. Luke speaks of no perfons as being properly divine, or God, or to be worfhiped, but the fingle person of the fovereign Lord and creator of all things; and holds forth Jefus as his fervant, brought into being by him, to promote his benevolent purposes for all mankind. And in the course of his hiftory, which appears to have been written to give an account of the propagation of

the