people, as the dew from the Lord, as the shower upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men,'

VIII. Pursuing our inquiry, we are now brought to the writings of Haggai.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come : and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace.2

If the prophecy be taken literally, so far as it respects the temple of Ezra, it never was fulfilled: for the beauty of the second temple, in regard to the materials of which it was composed, was not even equal to that of Solomon. We must therefore seek for some other reason of its superiority; nor will it be very difficult to find one. In the first temple then appeared the Shechinah between the Cherubim, in the inmost recess of the holy of holies, visible only once a year to the High-Priest: in the second, the Lord himself, the Desire of all nations, was present in the flesh openly, and teaching all the people.

This passage proves obliquely, though decidedly, the divinity of our Saviour. If he was a mere man, it would be both absurd and impious to say, that, because Christ was in the second temple, therefore it exceeded the glory of the first; for the first was honoured with the visible presence of

God; and the second, upon such a supposition, was deprived of it. But, if the second temple was not more glorious than the first by reason of the manifestation of Christ; it is incumbent upon those, who impugn the divinity of the Messiah, to shew what it was that did make it more glorious.

IX. Let us next consider those prophecies of Zechariah, which relate to the mission of Jehovah the Word, and which treat of matters immediately connected with it.

1. The first, which I shall adduce, is one of the most extraordinary predictions that can be found throughout the whole canon of Scripture.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you; for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. For behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants ; and ye shall know, that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know, that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.'

(1.) In this remarkable passage, the Lord of hosts appears as the speaker. Yet he begins with

Zech. ii. 8-12.

declaring himself to be sent by some other person. But this other person is afterwards said to be the Lord himself. Consequently, the Lord of hosts is here sent by the Lord: a circumstance, which. manifestly supposes the distinct existence of more than one person in the Godhead.

Having thus declared himself to be Jehovah sent by Jehovah, the divine speaker then exhorts the daughter of Zion to sing and rejoice: for lo, says. he, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee.

Lastly, as if to prevent and anticipate any doubt or hesitation which might arise from the double use of the word Jehovah, the speaker adds, after I dwell in the midst of thee, the awful confirmation of saith Jehovah he then repeats in the very same words his promise of a visible manifestation among them, with a declaration, that many nations should be joined to Jehovah in that day: and he concludes with once more avowing, that he is sent; Thou shalt know, that Jehovah of hosts hath SENT me unto thee.

(2.) Let us now compare the foregoing prophecy, with what the apostle John declared of our Lord, and with what our Lord spoke of himself while manifest in the flesh.

In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God. HE CAME unto his own, and his own received him not. And the Word was made flesh, and DWELT AMONG US. No man hath seen God at any time: the only

begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,

HE HATH DECLARED HIM.'

He that SENT me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not, that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know, that I AM, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that SENT me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone,3

If ye had KNOWN ME, ye should have KNOWN MY FATHER also; and from henceforth (viz. since ye have SEEN ME) ye KNOW HIM, and have SEEN HIM. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not KNOWN ME, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME, HATH SEEN THE FATHER; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not, that I AM IN THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER IN ME? The words, that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself: but the Father, that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.*

My sheep hear my voice. My Father, which is greater than all; and no one is

gave

them me,

I John i. 1, 11, 14, 18,

2

Jehovah, a being that exists necessarily, from the root

to exist, according to Parkhurst,

3 John viii. 26-29,

4 John xiv. 7—10.

able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I AND

MY FATHER ARE ONE.

Then the Jews took up

stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them: Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying: For a good work we stone thee not; but FOR BLASPHEMY, and

BECAUSE THAT THOU BEING A MAN MAKEST THYSELF GOD. Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your Law; I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods unto whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou BLASPHEMEST; because I said, I AM THE SON OF GOD? If I do not the works of Father, believe me not. But, if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and believe, that THE FATHER IS IN Therefore they sought again to take him; but he escaped out of their hand.'

ME, AND I IN HIM.

John x. 27, 29-39. On this last passage I shall take the present opportunity of making a few remarks.

The passage is thought by the Catholic Church to contain a a decisive proof of our Lord's divinity; while yet, by describing him as being sent by the Father, it exhibits him as a distinct person from the Paternal Deity. The Socinians however contend, that it establishes their opinion; because (say they) it represents Christ, as denying himself to be properly God, and as claiming the title of a god only in the same manner as Moses is said to have been a god to Pharaoh.

Here then let us join issue, and closely examine the litigated passage.