In a fimilar figurative ftyle, the fame apostle fays to the chriftians at Rome, Rom. xii. 1, I befeech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living facrifice, holy, well pleafing to God, even your rational fervice. See Vorftii Comment. in loc. And to the Philippians, ii. 17, yea, if I be even poured out upon the fa crifice and public offering of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all; i. e. if my blood be shed, and be made a drink offering to complete the facrifice of your faith, &c. Comp. Exod. xxix. 40, 41. In 1 Pet. ii. 5, chriftians are ftyled a holy priesthood, to offer up fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God, by Jefus Chrift. Comp. Heb. viii. 3. The converted gentiles are called an offering brought to God, in Ifai. Ixvi. 20; Malachi i. 11; and Rom. xv. 16.

The Pfalmift ufes the fame metaphorical language, li. 17. The facrifices of God are a broken fpirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife. cvii. 22. Let them facrifice the facrifices of thanksgiving; and declare his works with rejoicing. cxvi. 17. I will offer unto thee the facrifice of thanksgiving; and will call upon the name of the Lord. In all these three quotations from the Pfalms, the plain language in the fecond clause explains the figurative expreffions in the firft.

1

On account of a wrong tranflation of one word, it may be proper, in this place, to mention Rom. v. II. We boast likewife in God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom we have now received the reconci

liation. The public verfion is atonement, though reconciliation is put in the margin. In this verfion xaraλλayn is rendered reconciliation in every other inftance jn in which it occurs in the New Teftament; namely, Rom. xi. 15; 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. In Rom. v. 10, and 2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 20, the verb xalaλaσow, and in Ephes. ii. 16, and Colofs. i. 20, απоxalαAarow are used in the fame sense, and tranflated to reconcile. In all thefe places the Apostle is fpeaking, not of individuals, but of the two great bodies of people into which the world was divided, the Jews and the gentiles, who were reconciled to each other and to God; by uniting together as one people, all equally fubjects of the Meffiah, whom the great Father of all appointed to be the univerfal king. Comp. Matt. xiii. 41, 43; xvi. 27; Luke xxii. 29. See Locke's note on Rom. v. 6, 8; Taylor's note on ver. 11, and Schleufner on aоXAтaλασσW.

SEC. VIII.

The faithful and true witness.

Ifai. lv. 4. Behold, for a witnefs to the peoples I have given him; a leader and a lawgiver to the nations. John xviii. 37. For this cause I was born, and for this caufe I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Rev. iii. 14. These things, faith the amen, the faithful and true witnefs, the chief of the creation of God, i. e. of the new cre

ation. See Colofs. i. 15, 18; alfo Rev. i. 5. I Tim. vi. 13. Chrift Jefus, who before Pontius Pilate witneffed a good confeffion, &c.

In the preceding twelfth verfe, the apostle fays to Timothy, contend the good contest of faith; lay hold on everlasting life, to which thou haft been called, and hast confeffed a good confeffion before many witneffes. John xv. 27. Jefus fays to his Apostles, ye also fhall teftify, because ye have been with me from the beginning. Acts i. 8. Ye fhall be witneffes to me, both in Jerufalem &c. and to the

uttermost part of the earth. Alfo x. 39; iii. 15; xxii. 15; Ifai. xliii. 10. Ye are my witneffes, faith Jehovah; even my fervant whom I have chosen ; that ye may know &c. that I am he. Before me no god was formed &c. Ver. 12. Ye are my witneffes, faith Jehovah, that I am God.

SEC. IX.

Forerunner.

Heb. vi. 20. Within the veil; whither a leader #godgoμos hath entered for us, even Jefus.

John xiv. 2. In my Father's house are many manfions; if it were not fo, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Ver. 3. And after I fhall have gone and prepared a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, ye alfo may be. See ver. 6, and xiii. 33, 36, Impr. vers. Comp. Luke xxii. 8 to 13; and ch. i. fec. 1. fubd. 6.

Ilgodgouos occurs only in the text above quoted, Πρόδρομος in the whole New Teftament. Schleufner remarks, Male vertitur in Lexicis N. T. vulgaribus præcurfor, nam xa non femper eft currere, fed etiam ire, inτρέχειν cedere fignificat. Ipodgoμos potius apud Græcos Προδρομος

omnis dicitur, qui præit, qui aliquem præcedit et viam monftrat, dux.

Ilgodgoues is used for the angel, or meffenger, which God fent before the Ifraelites, to prepare the way for their entrance into Canaan. Wifd. xii. 8. See Eff. iv. on Angels: part i. ch. 1. fec. 6, p. 343-8.

As Jefus is the divinely appointed guide and conductor to the manfions of his heavenly Father, fo John the baptist faid of himself, I am the voice of one crying in the defert, make straight (or prepare) the way of the Lord; as faid the prophet Isaiah. John i. 23, 6, 7; Matt. iii. 3; Ifai. xl. 3, 4, 5; Malachi iii. 1; Acts xix. 4; John baptized with the baptifm of repentance; faying to the people, that they should believe on him who was to come after him, that is, in Chrift Jefus. Also xiii. 23, 24.

SEC. X.

The holy one of God.

Luke iv. 34. A demoniac cried out, Jefus of Nazareth, I know who thou art; the holy one of ayios to de8. Ver. 41, the Son of God.

God,

Acts iv. 27. Against gentiles and people of

Matt. viii. 29. Son of God.

thy holy fervant Jefus, the Ifrael were gathered together. iii. 14. Ye denied the holy and righteous one.

In this last text holy and righteous one, and in Dan. ix. 24, WIP WIP aylov ayev are parallel expreffions with holy one of God, in Luke iv. 34, and mean the most holy. See Eff. vi. on the Hebrew fuperlative, fec. 1, 17, 19.

Pfa. cvi. 16. They envied Mofes alfo in the camp; and Aaron the faint of the Lord τον αγιον Κυρια. Deut. vii. 6. Mofes fays to the Ifraelites, thou art an holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chofen thee to be a fpecial people unto himfelf. Alfo xiv. 2; xxvi. 18, 19; 2 Pet. i. 21.

Prophecy came not at any time by the will of man; but holy men of God ay de arpwwo spake as

άνθρωποι

they were moved by the holy fpirit. Thus Aaron, the Ifraelites in general, and the Hebrew prophets, are all called holy of, or to, the Lord, or God; because he fet them apart for particular purposes, and granted them peculiar favours. Jefus was appointed to accomplish the most fublimely benevolent purposes of God to man, and the divine communications that were imparted to him were as preeminent as the office which he fuftained: comp. John x. 36. His difciples being fanctified, or favoured with peculiar advantages for improvement in piety and holiness, through Christ Jefus, 1 Cor. i. 2, are called, the