admission which immediately follows, of his not being satisfied with his own reasonings, respecting both this and the preceding instance of the invocation of Jesus:-an admission of which notice has already been taken.

We now come to the sublime vision in the fifth chapter of the Revelation, "in which," as Mr. Yates expresses himself, "all rational creatures are represented attributing com"mon honours to God, and to Jesus." (Page 235.)

"It is not true, as Mr. Wardlaw asserts, (page 131.) "that he is represented as occupying the same throne with "the Eternal. On the contrary, while God sits upon the ❝throne, in token of his supremacy, (see chapter iv. 2, 8, “ —11. v. 1, 7, 13.) Christ, the Lamb, stands in the middle "space between the throne and the elders, and afterwards goes up to take the book out of the hand of Him that ❝sits on the throne. See ver. 6, 7." (P. 235.)

66

Candour requires me to say, after repeated examination of the phrases employed in recording the vision, that, were we to confine our attention to it alone, this observation must be acknowledged correct. The same phraseology is applied, in chapter iv. 6. to "the four living creatures :”—“ In "the midst of the throne, and round about the throne were "four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind;” which Doddridge renders, giving the obvious sense, "in the middle "of the space between the throne, and the circle about "the throne."-When applied, in chapter v. 6, to the Lamb,

"I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of "the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, "stood a Lamb as it had been slain,"-it is, I observe, generally considered by commentators as meaning "in the "middle space between the throne and the four living "creatures."-See Doddridge, Guyse, Scott, &c.-Accord

1

ing to this interpretation, Jesus appears in the vision in his mediatorial capacity, as "the Lamb of God, that taketh "away the sin of the world," and as holding a relative position corresponding to this view of his character ;—having been himself the Divine High Priest, and the piacular Victim. But there are other passages in which Jesus, the Lamb, is plainly and unequivocally described as " occupying "the same throne with the Eternal:" chapter iii. 21: vii. 15-17: xxii. 1, 3. These texts clearly represent God and the Lamb, as occupying the same throne;-and it arose from my having such passages in my mind at the time, that I was naturally led to interpret the expression "in the "midst of the throne" in this vision, as of the same import.

There are two ways of answering the argument derived from the ascription of the same adoration and praise to God and to the Lamb.-The one is, by alleging, "that "this is entirely a visionary scene:""-that "the homage

is paid to a symbolical representation of Christ, by symbo❝lical persons, as visibly present with him; and that this

cannot justify the actual worship of Christ, when he is "not visible."-This I have particularly noticed in my Discourses, and I trust, sufficiently exposed its absurdity. From his entire silence respecting it, Mr. Yates may be considered, 1 presume, as giving it up. He confines himself to the other ground, which is certainly more rational and plausible. He states it in the following terms:

"But it is argued, that, since God and Christ receive, in this instance, the same tribute of praise, they must be ❝ equal in eternity, in power, and in glory. Indeed those "who maintain the supreme divinity of Christ, commonly "represent it as a circumstance of great moment, whenever "he is mentioned in conjunction with the Father, and in

"the same or similar terms with him. It will therefore "be proper to consider more particularly, what inferences "follow from the application of the same language in the

66

same sentence to Almighty God, and to some other be"ing. The following passages may serve the purpose. "Exod. xiv. 31. And the people feared Jehovah, and be"lieved Jehovah, and his servant Moses. 1 Sam xii. 18. "And all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel? "1 Chron. xxix. 20. And all the congregation blessed "Jehovah, God of their fathers, and bowed down their "heads, and worshipped Jehovah and the King?' 2 Chron. ❝xxxi. 8. And when Hezekiah and the princes came, and saw the heaps, they blessed Jehovah, and his people Israel. "Acts xv. 28. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit (that is, "to God) and to us.' 1 Thess. ii. 10. Ye are witnesses, " and God.'-In these passages, the one true God is 'as❝sociated' with his creatures as the object of faith, fear, wor"ship, and blessing, and is mentioned in connexion' with "them, as giving counsel and bearing witness." (Page 237.)

66

66

One of the passages here referred to I have considered in my Discourses-viz. 1 Chron. xxix. 20.-And the general principle of the answer to it is perfectly applicable to all the rest. In every one of these cases, a general word is used, in "its general or indefinite sense," and we feel no difficulty in regard to any of them, in assigning to the word, though applied to two objects in the same sentence, its "different " modifications of meaning." But, "in the case to which "these are adduced as parallels, we have the very same act "of worship, expressed in the very same words, addressed "equally to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the "Lamb.'" (Discourse IV. p. 133.)

When we read the vision, and hear

"The whole creation join in one

"To bless the sacred name

"Of Him who sits upon the throne,
"And to adore the Lamb;"

we ask, with astonishment at those who would forbid us, Is this not a being whom we are warranted and bound to worship and adore?-Must we confine our adoration, our sacred acts of religious homage, to “Him that sitteth on the throne," and exclude "the Lamb?" Or, if we may unite his name with that of the Father in our ascriptions of glory and honour, and blessing, and power, what is the kind, and what the measure, of homage, which we are to consider ourselves as paying to him? Has a book, of which one of the leading designs is to proscribe, and finally to abolish, all idolatry, represented the whole creation as uniting in one solemn act of adoration to God and to the Lamb; and, by this very representation, called upon us, who are a part of the creation of God, to adore and honour the Lamb in the very same terms in which we adore and honour the Father; whilst at the same time it commands us to keep at an infinite distance from every approach to the worship of any creature, -enjoining us to "worship the Lord our God, and to serve him "only?" Unitarians, Mr. Yates tells us, "are sometimes heard ❝in their churches on earth, to join the adoring throngs ❝ above, in saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb "that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, ❝ and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing:'” (P. 236.)—and sometimes, too, it is to be presumed, joining with the whole creation in saying "Blessing, and honour, and "glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, " and to the Lamb for ever and ever!" Who the Unitarians are, who thus sometimes join the adoring throngs above, in themselves adoring the Lamb, Mr. Yates does not say. Does he mean all descriptions of Unitarians, according to

"the same or similar terms with him. It will therefore "be proper to consider more particularly, what inferences "follow from the application of the same language in the

66

6

same sentence to Almighty God, and to some other be "ing. The following passages may serve the purpose. "Exod. xiv. 31. And the people feared Jehovah, and be"lieved Jehovah, and his servant Moses. 1 Sam xii. 18. "And all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel?

1 Chron. xxix. 20. And all the congregation blessed "Jehovah, God of their fathers, and bowed down their "heads, and worshipped Jehovah and the King? 2 Chron. ❝xxxi. 8. And when Hezekiah and the princes came, and saw the heaps, they blessed Jehovah, and his people Israel? "Acts xv. 28. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit (that is, "to God) and to us.' 1 Thess. ii. 10. Ye are witnesses, ❝ and God.'—In these passages, the one true God is " as ❝sociated' with his creatures as the object of faith, fear, wor "ship, and blessing, and is mentioned in connexion' with "them, as giving counsel and bearing witness." (Page 237.)

One of the passages here referred to I have considered in my Discourses-viz. 1 Chron. xxix. 20.—And the general principle of the answer to it is perfectly applicable to all the rest. In every one of these cases, "a general word is used, in "its general or indefinite sense," and we feel no difficulty in regard to any of them, in assigning to the word, though applied to two objects in the same sentence, its "different " modifications of meaning." But, "in the case to which "these are adduced as parallels, we have the very same act "of worship, expressed in the very same words, addressed "equally to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the "Lamb.'" (Discourse IV. p. 133,)

When we read the vision, and hear