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he there only represents his dignity as the Messiah, the special favour of God towards him, and the importance of the dispensation by him. It is a way of speaking resembling that in Rev. xiii. 8, " the lamb slain from the foundation of the world," explained by 1 Pet. i. 20," who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world." The Jewish people have a saying, that the Law was before the world was created. In like manner, the dispensation of the Messiah was before the dispensation of Abraham in dignity, nature, and design, though not in time.”

"Before Abraham was born, I was." "I cannot see," says Mr. Cardale (True Doct. of New Test. p. 85,) "that this rendering must

divino fuerunt, fuisse dici possunt antequam Abraham fieret. Observandum enim est Christum non simpliciter diccre se fuisse in Dei decreto antequam Abraham fieret, sed se fuisse Messiam. Itaque indicat Christus se ad hanc dignitatem tam sublimem, longe antequam Abraham nasceretur, Dei decreto esse designatum." Wolzogenius in loc.

"Notre Seigneur veut dire qu'il n'est pas surprenant qu'Abraham ait prevu le tems auquel Dieu avoit resolu de leur envoyer son Fils, parceque le Fils de Dieu étoit avant Abraham. Surquoi les interpretes sont partagés. Les uns entendent le verbe J'étois de la divinité éternelle qui a habité en Jesus Christ dans le tems marqué par la Sagesse divine: et les autres, entre lesquels est Theodore de Beza, de l'humanité mesme de Jesus Christ, qui étoit dans le decret de Dieu,"qui appelle ce qui n'est pas, comme s'il étoit." Le Clerc in loc.

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necessarily imply either his eternal generation or his actual existence before Abraham. it should be rather understood, as I conceive, of God's eternal and wise designation or appointment of him to the office and work of a Saviour; when, in pursuance of ancient promise and prediction, he should be born into the world, and appear and act as the Messiah. Nor does this appear to me such a low and languid sense as some have represented it; but the only true, rational, and consistent one, and perfectly consonant to the sacred writings both of the Old and New Testament; where the spirit of God, who seeth the end from the beginning, often speaks of future things as already existing, or even as already past, to denote the certainty of their accomplishment." Isa. xlvi. 10; vii. 14. Rom. iv. 17.

"Our Lord," says Mr. Lindsey (Sequel, p. 222,)" without regarding the impertinent question of the Jews, goes on to confirm what he had before been saying concerning Abraham: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before

Abraham was, I am that is, You need not be surprised at what I have asserted of the great account Abraham made of me; for I assure you, that before Abraham himself was born I

am he, or the Christ. Not that he actually existed before Abraham, but only in the destination and appointment of God, to whom all live who are in any future time to be brought into being."

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"Jesus did not say," says Dr. Priestley in his Note upon the Text, either that he had seen Abraham, or that Abraham had seen him, but only his day: All that he meant was, that as the future glory and happiness of the posterity of Abraham was connected with his kingdom, and that this had been intimated to Abraham, this kingdom of his must have been intended in the divine counsels before the time of Abraham. Christians are also said to be chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; Eph. i. 4: though it is certain they had no being at that time. But in the eye of God, whatever is to be may be said already to exist. With him a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a as a thousand years."

"It was determined," says Mr. Wakefield, in his Inquiry into the Opinions of Christian Writers, p. 129," in the counsels of Providence, before the ages, before Abraham was; that the Messiah should appear, that Jesus of Nazareth should be the Messiah. So the

names of the true servants of God were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, Rev. xiii. 8; xvii. 8. Events determined are often spoken of in Scripture as already accomplished. Matt. xvii. 11; xxvi. 45. This manner of speaking, with a view to the pre-determinations of the Deity, was customary among the Jews. Before the world was created the Lord Jehovah created the Law, he prepared the garden of Eden for the just.' Targum of Jonathan on Gen. iii. 24."

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"In the conversation, of which this clause is a part," says Mr. Simpson in his accurate Essay upon this Text, p. 112, "Jesus says, "Your father Abraham earnestly desired to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.' This cannot signify that Abraham was alive while Jesus was speaking, or during any part of his ministry. The apostle Paul will assist us in the interpretation of this passage. Gal. iii. 8, he says, The Scripture having foreseen that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed before glad tidings to Abraham, saying, Through thee all nations shall be blessed.' Abraham's seeing the day of the Messiah, therefore, means only his having very general information of the previous divine purpose and'

appointment that the Messiah should descend from him. In like manner, the clause Before Abraham was born, I was he,' signifies that previous to Abraham's existence God had appointed that Jesus should be the Messiah. Since every event from the beginning to the end of time, and throughout eternity, is present to the omniscient mind of the Deity, and since every thing which he appoints will certainly come pass, his original appointments are represented in the language of Scripture as being actually fulfilled before the events really take place."

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In the explanation of this important text it was thought necessary to be thus particular, because it is in a great measure decisive of the whole controversy: for, if this declaration does not establish the pre-existence of Christ, no other passage can. And the impartial reader will consider whether, when our Lord had declared, "Your father Abraham saw my day," meaning thereby in prophetic vision; and when, immediately afterwards, he assigns as a reason, "Before Abraham was born, I was he," it be not most reasonable, and most consistent with the connexion, to understand these words in the corresponding sense, not of real existence, but of existence in the divine purpose,