It follows, therefore, from the Doctor's principles, that God the Father has displayed his eternal power and Godhead by creating the world out of nothing; Jesus Christ has given as great, if not a greater, display of his eternal power and Godhead, by organizing the brute mass and putting it in motion. Thus it appears, that Dr. B. has fully established what he meant to subvert-the Supreme Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our author may now tell us, that angels, magistrates and idols are called gods-but I ask him, Of what one of these created angels, magistrates, or idols, is it said, "That he "made all things"-that without him was not any thing "made that was made”—that "by him were all things cre"ated, visible and invisible," &c. ? Of what one of them is it said, that he either created the world out of nothing, or organized the brute mass and put it in motion? Of what one of them is it said, that he is either the creator-preserver -saviour or judge of the world? No creature in heaven or in earth is so represented.

What weakness, therefore, do Dr. B. and Anti-trinitarians in general display, when they endeavour to run down the Supreme Deity of our blessed Redeemer, by telling us, that angels, magistrates, and idols are called gods!

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SECTION IV.

Our Redeemer the object of all religious worship.

Intimately connected with all peculiar works of Deity performed by our blessed and glorious Redeemer, is that religious worship due to him by all intelligent beings. Creation itself is a sufficient foundation for religious worship. (Rev. xiv. 7,) "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: "and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."—(Psal. xcv. 6,) "come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before "JEHOVAH our Maker." If Jesus Christ is JEHOVAH, as Dr. B. admits-if he is our Maker, as I have endeavoured to prove-or if, according to the Doctor's own principles, he has displayed power as great as creative power, if not greater why does our author-why do Socinians and Arians refuse to worship him? If the Redeemer be GodTHE MIGHTY GOD-THE ALMIGHTY GOD—THE GREAT GOD

-THE TRUE GOD-THE ONLY WISE GOD-THE MOST HIGH GOD OVER All, God blessED FOR EVER—If he be OMNIPOTENT, OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESENT, ETERNAL and IMMUTABLE-If he be our CREATOR, PRESERVER, SAVIOUR, and JUDGE why should we hesitate for a moment to acknowledge him as the supreme object of our prayers, praises, and adorations? But, though for the worship of our blessed and glorious Redeemer we have sufficient reasons a priori-reasons the most powerful and convincing-yet these are not our only reasons. On a subject of such great and paramount importance, the Scriptures afford us "precept upon precept, "and line upon line." Patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, Abraham and Jacob, Stephen and Paul, with the whole apostolic church-nay, the whole general assembly of saints and of angels, unite in the worship of our glorious Redeemer. "Let all the angels of God worship him," is the divine mandate. With this injunction they cordially comply they cheerfully unite with the innumerable multitudes of redeemed above, in celebrating the praises of God and the Lamb. (Rev. v. 11-14,)" And I be"held, and I heard the voice of many angels round about "the throne, and the beasts, and the elders and the num"ber of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and "thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Wor"thy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and "riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, "and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and "on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea,

And

and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and ho"nour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon "the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. "the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty el"ders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and "ever." That our blessed Redeemer is the proper object of religious worship, is a doctrine so clearly revealed in the sacred volume, as to extort the belief of ancient Anti-trinitarians. Even Socinus himself believed the doctrine; and some of the Arians still believe it. At present, however, it is denied by all Socinians, and, so far as I know, by Arians in general. These modern Anti-trinitarians are certainly more consistent than their predecessors. To maintain that Jesus Christ is a creature, and at the same time to worship him as a god, is gross idolatry. It is painful, however, to think, that whilst modern Anti-trinitarians are more consis

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tent with themselves, they are less consistent with the sacred oracles. The sacred oracles require, that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. The Almighty himself says, "Let all the angels of God worship "him," but Dr. B. tells us, that he would say, "See thou "do it not; he is thy fellow servant, worship God." In thus flatly contradicting his Maker, the Doctor endeavours to justify himself, by attempting to distinguish between civil and religious worship. He maintains that the worship enjoined in Scripture, and actually addressed to our blessed Redeemer, is not religious worship; but only a kind of civil homage. This is the best defence Socinians or Arians can make; but it will not do. Out of our author's own mouth he will stand condemned. (Gen. xii. 7, 8,) " And Jehovah "appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give "this land and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, "who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence "unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east ; "and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord."-(Gen. xxvi. 24, 25,) " And "the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father fear not, for I am "with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed, for my servant Abraham's sake. And he builded an altar "there."-(Gen. xxxv. 1-7,) " And God said unto Jacob, "Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there; and make there "an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou "fledest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob "said unto his household, and to all that were with him, "Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be "clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto "God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was "with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto "Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and "all their ear-rings which were in their ears; and Jacob "hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

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''

:

And

they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz, which "is in the land of Canaan, (that is, Beth-el,) he, and all "the people that were with him. And he built there an "altar, and called the place El-beth-el; because there God

The ab

Out of his own

"appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his "brother."-In these Scriptures we find the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, building altars to that God who appeared to them. But who was that God that appeared to them? Dr. B. will answer the question. He will tell us that it was not God the Father, who cannot become an object of our senses. He will acknowledge (for he cannot deny it without contradicting himself,) that it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, by whom the patriarchal and legal dispensations were conducted. Now, why were these altars built to our Lord Jesus Christ? Was it not for the purpose of religious worship? Undoubtedly it was. The Doctor will not surely pretend, that these altars were built for the purpose of civil homage. surdity would be too gross and palpable. mouth he stands condemned; for altars were built, and, of course, religious worship performed, to that God who appeared to the patriarchs-to that God, who, according to his own acknowledgment, was the Lord Jesus Christ."God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el and dwell "there; and make there an altar unto God that appeared "unto thee." Had Dr. Bruce been present, he would have said, "See thou do it not; he is thy fellow servant, wor"ship God." God commands religious service to be addressed to Jesus Christ; but Doctor Bruce forbids it!!— To all my readers I would say, whether it be right in the sight of God, to obey the learned Doctor rather than God, judge ye. On this important subject let me ask a few questions. Was it proper to address religious worship to Jesus Christ before his incarnation; but not after it? Was Jesus Christ the proper object of religious worship in the days of the patriarchs, but not under the Christian dispensation? Was it proper for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to worship the Redeemer with religious veneration? and would it be improper for Dr. Bruce to address to him the same species of worship? Is Dr. B. wiser than the patriarchs? Were they idolaters? but he a worshipper of the true God?-Is he wiser than God himself, who instituted and enjoined the worship of his Son ?

Prayers, as well as sacrifices, were offered to our Saviour in the age of the patriarchs. Jacob prayed to him in behalf of the two sons of Joseph. (Gen. xlvii. 16.) The Angel "which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads." Who was this angel? Dr. B. will tell us, that it was the Angel

of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ. When the good old patriarch was blessing the two sons of Joseph, and worshipping his Redeemer, leaning on the top of his staff, had Dr. Bruce been present, he would have whispered in his ear, "See thou do it not: he is thy fellow-servant; worship "God!"

Not only in the patriarchal age, but under the Jewish economy, it was the practice of the church to address religious worship to our blessed Redeemer. He was the Shechinah.* It was his glory that filled both the tabernacle and the temple. Enthroned above the mercy-seat, and between the cherubim, he received the religious worship of the Old Testament church. (Lev. xvi. 2.) "And the

"Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, "that he come not at all times into the holy place within "the vail before the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark, "that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat. The same visible glory that filled the tabernacle, afterwards filled Solomon's temple. That the Redeemer appeared in a visible form above the mercy-seat, in the temple as well as in the tabernacle, we have no rea son to doubt. It was on this account that the Israelites, when praying, directed their faces towards the temple. To the Redeemer, as appearing in the cloud above the mercyseat, as we see in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus, the most solemn worship was performed, sacrifices were offered, and incense was burned. To him, as visibly enthroned between the cherubim, were the prayers of the ancient church directed. Of these prayers, the eightieth Psalm is a beautiful specimen; it commences thus: "Give ear, O Shep"herd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; "thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. "Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up

* Dr. B. (p. 298) fully admits the premises from which I reason. "Compare (says he) Isaiah, vi. throughout, with John, xii. 39, 40, 41. "Here John says, that the vision which Isaiah saw in the temple, was "the glory of Christ; and that he spoke of him in that chapter. On "this correspondence, H. Taylor, author of Ben. Mordecai, observes: "St. John has decided this question beyond all dispute, by declaring "the glory which Isaiah saw, and which was undeniably the glory of "the visible Jehovah, to be the glory of Christ himself. The whole "account is descriptive of the Shechinah, or the mercy-seat between the two cherubim, where the angel Jehovah used to appear.'-Ben. "Mordecai, p. 292."