Mal. I. 6. If I be a MASTER, where is my fear? The Heb. is □ Adonim, in the plural If I am mafters, &c.

Ifa. LIV. 5. For thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of Hofts is his name. Here also the Hebrew substantives for thy maker and thy husband

And to prove .בעליך עשיך - are both plural

עשיר

that wy cannot fignify thy maker in the fingular number, it is alfo found 'connected with the word Jehovah in its fingular form, without the inferted; as in Ifa. LI. 13. And forgetteft the

יהוה עשך - Lord thy maker

Eccl. XII. 1. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth &c. The Hebrew of which is remember n thy Creators, in the plural. And there is nothing strange in this, when we can prove fo eafily that the world and all men in it were created by a Trinity.

Instead of the usual names of God, adjectives expreffing some divine attribute are very frequently fubftituted: and these also occur in the plural, as in the following examples.

Prov. IX. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowlege (p) of the HOLY ONES is understanding. Another instance of which may be found in Chap. XXX. 3. fee alfo Hofea XI. 12. in the Hebrew. XII. 1.

Eccl.

Eccl. V. 8. There be HIGHER than they. The Hebrew is (a) high ones, in the plural; and is understood even by the Jews themfelves to mean the holy and blessed God. Junius and Tremellius put altiffimus in their text, but acknowlege the Hebrew to be alti plurale pro fingulari fuperlativo, myfterium S. Triados no

tans.

Pfal. LXXVIII. 25.
Angels food.

Man did eat

The word (x) mighty ones, is never used for Angels; and must in this place fignify God, for the two following reafons. 1. Because Abir in the fingular is feveral times ufed abfolutely as a name of God; who is called Abir Ifrael, the mighty one of Ifrael, and Abir Jacob, the mighty one of Jacob. Gen. XLIX. 24. Pfalm CXXXII. 2. where the LXX. have rendered it 90s. 2. Because our bleffed Saviour in difcourfing upon the Manna, John VI. 31-33, quotes this part of the Pfalm, and calls that the bread of God from heaven, which in the Pfalm itself is called the bread of the mighty. Therefore Abirim is put for Elohim, and is taken in the plural because God is plural,

IX.

Dan. IV. 26. And whereas THEY Commanded to leave the ftump of the tree, roots &c.

At the 13th verfe of this Chapter, we read only of one watcher or holy one coming down from heaven, of whom it is faid that HE cried -leave the ftump of his roots in the earth. Yet the number is here very remarkably changed from he faid to they commanded. And though the words of the curfe upon Nebuchadnezzar were pronounced by A watcher and An holy one in the fingular; nevertheless, at the close of the speech, this matter is declared to be by the decree of the WATCHERS and the demand by the word of the HOLY ONES. Now it is very certain that the judgments of God are not founded upon the decree and word of Angels or of any created beings therefore this watcher could be no created angel, but a person in the Lord Jehovah, who condefcends to watch over his people, and is called the keeper of Ifrael, that neither lumbereth

a

a V. 17. Compare this with Prov, IX. 10. cited in No.VIII. of this chapter.

b Jer. XXXI. 28.

nor

nor fleepeth. The change of these verbs and nouns from the fingular to the plural, can be accounted for upon no other principle: it is a case to which there is no parallel in any language, and fuch as can be reconcileable only to the Being of God, who is one and many. We are to collect from it, that in this, as in every act of the Godhead, there was a confent and concurrence of the perfons in the Trinity; and though there was one only who pake, it was the word and decree of all. There is an inftance of this fort in the new Teftament. The Disciples of Chrift were commanded to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. And, without doubt, the baptifm they adminiftred was in all cafes agreeable to the prescribed form. Nevertheless we are told of fome, who were commanded to be baptized in the name of the Lord', and particularly, in the name of the Lord Jefus: fo that there was a strange defect either in the baptism itself, or in the account we have of it; or the mention of one person in the Trinity must imply the prefence, name, and authority of them all.

a Acts X. 48..

b Ibid. VIII. 16.

X.

X.

Dan. V. 18. The most high GOD gave to Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom and majesty and glory and honour.

V. 20. And THEY took his glory from him.

Here again, the word they is a plain relative to the most high God. Nor can it otherwise be agreeable to the fense of the history, or the reafon of the thing itself confidered as a matter of fact. For who was it that took away the glory of the king? It was not the work of men, but a fupernatural act of the most high God; to whom Nebuchadnezzar himself hath ascribed it- - those

that walk in pride HE is able to abase.

I might here fubjoin, in proof of a plurality, thofe numerous paffages of the old Testament, wherein God is fpoken of, or speaks of himself, as of more persons than one. I will produce a few of them, to fhew that fuch are not wanting. Gen. XIX. 24. The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. Pfal. CX. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord, fit thou on my right hand &c. Dan.

IX. 17.