The Jewish divinely authorised teachers communicated their inftructions, and uttered their predictions, in a style abounding with allufions, metaphors, perfonifications, and other ornaments of speech. They figuratively appropriated many terms and phrases to fignify peculiar divine favours and pri vileges bestowed upon Jews, which literally denoted only natural circumstances, actions, and events. There was a great fimilarity and even fameness in the imagery of the different writers of the books of the Old Testament. Jewish prophets and teachers were in habits of alluding to paft events in the hiftory of their nation. It was cuftomary, alfo, in Judea, and throughout the eaft, to give new names to perfons who were invested with new powers and dignities.

Christianity is the completion of the grand and benevolent scheme of the Most High for the moral and religious improvement of mankind. Now the Gospel being first promulgated by perfons born in Judea to the inhabitants of their native land, thofe ideas which were intended to be communicated by it, that were at all fimilar to what were taught under the former inftitution, would be most easily, diftin&tly, and impreffively conveyed, by the current language which they employed to express these fimilar notions. As Jefus and his Apoftles delivered their inftructions with the most artless fimplicity, they were naturally led to adopt the highly figurative ftyle, the fimilarity of imagery, and the peculiar idioms of speech, that

were commonly used in the age and nation in which they lived; because they were familiar to them. Any other language would not have accorded with their profeffedly disclaiming the use of all arts of human device in the propagation of their religion. Nor would it have conveyed that internal evidence of the genuineness and authenticity of the discourses of Jefus, and of his Apoftles, with which they now abound. It should, farther, be particularly noticed throughout the following effay, that any titles or appellations are always to be understood, agreeably to the Hebrew idiom, in a much higher, and more exalted, fenfe, when they are applied to the Meffiah, than when they are given to other prophets, or other men. Let it be remembered, alfo, that at the time of Christ's appearance, and long before it, the Septuagint version of the Old Testament was publicly read in the Jewish fynagogues.

Many expreffions, however, in the New Testament, have not corresponding ones in the Old; because they convey ideas that were either unknown, or not familiar, to the Jews. The meaning of these is often clearly pointed out by the same, or similar, words, or phrases, in other parts of the New Teftament itself. And it is an acknowledged rule of interpretation, that Scripture is best explained by Scripture. Another general maxim is, that figurative and doubtful terms and phrases must be explained by those which are plain and literal. Every fingle word and phrase of Scripture, alfo, must be interpreted in fuch a manner

as to accord with every other expreffion in every part of Scripture. see Corr et Aid 9.

A close attention to the feveral preceding obfervations, will greatly affift our investigation into the true meaning of the various names and characters that are applied to Jefus Chrift. The majority of them are figurative. It becomes neceffary, then, in order to find out the genuine sense of these, to fearch for one or more appellations that are manifeftly to be taken in their literal fignification, as the bafis or standard of explanation, with which all the others, whether literal or figurative, will accord.

To facilitate this general inquiry, it will be useful to begin with a particular examination of fome fingle paffage, in which feveral of these names and characters occur, and in which different titles are given to Jefus, by different perfons, upon various occafions. The first chapter of the Gospel according to John is well adapted to this purpose. For the evangelift ftyles Jefus, ver. 1, λoy and feos; ver. 4, the life; ver. 4, 5, 7, the light; ver. 14, σg a frail man; ver. 17, Jesus Chrift; ver. 14 and 18, the only begotten Son, who is in the bofom of the Father. John the baptift, quoting from Ifaiah, calls Jefus, ver. 23, nugios, Heb. 77; ver. 29, 36, the lamb of God, who taketh away the fin of the world; ver. 30, aung: ver. 34, • U105 T8 f£8. Andrew, and another of John the baptift's difciples, addrefs Jefus, ver. 39, by the title of Rabbi, which fignifies didarnaλos. Andrew fays to Simon Peter, ver. 42, we have found the Meffiah,

which is, being interpreted, the Christ. Philip tells Nathaniel, ver. 46, we have found him of whom Mofes in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jefus of Nazareth, the fon of Jofeph. Nathaniel fays to Jefus, ver. 50, Rabbi, thou art o UIOS T8 08 the Son of God, thou art the king of Ifrael. Jefus ftyles himfelf, ver 52, τον υιον τε άνθρωπε the Son of the man.

Of all these appellations, that which is affumed as the guide of interpretation must, according to the rule before laid down, be understood literally. Now if we take any one of the titles of Jefus, which are mentioned in this chapter, literally, and compare it with all the reft, we fhall find that it will not accord with them all, unless it either express or imply his proper humanity; and that every title in this chapter is fairly and distinctly explicable, fo as to be thoroughly confonant with his being truly a man, favoured with extraordinary divine aid. The obvious conclufion, therefore, from this chapter is, that Jefus Chrift was really a human being. By examining, separately and minutely, the true sense of these and of the other appellations of Jefus, that occur throughout the Scriptures, we fhall perceive whether the fame inference be fairly deducible from them all.

Since the names, or characters, of Jesus are upwards of fixty in number, it will be useful, for the fake of diftinctnefs, to arrange them in different claffes. We fhall, therefore, first confider those characteristic titles of him which are not ascribed to any

other person in a human form.

This clafs may be divided into those which have a figurative, and those which have a literal fignification. The fecond clafs will comprehend fuch names of Jefus as are fimilar to what are applied to other men. The third clafs will contain those appellations of Jefus which are the fame as what are afcribed to other human beings, The fourth and last class will include those titles which are ascribed only to Jefus Christ and to the Supreme Being.

CHAPTER I.

Appellations peculiar to Jefus Chrift.

SECTION 1.

Figurative names appropriate to Jefus.

Subdivifion 1. The Word.

John i. 1. In the beginning was the Word.
1 John i. 1. The Word of Life. Comp. Luke i. 2.
Rev. xix. 13. The Word of God.

For an explanation of all these texts, fee Eff. vii. the notes on John i. 1, and the translation, paraphrafe, and illustration.