and in vindication of this sense, they refer to Deut. xxx. 11, 12. Rom. x. 6. and Prov. xxx. 4.* But if a local ascension is intended, the expression, though in conformity with the prophetic style, it exhibits as past an event which was then future, relates, without doubt, to our Lord's ascending into heaven after his resurrection from the dead; and, as our Author suggests, the meaning may be, that Christ is the only person who ascends into heaven by his own power and his own merit. The Socinian notion of his actual ascent into heaven to receive full instruction in the will of God before he commenced his public ministry, is an absurd and unfounded fancy, which it is unnecessary here to refute. The last expression in the verse, even the Son of man, who is in heaven," clearly intimates, that while Christ was on earth as the Son of man, he was at the same time in heaven as the Son of God. It may be compared with Acts iii. 15. xx. 28. and 1 Cor. ii. 8.† NOTE XLIII. Page 242. When Job says, "Upon my right hand rise the youth,” (Ch. xxx. 12.) he doubtless complains of the arrogant conduct of young men. But the Author's comment-"Youths not yet arrived at years of discretion, are not ashamed wantonly to prefer themselves to me," does not appear to express the precise meaning of the words. In the following part of the same verse, the afflicted patriarch immediately adds; "they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction." The sense, therefore, seems to be, not merely that they preferred themselves to him, or seized the precedence; but that they assumed an attitude of presumptuous hostility, and aimed at his ruin. They may be said to rise on his right hand, because they attempted to disable his right hand, which is the principal seat of corporeal strength, and the chief instrument of active exertion; or rather, the expression may allude to the established forms of judicial procedure, in which it was customary for accusers to stand at the right hand of the pannel. See Psalm cix. 6. Zech. iii. 1.‡ Our Author, nevertheless, adduces a sufficient number of passages to show that, at least amongst the Hebrews, the place on the right hand was deemed more honourable than that on the left. His il See Guyse's Paraphrase and Note on the verse, and Doddridge's Par. on it, and Note d. + See Whitby's Note on John iii. 13, and Dr Magee on the Atonement, Vol. i. Diss. 1. Pool's Synopsis, in loc. lustration of the terms by which our Saviour's present glory in hea ven is expressed, is minute and satisfactory. Some useful observations on this topic may be found in Hurrion's Sermons.* NOTE XLIV. Page 257. That Christ is sometimes represented as taking possession of his celestial glory by his own authority, is sufficiently evident. Yet the original expression in Zech. vi. 13. which our Author renders, and he shall take the glory,† cannot perhaps be better rendered than in our common version—and he shall bear the glory. The term w> has many different shades of meaning; but none of its senses appears more radical than to bear, to sustain. It often signifies to raise, to lift up; and as Matthew Henry suggests, we might read here he shall lift up the glory, that is, he shall restore and advance the glory of Israel, which is now depressed. As the term not unfrequently means to take, to receive, our Author's rendering is certainly admissible. Nor does it seem to differ much from the turn given to the expression in the Latin version by Tremellius and Junius, where the clause is translated, Idemque reportaturus gloriam, i. e. " he shall procure, or obtain, the glory." The Messiah, by the great work of building the temple of the Lord, obtained for himself the diversified and unparalleled glories of his exalted state. NOTE XLV. Page 258. The Author very properly ascribes the glory to which Christ is exalted as man and Mediator both to the justice and the grace of the Father. Our Lord had an unquestionable title to those honours to which he is advanced; and it is equally certain that in highly exalting him, the Father acted at once from infinite love to his Son, and from pure and boundless grace to the church. The expression in Philip. ii. 9. " He hath graciously given him, ixagivare, a name which is above every name"-seems most directly to refer to the Father's love for his dear Son, and to the benignity with which he conferred on him his glorious reward; but it perhaps alludes, also, to that grace towards perishing sinners, in which both the humiliation and exaltation of Christ originate. The words quoted by our Author from Isaiah xvi. 5. « In mercy, in grace, shall the throne be established,"§ seem hardly applicable The Knowledge of Christ Glorified, pp. 91-125. + Et accipiet majestatem. See Parkhurst's Hebrew Lexicon on this word. § Et stabilitus est in gratia, D2, thronus. to the subject. These words, it is granted, though they relate in the first instance to the throne of Hezekiah, have an ultimate reference to the throne of Christ. But the grace spoken of appears to be, not the grace of God shown to the prince, but the grace, or clemency, exercised by the prince, whose throne is established. Piscator, Cocceius, and some others, indeed, concur with Witsius, in applying the expression to the Divine favour and mercy; and in support of this interpretation, refer to 2 Sam. vii. 15. Ps. lxxxix. 35. Is. lv. 3. But Vitringa justly argues, that the Prophet seems to allude to Solomon's expression, Prov. xx. 28. " Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is upholden by mercy”—that had he meant the Divine favour and grace, he would probably have expressly termed it the grace of Jehovah-that if the truth and righteousness, mentioned in the following part of the verse, must necessarily be applied to the virtues discovered by the prince in his administration, it is most natural to consider the word grace as relating to another, and a most important and amiable excellence of the prince himself that, in fine, the benignity as well as integrity and justice of the king of Judah is brought forward as a motive to encourage the Moabites to submit to his sceptre.* NOTE XLVI. Page 275. In applying Heb. xii. 26. to the manifestation of the glory of Christ at his second coming, unless a mere accommodation of the expressions be intended, our Author appears to depart in some degree from his accustomed accuracy. That passage is no doubt quoted from Hag. ii. 6, 7. a prophecy which indisputably relates to the appearance of the Messiah, "the Desire of all nations," in the fulness of time, and to the wonderful changes effected amongst Jews and Gentiles by the introduction of the Christian economy. The Apostle has immediately in his eye the abolition of the ceremonial law, and the establishment of New Testament ordinances in its room. The shaking of heaven and earth is a metaphorical expression often made use of in Scripture, to denote the subversion of existing authorities and states, as in Is. xiii. 13. and Joel ii. 10. See Calvin, Owen, and Macknight, on Heb. xii. 26. Witsius himself elsewhere more correctly cites this passage with reference to the removal of the Mosaic ritual, and the establishment of the more durable institutions of the Gospel.+ • See Vitringa in loc. VOL. II. + Diss. xix. sect. 22. 39. 3 Z NOTE XLVII. Page 276. Theologians are divided in sentiment, with regard to the proper application of the term ARCHANGEL, 1 Thes. iv. 16. That there are various classes of angels, differing from each other in power and dignity, is generally agreed; and it is not uncommon to suppose, that the Apostle here intends some created angel of exalted rank. This appears to have been the opinion of Calvin.* Alphonsus Turretine remarks, that when the Lord shall descend from heaven," he will make use of the ministry of angels, nay, the chief among angels, who are called archangels, as Michael and Gabriel: For, though we know not particularly what relates to the orders of angels, it cannot be questioned, that some of them are superior to others, and are hence in the Scriptures denominated archangels." + Witsius thought, on the contrary, that the Scripture speaks only of one Archangel, and that this is Christ himself, the Lord of all. The same opinion was held by Cloppenburgh, Vogelsangius, Pierce, and others, of former times; and of late, it has been strenuously supported by Bishop Horsley. The Bishop agrees with our Author, too, in thinking, that the MICHAEL We read of in Daniel, Jude, and Revelation, is no other than the Son of God. If the learned reader is disposed to investigate this point, he may consult Horsley's Sermons, and the Exercitatio De Michaele by Witsius. At the close of that Dissertation, it is stated by the Author, that some writers apprehend the name Michael to be given to our Saviour in Rev. xii. but to a created angel in Dan. x. and Jude 9. With his usual candour, he adds, that while he himself believes Christ to be intended wherever we read of Michael, he was not inclined to urge his opinion with great pertinacity or confidence, since the arguments adduced on the opposite side are not destitute of force. "On such questions," he says in conclusion, "I am much better pleased with the modesty of a dubious mind, than with a rash disposition to form a peremptory judgment."§ NOTE XLVIII. Page 283. Our Author denies more decidedly than might have been expected, that 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. as well as Mat. xix. 28. has any reference to Comment. in loc. + Comment. in Epist. ad Thess. p. 111. Miscel. Sacra, Tom. ii. Exer. 4. In talibus quæstionibus magis mihi placet hæsitantis ingenii modestia, quam inconsiderata determinandi pervicacia. the transactions of the last day. Whitby and Macknight agree with him in combating the doctrine, that the saints will be assessors with Christ in the judgment; but they differ from each other in their manner of interpreting 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. The former adopts a sense somewhat similar to the one proposed by our Author; and with regard to judging angels, he affirms, that "all the Greek scholiasts say, that this the Christians did gloriously, by expelling evil angels from their seats and their dominions, and forcing them to confess before their votaries, they were only devils." The views of the latter are briefly expressed in his Paraphrase thus. "Verse 2. Do ye not know that the inspired teachers among you judge the world, by the laws of the Gospel, which they promulgate? And if the world is thus judged by you, are you, who are so well enlightened, unworthy to fill the least seats of judicature? Verse 3. Do ye not know that we declare the judgment of evil angels, whereby we are strongly impressed with a sense of the justice of God?” This learned expositor, however, notwithstanding what he says in his Note 2. on verse 2d, where he refers to Col. i. 26. cannot be 'justified in limiting the sense of the term saints to inspired teachers. "Know ye not," says Paul," that we shall judge angels?—obviously including true Christians at large, as well as men that were endowed with inspiration. And to translate the word x in the 2d, and gμ in the 3d verse, which are both confessedly in the future tense, as if they were in the present, was to take a most unwarrantable liberty. The passage is indeed somewhat obscure; but, beyond question, it must relate to some judgment posterior to the date of that Epistle; and, on the whole, it seems most natural to refer it to the saints' judging the world and judging evil angels, in the day of final retribution. In this view it is understood by an host of able and judicious interpreters, including Calvin, Beza, Hammond, Guyse, and Doddridge. Most of these writers do not hesitate to speak of the saints as assessors with Christ at the judg ment. The saints, it is true, are to stand before his tribunal, and receive their sentence from him. But, although they are themselves to be judged, it is not impossible for them, after having received a blessed sentence of acquittal, to appear as assessors with Christ; not indeed to give him counsel, but to concur with him in the judicial sentence he shall pronounce on devils and ungodly men—or, in other words, to express their assent to that sentence. "Why should their assent be necessary," asks Macknight, "more than the assent of holy angels?" The assent neither of the one nor the other, we reply, is strictly necessary. The rectitude, and |