should the Samaritans, nor yet at Jerusalem should the Jews worship: "but that the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the FATHER in spirit and truth.” The spirit and truth here, does not mean, as is commonly supposed, that they should worship in their hearts and in sincerity, (true worshippers always do so) in opposition to worshipping with the body, and in hypocrisy; was this the sense, it might then be inferred from our Savior's words, that none of the old testament saints worshipped GOD with their hearts, and in sincerity; and that christians are not to worship GoD with their bodies; whereas they are commanded to "serve GOD with their bodies and spirits, which are his,and to present their bodies living sacrifices, holy, and acceptable to Got, which is their reasonable service." But Christ here teaches, that christians were to worship the Father in him, who is the spirit of all the signs and shadows, and the truth of all the promises and prophecies in the old testament, with respect to holy times, places, and things. The Father having declared himself well pleased with him, all their worship must be through him, by whom they have access with boldness to the throne of grace. "The LORD is that SPIRIT: and where the SPIRIT the LORD is, there is liberty. Thet testimony of Jesus (the doctrines concerning him in the new testament) is the SPIRIT of prophecy," (what was foretold of him in the old testament.) And as he who is the head and representative of the whole church, (that is, the saints both in heaven and earth) is in heaven, and every privi+ Rev. xix. 10. see note, page 67. 2 Cor. iii. 17. Y - lege that pertains to them as such, is heavenly,their birth,-the image they are formed after,-the blessings they enjoy, their calling,-their inheritance, their conversation,-their hopes,-their affections and desires,-the country they are travelling to, (for here they are strangers and pilgrims) and since all the acts of their worship must be directed through the heavenly medium,-him who is their ascended LORD, no wonder if the new testament represents their FATHER, who bestows all these blessings upon them, and whom they love and adore, as in heaven, and so frequently calls him their heavenly FATHER. SECTION II. I SHALL now consider the scripture sense of the term SON, as applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is shewed above in several particulars, in what sense GOD is called the FATHER of Jesus Christ. And as FATHER and SON are correlates, that is, one that stands in an opposite relation to another, any impartial and unprejudiced reader may easily conceive in what sense Jesus Christ is called the SON of GOD. But as I am pretty certain that the greatest part of my readers, through the prejudice of education, and a bias in favor of other notions concerning this point, will, on that account, not so readily see the conclusion concerning the sonship of Christ, which natively flows from the scripture account of GOD as a FATHER; for that reason, I shall be obliged to open this subject in a more particular manner, that no room may be left for entertaining prepossessed opinions, so contrary to the scripture account of that great article of the christian faith. And, let me beg my reader to divest himself as much as he can of any bias in favor of party opinions formerly received, that he may impartially weigh the evidence from revelation, against the traditions of men; and I make no doubt which side he will be determined to take, as he will plainly see, the opinions of men in this matter are attended with too little evidence to rest an article of faith upon, so interesting, and of so great consequence to himself. Allow me then, first, to give a very brief account of the several ideas relative to the term SON, as applied to other things in scripture than Jesus Christ, which will in a great measure lead to a more distinct notion concerning the use of the term, as applied to him. Besides the ideas of lineal descendants, whether immediate or more remote, even to the third and fourth generation of a man's seed, who are commonly called his sons, there are several other ideas of sonship in scripture, In eastern stile, the inhabitants of a city or country, were called the sons or children of that city or country. This is frequent in the old testa ment. That which proceeded from another thing, whe ther animate or inanimate, was called the son of that it proceeded from, and always denotes derivation. In this sense, the sparks are called the sons of the burning coal.-And* sons are called branches * Job v. 7. or boughs. Joseph is a fruitful bough. Thet branch thou madest strong for thyself,-the son of man thou madest strong for thyself. And there shall come out a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." A successor in government, was called the son of him or them who went before him." How say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings." Adam is called the son of God, because he was made after his image, and had his being immediately derived from him without the instrumentality of human generation. For much the same reason are angels called the sons of GOD, being created by GoD a dignified rank of beings, endowed with excellent spiritual powers and perfections, not derived from each other by succession, but immediately brought into being by GoD himself. Magistrates are called sons of the Most High, because of the power and authority they are raised to, that in some respect is the image of GOD'S power and government, which makes them "a terror to evil doers, and a praise to them who do well." Such as were appointed to death are called sons, or children of death." Preserve thou those that are appointed to death. Hear¶ the groanings of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to death." In both texts, it reads as in the margin, sons or children of death, as doth also that which Saul said concerning David,-" Wherefore** now Gen. xlix. 22. § Ibid. xix. 11, + Psa. lxxx. 15, 17. ↑ Isa. xi. 1. ¶ Ibid. cii, 20. send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die." He is a son of death. When a superior would express his love and regard to an inferior, he commonly addressed him in the language of a father, by calling him his son. In like manner, when an inferior would express his dutiful affection and submission to one he acknowledged his superior, he did it by calling him father. The term son is also used to point out the subordinate character of such as were under the care of others for instruction: so Eli calls Samuel his son; and others were called sons of the prophets. For much the same reason, Paul calls Timothy and Philemon, whom he had converted to the truth, his sons. And to point out the useful, submissive, and obedient character of Timothy, he says of him, "As a son with his father, he hath served with me in the gospel." When one was adopted into another family, he was then called a son. Thus Moses is called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. It also signifies one that builds up his father's house,--and transmits his name down to posterity. But these I shall have occasion to notice afterwards. I shall next mention several ideas of sonship, applied to the wicked and the saints, peculiar to their different characters in scripture. The wicked part of mankind are called sons and children of men. The commandments of men, being the matter of their faith, and the rule of their worship. The sinful customs of men, the pattern * Phil, ii, 22. |