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appearance in judgment, and how it shall be. A cloud took him from us into heaven; and a cloud shall bring him to us again: he shall so come as he was seen to go: whence we have that warning in the Revelation, behold he cometh with clouds! In that aweful day, they will be best pleased to meet him, who now in this life, while, through those clouds, we behold him with the eye of Faith, adore his character, and love his church, and study his wisdom, and delight in his truth, and keep his commandments.

FOUR

FOUR LECTURES

ON THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL

TO THE

HEBREWS;

SHEWING THE HARMONY BETWEEN THE

MYSTERIES, DOCTRINES, AND MORALITY

OF THE

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT.

LECTURE I.

ON THE CHARACTER AND OFFICES OF THE SON OF GOD, AS THEY ARE SET FORTH IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

WE read, in the 24th chapter of St. Luke's gospel, that as two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus, on the day of Christ's resurrection, an unknown person joined them on the way, and entered into discourse with them. After some questions had passed between them, this unknown person (who was no other than Jesus himself) began to shew them, how all the circumstances, so lately fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, had been foreshewn in the scripture : and, beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning

VOL. IV.

X

concerning himself. Who can read this without wishing to have overheard that expository discourse, which, as the disciples said of it afterwards, made their hearts burn within them? Such a discourse is the Epistle to the Hebrews, to those whose hearts are open to understand it ; not conceived in the same words, perhaps, nor laid down exactly in the same method; but consisting of the same matter, and all tending to produce the same effect.

All the doctrine contained in this epistle relates to one or other of these three heads;

First, to the Person of the Son of God, as it had been described in the Old Testament. Secondly, to the Religion of the Gospel, as being the same under both Testaments.

Thirdly, to the Church of Israel, as a figure of the Church of Christ.

Under the first of these heads, I shall extract and arrange the doctrine of the Old Testament relating to the person of the Son of God; taking the Epistle to the Hebrews as my authority: wherein the apostle begins with shewing the divine character of the Son of God, as distinct from, and superior to, the nature of Angels; those invisible and exalted beings, who are between the nature of men and the nature of God.

For, first, his name is greater than theirs; it

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