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214

FAITH

IN ITS LOWEST

DEGREES.

1fISC. VII.

Israel

is

ascribed, and

who

is

called

a

Saviour

so

often in

the context, ver.

15,

17,

21.

which

is

the

very

meaning

of

the name

Jesus,

and the

frequent

appellation of

Christ

in the

new

Testament, and

his

particular

office

is

to be

a

Saviour,

and.

to

bring salvation.'

(2.)

It

is

he

who is

appointed

to

be the righteousness

and strength

of

his

people,

Per.

24, 25.

Surely

shall

one say,

in

the

Lord

have

I

righteousness

and

strength.

In

the

Lord

shall

all

the

seed

of

Israel

be

justified.

Now

this

is

the very name

of

the

Messiah

;

.Ier.

xxiii, 6.

The.

Lord

our

righteousness

:

And it

is

.Christ

who is

made

righteousness unto

us;

1

Cor.

i.

30.

And

by

and

in

whom

all the

saints

are

to be

justified

in

the

language

of

the gospel.

It.is

from

him also

that

his

people

derive

strength.

St.

Paul

bids Timothy

be

strong

in the

grace

which is in

Christ;

2

Tim.

ii.

1.

The Ephesian con-

verts must

be

strong

in

the Lord

;

Eph.

vi. 10.

And

the

apostle himself

could do

all

things through Christ, who

strengthened

him

;

Phil.

iv. 13.

Now the

New

Testa-

ment

(to

which times

the

words

of

my

text

chiefly

refer)

does

not

usually

represent

God, under the idea of

the

Fa-

ther

as the

strength

of

believers,

nor

is

he ever

described

there

as

their

righteousness.

Again,

(3.)

This

is

the person

that

brings salvation to

the

ends

of

the

earth,

which

is

the

very

character of the

Messiah

in-the writings

of

the

same

prophet. Is.

xlix. 6.

I

will

also

give

thee

for

a

light

to

the gentiles,

(says

God

the Father)

that

thou mayest

be

my

salvation

unta

the

end

of

the

earth.

.

(4.) I

add

further,

that

part of

this

context,

even

the

very

next

words,

are

applied' to

our Lord Jesus Christ

by

St.

Paul. The prophet

saith,

'I

am

the

Lord,

and there

is

none,

else;

ver.

18.

Unto

me

every

knee

shall.bow,every

tongue

shall swear;

ver.

23.

The

apostle, citing

the

words

of

the

prophet, speaks

thus.;

Rom.

xiv.

9,

10,

11.

Christ

died,

and

rose,

and

revived,

that

he

might

be

Lord

both

of

the

dead.and

living:

All

must stand

before the

judgment

-seat

of

Christ

:

For

it

is

written,

as

I

live,

saith

the Lord, every

knee

shall

bow

to

me,

and

every

tongue

shall

confess to God.

Where_

the words Christ,

Lord, and God,

seemed to

be used

promiscuously for the

same person.

Nor would

the apostle's

argument

seem

strong and cogent in

that

place,

if

the

word

God

were