deniable proof of his divinity:" And, "Christ is not only a man, because the son of man, but is also God because the son of God."

After the filiation and divine nature of our Saviour, there follows in the creed his dominion, expressed by the title Lord; for that the dominion of Christ is thereby asserted, ap pears from the derivation of the Greek word kurios, used for Lord: kurios, saith Origen, legetai dia to kurieuein timon, Lord comes from a word that signifies ruling, lording or governing; under which notion, it is frequently used by the Septuagint to express the Hebrew word adon, which properly implies gov ornment and authority.

Now Christ is not only a lord, but he is so kata ezoxen, eminently and singularly so; whence he is frequently in the new testament only called the Lord, without any farther or other addition; as, [Mat. xxviii. 6.]" come, see the place where the Lord lay," [Luke xxiv. 34.] The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." [John xx. 2.]" They have taken the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him." [I. Cor. xi. 23.]" For I have received of the Lord that which also I have delivered unto you." And innumerable other places there

are in the new testament, where the Lord alone absolutely taken, is used determinately for Christ,

The scripture is very copious in declaring the dominion of Christ, that his empire is uni versal, and his kingdom everlasting. [Mat. xxviii. 18.] "All power," saith our Saviour,

is given unto me in heaven and in earth." And, [Mat. xi. 27.]" all things are delivered unto me of my father." [John iii. 35.]"The father loveth the son, and hath given all things into his hands;" whence he is particularly called, [Acts x. 36.]" the Lord of all," and

1. Cor. xi. 3.]" the head of every man." [Acts ii. 36.] "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly," saith St. Peter," that God hath made him Lord and Christ, even this Jesus whom ye did crucify:" [Philip. ii. 9, 10, 11.] "God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, or things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father." [Luke i. 31, 32, 33.] "He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob

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forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. [Heb. i. 8.] Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. [Dan. vii. 14.] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and kingdoms, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." And several other such like passages there are in the holy scripture, which shew the extensiveness and duration of our Saviour's kingdom, that he is king and lord of all.

But, though Christ be thus the universal Lord, and hath a supreme dominion over all, ད yet the creed particularly terms him our Lord, which intimates some propriety of dominion that he hath over us Christians, as we are immediate subjects of his particular kingdom

There are some hints and imperfect disco veries in the scripture of two great powers in the universe, contending against each other under their respective heads and leaders; the head of one party being Jesus Christ, and the head of the other the Devil; who is also called in scripture Satan, Apollyon, the Dragon, and the Old Serpent; there being, as it seems

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very probable, one particular spirit by way of eninency called the Devil, who is at the head of that party, which opposeth itself to the son of God and his followers; as appears from the sentence on the wicked at the last day, which is, that they depart accursed into everLasting fire, prepared for [Matth. xxv. 41.] the Devil and his angels ;" and from other places of scripture which might be enumerat ed. These two chiefs, Christ and the Devil, have two separate kingdoms; between whom there is a perpetual and unwearied oppositi on; [Rev. xii. 7, 8, 9.]" And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought a gainst the Dragon, and the Dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven; and the great Dragon was cast out, that Old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." The kingdom of Christ is represented to us under the notion of a kingdom of light, as that of the Devil is under the notion of a kingdom of darkness, as in Col. i. 12, 13.

Giving thanks unto the father, who hath 'made us meet to be partakers of the inherit'ance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.

(t Thes. ii. 12.) "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." And St. Paul was sent to preach the gospel unto the Gentiles, (Acts = xxvi. 16.) 66 to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." And St. Barnabas, towards the conclusion of his epistle, gives an elegant description "of the two ways; the one of light, over which preside the angels of God, who is the eternal Lord; and the other of darkness, which is subject to the angels of Satan, who is the ruler of wickedness." What number of spirits the Devil drew into his party and interest is unknown to us, for that the scripture hath not revealed it; but our own observation will give us too sad a view of the extent of his kingdom amongst mankind, where he gradually enlarged his empire, till at length the whole earth was covered with ignorance and darkness; and especially at the time of our Saviour's coming into the world, the generality of mankind were so gained and blinded by him, that they had almost lost all right and true notions of God, and were so far sunk into idolatry, that in several places the Devil himself was actually worshipped and adored as God; for proof whereof, I need not cite the oracles at Delphos and other places, who were so ma