These gentlemen being excellent at cavils and exceptions, and thereunto undertaking to answer any thing in the world, do not lightly acquit themselves more weakly and jejunely in any place than in this ; for,-—
1. We contend not with them about the translation of the words, their exceptions being to the Vulgar Latin only ; we take them as they have rendered them. To omit that, therefore, —
2. That these words are spoken by him who is called the angel we grant ; but the only question is, Who is this angel that speaks them ? It is evident, from the former chapter and this, that it is the man who was upon the red horse, chap. i. 8, who is called " Augelus Jehovae," verse 11, and makes intercession for the church, verse 1 2 ; which is the proper office of Jesus Christ. And that he is no created angel, but Jehovah himself, the second person of the Trinity, we prove, because he calls himself "The Lord of hosts;" says he will destroy his enemies with the shaking of his hand ; that he will convert a people, and make them his people ; and that he will dwell in his church. And yet unto all this he adds three times that he is sent of the Lord of hosts. We confess, then, all these things to be spoken of him who was sent; but upon all these testi- monies conclude that he who was sent was the Lord of hosts.
Grotius interprets all this place of an angel, and names him to
' " Ad secundum yero quid respondes ? — Locum Zecharise ad hunc modum citant : Hoc dicit Domimis exercituum ; Post gloriam misit me ad gentes, qux vos sj^olianint: qui enim vos tangit, tangit piipillam ocidi met, etc. ; quae ad Christum torquent, quod hie, ut arbitrautur, dicatur Dominum exercituum missum esse a Domino exercituum. Venim ea hie non habentur ; quod hinc perspicuum est, quod ea verba, Post gloriavi misil me, etc., sunt ab alio prolata, ncmpe ab angolo qui cum Zeeharia et alio angelo colloquebatur, utidem eodemcapite paulo ante planum est, a versu quarto initio facto, ubi is angelus loquens introducitur. Quod idem ea ex re videre est, quod oa quaa citant verba, Hoc dicit Dominus exercituum, in HebrsBO legantur, Sic dicit Dominus exer- cituum ; item ilia, Tangit pupillani oculi met, legantur PupiUam ocvli ejus ; quae non ad Dominum exercituum, sed ad legatum refcrri necesse est."
DEITY OF CHRIST PROVED, ETC. 255
boot! Michael it is ; but who that Michael is, and whether he be no more than an angel (that is, a messenger), he inquires not. That the ancient Jewish doctors interpreted this place of the Messiah is evident.^ Of that no notice here is taken ; it is not to the purpose in hand. To the reasons already offered to prove that it is no mere creature that is here intended, but the Lord of hosts who is sent by the Lord of hosts, I shall only add my desire that the friends and apologizers for this learned annotator would reconcile this exposition of this place to itself, in those things which at first view present themselves to every ordinary observer. Take one instance : " Ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me," — that is, Michael ; "and I will dwell in the midst of thee." " Templum meum ibi habebo," — " I will have my temple there." If he who speaks be Michael, a created augel, how comes the temple of Jehovah to be his ? And such let the attempts of all appear to be who manage any design against the eternal glory of the Son of God.
The third testimony is 1 John v. 20, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
Q. What dost than answer to this?
A. These words, " This is the true God," I deny to be referred to the Son of God. Not that I deny Christ to be true God, but that place will not ad- mit those words to be understood of Christ; for here he treats not only of the true God, but of the only true God, as the article added in the Greek doth declare. But Christ, although he be true God, he is not yet of himself that one God, who by himself, and upon the most excellent account, is God, seeing that is only God the Father. Nor doth it avail the adversaries, Avho would have those words re- ferred to Christ, because the mention of Christ doth immediately go before those words, " This is the true God:" for pronoun relatives, as " this" and the Hke, are not always referred to the next antecedent, but often to that which is chiefly spoken of, as Acts vii. 19, 20, x. 6, John ii. 7; from which places it appears that the pronoun relative " this " is referred not to the next, but to the most remote person.^
L It is well it is acknowledged that the only true God is here in- tended, and that this is proved by the prefixed article. This may be of use afterward.