or, as it is expressed in Heb. 10: 22, ev ahydevy naodig with an upright heart. Similar examples may be seen in the Dissert. de sensu vocis лhŋowua, Note 60. Opuscul. Acad. Vol. I. p. 174 &c.

ILLUSTRATION 2.

Col. 3:10, ενδυσάμενοι τον νεον (ανθρωπον), τον ανακαινουμενον—κατ' εικονα του κτισαντος αυτον have put on the new man, who is renewed according to the image of his Creator. Luke 6: 35 &c. comp. § 24.

ILLUSTRATION 3.

Rom. 1:23. Ex. 20: 4, "Thou shalt not make any image of God.”1 1 Tim. 6: 16, ὂν είδεν ουδεις ανθρωπων, ουδε ιδείν δυνα ται whom no man hath seen or can see. 1: 17, αφθαρτος-αοραTOS OS incorruptible-invisible God.

$ 26.

The veracity of God.

The vast intelligence, power, goodness, and holiness of God, require (1), that we should place unlimited confidence in him; and particularly, that we should regard his declarations as perfectly to be depended on (2). For he who is not willing to repose implicit confidence in God (1 John 5: 10), must either be so foolish, as to believe that whatever is concealed from himself must be unknown to God also, or he must distrust him who is the arche

the sense, one of these substantives should be an adjective qualifying the other, or a genitive following it. Thus in Hebrew, 2 x i changes and a host are against me, i. e. changes of hosts, or hosts constantly receiving new supplies, Job 10: 17. S.]

1 Stäudlin observes (Elements of Dogmatics, 2d ed. p. 199): "It deserves notice, that God, though represented under the strongest anthropopathic expressions, would not be worshipped by any image."

type of holiness (3); or, forgetful of the providence and power of God (4), he must apprehend, that God may become involved in difficulties, and have occasion to revoke his purposes; a supposition derogatory to the divine dignity (5), and applicable only to weak and changeable man. Even the idea of a future retribution, which leads us to believe the existence of a God (§ 18), leads us also to believe him a God of veracity (6) and immutability (7), a God in whom implicit confidence (8) may be reposed. And that anticipation would itself be unwarranted, and might prove delusive; if we could suppose it possible for God to deceive us, or to awaken in us an expectation which he either would not or could not fulfil; or if we could admit, that the God who formed a moral plan to which he adapted the structure of our moral nature, and which he has announced to us by our conscience (§ 17, 18), could be unstable and changeable, that he could abandon the plan which he had adopted, and suffer the expectations of our moral nature to remain unaccomplished. We assume as infallible, whatever the constitution of our nature, or God the Author of our nature, teaches us. Nay, the principles of human knowledge generally, would become uncertain (9), if, as Des Cartes expresses it, God had so framed our nature, that we should mistake delusions for the plainest and clearest truths. If, therefore, we would not be universal sceptics, and doubt of every thing; we must admit (10), that the Author of our nature, is a God of truth, and deserves our implicit confidence.

ILLUSTRATION 1.

Is. 40: 12-31. Ps. 146: 5 &c. 18:31 &c. 118: 1-9. In these passages, confidence in God is founded on the divine goodness, power, and wisdom.

ILLUSTRATION 2.

Ps. 33:4, the word of Jehovah is true. John 3:33.

ILLUSTRATION 3.

2 Cor. 1:18,19, πιστος ὁ θεος, ὅτι ὁ λογος ήμων ὁ προς ύμας ουκ εγενετο ναι και ο υ, “ My doctrine among you, the author of which is the God of truth, was not mutable and unstable.' Comp. Notitt. histor. Epist. ad Corinth. interpret. servientes, p. 101 &c. in Opusc. Acad. Vol. 1. p. 360 &c.

ILLUSTRATION 4.

Is. 46: 10 &c. Rom. 4: 21, "He who hath promised, is able also to fulfil."

ILLUSTRATION 5.

Rom. 3: 4, γενεσθω θεος αληθης, πας δε ανθρωπος ψεύστης let God be true, but every man a liar. 1 Sam. 15:29, "The unchangeable God of Israel does not deceive, or repent of any thing; for he is not a man, that he could repent." When, therefore, we read in the 11th verse of this same chapter, that God repented of his having made Saul king, we must not suppose that he repented as man does. Neither did Moses intend to ascribe human repentance to God, Gen. 6:6; for he well knew, that God is not a man that he should lie or repent. It therefore follows, that the anthropopathic expression repentance, like that of anger (§ 24. Illust. 7), has a sense which is not unworthy of God;-it imports, that according to the immutable plan of God, persons who have reformed, are not treated in the same manner as before their reformation. Comp. Joel 2: 14, with v. 12, 13.

ILLUSTRATION 6.

John 3: 33, eos ainûns eoti God is true. Tit. 1: 2, o αψευdns dos God who lieth not. 2 Tim. 2: 13, ε aлIOтOVμEV, EXEl

vos muotos μeve if we do not believe, he remaineth faithful. Heb. 6: 18, αδυνατον ψευδεσθαι θεον it is impossible for God to lie.

ILLUSTRATION 7.

Ex. 3: 14-17, IN TEN ON I am that I am. 6: 2-8, I am Jehovah. Deut. 7: 8 &c. Mal. 3: 6, ID, "IN Rom. 11: 29 auɛta

I am Jehovah, I do not change. μελητα τα χαρισματα και ἡ κλησις του θεου God will not repent of his gifts and calling. Heb. 6: 17, to aμeradetov ins Bovins Deov the immutability of the counsel of God. James 1:17, παρα θεῳ ουκ ενι καταλλαγη η τροπης αποσκιασμα with God there is no variableness or shadow of turning.

:

Michaelis remarks, on Ex. 3: 14-17, quoted in this illustration that by the name, as well as by that of in, God represents himself as unchangeable, (particularly in his promises, his friendships and love,) as a being who will remain the same for ever. Comp. also Dathè, on Ex. 6: 3.

ILLUSTRATION 8.

1 Thess. 5: 24. 1 Cor. 1: 9. Heb. 10: 23.

ILLUSTRATION 9.

Compare Flatt's Detached contributions for the determination and deduction of the idea and the principle of causality, p. 122 &c. and Michaelis, Dogmatik, p. 164.

ILLUSTRATION 10.

"The veracity of God is as important to the Deist, as to the believer in revealed religion. For, if it were in itself possible, and God felt disposed, he might deceive us in nature, by producing a constant confusion and contradiction of things, and by making reason mislead us; as truly as he could in the Scriptures." Allgemeine Litteratur Zeitung, for 1792, p. 137.

§ 27.

Inference drawn from the veracity of God, in favour of the truth of Scripture.

If there be, (as has been proved § 17-19,) a God to whom veracity belongs (§ 26); then we may receive, with perfect security, the declarations of the Holy Scriptures; which were either produced by God, and under his influence (§ 6, 9, 10, 11, 13), or at least were sanctioned by him (§ 9, 12, 13); and therefore have divine authority (§ 11-13). We may of course use them, in the discussion of all doctrinés in general, and of that concerning the divine attributes in particular, not only to elucidate the dictates of our reason, or to prove the coincidence* of Scripture with those dictates, but in order to derive from them direct and solid arguments or evidence in support of doctrines of which they treat.

ILLUSTRATION.

1

*The beautiful coincidence of the doctrines of the Bible concerning God, with the established conclusions of reason, as appears from a comparison of the Scriptures with the religious opinions of those philosophers 1 who could not have drawn any thing from the sacred volume; should at least inspire us with respect for this volume, the superior excellence of whose instructions so far surpasses those of all other ancient writings. It ought to induce us to read without prejudice, and to estimate without partiality, all that they contain concerning a particular dispensation of God; and especially, as the superiority of the holy Scriptures over all other writings of antiquity, so well ac

1 See Jacobi's "Dissertations on important religious subjects," No. XV,