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| Chapter LVI
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Chapter LVI.
Now it escaped the notice of Celsus, and of the Jew whom
he has introduced, and of all who are not believers in Jesus, that the
prophecies speak of two advents of Christ: the former
characterized by human suffering and humility, in order that Christ,
being with men, might make known the way that leads to God, and might
leave no man in this life a ground of excuse, in saying that he knew
not of the judgment to come; and the latter, distinguished only by
glory and divinity, having no element of human infirmity intermingled
with its divine greatness. To quote the prophecies at length
would be tedious; and I deem it sufficient for the present to quote a
part of the forty-fifth Psalm, which has this inscription, in
addition to others, “A Psalm for the Beloved,” where God is
evidently addressed in these words: “Grace is poured into
Thy lips: therefore God will bless Thee for ever and ever.
Gird Thy sword on Thy thigh, O mighty One, with Thy beauty and Thy
majesty. And stretch forth, and ride prosperously, and reign,
because of Thy truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and Thy right
hand shall lead Thee marvellously. Thine arrows are pointed, O
mighty One; the people will fall under Thee in the heart of the enemies
of the King.”3177
But attend
carefully to what follows, where He is called God: “For Thy
throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness
is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and
hated iniquity: therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee
with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.”3178
And observe that the prophet, speaking
familiarly to God, whose “throne is for ever and ever,” and
“a sceptre of righteousness the sceptre of His kingdom,”
says that this God has been anointed by a God who was His God, and
anointed, because more than His fellows He had loved righteousness and
hated iniquity. And I remember that I pressed the Jew, who was
deemed a learned man, very hard with this passage; and he, being
perplexed about it, gave such an answer as was in keeping with his
Judaistic views, saying that the words, “Thy throne, O God, is
for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
Thy kingdom,” are spoken of the God of all things; and these,
“Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore Thy
God hath anointed Thee,” etc., refer to the Messiah.3179
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