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Melito, the Philosopher

From 'The Key.'

IX. [3641]

Head of the Lord--His simple Divinity; because He is the Beginning and Creator of all things: in Daniel. [3642]

The white hair of the Lord, because He is "the Ancient of Days:" as above.

The eyes of the Lord--the Divine inspection: because He sees all things. Like that in the apostle: For all things are naked and open in His eyes." [3643]

The eyelids of the Lord--hidden spiritual mysteries in the Divine precepts. In the Psalm: "His eyelids question, that is prove, the children of men." [3644]

The smelling of the Lord--His delight in the prayers or works of the saints. In Genesis: "And the Lord smelled an odour of sweetness." [3645]

The mouth of the Lord--His Son, or word addressed to men. In the prophet, "The mouth of the Lord hath spoken;" [3646] and elsewhere, "They provoked His mouth to anger." [3647]

The tongue of the Lord--His Holy Spirit. In the Psalm: "My tongue is a pen." [3648]

The face of the Lord--His manifestation. In Exodus, "My face shall go before thee;" [3649] and in the prophet, "The face of the Lord divided them." [3650]

The word of the Lord--His Son. In the Psalm: "My heart hath uttered a good word." [3651]

The arm of the Lord--His Son, by whom He hath wrought all His works. In the prophet Isaiah: "And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" [3652]

The right hand of the Lord--that is, His Son; as also above in the Psalm: "The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly." [3653]

The right hand of the Lord--electio omnis. As in Deuteronomy: "In His right hand is a fiery law." [3654]

The wings of the Lord--Divine protection. In the Psalm: "In the shadow of Thy wings will I hope." [3655]

The shoulder of the Lord--the Divine power, by which He condescends to carry the feeble. In Deuteronomy: "He took them up, and put them on His shoulders." [3656]

The hand of the Lord--Divine operation. In the prophet: "Have not my hands made all these things?" [3657]

The finger of the Lord--the Holy Spirit, by whose operation the tables of the law in Exodus are said to have been written; [3658] and in the Gospel: "If I by the finger of God cast out demons" [3659]

The fingers of the Lord--The lawgiver Moses, or the prophets. In the Psalm: "I will regard the heavens," that is, the books of the Law and the Prophets, "the works of Thy fingers." [3660]

The wisdom of the Lord--His Son. In the apostle: "Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God;" [3661] and in Solomon: "The wisdom of the Lord reacheth from one end to the other mightily." [3662]

The womb of the Lord--the hidden recess of Deity out of which He brought forth His Son. In the Psalm: "Out of the womb, before Lucifer, have I borne Thee." [3663]

The feet of the Lord--His immoveableness and eternity. In the Psalm: "And thick darkness was under His feet." [3664]

The throne of the Lord--angels, or saints, or simply sovereign dominion. [3665] In the Psalm: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." [3666]

Seat--the same as above, angels or saints, because the Lord sits upon these. In the Psalm: "The Lord sat upon His holy seat." [3667]

The descent of the Lord--His visitation of men. As in Micah: "Behold, the Lord shall come forth from His place; He shall come down trampling under foot the ends of the earth." [3668] Likewise in a bad sense. In Genesis: "The Lord came down to see the tower." [3669]

The ascent of the Lord--the raising up of man, who is taken from earth to heaven. In the Psalm: "Who ascendeth above the heaven of heavens to the east." [3670]

The standing of the Lord--the patience of the Deity, by which He bears with sinners that they may come to repentance. As in Habakkuk: "He stood and measured the earth; [3671] and in the Gospel: "Jesus stood, and bade him be called," [3672] that is, the blind man.

The transition of the Lord--His assumption of our flesh, through which by His birth, His death, His resurrection, His ascent into heaven, He made transitions, so to say. In the Song of Songs: "Behold, He cometh, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills." [3673]

The going [3674] of the Lord--His coming or visitation. In the Psalm.

The way of the Lord--the operation of the Deity. As in Job, in speaking of the devil: "He is the beginning of the ways of the Lord." [3675]

Again: The ways of the Lord--His precepts. In Hosea: "For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the just shall walk in them." [3676]

The footsteps of the Lord--the signs of His secret operations. As in the Psalm: "And Thy footsteps shall not be known." [3677]

The knowledge of the Lord--that which makes men to know Him. To Abraham He says: "Now I know that thou fearest the Lord;" [3678] that is, I have made thee to know.

The ignorance of God [3679] is His disapproval. In the Gospel: "I know you not." [3680]

The remembrance of God--His mercy, by which He rejects and has mercy on whom He will. So in Genesis: "The Lord remembered Noah;" [3681] and in another passage: "The Lord hath remembered His people." [3682]

The repentance of the Lord--His change of procedure. [3683] As in the book of Kings: "It repented me that I have made Saul king." [3684]

The anger and wrath of the Lord--the vengeance of the Deity upon sinners, when He bears with them with a view to punishment, does not at once judge them according to strict equity. As in the Psalm: "In His anger and in His wrath will He trouble them." [3685]

The sleeping of the Lord--when, in the thoughts of some, His faithfulness is not sufficiently wakeful. In the Psalm: "Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord?" [3686]

The watches of the Lord--in the guardianship of His elect He is always at hand by the presence of His Deity. In the Psalm: "Lo! He will not slumber nor sleep." [3687]

The sitting of the Lord--His ruling. In the Psalm: "The Lord sitteth upon His holy seat." [3688]

The footstool of the Lord--man assumed by the Word; or His saints, as some think. In the Psalm: "Worship ye His footstool, for it is holy."

The walking of the Lord--the delight of the Deity in the walks of His elect. In the prophet: "I will walk in them, and will be their Lord." [3689]

The trumpet of the Lord--His mighty voice. In the apostle: "At the command, and at the voice of the archangel, and at the trumpet of God, shall He descend from heaven." [3690]

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