Next; the words of Hosea, "Out of Egypt have I called my son," which do but record the history of Israel, are imagined by Matthew to be prophetic of the return of Jesus from Egypt.

This instance moved me much; because I thought, that if the text were "spiritualized," so as to make Israel mean _Jesus_, Egypt also ought to be spiritualized and mean _the world_, not retain its geographical sense, which seemed to be carnal and absurd in such a connection: for Egypt is no more to Messiah than Syria or Greece .-- One of the most decisive testimonies to the Old Testament which the New contains, is in John x., 35, where I hardly knew how to allow myself to characterize the reasoning.

The case stands thus.

The 82nd Psalm rebukes _unjust_ governors; and at length says to them: "I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the most high: but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." In other words:--"though we are apt _to think_ of rulers _as if_ they were superhuman, yet they shall meet the lot of common men." Well: how is this applied in John ?--Jesus has been accused of blasphemy, for saying that "He and his Father are one;" and in reply, he quotes the verse, "I have said, Ye are gods," as his sufficient justification for calling himself Son of God; for "the Scripture cannot be broken." I dreaded to precipitate myself into shocking unbelief, if I followed out the thoughts that this suggested; and (I know not how) for a long time yet put it off.
The quotations from the Old Testament in St.Paul had always been a mystery to me.

The more I now examined them, the clearer it appeared that they were based on untenable Rabbinical principles.