Messiah, who builds the Church, as His house, upon Himself the rock (Matt. xvi. 8, etc.), and invites all to the Gospel feast (Luke xiv. 16, etc.). He is Wisdom itself absolute, and as the Archetype, from Him wisdom imparted flows to others. As such, He invites us to learn wisdom from Him who is its source, 'counsel' and 'sound wisdom' (ver. 14), are in Him as attributes are in their subject, and as effects are in their cause. The parallel (ch. i. 20, 23), 'I will pour out my spirit unto you' (see John vii. 38), conforms the personal view. The same truth is confirmed by the reproof (ch. i. 24), 'Because I have called,' etc., compared with Christ's own words (Matt. xi. 28, etc.) So Christ is called the Wisdom of God (Col. ii. 3). As Wisdom here saith 'I was set up,' or 'anointed from everlasting,' so the Father saith of Messiah, 'I have set' or 'anointed my king' etc. (Psa. ii. 6). As in verse 24, Wisdom is said to be 'brought forth' or _begotten_ by God before the world, and to have been _by Him in creating all things_ (verses 27-30), so Messiah is called the 'Son of God,' and is said to have been _with God in the beginning_, and to have _made all things_ (John. i. 1-3) and to have been begotten before every creature (Col. i. 15-17); and His _goings forth_ are said, in Mic. v. 2, _to have been from of old, from everlasting._" The argument for the opposite view is thus stated by Dr. Wardlaw: "The objections to its meaning Christ, or the Word, are, to my mind, quite insuperable. For example: (1) The passage is not so applied in any part of the New Testament. I do not adduce this consideration as any _direct objection_ to the interpretation in question. I mean no more than this, that from its not being so explained there, we are relieved from any _necessity_ of so explaining it. Such necessity, then, being thus precluded, the direct objections may be allowed to have their full force. Observe, then (2), Wisdom here is a _female personage._ All along this is the case. Now, under such a view, the Scripture nowhere else, in any of their figurative representations of 'the Christ,' ever thus describe or introduce Him. The application, on this account, appears to be exceedingly unnatural. (3) Wisdom does not appear intended as a _personal_ designation, inasmuch as it is associated with various other terms, of synonymous, at least, of corresponding import (verse 1, chap. iii. 19, 20). Were it meant for a _personal_ designation, like the _Logos_ or _Word_ in the beginning of John's Gospel, this would hardly have been admissible. (4) That the whole is bold and striking _personification_ of the attribute of Wisdom, as subsisting in the Deity, appears further from what she is represented as saying in verse 12: 'I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.' Here Wisdom is associated with prudence; and the import of the association is, that Wisdom directs to the best