reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."-St. Luke i., 32, 33. Accordingly He himself declares, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (St. Matt. xxviii., 18.) And He is said to be "King of kings and Lord of lords."-Rev. xvii., 14; xix., 16. As our King He rules in our hearts, and over all things for our benefit. Christ is the only person that has been anointed Prophet, Priest, and King. Others have been 1. Prophet and Priest-e.g.: Samuel. 2. King and Priest-e.g.: Melchizedek. 3. King and Prophet-e.g.: David. Our duty towards Christ in respect of these three offices is to (1) Attend to His instructions as a Prophet. (2) Trust in Him for atonement as our Priest. II.-His Natures. "The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and Eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very Man."—Article II. 1. His Divine Nature. That Jesus Christ is God may be proved from the follow- (1) The miracles He wrought when on earth-e.g.: (b) The casting out of devils, many of whom proclaimed "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”—St. Mark i., 24; iii., 11; v., 7, &c. (c) Miraculously feeding large numbers of people."—St. Mark xiv., 14; xv., 32. (d) The control He exhibited over nature-e.g.: Stilling the winds and waves.-St. Mark iv., 39-41. (e) Raising the dead to life-e.g.: Jairus' daughter (St. Luke viii.), the widow's son (St. Luke vii.), and Lazarus (St. John xi.). (2) The Divine character is directly ascribed to Jesus Christ-e.g.: The Word was God."-St. John i., 1. "Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever."-Rom. ix., 5. "Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever," &c.-Heb. i, 8. "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Col. ii., 9. "The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” St. John i., 14. (3) Divine attributes are ascribed to Him. (a) Pre-existence-e.g.: "He is before all things, and by him all things consist." Col. i., 17. "Before Abraham was, I am."--St. John viii., 58. (b) Creative power and providence. "All things were made by him."-St. John i., 1, 3, 10. "All things were created by him and for him."-Col. i., 16; Heb. i., 3; Col. i., 17. (c) Omniscience. "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."-St. John ii., 24, 25. "Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him."-St. John vi., 64; St. Matt. ix., 4; xii., 25; St. Mark ii., 6, 8, &c. (d) Omnipresence. "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." St. Matt. xxviii., 20. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."-St. Matt. xviii., 20. 2. His Human Nature. Its reality is proved (1) By His participation in the bodily sensations of Hunger (St. Matt. iv., 2), Thirst (St. John xix., 28), Weariness, Pain, and Death (St. Mark xv.). (2) By His participation in those faculties which belong to the soul as Love, Pity, Sorrow, Anger, Despondency, &c. Christ took man's nature: (a) To be a sacrifice for sin. (b) To be an ensample of godly life. III.-His Relation to God. He is God's only Son: "The only begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father." Proofs of His Sonship : 1. The Witness of God the Father. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."-St. Matt. iii., 17; xvii., 5. 2. The Witness of Christ Himself. (1) "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am."-St. Mark xiv., 61, 62. (2) "The Son of God is he that talketh with thee."--St. John ix., 35, 37. 3. The Witness of Men. (1) St. Peter: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."-St. Matt. xvi., 16. (2) St. John the Baptist: "I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God."-St. John i, 34. (3) Martha: "I believe that thou art Christ, the Son of God."-St. John xi., 27. IV. His Relation to us. He is our Lord or Master, and was distinctly termed so by the angels (St. Luke ii., 11). The term Lord was especially given to the Son, as the term God was to the Father-e.g.: "There is but one God, the Father, Christ," &c.-1 Cor. viii., 6. He is our Lord, because : and one Lord Jesus 1. He is the Head of the human race; and, in His human nature, has been exalted to the highest glory, having received from the Father special authority and power as Mediator and Head of His Church. 2. He purchased our redemption with His own blood.—Acts 8. XX., "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."-1 Cor. vi., 20. In our baptismal vow we bind ourselves to His service. V.-His Work. He hath redeemed me and all mankind. Only mankind-not the world-needed redemption. "The man Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all."— 1 Tim. ii., 5, 6. CHAPTER IV. THE THIRD ARTICLE. WHO WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST, BORN OF THE The Creed now, after establishing Christ's name and I.-Christ's Conception. 1. By whom Christ was Conceived. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost. Christ had no Earthly Father. He was begotten of God the Father as to His Divine "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son," &c.-St. John iii., 16. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."-St. John iii., 18; i., 14, 18. He was conceived of the Holy Ghost as to His Human "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." St. Luke i., 35. "For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." St. Matt. i., 20. 2. The reasons for Christ's conception by the Holy Ghost. (1) To fulfil prophecy. "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son."-Isa. vii., 14. (2) In order to effect our redemption. Being conceived by the Holy Ghost He was born without sin, and was accepted by God as an atonement for sinful man. Had He been born in sin He would have needed an atonement for Himself. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' 2 Cor. v., 21. "But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."-Heb. iv., 15. 3. Time of Commemoration of Christ's Conception. March 25th.-The festival is termed the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, commonly called Lady Day. II.-Christ's Birth. 1. Of whom He was Born. He was born of the Virgin Mary, who was of the royal tribe of Judah, and of the house or lineage of David. St. Luke i., 32; Rom. i., 3. 2. The place of His Birth. At Bethlehem, the city of David, as was prophesied by 3. Time of commemoration of Christ's Birth. On Christmas Day, December 25th. Christ, therefore, had two whole and perfect natures. Remaining perfect God He became perfect man for us; of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. "Although He be God and man, yet He is not two but one Christ. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ."-Athanasian Creed and Second Article of Religion. CHAPTER V. THE FOURTH ARTICLE. HE SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DEAD, AND BURIED." I.—His Sufferings. 1. Their Prediction. (1) In the beginning it was foretold that "the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."-Gen. iii., 15. (2) David foretold "All they that see me laugh me to scorn," &c.-Ps. xxii., 7, 12-18. (3) Isaiah very fully wrote of Christ's sufferings.-Isaiah liii. (4) Daniel wrote, "The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself."-Daniel ix., 26. (5) Zechariah predicted that Christ should be smitten.Zech. xiii., 7. 2. Their Form. (1) He had not where to lay His head. "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."-St. Luke ix., 58. (2) "He came to his own, but his own received him not."St. John i., 11. (3) He was despised and rejected on account of His lowly birth.-St. Matt. xiii., 55-57. (4) He was betrayed by His own familiar friend, "Judas, one of the twelve."-St. Matt. xxvi., 47-50. (5) He was brought a prisoner before Pilate, was scourged (St. Matt. xxvii., 26), and was cruelly worshipped in mockery, having a reed in His hand, and a crown of thorns on His head.-St. Matt. xxvii., 28-31. (6) "And they smote him on the bead with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him."-St. Mark xv., 19. |