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we, therefore, conclude that Jesus Christ is God. But before we dismiss the subject, you will allow me to touch briefly upon three additional topicks.

FIRST.--I argue the Deity of the Son from his equality with the Father. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."* This passage, the Jews, to whom it was addressed, very reasonably understood as making Christ, from whom it proceeded, equal with God. Therefore, we are told, they sought to kill him. And how did our Lord treat this inference from his words? Did he disown or confute it? So far from this, that he justified and confirmed it both from the equality of his operations with those of the Father, and from the equality of their honour. Equality of operations-What things soever the Father doeth, these also doth the Son likewise." Equality of honours—“That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father."+

SECONDLY.-I argue the Deity of the Son from his unity with the Father. "I and my Father are one."§ To interpret this as unity of consent only, and not of nature, is to do violence to the words of Christ; because they are immediately preceded by two verses which evince it to be his intention to infer the unity of essence from that of power: These are the verses, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." From these words we learn the unity of power in the Father and the Son. His own inference follows very naturally-"I and my Father are one”—one in essence. This interpretation is corroborated by the conversation of our Lord with the Jews, when, in consequence of his declaring himself one with the Father, they took up stones to stone him. "Jesus answered them, many good

• John, v. 17. † John, v. 19. John, v. 23. § John, x. 10. 30. | John, x. 28. 29.

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works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of these works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thy self God." Did Christ repel the charge, and deny his divine character? By no means. His answer served to encourage them in their construction of his words, and he concluded it in this remarkable manner; "That ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him.”*

FINALLY.-I argue the Deity of the Son from his mediatorial function. To constitute a true mediator between God and man, such a mediator as the exigencies of our fallen race demand, the person bearing that character must be a teacher whose influences, not confined to the external means of instruction, enter within the veil of corruption; pour light upon the darkness of the understanding; and change the evil propensities of the heart. He must be a ruler that protects his people from the assaults of earth and hell, and governs them unremittingly by the potent agency of his spirit. He must be a priest who can achieve the eternal redemption of sinners; who can expiate human guilt, and satisfy divine justice, by the merit of an equivalent and corresponding sacrifice; and by one offering of himself can perfect forever those for whom the offering is made. Now what being less than divine--what being less than divine in nature and in might, can effect these wonders? But such a teacher-such

a ruler—such a priest--is Christ. And must we not believe him to be God? "I speak as to wise men, judge ye.”† In entering upon this discussion, my brethren, we observed that the divinity of a crucified Redeemer is a mystery we presume not to scan. We have, it is hoped, established the fact to the conviction of such as will allow themselves to regard the plain decisions of holy writ. Jesus Christ is God equally with the Father; and yet there are not two Gods, but one God. "God is in Christ." The manner in † 1 Cor. x. 15.

John, x. 32. 33. 38.

which the Almighty exists in these personal distinctions baffles our investigation. Nor is it our concern to ascertain it. Perhaps it is inexplicable by the most perfect intellect of the finite order. And who art thou, O man! that launchest thy frail bark upon the ocean of infinitude to explain what thou canst never understand? And who art thou, especially, that venturest to reject the testimony of Jehovah because it may not be supported by thine own imperfect reason? Canst thou fathom the unfathomable abyss? Canst thou measure the circle whose centre is every where and its circumference no where? "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as Heaven; what canst thou do? It is deeper than hell; what canst thou know?"* Retire into thyself, child of the dust; be humble, and adore-be modest, and believe.

And you, brethren, who meekly receive this doctrine as it is conveyed to you by the word of truth, beware of supposing that in doing this you discharge yourselves of your obligations: on the contrary, you make them more binding. In the proportion that we elevate the dignity of the lawgiver, in that proportion do we increase the guilt of those who neglect or transgress the law. I cannot close the subject in a better manner than by reminding you of some of the obligations under which you come in receiving this doctrine of Christ's Deity. You must love that God with all your heart who so loved the world as to humble himself for its salvation. You must make this doctrine the foundation whereon to build your noblest hopes. He that wore your nature, and offered himself upon the cross to redeem you, shall he not freely give you all things? You must imitate the multitude of his virtues; but, particularly his humility; and sacrifice, when requisite, the honours and the splendours of the world. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of

Job, xi. 7.

no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death."* You must reflect how much more inexcusable you will be for sin than those to whom an incarnate God was never revealed-reasoning as an apostle did in a similar instance; "For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" You must habitually anticipate the day when the despised Galiléan shall come in the majesty of the eternal Godhead to judge all flesh; "when every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him." When "the sun shall become black as sack cloth of hair, and the moon become as blood; when the stars of heaven shall fall unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind; when the heaven shall depart as a scroll that is rolled together, and every mountain and island shall be removed out of their places; when the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, shall hide themselves in the dens, - and in the rocks of the mountains; and shall say to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Such must be your dispositions, my brethren; such the exercises of your hearts, and the actions of your lives; believing, as you profess to do, that Jesus is divine. Forget not that it is the Almighty's will that you honour the Son even as you honour the Father. Believe in him, therefore -hope in him--invoke his name-adore him--lend your voices to swell the seraphick harmonious "Hallelujah, glory to the Lamb forever.--AMEN."

*Philip. ii. 5--8. † Heb. ii. 2. 3. Rev. i. 7. § Rev. vi. 12-17.

SERMON IX.

NATURAL AND REVEALED RELIGION.

ROMANS, i. 20.

"The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.”

A SLIGHT transposition of this passage may be expedient for the purpose of illustrating it. The invisible things of him," that is, of the divine Being, "even his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly seen from the creation of the world," that is, from the earliest ages down through every age, being understood by the things that are made."

From these words, I think we may collect that, whether the idea of God be, or be not innate in the human mind, the mind is, at least, capacitated, when its faculties attain a certain degree of expansion, to deduce inferences respecting the Deity, and his perfections, founded in the relation of cause and effect, which inferences constitute what may be distinctively called natural religion, as opposed to such knowledge of the same objects as may be derived from revelation, either immediately from heaven, or mediately through tradition.

Now the importance of this natural religion cannot reasonably be disputed; since even revelation itself presupposes it: presupposes the existence of certain principles--certain notions in the mind, by which its own importance, necessity, and reality, are in a great degree, to be tested. And it is observable, that however feeble the light of this natu

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