forerunner John was, is called by the prophet Isaiah, the LORD our God, (chap. xl. 3,) which is the incommunicable name of the Supreme Being.

The work of creation, which indubitably characterises the Deity, is likewise in Col. i. 16. ascribed to our Lord Jesus Christ: By Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible, and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created BY Him, and FOR Him. The last clause assures us that He was, in the most proper sense of the word, the Creator: all things were created BY Him and FOR Him: BY Him as their cause; and FOR Him as their end. By the same language is the Almighty described in other passages of scripture, as Heb. ii. 10. It became Him FOR whom were all things, and BY whom are all things. And in Rev. iv. 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory-for Thou hast created all things, and FOR THY PLEASURE they are and were created.

Can human language express any thing more clearly, than these passages of scripture express this great truth, that our blessed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, is also the Almighty Creator, and consequently, Very and Eternal God? If they do not prove this, it signifies nothing attempting to prove any thing by scripture: words can convey no meaning, but upon all language rests impenetrable darkness and confusion.

All the other attributes of God necessarily follow this of creating power. He who created all things must uphold all things, for this is equivalent to a continued creation: He must be every where, and know every thing: and He is the proper object of worship to all His intelligent creatures. These

attributes are not only applicable to Christ by way of inference, but they are directly applied to Him in the holy scriptures.

3. He upholdeth all things by the word of His power. (Heb. i. 3.) And, by Him all things consist. (Col. i. 17.)

4. He is Omnipresent, otherwise He could not be in heaven and earth at the same time, which He assured Nicodemus was the case, in that memorable conversation which He condescended to hold with him: no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who Is in heaven. (John iii. 13.) The same truth is evinced froin the promises which our Lord hath made to all His true disciples, Where two or three are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst of them. (Matt. xviii. 20.) And, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Matt. xviii. 20.) Whereas, on the supposition that He was a mere man, it is not only impossible for Him to be with all His disciples, but He cannot be with any one of them, for He will remain in heaven till the times of restitution of all things. (Acts iii. 21.) But He is truly always in every place, for He can attend to the prayers of all that call upon Him. (1 Cor. i. 2.) He is able to succour them that are tempted, (Heb. ii. 18,) and to defend His sheep, that none shall pluck them out of His hands. (John x. 28.)

Thus

5. The Lord Jesus is likewise omniscient. the apostle Peter addressed Him; Thou, Lord, knowest ALL things. (John xxi. 17.) The Almighty claims it as His prerogative to know the hearts of men: Thou ONLY knowest the hearts of the children of men. (2 Chron. vi. 30.) And this prerogative belongs to Christ. Jesus knew from the

beginning who they were that believed not. (John vi. 64.) Certain of the scribes said within themselves, this man blasphemeth: and Jesus KNOWING THEIR THOUGHTS, said, wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? (Matt. ix. 34.) 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. (John ii. 25.) There were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts-and immediately, when Jesus PERCEIVED IN HIS SPIRIT that they so reasoned within themselves, He said, &c. (Mark ii. 6, 8.) And Jesus immediately KNOWING IN HIMSELF, said, &c. (ch. v. 30.) It cannot here be justly said, that Christ might know the hearts of men by revelation from the Father, for the texts themselves guard against this perversion of their meaning, by attributing this perfection precisely and absolutely to Christ Himself. He knew IN HIMSELF; and needed not that ANY SHOULD TESTIFY; which is not true, if Christ knew what was in men only by revelation, and not by His own inherent knowledge. This perfection of God is thus expressed in the prophecy of Jeremiah: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, and try the reins. (Jer. xvii. 9, 10.) And this our blessed Saviour claims as His own attribute; All the churches shall know that I am HE WHICH SEARCHETH THE REINS AND THE HEART. (Rev. ii. 24.)

It is proper to be remarked here, that, notwithstanding this, our Lord assures us He did not know all things for, speaking of the day of judgment, He says, Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the

:

Son, but the Father. (Mark xiii. 32.) This is as strong a proof of His real manhood as the passages above-mentioned are of His real Godhead; and therefore, when connected, they show that our Lord Jesus Christ is God and man. Let but the reader attentively compare this scripture with those just before quoted, and he will find that the application of those to the Divine, and this to the human nature of Christ, is the only method of making them consistent with each other. For as Christ is HE who searcheth the reins and the heart, which we see is the distinguishing character of God, He could have been ignorant of nothing had His nature been simple, or of one kind only or if He had known all things by revelation from the Father, there would have remained nothing which He did not know, on the same supposition: but now that perfect and imperfect knowledge are both ascribed to Him, it proves Him to have been partaker of natures essentially different from each other. With respect to His divine nature, He needeth not that any should testify, for He Himself knew all things: with regard to His human nature, He was capable of growth in wisdom as well as in stature. Luke ii. 52. And thus, by comparing one scripture with another, we find an easy solution of the difficulty.

6. The blessed Jesus is likewise the object of Divine worship; for in the days of His flesh, He suffered Himself to be worshipped by His disciples; after His resurrection and ascension into heaven, He was worshipped by His apostles, who acted under immediate inspiration, and by the first christians; and He is now worshipped in heaven by the glorified hosts of saints and angels.

And behold there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst make

me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, I WILL, be thou clean. (Matt. viii, 23.) Then came she and worshipped, saying, Lord help me Jesus answered, O woman, great is thy faith. (Matt. xv. 25, 28.) The blind man whom He had restored to sight said, Lord, I believe, and worshipped Him. (John ix. 38.) The apostles said to our Lord, increase our faith. (Luke xvii. 5.) And Thomas, when bis unbelief was removed by Christ's condescension, cried out, my Lord and MY GOD. (John xx. 28.) Yet none of them received the least reproof for mistaking the object of their worship. It is true the word worship is sometimes, (though very rarely) used in scripture for the respect which is due from man to man; but in the instances above-mentioned, it is used in its proper sense, because it was accompanied with a confession of faith in Him who was worshipped, and an express avowal of His being the proper object of Divine honour. If we compare the behaviour of the apostles, under like circumstances, with that of our blessed Saviour, the contrast throws great light upon this matter. When the people at Lystra were going to pay Divine honours to them, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, we also are MEN. (Acts xiv. 14.) And Peter, when Cornelius fell down at his feet and worshipped him, took him up, saying, stand up, I myself also am a MAN. (Acts x. 25.) It was not therefore "more common homage and respect than "the apostles approved of," which they rejected, but such as was not due to MEN. The angel who was employed in giving John the emblematical history of the Church, rejected with abhorrence the

* See also Matt. xiv. 33.-xxviii. 9, and 17.